Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino

\Seeing that Lynette had followed them, Lyney, who was waiting in the main hall, was incredibly shocked and embarrassed.

Although she was annoyed with her brother, Lynette understood the situation. She could make him atone later; the priority now was investigating the factory.

Lyney was stunned to learn from Lu Li and Lynette that this factory was producing "L'es." Although he had the key and the map, this was his first time inside. The entrance he had used didn't have as much stock as Lu Li's side; instead, it was filled with patrolling guard Meka.

"I lured those guards into the water and disabled them. The whole process was silent," Lyney said. "According to what you said, Lu Li, if this is a factory for 'L'es,' then we need to be cautious."

"The substance is a liquid. Ingesting it numbs the brain, causing hallucinations and a sense of euphoria, but long-term use is not only addictive but also causes irreversible damage to the body. In a factory like this, we can't guarantee that the liquid hasn't evaporated and saturated the air. One misstep and the consequences could be dire."

Lu Li nodded grimly. "So, you two need to take protective measures. And during the operation, do not touch any liquid."

Although they didn't understand why, Lyney and Lynette trusted Lu Li's judgment and nodded. They added more protective gear over their clothes, but then looked at Lu Li with confusion.

"Lu Li, don't you need to wear a mask like us?" Lynette asked with concern. "Or did you not bring one? I have a spare..."

"I don't need one. 'L'es' is a psychoactive poison for the people of Fontaine, but it has no special effect on those from outside the seven nations. So, even if I go deep inside, I won't be affected," Lu Li explained softly. "Let's go, it's time to move."

"Alright."

The three of them began to explore deeper into the factory.

————

Elok Lefebvre walked down the long, damp corridor with a dark expression, a compass in his hand and two guard Meka at his side. He adjusted the data on the compass, his mood foul.

"Damn it, I told them the construction of an underwater factory would be shoddy. It would have been better to build one in the mountains. Now the security cameras are broken again, and I have to go fix them myself."

"That guy, Vacher, always dumps a pile of trouble on us and never shows his face. If it weren't for the insane amount of Mora we're making, I'd really like to put a knife in him. He treats us like beasts of burden, damn it."

Muttering curses, he arrived at a mechanism and manually opened the large door in front of him. The next moment, he stared in shock at the scene before him. He ran forward, his face paling as he saw the devastation—guard Meka torn apart like scrap metal, numerous scorch marks... and most importantly, the shattered containers of "L'es."

"Who?! Who was it?!"

Elok's eyes widened in fury. This batch of "L'es" was worth millions of Mora on the black market. And these guards, this equipment... all destroyed! Whoever did this had cost him at least ten million Mora!

Then, a thought struck him, and his expression changed. He quickly drew his firearm from his waist. Behind him, the two guard Meka took up defensive positions, alert to their surroundings. Though initially enraged, Elok quickly composed himself, realizing the culprit might still be here. The intruders who caused this much destruction were clearly powerful. His guards were all well-known thugs, and the Meka here were tuned to maximum lethality!

Which faction in Fontaine had infiltrated this place, and how did they find it?

A drop of cold sweat trickled down his temple. The next moment, he saw a flurry of playing cards flying towards him. He slapped them away, clearing his vision, but then paused, noticing a greasy substance on his fingertips. Why is there grease on the cards?

And it wasn't just grease. His nose tickled, and he let out an involuntary sneeze. It was powder... a colorless powder had been sent flying with the cards!

Grease, powder... wait—

As realization dawned, Elok Lefebvre looked up, his face a mask of terror.

The next second, a massive fireball from a violent explosion engulfed him and his two Meka, blasting them to smithereens.

"BOOM!!"

Dust filled the air, and the flames continued to scorch the ground.

Lu Li, Lyney, and Lynette emerged.

Looking at the corpse, which was charred beyond recognition, Lyney remarked, "I never thought my magic tricks could create such a massive explosion with so little preparation."

"It's a dust explosion, after all. That kind of power is to be expected," Lu Li said with a shrug.

"But, Lyney, Lu Li, you two haven't left a single witness or any evidence. What's the plan now?" Lynette asked, exasperated.

"The dregs of the Lefebvre family have fallen this far and are still harming people. They don't deserve to live," Lu Li said softly.

"Mm... Lu Li is right. More importantly, the defenses here were too strong. Capturing them alive would have been extremely difficult," Lyney added with a sigh.

Seeing them coordinate their excuses, Lynette rolled her eyes, shook her head, and asked, "So what's next? Based on what we overheard, that man was the last person here and the one in charge."

"How about we check the deepest room for any intel, then secretly hand the evidence to the Gardes, and blow up the factory on our way out?" Lu Li suggested.

Lyney nodded. "That's an acceptable proposal, but isn't it a bit redundant? We could just give the evidence to the Gardes and let them handle it. Do we really need to blow it up?"

"There are some things here we can't take with us, and we can't guarantee that someone in the Gardes hasn't been bought. If a corrupt Garde finds out, they might come back here to claim the materials and equipment for themselves to rebuild the factory later," Lu Li explained.

Lyney grew thoughtful. He had almost forgotten; while the Gardes served the citizens, they were still human and could be bribed.

"I understand. In that case, I'll be in charge of planting the explosives. I'll make sure this place is completely obliterated after we leave," Lyney said. He then looked at Lynette expectantly. "Lynette, will you come with me?"

"No. I'll go with Lu Li to check the back. You can handle this yourself, brother," Lynette replied coolly.

Lyney clutched his chest dramatically, his mouth agape as if he couldn't believe what his dear sister had just said. Lynette ignored him, simply rolling her eyes at her drama-queen brother.

Seeing he had no chance, Lyney sighed, told Lu Li to take good care of Lynette, and went off to plant the bombs.

Lu Li promised he would, then turned to Lynette. "Alright, since you're not going with Lyney, you'll come with me. But remember my warning: do not touch any of the liquids inside, understand?"

"Mm, I know."

Lynette nodded, and followed Lu Li into the deepest part of the factory.

After passing through a damp corridor and reaching the final room, Lu Li opened the door. As they entered the laboratory-like space, they saw crates in the distance, filled with vials of strange liquids. Remembering Lu Li's warning, Lynette glanced at them once and then kept her distance, standing guard at the door while Lu Li searched the room.

He first examined the vials on the shelves, then walked away with a strange expression. Just as he'd thought, they were experimental batches of "L'es." However, there was no Primordial Seawater. It seemed Vacher hadn't shared that secret with his hired subordinates. But even without it, the shelves held other peculiar liquids: aphrodisiacs, estrus inducers, hallucinogens, and various other concoctions for carnal purposes, clearly intended for the depraved banquets of the nobility.

Lu Li wasn't interested. He moved on to the experiment table, which was covered in research papers. He scanned them, his brow furrowing. It was data on the composition of "L'es" and the effects of different concentrations on the people of Fontaine. It was important evidence, but not the smoking gun. Still, it was better than nothing.

He gathered all the papers, but the messy table suddenly shifted under the weight. The entire platform trembled and collapsed, taking the surrounding shelves down with it.

The vials shattered, and their contents vaporized, creating a cloud of colorful mist that rapidly filled the air.

Even with his caution, Lu Li was caught. He inhaled some of the gas he shouldn't have. He didn't breathe much, and immediately stopped a panicked Lynette from coming to help. He bypassed the mist and reached her at the doorway.

"Let's go, mission's over. We're leaving!"

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Lu Li shook his head, his face flushed as he spoke softly.

Lynette frowned, but seeing the expanding cloud of mist, she knew they couldn't delay. She took his hand and pulled him out into the corridor. She took the documents he handed her and stored them in her Vision's space.

But just as they were about to leave, Lu Li suddenly let go of her hand, startling her.

She turned to him, her eyes filled with confusion. "What's wrong?"

"You go on ahead. I need a moment to recover. I'll be out soon," Lu Li said, rubbing his red face and trying not to look at her.

The vapor from the three shattered potions, even a small whiff, was having a strong effect. His frantic, breathless movements had caused his heart to pump faster, making the symptoms even more obvious.

Lynette didn't want to leave him, but she didn't know what was wrong. Then, she noticed something, and her eyes widened in shock and embarrassment.

Lu Li had dived to reach the factory, so his clothes were soaking wet. Having been trained in the House of the Hearth, he was used to moving in wet clothes. He had wrung them out, so they didn't impede his movements. But wet clothes had a unique property: they clung like a second skin, clearly outlining his muscles and... other contours.

So now, seeing his flushed face and the strange bulge, and hearing him try to send her away, Lynette easily pieced together the predicament he was in.

She blushed as well, feeling that she should probably do as he said and give him some space. But then she hesitated. He had put himself in danger for her sake; otherwise, he wouldn't have been affected by those vials.

Yes, Lynette knew what those special vials on the shelf were. She had secretly investigated after performing at noble banquets before and knew exactly what sort of things the corrupt aristocrats used. She hadn't mentioned it out of embarrassment. She never thought Lu Li would get caught, despite his caution.

Looking at his current state, she pursed her lips. A shy blush spread across her cute, puffy cheeks. After a moment, Lynette said softly, "I... I'll help you. But... don't tell my brother..."

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