On a small path leading up to the mid-level plaza, Jinx held Isa with one hand and a flare gun with the other. Seeing that the old-fashioned flare stopped sputtering after only a moment, Jinx shook it vigorously.
"Pfft-pfft--"
Two puffs of smoke emerged, and Jinx frowned, tossing the flare gun away in annoyance.
"And to think I treasured this thing for so many years!"
"It's just a piece of junk!"
Isa looked up at the fuming Jinx, then pulled her head back, and turned her gaze towards the group of people blocking their way.
They held weapons, and two of them were towering figures, wearing massive hoods with purple liquid flowing through tubes embedded externally into their helmets, their menacing purple eyes staring intently at them.
Isa felt scared, but Jinx simply spread her hands nonchalantly.
"Hey, what, trying to take me back?"
She raised the hand that was protecting Isa, extended both hands forward and joined them, wrists up, rolling her eyes and speaking with an exaggerated expression: "Come on, try it?"
In the crowd, someone swallowed hard, taking a step back almost instinctively as Jinx moved forward.
Only those who worked for him truly knew how terrifying this seemingly crazy, weak, and cute woman could be.
"Don't scare them, Jinx, this is my doing."
Accompanied by a voice, the sound of leather shoes treading on the ground followed. The people surrounding Jinx and Isa parted, clearing a path.
Wearing a red and black trench coat with a small waistcoat underneath, his hair meticulously combed back, the man was not tall and somewhat thin, but his back was ramrod straight. He emerged from the crowd, with Sevikah trailing behind him.
Silco stood at the front of the crowd, looking at Jinx, his eyes calm. But when he saw Isa next to Jinx, Silco clearly paused for a second or two. Then, he lifted his gaze from Isa and met Jinx's eyes.
"Come back with me, Jinx. You've had your fun; this is the longest you've ever been away from me." Silco said in a deep voice.
Jinx saw Silco, withdrew her hands, and her imposing aura seemed to lessen slightly, but she still thrust her neck forward and said, "Go back? Dream on! You lied to me, you know? You lied to me!"
"I didn't lie to you." Silco shook his head. "I would never lie to you, Jinx."
"Marcus is the one who lied to us. I'll make him pay."
"Us?" Jinx sneered. "Who's 'us' with you?"
This line was familiar; Silco had once said it to Sevikah in front of Jinx.
And now, Jinx was using it against him.
But Silco didn't get angry. Instead, he reached up and rubbed his forehead, sighing. Then, he raised his hand and said softly, "Your rebellious phase seems to have come a bit late, but I can understand. Alright, go on. Don't hurt her. Bring her back. Remember, don't hurt her."
Silco's voice rose on the last sentence.
Sevikah, standing behind Silco, frowned upon hearing this, looking at Silco's back, but quickly returned to her normal expression.
As Silco gave the order, two Shimmer-enhanced enforcers moved, lunging at Jinx.
Jinx quickly pulled out her pistol, raised her hand, and fired three quick shots. The bullets embedded themselves in the enforcers' bodies, but they seemed to feel no pain, still rushing towards Jinx.
"Damn it!" Jinx cursed.
She should have brought her machine gun. This little pistol won't do anything to these guys!
"Isa, come here, hide behind me!"
Isa quickly ran, and seeing Silco occasionally glance at Isa's face, he frowned and pointed at Isa.
Then, Jinx saw one of the Shimmer-enhanced enforcers follow Silco's instruction and run towards Isa. The physical prowess of these Shimmer-modified individuals far exceeded that of ordinary people, and their speed was astonishing. Even though Isa was nimble, small, and intelligent, she was still forced step by step into a corner by the Shimmer-enhanced enforcer.
Looking up at the massive figure, Isa gritted her teeth, gathered her courage, and threw the stone she had just picked up at the Shimmer-enhanced enforcer.
Jinx saw Isa being cornered and instantly became anxious. She rolled on the ground, dodging the slow-moving Shimmer-enhanced enforcer (who was hesitant to hurt her), and yelled at Silco: "Silco, no, don't hurt her!"
Silco ignored Jinx and simply waved his hand.
The Shimmer-enhanced enforcer's large hand reached out to Isa and grabbed her.
Seeing this, Silco turned his back and said, "Bring them both back."
Sevikah grew even more frustrated. Taking back one big one wasn't enough; now he wanted to bring the little one back too?
The trouble was really... piling up!
In the past, Silco would have just told the Shimmer-enhanced enforcer to directly choke that child!
Raising his leg, Silco intended to leave.
But just as he took one step, "Boom!"
Under a terrifying, explosive roar, a blast of air carried dust and debris. Silco felt his body jolt, as if he floated for a second. When he snapped back, his ears ringing incessantly, he saw Sevikah already blocking him, smoke and dust obscuring Silco's vision, preventing him from seeing the situation inside.
The previous huge explosion, combined with Jinx still not being brought out, made Silco lose control in an instant.
He forcefully pushed away Sevikah, who was protecting him, and unlike his earlier elegant calm, he rushed inside frantically, shouting loudly: "No, no, no, don't play such a goddamn joke!"
"Jinx, Jinx!"
"Can you hear me, Jinx!"
"Clang--"
The only reply Silco received was the sound of metal hitting the ground.
As the dust cleared, Silco looked at the metal face mask that had rolled to his feet. Inside it was a head. This thing... he knew it all too well: it belonged to a Shimmer-enhanced enforcer.
And a cracking sound also rang out. Silco looked up, and the people behind him also looked inside.
They saw large amounts of purple blood on the wall, and glowing Shimmer liquid flowed from the decapitated tubes onto the ground. The very center of the ground was shattered beyond recognition, with cracks spanning a radius of about two meters, and spiderweb cracks extending onto the walls.
A black-haired young man appeared before everyone, one foot resting on the back of the Shimmer-enhanced enforcer – the very one that had lost its head, whose head now lay at Silco's feet. The young man's hands were holding a brown-haired little girl, carefully protecting her and pressing her small head down so she wouldn't see the ground. He looked at Silco with a calm expression.
Silco's pupils constricted, but he completely ignored the young man, his eyes searching for something. It wasn't until Silco saw Jinx sitting on the ground, mouth agape, seemingly just as startled, that he seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
Then, he looked at the young man.
Leo was also looking at him, and he smiled:
"Good morning, Silco."