-53- Little genius powder

"Is this... Is this something you've put together?!" 

Ekko had been looking at the blueprints for about ten minutes, and then, he looked up at Singed in shock.

He had seen these things before! Linwin had shown him the crystal.

These structures and the idea of attempting to change their composition. 

Ekko was terrified. 

Could you really change the structure this way? 

But this shouldn't be the technology of the Undercity! 

Many of the things here, they were all things the Undercity didn't have, things you couldn't even see, let alone buy, and the Upper City people wouldn't sell to the Undercity.

"Can you understand it?" Singed asked him.

Ekko nodded. He looked up at Singed, and when he met Singed's slightly dilated and yellowed pupils, Ekko was startled for a moment. But immediately he perked up and said, "I've seen this thing before. Are you studying how to change its structure? I thought about using electricity to change the interior's hollow structure and then adding new materials to make it more stable, but I failed. I couldn't buy gold wire, and I didn't have equipment for such high current."

"But this... this device is incredible!"

Ekko was in awe, staring at an interactive device on the blueprints, lost in amazement. He mumbled some words, which those present couldn't understand except Linwin and Singed.

Silco also sat up straighter.

At first, he had underestimated this kid, but after seeing the appreciation in Singed's eyes, he began to take him more seriously.

In the Undercity, did they really have such a talented kid?

"You're amazing!" Ekko sincerely exclaimed.

"No, the amazing one is you," Singed smiled. It was the first time he had smiled in a while. 

"Linwin, he's even smarter than I imagined. He's a genius."

Linwin touched his nose.

Initially, he could understand what they were saying, but later on, with Ekko and Singed's words, he started having trouble understanding.

All I can say is that this is truly incredible! But that's how geniuses are.

Thinking about Zevi, who built her first multi-frequency sonic knife at the age of five, Linwin felt like he could accept anything.

At ten years old, Ekko understanding Hextech technology, it doesn't seem excessive, right? "So, how is it? I told you he could help us," Linwin raised an eyebrow and said to Silco. 

Silco nodded and said, "I was too shortsighted."

"What's your name?" Silco smiled, showing goodwill towards someone who could benefit Zaun.

He tried to make his smile as gentle as possible, just like when he was alone with Powder. He didn't want his scarred face to scare Ekko.

"Are you from the Black Ally?" 

Silco nodded. "Yes."

"I'm from the Black Ally too. Whose kid are you? I might know your family's adults."

Ekko scratched his head and answered, "Benzo, do you know Benzo?"

Silco suddenly fell silent.

A dark cloud seemed to loom over his head.

"Hahahahaha!" Linwin and Vander burst into laughter on the side.

Silco's sudden silence was, of course, understood by Linwin and Vander.

"Uh? Vander, Brother Linwin, what are you laughing at?" 

Silco patted Ekko's shoulder, trying to maintain an elegant tone, and said, "Some things are better left unknown, child."

"That way, it won't be too awkward between you and me."

"Uh," Ekko was clearly puzzled and didn't quite understand the situation.

"Alright, let's get to work!" Linwin clapped his hands, and Ekko was promptly pulled to the bar by Singed, with Linwin following.

Silco and Vander couldn't understand but were willing to spend the time watching. However, Vi and Powder, who were being ignored by the others, felt uncomfortable.

"What are you doing?"

Powder pushed her way into the crowd and tugged at Linwin's clothes, asking him.

"I want to join you too."

Linwin looked down at Powder and coaxed her, saying, "You can help us by pouring water."

Powder sniffled, "I want to do what Ekko is doing."

"No, you can't, you're too young."

"I'm not young! I'm older than Ekko! He's the little one."

Powder was quite dissatisfied with Linwin's response.

But just as Linwin was thinking of how to make Powder voluntarily give up her "help," after all, this was not child's play, and it wasn't time to mess around, Ekko suddenly said, "Big brother, let Powder join too."

"She's smarter than me," Ekko said firmly.

"See, Linwin? I can help." Powder immediately raised her head proudly, looking at Linwin.

"?" Linwin looked at Ekko with a puzzled expression and a look of disbelief on his face, saying, "Ekko, you need to understand this isn't a game, and we can't fool around."

Ekko spoke up, "Big brother, I'm not fooling around. Powder is really smart, and many of my inventions were made with her help."

"Is it really true?"

"Linwin, let me through." Powder was displeased and kicked Linwin's leg lightly, then walked past him.

Ekko made room for Powder, and Singed didn't say anything. Vander was about to say something but decided against it.

"I know that Powder has always been inventing weapons on her own, and I'm aware of that, but those have always been just small toys," Linwin said to Vi.

Vi helped Powder by saying, "Those are weapons, the ones she made."

Vi helped Powder, "Powder is very clever. She could make weapons at a young age, stuffing nails and some gas into a can to create nail bombs."

Linwin understood what Vi meant. After all, Powder had shown Linwin some of her inventions before, like the little monkey.

"But those things don't work, do they?"

Vi chuckled, "That's because Powder is kind-hearted. She deliberately weakened their power to make them look like toys. Otherwise, they could kill people."

"Powder is a weapons genius, and I've always believed in her," Vi said to Linwin.

Powder had started trying to make things on her own from the age of five, starting with toys made of tin. Later, since Vi was always getting into fights with others outside, and Powder couldn't help much due to her weak physique, she decided to make weapons to assist her sister.

However, her first successful invention was something she denied.

She didn't want that kind of thing.

That level of destructive power could actually kill people.

Now, Powder was in front of Singed, looking up and pointing at a spot on the paper, talking to Singed.

"I don't know how to explain this principle, but... are you trying to link this and that together?" 

Ekko explained from the side, "Powder, this is called chemistry, it's the principle of substitution."

Powder interrupted Ekko and huffed, saying, "I don't care about the principles. In any case, we connect this to that and we transfer it like Doo Doo Doo, right? We make it become this thing, and a part of this thing becomes it."

"Is that what you mean?"

Singed looked at Ekko, then at Powder and said with emotion, "You're absolutely right, little girl."

Linwin stood outside.

"But I don't know how to do it; I can only understand it. I can't create it," Powder added quickly.

Singed was quite satisfied. Children in Zaun rarely had the opportunity for education, and yet this girl, who clearly hadn't received a formal education and grew up in the undercity, understood the creator's intentions just by looking at the blueprints.

This, this was talent.

Powder was a genius.

So Singed said, "You've done a great job."

Vander also felt deeply moved.

Initially, he wanted to tell Powder not to cause trouble, but now he realized that his father didn't know his daughter as well as he thought.

And Linwin?

Linwin: Damn it, am I the only useless one here?

Vi was a genius in brawling, Jayce was a genius, Viktor was a genius, Ekko was a genius, and now Powder was a genius too. Even Miss Caitlyn he met in the upper city was a natural police detective with sharp insights.

What about me? If I didn't have this system, wouldn't I just be a npc in the crowd?

I'm screwed!

"You see, I told you Powder could do it," Vi poked Linwin in the chest with her elbow, grinning.

"Alright, you were right," Linwin suddenly remembered something.

Yes, Powder was Jinx.

And who is Jinx? She's a crazy criminal from Zaun, a "madwoman" who can make the Piltover Enforcers helpless using various firearms.

And now, Linwin suddenly realized where the problem was.

All this time, he thought of Jinx as just a crazy, yandere, and a skilled sharpshooter.

But who provided her with Fishbones and Pow-Pow?

Where did she get such powerful firearms from Zaun?

With advanced firearms capable of easily destroying a large building and causing unrest, if Zaunites were capable of manufacturing such weapons themselves, they would have gained a significant negotiating position with Piltover long ago.

And now, Linwin had the answer.

It was clear.

Powder made those weapons herself.

Linwin looked at the blue-haired girl conversing with Ekko and Singed in the crowd, and a chill ran down his spine.

Beside her, Vi was another "crazy" individual.

The violence-loving Vi.

Linwin swallowed hard and turned to Vi.

Vi met Linwin's gaze and immediately made a peculiar face. She nudged Linwin with her elbow a couple of times and asked loudly, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Is there something on my face?"

"No."

Linwin chickened out.

The genius powder,

And the violent Vi.