The moment she stepped out of Stillwater Hold's main gate, the sunlight along the horizon found a place to land, spilling neatly across Vi's face.
She found it a little blinding, but still tilted her head up, shielding half the light with one hand as she narrowed her eyes at the sky and sighed despite herself.
"Great weather!"
Clear sky, white clouds, and a faint chill in the air. Maybe the wind had picked up, brushing against her cheeks.
But air this fresh only made her want to take a few more breaths.
"How long has it been since you've seen the sun?" Caitlyn asked when she saw her like that.
"Not that long." Vi lowered her hand and looked ahead, her tone rather relaxed. "I got to see daylight now and then when I was doing hard labor. This time just means something different."
What she was breathing through her nose was the air of freedom.
"All right."
Caitlyn nodded and started down the steps.
Soon, the two of them boarded the waiting small boat again and began returning in the direction of Piltover. For a while, the atmosphere went quiet, and neither of them spoke first.
After thinking for a moment, Caitlyn said, "You can tell me about Silco now, can't you?"
Vi, who seemed to be thinking about something, raised her eyes and glanced at her. "All you need to know is that the guy's no good. If anything big happens in Piltover or Zaun, suspecting him first is never wrong."
Caitlyn frowned slightly. "That wasn't what you said when you asked me to get you out. I want more detailed intelligence."
Vi shot back, "What exactly did I say? Did I say that if you got me out, I'd dig up his whole family tree and hand it to you?"
Caitlyn grew somewhat angry, a few traces of fury appearing in her eyes. "You—"
Before she could fully lose her temper, Vi smiled and said, "Relax. I'll take you to see what's going on with him yourself. Anyway, I didn't lie to you. The score between him and me has to be settled. You'll get the answer with your own eyes."
Caitlyn calmed down and said nothing more.
From the moment she decided to bring Vi out, it was the same as a gambler taking a seat at the table.
She suspected Silco, but to be honest, she did not especially trust Vi in front of her at the moment either.
But one thing Vi had said was certainly true. Her eyes were her own, and no matter what was really going on, she would be able to judge for herself.
"So you were imprisoned because of Silco?"
Without realizing it, Caitlyn slipped back into something like an interrogator's posture as she asked.
"More or less." Vi nodded casually. She knew it was necessary to satisfy this policewoman's curiosity a little, so she continued, "Back then, Silco wanted to become the boss of the Undercity, and he used a lot of dirty tricks. In the end, he kidnapped Vander. I originally wanted to save him."
At this point, Vi's gaze flickered, and her tone grew a little heavier.
"But I failed in the end. Vander died. Mylo and Claggor died too."
As Vi spoke, she unconsciously clenched her fists. "I was too weak, then blamed that weakness on someone else. My mind was completely blank back then, so I said some cruel things to her."
"Her?" Caitlyn could not help asking. "Who is she?"
"Powder." Vi exhaled and gave a bitter smile. "My sister. Later, when I wanted to go back and find her, someone suddenly knocked me out. When I woke up, I'd been sent to Stillwater Hold."
Caitlyn nodded slightly. Although Vi's account was brief, it did not stop Caitlyn's powerful imagination from filling in the blanks.
In her mind, the full picture of events had basically already taken shape.
The cause was very likely a gang conflict in the Undercity.
Although Caitlyn rarely went to the Undercity, she knew there were many gangs there, along with all kinds of illicit competition.
Clearly, the people Vi had mentioned had been dragged into it.
And the one who stirred up that fight should have been Silco.
Looking at things now, Silco must have succeeded back then. His current identity was that of a well-known industrialist.
"All these years, I've never been able to learn anything about her."
Vi looked toward the sparkling surface of the sea. "This time, after I get back, aside from settling things with Silco, I'm going to find her."
"What if she…"
Caitlyn felt that would be somewhat offensive, so she did not finish.
Vi already knew what she meant. She clenched her fists, and a coldness surged in her eyes. "If something happened to her, I won't let anyone from back then off easy."
In her heart, nothing was more important now than Powder.
Now that she had regained her freedom, Vi had to settle the grudges of that year.
Soon, the boat fell silent once again, and both of them quieted down one after the other. Their gazes turned together toward the water, toward the direction of Piltover and Zaun.
That afternoon.
In Silco's office.
"There's trouble over on Wonka Street. A few new hotheads aren't following the rules."
Sevika was telling Silco about recent matters.
Hearing this, Silco said calmly, "Then we simply teach them again. Go handle it."
Sevika nodded. "The big guy's people have also been paid off. Other than that, there's nothing else."
"Thank you for your hard work." Silco smiled, rarely saying something like that. "You really have helped me a great deal over the years."
"Save it."
Sevika gave an unappreciative snort. "If there's nothing else, I'm going to get busy. If you still want to go watch the performance alone, be a little careful."
Silco nodded slightly. "Mm."
Sevika turned and left. Although the concert in the upper city had indeed been well put together, she could not adapt to that kind of occasion, and she had no idea how Silco managed it.
Perhaps this was the power of fatherly love?
Anyway, she did not want to go with him. She had no special feelings for that little blue-haired girl.
So there was no need to ask. Sevika knew that Silco would definitely go to the afternoon concert. If nothing unexpected happened, there was already a ticket he had managed to grab hidden in his drawer right now.
And he had even been putting on that fake flattering act just now.
After spending so many years together, did he really think she would not understand him?
The guy just did not want her telling anyone about it.
After leaving the room, the corner of Sevika's mouth curved into a faint smile.
Watching the door close, Silco did indeed open the drawer and take out a concert ticket he had long since secured.
This time, it was still in the middle section. The reason was that if he sat too far away, he could not see clearly, but he did not want to sit too close either.
Being able to sit in the middle and listen to a full performance was already enough.
Moreover, Silco now had a new plan.
He opened another drawer. Inside was an exquisite gift box in the middle of being wrapped. Since there was still some time, he slowly finished wrapping it.
Since she did not want to bring it up herself, then the next time he saw her, he would speak first.
He only wanted her to know that he would support everything she did.
Thinking carefully about it, although he could not put down the burden on his shoulders, attending every one of her performances could also count as a form of keeping her company.
Looking at the beautifully wrapped gift, a smile appeared at the corner of Silco's mouth. He slowly slipped the gift into the pocket of his coat.
He glanced at the clock. Two in the afternoon.
There was still an hour before the performance began. He rose from his seat and prepared to set out.
Walking through Zaun's streets, he felt that the place had never changed much from how it existed in his memory, whether in its people or its things.
With both hands tucked into his pockets, Silco walked slowly forward, passing through one Zaun district after another.
Just as he passed a corner, someone bumped into him head-on.
"Sorry."
The person lowered his head and apologized softly.
Silco did not mind, nor was he angry. He smiled and continued forward. Without any wariness, however, he failed to notice that the person brushing past him had raised his right hand high.
Thud!
A muffled sound rang out.
Silco only felt a burst of pain at the back of his neck. Then the scene before him blurred, and after that, he knew nothing as he collapsed.
On the other side of the street.
On a rooftop, several people had gathered there, holding binoculars.
"Ekko, they really made a move. What do we do? Are we cutting in?"
A young man spoke impatiently.
Beside him, an equally young, dark-skinned, white-haired young man chewed on something and said unhurriedly, "What's the rush? Follow them quietly. Let's see where they take him first. Then we'll get two birds with one stone."
"We've been moving so frequently these past few days precisely to make them lower their guard."
Ekko lowered his binoculars and prepared to move.
While thinking of a way to deal with Silco, he had accidentally discovered that there seemed to be a third force at play.
They thought they could use the Firelights to divide Silco's attention.
In reality, that suited him perfectly. As long as the Firelights were seen as a bunch of reckless brutes, people would naturally drop their guard.
Sure enough, just as Ekko had expected, this group could not resist making a move.
Now, this group had also shown its true face. Naturally, this was a perfect chance to take them all down in one move.
At four-thirty in the afternoon.
The small boat arrived at Piltover's docks.
Caitlyn glanced in the direction of the Bird's Nest, thinking that the band's performance had already begun by now.
But she was probably not going to make it this time, because at the moment, there was something more important to do.
Seeing the familiar city, Vi hopped lightly onto the shore and sized up the people coming and going. "Not many people at the docks today."
"Quite a few of them may have gone to the concert."
Caitlyn followed her ashore and said this.
"Concert?"
"A very impressive kind of performance, put on by the most popular band in Piltover right now."
Caitlyn gave a rough explanation.
"Oh." Vi nodded, not especially interested. She headed forward. "Let's go."
"The elevator isn't that way."
Seeing her take the wrong road, Caitlyn could not help speaking up.
Vi turned back, glanced at her, and smiled. "That would draw too much attention. If you want to get to Zaun, there are plenty of roads."
As she spoke, she pulled up the hood behind her, barely covering her face, then quickened her pace.
At first, Caitlyn did not quite understand, but she could only follow.
Then she saw Vi slide straight down along a drainpipe on a rooftop.
Because Piltover was the upper city, Zaun was naturally the lower city, and the two cities were connected.
The lower levels of Piltover were the uppermost levels of Zaun. Around the harbor docks, there was indeed a part of the city of Zaun exposed on the outside.
Caitlyn froze for a brief moment, then caught up to look, only to find that Vi was like an agile monkey. In the blink of an eye, she had already appeared far, far, far, far below.
Helplessly, Caitlyn could only abandon ladylike propriety and start copying her.
A few minutes later.
After taking the shortest shortcut in history to reach Zaun, Caitlyn had hopped left and right so much that her clothes had somehow become covered in dust.
After quite a while, she finally caught up with Vi up ahead.
Vi, meanwhile, was surveying the surroundings. She sniffed the air here and smiled. "Seeing that nothing has changed much around here makes me feel a lot better."
Unlike Piltover, which had many unfamiliar things when she first looked at it.
While patting the dust off her body, Caitlyn panted slightly and said, "Are all you Zaunites this energetic?"
"This is just everyday stuff." Vi smiled and walked forward. "Come on. Follow me."
Caitlyn had no idea what else she would experience by following her, but for now, she could only keep going.
As they passed through one street after another, she found that many people were staring this way.
So she quietly put on her hood as well, barely covering her face, and carefully observed this city that was different from the last time she had come.
Last time, she had come with His Highness and the others, bringing many enforcers with them. The view of the Undercity she had seen then had clearly not been as complete as it was this time.
This time, Caitlyn saw many people sitting on the roadside, gambling right where they were. The glass-sharp air scraping at her throat was mixed with the smell of secondhand smoke.
From dark alleys, the sounds of fights occasionally drifted out. She even saw someone brandishing a small knife while robbing another person.
The people here all seemed used to everything.
After following Vi for most of the day, Caitlyn could not help asking, "So where exactly are we going?"
"First, we're going to one place. Anyway, just follow me. I won't ditch you."
Vi said this without turning her head.
Caitlyn was rather speechless toward her, but she could only follow.
Soon, she and Vi went around the streets and entered narrow alley-like paths, commonly known as the back lanes.
There were clearly far fewer people here. Occasionally, when she saw a couple of people looking over, they quickly looked away again.
After leaving the back lanes, Caitlyn found that they had arrived at a street that was still fairly busy.
"Wonka Street. Same as ever."
A nostalgic smile flashed through Vi's eyes, and she continued forward.
Her original intent was to find an old acquaintance and then ask about Silco.
But suddenly, she saw someone flash past the street ahead. Her footsteps stopped, and she changed her mind.
Noticing that Vi up ahead had suddenly quickened her steps, Caitlyn only spaced out for a moment, and Vi had already shot far ahead.
Inside a tavern.
After being disciplined, the tavern owner handed Sevika a money pouch with an apologetic smile plastered all over his face.
Taking the pouch, Sevika weighed it in her hand. A satisfied smile appeared on her face, and she left through the tavern's back door.
She planned to take a shortcut straight to another place.
This was a small alley, and a thin mist drifted through it. There was not a single person in sight.
But in the blink of an eye, a figure suddenly appeared on the path ahead.
Seeing this, Sevika frowned slightly. She noticed that the person was wearing a hood, and with the mist winding around them, she could not make out their face for a while.
Thinking it was someone passing by, she paid no attention.
The other person also walked toward her, then spoke.
"Long time no see."
That familiar voice fell into her ears. Although it had changed somewhat, the alarm bell in Sevika's heart rang instantly.
The next second, Vi threw a punch directly. Her strong, powerful fist let out a sharp sound as it cut through the air.
Sevika took the punch square in the face and staggered two steps back. Blood had already spilled from the corner of her mouth. But compared to the shock in her heart, that counted for nothing. She lifted her head and stared at the person in front of her.
"Vi? You're not dead?"
"How could I die when you, traitor, are still alive and well?"
Vi's eyes were cold. Without the slightest hesitation, she stepped in close and threw a rapid punch.
"He was the one who refused to accept reality. Zaun needed change."
Sevika blocked while retreating, her heart gradually calming down.
Suddenly, she raised her left hand, and with a clang, she caught Vi's fist.
Vi narrowed her eyes, sensing that something was wrong. She yanked her hand back and kicked out hard. Sevika blocked it again, and Vi felt as though she had kicked iron.
Sevika sneered and swung her left fist hard.
It struck Vi in the face, and at the same time, she kicked Vi in the abdomen, sending her flying.
Vi landed on the ground and steadied herself. With a ptui, she spat the blood from her mouth, then fixed her eyes on Sevika.
Sevika lifted the cloak covering her left arm, revealing a modified steel left arm beneath. As she pressed a button on the arm, a container loaded with purple liquid protruded from her left shoulder, then injected the liquid into her body.
"Shimmer…"
Vi was no stranger to it.
Back then, Silco had relied on his control of this strange drug, creating several superhuman mutants and using them to overthrow Vander's forces.
This drug could enhance a person's physique for a short time.
Purple veins appeared along the left side of Sevika's neck. Feeling the surging power inside her body, the corner of her mouth curved into a cruel smile.
The next second, she lunged at Vi on her own initiative.
After injecting Shimmer, Sevika's punches were terrifyingly strong. Vi blocked with difficulty as she retreated, but she did not give up, searching for Sevika's openings.
Sevika punched the wall again and again, and one pit after another appeared in it.
It was enough to show how extraordinary her strength was at this moment.
Only a few breaths passed before Vi's counterattack began. She maintained a professional fighting stance, minimizing the degree of injury as much as possible.
With a bang, her fist struck Sevika in the stomach, immediately followed by another punch squarely hitting Sevika in the face.
As she dodged and shifted, she had already thrown five or six punches, every one of them landing.
Even Sevika's consciousness wavered from the beating at this moment, and her steps staggered backward. She only felt that every punch Vi threw was no weaker than her own after injecting Shimmer.
Not daring to hesitate any longer, Sevika immediately pressed the button and added another dose of Shimmer to herself. The purple veins on her neck became even more obvious, and her eyes also began to glow purple.
This time, her awareness returned. She threw a powerful punch that slammed Vi straight into the wall, then her body rushed forward like a charging bull and smashed into her.
With a wet gasp, Vi spat out a mouthful of blood. Then Sevika grabbed her by the throat and smashed her hard onto the ground.
"You think you're tough? Hm?"
Sevika squeezed Vi's throat hard, her voice cold. Her left hand began to heat up. As the machinery operated, the heat gradually intensified.
Vi gritted her teeth and kicked out hard, forcibly breaking free.
"I'm tough enough to beat you."
After rising from the ground, she settled back into her stance and stared coldly at Sevika.
Sevika clenched her fist and charged straight at her.
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