And just under three minutes after Vander hung up the phone, the grand entrance to the hall was pushed open forcefully.
A person dressed in a stylish red suit with a trim physique, yet exuding elegance, entered. An anxious expression adorned his face. He pushed the door open and immediately exclaimed, "Lin Wen!"
He then saw Vander, leaning against a long table and looking at him with folded arms.
"He hung up?" he asked.
Vander shrugged and nodded, saying, "Yup."
"Damn it, why did you let him hang up? Don't you know I have many things to discuss with him?" The person who rushed in was none other than Silco, one of the leaders of Zaun.
Interestingly, Silco had applied intricate makeup to his face, a stark departure from his usual fierce appearance. Presently, Silco looked like an accomplished politician, which indeed he was. However, this politician had a very sour mood.
"So much to tell him, numerous matters to discuss and initiate upon his return, and you just hung up the phone like that? Aren't you afraid he'll disappear for another few years?" Silco scolded.
"Not at all. He said he guarantees he'll be back before Progress Day."
"Really?" Silco paused.
"When have I ever lied to you, brother?"
Silco pointed his finger at Vander's face and retorted, "Vander, spare me your empty words. Have you not deceived me enough already? You told me back then that Lin Wen was only going out to find materials with some people. That's the only reason I allowed him to leave Zaun. But does finding materials require four years outside? Vander, you have played a significant role in all of this."
Vander awkwardly chuckled.
"Anyway, what did you tell him?"
Vander proceeded to share all the details of his conversation with Lin Wen with Silco, holding nothing back.
"Indeed. Rather than saying he called you, it's more accurate to say he could only call you. Just because your two precious daughters won't answer the phone."
But Silco found it amusing to think that once the girls found out about this, they would undoubtedly be fuming.
Vander, as the leader of Zaun, was responsible for managing internal affairs. However, considering the multitude of issues in present-day Zaun, he had quite a load on his plate. In fact, Silco's workload was nearly twice as much as Vander's.
Working more and resting less had significantly affected Silco's temper over the years. His patience had worn thin.
"What is Vi doing now?" Vander suddenly asked.
Silco first rolled his eyes in a cold and disdainful manner, then quipped, "Your precious daughter should be out on the streets arresting people right now, primarily our 'big clients.' She's quite something, Vander."
Silco teased.
"Silco, I hope you don't hold too much grudge against Vi. She's helping us."
"She has indeed caught a few illegal immigrants and even exposed some spies coming down from above, but, Vander," Silco squinted his eyes, "how many times has she arrested the wrong person through violent enforcement?"
"One success and four to five mistakes, is that still considered helpful?"
When the conversation shifted to the girl with pink hair, Silco became noticeably irritated. She disliked Silco, and he wasn't fond of her either, mainly because she resembled Vander so much but carried traces of Lin Wen at the same time. This made her highly unlikable in Silco's eyes.
"Thanks to her, our business profits have decreased by ten percent. Do you realize how much you can do with that ten percent?"
Vander fell silent immediately.
But Silco continued to complain.
"Can't she learn from her sister? Be a quiet girl, engage in some peaceful inventions, isn't that better?"
Vander, who was initially playing dead, couldn't help but retort, "Quiet? Can you really call what Powder does is 'quiet'? What's your perspective?"
"What, are you disagreeing with me?" Silco raised an eyebrow, looking at Vander.
Vander's teaching methods that produced such a genius daughter were truly a mystery to him.
Of course, the girl with pink hair doesn't count; she's just a brawler, much like Vander.
"Agree, I agree," Vander replied with a wry smile.
It's unclear why, but although both are Vander's daughters, one is at odds with Silco, while the other has a good relationship with him.
The key issue is that the two sisters also have an exceptionally strong bond.
Vi and Powder are biological sisters who have grown up together, and Vi, the elder sister, dotes on Powder.
Powder also trusts and adores her elder sister. So what's really going on here? Sometimes, interpersonal relationships are just that complicated.
Powder has become one of Singed's top apprentices with Ekko. Ekko even holds a position as a lecturer at one of Zaun's schools, while Powder?
She's a mentor in the field of weapon crafting.
Silco ordered the establishment of Zaun's Weapon Division, dedicated to the research and development of weapons unique to the Zaunites.
Powder, alongside several veteran mechanical mentors from Zaun's past, formed the Zaun Weapon Division with her as the leader.
Yes, a seventeen-year-old girl is leading a group of elderly gentlemen. However, no one dares to say otherwise because Powder has an abundance of innovative ideas in weapon crafting, making her a prodigious talent in this field, even surpassing Ekko in weapon crafting. Her talents even amaze Singed, a biochemist.
Powder – the Child of Firepower!
"Blackice, go tell Powder that Lin Wen called," Silco said, raising his hands in a helpless gesture.
He thought that if they didn't inform her, she'd surely get upset later. The two sisters were quite similar when it came to matters related to Lin Wen.
"Yes, Silco, sir," Blackice promptly nodded.
"Oh, and please inform Vi as well," Vander added.
"No problem, sir."
---
On Zaun's Freedom Avenue, you could already see several material shops lining its sides. It might not compare to Piltover's illustrious Sun Gates, but it still made the Zaunites proud, as it was the result of years of hard work and development.
Now, on this bustling street, a figure was fleeing rapidly.
"Hey, aren't you going to do anything?" A person from another country exclaimed in surprise, watching the scene. "Is that a thief? Aren't you going to catch him?"
The shopkeeper grinned and retrieved a beautiful piece of metal from the counter. "No need. Vi will take care of him."
"Vi? Who's that?" asked the merchant visiting the undercity for the second time.
"Ah, I just mentioned her, and here she is. Look, that's Vi."
The shopkeeper pointed towards a specific direction, and the merchant turned to see another swift figure dashing out.
Describing her as faster than flying would be accurate! When you looked closer, you could see that she was riding Zaun's unique Hextech hoverboard. She wore a stylish blue cap, somewhat resembling the hats of the top-side Enforcers. The cap had a bunch of beautiful pink hair peeking out from underneath, playfully swaying with the wind. Her striking features were scrunched up with excitement, but it only added to her attractive fierceness.
On her upper body, she had on a blue shirt that was straining to contain the top buttons, giving a tantalizing impression. She also wore an emblem jacket with the potion bottle emblem, which the merchant recognized as Zaun's city emblem. Many places in Zaun featured this lovely potion bottle insignia.
For her lower half, she wore a custom-made blue skirt made from what appeared to be high-quality material. Yet, shamefully, she had on black pants underneath. Who taught her to dress like that? Thankfully, the pants were tight-fitting, accentuating her powerful thighs, making them look particularly appealing.
Her gorgeous long legs were poised on the Hextech hoverboard, and her hands, adorned with peculiar gauntlets, were pointing forward. She was shouting loudly, "Criminal ahead! As a Undercity Enforcer, I'll give you one last warning! Please refrain from further resistance, or face the consequences!"
"Wait, she's a policewoman from Zaun?" The merchant was a bit perplexed.
"She's an Enforcer, sir."
"She's an Enforcer from our Undercity."
The shopkeeper replied with a gleeful grin.
Over there, a shout rang out once more, and she had already caught up to the criminal.
"I told you not to run!" she exclaimed.
"You bastard! Can't you understand what I'm saying? Huh? Fuck you!"
Boom!
Accompanied by a furious curse, she leaped high into the air and then slammed her heavily gauntleted hand onto the ground. Following that, an explosion occurred in front of her.
This left the merchant standing in place, utterly panicked. On his second visit to Zaun, he had encountered an explosion? No wonder the topsiders had warned them not to go down, saying it was dangerous. It truly seemed perilous! The shockwave even blew his hair into the air.
When the smoke cleared, the merchant saw the beautiful Enforcer, no, the Enforcer woman. She was standing on the sunken street, with Zaunites nonchalantly going about their business around her.
Were they just used to this? She didn't seem to have attacked the criminal directly, or else, judging by the several meters deep crater, wouldn't it have turned the person into mush?
"Hey, buddy, welcome to Zaun," she said as she approached the merchant while carrying the unconscious criminal, flashing him a smile.
Then,
"Thank you, thank you."
"You're welcome, but please make sure to follow the rules of Zaun, and don't engage in any illegal activities, or I might have to cuff you."
She smiled, revealing a set of beautiful teeth, with a naturally lovely face unadorned with cosmetics but still radiating beauty. Up close, it was clear that her figure was indeed remarkable, like a beautiful and powerful leopard.
"Uh, can I, uh..."
Seeing her smile, the merchant conveniently chose to forget all about the things she had done earlier. He now only wanted to have dinner with her and get to know this beautiful Enforcer better.
But before he could make a move, they heard a sound from the sky, and another Enforcer flew over.
"Vi, Vi, Vi!!!"
"Mylo, what's with all the shouting? I've got the guy, don't worry. He's not dead; I made sure to go easy on him."
Vi looked at the tall, skinny young man who had descended from the sky on a Hextech hoverboard.
She had also planned to use the hoverboard to take the criminal to the Enforcer precinct in Zaun. Vi couldn't help but admire how capable Ekko was – this Hextech hoverboard was incredibly convenient.
Thinking so, Vi stepped onto her hoverboard, holding the unconscious criminal, and said to Mylo in the distance, "As I've said, as Enforcers of Zaun, we need to stay calm and composed at all times. You need to be a bit more stable. Why can't you learn from me and stay as calm as I do?"
Mylo, however, couldn't care less and shouted, "Big bro Lin Wen called back!"
Swoosh!
A figure shot through the air, and instinctively, Mylo reached out his hand, catching the criminal that Vi had previously apprehended.
And Vi? The one that had told him to be more stable and calm earlier was now putting the pedal to the metal, leaving only a beautiful silhouette in her wake.
Mylo: "?"
Is she really going to teach me like this?