Reform took time. After the Wildfire Gang joined the Lian Hua Gang, Li Ke didn't break them up and scatter them throughout the Lian Hua Gang, as Ekko had expected. Instead, he let the Wildfire Gang continue to develop freely in their community.
When it came down to it, Li Ke needed Ekko more than he needed the Wildfire Gang's fighting force.
So, to let Ekko focus on researching new energy without worry, Li Ke didn't dismantle the Wildfire Gang.
But reforming the new territory didn't go as smoothly as it had in Hope Community. This area had once belonged to Finn, and the local gang business had flourished under him.
The Lian Hua Gang quickly took over all of Finn's businesses and began making sweeping changes, but plenty of people still refused to submit to their control.
Whenever money was involved, conflict was inevitable.
The Lian Hua Gang's actions had affected the incomes of many local residents. Of course they were unhappy, and of course they fought back.
It wasn't surprising. Even in Hope Community, petty theft still happened all the time. During all the years Silco had ruled Zaun, too many Zaunites had grown used to getting something for nothing. They were hardly going to be happy about finding honest work and living the way ordinary people did.
Vi had been incredibly busy lately.
Her squad and the second team of low-level enforcers that Scar had put together had been cracking down on the community nonstop.
They didn't have time for endless verbal warnings. If someone didn't listen after being told once or twice, the next time they met, they got punched first—and then all their problems were dealt with.
As a modern man, Li Ke might have thought that using force to enforce the law was wrong. But this was Zaun, and in Zaun at this time, weakness only encouraged people to push their luck. They wouldn't be grateful for Li Ke's kindness. They'd only take advantage of it even more.
So, in truth, Vi and Scar were acting on Li Ke's orders.
Li Ke had ordered all the gangs in the area to get out. If they refused, they could leave their lives behind instead. Quite a few Zaunites had died because of Li Ke during this time.
If the idle troublemakers were willing to change, they could stay and make a life for themselves. But if they kept refusing to change, they could look forward to taking a beating from the Sump enforcers.
Fortunately, Zaun had been in chaos for so many years, but not everyone had just gone along with it. Most people in Zaun were still willing to live a new life rather than go along with the Baron—and to make changes to achieve it.
The residents of Finn's old territory had figured the new Baron would be acceptable as long as he wasn't worse than Finn and didn't squeeze them any harder. But after watching him for a while, they realized he didn't seem to have any plans to squeeze them at all.
And he was even helping them start businesses?
That was right—he really was helping them start businesses!
He hadn't swallowed up the businesses that had once belonged to Finn. Instead, he'd turned them into a market and let them use it for free, so they could sell food, parts, and other things there.
All they had to do was hand over a small portion of their profits at the end of each month to go toward the community's shared funds. According to that adorable girl with hair like sparks and two strange little buns, the money belonged to everyone, not the new Baron. If anyone wanted, the new Baron was willing to make every account public.
Holy shit, was this really Zaun?!
This new Baron... Goddess Janna above, please bless him with a long life and victory in every battle!
Five days later, the new community had gradually grown in size and established its own rules. It was time for it to have a name of its own.
Most of the people in the community had come from the Wildfire Gang. After Ekko stepped down to become a researcher, the former Wildfire Gang members had been left without a leader. Almost instinctively, they put Scar forward as the gang's new leader. After asking Li Ke, Scar was given the right to name the community.
Li Ke told him to choose a name himself.
Scar sat alone in his tent and thought about it for more than two hours.
When he finally came out, he'd made his decision. He hadn't asked Ekko first; he'd decided on his own because he believed Ekko would have felt the same way.
He'd followed Ekko for years. As Ekko's confidant, he knew what kind of person Ekko was.
Because they longed for a better life, Scar formally dissolved the Wildfire Gang that very afternoon. This time, not one of its members objected.
When Ekko stepped down and they put Scar forward, it was because they were afraid that without a group to belong to, they'd end up alone like before and get bullied. But their time with the Lian Hua Gang and the changes in the new community over the past few days had already given them their answer.
Ekko had been right. Their new leader was just like them: someone working to make Zaun a better place.
And so, the Wildfire Gang became part of Zaun's history. Now, there was only the Lian Hua Gang.
The new community was named Firefly.
A firefly's light could rival the moon.
We knew it was foolish to think a firefly's light could rival the sun and moon. We knew our place.
But we were willing to try anyway. That was why the Wildfire Gang existed!
When Li Ke heard the name Scar had chosen, he burst out laughing.
He wasn't laughing at the former Wildfire Gang members for being foolish. He was praising their spirit.
Piltover. The appearance of a group of people caught the attention of the Upper City's residents.
Seeing the scruffily dressed crowd walking through Piltover, the Skinny Guys looked at them with open hostility.
"Damn it, I really want to punch that guy in the face."
Manzu glared back at a Piltovan wearing a top hat. When the other man kept staring, Manzu ground out the words through clenched teeth.
"Come on, Manzu. Look at me, then look at Vi. We're used to it by now." Weila shrugged. "It's your first time here to buy supplies, right? Don't bother staring. Hurry up and buy what we need so we can leave. Who the hell wants to stay here with them?"
Manzu nodded.
"Hey, have you noticed Piltover's been kind of off lately? Look at those Skinny Guys' faces—they're even sourer than the last time we came." A short man in the group spoke up.
Zeri was with them too. It was her first time visiting the Upper City on the job.
The equipment and materials Ekko and Jinx needed for their research would take too long to make by hand, and there was no guarantee they'd even work. Who knew if anything assembled from junk would be usable?
When it came to precision, Piltover really did outclass Zaun. Zaunites had to admit it. They might have ingenuity and creativity, but they couldn't match Piltovans when it came to precision and attention to detail.
Vi walked at the front of the group. She'd noticed that Piltover had been acting strange lately, too.
For example—
Those guys in red?
They were covered from head to toe in red, wearing helmets and carrying weapons as they walked around Piltover. There were only two or three of them, but their getup and presence made them impossible to miss.
Had something happened?
Vi wondered. Then she passed a park and stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Weila turned to look at Vi.
With one hand in her pocket, Vi raised the other and said with a grin, "I've spotted someone cute~"
"You guys go buy the supplies. I'll catch up in a bit."
Before Weila or Manzu could say anything, Vi finished speaking, vaulted over the iron railing, and walked into the park.
Weila and Manzu muttered to each other, but neither said anything.
Vi walked up to one of the park's walls, decorated in the style of Piltover. A tall woman stood with her back to Vi, dressed in an enforcer's uniform and wearing a cap. She had her head down, looking at something.
With both hands in her pockets, Vi came up behind her, rose on her toes, and whispered into her ear.
"Good afternoon~"
"Cupcake."
Before you continue