-27- Hope

"You two, stop arguing; my head is already throbbing," she said, trying to calm her inner turmoil. She resisted the urge to look up and instead focused on Yaji and Jinkray.

"Yaji, I still suggest aligning with Vander."

"Are you crazy? Your business has already reached the Upper City. Do you really want to join Vander? Won't that ruin your business?"

"Business, Business, Business, Yaji. I think the one going crazy here is you!" Jinkray frowned, slammed his hand on the table, and yelled at Yaagi, "Isn't your life more important than business?"

"He might not necessarily kill us."

When Jinkray was about to refute, Yaji preemptively interrupted him, shouting, "Don't bring up Fiden. He brought trouble upon himself. He intruded into the Black Ally, stole guns from the Upper City, and broke Vander's rules. His fate was well-deserved. But we are different. As long as we behave and stay in our territory, he won't come after us."

"Even without our business, I won't be able to control my people, feed them. When the time comes, I'll be the one they devour!" Yaji roared.

Jinkray stepped forward, confronted Yaagi, and said with fury, "You fool, Vander is clearly aiming to unify all of Zaun. Do you really think that the same neutrality as before is possible? This time, they are determined to reform Zaun. As a fence-sitter like us, we'll be their first target. Don't you understand that?"

"Then he will try to recruit us."

"Recruit? Yaji, he's Vander, the hound of the Undercity. Do you really think he'll have trouble taking control of your people after eliminating you and your territory?"

Yaji and Jinkray began arguing again, making the woman standing on the side very nervous.

Death sat above them, and no one could calm down. She feared that their argument might anger Death, who would then come down and deliver his judgment.

"Enough, Yaji," the Lady Baron said, shaking her head as she looked at Yaji. "I share the same thoughts as Jinkray. We intend to ally with Vander."

"Are you insane?"

"I'm not insane, Yaji. Just as Jinkray said, the truly insane one here is you."

The Lady Baron continued earnestly, "If this business is lost, we can find other ways to make a living. Whether it's Shurima or Noxus, there will always be countries in need of our smuggling services, plenty of opportunities to make money. But if we lose our lives, Yaji, then it's over."

"Two votes against one. If you still accept our alliance, then please believe me, Yaji. My hunches are never wrong," Jinkray said sincerely to Yaji.

The three of them formed an alliance and controlled the area, with a combined number of followers that exceeded a hundred. They had established a large gang in Zaun, and it's worth noting that the total of their underlings outnumbered Vander's Black Hounds in the Undercity.

Yaji hesitated, as he had stated before. Jinkray and the Lady Baron were fully willing to ally with Vander, accepting the situation as it was. But Yaji couldn't do the same. He maintained control over the people under him through money. If he lost the business and his source of income, it wouldn't take long before trouble started not with the underprivileged people in his territory but among his own subordinates.

For this, not joining Vander would most likely lead to death. But even if they didn't die, life without business, wealth, status, and power would be indistinguishable from death. However, just as Yaji was about to try and persuade the others, an unexpected hiccup interrupted him.

Yaji stared blankly behind the Lady Baron, at the window. There, a man in a white robe, wearing a mask, sat on the windowsill. He held a short sword and calmly rested with one hand in a half-eaten piece of bread, stuffing the rest into a bag.

"You... You..."

The Lady Baron, catching Yaji's gaze, knew what he had seen but dared not turn around. She feared that if she did, a sword would be the first thing she'd encounter. After all, that same person had chopped off her leg years ago.

"Black Ice, let's hear it. When did you notice me?" Linwin asked, smiling and patting the Lady Baron's shoulder with the sword in his hand.

"Just... just a moment ago," Black Ice answered truthfully, realizing that deception wouldn't work.

"I can't believe you noticed me. You didn't even raise your head." Linwin shook his head, seemingly impressed. He was perplexed about how his extraordinary stealth skills could fail. He possessed nearly two hundred points of agility and entered the room three steps ahead of the trio. Yet, he was still discovered.

"Sir, I accidentally saw you from the water in the cup," Black Ice hastily explained.

Linwin fell silent, contemplating his stealth skills. He imagined that top-class family spies would avoid such minor mistakes. After all, hanging from the ceiling and thinking he was dashing, he was exposed by a simple glass of water.

"Well, you seem sincere in what you're saying," Linwin said, patting Black Ice's shoulder with the sword's blade. The seemingly affectionate gesture sent shivers down her spine.

Linwin realized that Black Ice might have discovered him from her peculiar behavior. Her voice might sound calm, but Linwin could sense the tremor in it. She was scared. This indicated that her proposal to align with Vander was genuine and trustworthy. Finally, Linwin turned his attention to Jinkray, nodding his approval.

"Jinkray, you're not bad. Your perspective on the bigger picture is quite good."

Jinkray remained silent, lowering his head.

"However, you..."

Linwin turned to Yaji, the chem baron who ruled this part of Zaun. Yaji stood before Linwin, trembling and unable to control his quivering legs.

"Have you genuinely thought this through?"

Yaji's response wasn't surprising.

The so-called alchemical baron, despite sounding impressive, was nowhere near as impressive as Vander's Black Hound. After Linwin's personal encounter with them, he couldn't help but think that perhaps distance enhanced their appeal.

In reality, these so-called chem barons were nothing more than bigger gang leaders. When dealing with the Enforcers, they wouldn't even dare release a fart.

The reason there were so many chem barons in Zaun was not that Piltover couldn't manage them, but rather because Piltover intentionally allowed them to thrive. 

The presence of these chem barons allowed for efficient management of various districts within Zaun. When issues arose, they didn't need to search hard for individuals—just a signal, and these chem barons would deliver the culprits.

Baron? Ha! 

"Business or life?" 

Linwin asked Yaji. 

"You... You can't do this! I haven't broken any rules," Yaji's teeth chattered as he feared Linwin. 

In Zaun, there was not a single baron who wasn't afraid of Linwin. Since a certain baron's head served as a tool for him one fateful night, many considered targeting Linwin in the future. However, each attempt was effortlessly thwarted by him, leading to another round of bloodshed. Over time, the title of "Undercity's Enforcer" gained recognition.

Vander and Silco were Zaun's top powers in the past? 

Indeed, they were. 

However, Zaun's top powers had changed.

"I can align with Vander, as long as he allows me to continue doing business. Sir, you know that without business, it's not just me who gets affected; it's all of Zaun. We can't afford to lose this livelihood....."

"Enough of your nonsense," Linwin interrupted Yaji, impatiently. "I was discussing the rules of our family with one of our kids last night, and now, I have to repeat it today. Yaji, are you trying to talk to me about the rules?" 

"Black Ice, who made the rules in the first place?"

Yaji was bewildered. 

Black Ice immediately answered, "It's you, sir."

"See, Yaji?" Linwin emphasized. "Are you trying to discuss rules with the person who sets the rules?" 

Linwin's tone changed. "I just modified this rule now. What are you going to do about it?" 

He made a slight gesture with his wrist, and in an instant, blood gushed. 

In front of Linwin, the man didn't even have time to react. One massive arm had already fallen to the ground.

"Ah!!!"

As Yaji came to his senses, he immediately clutched his arm with his other hand and writhed in agony on the ground. Both Black Ice and Jinkray swallowed nervously, beads of sweat forming on their temples.

"Talking about the rules? I said you shouldn't sell drugs, but did you comply?" Linwin sneered and glanced at the other two. Then he lowered his head to look at Yaji and spoke indifferently, "The production of this junk was a mistake from the start. You knew its harm, yet you continued to sell it so openly in the Undercity. If you were selling it in the Upper City and making the topsiders taste it, I might praise you folks for it. But you confined it to the undercity, so what does that make you?"

Black Ice and Jinkray remained silent, not daring to utter a word. In the room, there was only Linwin's cold voice, along with the sounds of snot and tears, and the loud cries of pain from Yaji.

Black Ice and Jinkray observed Yaji in this state, and both felt a trace of pity. But they couldn't display it in front of Linwin, as they knew they had no right to feel pity.

The scene of Yaji's agony was something they had witnessed far too often, and the culprits responsible for these sights were individuals like themselves, the chem barons.

"Don't waste my time; I'm busy," Linwin said, "I'm asking you for the second time." Linwin rested the point of his sword against the back of Yaji's head and spoke emotionlessly, "Business or life?"

If Yaji's response contained anything that didn't meet Linwin's expectations in the first three words, then this small Doran's blade in Linwin's hand would instantly penetrate Yaji's skull.

Linwin certainly didn't like killing, but surviving in a place like Zaun made him gradually grow indifferent. Moreover, the circumstances demanded it now.

For the greater cause of Zaun, Linwin was willing to be that blade.

Sometimes, the hindrance to Zaun's rise and independence wasn't just the oppression from the topsiders in Piltover but also the internal conflicts within Zaun itself. Yaji, Black Ice, and Jinkray were such individuals.

In their eyes, it was all about money, and lately, they had even started to enjoy the luxuries. Despite their origins in the Undercity, they had recently bought several houses in the Boundry Market near Piltover and even planted flowers. 

In Zaun, that was considered a luxury!

"One,"

"Two,"

"I-I choose life."

Yaji was on the ground, his face pressed against Linwin's shoe, muttering these words.

"Good choice," Linwin said with a smile when he heard Yaji's response. He sheathed his sword.

"Black Ice, tell me everything you know about Silco."

"Understood."

Several minutes later, Black Ice had divulged information about Silco. Before leaving, Linwin issued one final warning to the three.

Yaji nodded while clutching his severed hand, hoping Linwin would depart so he could get someone to reattach his arm. 

Mechanically augmented limbs were never as functional as the original ones. Linwin, however, didn't linger. Just as he had mentioned earlier, time was of the essence.

Late at night, there would be no residents of Zaun's Undercity walking the streets. The only individuals who ventured out late at night were Zaun's most ruthless criminals. 

Even ordinary thugs and gang members didn't dare roam the dark alleys of Zaun at night. That's because, it just needs one night, by the following morning, the lucky ones might become unrecognizable corpses but still claimed by familiar faces.

In an abandoned garage with a sign that read "Big Crab," a sudden whistle echoed through the air.

Linwin's whistle immediately shattered the quiet atmosphere around.

"Stop hiding; I know you're here," Linwin called out loudly, stamping his foot.

But there was no response from anyone.

It wasn't until Linwin bent down, his fist aimed at a corner of the floor.

"One, two..."

Linwin began counting.

After only two counts, the lights in the warehouse came on.

Linwin turned around to see Silco standing on the second floor, his hands resting on the railing, gazing deeply at him.

"I haven't offended you this time, have I?"

"Without your encouragement, would Fiden have dared to cause trouble?" Linwin looked at Silco, and behind him stood several burly men and the frail Singed.

"I didn't encourage him. I only sold him a few bottles of Shimmer and told him what it could do," Silco explained. "Does that count as encouragement?"

Linwin shook his head. When talking to Silco, you had to be careful not to get carried away by his thoughts. Following this guy's line of thinking could easily brainwash you. He had to admit, Silco had a strong personality. He had charismatic leadership qualities.

"Silco, this time I'm not here to cause trouble for you," Linwin said. "Though you didn't listen to me, which annoyed me, I also know you're not afraid of death, so I don't need to threaten you like I did Yaji."

"Where did you find me? Black Ice and the others don't have my contact details. My rear end isn't as big as theirs," Silco said with a hint of humor.

"You can continue your research on Shimmer, but you're not allowed to distribute it."

Silco remained silent, waiting for Linwin to continue.

"At least until you've eliminated the side effects, don't let me see anyone selling Shimmer in Zaun."

"The experimental data is essential for the research process. Without it, where can I get the data?" Singed spoke up from behind Silco.

"I don't care," Linwin shook his head but continued, "Also, Silco, um, and the alchemist behind you?"

"Rather than Shimmer, I have something better. Are you willing to consider it?" Linwin took a blue crystal from his pocket.

Silco squinted, and his eye, contaminated by toxins, with its crimson pupils, momentarily contracted.

"What is this?" Silco asked.

Linwin held up the crystal and explained, "It's called Hex Crystal. It's a brighter hope than your Shimmer."