Welcome to the Wild?

Early that morning in Zaun, Vi got up from the mat and held her hands out in front of her. She breathed into them, warm breath mingling with the Ash Barrier as it settled over her palms. Then she shivered.

Still wearing her sports bra, she began stretching her arms and body. After standing, she went to the mirror and brushed her hair up, revealing a flawless, delicate face. Then she started arranging her hair with her hands.

She let her red hair fall over her delicate features, toning down her beauty. Finally, she carefully put on her nose ring. Once she had finished, she looked toward the bed not far away.

Little Isha was sprawled on Li Ke's chest, her head buried against him as she slept soundly. Jinx was curled up beside Li Ke, knees drawn up to her belly, sleeping like a cat.

At the sight, Vi's resentment nearly became visible in her eyes.

"Fuck."

After muttering a quiet curse, Vi tiptoed out of the room so she wouldn't disturb Jinx.

Of course, if it had only been Li Ke in there, she might have deliberately made some noise to keep him from sleeping well.

That bastard Li Ke had even lied to me. We sleep in the same bed every day, and he still claims nothing happened. Hah, who'd believe that?

"Vi."

"Big Sister, how'd you sleep last night?"

"Big Sister, who are we going after today?"

Outside, Vi saw the group waiting for her, and her slight resentment vanished at once. She waved her hand with a flourish and called out, "First, Hope Community. Same as always: patrol. Then we'll head to some other streets."

"Yes!"

The underlings who had formed the Community Enforcers with Vi answered loudly.

Manzu was among them, dressed and ready, a smile all over his face.

Lately, Manzu had suddenly started to feel like he was truly alive.

The local residents of Hope Community had also been warming up to them.

It turned out that being loved and respected felt so much better than being feared!

Lately, the people of Hope Community had been calling them Community Enforcers. "Enforcer" was an insult in Zaun, but in Hope Community, it had become a compliment.

Manzu could see the sincerity in their expressions, hear it in their voices, and see it in their eyes.

He took a deep breath and made sure his weapons were in place: a short gun made by Jinx that fired terrifyingly powerful rounds, and a stick. The stick might look crude, but it was incredibly useful!

It could extend, and when necessary, pressing a special button released a cloud of toxic smoke. It could also be swung to fling needles.

He had no idea how Jinx's mind came up with such devious weapons. She could just whip them up on a whim.

Could she really be a genius?!

"Zeri, I'm telling you again: if you keep going around telling the neighbors to join some Ghost Gang and fight the Alchemical Barons alongside some Broken Community, I really will ground you!"

"With all the time you're wasting, you'd be better off going to the market and buying me some chicken from Maria's Place. Her braised chicken is the best. Instead of standing around here acting crazy! Can you stop acting crazy all the time?"

"I'm not acting crazy!"

In the small house, the girl retorted indignantly. She clenched her fists and pounded the sofa beneath her, shouting, "I saw it with my own eyes, Grandma! Shark Street has completely changed! I've been playing there these past few days!"

"Changed? Idiot! Do you think I don't know what Zaun is like? It's just a temporary scheme cooked up by the people in power. Once they've completely taken control of Shark District, that place will end up no different from ours!"

"You— Ah, there's just no getting through to you! Grandma, I'm done talking to you! You're so annoying!" Zeri shouted. She got up, grabbed the windbreaker beside her, and slipped out of the house at a speed no ordinary person could see.

Amid the crackling of electricity came her grandmother's angry scolding: "Zeri, if you walk out that door, don't come back!"

At the market, Zeri walked down the street with her hat on. She lifted her leg and kicked a pebble with her little boot.

"Honestly, I told her I saw it with my own eyes. Why won't she believe me?"

"The Alchemical Barons are all bastards. Why shouldn't we fight back? We're all victims!"

She muttered to herself as she walked.

But soon, Zeri noticed a few people following her.

Her eyes shifted. She turned and walked into a narrow alley.

As Zeri disappeared from view, three figures in masks and windbreakers hurried after her from the market.

They had walked a dozen meters into the alley and rounded a corner when a voice came from behind them.

"Hey, why are you following me?"

"Tell me, are you goons working for the Alchemical Barons?"

The girl's voice came from behind them. They turned around and saw a girl who had taken off her hat, her hair glittering like sparks, electricity crackling through it.

"Calm down, friend," the one in front said.

"Cut the crap! Tell me, why are you following me?"

"Hey, friend, please calm down. We mean you no harm." The man in front raised his hands, trying to soothe Zeri. He was short and sturdy, though not overly so, and wore thick clothes. His voice was deep and hoarse.

"We heard you were standing up to the Alchemical Barons, and that you've been urging this community to fight them too. Is that right?"

"That's right, but what does that have to do with you coming after me?"

The man at the front spoke in a low voice. "We often come to this community to buy things. My partner heard that you wanted to fight the Alchemical Barons, so we looked into you for a while and learned a bit about you. You want to join us and fight them, don't you? I came here specifically to invite you."

"Listen, Zeri. We need people like you. Anyone who stands up to the Alchemical Barons and wants to make Zaun better is one of us."

Zeri's eyes lit up at once, and she grew excited. "You—you came to find me? You came here just for me? Oh my gosh! I've wanted to join you for ages! You know, when I saw you helping the shopkeepers in the community a few days ago, I got so excited!"

"I—I want to help too!"

The man at the front froze and exchanged a glance with the person beside him. The other person shook his head. They... didn't seem to understand what Zeri meant.

But Zeri didn't notice. She just kept squealing on her own.

"Ahhhhh, this is so amazing!"

"But I couldn't convince my family or the neighbors. Is that still okay?"

"Of course. We need you. You seem different, don't you?" the man at the front said meaningfully. What had he just seen?

The girl hadn't done anything, yet electricity had surged around her.

That... wasn't normal.

Zeri nodded. "Yeah, my mom says I'm different from other kids too. I was born able to use electricity. Look."

As she spoke, she pointed at the wall. Her brown eyes turned bright orange, and electricity surged around her.

"Crack!"

A bolt of electricity as thick as a wooden stick struck the wall, leaving a charred mark.

"That's incredible!" the man exclaimed.

"Right? So, am I one of you now?"

"Of course."

"Ah! That's great!" Zeri clenched her fists and jumped for joy.

Did this mean she had a group now?

Finally, there were people willing to fight the Alchemical Barons alongside her!

And she had seen the state of that community with her own eyes. Zeri had gone there every day these past few days, and each time, she could see how much the community had changed.

The smiles on people's faces couldn't lie!

Seeing how happy Zeri was, the young man at the front smiled too. His voice softened, no longer hoarse, as if he'd given up his disguise. "Then, officially, welcome to the Wild—"

"Now that I've joined the Lian Hua Gang, does that mean I can patrol with you too? Should I paint your symbol on my clothes? I can do that!" Zeri suddenly interrupted, cutting off what the man had been about to say.

"Huh?"

His brain stalled. He stared at her, bewildered.