In the blink of an eye, the end of November was almost here.
Three days had passed since Jan'ahrem's last concert, and the final performance of the month would be held tomorrow.
Many people were looking forward to it, but Piltover's gears continued turning as they always had.
Near the docks, ships came and went without rest. Great vessels loaded with cargo departed from this city at the center of the world, bound for every corner of the globe.
But today, the docks were anything but ordinary.
In the afternoon.
With a boom, an enormous explosion rang out, startling everyone near the docks.
People all looked toward the source of the noise and saw thick black smoke slowly rising. Within the black smoke, several figures were swiftly darting back and forth.
Several people wearing cloaks and masks stepped on hoverboards that could float in the air, weaving nimbly through the black smoke. They seemed to be fighting another group.
Bang, bang, bang!
Gunshots that would not stop kept spreading, and the people nearby hurriedly fled in every direction.
Soon, Piltover's enforcers began to intervene in this inexplicable conflict.
Large numbers of Piltover enforcers quickly arrived on cyclers, swiftly surrounding the cargo ship where the battle was taking place.
When the masked people saw this, they silently and tacitly flew away at once.
"What's the situation here?"
Caitlyn happened to be nearby. She had originally come to the docks to purchase some target-shooting props, but after hearing the commotion, she had quickly run over.
She saw several figures in the sky already moving farther away.
"We don't know. It seems two groups were exchanging fire. One group fled, and one group remained."
An enforcer saw the high-ranking insignia Caitlyn wore and reported truthfully.
Caitlyn glanced toward the ship and saw that the enforcers had already detained quite a number of people.
"We found suspicious items on the ship. We suspect smuggling."
"Take all of them back in cuffs first. Not one of them gets away!"
Listening to the enforcers' conversation, Caitlyn began observing the surroundings.
At this moment, many spectators had gathered nearby to watch the excitement. Her sharp gaze swept over them, and she suddenly spotted a cloaked figure at the back of the crowd who looked suspicious.
So Caitlyn quietly moved closer to him, but the other party's instincts were also extraordinarily sharp. He seemed to notice her approaching.
The next second, he turned and ran.
"Don't run!"
Caitlyn immediately stopped concealing herself and rushed after him with a quick stride.
Recently, after training with Quinn, her stamina had improved quite a bit, and the change was obvious.
Even so, there was still some distance between them, making him difficult to chase.
Caitlyn watched the man turn into an alley, then followed after him cautiously. However, aside from a cloak hanging from an iron pole, the person was already nowhere to be seen.
Somewhat frustrated, Caitlyn exhaled, walked over to the cloak, and pulled it down, intending to inspect it.
But then she saw something fall out of the cloak and land on the ground with a crisp ding.
She bent down and picked it up, then froze on the spot.
It was a badge, and on the badge, a simple symbol had been engraved.
"C."
In an instant, several memories flashed through Caitlyn's mind. She could not help clenching her fist, tightly gripping the badge in her palm, and a cold glint flashed through her eyes.
In the Undercity.
Inside Silco's office.
Sevika pushed the door open with an unpleasant expression and said with a dark face, "Something happened."
"What happened?" Silco looked toward her.
"Our smuggling ship was intercepted by Piltover. All because that damned Firelights gang caused trouble. They've already made plenty of problems for us these past few days!"
Sevika clenched her right fist, her eyes filled with anger.
Hearing this, Silco also frowned slightly. "Still haven't found out anything about these Firelights?"
"No." Sevika sat down on the sofa and said unhappily, "These rats hide better than the next, and they're coming straight at us."
This made Silco start thinking, considering a countermeasure.
At this moment, Sevika added, "The problem now is that the big guy and the others were caught red-handed. Those Pilties convicted them directly. They've been sent to Stillwater Hold."
Silco frowned, feeling that the matter was somewhat difficult to handle.
After all, that was Stillwater Hold, known as the prison with the lowest chance of escape, managed by Piltover's enforcer department.
Most importantly, Stillwater Hold's warden was also very strict. There was no possibility of bribery. He could not use his methods to fish out the subordinates who had been locked up.
At most, he could spend money to make sure they lived a little more comfortably inside.
"The crime of smuggling carries a sentence of five years at most. When you have the chance, send someone to meet them and tell them I'll help them handle things outside."
After thinking it over, Silco could only say this.
With his current status, he rarely encountered matters like this anymore.
The reason he dared to smuggle so openly was naturally because he had also made arrangements on Piltover's side.
The pockets of officials both big and small were filled with his money.
However, now, because of the Firelights' interference, the smuggling had been dragged into the open. Piltover had to deal with it.
Otherwise, it would be a blow to all trade routes through the Sun Gates.
It was precisely because Silco had figured this out that he felt rather helpless.
At the moment, all he could do was help those subordinates take care of matters outside.
"I understand."
Sevika nodded, also knowing that this was all they could do.
Silco thought for a moment more, then said, "Pause our dockside business for now. There's no need for us to take this risk. Once we deal with the Firelights first, we'll resume it."
Otherwise, those Firelights would inevitably cause trouble again.
He had a feeling this Firelights gang definitely had some background, or perhaps some capable person helping them.
"Mm."
Sevika nodded again and soon left.
Elsewhere in the Undercity.
Carroll and Darms sat facing each other. Darms was the first to speak. "Has Mr. C's next instruction come down?"
"Yes." Carroll nodded slightly and said, "We can act ahead of schedule."
Darms' gaze flickered. "Because of that Firelights gang?"
A smile appeared on Carroll's face. "That's right. Even I didn't expect such a qualified 'ally' to jump out at this time."
Hearing this, Darms also smiled. "If not for them, we would still have to carefully avoid Silco's informants in the dark. Now, they've drawn all of Silco's attention away."
The two looked at each other and smiled, both feeling that this was an extremely ripe opportunity.
Naturally, they had not been idle during this period. They had made quite a few small moves in secret.
But because of the appearance of the mysterious force known as the Firelights, all their small moves had been covered up.
It had to be said, they were truly a qualified "teammate."
Darms said, "I really didn't expect them to dare make a move so directly. They did save us some effort, though your arrangements were wasted."
Carroll said calmly, "It doesn't matter. Right now, we can act directly."
Dusk fell, and night slowly descended.
Topside.
Piltover's enforcer department.
"I request to see those criminals. I have questions to ask them!"
Caitlyn said to the enforcer officer in front of her.
Hearing this, the enforcer officer continued processing the documents in his hands while answering, "Those criminals were caught red-handed. They insisted that they themselves were the masterminds. According to Piltover law, there's no need for further interrogation."
Caitlyn immediately said, "I have other questions to ask them."
The enforcer officer knew in his heart that although the young lady in front of him wore an enforcer uniform, she was still the daughter of a councilor.
So he was fairly patient as he raised his head and said, "You came one step too late. Those criminals confessed very cleanly. After the judge sentenced them in court, they were already sent to Stillwater Hold."
Hearing this, Caitlyn froze slightly, then turned to leave.
The enforcer officer kindly reminded her, "Stillwater Hold doesn't allow visits after nine o'clock. If you want to go, you'll have to wait until after nine tomorrow morning."
"I understand."
Caitlyn answered, opened the door, and walked out.
Her expression was somewhat heavy. When she spread her hand, the badge engraved with the symbol "C" lay in her palm.
No matter what, she had to investigate the origin of this badge.
She raised her head and glanced at the clock on the wall. It had only just passed seven.
Even if she took a fast boat to Stillwater Hold, the fastest trip would take two hours. By the time she arrived, it would already be past nine.
Stillwater Hold placed great importance on rules like this. Once the time was missed, there was no possibility of visiting prisoners.
She could not help sighing, knowing that today's matter could only be set aside for now.
And so, Caitlyn returned to the training base with her thoughts weighing heavily on her.
In the training room, Lux, Jinx, Seraphine, Orianna, and Sona were practicing for tomorrow's performance.
Each of them seemed tireless, completely absorbed in it.
It had to be said, the tacit understanding between the five of them had become more and more skillful lately. Even during practice, the effect of their performance was already very good.
After Caitlyn listened for a while, the gloom in her heart eased quite a bit.
She sat on the sofa in the lounge, staring at that badge, somewhat lost in thought.
In her mind, several memories flashed past. Those were already events from ten years ago.
Because of her parents' power and influence, Caitlyn had received a high-end education since childhood, and she had not failed to live up to that treatment.
When she was very young, she had already displayed extraordinary intelligence and exceptional eyesight.
Aside from the noble education she usually received, she preferred going to the wilds outside the city to hunt.
From that time on, in hunting competitions among people her own age, and even among those older than her, she had occupied first place for years.
Her mother held an important position, while her father was a famous inventor with extraordinary skill in designing firearms.
She liked this beautiful city. She liked its orderly structure. She had thought she would continue growing up in peace like this until adulthood, or perhaps find a hobby before adulthood and devote her energy to it.
Until Progress Day that year, when misfortune suddenly descended.
After returning from a hunt outside the city, Caitlyn discovered that her home had been looted clean. Even more seriously, all the servants had been brutally murdered, and her parents had vanished without a trace.
Seeing this scene, the young Caitlyn did not panic in terror. She immediately found someone and informed the enforcers of the incident.
Then she quickly began the tracking she was skilled at. Tracking traces through the city's streets and alleys was completely different from hunting in the wild, but relying on her sharp instincts and outstanding judgment, Caitlyn still found the people who had broken into her home one after another.
Just like that, she cooperated with the enforcers and eventually found a secret hut.
Her parents were there, suffering torture and interrogation. Fortunately, their lives were not in danger.
Although she had been very calm when handling the matter, this incident still dealt Caitlyn a considerable blow. For a period of time afterward, every time she closed her eyes, what flashed through her mind were the brutally killed servants and the sight of her abused parents.
And among all the kidnappers who were arrested, not a single one knew the employer's true identity.
They had been hired to kidnap Caitlyn's parents, wanting to force out Piltover's secret intelligence and the blueprints for a new generation of firearms.
All those kidnappers knew was that it was a middleman whose initial was "C," a person also known as the mysterious "C."
This incident shaped Caitlyn afterward. She decided to become a detective, determined that sooner or later, she would uncover the true identity of this mysterious "C."
However, her mother Cassandra had also discovered her outstanding ability and decided to train her into an excellent enforcer.
Thus, after Caitlyn became an adult, she was directly arranged into the enforcer ranks.
Returning from her memories, Caitlyn looked once more at the badge in her hand.
Now, this mysterious "C" had appeared in her sight again. This time, no matter what, she had to investigate everything clearly.
The clue at hand was the people arrested on that smuggling ship. Perhaps they knew information about this mysterious "C."
Caitlyn also did not want to let this opportunity go. Whether or not they knew anything, she had to try asking them.
"Dinner's ready!"
At this moment, Luke's shout rang out.
Caitlyn subconsciously stood up and walked toward the dining room.
Before taking official action, filling her stomach was also necessary.
At the dinner table, everyone happily finished a delicious meal.
After they had eaten more or less enough, Luke said, "Judging by the current situation, it shouldn't be long before we have to consider holding a performance in Zaun."
Hearing this, the band members all raised their heads, indicating that they had no problem with it.
Jinx also looked rather excited. Thinking that she would soon descend on Zaun out of nowhere filled her with anticipation.
After dinner, the band did not continue training. After all, they were in good condition, and there was no need to overtrain.
Full of fighting spirit, Jinx brought out five-in-a-row, which she had been practicing hard for many days, and looked at Lux provocatively. "So? Dare to play a round?"
Lux chuckled. "I don't dare."
Jinx: "..."
What the hell.
She never expected that answer. She had not expected this shameless girl to directly admit she did not dare!
Damn it.
It gave her the feeling of holding back a finishing move for ten thousand years, only for it to land on empty air.
Frustrated. Furious!
She gnashed her teeth and looked at Lux, who had a smile on her face. Unwilling to give up, she said, "Play one round!"
"No."
"Just one round!"
"No."
"You're being such a sore loser. When you told me to play back then, I played every round."
"Fine, fine, fine. Then I'll play one round with you."
Lux still had not fully learned Luke's shamelessness, and in the end, she sat down. Then her eyes turned, and she said, "But I go first."
Jinx said casually, "Fine!"
Seeing that this girl had taken the bait, Lux's face revealed an innocent smile. "We'll only play one round. Since there's only one round, then let's make it big!"
Jinx, who was currently rubbing her fists together and brimming with confidence, did not even think before snorting coldly. "Bring it on. You think I'm afraid of you? What's the punishment? Say it."
"The loser has to wash the winner's underwear for a year! Plus ten forehead flicks and ten slaps with a belt! Dare to accept?"
Lux raised her delicate chin and looked provocatively at the girl across from her.
Faced with such provocation, Jinx immediately got fired up. "I accept!"
She did not think for a second that she would lose. After all, over these many days, she had put in far more effort than an ordinary person. She had even sought advice from multiple chess masters!
She had to win this round!
Not far away, Luke was leisurely drinking tea. Seeing that this girl had accepted without the slightest guard, he could not help sighing softly, a trace of pity appearing in his eyes.
In the end, you're still one move short, blue-hair.
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