In Zaun's conference center, Silco and Vander, both awaiting news, are now standing by the Hex phone.
Vander paces back and forth, while Silco quietly sits at the table, observing the Hex phone.
However, Silco's fingers betray his current state of mind.
At this moment, both of them, like Vander, are consumed by anxiety.
After all, it's Noxus, the renowned and powerful empire!
Even though it's in their weakened state, and they haven't won anywhere yet, Noxus is not an opponent that small city-states like Piltover and Zaun can resist.
Therefore, Silco is also quite anxious.
Tapping his fingers incessantly on the table, so much that he manages to tap Powder to sleep.
Powder tilts her neck back, hands open, lying back, covered by a small woolen blanket Vander placed on her. With her two long braids tied up by Silco to avoid touching the ground, she opens her mouth wide, adopting a rather inelegant and snoring position.
A delicate lady? Not at all. She's not ladylike at all.
"Snooore, snooore."
Like a little pig, Powder makes snoring sounds.
So, in the quiet room, amidst the footsteps and tapping sounds, there is now a third kind of sound—snoring.
Until—
"Lord Vander, Lord Silco!"
A young boy from Zaun rushes in; he just received a call from a hex phone. Without fully digesting the content, he quickly organized the information and hurried into the meeting room.
"News from the upper city?"
Silco quickly gets up, and Vander also walks over to the young boy.
As for Powder, well, awakened by the commotion, she first lazily smacks her lips, then, not fully awake, blinks her big eyes.
Then she slowly wakes up, shaking her head and looking around. Seeing that no one is paying attention to her, Powder quickly lifts her arm, vigorously wiping the water stains off her cheek.
"Cough, what's going on now?"
Then, the lady Powder takes a light leap, covering the distance in a few steps, and runs up to Vander. Her face shows a nervous expression as she loudly asks, "What? What happened?"
I... I didn't fell sleep!
I definitely didn't fell sleep!
We're in the middle of a war now; I haven't slept. I really haven't slept!
Powder looks dead serious.
"Big trouble, big trouble! Lord Vander, the docks, Noxian troops have appeared in our harbor!"
"What?!"
Vander grabs him forcefully, "Are you serious?"
"Yes! Many people, many Noxian soldiers, they are about to land! Since it's an industrial area at the harbor, there are no people in the late night, and we couldn't stop the Noxian troops. Lord Vander, what should we do now?"
Vander's face turns serious.
Silco, standing beside him, also wears a grim expression.
Piltover citizens have gathered in Zaun's square. Currently, all available Zaunites are maintaining order in the square. Even if they gather people from the square, equip them with weapons, it's impossible to swiftly reach the harbor and stop Noxian troops from landing.
"We've been outmaneuvered," Silco says, covering his forehead with his hand, uttering a phrase only someone like Linwin would say. Ironically, it fits the situation perfectly.
Silco hadn't anticipated that while Zaun's powerful forces went to Piltover to drive out Noxian troops, Noxus would send a separate force to sneak around and attack Zaun.
"What do we do now, Silco?" Vander looks at him.
"We can only..." Silco taps his forehead with his fingers, quickly contemplating the feasibility of his plan, then says, "We have to abandon half of Zaun. Immediately, organize the residents around the harbor to come to the square, and we need to establish defensive measures here."
"And quickly use the Hex phone to call the Zaunites at the mid-level area down to the square!"
Though many of Zaun's forces are in Piltover, it doesn't mean Zaun is defenseless. Zaun is a chaotic city with numerous gangs, and most Zaunites have learned to survive on the edge.
Therefore, when needed, every Zaunite can become a force to be reckoned with.
Of course, they can't match Noxian soldiers, but Zaun's strength lies in its formidable weapons.
"Abandon half of Zaun?"
Vander grits his teeth, reluctant to make this decision.
He built it bit by bit with great effort.
But Vander knows that sometimes sacrifices are necessary.
Economic losses can be recovered, but if people are lost, they are truly gone.
"Alright, let's do it!"
"Wait!!!"
Suddenly, Powder raises her hands, interrupting, "There is someone who can quickly reach the battlefield and is very powerful?"
"Someone who can get to the harbor quickly and hold off Noxian forces?"
Powder claps her hands, saying, "We have someone!"
Silco frowns, wanting to ask Powder, but she's already stormed off.
Watching Powder rush out of the room, Silco suddenly realizes.
"Yes!"
"We have someone like that right now, locked up!" He slaps Vander's shoulder enthusiastically. "So, Vander, does your old bones still work?"
Vander laughs too, nodding and returning the firm pat on Silco's shoulder. The force of the pat almost knocks Silco to the ground, prompting Vander to chuckle, "Silco, are you underestimating me?"
"Noxian soldiers? If the condition allows, going one against five is not a problem for me," Vander confidently asserts.
However, he means one against five under bare-handed conditions.
But does Vander need to fight bare-handed now?
"We have Hextech hoverboards here, but what about your weapons?"
"I have a shield made by Powder to protect me, and as for weapons..." Vander looks to a corner in the room where a worn-out iron gauntlet hangs on the wall.
"I'll use my gauntlet."
Excitement surges in Vander as he flexes his fists, bending down to put his arm around Silco's shoulder, saying, "Brother, fighting side by side with the upper echelons of Piltover. To be honest, I never dared to think about such a thing before."
Silco chuckles, nodding, "Me neither, brother."
"But now we have no choice but to believe it."
---
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Hearing the familiar sound of the door being kicked open, Camille frowns, a hint of dissatisfaction in her deep blue eyes.
This method of opening doors is something Camille has grown accustomed to. Only the Head of Weapons Department, Powder, would kick open doors with her feet.
"Hey, Camille!"
As expected, after the door swings open, boots retract, revealing a furry little head poking in.
Camille closes her eyes, ignoring Powder.
To be honest, Camille really doesn't like Powder.
Both are geniuses of Zaun, but Camille acknowledges the composed Ekko more. The young man possesses a unique charm, and if given the chance, Camille would gladly be Ekko's mentor, teaching him some life lessons.
"Why are you ignoring me? I have something to tell you!" Powder steps inside, cradling a large device in her arms.
Camille looks at her with a puzzled expression.
The device Powder is holding—it's her own mobile equipment!
"Ekko fixed your stuff a long time ago. Actually, Linwin and Vander never intended to kill you. We were originally planning to ambush Piltover, take you hostage, and negotiate a deal with Piltover."
Powder chatters away.
"Why are you telling me this now?" Camille asks, perplexed, looking at the eccentric young girl.
Camille sometimes genuinely doesn't know what Powder is thinking.
"Ah, because it's no longer necessary," Powder explains to Camille. "Listen to me, and listen carefully."
"Noxians invaded Piltover, the Councilor called us.... and then....after that..... right!" Powder takes just a minute to quickly brief Camille on the current situation.
Camille's eyes continuously flicker with blue light until later; her gaze gradually dims.
Despite having her heart replaced with a Hextech one, it doesn't mean Camille has lost her humanity. On the contrary, she values emotions even more now. It's precisely because she might lose this aspect of herself that she has grown to appreciate existing emotions and things.
She gave up everything to modify herself for the family.
She gave up love.
She gave up him.
Now, Stevan, her younger brother, the current head of the Ferros family, is about to ruin everything for her.
"We need you, Camille."
"Now, Linwin and Kaisa are handling matters in the topside, and you..."
Powder extends her palm, opening it towards Camille. "You need to help us the underscity."
"This isn't a transaction, Camille."
"This is something you should do."
Camille: ...
Powder blinks, growing a bit anxious.
This person won't refuse, right? Just as she thinks this, Camille suddenly says, "You don't seem as crazy as I thought."
"What are you talking about? I'm not crazy!" Powder immediately snarls at Camille.
"Fine, I agree."
Camille's eyes shine brightly with blue light again, and she says, "I will deal with those arrogant invaders."
"All of you, move quickly!"
General Leiden lifted his runic greatsword. In front of him, a small team of soldiers moved first and swiftly scouted the surroundings.
Two minutes later, the soldiers, not very tall, ran back to Leiden. Bending down, one of them spoke, "General Leiden, there's no one nearby. This seems to be Zaun's industrial district." Pausing, he organized his words and continued, "The houses are empty, with various industrial equipment inside."
"Zaun's industrial district," Leiden nodded, raising the runic greatsword. He led his men into the well-lit Zaunite port.
With the illumination from streetlights on both sides, visibility improved significantly.
Leiden looked around. The Zaunite port he was in wasn't large, and due to being close to the Sump, it was inherently cramped. Now, being an industrial area, it became even narrower.
Surrounded by buildings with three or more levels, there were various tall and thick exhaust pipes on top of each building. Next to each pipe was a rotating ball emitting a faint blue glow. Leiden wasn't sure of the purpose of those balls.
In this environment, Leiden's three hundred soldiers had to split into several groups and spread out on different factory roads.
Leiden, witnessing this scene, laughed and said, "Foolish Zaunites. If they had set up sentinels and prepared a group of ambushes here, it wouldn't be difficult to win with fewer numbers. Look, even with the lights in the dark night, visibility here is still low."
Leiden became interested. He's now leading Swain's troop, the most powerful general in the empire, he wanted to show off a bit. So, he said, "As long as we turn off all these lights, we can then strike at them while they're in the dark."
"Click!"
Before Leiden could finish his words, the surroundings instantly turned dark.
"Click!"
"Click!"
"Click!"
The first to go dark were the two rows of streetlights at the rear of the troops, then progressively, every ten meters, the lights went out.
Finally, the ones going dark were the lights on Leiden's side.
After that, the lights in front of Leiden went dark.
In a brief moment, the Zaunite port went from being well-lit to pitch-black.
Moonlight? Ha, to see moonlight deep in the Sump of Zaun, it's not that there's no such place in Zaun, but in the port area, there really is no moonlight!
Black, a darkness where you can't see your own hand!
"General Leiden!" a soldier shouted loudly.
Leiden extended his hand forward, pushing away the panicking rookie. He raised the runic greatsword, activating the runic power inscribed by the craftsmen. The magical runic power made the greatsword emit a ghostly green light. Leiden then loudly shouted, "All troops! Be on guard, watch for the enemy!"
This loud shout instantly turned Leiden into the backbone of the three hundred soldiers.
The soldiers around also converged towards him, drawn by the greatsword in his hand.
But...
"Ah!"
"No, no!"
"Help me! Someone help me!"
"Don't step on me!"
"Guh!"
"No, no, my hand!"
"Ahhh!"
The team that had just calmed down under Leiden's command suddenly fell into chaos again.
In the rear of the formation, under the sudden cries, the army that had come to assault Zaun fell into chaos, not knowing what had happened.
Leiden was now surrounded by soldiers, unable to see what was happening behind him. He could only point his greatsword forward, biting through the dim green light, and grit his teeth, saying, "Follow me, all of you!"
"Pay attention to your steps, don't panic, stay alert!" Leiden shouted loudly.
Leading dozens of soldiers forward, Leiden also kept an eye on the surroundings.
Then he heard various sounds from the next column.
There were sounds of slicing through the air, accompanied by the "whooshing" sound of chains retracting. Following that, there were continuous screams of soldiers.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Leiden roared three times.
He couldn't see anything, absolutely nothing!
He couldn't see anything!
And how many enemies were there?
Why were there screams all around him?
The continuous screams plunged Leiden, an inexperienced general, into panic.
He tried to reassure the soldiers, to calm them down. But now, a few soldiers had even run ahead of him.
The reason they ran so fast was that these foolish guys had dropped their weapons and were crawling forward!
"Die!"
Leiden swung his sword, cleaving through a soldier. Several soldiers who were about to run out looked at Leiden in an instant, their faces full of fear.
"General."
"Hold onto your weapons, stop the chaos!"
"You idiots, the more chaotic the situation gets, the easier it is to die now!"
"Anyone who dares to run in front of me will die!"
After Leiden finished speaking, he turned his head to look at the road ahead. Subconsciously, he swallowed, it was long, and it was dark, he couldn't see the end at all.
But now, he could only run forward, he could only run forward!
As long as they ran to a bright and well-lit place, as long as they reached a sufficiently open area, Leiden could regain control.
After all, they were three hundred people. In such a narrow space, even if they were to fight, it would take half a day, right?
Leiden didn't believe that after running out, all his people would be dead!
At most... at most, just a few dozen would die!!!
---
Three minutes later, Leiden changed his mind.
The sounds around had lessened.
But, the previously heavy and chaotic footsteps also diminished.
Leiden knew that this didn't mean the enemy's slaughter had stopped.
It meant that the soldiers he brought were almost all dead!
Damn it, Zaun, why does Zaun have such powerful beings?
Zaunites?
Since when were Zaunites stronger than people from Piltover!
Next to Leiden, a sound rang out again, the sound of a blade cutting through flesh, and the sound of blood spraying.
This time, it was even closer, and Leiden even felt fresh blood splashing on the back of his hand.
But he numbly ran forward.
In these short few minutes, he heard hundreds of screams.
He had become numb.
Accompanied by that numbness was despair.
But... suddenly, at the corner ahead, Leiden saw light.
"Quick, quick, we're almost out!"
Numb as he was, Leiden suddenly felt the desire to survive again. He shouted, accelerating his pace, running towards the light.
"Swoosh."
"Hymn!"
A gas shot past his ear, Leiden subconsciously looked, only to see a grappling hook springing from his side, shooting towards the back.
Startled, he looked again, everything was pitch black, and he could only see two soldiers running beside him.
But as soon as he turned around, Leiden felt a sting on his cheek and turned his head.
One of the soldiers who had been following him before had fallen to the ground.
"Guh...."
He collapsed weakly, reaching out in front. Leiden couldn't see the expression on his face, even though he had somewhat adapted to the darkness, it was still too dark. But he... could vaguely guess what kind of expression the guy had on his face right now.
Perhaps, it was the same expression as on his own face.
But... I can't die!
I am a general of the Noxian Empire! I must survive! King Darkwill is still waiting for my good news!
I still have to achieve great things. I still have to contribute to the Empire!
"For Noxus!"
Leiden roared, the strong desire to survive and belief in the Empire stirred the potential in Leiden's body, and his speed unexpectedly increased again.
"Foolish."
A voice sounded.
It was a woman's voice.
A very elegant woman's voice.
So elegant that Leiden couldn't imagine that the owner of such a voice would be the one slaughtering him and his men.
Running while looking back, Leiden saw.
High in the sky, a pair of strange blue lights were staring at him.
There were various blue shapes as well.
"Swoosh swoosh swoosh!"
The sound of breaking through the air rose again.
The pair of blue lights disappeared from Leiden's sight, but soon reappeared in the high sky on the side.
Far away, very far away, but with every breath, every blink, Leiden found that the blue light was getting closer.
Closer and closer.
So close that Leiden finally saw clearly what the blue light was.
Those were a pair of eyes, deep blue and exceptionally beautiful.
The continuous swooshing sound came from two instruments at the woman's legs.
The sound of slicing through the air was from the strange blade-like legs of the woman.
Then, Leiden saw the woman pulling something with both hands.
He knew that she was pulling a grappling hook.
The tense grappling hook launched the woman forward.
Lifting her hand, twisting her waist, her expression indifferent, a long leg blade swept horizontally.
Leiden instinctively raised his hand.
In the light, Leiden saw her in full view.
He saw limbs scattered everywhere.
And... he saw his own headless body.
"Precision is the difference between a butcher and a surgeon."
Accompanied by a voice.
Leiden's vision gradually dimmed.
She left.
//// Been updating less cuz collage stuff. Been bugging with citation and plagiarism stuff and now I had to rewrite my essay with proper citation and need to look up on the citation ( Specifically APA citation )....man this sucks ////
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