Arcane: Let's Burn Down Runeterra!

Chapter 39: Chapter 39



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Vi and Caitlyn were safe, but the problem was not entirely resolved. The mines were still in a triggered state, and even with Justin's carefree attitude, there was no way they could live there under such conditions. 

"What do we do now?" Justin scratched his head. If they couldn't fix this, they'd have to move out. 

"Watch me," Jinx said, picking up a screwdriver. She strode confidently over, pried open the mine cover, and disconnected the fuse. It was disarmed. 

"Powder!" Vi was angry. "If you knew how to disable it, why did you put us through something so dangerous?"

"Why not?" Jinx flippantly blew her bangs, sneering. "Isn't this a chance to strengthen your bond, dear enforcers?"

"Caitlyn is the enforcer, not me."

"I can vouch for that. I just pulled Vi out of prison a few days ago. She was in Stillwater Hold the whole time, so you never got the chance to meet her."

The ice on Jinx's face seemed to melt a bit. After a moment of silence, she crossed her arms and let out a cold snort.

Meanwhile, Caitlyn had already written a letter to be delivered to her mother outside. An enforcer she knew well pulled her aside to warn her: "I don't know why you're staying here... The undercity is different from where we're from. Nine out of ten people you meet here are criminals, and the other is a potential criminal. Be careful and come back soon."

"There are good people here too."

The enforcer shook her head: "Don't let them fool you..."

"Don't let them fool you," Jinx whispered to Justin in the corner. "They're all bad! They're here to ruin our lives!"

"Vi is someone I got out of prison..." Justin looked at the girl helplessly. "You should know better than me what kind of person she is. As for Caitlyn... Despite standing on the opposite side from us, she's really not a bad person."

"But, but..." Jinx was anxious, looking pathetically at him. "You saw! Vi and that enforcer are so close! She might have already betrayed us!"

"When two young women in their prime find each other attractive, things happen. It's perfectly normal." Justin sighed, then said seriously, "Darling, with your intelligence, you should be able to tell if Vi is good or bad right now, can't you?"

"You're not wary of them."

"You're just scared."

"You're afraid of the unknown, afraid of change, afraid of Vi, and even more afraid of yourself. You're scared of remembering the past, and terrified of facing the possibilities of the future."

"Running away isn't going to work." Justin pulled the girl into his arms, gently stroking her hair. "You have to try to face her, face them. And I'll be there with you to face it all."

"Mm..." Jinx was silent for a while, then suddenly looked up, tiptoeing to bring their faces closer.

"I'm not afraid of those things."

"Then what are you afraid of?"

"You."

Jinx suddenly jumped forcefully, tackling Justin to the ground. Their faces pressed together from forehead to nose. At that moment, Justin's eyes saw only hers, and Jinx's eyes only saw his pupils. 

"Will you change?"

"Yes, everyone changes."

"Will I change?"

"You will. I hope you can make some changes..."

The light in Jinx's eyes dimmed. Justin smiled, cupped her face, and gently kissed her forehead. "Only love doesn't change." So much had happened in just a few days... Justin couldn't help but feel as if they were worlds apart from the past. Luckily, the four of them could finally sit down and have a good talk.

"Is only black tea okay?" Although this was a coffee shop, most of the coffee had expired, and the remaining few were in Justin's stomach. Thus, he could only offer Caitlyn black tea.

"That's fine." Caitlyn seemed a bit uneasy. Although she was the daughter of a wealthy family and had seen much of the world, the man in front of her exuded an inexplicable sense of authority. His perpetually smiling eyes seemed to pierce through everything, leaving her at a loss. Justin poured her a cup of black tea and sat confidently on the sofa, displaying his usual friendly smile. Jinx sat sideways on the armrest of the sofa, leaning against the back, looking nonchalant.

Opposite them, Vi sat with her legs apart, her back hunched, elbows on her knees, and her body somewhat stiff. She didn't know how to face the two people across from her and the one beside her, so she sat like a statue. Caitlyn, on the other hand, sat with her legs together, hands folded on her lap, her back straight, a picture of elegance. Beyond being an enforcer, she was indeed a well-educated lady.

"So..." Justin put down his teacup and asked, "Explain how you two got involved with each other." Even though his phrasing was a bit odd, Justin felt like the head of a family. Upon finding out that his eldest daughter had brought home some wild trouble, he naturally wanted to understand the situation. Vi had nothing to hide — she wasn't skilled at lying anyway, so she straightforwardly recounted everything that happened after she met Caitlyn.

"You really kept them in the basement all along?" Justin shot a glance at Jinx. He could tell whether she had lost her mind or not. Doing something like this could only be a calculated act of revenge. Jinx, however, averted her eyes, stuck out her tongue, and showed no remorse whatsoever.

"Don't blame Powder..." Vi unexpectedly defended her. "I came with the enforcer, and she just misunderstood." "Eh." Justin sighed. Vi was indeed only gentle towards Jinx. If you considered the situation from the beginning, nine times out of ten, the blame lay with Jinx. But Vi was the elder sister, after all.

"How did the enforcers find their way here?" Jinx pointed out the crux of the problem. If they followed the traces left by Vi and Caitlyn, how could they have found them so quickly? Piltover's enforcers weren't typically so efficient.

"Maybe Silco 'tipped off' the enforcers." Justin's face still wore a smile, his eyes squinting into slits, making it hard to read his thoughts. "Because you took out Barry and let the other thug go. When Silco found out, he might have taken the opportunity to inform the upper city. After all, collusion between officials and criminals is nothing new."

In truth, Justin wasn't certain — but he was never on good terms with Silco. This was an opportunity to put the blame on him, and it was always beneficial to paint a negative picture of him in front of Piltover's righteous enforcer.

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