Walking through the streets, Caleb felt troubled.
Not because of Zaun's awful environment or its murky air.
Silco's influence ran deep, with roots spread through all of Zaun.
And Shimmer was Zaun's weapon.
It could enhance the human body, make people addicted, and in that way continuously feed Silco's power.
The only place that could even be called a survivor camp was the Firelights. They could cause Silco some trouble, but they still weren't strong enough.
The Chem-Barons' business had been hitting roadblocks lately, so they were probably starting to harbor some rebellious thoughts.
Piltover already had Hextech weapons. Mass production was only a matter of time.
Even if there were only a handful of them, that was already enough to give Caleb a headache.
"As for combat strength, all Zaun really has to offer is Shimmer. If research on the Hextech gemstone succeeds, that could count too."
Caleb returned to the fish stand, laid out two coins, and asked with a smile, "Can you tell me where Vi used to live when she was a kid?"
The chubby fish-man gave him an honest-looking grin and pointed him in a direction.
Caleb wasn't in any hurry. Whistling to himself, he strolled leisurely toward the darkness.
…
Far from the city center was a ruined district, where countless Zaunite poor wrapped themselves in blankets and were left to fend for themselves.
Most of them were hooked on Shimmer to one degree or another, and the physical mutations it caused made them afraid to show themselves in public.
Caitlyn was supporting Vi, leaving faint spots of blood behind them along the way.
After shaking Caitlyn off, Vi had managed to get information on Silco's second-in-command and went to settle the score.
But her opponent's chemtech mechanical arm had left her at a huge disadvantage, and when Vi realized Powder was working for Silco, she froze for a second.
That was enough for her abdomen to be pierced clean through.
Luckily, Caitlyn arrived in time and drove the other woman off with the folding rifle she carried with her.
After settling Vi inside the house, Caitlyn stepped back out, planning to find a doctor for her.
"Is she okay?" a sharp voice sounded from beside the door.
Without a second thought, Caitlyn brought up her folding rifle and aimed it straight at the speaker.
The other person dropped to the ground in fright and kept scrambling backward.
"N-no, no, no… easy there. Th-that's Vi, right?"
Hearing that, Caitlyn actually pushed the rifle farther forward, but then she paused and immediately swung the gun toward another spot in the darkness.
"Relax. It's me." Caleb emerged soundlessly from the shadows with both hands raised. "Let him keep talking."
"She owes her life to her dad," the small figure said. In his panic, his hood fell back, revealing the horrifying tumor on his head. "Actually… not just her life."
Caitlyn glanced at Caleb, and after he gave a slight nod, she lowered the rifle.
"She's been stabbed and she's bleeding. We need a doctor," Caitlyn said seriously to the two of them.
"Oh, around here it's not exactly easy to get a doctor to make a house call." The man pulled his hood back up, covering the mutated tumor again. "But I know a place. It might help in a pinch."
With that, he plunged into the darkness.
Caleb stepped after him, and after a brief hesitation, Caitlyn quickly followed the two of them.
"Where did you go just now? We couldn't find you anywhere," Caitlyn asked in a low voice while they moved.
"Went to see a friend." Caleb shrugged. "You need outside help sooner or later. Otherwise Silco's people would already have you surrounded right now, wouldn't they?"
"All right." Caitlyn nodded, half convinced.
As they spoke, the three of them arrived in front of a small shack.
The short man stepped forward and jingled a wind chime made from scrap parts.
Out of the darkness behind the bars emerged a large fish-like woman. Her lips moved, and she spat out a few words.
"What's the problem?"
Her hoarse voice carried a vicious edge that made people instinctively tense up.
"Stab wound. Clean through the abdomen." Before Caitlyn could respond, Caleb had already explained everything clearly.
A rattling sound came from the fish-woman's throat, and then she slammed the barred door shut.
"She… makes medicine. Helps people around here," the short man explained to the two of them while they waited.
"With… this…" He hesitated, then pointed at the tumor on his head before lowering it again.
"Shimmer? Why would you take something that hurts people like this?" Caitlyn turned to him, her eyes filled with sympathy.
"I just… wanted to know… what it felt like… to be somebody important," he stammered.
"I wanted people to be afraid of me… instead of…"
Just as he was starting to open up, the sound of a door opening cut him off.
A small medicine bottle was set on the counter, and the hoarse voice came again.
"Pay up!"
Caleb placed several cog-coins on the counter. After glancing down at them, the woman removed an earring and let a drop of liquid fall into the bottle.
Caleb accepted the medicine bottle she handed over. The liquid inside gave off a faint glow.
"Thank you, sincerely—" Before Caitlyn could finish, the woman roughly slammed the door shut again.
"Let's go. Vi will be happy to see an old friend," Caitlyn said, turning to the short man in a gentle voice.
"No, no, no, no…" The man hurriedly denied it. "You should just go back by yourselves…"
"When she knew me… I didn't look like… anyway… I don't want…"
"I don't want her to see me like this now…"
His voice grew smaller and smaller. "Just… just tell her I'm sorry, for everything that happened, okay?"
The moment he finished speaking, Caitlyn stepped forward and hugged him. Then she turned and said, "Let's go."
Caleb patted him on the shoulder as well, then followed Caitlyn.
"How did you know her stab wound went clean through the abdomen?" Caitlyn asked on the way back.
"I told you, I went to see a friend. My information network is pretty good."
Caleb gently shook the bottle of glowing liquid and smiled. "For example, I also know you landed three shots on that chemtech arm."
"All right, looks like you really do know some things." Caitlyn pursed her lips. "Let's get back. Vi's waiting for us."
…
Sevika, Silco's second-in-command, dragged her ruined chemtech mechanical arm into the office.
"We lost them." Her face was full of frustration.
"Lost who?" The chair turned around, and Jinx lifted a brow while holding a stack of documents.
"Your sister," Silco said as he stepped through the doorway at that same moment. "She's back."
He had just finished dealing with Marcus.
At Silco's signal, Sevika stepped slightly back, while Silco calmly looked at the girl he regarded as a daughter.
"You said she was dead. You lied to me!" Jinx lunged forward and started pounding on Silco.
"I didn't know either. Marcus lied to me." Silco's expression didn't change. "Do you want to go find her?"
"Hah. She's got a female Enforcer with her now," Sevika sneered. "Looks like she's already replaced you."
"She came back for the Hextech gemstone." Silco let out a sigh. "She'll betray you again."
"I already know how to make you come to your senses." Jinx grinned and threw her arms around Silco in a big hug, then dashed out of the room. "Oh, this isn't exactly the kind of place where it's easy to get a doctor…"