In Heimerdinger's laboratory at Piltover University, the professor was busy typing on his computer while explaining quantum theory to Viktor. He demonstrated the principles of a hyperspace teleportation device, elaborating on the details.
Li Lin, seated nearby, occasionally chimed in to clarify points Viktor didn't understand, but his attention was mostly fixed on the glasses mounted in front of him.
The sixth-generation Infinite Battle Armor, which had separated from Jayce earlier, hadn't returned to the workshop. Instead, Li Lin remotely controlled it, activating its optical camouflage mode to secretly monitor the visitors.
Knowing that this Noxian elder woman was Mel's mother, Li Lin initially had little interest in her. That changed when Katarina appeared, catching him off guard.
Katarina Du Couteau—a master assassin and the eldest daughter of the legendary Noxian General Du Couteau—had been raised with the hope of inheriting her father's deadly craft. Her childhood offered no respite, as she ceaselessly honed her swordsmanship, endurance, and pain tolerance to mold herself into the ultimate weapon for the empire, aspiring to earn the title of "Sinister Blade," the pinnacle of the assassin's path.
Li Lin knew enough about Katarina to understand her actions were driven by a desire to serve her father and the empire with distinction. However, her first mission for Du Couteau—assassinating a squad captain from an enemy faction—left her frustrated. She believed such a lowly target was unworthy of her skills.
Instead of following orders, she bypassed her target and eliminated the faction's commander. The consequences were disastrous: the squad captain rallied his troops, killed dozens of Noxian guards, and nearly brought Du Couteau to his knees.
Barely surviving the ordeal, Du Couteau deemed Katarina a disgrace to the family and sent his prized pupil, Talon, to eliminate her.
But he underestimated Katarina's resolve and skill. Talon left a permanent scar over her left eye, yet even as blood drenched her face, Katarina instinctively grabbed her serrated daggers and swiftly eliminated the approaching attackers. Hours later, she threw the severed head of her original target at her father's feet. However, the damage to their relationship was irreparable, and she lost his favor forever.
After Du Couteau's mysterious disappearance, Katarina encountered Jericho Swain, who valued her talents. Determined to escape her father's shadow, she committed herself entirely to serving the empire.
Li Lin wasn't certain of the exact timeline of Katarina's fallout with her father or her first mission. However, the scar over her left eye confirmed that these events had already transpired, and she had survived Talon's assassination attempt.
Given her estranged relationship with Du Couteau, why had she been sent to Piltover? Li Lin hadn't visited Noxus, so it seemed unlikely that a butterfly effect could have caused Swain to recruit Katarina early or bypass Du Couteau entirely to send her on a reconnaissance mission.
Could the enigmatic Raum's foresight be so potent, surpassing even that of Ascended beings?
Even if it were true, Swain's cunning nature made such overt methods seem improbable.
Li Lin's mind, sharp as a supercomputer, quickly considered several possibilities. The most plausible explanation was that Katarina was merely a decoy, and Du Couteau had secretly dispatched others to investigate him.
When the battle armor used its specialized scanning features to analyze the surrounding area, it penetrated the masks of the Noxian soldiers, displaying their faces. One unfamiliar yet oddly familiar face caught Li Lin's attention.
Cross-referencing his memory with his observations, he determined the individual's identity—Talon, the Blade's Shadow.
Since Talon's face was obscured by a hood in official artwork, Li Lin relied on his recollection of the "True Damage: Shadowless" skin, the only depiction where Talon's face was fully visible. Though not entirely certain, subsequent actions confirmed his suspicions.
As soon as Katarina and Ambessa departed on a sightseeing hovercraft, the Noxian soldiers reboarded their airship in formation. However, the soldier Li Lin suspected to be Talon discreetly slipped away, abandoning his weapon and uniform behind a barrier. Underneath, he wore slightly wrinkled but stylish Piltover attire.
Moments later, as Mel, Jayce, and Elora left the waiting hall via an elevator, the man darted up a staircase, opened a window, and leaped across a four-to-five-meter gap, landing smoothly on a rooftop across the street.
Effortlessly scaling the balcony, he unlocked a door within seconds, walking inside as if he owned the place.
Watching this display, Li Lin marveled at the man's speed and precision. His skills surpassed even those of Powder and Vi's mischievous gang.
Certain now that the man was Talon, Li Lin deduced that he was likely the true target. After excusing himself to Heimerdinger, claiming he had matters to attend to, he left the office. His body was instantly enveloped in the armor.
Setting coordinates, he teleported to a secluded location identified by the sixth-generation armor's surveillance feed as near Talon's position. He recalled the armor used for remote monitoring and activated his own optical camouflage.
Throughout this time, the small rodent-like figure darting through alleys and rooftops remained under constant observation by Li Lin's AI. The chase ended in the northern district's bustling commercial street, where Katarina and Ambessa had last been seen.
Were it not for the AI confirming Talon's lack of magical energy, Li Lin might have suspected the man had mastered Ionia's Ghost Step technique.
Pausing briefly on the Piltover Bridge, he darted from the southern district to the northern one almost without stopping. He didn't bump into a single person or knock over any objects, moving as effortlessly as if equipped with the Duskblade of Draktharr, its ability to ignore unit collisions seemingly manifest in reality.
Not only that, Talon's sharp instincts left Li Lin rather impressed.
During the journey, Talon glanced in Li Lin's direction multiple times, his face reflecting a mix of doubt and wariness, as if questioning his own senses.
It wasn't until Katarina and Ambessa appeared in Li Lin's field of vision, seemingly headed toward the most luxurious spa in the northern district, that he sent a drone to continue monitoring Talon. Li Lin himself descended into a deserted alley near their location. His armor seamlessly shifted back into the appearance of regular attire, and he stepped out confidently.
Talon's goal wasn't to tail Katarina. Instead, he walked past the pair without hesitation, seemingly headed toward the Kiramman estate, as predicted by the AI.
The estate, however, was brimming with surveillance and defense mechanisms. Confident that Talon would not be able to enter, Li Lin let the matter rest.
[You have encountered 40 champions. Level increased by 1. Gained 1 skill point.]
The system notification surprised Li Lin. Previously, encountering champions had netted him two levels each time. Was this slower progress due to the extended experience bar at level 80?
He had no time to dwell on it. Katarina and Ambessa, chatting casually, were already approaching his direction.
Their distinctive attire and visible weaponry created an unapproachable aura, causing the surrounding pedestrians to steer clear, leaving a conspicuous empty space around them.
Quickly formulating a plan, Li Lin's nanotech clothing shifted again, forming a sleek, trendy keypad phone in his palm—currently popular among the aristocracy. Pretending to be engrossed in its screen, he deliberately walked toward the pair as if oblivious to their presence.
Katarina and Ambessa both noticed the well-dressed young man heading their way. Katarina frowned slightly.
This was Piltover, after all. With a mission to complete and enforcers patrolling nearby—not to mention the occasional glimpse of mechanical soldiers described in their intel—Katarina wanted no trouble. She prepared to step aside, giving the man space to pass.
Yet, before she could react, she felt a collision that threw off her balance, sending her stumbling backward. Her pupils contracted as shock filled her mind.
How could this happen? Her years of rigorous training in the art of assassination hadn't prepared her for this—a seemingly ordinary, albeit handsome and stylish, young man managing to collide with her in such a way?
Failing to avoid the collision could be chalked up to inattentiveness toward a civilian, but how had he managed to physically throw her off balance?
Even Ambessa, standing nearby, couldn't help but feel puzzled. Katarina had clearly stepped aside. How had she still ended up colliding with this youth?
And as a top-tier assassin trained by Du Couteau himself, how could a mere bump cause her to lose her footing?
"Oh no!" Li Lin exclaimed in feigned surprise, immediately raising his head to apologize. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright, miss?"
Katarina's body flickered with crimson energy as she used flash-step magic to recover before hitting the ground. Though she had regained her footing, the astonishment on her face remained.
"This beautiful lady—is everything okay?"
Li Lin acted startled, then gave Katarina a once-over, his gaze deliberately lingering as he assumed the air of a flirtatious aristocrat encountering someone who piqued his interest.
"My sincerest apologies. You seem quite shaken from the impact. How about this—I'll treat you both to lunch as compensation. Does that sound fair?"
Beside her, Ambessa couldn't suppress a chuckle at the sight.
Not only had Katarina been bumped by a random civilian in Piltover, but now she was being hit on?
Katarina's professional instincts quickly kicked in, dispelling her surprise. As she prepared to reject him, her eyes lingered on the young man's face—and realization struck.
This was her mission target!
(End of Chapter)
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