Twin Cities: Who says scientists can't be conquerors?

Ever since that night when she parted ways with her sister, Wei has been looking for a place to stay.

Of course, the main thing is to find a safe haven where she can feel a sense of belonging.

However, she ran wildly through her long-lost hometown, but could not find a way out, nor could she see the direction to go.

She never imagined that one day she would be troubled by the "freedom" she had longed for day and night while in prison—Zaun is so big, but it has changed, and there is no longer a place for her to belong:

The upper-level dance corridor belongs to those respectable people from Zuan.

Most of them have backgrounds as businessmen or engineers, own their own courtyards and villas, and are seen as "good neighbors across the river" by the Piltover residents.

There was no place for Wei, the "missing fugitive," there.

So Wei only stayed there for a short while before leaving without looking back.

She plans to go to the ditch area.

But when she arrived there, she found that the situation in the ditch area was completely different from when she left.

Those miners who once wailed but still had to fight against the ore with their own flesh and blood are now wearing strange protective masks and holding something called "power-enhancing clamps".

They would occasionally hum a song as they strolled side by side through the mine tunnels.

Meanwhile, the alchemist barons, whose spheres of influence stretched far and wide, seemed to have suddenly become more docile. They not only stopped ruthlessly exploiting the miners, but also carefully hid behind the scenes.

It seems that, apart from the ever-prominent Mrs. Golask, everyone in the ditch district suddenly became polite.

Even though those addicted to glimmering light still exist deep in the sewers, the number of those pitiful people who seem like monsters has visibly decreased significantly.

The miners said it was all because young master Aaron wouldn't allow Hilco to sell Glimmer anymore.

This made Wei think that "Young Master Aaron" might be a good person.

It wasn't until she listened a few more sentences and learned that Aaron was also Hillco's adopted son, and that he was in cahoots with Jinx, that she realized she had drawn her conclusion too early.

In her current mindset, her sister has become the evil Jinx, so Aaron, who is very close to her sister, is naturally no good either!

Feeling cheated for no reason, Wei decided she didn't want to stay in the sewer area anymore.

She didn't want to hear any more of those foolish miners praising Aaron, and angrily wandered to the mid-level plaza of Zaun.

There, Wei didn't need directions at all; she found the place almost instinctively, a place etched into her very being.

Fugen Tavern.

Her home, her former home.

Although Wei knew perfectly well that this place had become Hilko's lair, she absolutely could not linger near the Fugen Tavern, and could not hope that Hilko would let her go every time he saw her.

But alas, she was like a migratory bird that had lost its destination, unable to escape this invisible prison.

Those complex impressions of Hilko overlapped, along with an even more complex mix of love and hate for her sister, leading Vi to finally grit her teeth and risk building a makeshift shelter not far from the Fugen Tavern.

She still felt that this was her home, and she didn't want to go anywhere else.

It was at this time that the great flood came!

Wei, who was constantly experiencing inner turmoil, slept very lightly.

She noticed almost immediately that the raging torrent was mercilessly swallowing up the sleeping people of Zaun.

She immediately wanted to jump out and shout loudly to organize everyone to go to the rescue.

But when she thought about her current awkward situation, and the possibility that her sister, who lived not far away and had already fallen out with her, might find her, she forcefully stopped herself from having that thought—

She neither wanted nor dared to have any further contact with Jinx.

Because Wei knew in her heart that if the law enforcement officers hadn't arrived in such a hurry that night, and if those chaotic gunshots hadn't stimulated her nerves...

When she sees Jinx crying and throwing herself into her arms... she will absolutely be unable to help but forgive everything about her!

All these complex circumstances combined ultimately led Wei to choose to quietly go to the disaster relief efforts alone.

She first went door to door waking up the civilians who had not yet been submerged, and then tried her best to pull those who had not yet drowned ashore. Before she knew it, she was busy until dawn.

During this process, Wei's energy and physical strength were almost completely exhausted.

So by the time she saw Zeli rowing over in her canoe and waving enthusiastically at her, she no longer had the strength to avoid the girl who had just greeted Sevika.

"Thank you so much! Do you know how many people you've saved? At least a hundred!"

Although Zeli's voice was hoarse, her talkative nature remained unchanged.

She rowed the boat to the shore and jumped right onto the bank, ready to sit next to Wei.

"Wow, you're amazing! What's your name? I... Ouch!"

However, Zeli was now at her limit. As soon as she stepped onto the wet ground, she accidentally twisted her ankle and was about to fall headfirst into the water.

"careful."

Almost instinctively, Wei reached out and wrapped his strong arm around Zeli's waist.

But when Zeli regained her footing and turned to thank her again, Wei withdrew her hand as if she had been electrocuted, and tried to turn around and leave.

Since last night, she had witnessed firsthand how Hilko, Sevika, and others had gone to great lengths to organize a large fishing boat and frequently extended a helping hand to the disaster-stricken people.

Zeli was clearly one of them.

Now that she realizes she's being thanked by one of Hill's men, Vi can't think of anything else but to run away.

"Hey, don't go! Don't go!"

Zeli saw through Wei's thoughts and immediately grabbed Wei's arm.

She raised her eyebrows and grinned. Her face, covered in dirty water and sweat, looked rather disheveled and comical.

"You've had a long day, go and rest. Once you've had your energy, we can go together. I have a boat!"

"Hehe, I was just thinking of taking a break too."

Seeing that Wei was stiff and not planning to leave, Zeli sat down on the ground.

She added, "I'm taking a break because there's not much excitement left, not because I'm being lazy!"

Seeing that Wei was dawdling as she sat down next to Zeli, Zeli couldn't resist starting a conversation:

"I don't know what happened, how could such a terrible disaster occur? Sigh."

"By the way, my name is Zeli, what's yours?"

"I've never seen you before, I didn't know our organization had someone as capable as you... Hey! Why are you leaving again?"

Zeli clearly regarded Wei as a member of the resistance, so before she could finish speaking, she noticed that Wei seemed to have a stress reaction and was about to run away again.

She quickly pulled Wei back, quite puzzled.

It's not that I find Wei Xingji suspicious, but I just feel that this woman is working too hard. Why can't she even take a break?

"I……"

Looking into Zeli's clear eyes, Wei suddenly fell silent.

She wanted to put on a stern face and tell Zeli that she didn't want to have anything to do with people like them, and that she would never tell her her name.

But when she thought of how Zeli had just risked her life to save people from the disaster, she couldn't bring herself to say those words.

"Oh, I understand."

Zeli suddenly realized.

She kindly pointed to the ship where Hilko was: "You must be feeling unwell because you drank the sewage, right?"

"Don't worry, I'll row you to Dr. Singed right away. He's the one who concocts the antidote. You'll be fine in a bit..."

"No, no, no! That's not what I meant!"

Hearing Zeli say this, Wei refused even more decisively.

She can't go on that big ship where Hilco is too!

"I was just a little, a little unwell..."

"Oh, I get it."

Zeli understood again.

"Is it because I talk too much that you don't like it?"

She scratched her head sheepishly and made a zipping motion over her mouth: "I promise I'll say less, so please don't avoid me."

"Uh, okay."

Wei felt frustrated as she saw that Zeli had misunderstood her again.

However, Zeli had already gone this far, and she really couldn't explain anymore, so she simply sat down and went along with it.

Wei felt that, through observation, she could confirm that the girl named Zeli was indeed kind-hearted.

So even if she is also one of Hilko's people, it seems, maybe, possibly... that I don't need to avoid her?

Thinking of this, she glanced at Zeli again.

Wei noticed that the other person's lips were tightly pursed, as if strictly adhering to their promise, but they couldn't help wanting to speak.

It seemed they were just waiting for Wei to say something so they could smoothly transition and break free from the "say less" restriction...

It's kind of inexplicably cute.

"Hehehe."

For some reason, Wei suddenly burst out laughing.

She felt herself relax instantly, and her relationship with Zeli instantly became closer.

I was probably just too nervous.

How could such a silly and adorable girl, who has been working tirelessly to save lives, possibly want to harm herself?

"I'm going to take a break."

"Remember to wake me up when we go into the water to rescue someone."

For the first time, Wei gave Zeli a few words of advice in a calm tone.

As soon as her nerves relaxed, fatigue surged through every muscle, making her feel her eyelids drooping and forcing her to take a break.

"Okay! Go to sleep!"

Zeli was waiting for Wei to say those words.

She was finally able to reply, letting the words escape her lips freely, and she felt much better.

"Perfect timing, I also want to take a nap."

"If I accidentally oversleep, remember to wake me up, okay? I can't... Huh? You're already asleep?"

Zeli was speaking when she suddenly realized that Wei was not responding at all and was snoring with her eyes closed.

A little bewildered, she scratched her cheek and muttered to herself:

"Fine, if you fall asleep, then I won't be able to sleep."

"Although I really am a little..."

Zeli yawned widely.

I'm a little sleepy.