In the deep trenches of Zaun,
Lin Wen was walking down the street, his cap pulled low, and his head lowered.
In the depths of Zaun's trenches, smog was constantly thick in the air. In the past, Lin Wen would even feel his lungs burning with each breath, the intense foreign sensation making him nauseous.
But now... he had grown used to the smog seeping into his body.
Human adaptability can be remarkably strong. The visibility was very low, perhaps only about five meters, but for Lin Wen, who had lived here for five years, it wasn't a problem.
After about fifteen minutes, he arrived at a tavern called "The Last Drop" and pushed open the door.
//// Tavern? Or Bar? I'll go with Tavern cuz it sounds better. ////
He took off his hat upon entering. Those who had initially been taken aback by his sudden entrance quickly averted their gaze upon seeing his face, and the tavern's patrons returned to their merry drinking.
"Lin Wen, over here."
At the nearby bar, a burly man like a bear set down his drink and waved to Lin Wen.
Lin Wen walked over and took a seat on a stool at the bar. A young man with peculiar facial tattoos and a mohawk beside him who had been with Vander, nodded respectfully to Lin Wen, then picked up his drink and walked away.
"Before you come here, Old Zoran must have scolded you again, right?"
"Of course, he's been inhaling smog way too much and it must've affected his brain. You know it too, Vander, the smog is toxic. Inhaling too much not only makes you stupid but also increasingly irritable."
The person in front of him smiled gently, nodded, and then looked down to find something. "The usual?"
"Yes, I'm only fifteen years old now, so I'll pass on the alcohol." Lin Wen nodded.
"Hey, you little kid, Vi started drinking at the age of ten. Well, she doesn't actually drink; she just saw us adults always drinking and probably thought drinking is a symbol of adulthood. But she only took one sip and then spit it out."
"You've told me this story at least seven times."
Vander shrugged nonchalantly. "As you get older, you tend to repeat things."
Lowering his body, Vander pulled out a bottle and poured out juice for mixing.
"Vander, what do you want from me?"
Lin Wen accepted the glass Vander handed him and sipped it slowly.
Vander looked around, his smile disappearing. He placed his hands on the bar, lowered his head to Lin Wen's level, and spoke softly, "There are two things."
"Go ahead, I'll consider them."
Lin Wen squinted his eyes, realizing that if Vander was this cautious, the matter must be quite serious.
In Zaun, the true power holder was the man in front of him who seemed mild-mannered.
Lin Wen found this situation quite troublesome.
He remembered... there weren't such characters in the original lore, right?
"The first thing, Lin Wen, is that just now, my men delivered news that there was an explosion in the noble district of the top city. The explosion destroyed a room and caused the entire building to shake. Although the exact cause of the explosion hasn't been discovered yet, nearby residents have been forced to evacuate."
Lin Wen nodded.
"The culprits behind this explosion are four kids, two boys, and two girls..." Vander's tone turned somber.
Lin Wen's hand holding the glass paused, and he looked at Vander with a hint of distress. This was not a minor issue.
Vander continued, "So, the second thing is, I want you to look after them. They rely on you a lot, so if something happens, they'll definitely come looking for you first."
Compared to their foster father, they rather seek help from their older brother figure, Lin Wen?
But right now, that wasn't the important point.
Vander went on, "The top city is in quite the mess, and it's within... a major house. Lin Wen, with your brain, you know what will happen next."
"Are there casualties?"
"A building was destroyed. What do you think?"
"This is going to be tricky... Vander, even you can't handle it? You want me to handle it?" Lin Wen looked at Vander as if he's having an headache.
"I'm just a fifteen-year-old..."
"Enough of that, you can say this to Old Zoran and get away with it, but do you really need to say it to me? Besides, do you think Old Zoran is unaware of your activities? He's just pretending not to know," Vander retorted.
"Anyway, I'll leave Vi and the others to you," Vander said without hesitation, taking out a bag filled with silver coins, opening it, and handing it to Lin Wen. He added, "This is your payment."
Lin Wen's eyes brightened as he took the bag of silver coins and nodded at Vander.
"Alright, I understand."
"Is there nothing else?"
"Nothing, now let me check the time; they should be returning soon."
Lin Wen nodded, finishing his juice in one gulp. "I'll go pick them up now."
"Okay."
"But Vander, how do you plan to handle the enforcers?"
Vander fell silent for a moment, then waved his hand. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
Lin Wen said no more, got up, and walked out. His figure quickly disappeared into the smog.
.....
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"Powder, do you see what you've done? How could you... You!"
Beside the foul-smelling canal, four children, one chubby and one thin, one tall and one short, fell onto a pile of garbage.
The skinny boy spat out what was in his mouth, wiped his mouth, and angrily said, "I told you not to bring her, but you didn't listen. Now look, it was an explosion! We almost died!"
"It's not my fault, I didn't do anything!"
Accompanied by the skinny boy's angry accusations, the blue-haired little girl retorted unhappily.
"You didn't do anything? If it weren't for you, how could it explode? It was an explosion, for crying out loud! Damn it, the Enforcers will definitely come after us, and then you..."
"Enough, Mylo!" the girl walking ahead suddenly shouted.
"Yeah, Mylo, at least this time we got a good haul," the tall and chubby young man hesitated for a moment before speaking.
Seeing the attitudes of these two, the skinny boy immediately deflated, feeling helpless. "Alright, Claggor, Vi, you two pamper Powder as much as you want."
"Bleh!" Powder, the little girl they called Powder, hid behind the tall girl and made a ghost face.
"You!"
"Mylo!"
"Fine, fine, I won't say it anymore, okay?" Mylo raised both hands and huffed.
"Vi, where are we going now?" Claggor looked at Vi. "Back to Vander's?"
"No, with such a commotion in the top city, Vander will definitely scold us," the pink-haired girl sniffed and said, "We're going to Lin Wen's place."
Claggor nodded, and Mylo on the side also nodded in agreement.
"Vi, are we going to see Big brother Lin Wen?" Powder looked up at Vi excitedly.
"Of course." Vi smiled and said, "When something goes wrong, Lin Wen will help us sort it out."
The group immediately set off, heading towards the under city.
"But Vi, we always trouble Big bro Lin Wen like this..." on the way, Claggor suddenly spoke up.
Vi knew what Claggor wanted to say, so she shrugged and smiled, "He won't find us troublesome."
"Yeah, Claggor, we're family after all!"
Mylo chimed in again.
"I just thought, it's just..."
Claggor wanted to explain, but Vi suddenly raised her hand, looking alert.
"Oh, who's this? Isn't this the famous Violet from the last drop?"
Five people appeared ahead, and one with yellow hair stood there, looking at Vi.
"I just got the news; it seems there was an explosion in the top city?"
"Yeah, I've already heard about it. Are you here just to tell me that?"
Vi and Claggor walked closer, and Vi shrugged, saying nonchalantly.
But as they approached, the guy with yellow hair raised his hand to stop them, saying, "So you know, do you? Heard it was caused by four kids. Wait, there are four of you?"
"What are you trying to say?" Vi stopped in her tracks, looking directly at him.
"Nothing much, just noticed you guys seem to have had a good haul. If you're willing to..."
Vi remained expressionless upon hearing this but placed her hands behind her back and made a gesture toward Claggor and Mylo behind her.
Claggor and Mylo nodded in response, and Powder stopped pestering Vi. Instead, she took something from Claggor's hands, a large bundle filled with the loot they had acquired during their big heist.
Vi clenched her fist, and Claggor and Mylo behind her made a gesture to prepare for a fight. All three were ready for a brawl. But soon, Vi released her hand and smiled.
"What are you smiling for?"
Blond Hair was a bit puzzled, but he saw Vi raise her hand and beckon behind him, smiling broadly as she said, "Why did you come here? Did Vander send you?"
Yellow Hair immediately turned his head, but as soon as he turned, his entire body twisted like a giant shrimp, flying backward.
As he flew out, he faintly saw his partners lying on the ground, rolling their eyes and foaming at the mouth.
And the person who kicked him, before he fell unconscious, he saw his attire.
A person in a white linen robe with their face hidden under a hat, of average stature and somewhat frail.
When the newcomer lowered the hat, it revealed a youthful and handsome face.
"You four..."
Lin Wen looked at the enthusiastic Powder running towards him, then at Claggor and Mylo who were excitedly looking at him. He abandoned the idea of giving them a lesson for now.
Nevermind...
Why did they do this? Lin Wen looked ahead at Vi, and he could probably guess why.
"Come with me."
Lin Wen reached out and picked up the eager Powder running towards him, then turned and stepped away.
Vi also immediately ran over and followed Lin Wen closely.
Mylo patted Claggor on the shoulder and said, "See, you still think big bro would find us troublesome. You should apologize for even doubting him."
"I didn't, I just thought we shouldn't always trouble big bro Lin Wen like this..."
Soon, the five of them disappeared into the sewer entrance.