Hey, Little Guy!

At the entrance to Blackwater Alley, Zeri walked ahead with a sour look on her little face, seeming rather speechless. Behind her was a boy with dark skin and white hair, his hat removed.

His face was painted white in a pattern that looked like an hourglass. Looking at Zeri ahead of him, he scratched the back of his head and said, "Sorry, Zeri. I misunderstood. I thought you wanted to join us."

"But I didn't mean to. I thought we were the only ones in all of Zaun still fighting the Alchemical Barons."

"It's fine. I'm not that petty. But I'm not planning to join your gang. I'm joining the Lian Hua Gang. I've already made up my mind." Hearing him speak, Zeri turned around to look at the boy, then continued:

"Still, I don't know your name yet."

"I may not be able to join your gang, but we can still be friends, right?"

Zeri looked at the boy, who had gone quiet, and smiled. "I think we'll get along for sure. It's strange, but I just have that feeling."

"My aunt says my intuition has never been wrong."

Zeri was lively, chirping and bouncing like a cute little sparrow as she gestured animatedly in front of the boy.

She wasn't trying to win him over. She genuinely felt that way, as if some unseen force were telling her that she and this guy in front of her were meant to be friends.

It was strange, but compared to a girl who could shoot sparks and control electricity, maybe it wasn't all that strange after all.

"My name's Ekko," the boy said. Looking at Zeri, he added, "I'm the leader of the Wildfire Gang."

"Wow, you're a gang boss?" Zeri asked in surprise.

"Something like that." Ekko thought it over, then nodded.

Looking at Zeri, he asked the question he'd wanted to ask earlier:

"By the way, Zeri, what exactly is this Lian Hua Gang you mentioned? I've never heard of a gang like that in Zaun before—one that dares to oppose the Alchemical Barons, protect the community, and help its residents."

"Pretty amazing, right?" Zeri said with a grin.

"Yeah."

"But I saw it with my own eyes. If you want to know more, then how about coming with me to Hope Community?" Zeri raised her hand, made a finger-gun gesture, and gave it a little wave.

"."

"Just go there like this?" Ekko hesitated.

Shark District was too close to Black Alley. Ekko was worried something might go wrong if he went there.

After all, plenty of people in Black Alley knew him.

"Why not? You don't have to hide yourself there. Nobody pays you any attention. Everyone's busy running their own businesses and making the community better. As long as you don't cause trouble, you'll be fine."

"Okay, I'll go with you." Seeing Zeri thump her chest in assurance, Ekko took a deep breath and nodded.

He really was curious.

The Wildfire Gang often kept to themselves and avoided contact with the outside world, living in their own territory and their own little world. Most of the time, they were self-sufficient, but there were plenty of things they still needed to buy from the streets. As a result, the Wildfire Gang wasn't as out of touch with the news in Zaun as one might think.

On the contrary, Ekko paid close attention to what was happening in Zaun.

He didn't just want the members of the Wildfire Gang to live in peace. He wanted all of Zaun to get better.

That was why this suddenly appeared "Lian Hua Gang" interested him so much.

Could the Wildfire Gang work with them, if the chance arose?

They'd managed to carve out a place around Black Alley and were even able to resist Silco's threats. That showed their leader had to be formidable.

With that thought, Ekko followed Zeri.

An hour later, Ekko and Zeri arrived at a community.

"Every time I come here, I get excited. This is what a community should look like—a real home!"

Standing in front of Ekko, Zeri spread her arms wide and took a deep breath.

Ash from the Barrier filled her lungs, and she broke into a fit of coughing. Then she turned and held out a hand to Ekko. "Come on, Ekko. I'll show you around. I know this place!"

Ekko looked around. The residents here really didn't seem like people from other parts of Zaun. They wore an expression he knew well.

It was hope.

The same hope and anticipation for the future that filled the eyes of the people in the Wildfire Gang.

Looking at Zeri's hand, Ekko hesitated, then reached out.

Zeri took Ekko's hand and swung her body carelessly from side to side, leading him this way and that as they wandered around.

"As long as you don't cause trouble here, everyone will welcome you and make you feel at home. Ekko, see that auntie over there? That's Auntie Marna. The little cookies she makes are super tasty, and they're not expensive!"

"That's Uncle Marvin's meat stall. The stir-fried frog meat he sells is super tasty too!"

"This is my favorite shop! Ekko, I don't know what they put in the candy here, but it jumps around in your mouth. It's so exciting!"

Ekko followed Zeri and listened to her chatter. It was clear that she really loved this place.

Zeri's enthusiasm lifted his spirits, and he relaxed a lot.

He also realized that nobody here was paying attention to him. Everyone was busy with their own things, so he let his guard down and followed Zeri around the community.

But when a group of people wearing graffiti-covered clothes appeared, the street suddenly grew livelier. Zeri spotted them, grabbed Ekko's hand, and shook it excitedly. "Look, Ekko! Those people are members of the Lian Hua Gang!"

Ekko looked over. But when he saw the pink and blue graffiti on their clothes, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his hand instinctively reached for the weapon on his back.

But Zeri's excited voice and the residents gathering around the Lian Hua Gang members made Ekko slowly lower his hand.

Phew.

It wasn't her. Of course it wasn't. Not every patch of pink and blue meant she had shown up. He had no reason to be so tense.

Ekko looked up and saw the group smiling as they greeted the residents on the street and paid money to buy things from their stalls.

Suddenly, one of the young men glanced at Ekko and Zeri. Then he looked away—but the next second, he whipped his head around and stared at them in astonishment.

Then he started walking toward them.

"Manzu?"

The young man's sudden departure left the others puzzled.

Ekko watched the man approach. He seemed somewhat familiar, but Ekko couldn't remember where he'd seen him before.

On guard, Ekko quietly took Zeri's hand. With his other hand, he reached for his weapon, ready to fight.

The young man came closer and looked at Ekko in confusion. Then his eyes lit up, and he went from walking to running.

"Wow!" Zeri had no idea what was happening. She looked from Ekko to Manzu, completely baffled but thrilled.

Ekko's body tensed.

Two seconds later, Manzu reached Ekko and, laughing, threw his arms wide and pulled him into a tight hug.

"Oh my god, Little Guy!"

"It really is you!"

Caught in the man's arms, Ekko heard the familiar nickname and stood there, dumbfounded.