Build a Community-One Better Than the Wildfire Gang's

"How do we find the Wildfire Gang?"

Inside the tent, Vi hugged a blanket and spread it out on the ground. Of course she wanted to stay with Jinx. She was hoping Jinx would talk to her, then curl up in her arms like she used to when they were little, gazing up at her adoringly as Vi told her stories.

But Jinx didn't go near Vi. She only glanced at her a few times before joining Li Ke and Isha. Their beds were there, separate from Vi's.

Vi was troubled by it, but thinking that her relationship with Jinx had improved a little, she patted her cheeks to encourage herself, then obediently sat down on the cushion, watching Jinx talk with Li Ke.

Li Ke noticed Vi's expression and found it amusing.

In the original story, Jinx went crazy looking for Vi, blocking the bridge and even going to Piltover to kidnap Caitlyn. But now?

Vi was the one stubbornly following Jinx around.

Honestly, Li Ke, who was on Jinx's side, found it pretty satisfying.

Bullying your little sister was fun for a while; chasing her afterward was hell!

"Find them? We can't." Jinx shook her head in response to Li Ke's question.

She popped a candy in her mouth, looked over at Li Ke, and sat with her long legs crossed. "Those people are like rats. No one knows where they're hiding. Silco's sent plenty of people after them, but they've failed every time."

"If you ask me, they should change their gang's name to the Wild Rat Gang. I've never seen anyone so good at running away." Jinx folded her arms, looking a little peeved. "Last time Sevika was working in the Upper City, the Wildfire Gang stole her cargo, too. One of them even looked like we—"

Jinx suddenly fell silent. Instead of looking at Li Ke, she glanced at Vi.

Jinx had a habit of staring people in the eyes when she talked to them. She never looked away, so Li Ke naturally noticed the little movement.

Li Ke knew what Jinx had been about to say, too. When she appeared in War of Two Cities as an adult, she'd encountered a member of the Wildfire Gang who looked a lot like Vi had as a child.

Jinx looked at Vi and saw her rubbing her hair in frustration. But when Vi noticed Jinx looking her way, her eyes immediately lit up. She sat up straight like a little dog, hands on her knees, gazing at Jinx.

At that, the corner of Jinx's mouth curled up ever so slightly, but she quickly looked away.

Jinx turned her gaze elsewhere.

Li Ke had been right. She needed to keep her sister on the hook, like a fish, or Vi would never learn to cherish her.

That was right—Li Ke had taught Jinx that.

Vi: "..."

"So if we want to find them, we need to figure out a way to lure them out, then deliberately let them get away. Only the people following them will be able to find their hideout."

Jinx opened her mouth, the candy caught between her little white teeth, and bit down hard. The candy crunched as it broke. She put her hands behind her head and said,

"There's no point in catching someone and interrogating them, either. The Wildfire Gang are loyal to their leader. Silco's tried interrogating them, but it never worked. They wouldn't say a thing. Some even bit their tongues and killed themselves."

Li Ke nodded.

Of course the Wildfire Gang were loyal. They were less a gang than a community—a home.

Under Ekko's leadership, the Wildfire Gang was thriving. Why were they loyal? Because they knew that even if they died, their family and friends in the gang would still have Ekko to help them, and they'd be able to live well.

But what if the Wildfire Gang disappeared?

All that beauty, all that future filled with hope, would turn into bubbles, ready to burst at the slightest touch.

They weren't really serving Ekko. They were protecting their home.

The reason Li Ke had asked Isha to question Jinx about the Wildfire Gang was that it was a powerful force.

Of all the gangs in Zaun, the Wildfire Gang was the only one standing up to Silco. They'd destroyed plenty of his smuggled goods, yet Silco could do nothing about them. That was why Li Ke wanted to win over Ekko and the Wildfire Gang.

If they were going to unite Zaun, the Wildfire Gang would be vital!

Li Ke lowered his head, lost in thought.

"Do you need my help?" Jinx watched Li Ke thinking, placed her hands on the ground, and crawled toward him like a cat, her expression serious. "I can help you, Li Ke."

"I'm good at this kind of thing."

"You don't need to do that." Li Ke shook his head at once.

"You don't trust me?"

"Of course I do. Catching fireflies is something we can leave to someone else. I need your help with something different." As he spoke, Li Ke reached out and rubbed Jinx's head.

God, Jinx really was a textbook Mine Girl.

She was pretty, and without the makeup and dark circles, she'd be sweet and adorable. But her personality...

Honestly, if Li Ke hadn't known why Jinx had turned out this way, and if he hadn't grown to like her and feel for her after watching War of Two Cities, she'd have been exhausting to deal with.

You never knew when you might touch one of her sensitive spots and upset her, and then she'd cause a huge mess.

But she'd already changed a lot. Before, if Li Ke had said something like that, Jinx would probably have pulled out her gun. Otherwise, her eyes would have gone blank, and she'd have stared at him with nothing but death in them.

Now she hadn't. She'd only pouted, looking a little unhappy.

That was already a huge change, wasn't it?!

Hearing Li Ke say that, Jinx nodded and perked up. "Then what do you need me to do?"

"I want you to help me change this place, Jinx."

"I need your mind. I need your talent," Li Ke said.

Jinx blinked. "Weapons?"

"Not weapons, Jinx. I need you to create technology that can improve people's lives."

Jinx froze. She grabbed her hair and rubbed her head, looking a little troubled. "But, Li Ke, I only know how to make weapons."

"You've only made weapons before." Li Ke shook his head.

Since there was no way to get the Wildfire Gang to come out peacefully, they could stop looking for them for now.

After all, Li Ke had only just made a bold promise to Silco. He needed to produce some results and show Silco that he could change his extreme way of thinking.

And...

Build a community, one like the Wildfire Gang.

No!

One even better than the Wildfire Gang!

Li Ke would build a community in the Black Alley that was better than the Wildfire Gang's—a community without Shimmer, hatred, or hunger and cold.

He looked at Jinx and took a deep breath.

"For the foreseeable future, I think we'll all be living here. Tomorrow, we'll go back to our home in the Mid-level Plaza and bring down whatever we need."

Jinx nodded.

She didn't care about the home in the Mid-level Plaza. She cared about the people in it.

Then Li Ke looked at Vi. Seeing that she was watching him, too, he smiled. "Big Sister, I need your help with something as well."

"I'm—" Vi had watched Li Ke and Powder interacting for a while now. The jealousy had been practically pouring off her and reaching Li Ke. Since he was asking for her help, of course she wasn't happy about it.

But when she saw Powder watching her, Vi immediately changed her tune.

"I'd be happy to help."

Her mouth twitched, and she gave him a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Boss."