Prisoner 516

On the second floor of Fugen Tavern, Sevika looked at Silco. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "No, we still haven't been able to find her."

"Then what are you here for?" Silco asked calmly as he smoked his cigar.

"I was wondering if maybe this would be for the best," Sevika said, then explained, "She sneaks out from time to time. This time is no different. She'll come back on her own when the time comes, won't she?"

Silco shook his head at Sevika's words, picked up a document from beside him, and tossed it to her.

"This time is different."

Sevika didn't look at it. She already knew what had happened.

A building in the Upper City had exploded, killing six enforcers. Someone had to take responsibility for it.

They were enforcers who'd died, not ordinary people. And the people of the Upper City didn't need to think twice—they'd pin the blame on the Bottom City.

Jinx had disappeared. That was a good thing; it meant the enforcers wouldn't find that crazy woman when they searched Fugen Tavern. And, to Sevika personally, Jinx leaving Black Alley was a good thing too. She was a walking disaster. With her around, nothing ever got done.

So Sevika said, "This works out perfectly."

"Perfectly?" Silco rapped his knuckles against the table and looked at Sevika, his expression cold. He asked calmly, "Tell me, what do you mean by 'perfectly'?"

"She's gone. The people from the Upper City will come investigate and won't find anything. So..." Sevika stumbled over her explanation.

"Her being gone is the worst thing that could happen." Silco cut her off and rested a hand against his forehead. "Don't worry. I've already taken care of it. Marcus handled the matter. It was an accident."

"An accident?"

"Six dead enforcers, and you call that an accident?"

Silco looked up at Sevika. "What else would I have been raising him for? What would be the point of working with him?"

"..." Sevika fell silent.

"Keep looking until you bring her back."

"Understood."

Sevika turned, opened the door, and left.

Sitting in the room, Silco smoked and blew a ring of smoke toward the ceiling. Usually, he would see a flash of blue up there, a long braid dangling down and swaying like willow catkins in the wind.

But now, there was nothing.

Speaking to himself, Silco murmured, "This is the longest you've ever been away from home. It's been three days."

When Jinx had run away before, she would usually come back that night or by dawn the next day. But this time, it had been three days. She had never been away from Silco for this long, and it was starting to make him restless.

At Stillwater Prison, a tall woman walked up to the warden. She looked up at him, imposing as a wall, and took a deep breath to quell her unease.

"Hmm?"

"I'm Enforcer Caitlyn. Here are my papers," the woman in a long coat said.

"What is it?"

"I need to speak with one of your prisoners."

"Speak with them? My prisoners aren't much for talking."

Caitlyn paused, then said, "He was beaten by his accomplices. He must have a grievance to report. He was brought in today."

The warden's eyes shifted. He looked down at her. "Oh, Prisoner 2135. I know who you mean. But he might not be able to see you."

Caitlyn grew anxious. "Why not?"

"Something happened," the warden said.

"What happened?"

"Let's just say it was... something bad."

The warden said this to Caitlyn.

Caitlyn stared at him in surprise.

On the forty-third basement level of Stillwater Prison, Caitlyn took a deep breath and stepped out of the elevator.

As soon as she left the elevator, she heard a dull thud. Following the sound, she walked farther down the corridor.

"Boom!"

When she got closer, Caitlyn recognized the sound: a fist striking a wall.

Then she saw someone in a cell, their back to her, repeatedly punching the wall.

In the dim light of the corridor, Caitlyn made out a number.

[Prisoner 516]

Prisoner 516.

How long had she been in here?

Looking at the number, Caitlyn couldn't help thinking that 516 was far too low. The man who'd caused trouble today was Number 2135, and he'd only just been brought in. That meant...

The woman noticed Caitlyn too. She turned around, revealing a beautiful face. Her pink hair was messy, and strands hung over the corners of her eyes. Beneath her left eye was a tattoo of the letters VI.

"Who are you?" the woman asked Caitlyn.

"Caitlyn," she replied.

"Hmm?" The woman paced back and forth inside the cell.

Caitlyn opened the Stillwater Prison records and continued, "I looked at your file. There's no information about you, and you have no criminal record. Why are you in prison?"

"I guess I was too cheerful." The woman suddenly darted past Caitlyn, making her jump.

Once she had calmed down, Caitlyn pressed on. "You attacked a prisoner who arrived today, Number 2135. Why?"

"Am I not allowed to hit him?"

"We're investigating a case. He's our only eyewitness," Caitlyn said.

The woman lowered her head and shrugged. "Well, that's a real shame."

Seeing that the woman wouldn't be moved by either threats or persuasion and wouldn't give a straight answer, Caitlyn sighed and turned to leave. "What a waste of time."

"Isn't it?"

"Hey, remember to say hello to that one-eyed man, Silco, for me."

Caitlyn stopped. A flicker of confusion crossed her face. Then she went back to the cell with the file and looked at the woman, who was stretching her shoulders inside. She couldn't help asking, "Silco? The industrialist from the Bottom City?"

"Industrialist?" The woman paused and raised an eyebrow. "Forget it. I can't be bothered to explain."

"Could you send someone in who wants to beat me up? I'd like to have some fun tonight."

Caitlyn fell silent for two seconds. She thought the woman had misunderstood her somehow.

The prisoner who'd just arrived, the industrialist who wielded enormous influence in the Bottom City, and the woman's remarks—combined with Caitlyn's existing suspicions that someone was secretly leading Zaun's gangs—made her shiver as everything suddenly clicked.

She took a few steps closer to the cell and, through the iron bars, opened the file toward the woman inside. Then she asked,

"Do you know what this is?"

The woman in the cell had seemed indifferent and hadn't paid Caitlyn's words much attention. But the moment she glanced at the file and saw a photo bearing a monkey graffiti design, she charged forward. Her bright blue eyes fixed on Caitlyn as she shouted,

"Where did you get that?"

Zaun, Black Alley.

Li Ke looked at his room, covered in graffiti, and at the walls painted with huge monsters and a Monkey Warrior. The corner of his mouth twitched.

"Jinx, where did you get so much paint?"

"Paint?" Jinx, barefoot and standing on the table as she painted her masterpiece on the wall, turned around to look at Li Ke, who had just returned, and flashed him a huge smile.

"Some kind people gave it to me," she said.

Li Ke couldn't be bothered to comment.

Kind people.

Did she mean the kind people who'd had a gun pointed at their heads?

They must have been very kind indeed.

Li Ke simply folded his arms and watched Jinx busy herself.

He had to admit, Jinx's paintings really did look pretty good.