"Silco, I don't recall inviting you," Vander said, rising from his chair to face Silco, his expression guarded. The conflict between Li Lin and the Chem-Barons was momentarily forgotten.
The events of the past month were still fresh in Vander's memory. He had initially suppressed the anger among his people, not intending to confront Silco.
However, it seemed that Silco had taken it upon himself to visit, or perhaps he was invited by Finn and his associates.
Vander, with a stern expression, turned to Finn and questioned, "Have you sided with Silco?"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Who would join him?" Finn replied, visibly displeased, putting down his pistol.
Li Lin, too, was perplexed by Silco's unexpected intrusion. He sensed that Silco wasn't there to cause trouble. Otherwise, he could have unleashed some of his creations to attack rather than risk facing Vander's wrath.
"Silco, you're not welcome here," Vander warned again, adopting a defensive stance. Having learned from the previous encounter, he knew he had to act decisively against Silco.
"Hey, don't get so worked up. I'm not here for you," Silco replied casually, ignoring Vander and keeping his distance.
Silco then bypassed Vander and approached Finn at the other end of the long table.
"What's your game, Silco?" Finn asked, feeling a chill down his spine. He tightened his grip on the gun, not daring to turn his back on Silco.
"Old friend, after so many years, you greet me with such hostility. It hurts," Silco's tone was calm, devoid of any emotion.
"We're in the middle of important discussions..." Finn began, but Silco interrupted, "I know you're discussing important matters, and that's precisely why I'm here."
Renni and Lenare remained silent, while Smeech and Bonnie lowered their heads, visibly intimidated by Silco's ruthless demeanor.
Compared to Vander's more tempered approach, the others were more apprehensive about Silco's cold and cruel nature.
"So, you're the famous Silco," Mrs. Voss interjected. As a semi-retired Chem-Baron, she sought to enhance her status and influence during the meeting.
Vander had retired from the underworld, and his advocacy for peace contradicted her chaotic ideals. With Vander out of the picture, Silco was the only one who could challenge her.
However, Silco paid no attention to her words, treating them as if they were air.
Mrs. Voss's face turned red, but she dared not speak again.
Lenare, who had remained silent after uttering a single sentence, continued to smile, quietly observing the conversation.
"Brothers and sisters, we once shared common dreams for the rise of Zaun, do you remember?" Silco's words puzzled Vander, who furrowed his brow, trying to understand Silco's intentions.
"What kind of medicine are you selling in that gourd?" Vander asked, unable to grasp Silco's message.
Silco, still ignoring Vander, continued, "We rebelled against the Upper City and faced defeat. Over the years, I've been reflecting on where we went wrong. In the past two years, I thought I found the problem—our lack of power. However, his appearance made me rethink that."
Silco pointed at Li Lin, who had been silently recovering with the aid of his Overload Charge, the armor gradually regaining its luster.
Finn snorted, "Listen to his voice; he's just a kid. What's he going to do in that lump of metal?"
"lump of metal? Hehe..." Silco shook his head, smiling, then glanced at Li Lin.
"Oh, by the way, did I disturb you when I entered? How about... you show him again?" Silco suggested to Li Lin.
"What's your purpose? Speak plainly; we don't have time to waste on you," Li Lin couldn't help but say, impatient with Silco's enigmatic behavior.
Silco, seemingly changed from their previous encounters, remained unfazed, "I know you're busy. I'm here for a reason."
After Li Lin's remarks, Silco didn't seem upset. He continued with a cheerful smile, "Don't misunderstand; I'm here to support you this time."
Vander: "??"
Finn: "???"
Other Chem-Barons: "..."
Seeing everyone, especially the Chem-Barons, wearing confused expressions, Silco intentionally revealed a look of realization.
"Oh~~ Maybe I arrived too early, and you all had not heard his thoughts yet?"
He casually stroked his chin, pacing back and forth in the empty space in front of Finn.
"We want the Undercity to rise, to stand independently, to have the strength to contend with the topside... but after several years, have we achieved that?"
Silco paused, and his perfectly intact right eye swept over the faces of the Chem-Barons and Vander.
"No, including Vander and me, we all failed. As for the reasons..."
He looked at Vander, "Vander, you've been scared by the topside, completely losing your fighting spirit, willingly becoming a lackey for the topside."
"Silco..."
Being accused by Silco, Vander clenched his fist, wanting to retort, but Silco raised his hand to stop him.
"As for me, I was blinded by power, solely wanting to develop a force to match the topside. But I underestimated their power."
Silco glanced at Li Lin and continued, "As for all of you, heh... I hate to say it, but you've all completely forgotten your origins."
"Heh, hahaha... What nonsense are you talking about, Silco?"
Finn burst into laughter, but there was no trace of amusement on his face.
"You, a cur driven almost to the sewers by Vander, have no right to teach us, huh?!"
Silco took a deep breath, seemingly not angered by Finn's insult.
He stepped back a few paces, looked again at Li Lin, and a mysterious glint flashed in his eyes.
"It seems someone doesn't want to cooperate with this meeting."
"Ahahaha... Silco, why are you regressing more and more? Do you want this kid to fight for you..."
Before Finn finished speaking, there was a muffled sound of energy jetting, and a blue-white compressed energy ball flew rapidly towards him.
The next second, blood and flesh splattered, showering Bonnie the one closest to Finn.
Silco, Smeech, and Lenare faces were also splattered with a few drops of blood.
Meanwhile, Finn, who had just been provocatively challenging Silco, had lost half of his upper body.
With a "thump," he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
For a moment, even with the buzzing of the ceiling fan above, the room still reeked of the nauseating smell of charred meat.
"Ah—!"
After a few seconds of silence, Bonnie, who had realized it first, broke the silence with a piercing scream.
Soon after, the Chem-Barons, including Vander, also looked shocked, staring wide-eyed at Li Lin, who had just extinguished the blue light in his palm.
He actually made a move to kill—truly a madman!
In addition to the shock of the murder, the Chem-Barons were also wary of Li Lin's means of killing Finn.
Just by raising his hand, he killed Finn ten meters away. This was the power of Hextech, and what Silco said just now was surprisingly correct...
"Well done," Silco took out a handkerchief from his pocket, gently wiping off the bloodstains on his face.
Li Lin snorted, "Don't overthink it; I didn't kill him because of you."
At this point, Vander, who had also reacted, had an expression of resentment. "What are you doing, Li Lin!"
He originally thought Li Lin would just scare these guys.
Unexpectedly, he dared to kill Finn directly here, in front of other Chem-Barons...
"Just a warning for others. He was too troublesome."
Li Lin slowly lowered his arm, his gaze briefly pausing on the still shocked Chem-Barons, including Vander.
Silco's face showed a rare smile.
He slowly walked to the chair where Finn had just been sitting, used the handkerchief to clean the bloodstains, and casually tossed it onto the broken body beside him.
Then, Silco supported the table with both hands and sat down, crossing his hands in front of him.
"Now that there's no one causing trouble, let's talk about the development of the Undercity."
(End of this chapter)
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