Rat-tat-tat…
The elder contractor grabbed a standard rifle and pulled the trigger in a controlled burst at a trembling subordinate.
With crisp gunfire, bullets erupted from the barrel, striking the man's Noxian armor with sharp metallic impacts.
After the burst was over, the subordinate, sweating all over from terror and adrenaline, frantically patted himself down and discovered he was completely unscathed.
He had been certain he was about to die just moments ago, but to his amazement, the bullets had only left faint white scorch marks on the armor plating.
One of the other contractors excitedly approached, touched the white marks left by the bullet impacts, and found they were still radiating heat from the kinetic energy transfer.
He then wrapped his hand in cloth, picked up several deformed bullets from the floor, squeezed them hard to test their composition, and confirmed they were genuine military ammunition.
"This Noxian gear is incredible, even standard enforcer weapons can't penetrate it."
Everyone present considered themselves "reasonable business people" in their own minds, and none wanted to be manipulated by the elder contractor into dying for nothing. They needed to witness proof with their own eyes before feeling confident about their survival chances.
The elder contractor pretended not to notice their wariness or hear their transparently false compliments.
"Go retrieve the riot shield," he ordered one of his lieutenants, then turned to another contractor and added, "Didn't you get your hands on a Hextech weapon? Bring one out for testing, if the shield can block it, our odds will improve."
The equipment was quickly brought over for examination. This time, they didn't force a subordinate to act as a living target; the reinforced shield was positioned securely in front of the testing area.
"That's just a pistol?"
The elder contractor seemed somewhat disappointed, suspecting the other contractor was deliberately holding back his most valuable assets.
"It is only a pistol. Forget about rifles, even I can't get those through my contacts. How would a Noxian arms dealer manage to obtain it?"
"A pistol's fine. I just want to observe its capabilities."
The elder contractor narrowed his eyes, stopped talking, and raised the Hextech pistol toward the shield.
The weapon glowed with brilliant blue energy, and a concentrated projectile slammed into the shield with tremendous force, sending up wisps of acrid smoke and sparks.
After careful inspection, they discovered the shield bore a significant dent but had not been completely penetrated.
This sight filled all the contractors with excitement, Piltover's most famous and devastatingly powerful weapons were their Hextech creations.
If a Hextech pistol couldn't pierce the shield, they still had some hope.
What they didn't realize was that the Hextech pistol they were testing was a heavily downgraded civilian model, far inferior in power output to genuine military-grade Hextech weaponry.
And their enemies had already received detailed intelligence about their capabilities without any delay.
---
Elsewhere, at the prestigious House Kiramman estate, Caitlyn, who had returned earlier with her mother, was greeting Mundo and his unit, who had successfully infiltrated Piltover disguised as members of a legitimate merchant caravan.
"Wow, this is your place? So big, so pretty."
Vi suddenly appeared from seemingly nowhere and plopped herself down onto the leather sofa.
"Ooh, is this cake?"
She grabbed one from the serving tray and popped it directly into her mouth without waiting for permission.
"Not bad."
The moment the cake touched her tongue, her eyes lit up. She used both hands and devoured all the pastries on the table.
"What are you doing here? Didn't Professor Heimerdinger forbid you from coming to Piltover?"
Caitlyn frowned. She already knew Vi was all brawn, no brain.
This Zaun-style directness might prove entertaining under different circumstances, but right now she had important business to manage, she didn't have time for casual social interactions.
"I snuck in. I'm worried about your safety, didn't you see those contractors now possess Hextech weapons? How could I just sit back and do nothing?"
Vi finished the last pastry, released a satisfied burp, and lounged back on the sofa.
Caitlyn's frown deepened. She sized Vi up from head to toe and still felt like this muscle-headed Zaun street fighter didn't appear capable of handling serious combat situations.
"What's with that look? You don't believe in my skills?"
Caitlyn's doubt was written all over her face. Even Vi couldn't miss such obvious skepticism. She jerked her chin toward Mundo, who was standing nearby. "Mundo, I'm tough, right?"
"Very tough!" Mundo gave a massive thumbs-up and praised in his goofy way, "Much stronger than Mundo. Mundo's older than Vi, but Mundo can't beat her in combat, so Mundo respect her."
Back when the group from The Last Drop had returned from their otherworldly experiences, Vi, Sevika, and Vander, the three primary combat specialists, had all undergone strength testing at the underground training facility.
Vander had achieved the highest overall scores, while Vi and Sevika had demonstrated essentially equal capabilities.
Besides sparring with each other, they had also subjected the chemically enhanced Mundo to formal combat evaluation.
This individual was currently the strongest among the original Zaun natives. Even so, armed with laser cannons and various heavy weapons, he still couldn't achieve victory against those three.
Thanks to Mundo's extraordinarily thick skin and near-indestructible physiology, combined with his simple, good-natured personality, Vi had developed an excellent working relationship with him.
Sometimes, when her hands itched for challenge, she would invite him to participate in "friendly sparring matches."
"You can come with me, but you must follow my commands without question. Otherwise, I'll contact Professor Heimerdinger immediately and have him send someone to escort you back to Zaun."
Mundo's endorsement eased Caitlyn's lingering concerns. She fixed her gaze on Vi and established her non-negotiable conditions.
"No problem."
Vi agreed without any hesitation. She had two main motivations for infiltrating Piltover, one was to get closer to Caitlyn, and the other was, naturally, to protect her safety.
As for that bet she had made with her earlier, it hadn't even properly begun before Heimerdinger had forcibly put an end to it.
In fact, her name hadn't even appeared on the official list of personnel selected to support Caitlyn during this operation. Even after presenting compelling arguments, Heimerdinger had flatly vetoed her participation.
That had left her with no choice but to request Powder's assistance to smuggle her into Piltover disguised within a merchant caravan.
"In a situation where your own safety is absolutely guaranteed, how many people in Noxian military gear can you take down at once?" Caitlyn asked.
"Guaranteed safety, huh? No chance of getting hit at all? Then… five or six dozen. Any more than that and there's a risk I'll take a hit," Vi tilted her head, thought for a moment, and replied.
"Good. I'll draft the battle plan now. First, Mundo will lead the heavy support troops in a direct frontal assault to engage and draw out the enemy's main force."
"Vi, you'll infiltrate directly to where the contractors have concentrated their leadership and carry out a decapitation strike."
"I'll establish position at a high vantage point and provide long-range sniper support for both teams."
"Does everyone understand their assignments?"
"Got it!"
"No problem."
"Then let's execute the operation immediately, catch them completely unprepared!" Caitlyn clenched her fist and issued the battle command.
With her advantages, she didn't require any complicated strategies; a direct assault would have achieved victory. But Caitlyn knew just how powerful Zaun's heavy long-range support could be, and she also understood Vi's strength.
She wanted to minimize casualties among the innocent indentured laborers caught in the crossfire.
The contractors possessed no humanitarian restraints, once defeat became inevitable, they would definitely seize laborers as human shields to threaten her.
And so, just as the contractors had finished distributing equipment to their subordinates and were preparing to send an ultimatum to Caitlyn, Mundo's support team arrived at their fortified compound first. Over a dozen powerfully built operatives jumped down from a carriage, each armed with a modified Sheila loaded with armor-piercing ammunition, and opened fire on the startled enemy forces.
The vaunted Noxian armor that had effortlessly deflected standard bullets was instantly shredded under the devastating metallic storm of the Sheila.
Vi, meanwhile, crashed through a reinforced window and charged into the upper floor where the contractors, stunned by the overwhelming firepower below, had gathered for emergency coordination.
With a grin, she vanished. By the time she reappeared, dozens of contractors were coughing blood and collapsing like dominoes in a chain reaction.
Noxian military gear? Under Vi's fists and feet, it proved no more resilient than tissue paper.
The contractors' ribcages caved inward, their internal organs liquefied by the tremendous kinetic force.
Up on her elevated position, Caitlyn had been prepared with her Hextech sniper rifle to eliminate any targets Vi might miss. But now she stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before her.