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Ekko refused to set foot in the deepest pits of the Sump, so Chen took Powder with him. They flew their hoverboards toward a grotto hidden at the end of a stagnant, emerald-green branch of the Pilt River.
Singed was the apex of Zaunite alchemy—a man who had once stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Heimerdinger before his obsession with "the preservation of life" led him into the darkness. To the world, he was a monster. To Chen, he was a massive untapped resource.
Chen looked at the shimmering vials lining the walls. If Shimmer could be understood not as a drug, but as a high-density, self-replicating energy source, it could change the world. It could power the massive ventilation turbines Zaun needed to breathe; it could be the "Clean Tech" that finally rivaled Piltover's Hextech. But for now, its only use was the "Glorious Evolution."
As they approached the lab's entrance, a raspy, bandaged voice echoed from the shadows:
"I understand the state of those on the verge of death. I must warn you, if you choose this path, you will be scorned. To achieve evolution, one must abandon the admiration of others and a good reputation."
Then, a weak, sickly reply: "Jayce will understand me."
Chen stopped as Viktor limped out of the grotto, leaning heavily on his cane. The young inventor looked skeletal, his eyes hollow with the shadow of terminal illness. He saw Chen and Powder and froze in surprise.
"You... how did you find this place?"
Chen didn't answer immediately. He looked at the Hex Core Viktor clutched to his chest. He knew Viktor had come to his old mentor for the missing ingredient—a variant of Shimmer that could stabilize the Core's interaction with organic flesh.
"I understand you, Viktor," Chen said, stepping forward. "Even if Jayce doesn't, even if the Council turns their back on you, Zaun will always be your home. You don't have to apologize for wanting to live."
Chen reached into his bag and pulled out a large, stabilized bottle of refined Shimmer. He pressed it into Viktor's trembling hand. "One bottle might not be enough for what you're planning. Take this. Join the glorious evolution."
Viktor stared at the bottle, then at Chen. "You... you know what I intend to do?"
"Sometimes change isn't a bad thing," Chen whispered. "When you begin the process, remember to lock the door. The light will be... intense."
Viktor nodded slowly, a spark of renewed purpose in his eyes. He limped toward a secluded corner of the lab, muttering to himself, "This is not a mutation... it is an evolution."
The Alchemical Inferno
Chen walked into the main laboratory. Singed was hunched over a workbench, his back turned, his bandaged face reflected in a bubbling beaker.
"I remember you," Singed's voice was a dry rattle. "What is it this time? My fees have increased since Silco's disappearance."
"Silco is dead," Chen said bluntly.
Singed didn't stop his stirring. "Ambition is a volatile compound. One misstep, and the reaction consumes the chemist. It is not surprising."
"Without his funding, how will you continue?" Chen asked. "I know Noxus has been calling. They want your poisons for their wars."
Singed finally stood up, turning to face Chen. His eyes were cold, clinical. "I require resources. The source is irrelevant to the result. Why are you here?"
Chen threw a heavy bag of gold onto the table. It landed with a satisfying metallic thud. "I will provide your funding. In exchange, I need the Alchemical Inferno."
The lab went silent. Singed knew exactly what Chen was asking for—the same chemical weapon that had turned Ionian villages into ash. It was a force that no sword, and perhaps no shield, could stop.
"You are from Piltover," Singed noted, his gaze drifting to Chen's clean clothes.
"No," Chen replied firmly. "We are Zaunites. And we are about to be invaded."
Singed picked up the bag of money, weighing it in his hand. "Whatever. Provide the materials, and I will brew your apocalypse."
Chen was surprised by how quickly the "monster" agreed. Money, it seemed, was the universal solvent. But then, Chen decided to play his final card.
"Professor Singed... Piltover is about to fall. Not just the bridge. The city."
The beaker in Singed's hand stopped moving. He slowly set it down. Even the Machine Herald, Viktor, who had been preparing his Core in the corner, paused and looked up.
"How is that possible?" Viktor asked, his voice barely a whisper. "Piltover has the Hextech... they have the Guard..."
"They have the weapons," Chen said, looking at both of them. "But we have the people who built them. And now, we have the fire to burn them down."
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