Runaway Young Lady

"Money? That's all you've got?"

"..." Aubrey glared back, fuming in silence.

"Speak up!" A kick came flying in.

"Li Wei! You'd dare rob even me, Tahm? Just you wait—my brother won't—"

"Won't my ass!" Another slap landed. "Tell me which pocket you stashed your cash in, and pull it out yourself!"

"I—I really only brought this much!" Once the Shimmer's effects wore off and Li Wei had beaten him to a pulp head-on, Aubrey unconsciously reverted to that cowardly fat man who only looked tough on the outside.

"Aren't you the gang leader's brother? And you've only got a few Silver Wheels on you?"

"That's exactly why I only brought a few Silver Wheels—because my brother's the boss." Aubrey even sounded a bit aggrieved. "When I buy stuff at Zaunite shops, hardly anyone dares take my money. No point carrying more."

"Goddammit!" The Zaunite curses and slaps came again. "Thug life, huh? Won't pay up, huh? Gonna make me work as a Male Escort to settle the debt, huh?!"

"Stop, stop hitting me!" Fat Aubrey was getting thrashed all over the street. "Piltover's a lawful society—what you're doing is a crime!"

"Crime my ass!" Li Wei gave the gang boss a thorough beating, then weighed the few Silver Wheels he'd "dropped" from the enemy and stopped, satisfied.

For a broke nobody like him, this money was actually plenty.

Of course, besides the cash, he'd also snatched the half-empty bottle of Shimmer that Aubrey hadn't finished.

That stuff was dangerous, but for someone like him, who was already at the end of his rope, the danger of Shimmer was negligible.

Li Wei's whole performance left the onlookers utterly dumbfounded.

Especially his good coworker, Baku.

"Li, Li Wei." Baku's face was full of shock.

It wasn't that he was shocked by Li Wei's strength—after all, he'd never seen Li Wei fight before. And Zaunites brawled and killed every day; it wasn't unusual for someone decent with their fists to pop up now and then.

Surprise was one thing, but not the biggest thing.

What really terrified Baku was that Li Wei dared to humiliate and beat Fat Aubrey like this—the brother of the Iron Fist Gang's boss.

And on top of that, he'd gone and robbed the gang leader himself!

"Li Wei, you've really stepped in it this time."

"So what if I did?" Li Wei couldn't care less.

He'd already burned every bridge with Aubrey and the Iron Fist Gang. Why hold back?

Better to let him rot in the hospital for a few more days, so when the enemies came looking next time, there'd be one less man on the other side.

Besides, he could squeeze some getaway funds out of this bastard.

"But—" Baku was still worried, about to say more.

"Spare me the crap!" Li Wei glanced at Aubrey sprawled on the ground, then snapped coldly at Baku. "All that talk—aren't you just afraid I'll skip town and not pay you back?"

"Where was all that concern when you were watching me get beaten up just now?"

"Huh?" Baku was stunned.

"Li Wei, what are you talking about? When did I ever lend you—"

"Listen up!" Li Wei cut him off straight. "That money of yours? I'm not paying it back. I can't stay in Piltover anymore anyway. If you've got the guts, come collect the debt yourself!"

"You—" Baku seemed to catch on. "Li Wei, I'll fucking kill you! I treated you like a friend, lent you my wages, and this is how you repay me?!"

"You bastard, stop right there!"

"Heh." Li Wei didn't even look back, turning and walking away.

"You're protecting him?" Janna asked.

"Yeah." Li Wei sighed helplessly.

Gangs were the most unscrupulous enemies. If Aubrey still thought Baku was his friend, Baku would likely get kidnapped by the Iron Fist Gang and tortured as leverage once he was gone.

So he had to "break ties" with Baku.

Luckily, Baku was sharp enough to play along and distance himself.

"Will that really work?" Janna worried for the innocent kid too. "Won't they see through it?"

"It should work." Li Wei was pretty confident about that.

"With Aubrey's IQ, he won't figure it out."

Still, he had lingering concerns. Besides Baku, who was more or less out of the line of fire, what really worried him was his sister, Lina.

Li Wei knew that the original owner had borrowed high-interest loans from the Iron Fist Gang. Those thugs knew exactly where he lived and how many people were in his family.

Not to mention that the Zaunite community he lived in was the very stronghold of the Iron Fist Gang and other Zaunite gangs. The underworld there was a tangled web, with enemy thugs and informants everywhere.

As soon as the badly injured Aubrey was found by the Iron Fist Gang, they'd come knocking fast.

He didn't have much time.

"I wonder if Lina's gone to school yet."

If Lina had already left for school, Li Wei could breathe a little easier.

After all, no matter how bold the Iron Fist Gang might be, they would never dare to kidnap someone from Piltover's highest institution of learning.

But if Lina had no morning classes and was still at home instead of school, she could be in danger.

"I need to get home and check."

Li Wei couldn't help but suppress the pain from his wounds as he hurriedly quickened his pace.

Only then did he have a moment to chat with Janna. "Janna, what's the deal with this sudden new believer? Who is he?"

"I'm not sure either."

"Then do you know where he is?"

"No." Janna replied helplessly.

Back when the Storm's Fury was at her peak, she could cover the entire ocean with her divine sense, precisely pinpointing the location of her believers amidst the vast waves.

But now.

"I can only vaguely sense his direction—"

"That way."

With that, Janna lifted her wing.

"That direction is—"

There were plenty of things in that direction: parks, theaters, plazas.

But the only place Li Wei could think of that might be connected to him was:

"Piltover University?"

Across the street, at the Ervin residence.

Ervin had been keeping the curtains tightly drawn, refusing to let Seraphine look outside.

His daughter had always been well-protected, and he couldn't let her witness a Shimmer-crazed maniac in action. That would definitely leave her traumatized.

That's what the old father thought.

But Seraphine was still fixated on Li Wei outside the window.

Even as her parents held her back, she remained behind the curtain, enraptured, feeling the soulful melody Li Wei played.

However, soon.

"The music stopped." Seraphine suddenly opened her eyes.

"You can't hear it anymore?" Ervin thought his daughter's ability had malfunctioned again.

"No—he's stopped singing."

"Ah..." Mr. Ervin exchanged a glance with his wife, both realizing something with complicated expressions.

They knew the fight was over.

Li Wei was surely dead.

Maybe even torn to pieces.

Whether he was split into a few chunks or dozens depended on how far gone that Shimmer-crazed lunatic was.

"Ah..." Ervin let out a long sigh.

Maybe he should have intervened earlier. If he had, the conflict wouldn't have escalated into such a slaughter.

But he didn't think he was wrong either. What good would intervening have done? There were too many people like Li Wei in Zaun—he couldn't save them all.

He still had to grow his business, earn more money, and buy Natural Hextech Crystals to treat his daughter.

He couldn't manage anything else.

"By the way, Li Wei mentioned he has a sister in university."

Ervin thought he could repay Li Wei's remaining loan shark debt and fund his sister's education. If she worked hard, she could live a happy life in Piltover someday.

That would ease his conscience.

Just as Ervin was lost in these complicated thoughts—

Seraphine took advantage of his distraction and ran over to pull the curtains open again.

"Seraphine, don't look!!" Ervin rushed to cover his daughter's eyes.

But it was too late.

The tragedy outside the window was laid bare before the family.

They all clearly saw across the street:

Li Wei was viciously kicking a poor fat man, cursing him out while snatching a few Silver Wheels from him.

Then he slapped him several more times, chatted a bit with a friend, and turned away, satisfied.

The Ervins: "..."

Holy shit, holy shit—this kid!

Even those who've taken the Glimmer can beat them?!

Erwin only just realized that among his own apprentices, there was actually a Zaunite Hunk like this!

"Not good!"

After a long daze, the old father suddenly sensed trouble.

Sure enough, the moment he turned his head, his daughter was gone.

"Dad, Mom!" Seraphine bolted out in a flash, moving so fast it was like she'd activated a sprint—impossible to stop even if they tried. "I'm going to find that Li Wei, I'll be back later!"

"Seraphine, you stop right there!"

Seraphine turned a deaf ear, already out the door.

"Damn it! Do you even know where that kid lives?" Erwin shouted worriedly at the Rebellious Daughter's retreating back. "Those apprentices all live in the Zaunite community—it's dangerous there! If you go, something will happen to you!!"

"Huh?" Seraphine paused slightly, her steps actually slowing down.

"Oh, right. I don't even know where Li Wei lives."

"Dad—thanks for telling me!"

"..." The old father's vision went dark, and he nearly passed out.