After carrying Jinx back to the Lotus Flower Gang, Leo handed the little miss over to Isa. After playing with the two girls for a while, he got up to leave. Jinx didn't say much. Instead, after Leo left, she and Isa began to tinker with the device she'd been researching lately.
"Go get that thing, Isa. I want to give Leo a surprise." Jinx put on a large pair of goggles that covered the upper half of her face. Her exposed lips were pursed, and her large blue eyes sparkled. At this moment, she had even deliberately put on an oil-resistant yellow jacket, squatting before a precise instrument, fiddling with it using a wrench.
Isa was very obedient to Jinx. She scampered over to the table, rummaged through a messy drawer, and then pulled out what Jinx had asked for: a seed. A seed commonly seen in Piltover, but in Zaun, it was truly a rare item. Rare not in terms of its value—after all, you could grab a handful of dirt in Piltover and find a few. It was rare because Zaun's soil and environment simply didn't allow plants to grow.
Isa brought the seed to Jinx. Jinx took it without looking up, then used the wrench to open the top of the instrument. She carefully placed the finger-sized brown seed inside. Pressing a button, Jinx and Isa pressed their faces against the instrument's glass dome, watching as a warm glow appeared inside, enveloping the device. Holding a magnifying glass, Jinx and Isa crouched down, butts sticking out, utterly devoid of any "maidenly image," guarding that single seed.
That was not just a seed; it was also the beginning of Zaun's transformation.
A Strategic Alliance
Leo moved swiftly, leaping and running across the rooftops of the Undercity houses. He made his way to Finn's former territory at top speed. That land now belonged to the Lotus Flower Gang. In Zaun, there was no government or official rule; whoever had the bigger fist and more money held the power. Thus, even if the residents surrounding the land were reluctant, they could only accept that the property had changed hands. They only hoped this gang called the Lotus Flower Gang would be kinder than the former Finn.
When Leo arrived, Ekko was already inside the casino with a group of people. This casino, once Finn's, had been completely dismantled. Vi and Marsen hadn't returned to the Lotus Flower Gang yesterday; they had waited right here for Ekko and his people to arrive. Seeing Leo, Ekko immediately stood up, followed by a group of masked individuals with hoverboards strapped to their backs.
"Did I keep you waiting?" Leo asked as he reached Ekko.
"No, we just got here ourselves," Ekko replied, shaking his head. He looked at Leo, his eyes complex. He truly couldn't understand how Leo had done it—making a Chem-Baron disappear so silently. Leo had done it with such ease, making Ekko wonder what all his own efforts over the years amounted to. His friends believed he would be Zaun's savior, leading them to change the Undercity. And with their trust, Ekko had gradually come to believe he could do it. But now, looking at Leo, Ekko found himself doubting. That person, the one who can change Zaun... will it really be me?
But as soon as the thought arose, Ekko immediately suppressed it. This kind of thinking... was unacceptable! As long as Zaun could get better, it didn't matter who changed everything, who led it!
"Let me introduce you, this is Scar, the Firelight gang's second-in-command." Ekko introduced a person beside him. This individual had a very distinctive appearance, possessing a pair of strange beast ears. Hearing Ekko introduce him, he took off his mask, revealing a humanoid face.
"A Vastaya?" Leo asked, surprised.
Scar nodded, then put his mask back on and stood behind Ekko. Ekko spoke softly, "It's not strange, Leo. In Zaun, there are all sorts of people. Scar's parents came to Zaun a long time ago; he's a Zaunite." Leo nodded, remembering who Scar was. He had appeared in a few scenes in the first season of the animation; whenever Ekko took action, Scar would be with him. It seemed... his combat strength wasn't low?
Looking at Ekko, Leo asked, "Have you made up your mind?"
"Yes, we are willing to merge into the Lotus Flower Gang, but I hope you will honor the conditions I put forth, Leo," Ekko said, taking a deep breath. "The Firelight gang is willing to be led by you, and it's fine if we're disbanded and reorganized. I just hope you can keep your word and let them live like the people of the Hope Community."
"That's what I want too, Ekko." Leo extended his hand to Ekko, saying softly, "Then, welcome to the Lotus Flower Gang, Ekko."
"Thank you." Ekko shook Leo's hand. He hesitated, then raised his head with clear resolve. "Boss."
Leo smiled, clapping Ekko on the shoulder. "Since you've joined, I have your first assignment for you, Ekko."
"Please tell me."
"Research and invention, Ekko. In my opinion, being a scientist suits you far better than fighting or being a boss," Leo told Ekko. Ekko was a born scientist. Growing up wildly in Zaun, he was no less brilliant than Viktor or Jayce. How could someone who could develop the Z-Drive and control time with Hextech be a bad student? Both he and Jinx were geniuses in scientific research, and both excelled at making weapons. However, in terms of weapon manufacturing, Jinx was definitely stronger than him.
"Research? Do you want to create weapons?" Ekko narrowed his eyes. The weapons and hoverboards used by the Firelight gang were all his own creations, assembled from junk parts from the Undercity.
"There's a need for that, but not now," Leo told Ekko. "I want you to develop a new energy source to change Zaun's current situation. All this time, we've fallen into a misconception."
"If we continue to be choked by Piltover, having to acquire everything from their hands, then Zaun will never truly stand up. To break free from Piltover's control, first, we must have our own industries."
"But energy isn't something that can be easily researched and developed," Ekko said, shaking his head, seemingly troubled. He continued, "Besides, Piltover is already far ahead of us in that regard. Hextech has widened the gap between the two cities. My point is, even if I did manage to research a new energy source, there would still be an unbridgeable gap between us and them."
"But at least we won't be reliant on others anymore, right?" Leo said with a smile. He thought for a moment and added, "I think Shimmer is a promising direction."
"That harmful substance?" Ekko frowned. His feelings towards Shimmer were very negative. Even though he knew Shimmer had great potential, it not only altered human genes for use as a biological agent, but burning Shimmer also possessed strong energy. In some ways... Shimmer was indeed much more superior than the energy Zaun currently used? Ekko had tried before, mixing Shimmer into his hoverboard. It did increase speed when burned, but it was very unstable and caused extreme damage to the machinery. Shimmer was truly dangerous.
"Shimmer has certainly harmed Zaun, but that's because it was used incorrectly, Ekko. Technology itself is flawless; the fault lies with the user," Leo said, shaking his head.
Ekko agreed with this point. "In that case, I can try. I've researched Shimmer before, but the Shimmer sold on the market, its purity... you know, Leo, that stuff is just for junkies to get high; it doesn't meet the standards for experimental needs."
"I'll need Shimmer of much higher purity, and I'll need a lot of research instruments," Ekko stated.
"Don't worry, I can get you extremely pure Shimmer. I'll also have people procure instruments from Piltover."
Ekko's gaze became strange as he looked at Leo. "What exactly is your relationship with Silco?" he couldn't help but ask. "Are we working for Silco now?"
"Of course not."
"We are working for Zaun, Ekko," Leo said.