Three against one

Following the clues provided by Ekko, Vi found an apartment building in the Academy district; this time, they were planning to pull off something big.

This whole thing actually started because Jayce was too extravagant when he was in Zaun, which attracted Ekko's attention.

The journey went smoothly; no one noticed Vi and the others, as they had scouted the area beforehand and chosen the safest routes.

Vi reached the balcony and looked inside through the window.

Indeed, no one was in the apartment.

At this time, students and staff should all be in class or at work in the Academy.

Vi had calculated this perfectly; it showed that although she was reckless, she still had some brains when acting.

"No one's here."

Upon hearing this, Mylo stepped forward and pressed the handle of the balcony door.

It was locked.

He couldn't help but complain.

"Who locks a balcony door?"

Saying that, he took out his tools to pick the lock.

In their four-person squad, everyone had their specialty; Mylo, the skinny one, was mainly responsible for technical tasks.

However, Vi clearly lacked patience. Seeing the simple lock on the balcony door, she pulled Powder up from the roof and kicked the door open with one swift kick.

...

Mylo was a bit speechless about this.

Couldn't they have just done that from the start instead of making me fiddle with it?

Everything displayed in the room was exceptionally eye-catching—the aura of civilization and knowledge that Vi and the others rarely saw in the Undercity. Stacks of books filled entire walls.

"Claggor, you were right, this really isn't a place we should be."

Mylo teased the Fat Guy on his team, then rubbed his hands together, intrigued by the various small gadgets on the table, and stuffed them into his backpack.

The most valuable things in this room were actually the calculation formulas on the blackboard, along with various books and notes, but Vi and the others clearly didn't realize this, focusing their attention on the small trinkets.

Although they looked like mere trifles, to Vi and the others, these were all priceless antiques.

Alright, not everything here was high-end and valuable; take the nose hair trimmer Mylo was holding, for example.

That thing wasn't worth much.

Powder headed toward the inner rooms, looking to see if she could find anything more valuable.

These Academy apartments had more than one room and were much more spacious compared to Zaun's cramped architectural style.

Powder reached out and pushed open a bedroom door.

This room was much messier than the outer one.

Powder immediately noticed the pizza sitting on the desk. She rushed forward a couple of steps, grabbed a slice, and stuffed it into her mouth. Just then, she spotted a box hidden beneath some blueprints.

Without even thinking, she knew that the box, which looked quite high-class, must contain good stuff.

Powder tried to lift it, but the box was much heavier than it looked.

Just as she was about to try and open the box, a sudden voice startled her so badly she nearly collapsed.

"Hey, eating my pizza is one thing, but you can't touch what's in this box; you'll bring terrible luck upon yourself."

Chen Nuo said this while sitting in a corner of the bed, without even looking up.

His eyes were firmly fixed on the adult magazine in his hands, appreciating the local customs and culture of Noxus.

Nice~

It had to be said, that kid Jayce really hid some good stuff.

This box of magazines from different regions wasn't something you could get just by spending money.

"You, you, who are you?"

Powder asked, her voice trembling.

Being caught stealing was terrifying, especially for a little girl with an underdeveloped mind.

"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that question?"

Chen Nuo closed the magazine and looked up at the girl before him.

How to put it, this blue-haired, blue-eyed girl certainly couldn't compare to his own little sister, but she had her own charm—the kind that looked easy to bully. One punch and she'd probably be crying for a long time.

"What's your name?"

Chen Nuo asked.

Powder was stunned by the question and was about to answer instinctively when she heard Vi's urgent voice.

"Powder! What's going on over there?"

"Vi."

Powder's expression relaxed slightly, gaining some confidence.

"Oh my, it's a group job then."

Chen Nuo slowly stood up and faced the four people in front of him.

"Vi, didn't you say no one was here?"

Mylo poked his big sister figure and complained in a low voice.

"How was I supposed to know there was a little brat hiding in the bedroom!"

Vi glared at her companion, casually clenched her fists, stepped forward, and said menacingly,

"Hey, be smart and just lie down on the floor."

"What if I don't?"

"Then I'll beat you down."

As Vi spoke, she stepped forward again, but before her words finished, her body flew backward even faster, directly knocking Mylo onto the ground.

"Tell me, who is lying on the ground now?"

Chen Nuo dusted off the nonexistent dust on his pant legs, then put his hands back down.

"What a... joke."

Vi clutched her stomach, her face contorted in pain, struggling to get up.

Powder quickly rushed forward to help her up, looking very worried.

"I say, Vi, maybe you should go on a diet?"

Mylo, who was used as a cushion, was also badly hurt. He clutched his chest and gasped several times before recovering slightly.

The Fat Guy, Claggor, raised his fist and looked back at Vi, asking,

"What do we do? This little brat seems a bit tough to handle."

"Tough or not, we have to handle him! Three against one, and we still can't win?"

Vi's expression turned serious. She assumed a boxing stance and charged forward first, with Mylo and Claggor following closely behind.

Only Powder hesitated for a moment. She glanced at the slippers on the floor, picked one up, and was about to join the fray when she realized all three of their main fighters were already sprawled on the ground, groaning, leaving her frozen in place.

"Um... can we call a truce?"

Powder dropped the slipper and forced a fawning smile onto her face.

Seeing this, Chen Nuo played along with a smile, but his face quickly darkened as he walked forward.

"No."

...

When Powder saw Chen Nuo walking toward her, in her nervousness and fear, she lost her footing, tripping over her left foot and landing on the ground before him, covering her eyes and not daring to look at him.

Seeing this, Chen Nuo sat down on Jayce's bed and looked at the four people writhing on the floor, saying,

"Breaking and entering, plus gang activity, and intent to commit violence—heh, with these charges stacked up, you better pray Piltover's juvenile protection laws are robust enough, or you'll be spending your retirement in Stillwater Prison."

"Damn Upper-City scum, what exactly do you want?"

Vi managed to prop up her upper body, looking up and glaring at Chen Nuo.

Although she still had that stubborn look of refusal, her words already contained an element of yielding.

Juvenile Protection Law?

What was that? She had never heard of it.

But Vi knew the name Stillwater Prison. That was a place that could make even the most vicious criminals of the Lanes turn pale with fear; rumor had it the food there was more disgusting than swill.

Vi certainly could not allow her companion's little sister to be locked up in Stillwater Prison because of her decision.

"Why aren't you calling me 'Little Brat' anymore?"

Chen Nuo raised his hand and patted Vi's head.

Hmm, the texture wasn't very good; the short hair felt prickly and a bit rough to the touch. She probably hadn't washed her hair in ages.

Vi stared intently at Chen Nuo's hand. Just as she was about to snap at it, Chen Nuo quickly pulled it back.

"Have your adults come to bail you out."

Chen Nuo said calmly.

He couldn't really send these four little ones to Stillwater Prison.

Setting aside any personal sentiment, such an action would inevitably trigger a new round of war between Zaun and Piltover.

This first and foremost severely violated Chen Nuo's own interests.

The prerequisite for development was peace.

There were too many powerful beings in this world, and Chen Nuo did not want to draw their attention here.

"You wish!"

Upon hearing this, Vi jumped up as if her tail had been stepped on and lunged fiercely toward Chen Nuo.

However, in the blink of an eye, Chen Nuo pinned her onto the bed, using her as a cushion underneath him.

"Hey, skinny one, you seem quite clever. You know what to do, right?"

Mylo, who was singled out by Chen Nuo, was stunned. He glanced at Vi, who was struggling to get free, and could only nod in acknowledgment before turning to walk out the door.

"Mylo, if you dare to notify Vander, you're finished!"

Vi shouted anxiously, even shouting out Vander's name.

This operation was originally done behind Vander's back, precisely to prove her own capabilities.

Now that the operation had failed, and she had to have Vander bail her out, it would truly be less painful to just be locked in prison.

"Vi..."

Powder looked at Vi with unease.

Hearing her little sister's voice, Vi's heart trembled. In the end, she buried her head and stopped speaking.

Just then, the apartment door was pushed open.

"What happened here? Did we get robbed?"

Caitlyn grew tense looking at the mess covering the floor.

Some monetary loss was nothing, but Chen Nuo was still in Jayce's room.

Caitlyn hurried toward the inner room, but the scene before her caused her to freeze in place.

"You're here, Caitlyn."

Chen Nuo raised his hand in greeting.

"And these are?"

Caitlyn looked at Vi, who was trying to play dead to escape reality, then at Powder, who was hugging her knees helplessly, and finally looked at Chen Nuo.

"A few daring petty thieves who broke into Jayce's home. Fortunately, I know a little bit of martial arts, otherwise, they really would have succeeded."

Chen Nuo explained calmly.

"..."

Caitlyn didn't know what to say for a moment.

Although Chen Nuo was upholding justice, for some reason, the sisters Vi and Powder looked so pitiful, as if they were the ones being victimized.

This illusion flashed through Caitlyn's mind, and she immediately found rope to help restrain Vi.

She couldn't let her continue to be used as a human seat cushion by Chen Nuo.

Claggor shrank back to the side, remaining silent the entire time.

Despite his large build, he had almost no presence now. If he hadn't actively raised his hand, Caitlyn might have forgotten him and tied him up alongside the others.

"What are you planning to do now?"

Caitlyn looked at the three before her and quietly asked Chen Nuo for his opinion.

According to her usual beliefs and practices, reporting to the Enforcers was undoubtedly the correct decision, but looking at the ages of Powder and the others made her hesitant and conflicted.

Caitlyn was certainly aware of the conflict and discrimination between Piltover and Zaun.

For the same incident, if the perpetrators had been Piltover citizens, the Enforcers' attitude and outcome would have been vastly different.

Take the current situation, for example.

If Vi were a Piltover citizen, since her theft attempt failed and she was still young, she would likely only need her parents to pay a fine and receive a stern warning before being let go.

But if they were Zaunites...

Caitlyn had heard too much about the severe instances of violent law enforcement by the Enforcers when dealing with the people from the Undercity.

"I have already sent one of their accomplices to call for their guardians."

Chen Nuo explained.

"Isn't that a bit too risky?"

Caitlyn felt worried. After all, if the leaders were bad, the followers would follow suit; the adults who could raise a gang of thieves were unlikely to be good people themselves.

"Don't worry, we'll meet right here."

Hearing Chen Nuo say this, Caitlyn felt relieved.

This was because there were many Enforcers patrolling the student apartment area in real-time; even the slightest disturbance could attract them.

Unless someone had lost their mind, no one would be foolish enough to commit a crime here. That would purely be slapping the faces of the upper city and the Enforcers, with consequences that would be hard to control.

"What's with that look?!"

Vi felt offended by Chen Nuo's gaze and started hissing again.

It had to be said, this girl's constitution was indeed extraordinary; even after being dealt with by Chen Nuo, she could still be so energetic.

Chen Nuo ignored Vi and held up the slice of pizza that Powder had taken a bite out of earlier, offering it to Powder's mouth.

"Isn't having a sister like this quite troublesome?"

"Not at all!"

Powder, the only one not tied up, took the pizza and retorted. How could the relationship between the two sisters be so easily undermined?

Vi looked at her sister with relief upon hearing this; she hadn't doted on her for nothing.

Chen Nuo then handed Powder some milk.

"...Okay, sometimes a little bit, just a little bit."

Powder took the milk, keeping her head down so as not to look at Vi. It wasn't because of the milk; it was just that under Chen Nuo's gaze, she was captivated by his charm and couldn't help but speak a small truth.

Hmm, this milk is really sweet.

"Powder!"

Vi's eyes widened in disbelief.

What brand of milk is this?!

Although Powder was always the one dragging the team down in their four-person group, Vi was definitely the ringleader who caused trouble.

If Chen Nuo hadn't been present today, this would have been the biggest trouble Vi had ever caused.

The resulting chain of catastrophic consequences would indirectly subvert the existing order of the Undercity and directly shatter the established peace.

Although it was Powder who accidentally took out the hextech crystal from the box and caused it to detonate, just as Vander said, Vi was the leader of the group and had to be responsible for everything they did.

"Vi, are you hungry?"

Powder walked over to Vi with the unfinished pizza.

The sisters had a good relationship; the younger sister didn't forget her older sister even when there was food.

"I'm not hungry!!"

Vi shouted angrily, then her stomach rumbled like thunder.

All gazes focused on her, and the scene became somewhat awkward.