"Reform?" Vander's confusion mirrored on the faces of others in the tavern. After a moment, Vander's gaze swept across his subordinates, assessing their expressions.
Taking a moment to ponder, he continued, "I find the Undercity quite satisfactory. Why the need for reform?"
Li Lin sighed, conveying the decisions made by the council during the morning's assembly to Vander.
Not evading others, Li Lin disclosed the details, and the faces of Vander's subordinates were soon filled with discontent and resentment.
"What nonsense from the council! Why do they get to decide this?!"
"We haven't provoked the topsiders in years! Why must these upper-city folks exterminate us?"
"Clearly, this is Silco's doing. Why should we suffer for it?"
"I say we grab Silco and present him to the upper city. That way..."
"Are you a fool? Our internal disputes are our own business. Why lick the boots of those upper city bastards?"
As the voices in the tavern intensified, Vander, fed up, reached for a pipe, struck the table, and raised his voice, suppressing the clamor. "Enough! Can't you let Li Lin finish speaking?"
Following the boss's order, the room gradually quieted, but the restless hearts were far from settling.
Feeling the heated gazes mixed with various emotions, Li Lin turned to face them.
"Don't worry, everyone. I've convinced the council. They agreed to give me five years to change Zaun..."
Before he could finish, three obvious troublemakers showed disdainful expressions, provocatively challenging him.
"Just you? A little brat who hasn't even grown a beard?"
"Hah! I find it hard to believe that an upper-city person like you would help us people from the Undercity."
"Yeah, talking about the council, blah blah. How do we know if it's true or not?"
"I say we..."
Before Li Lin could respond, Vander, unable to endure, intervened, "Enough!"
However, the three troublemakers, always dissatisfied with Vander's tranquil and peaceful ideals, showed no sign of backing down. On the contrary, they became more agitated.
"Vander, he's a topsider, why are you speaking up for him?"
"Yeah, we, the people of the Undercity, should decide what to do, when, and how. Why does an upper-city person get to dictate us?"
"Forget about Silco. If those upper city bastards dare to stir trouble here, we should show them some blood! What do you all think?!"
"Yeah!"
"That's right!"
"Exactly!"
As the emotions of the crowd were stirred up by the trio, Vander's expression grew increasingly gloomy.
Some noticed his anger and warned those around them, prompting them to close their mouths and discreetly move away from the three troublemakers.
At this point, only the three troublemakers remained loud in the tavern.
Vander took a couple of puffs from his pipe, walked away from the bar, and approached the trio.
However, just as he passed by Li Lin, the mechanical hand pressed down on his shoulder, halting his steps.
Vander frowned, looking back at Li Lin, who shook his head.
"Let me handle this."
Vander nodded, silently leaning against the bar, blowing smoke rings, eager to see how Li Lin would handle the situation.
Li Lin, manipulating the armor, donned the face mask again and asked the lead troublemaker, "What's your name?"
"Heh, you, an upper-city kid, want to know my name?"
"I'm asking you. What's your name?" Li Lin's tone intensified as he took two steps forward.
"W-What? You want to threaten me? Let me tell you, I've been threatened since I was a kid. This is nothing..."
"Answer my question. What's your name?"
This time, Li Lin activated the power armor's Overcharge.
After a brief three seconds, the metal shell of the entire armor was covered with pulsating blue arcs, enhancing its intimidating presence.
The three troublemakers swallowed nervously, their eyes showing a hint of panic as they looked at their surrounding companions.
Unfortunately, due to their usual arrogance and bullying behavior, their popularity was extremely low. Combined with Vander's lack of reaction to Li Lin's actions, the majority of the crowd remained silent, observing the unfolding situation.
Vander, his face gradually darkening, pulled two fingers from his mouth and whistled sharply.
The loud, piercing sound echoed through the tavern, immediately grabbing everyone's attention.
Li Lin's expression remained unchanged, staring intently at the lead troublemaker.
Vander, in his own way, was trying to convey that the matter should end here, and everyone should return to their seats.
However, the three troublemakers, still not willing to yield, continued their defiance.
"Vander, why are you standing with an upper-city outsider?!"
"Yeah, we should decide our actions, not some upper-city kid!"
Ignoring them, Li Lin's gaze remained fixed on the lead troublemaker.
The intense atmosphere in the tavern seemed to reach its peak, awaiting the resolution of this confrontation.
In the dimly lit tavern, those loyal to Vander didn't dare defend these three fools who enjoyed mocking and had loose tongues, especially when faced with this massive steel giant that could effortlessly crush even "monsters."
The lead troublemaker, nudged by his companions, reluctantly stepped forward to save face.
"Hmph! Utter my name, and it might... startle you! I am called..."
Before he could finish, Li Lin disdainfully snorted, interrupting him, "Enough. I'm not interested in your name."
"...You scoundrel!" The troublemaker's face flushed, enraged. "Are you mocking me?"
"Oh, you're quite clever. Indeed, you figured it out," Li Lin chuckled lightly, raising an international-friendly hand gesture with his powered armor. "So what? I'm playing with you. What are you going to do about it?"
"You...!" The troubled one, now verbally dismantled by Li Lin, drew a short knife from his waist and waved it in the air.
"Remove your metal junk, and let's settle this like men! I dare you!"
Li Lin continued to smile, his tone indifferent. "If you have the guts, spend some money to get an armor like mine. I have time to wait... Oh, I forgot, you're broke. Never mind then."
"You son of a...!" The troublemaker, verbally defeated by Li Lin, cursed vehemently, drawing his attention to call in his two brothers for support.
However, to his surprise, his so-called "good brothers" had silently slipped into the crowd, completely ignoring his pleading eyes.
Now left to face Li Lin alone, the troublemaker turned back towards the imposing figure, feeling a hint of surrender in his gut.
"So, having money makes you superior?" he retorted, desperately.
"I'm sorry, but having money does make a difference," Li Lin's tone turned colder. He took a few steps toward the troublemaker, and the sounds of mechanical gears and heavy footsteps echoed in the tavern.
"You, you, you... don't come any closer!"
The troublemaker, isolated and helpless, kept stepping back with each of Li Lin's strides until he stumbled and fell over a table.
As he tried to get up and distance himself from the iron behemoth, Li Lin approached, crouching down and using a mechanical hand to grip the troublemaker's shoulder, rendering him immobile with a formidable force.
"You've been talking for quite a while. You're very brave, facing me even in powered armor," Li Lin sneered. "Impressive. You must be quite confident in yourself."
Li Lin pulled the troublemaker up, but the man's legs gave way due to fear, causing him to fall again.
Simultaneously, a foul stench wafted through the air. The troublemaker had indeed soiled himself in fear.
Quickly stepping back to avoid contamination, Li Lin cast a disdainful glance at the humiliated troublemaker.
Meanwhile, the others in the tavern distanced themselves, equally repulsed by the situation. However, no one dared to mock the troublemaker, given the intimidation Li Lin had brought.
Vander, sighing in resignation, tapped his pipe and gestured to the other two troublemakers who had disappeared into the crowd.
"Alright, you two, go and drag him out... and clean up this mess."
Reluctantly, the two men emerged, supporting the embarrassed troublemaker, who was still on the ground, avoiding eye contact.
They hastily returned with wet towels and a bucket, disdainfully wiping the liquid off the floor.
Once the trio had completely cleaned up and hurriedly exited the tavern, Li Lin returned to Vander's side, opening the face mask of his powered armor.
Expressionless, Li Lin scanned the surroundings, his gaze stern. He spoke in a chilling tone, "Now, can we have a civilized conversation?"
(End of this chapter)
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