The next morning, specialized guards delivered a delicious breakfast to Lin Feng.
It consisted of some oddly-shaped vegetables and meats; although Lin Feng hadn't tried them before, they tasted quite good.
After a night of hard work, he had accumulated a reserve of 10 gold coins.
After breakfast, Lin Feng spent five hours completing his daily tasks, bringing his gold balance up to 20 coins.
Without a second thought, he immediately exchanged for a Heart of Gold.
With compound interest, the Heart of Gold could break even in just twenty days.
Lin Feng's actions also earned him the trust of more people.
Studying around the clock like this—who could deny he was a scientist?
By the afternoon, there was another knock at Lin Feng's door.
When he opened it, Caitlyn and Vi were standing outside.
"Mr. Lin Feng, how did you sleep last night?" Caitlyn asked.
To avoid awkwardness and to get to know such a great scientist from Piltover, Caitlyn made an effort to speak to Lin Feng.
Finally, they weren't just barging in… Lin Feng invited Caitlyn and the silent Vi into the room since they were still his 'guardians.'
Seeing the table piled high with books, Caitlyn and Vi were a bit surprised.
"Not bad," Lin Feng replied casually. After they sat down, he asked, "Is there something you need? Feel free to get straight to the point."
Caitlyn hesitated for a moment but spoke after a few seconds of silence.
"We're preparing to continue the investigation into the case. Please be ready to leave with us when you're done."
Lin Feng was taken aback.
So soon?
But coming back to reality, Lin Feng picked up his cup, preparing to take a sip while asking for details.
"Where are we investigating?"
"To Zaun."
Vi answered this time.
"Pfft!"
Lin Feng almost dropped his cup, choking slightly and nearly spraying Caitlyn and Vi.
"Za-Zaun???"
"Yes, we all suspect that this case is related to the lower city," Caitlyn replied.
No kidding, as if I needed you to tell me… Lin Feng felt a mix of frustration and despair.
Compared to Piltover, Zaun was a true melting pot of chaos.
Without sufficient strength, Lin Feng was reluctant to return to Zaun so soon.
But given the situation, it seemed he had no choice.
Since he wasn't the criminal, solving the case became an urgent matter that needed a quick resolution.
With a sigh, Lin Feng accepted the reality and began asking about the specific process.
To his shock, he learned that this operation to Zaun would involve only two people: himself and Caitlyn.
Given Vi's connections with the lower city, she would primarily be responsible for finding clues in Piltover.
Caitlyn was no stranger to the lower city and even had some connections there, making her the perfect choice for the case.
Lin Feng could guess the reason for the low-key approach; with the current tension between the upper and lower cities, sending too many people down could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings and troubles.
If it weren't for the circumstances reminding Lin Feng, he might have thought this was a sweet date for the two of them.
Only, the date location wasn't very pleasant.
It was fortunate that Vi wasn't going with them; otherwise, Lin Feng felt he would be constantly under scrutiny.
You can dodge the monk, but you can't dodge the temple. Lin Feng didn't want to evade the situation and requested two hours to prepare before they set off.
He packed up all the books he would need, then got another backpack to hold some parts he might use.
Two hours later, Lin Feng was ready with his heavy pack, and Caitlyn had been waiting by the door for quite a while.
As they stepped out of the building, it was Lin Feng's first real experience in Piltover.
His sociable nature was on full display as he waved to people left and right, greeting them with a cheerful "Good afternoon," causing pedestrians to look at him in surprise.
Lin Feng was not socially anxious but neither was he overly extroverted; that was before his transmigration. Now, being in this other world felt like playing a game, and interacting with the locals brought him a sense of novelty.
However, the more friendly Lin Feng acted, the more guilt Caitlyn felt.
Such a talented scientist lost part of his memory because of an explosion, and she had wrongly accused someone else!
"Lin Feng… can you not remember where you used to live?"
"Hmm." Lin Feng flashed a bright smile at another passerby and casually replied, "Can't remember at all."
Another cheerful passerby waved back at Lin Feng and wished Caitlyn a good afternoon.
Caitlyn forced a somewhat stiff smile and awkwardly waved back, imitating Lin Feng.
Lin Feng's friendly demeanor and her own coldness only deepened Caitlyn's self-reproach; her relationship with Lin Feng was insignificant compared to the loss Piltover had suffered.
It was possible that her previous actions led to Piltover losing an excellent scientist, something that couldn't be compensated by training a dozen law enforcement officers.
On the way to the lower city's access point, the two spoke very little. Caitlyn only asked a few scattered questions, and Lin Feng simply answered.
It wasn't that Lin Feng didn't want to chat with Caitlyn; it was just that sometimes, it was better not to say too much.
If he accidentally said something wrong, Caitlyn might take immediate action against him.
In less than half an hour, Lin Feng arrived at the entrance to the lower city tunnel, which led directly to Zaun.
The tunnel was heavily guarded, far exceeding Lin Feng's expectations. If this were the modern world, there'd be enough personnel here for several companies. An uninformed outsider might even think there was about to be a battle.
Unlike the guards Lin Feng had seen before, these wore gas masks, appearing like biochemical soldiers, fully armed.
When the law enforcement officers arrived, the guards immediately saluted.
After inspecting the necessary documents, the guards moved the barriers aside, clearing a path for the two and handed them gas masks.
Caitlyn shook her head.
"I won't need it."
Caitlyn had been to Zaun before and could tolerate the air quality inside.
Lin Feng thought for a moment and also declined the mask.
He felt it was just a pretentious piece of equipment, meant to give an air of nobility, but wearing it inside would be suffocating and unnecessary.
Caitlyn paused for a moment, opening her mouth as if to offer advice but remembered their poor relationship and swallowed her words.
Lin Feng confidently strode into the tunnel.
Inside, the tunnel sloped slightly downward. After about twenty minutes of walking, they reached the end.
There stood a massive door, also guarded by some soldiers.
After another inspection of the approval documents, the guards worked together to push the heavy door open.
The scene of Zaun entered Lin Feng's sight for the first time.