On the way back to the back alley, Lin Wen lowered his head, deep in thought about something.
He wasn't trying to intimidate Silco; rather, he was stating a fact to him.
Vander and Silco, two individuals once aligned in purpose but ultimately went their separate ways, had diverged in their ideologies.
Having followed Vander for these years, Lin Wen had a good grasp of Vander's thoughts. Vander advocated for a peaceful approach, seeking to establish boundaries with the topside, but Zaun... how could they survive without depending on Piltover? Despite most Zaunites verbally resenting Piltover, they secretly envied the topsiders' lifestyle. In reality, Zaunites relied on Piltover for their survival.
While trade was restricted in Piltover, no one controlled it in Zaun. This discrepancy led to the thriving black market in Zaun, an interesting case of the prosperous influencing the less privileged.
Piltover's immense wealth was due to its unique geographical position, situated at the junction of Valoran and Shurima continents.
This geographic advantage brought higher trade points than the island city of Bilgewater. Piltover, under the cunning leadership of the Pilties, soon became the most technologically advanced and economically flourishing city on the entire continent, giving rise to the City of Progress.
Silco, more than Vander, clearly saw the gap between Piltover and Zaun.
Silco believed that as time passed, the gap between Piltover and Zaun would only widen. Lin Wen agreed with this assessment, for he knew better than anyone
Soon, Jayce would develop Hextech technology, and when this genius truly integrated "magic" into technology, Zaun would no longer catch the attention of the Pilties.
Weapons intended for non-military use could easily handle the dregs of the underworld, likely the source of the topsiders' confidence in their superiority.
From a certain perspective, Lin Wen didn't want Silco to act too impulsively at the moment. Although the possibility was small, if Silco did catch Camille's attention because of Shimmer, his head might end up on the streets of Zaun the next day. There was no doubt about it; Camille Ferros, as an exceptional spy, possessed the capability.
Lin Wen remembered very clearly that the controller behind Piltover... no, according to the timeline, her brother should still be alive, right? He remembered that she executed her own younger brother after Victor had followers for his glorious evolution. According to the current timeline... she should be around seventy years old, right?
But even so, she would only be stronger than Lin Wen now, not weaker. Despite receiving a complete Champion card and experiencing a leap in his strength, Lin Wen didn't think he could defeat her.
After all, as the most formidable spy in the Ferros family... no, in the entire Piltover, Camille Ferros was no longer a human.
Human? Could a person whose heart had become mechanical still be considered human?
In Lin Wen's mental ranking list, this little old lady, Camille, was in the upper-middle class among humans. Her ranking in Tier 5 would definitely be in the top tier, especially with the Hextech technology developed by Jayce in the future. With it integrated for military use in Camille, her future self was a "magic-mechanical" being that had a chance of touching Tier 4.
That was why, in the past few years, Lin Wen had acted low-key. He was afraid of catching the eye of this old lady too early, after all, assassination was something no one in Piltover could compare to her in. As the strongest spy, her intelligence and combat abilities were the highest in present Piltover.
In short, Camille must not be provoked. One should note that she used a original Hex core, not those replicable Hex crystals. The crystal in Camille's chest was made from a Brackern core. However, a Hex core... with the death of the creator, Hakeem, and the disappearance of the blueprints, the crystal in Camille's chest was likely the world's only Hex heart.
Yes, if you can avoid provoking her, then avoid it.
————————
When Lin Wen arrived back at the Last Drop, he sensed that something was amiss.
In the tavern, Vander's group, a bunch of fierce-looking men and women covered in various tattoos, stood up.
Some people grabbed their weapons, their backs to the tavern's entrance, looking toward the bar.
Lin Wen wasn't very tall, currently standing at just over 1.6 meters. After all, this body was only fifteen years old, and during this growth stage, nutrition hadn't kept up. Consequently, Lin Wen, unable to see the situation, could only pat the large person in front of him.
The guy turned around, his big face full of displeasure. However, upon seeing Lin Wen, his expression changed, and he nodded warmly.
"Greg, excuse me, let me see what's going on."
The guy named Greg shook his head, raising a hand to stop Lin Wen from entering. He looked at Lin Wen and said, "Lin Wen, it's better if you don't go in; the enforcers are here."
As one of Vander's henchmen, he knew very well why the enforcers had come down to the Undercity.
Piltover folks coming to Zaun meant only one thing:
Arrests.
Piltover and Zaun, two cities, sister cities adjacent to each other, claimed to have a policy of non-interference. However, saying they didn't interfere, when Piltover's enforcers came down to the Undercity, did they truly not interfere?
Well, the illicit trades in the Undercity were likely mostly orchestrated by the topsiders.
"Vi and her group are at your place. It's not a good idea for you to go in."
Greg, despite his rough and large appearance, had a keen mind. If Vander could let them search so openly with an indifferent expression, it probably meant Vi wasn't in the Tavern, and the bigger possibility was that she was being protected by the person in front of him.
The last drop's second-in-command—the Undercity's enforcer—Lin Wen Lorant.
So, if Lin Wen talked to the enforcers, it would only make things more complicated.
"They've already arrived?"
Lin Wen frowned.
This was too fast...
From the moment he received Vi's message to going to Silco, it had only been about four hours. Now, the enforcers were already in the Undercity. Even if they took the lift, the journey would still take an hour or two, plus the search warrant and various other factors...
Lin Wen felt a headache coming on.
What had Vi and the others done?
To make the enforcers come out to arrest people on the very same day.
"I won't go in; I'll just take a look."
Greg nodded, stepping aside with his massive body. He also patted the person in front of him.
When that person turned around, looking puzzled at Greg, Greg pointed backward with his thumb, and then, the person saw Lin Wen waving at him with a smile.
Soon, a path spontaneously opened up in front of Lin Wen. He sat at a table, looked at the half-empty bottle of Shuriman Yeast Brew, the kind of drink that Lin Wen didn't mind. After all, the alcohol content was quite low.
So Lin Wen poured the drink into a clean little glass and started sipping it.
This drink came from Nashram, a port city in Shurima. The materials used for making it were simple, just local Shuriman yeast and alcohol for fermentation. The taste had a bit of sourness, but the texture was quite good, suitable for the young folks in Zaun.
Well, it was a bit like chewing on bread?
Lin Wen savored the drink, looking at the bar and listening carefully to the sounds inside.
His senses had long surpassed those of an ordinary person.
"Marcus, that's enough!"
Lin Wen saw a female enforcer with brown curly hair reach out and restrain a young man.
"Vander, this matter has gone too far. Hand over the person to me." The brown-haired woman was tall, but in front of Vander, she seemed like a child.
Vander shook his head. "Grayson, they're not here."
"This matter isn't trivial, Vander. Hand over the person, or the next time I bring more than just a few people." Grayson looked around, then spoke again, "You don't want the enforcers to conduct a major search in the Undercity."
"Grayson, she's not here with me. I have no one to hand over to you."
"You fool, do you think we didn't prepare before coming? We received the information, and they are..." The young man restrained by Grayson, irritated, raised his hand and pointed at Vander.
Along with his yelling at Vander, in the tavern, everyone moved a step forward. Among them, a burly man snorted loudly with his nose.
This made all the enforcers, including Marcus, nervous, except for Grayson.
One of them even pulled out a gun.
"Back off."
Vander shook his head at them.
Greyson also turned and pushed down the enforcer's gun, then turned to Vander, asking, "Can I have a word?"
Vander initially wanted to shake his head, but looking into Greyson's eyes, he nodded and walked away from the bar. He headed towards a nearby underground chamber, saying to Greyson, "Come on, this way."
Before Greyson followed Vander towards the underground chamber, she grabbed Marcus and warned him earnestly, "Don't cause trouble for me. This isn't Piltover."
"But!"
"No 'buts,' Marcus. Listen to me," Greyson patted his shoulder, and Marcus fell silent.
With Vander and Greyson both entering the underground chamber, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
In the tavern, the gangsters from the Undercity glared fiercely at the four enforcers.
Although Marcus was a bit nervous, he was not afraid. He pulled out his baton and slammed it on a table, flipping it over, splattering the drinks. Marcus angrily glared at them and shouted, "What are you looking at, you filthy Undercity rats!"
"If you have the guts, come at me. I just happen to want to arrest a few people to boost my performance!"
Marcus yelled loudly, taking bold steps forward. On either side, a thin, sharp-nosed man with a nose ring also moved forward, but just as he was about to approach Marcus, he was pulled back by his companion.
"Don't..." The companion shook his head at him.
If they assaulted the enforcers, the person involved would definitely be taken to Piltover's prison for rehabilitation. And if they killed an enforcer, the entire Undercity would suffer.
This was where Marcus's confidence lay—because behind him was a powerful city-state, far stronger than Zaun.
Piltover wouldn't tolerate any resistance from Zaunites; that was for certain.
A few years ago, during the day of the ashes, was a clear testament.
Marcus pushed aside a few people, and then... he saw a young man sitting and drinking.
The young man looked clean, devoid of tattoos, nose rings, or strange attire, but had a head of smooth black hair. Marcus's eyes brightened.
This young man was definitely not a gangster. Zaun's gangsters would never look like this.
So, he was the perfect target to assert his authority.
Marcus approached him, and then, he heavily slammed his baton in front of the young man.
"What are you doing?"
"Isn't it obvious? Mister Enforcer, I'm drinking."
"Is this the time to drink? We're conducting an inspection, and you're drinking right in front of us. Do you disrespect the Enforcers of Piltover?"
"Have I done anything wrong?"
"Disrespecting an Enforcer is a mistake!"
"But I'm just having a drink."
Laughter echoed around, making Marcus lose his temper. He turned and shouted, "Why are you laughing? Who's laughing?"
No one answered.
Marcus bent down, glaring at the young man's black eyes. He spoke coldly, "How about moving to a different place for your drink? It'll be my treat"
The young man remained silent.
But Marcus couldn't sense any nervousness from him.
This wasn't the result Marcus wanted.
The boy from the Undercity... even fearsome Zaun gangsters would tremble in front of the Enforcers. Not to mention ordinary Zaun youths.
He wanted to see fear and anxiety in him.
"Marcus, come back."
One of the accompanying Enforcers sensed something was off.
Zaunites were usually united against Piltover residents. However, no one stood up for the young man being bullied. Instead, the gang members watched like it was a show, and even... the Enforcer saw a hint of amusement on their faces.
This was abnormal.
"Come back for what?"
Frustrated by his teammates' interference, Marcus became angrier, turning to grab him to demonstrate the Enforcers' authority.
"Sigh..."
A soft sigh accompanied a painful yelp as Marcus's hand was swiftly hit and reddened.
"Damn, you dare resist me?" Marcus bent down, clutching his swollen wrist, and looked at him.
The young man stood up, puzzled, "What did I do? I was just having a drink. Why are you arresting me?"
"Lin Wen, give him a punch on the face!"
"Yeah, give him a knuckle sandwich!"
Voices from the surroundings joined in.
The other three Enforcers also tried to rush to Marcus's side to protect him, but they couldn't. The crowd that had separated regrouped, blocking their path.
And there stood Greg, with a build matching Vander's, defiantly facing the Enforcers. He had a broad face with a thick beard, and his copper-bell eyes were silently fixed on the trembling Enforcer in front of him.
His face was getting closer, and through his breath mask filtering the toxic air, Greg saw the Enforcer's eyes.
Eyes filled with fear.
Enforcers, afraid.
Could they be afraid too?
Even in the Undercity?
Just because we outnumber them?
But you have guns, right? You have such good weapons.
"Move, move! Clear the way! What do you all want? Are you trying to resist the law?!!" He raised his gun, aiming at Greg's face.
Resist the law? How can the laws of the topside reach the undercity?
Coexist in peace? Separate governance?
Is this what the people from the topside call peace? Is this their so-called delineation of boundaries in management?
Why does Zaun have to obey Piltover's commands? Why must Zaun be under Piltover's management? Why can't Zaun be independent?
Zaun is Zaun, and Piltover is Piltover.
Why?
Greg suddenly felt angry.
He suddenly understood why some people were becoming dissatisfied with Vander.
At the same time, he understood why Vander often sighed alone.
"If you have the guts, go ahead and shoot." Greg pointed to his chest, grabbing the Enforcer's gun and aiming it at the circular tattoo on his open chest.
He focused on the spot over his heart and confronted the shivering Enforcer, his previously calm face changing to a fierce expression. "Let's see how many people you can kill."
"You... you all!"
"I don't understand. Your captain told you to calm down, but why won't you listen?"
The young man stood up, looking down at Marcus from a higher position. "Your captain told you to wait for her return, we don't want to provoke you, but can you not provoke us?"
Marcus, however, pulled out the gun from his belt, gritting his teeth and pointing it at him.
"Don't, Marcus!"
One of the Enforcers surrounded by Zaunites saw this scene and hurriedly spoke to stop Marcus.
He knew him; he had excellent performance in the police force and came from a well-to-do family. He might be the successor to Greyson, becoming the new police chief of Piltover. But his temper was very volatile; he couldn't stand such humiliation.
Marcus was truly ready to fire!
"Bam!"
And with a loud bang, sparks flew as Marcus watched ahead with unease and excitement.
But the scene he expected didn't happen.
The gangsters in the bar didn't react with anger.
The three Enforcers stood dumbfounded.
The young man tilted his head slightly, his previously cheerful face turning cold, and on the wall behind him, there was a hole pierced by a gunshot.
"It's because of people like you that the relationship between Zaun and Piltover is worsening..." Lin Wen calmly looked at him.
His face remained calm, but Lin Wen felt a growing fire within him.
The more this fire burned, the more he felt the need to express himself.
Yes, this was the injustice most Zaunites faced when dealing with Enforcers.
Sometimes, Zaunites would be searched just passing by them. If they resisted, they'd be dragged to a corner and beaten.
Sometimes, Zaunites would be extorted, pinned to a wall, and robbed of valuable belongings, all under the theory that being from Zaun meant they must have stolen them. They called this justice.
Sometimes...
Sometimes...
But Lin Wen really didn't expect them to actually shoot at a young man.
A person who clearly hadn't done anything, just enjoying a drink.
What's the reason behind this injustice?
Lin Wen found himself growing to despise Piltover more. This hatred for Piltover had developed in Lin Wen after integrating into Zaun, and now it was only intensifying.
He had hurt many Zaunites, but he had never harmed a person from Piltover.
But today, Lin Wen suddenly wanted to know what consequences killing a person from Piltover would bring.
The Steel Shadow?
If it reach that point...
He took out the unknown runestone, although he didn't know what kind of runestone it was, he knew that any runestone fragment would possess tremendous power.
The reason he hadn't carefully studied it was that he feared it might attract the attention of a certain bald, purple man.
And currently, Hextech technology hadn't emerged yet. The legs of Steel Shadow might not even be blades. So, even if he couldn't beat her, Lin Wen could put up a fight.
Moreover, the death of just one enforcer might not even attract the attention of that woman.
The reason Jhin, that deranged murderer, became the target of that Assassin was because he killed many enforcers and remained elusive for a long time, causing fear in Piltover. That's why the steel shadow was forced to intervene and apprehend Jhin.
But would the steel shadow intervene for the death of a single enforcer?
Unconsciously, Lin Wen's hand tightened around Marcus's neck.
Marcus's face first turned a dreadful shade of red, and then... gradually paled.
His hands, clutching Lin Wen's arm, weakened, and his legs began to stiffen.
"Enough!"
Until a large hand pressed down on Lin Wen's hand.
Vander's big face appeared, shaking his head at Lin Wen.
His eyes carried a sense of helplessness, self-blame, and apology.