Caitlyn

Meanwhile, not far outside the classroom.

Caitlyn Kiramman—most people had never heard that name before.

But mention her surname alone, Kiramman, and no one in Piltover would fail to recognize it.

The Kiramman family was one of Piltover's oldest merchant families. The current head of the family, Mrs. Kiramman—Miss Caitlyn's mother—was one of the standing councilors who held the highest authority in Piltover's Council.

So no matter who it was—

Whether they knew her or not, upon seeing Caitlyn, they would respectfully address her as:

"Miss Kiramman."

"Don't call me 'Kiramman.'" Caitlyn frowned slightly. "Officer, just call me Caitlyn."

She was currently dressed in a standard Piltover Enforcer uniform: a wide-brimmed blue cap, a policewoman's short dress, a leather utility belt, non-slip fiber gloves, a rifle, a pistol, and combat boots—fully equipped.

Her smooth blue hair had also been tied into a simple long ponytail, the braid casually draped over her shoulder, making her look even more capable and dashing.

Yes, Caitlyn was an Enforcer.

Though she had been born a young lady of Piltover.

Her dream had been to become an ordinary Piltover Enforcer—to uphold the law, carry out justice, punish evil, and keep the people safe.

That was Caitlyn's dream.

But as the daughter of a Piltover councilor, bearing the Kiramman family name, even if she truly became an "ordinary" Enforcer, she could never really be ordinary.

After Caitlyn became an Enforcer, the entire precinct protected her like she was a panda. They simply did not dare assign her any dangerous tasks or let her suffer even the slightest injury.

This time, she had finally managed to secure a proper field assignment for herself. Yet once the operation began, her colleagues protected her like she was their nexus crystal—

They would rather not even look for the criminal than fail to spare a huge number of men to guard Caitlyn.

"We're all colleagues, and you're even my superior. I hope you can treat me like an ordinary rookie. Give me whatever work needs doing, and don't give me this kind of special treatment."

Looking at the large group of "personal bodyguards" around her, Caitlyn helplessly spoke to the older officer leading them.

"Of course, Mi—Caitlyn."

The old officer nodded eagerly.

Though he had changed how he addressed her, his ingratiating attitude had not changed at all.

"This time, we guarantee you'll get the chance to personally take action and experience what it feels like to arrest a criminal yourself!"

Caitlyn: "..."

"Officer, do you take me for some tourist here to experience hunting?"

"No, no, of course not."

Though that was what the old officer said, none of the protection around her was withdrawn.

Several Enforcers, including him, continued to surround Caitlyn tightly, their attitudes firm and righteous, like League of Legends players willing to die blocking a sniper's ultimate for their teammates.

"..." Caitlyn felt even more helpless.

"Forget it. Officer, just tell me about the target of this operation."

Caitlyn looked past the human wall formed by her teammates and surveyed the surroundings.

There really was not much to inspect.

This was Piltover University's campus, and specifically the most important Hextech Academy.

It was hard to imagine what sort of criminal would come here.

"It's a Zaunite Apprentice named Li Wei."

Like a game tutorial sprite, the old officer thoughtfully introduced the details of the operation to Caitlyn.

"Li Wei, male, nineteen, Zaunite. He obtained apprentice qualifications two years ago and came to Piltover to work. He is currently employed at Erwin's Hextech Sound Factory in the Factory District."

"There are two people in his family: himself and his younger sister. His sister is named Lina, female, eighteen, and a student at Piltover University's Hextech Academy."

"This morning, we received a report from a citizen stating that Li Wei severely injured a Piltover citizen in a street assault, committed robbery, and illegally possessed contraband such as Shimmer."

"According to reliable intelligence, the suspect is very likely currently with his sister, hiding somewhere on Piltover University's campus."

"Here are photos of him and his sister."

As he spoke, the old officer directly pulled out photos of both the criminal and the criminal's family member.

The mission intelligence was so detailed that all he lacked was a pathfinding sprite to guide Caitlyn straight to the target.

"Wait."

Caitlyn sharply noticed something suspicious.

"Officer, where did you get all this intelligence?"

"The victim only reported the crime this morning, and it's only just noon now. How did the precinct gather such detailed intelligence in so little time?"

"You not only have photos of the suspect's entire family, but have even pinpointed where they are hiding?"

"Doesn't investigating leads like these take time?"

"Well..." The old officer's expression immediately turned somewhat awkward. "I'm not too sure either."

"Chief Marcos handed this intelligence directly to me. I suppose... I suppose it came from a report by some concerned citizen?"

"Is that so?" Caitlyn frowned skeptically.

The old officer clearly did not want to discuss the subject further. He immediately changed the subject without showing it, earnestly reminding her:

"In any case, Miss Caitlyn."

"This target is a Zaunite and is suspected of possessing contraband like Shimmer. You must be careful—careful, and then even more careful. Whatever you do, don't separate from us during the operation."

"If you see him, draw your gun and aim at him immediately. Don't hesitate."

"If you get the chance, use a hold to pin him to the ground right away. Remember, make sure to restrain both his hands behind his back, then press your knee against his neck!"

"Don't listen if he says he can't breathe. Even if he can't catch his breath, keep him pinned down!"

"And before that, if he makes any suspicious movement—like reaching into his pocket, moving his hand behind his back, or reaching behind a door—"

"Then don't hesitate at all. Shoot him dead immediately!"

"Understood." Caitlyn nodded solemnly.

Zaunites were all innately dangerous creatures. Whenever she encountered one, she had to be extremely cautious.

If she could shoot, she should shoot.

Even after knocking one down, she had to fire a few more rounds.

Ideally, she should empty the entire magazine before approaching to inspect the body.

This was the bloody lesson every Enforcer was earnestly taught by their seniors upon entering the profession.

Every year, many inexperienced Piltover Enforcers lost their lives in the line of duty because they were softhearted or hesitant, giving those evil Zaunites the chance to kill them in return.

"Every Zaunite is a demon."

"Even if they aren't, you have to treat them as if they are. Otherwise, you'll be the one who dies!"

The old officer imparted this experience to Caitlyn with heartfelt sincerity.

It sounded like prejudice.

But during her time as an Enforcer, Caitlyn had somehow come to agree with such extreme views more and more.

Because she had indeed seen that nearly eighty percent of criminals were Zaunites, and that Zaunites were the ones disrupting Piltover's public order.

Zaunites truly seemed to be born criminals.

Evil, savage, lazy, unwilling to work properly, always ready to smash, loot, and burn at the first opportunity...

Though it always felt as if there was something wrong with that line of thinking. Still, there could be no harm in being wary of Zaunites.

"I understand. I'll definitely be careful."

Caitlyn nodded seriously.

And Li Wei—the handsome-looking young Zaunite in the photo—had, after all that mental preparation, somehow become as fierce and terrifying as a wild wolf in her eyes.

She quietly tightened her grip on the rifle in her hands.

If she saw the criminal, she would definitely not show mercy.

Just then, a colleague hurried over from nearby.

"Officer, Miss Caitlyn! We found the criminal!"

"Where is he?"

"Are there students around him?"

In Caitlyn's imagination, a vicious criminal like Li Wei, someone who dared commit violence in broad daylight, must have been hiding in some dark corner right now, watching the students like a hungry wolf.

At the slightest disturbance, he would seize students as hostages. If he were more extreme, he might even brutally take the lives of several innocent students before dying with them.

So Caitlyn specifically asked, "Are there many students around him? Is it possible that he's taken any hostage?"

"Uh, well..."

"He's in a classroom. There are quite a lot of students. The classroom is full."

"What?!" The air immediately grew tense.

Was there even anywhere to hide people in a classroom?

Could Li Wei have already taken students hostage and been preparing to openly confront the Enforcers?

So Caitlyn immediately asked:

"What is he doing in the classroom?"

"Has he taken all those students hostage?"

"No..." The Enforcer delivering the report wore a strange expression. "We couldn't hear what they were saying, but that criminal seemed to be..."

"Giving the students a lecture from the podium?"