At eight that night, on the road leading down to the Sump from Zaun's Mid-level Plaza, Malson walked at the front. Suddenly, he raised a hand and gave a slight wave behind him.
Not far away, three figures—two large and one small—were following Malson from a distance.
Li Ke and Jinx had both put on cloaks. There was no other reason for it: wanted posters for them were now up in the Sump. Without hoods to hide their faces, there was no way they could make it safely into the depths of the Sump.
As for Black Alley, that was even more dangerous. Its every street and alley was plastered with "missing person" posters for Li Ke and Jinx.
Malson returned to Li Ke and Jinx. Jinx was biting her thumb, her pink-painted nails all ragged from her chewing, like shark's teeth.
Li Ke glanced at the restless, uneasy Jinx. Isha was hugging her thigh, occasionally looking up at her.
She could tell Jinx was in a bad state, too.
"We can't go down this way, Boss. They're checking even more thoroughly than they were a few days ago. I think we'll have to take another route," Malson told Li Ke. He went on, "Silco's people have come up, but I figure they're looking for Vi. There's no need to risk taking the main road."
"Then we'll take another route. It's not like Zaun has nowhere else to go." As he spoke, Li Ke put an arm around Jinx's shoulders and gave her a firm squeeze. Jinx looked up at him, her eyes dark and unfocused, flickering between light and shadow. Her mental state was poor.
But when she met Li Ke's gaze, she came back to herself. She tilted her head slightly, asking with her eyes, What is it?
Li Ke asked her, "Can you still parkour across the fissures?"
"Li Ke, I could do that when I was eight," Jinx said.
"Good. Then let's go." Li Ke nodded, then crouched down and looked at Isha.
Li Ke saw Isha open her arms. He patted his chest. "Come here."
Isha immediately understood what he meant. She opened her arms too, stepped forward, and hugged him.
Li Ke picked Isha up, and the group headed down another route.
There were plenty of ways to get to the Sump. Taking the main road was simply the most convenient. For the Children of Zaun, having no path was the norm; figuring out how to find one was part of daily life.
Before nine, they reached the Sump. Li Ke set Isha down, and as he breathed in the familiar smell, he felt a little lightheaded.
"It's only been a little over ten days, and this place has already changed completely." Li Ke surveyed the surroundings with a sigh. Beside him, Jinx kept her head down and said nothing.
Isha covered her little nose.
Then a figure appeared, tongue lolling out. Malson was drenched in sweat. He came up to Li Ke and Jinx, took a deep breath, and said, "Come on, let's go. This way."
"During this time, I gathered the boys, and they brought their friends into the Lian Hua Gang too. With the weapons Jinx made for us, and the chaos in Black Alley, we took the opportunity to seize some territory," Malson said as they walked.
"We have over twenty people now. We can't match the big gangs, but we're a small force to be reckoned with in Black Alley."
Li Ke nodded.
"The hideout we're heading to is on the outskirts of Black Alley. It used to belong to the Spider Gang, who smuggled booze, but now they've been swallowed up, just like the Ci Mu Gang." Malson sounded rueful.
In Zaun, ten days could turn a whole cycle. Small gangs rarely got the chance to rise. The people sharing drinks at a bar today might be dead in some gutter tomorrow. It was nothing unusual.
Following Malson for about half an hour, Li Ke and the others reached the outskirts of Black Alley.
In the Sump, wearing cloaks and hiding your identity was nothing out of the ordinary. People like that were everywhere.
So no one stopped Li Ke's group from entering Black Alley, and Malson led them onward.
They soon arrived at the hideout Malson had mentioned.
Inside a hole-riddled iron fence, metal racks and scrap had been piled together into a maze-like space. At the very back stood a cluster of tents, the kind used by vagrants.
In the center was a large tent painted with blue and pink petals.
"We're here."
Malson stood to the side and gestured.
Li Ke looked at Jinx with concern. Her lips moved twice, and her gaze turned evasive.
Someone outside the tent spotted Li Ke and Jinx, then went inside to say something.
A moment later, Li Ke saw a pink-haired woman in a jacket rush out of the tent.
Jinx saw her too. The instant she did, she completely lost control of her expression. "Well-behaved" was a word that had never suited Jinx. Around Li Ke or Isha, she was mischievous, neurotic, and erratic. But right then, Li Ke truly saw a meekness in her.
Jinx's eyes were glued to the pink-haired woman. She lifted one foot, then quickly set it back down. With her hands clasped together in front of her like she was praying, she took a cautious step forward.
But the pink-haired woman had already rushed over. She ran fast, arms outstretched, swept past the crowd, ignored Li Ke and Isha, and wrapped Jinx in a tight embrace.
"Powder."
Vi held Jinx tightly, pulling her into her arms, her hand pressed firmly against the back of Jinx's head.
"Vi?"
Jinx spoke softly. Vi answered with a tighter embrace and a gentle voice.
"It's me, Powder. It's me."
"Is it really you?" Jinx still couldn't believe it. She asked cautiously.
Vi let go of Jinx and looked into her eyes. "Don't you recognize your own sister? It's me, Vi. It really is. I'm back. I'm right here."
"But I thought you were dead."
Looking at Jinx's dazed face, her eyes filled with disbelief, Vi froze. Then she hurriedly cupped Jinx's face, stroking it apologetically as she said, "I'm sorry, Powder. I wanted to come back for you, I swear. But someone took me away."
"Was it Marcus?"
"I don't know him, but that doesn't matter. I just never thought I'd get to see you again."
With that, Vi hugged Jinx once more.
"I'm sorry, Powder. I really am. I shouldn't have left you behind. It was my fault."
Hearing Vi's gentle voice, Jinx raised her arms and hugged her back tightly, burying her face in Vi's shoulder. She could no longer hold back her emotions and sobbed in Vi's arms, hot tears spilling from her eyes.
After they parted, Jinx looked at Vi, her eyes wet. She pressed her lips together and said, "But after you left, everything changed."
She didn't dare look at Vi. Her hands were clasped in front of her, her body no longer held straight. Her slender frame curled in on itself before Vi, and she looked like a child who had done something wrong. "I changed too."
Vi reached out and turned Jinx's face toward her. "I know, Powder. I understand."
"Whatever you did, you did it to survive."
"I did too. It's okay."
"The most important thing is that we're together again."
Malson looked up and couldn't help rubbing his eyes. Beside him, Li Ke felt his nose sting.
When he'd watched this scene before, Li Ke had been deeply moved. Vi really was a good sister. Just as she'd said, she'd gone back for Powder at the first opportunity, only to be caught by Marcus.
How old had Vi been then? She was only in her teens. Powder had meant well but made things worse. Vi had repeatedly told her not to come along, but Powder hadn't listened. She'd gotten her close childhood friend killed and killed Vander, the man Vi saw as a father.
Of course Vi had lost control, but she'd calmed down again soon enough.
And even after spending so many years in prison, Vi had never stopped thinking about Powder. If not for the sudden appearance of—
As Li Ke thought this, he looked up at the tent and saw a tall figure emerge.
Damn, she really did come.
Li Ke's mouth twitched. The classic scene of three women together was about to unfold.
Caitlyn, with her beautiful blue hair and Enforcer uniform, stared in disbelief and said, "Vi, your sister is Jinx?"
The instant the words left her mouth, Jinx let go of Vi and reached behind her, drawing a pistol and pointing it at the astonished Caitlyn.
Vi was startled. She stopped Jinx, then turned toward Caitlyn as she approached.
"Listen, I can explain! Caitlyn, we can talk this out."
Before Caitlyn could speak, Jinx had already lost control behind Vi.
"Talk it out? You're going to talk it out with her? Why are you with an Enforcer?"
"I just blew up the Upper City and stole their stuff, and now you show up with an Enforcer?"
"Sis, did you really miss me? Were you looking for me? No, this is a trap! You're actually working with them, aren't you?"
Without waiting for Vi to answer, she continued in a shrill voice, "Have you forgotten who killed Mom? God, you're with an Enforcer now?"
"Shut up! Milo, I don't have time to listen to you right now!"
"Shut up! Just shut up!"
"Powder! It's okay, calm down." Vi hurriedly turned to Jinx and tried to soothe her.
"Don't call me that! My name is Jinx now. Powder died a long time ago."
"No, you shouldn't call yourself Jinx. You—"
"Don't talk to me like you're trying to calm a child!" Jinx raised her hand and pointed her pistol at Vi's face, making Vi jump.
Then a hand appeared and pushed Jinx's arm down.
"?"
Jinx turned her head toward Li Ke, tilting it. Her eyes were lifeless. "You're on her side too, aren't you?"
When Jinx pointed her gun at Li Ke, Isha hurried over to try to stop her.
Li Ke shook his head. "We're on the same side."
"Then what are you doing?"
"You should listen to Vi's explanation. She was locked up in prison for years, and the first thing she did after getting out was come looking for you. If it weren't for that Enforcer, she'd still be in prison." Li Ke spoke to Jinx.
As she listened to Li Ke, the color gradually returned to Jinx's eyes. She looked at Vi.
"He's telling the truth. I did all of this for you." Vi glanced at Li Ke, then spoke to Jinx.
When Jinx had pointed the gun at her just now, Vi had almost lost control too.
Vi's pain was every bit as great as Jinx's!
But because she was the older sister, she had to give in to Powder and take care of her feelings. And what had Powder just done?
For a moment, Vi felt conflicted.
Maybe, just as Powder had said, she had changed.
But Vi still spoke earnestly. "I can explain everything, okay? Powder, please."
Li Ke spoke softly beside Jinx. "Listen to me. Whether you're Powder or Jinx, you're still her little sister, and she's still your big sister. Do you understand?"
"You're pointing a gun at her now, but could you really pull the trigger?"
Jinx fell silent.
"Clatter."
Then the pistol fell to the ground. Jinx let her arms hang limply and looked at Li Ke, her voice weak. "Really?"
"Of course."
"Besides, I'm here." Li Ke smiled and gently patted Jinx's shoulder. Glancing at Caitlyn, he said softly, "That Enforcer can't do anything right now. She can only stand here and watch."
"Don't be nervous. Don't be afraid. This is our turf."
Jinx nodded.
Seeing that she was doing a little better, Li Ke breathed a sigh of relief.
There was still a rift between the sisters, but at least it had begun to close.
In War of Two Cities, it was Caitlyn's arrival that caused the Wildfire Gang to take Vi away. Jinx then completely lost her mind and, after Silco's "talk therapy," became a madwoman who could turn on Vi.
This fixed arrangement, where the sisters could never truly reconcile, made Li Ke think of the game Cyberpunk 2077. If Arasaka Raiden could have gotten a call from V in the game, there wouldn't have been nearly so much trouble, would there?
In the end, it was all the screenwriter's fault!
But there was still time to change things.
Because Li Ke had the script!
Vi could join the Lian Hua Gang and stay with Jinx. As for Caitlyn...
The Upper City heiress could just go safely back to the Upper City.
Honestly, after watching the show, it was impossible for Li Ke to say he didn't like Caitlyn. But from a Zaunite's point of view, Li Ke couldn't bring himself to like her.
Even though Caitlyn was upright and kind, and was determined to bring peace to the two cities, Li Ke still didn't like her.
The kindness offered by those in power was just pity handed down from above.
"Malson."
"Yes, Boss."
"Keep an eye on that Enforcer. Don't hurt her, but don't let her wander around either."
"Yes."
Vi opened her mouth as if to say something, but when she met Jinx's gaze, she closed it again.
Li Ke reached out and took Jinx's hand, then looked at Vi.
"Vi, it's been a long time."
"Li Ke." Vi bit her lip, then nodded. "It has."
"Come on. Let's talk."
"Let's clear everything up."
Vi took a deep breath and followed Li Ke, who was leading Jinx by the hand. Jinx kept looking back at her.
"Okay."
Before you continue