"Give me the blueprints. Since the council didn't pass it, I'll go to my mother tomorrow and ask her to start the production line."
Caitlyn frowned. She had a rough idea why the Hextech motorcycle proposal didn't pass, and it had nothing to do with technical feasibility or public safety.
It was blocking someone else's money-making path, plain and simple.
There was an unspoken rule among the Council members, not to interfere in another member's established business domain without prior negotiation and profit-sharing agreements.
"It's useless. If you want to equip the enforcers with Hextech motorcycles, it has to be approved by the Council through official channels."
Jayce shook his head. Piltover's enforcers belonged to an armed institution; anything concerning them had to go through the Council before it could be implemented.
Even if it was a private donation from a wealthy family, it still needed Council approval to avoid setting dangerous precedents.
"Can't I just use it myself then? Personal equipment doesn't need Council oversight."
Caitlyn glared at Jayce, though she knew she was being impulsive and shortsighted.
Since the enforcers' equipment procurement was a profitable revenue stream for a certain Council member, solving this issue required negotiating privately with that member first and ensuring benefits were properly divided.
Only once interests were aligned and palms were greased could anything move forward.
The two didn't notice that a bird had been silently following them in the night sky, its eyes glowing with a faint red light.
---
"City of Progress?"
Sevika let out a cold laugh, and the wine in her cup suddenly tasted better. The audio-visual feed transmitted by the drone was being watched intently by the assembled group in The Last Drop.
"Their councilors only care about protecting their own business interests. They're no better than the old Chem-Barons, all obsessed with money and market control."
Silco took a sip of his drink and lit a cigar, the smoke curling around his features.
"The only difference is, their influence reaches far beyond Zaun's borders, and they have exponentially more capital to work with."
From Caitlyn and Jayce's conversation, he had gained a valuable insight into Piltover's power structure:
The Piltover's councilors were essentially evolved versions of the Chem-Barons, parasitic and stagnant, but operating on a much grander scale.
"There are many like that in Noxus too. The old noble houses at the top of the power structure are just like them, greedy, decayed, and utterly useless. They only know how to suppress the new blood of the Empire while draining its resources."
"We must clean out these parasites eventually. Only then can the Empire become truly great again."
There was a hint of disgust in Quiletta's eyes as she spoke from personal experience with Noxian politics.
In recent years, Noxus had been recklessly starting wars on multiple fronts without considering long-term consequences. Now they were overextended, the country was weakening economically, and its core warrior culture was being diluted by political opportunism.
The old noble houses cared nothing for the Empire's future, they were profiteering from endless conflicts, suppressing military reformers, and bleeding the treasury dry with their corruption.
She hadn't visited Piltover much in recent years, and now she found its merchant elites just as repulsive as the parasitic Noxian nobility she dealt with at home.
In contrast, Zaun, rising from nothing, vibrant and full of life, was more to her liking.
"The councilors are greedy, yes, but they do value their lives above profit margins. We mustn't underestimate their survival instincts."
"All the major families in Piltover maintain their own private security forces. These private armies are what they truly rely on for protection, not public institutions."
"Piltover's enforcers are just a facade, a public show to placate the common citizens and maintain the illusion of law and order. It's mostly for appearances, so naturally they don't invest seriously in enforcement capabilities."
"And don't forget, Camille is their most dangerous operative. We don't even know how many enemies like her are hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. Don't let your guard down."
Seeing that some of the group seemed to be underestimating Piltover based on this glimpse of bureaucratic dysfunction, Cipher had to step in and pour some cold water.
It was fine to despise the enemy strategically, but tactically, you had to respect their capabilities. Underestimation killed more revolutionaries than superior firepower.
"Janna, sorry to trouble you, but go check on those siblings, make sure nothing goes wrong with the plan."
Having cooled everyone's overconfidence, he turned to speak to a bright blue bird perched on the windowsill.
The situation in the industrial district wasn't looking good according to the surveillance feeds. A large number of armed thugs hired by the overseers had moved into the area, and most of the escaped indentured workers had already been recaptured or cornered.
Only Levi and his sister hadn't been found yet, thanks to precise guidance from Powder, but the enforcers and overseers were coordinating their sweep too effectively, and all major escape routes had been systematically locked down.
If no one intervened directly, those two probably wouldn't make it to the Caitlyn alive.
The bird nodded gently, then transformed into a gust of refreshing breeze and departed from Cipher's shoulder through the open window.
Janna's power stemmed from the Wind of Change itself, which had now been brought to another world through the faith and hope of her people seeking freedom from oppression.
Only she herself might know how strong her power had become. In the past, she still needed a physical avatar to manifest, now she could transform directly into invisible wind currents.
With Cipher's reminder about priorities, everyone's attention shifted away from Caitlyn and Jayce, who were still making their way through Piltover's streets, and focused on watching Levi and his sister's desperate escape attempt.
---
"All the roads leading out have been blocked. What do we do now?"
Levi whispered quietly from a shadowed corner between two industrial buildings, knowing that someone from Zaun's network could hear him through the communication device.
For now, they were still safely hidden and observing the situation.
At the end of the street, two enforcers in full riot gear and several hired thugs stood guard at a hastily erected checkpoint.
The enforcers were professionally armed with military-grade rifles, safeties disengaged, maintaining high alert protocols.
The overseer's thugs, about half a dozen, were holding an assortment of crude but effective weapons: iron bars, modified tools, and a few outdated firearms.
Levi knew that with this defensive setup, he and his sister couldn't break through using conventional methods.
They might have a fighting chance against the thugs in close combat, but once you factored in the trained enforcers with modern weapons, it became hopeless. Those people would shoot to kill without hesitation or legal consequences.
"Support has already arrived. When you feel the wind flowing around you, just charge straight ahead. The bullets won't hurt you."
Powder's voice came through the communicator. Janna had already been dispatched, and with her speed, she'd be there within moments.
"Wind that can block bullets? Isn't that only achievable with the Wind Technique from Ionia? Is there a disciple of Elder Souma working with Zaun? Could it be Yasuo?"
Levi's pupils shrank as he blurted out his question instinctively.
When it came to stopping projectiles with controlled wind currents, he immediately thought of Elder Souma of the Ionian sword school, and of Yasuo, one of the few known to have mastered the legendary art.
Elder Souma's Wind Wall technique, once perfected, could conjure an impenetrable barrier of compressed air capable of deflecting volleys of arrows. Modern bullets would theoretically be no different.
"I don't recognize a single name you just said."
Powder had no clue what Levi was talking about. Ionia was an entire ocean away from Zaun, she only knew that Cipher liked importing their expensive tea for special occasions.
"Alright then… It's probably something else. No way someone from the sword school would show up in a place like this."
Levi took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves.
The siblings didn't have to wait long before they felt a gentle breeze beginning to swirl around them.
They felt lighter, like all their weight had vanished.
"The wind is here!"
"Then what are you waiting for? Go! Just run straight down the main road, Caitlyn is waiting on the other side!"
Powder urged them.
"You ready?"
Levi looked to his sister. Even with Zaun's assurance, who knew what might go wrong when theory met reality?
"Ready!"
Aria's eyes blazed with the same fire that had sustained them through years of bondage.
Better to die free than live another day enslaved.
"Then let's go!"
Levi gritted his teeth and burst from cover first, his sister close behind.
His speed surged dramatically, as if the wind were lifting and propelling him forward, running felt effortless.
Aria quickly matched her brother's pace, and the two of them charged toward the roadblock.
"Stop or we'll shoot!"
The enforcers guarding the checkpoint reacted instantly. The instant the siblings burst from the shadows, they were spotted and tracked. Two rifles aimed at them in a split second.
Levi and Aria didn't respond or slow down, they just lowered their heads and sprinted with everything they had.
At this point, they had no choice but to gamble everything, gamble that Zaun's promises weren't just empty words meant to give them false hope.
After tasting even a few moments of genuine freedom, they could no longer bear the thought of returning to the darkness of captivity.
"Open fire!"
Realizing something was off due to their unnatural speed, the enforcers didn't hesitate. Training took over, and they pulled the triggers simultaneously.
Flames burst from the muzzles, two bullets shot straight toward the siblings' heads.
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