Freedom and Cost

Ling Ying stared blankly at the white ceiling overhead. After a long while, seemingly bored, she lowered her head to look at the sturdy, metal-sheened cell door. To be honest, she never thought she'd have the honor of receiving such treatment. But if you asked her what happened, she could only answer.

"I don't know either..."

Ling Ying muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear. She remembered being shot, and then waking up to find she had dismembered that Young Lady into several pieces. Ah, she seemed to have killed someone again. However, this time Ling Ying didn't fall into self-pity like before. Since that annoying Young Lady wanted to kill her, she didn't mind letting the other party die before her, even if the method seemed a bit cruel. What bothered her was that this state of temporary amnesia wasn't the first time. As for the reason, Ling Ying guessed she could only blame that so-called Instinct Consciousness.

"It wasn't me this time!! You heartless thing!!"

Ling Ying seemed to hear a voice ringing in her ears. At this moment, in her sea of consciousness, a ball of purple light was flashing incessantly, as if expressing its dissatisfaction with her presumptuous speculation.

"It's the newcomer, it made the first move this time!! It wanted to invade this body while you weren't paying attention! I helped you block it!"

Ling Ying looked in the direction it pointed and saw a mass of black mist huddled fearfully in a corner, looking like it wanted to be left alone.

Fine, living in her head were a talking purple light orb and a shy black mist. This was just great.

"Bang bang."

The alloy cell door was knocked on a few times. Ling Ying, curled up, slowly raised her head and looked at the police officer in a dark blue uniform outside the door.

"Come out, the Chief Constable wants to see you."

The uniformed officer didn't say much, took out a key, and opened the cell door. Two other fully armed police officers quickly entered, and without a word, each took an arm and lifted Ling Ying up. The uniformed officer then placed a black bag over Ling Ying's head.

When Ling Ying "saw the light of day" again, the environment had changed from a prison cell to a spacious and bright office. Standing before her was a beautiful woman with long, dark blue hair, possessing both elegance and dignity.

"Miss Caitlyn, the suspect has been brought in."

The two police officers escorted Ling Ying to a chair and had her sit down. Ling Ying looked up with some curiosity.

Caitlyn. If Ling Ying's memory was correct, that should be the name of the famous Chief Constable of Piltover. And the woman before her indeed matched the impression she had of Caitlyn—from the game League of Legends.

"Pete, Loma, you two can go now."

Caitlyn waved to the two police officers who had escorted Ling Ying. The two immediately understood and turned to leave, closing the door behind them. However, the sharp-eared Ling Ying could still tell that these two were actually standing just outside the door. They hadn't left at all.

It made sense. After all, she was now a murderer. Piltover's caution was understandable. Although Ling Ying's hands and feet were bound by chains, even she couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't suddenly lash out and attack Caitlyn.

"Lilia Lance."

Caitlyn examined Ling Ying with a meaningful gaze for a moment, then smiled.

"You're much better looking than I expected."

"...Is this some new interrogation tactic?"

"No, no, you don't need to be so sensitive. It's just a pleasantry for our first meeting."

Caitlyn smiled and waved her hand.

"Oh, this compliment is for you personally, not for the so-called Lilia Lance."

"..."

Ling Ying's heart skipped a beat. Caitlyn's words clearly had a hidden meaning. Ling Ying even felt that she might already know something. As expected, in the next second, Caitlyn reached out and pulled a document from her desk. She leaned against the corner of the desk in a somewhat charming pose, then opened the document in her hand.

"Lilia Lance. An S-rank mercenary registered with the Bilgewater City Mercenary Guild, leader of the Blazing Blade Mercenary Group. Impressive combat record. Commission completion rate close to one hundred percent. However, she and her Blazing Blade Mercenary Group went missing recently while accepting a special extermination commission and have not returned. The Mercenary Guild believes the Blazing Blade Mercenary Group has perished."

Caitlyn read the document while observing Ling Ying's expression out of the corner of her eye. When she noticed that Ling Ying's expression hadn't changed, she simply closed the file folder. She picked up the coffee on the desk and took a sip. After a moment, she slowly said.

"But strangely, the name Lilia Lance appeared on the passenger manifest of the passenger ship Silver Dawn, which set sail for Piltover a month ago. Of course, no one knows if she was really on the ship, but Captain Barbossa's testimony stated that when they were attacked by Black Tide sea beasts, a highly skilled girl stepped forward and, by herself, carved a path through the endless sea beasts for everyone. Unfortunately, this girl later went missing during a battle with a giant sea beast. Mr. Barbossa repeatedly asked us to send a team to search for the girl when we rescued him. The only valuable description he provided was - she was a girl with long purple hair..."

"Alright, you don't need to continue."

Ling Ying interrupted Caitlyn.

"So? Since you already know, why tell me? Anyway, this is Piltover, and you can do whatever you want to an outsider."

"Ah, really, you say that as if we are the perpetrators."

Caitlyn's tone sounded somewhat helpless.

"But you're right about one thing, this is Piltover, so I don't care about the life or death of a Shuriman mercenary, nor do I care why someone is impersonating her. What I care about is what the person wearing this disguise wants to do to Piltover. So, can you tell me? Miss Impersonator?"

"..."

"By the way, we've learned that you seem to be very interested in Drained Crystals, so even if you're going to lie, please come up with a less outrageous reason. Of course, I sincerely hope we can be honest with each other, it's beneficial for both of us, isn't it?"

Caitlyn's tone was calm, but Ling Ying felt immense pressure. Faced with Caitlyn's information advantage, every lie Ling Ying told was a risk. It seemed as though she was the one in control of the information, but not knowing how much the other party knew, every word Ling Ying spoke could put her in a difficult situation.

Of course, this problem could be solved if Ling Ying chose to tell the truth. But the next problem that would arise was, would Caitlyn be more inclined towards a lying human or an honest Void Creature?

Therefore, the truth was definitely out of the question. The only option left was the old method.

"Because I need those crystals, they are very important to me... to us."

Ling Ying took a deep breath and began her performance according to the "script" she had just conceived in her mind.

"Oh?"

Caitlyn showed an interested expression.

"How are they important?"

"It's hard to describe in words... I remember I had a small cloth bag with me, and you guys seem to have taken it from me?"

"Ah, you mean this?"

Caitlyn grabbed the storage bag from the table and shook it.

"I had the Technical Department test it. They said it's an incredible Magic Item, but unfortunately, we can't open it. So, what do you want it for?"

"Didn't you want to know my purpose? If I can demonstrate it here, you'll understand at a glance."

Ling Ying glanced at Caitlyn as she said this, pausing slightly.

"Of course, that's assuming you're willing to trust me."

As soon as Ling Ying finished speaking, Caitlyn's expression immediately shifted to one of suspicion and contemplation. It was true, a suspect sitting in front of an Officer and asking to be trusted. The scene was absurd no matter how you looked at it. Even a Divine Drama wouldn't dare film it like this. Ling Ying hadn't expected Caitlyn to actually listen to her, after all...

"Here."

"?"

Ling Ying looked at the storage bag tossed in front of her, then back at Caitlyn, momentarily bewildered.

"Ah, because I'm quite interested in what you said."

Caitlyn gave a rather casual reply. This made Ling Ying hesitate. But she eventually took the bag. Her wrist, suppressed by heavy shackles, made her movements somewhat clumsy. After several attempts, she finally unfastened the bag's opening and reached her hand inside. She immediately felt the hilt of a Doran's Blade. If she had that... No, she couldn't do that. Ling Ying cast aside the dangerous thoughts in her mind and grasped a round object.

"This is it."

Ling Ying took out the Void Crystal and then set the storage bag aside.

"This is?"

Caitlyn looked over with curiosity. But after gazing for a moment, she shook her head again.

"It looks like a Hextech Crystal, but only superficially. The texture and details are all different."

"That's right. Using your Piltover methods, this crystal can't detect any magical energy at all. It's just a Drained Crystal, but..."

Ling Ying extended a finger and gently tapped the crystal. The entire Void Crystal emitted a hum, and then instantly lit up. The bright purple energy patterns and the light it emitted increased the brightness of the entire room.

"To us, it's a very important treasure."

Caitlyn stared at the Void Crystal with some surprise, and after a long while, she spoke.

"May I ask one thing? Who do you mean by 'us' just now?"

"I mean my people."

Ling Ying continued to fabricate her story with a composed expression.

"Since you have the ability to obtain information from Shurima, it means you have informants there. Then you should also know about those ancient, isolated tribes that have continued from the ancient Shuriman Empire."

"Indeed, they are mentioned in some documents."

"Ah, my people and I are one of them."

Ling Ying said, pointing to the black mark on her neck.

"This is our tribe's totem, and that crystal is a treasure passed down through generations of our tribe. Unfortunately, due to the negligence of the younger generation in the tribe, the crystal was lost. Later, I heard it was sold to Piltover as a Hextech Crystal. That's why I traveled all the way to Piltover, wanting to retrieve the lost treasure."

Ling Ying stopped talking. The short story stunned Chief Constable Caitlyn. It couldn't be helped, Ling Ying was always so natural when telling stories. Truth and falsehood were mixed, and her expression didn't even change.

"If that's the case, then please accept my regrets."

Caitlyn spread her hands. Then she continued.

"So, your purpose in coming to Piltover is to retrieve the waste energy... your tribe's treasure. Nothing else?"

"Indeed, only this."

Ling Ying nodded calmly, her honest expression showing no flaws.

"Alright, you see, being honest can resolve many misunderstandings. I suspected you were another spy from Noxus, but now it seems no spy would be foolish enough to openly take on the conspicuous title of mercenary and cause such a huge mess. Ah, right, since we're on the subject, we need to discuss another matter."

Caitlyn's expression turned serious.

"Regarding your brutal murder of Sophie Midalda, do you have anything to say?"

"This matter, say whatever you want."

Ling Ying's attitude was surprisingly straightforward. After all, the Young Lady was dead, and that was a fact. No matter what she said, it wouldn't change Caitlyn's judgment, so Ling Ying chose not to waste her breath. Anyway, if the people of Piltover sentenced her to death, she would definitely fight her way out with all her might.

"Huh? So casual? It seems you really dislike this Young Lady. Let me ask, do you have any grudges? Worthy of you killing her in such a... brutal manner."

"Grudges? You're overthinking it. I've never met her before, and our encounter that day was purely accidental. As for the brutality you mentioned? I just want to say that if a dog bites me, I might consider myself unlucky and maybe kick it twice. But if this dog lunges for my neck, intending to kill me from the start, then skinning it and making Dog Meat Stew would be the least I could do. Do you understand what I mean?"

"Okay, okay."

Caitlyn made a gesture, signaling the somewhat agitated Ling Ying to stop.

"I understand. A peculiar... metaphor, and it aligns with our findings."

As Caitlyn spoke, she pulled out a transparent bag from under the table. Inside the bag was a revolver with a peculiar design. The dark green gun body was speckled with dried bloodstains, adding a strange aura to it.

"Familiar? This is Miss Sophie's Hextech Revolver, used for self-defense. We found one bullet missing from the cylinder, and firing marks at the scene."

"Of course, I remember."

Ling Ying glanced at the gun with a complex expression. How could she not remember being shot by that thing? She just didn't understand why Caitlyn was showing it to her now.

"We learned from the cafe patrons who were present at the scene. The conflict was initiated by Sophie Midalda's side, and the Cafe Owner provided testimony that Sophie fired first. Combining this with what you just said, this seems to be true. But judging by your appearance, the gun didn't hit you?"

"You could say that. My tribe has some unique magic that allowed me to escape."

Ling Ying glanced at Caitlyn strangely.

"But why are you saying this?"

"Because according to Piltover law, when facing a deadly threat, if the victim retaliates and causes the attacker's death, it can be considered self-defense and the degree of excessive force will be considered, not whether it was murder."

Caitlyn said unhurriedly.

"However, Piltover's law enforcement scope is limited to Piltover citizens. You are not within that scope. Moreover, even if this law applied to you, the Midalda Family would find every way to have the court sentence you to death. And if those normal means couldn't kill you, their family's spies and assassins would risk everything to assassinate you. Believe me, that paranoid old man is capable of doing it, and the Midalda Family has the ability to do it."

Silence began to spread between the two. After a long pause, Ling Ying broke the silence.

"I thought Piltover was a land of civilization and progress."

"Indeed, but we have also paid a price for it that outsiders can hardly imagine."

Caitlyn gave a wry smile. But she quickly became serious.

"Let's get back to your situation. I have a way to get you out of this. Do you want to hear it?"

"Huh?"

"Judging by your expression, you're interested. It's actually quite simple. All you have to do is... die once."

"What kind of solution is that?"

There was a hint of anger in Ling Ying's tone. It was clear she thought Caitlyn was toying with her. However, Caitlyn made a gesture to quiet her down and then revealed a mysterious expression.

"What I mean is for Lilia Lance to die again. You won't have a chance to go to court, and you won't even have a chance to leave this place. The Enforcers will quickly execute you on the grounds of attempting to escape, and then publicly announce the news. The Midalda Family will also receive an official explanation. When everything calms down, you will start a new life with a new identity. You will also have complete freedom to do whatever you want."

"Huh?"

This time, Ling Ying was completely stunned. She had never expected such a solution. Even more bizarre was that Caitlyn, a police officer, would go to such lengths to help her escape. Honestly, she had always thought Caitlyn was telling her all this to emphasize the seriousness of the situation and to put her in her place. She had even calculated in her mind the right time to draw Doran's Blade from her storage pouch and fight her way out. She never expected that what Caitlyn said in the end sounded like she was helping her out of trouble.

"Why?"

After much deliberation, Ling Ying finally decided to voice her thoughts.

"Why help an outsider like me? As a police officer, you should stand with your own people."

"But as an individual, I prefer to stand on the side of justice and fairness. I can't control what happens far away, but since it's in Piltover, I don't think I can stand by and do nothing. And another reason..."

Caitlyn strode the short distance between herself and Ling Ying. She closed the gap until they could almost feel each other's breath.

"Because I want you... to be mine..."

Caitlyn smiled at Ling Ying, who was completely taken aback.