Deep within Black Alley, amidst the bustling crowd, Leo carried Jinx on his back. Although she buried her small face in Leo's shoulder, her long blue braids alone made her conspicuously stand out. Residents of Zaun's middle layers and other districts might not know who Jinx was, but those living in the Undercity, especially around Black Alley? Oh, they knew exactly who Jinx was!
Though Silco kept her well-hidden and rarely sent her out to do business, her notoriety was no less than Sevika's; in fact, it was even greater. Sevika was a ruthless character; if a deal didn't work out, she'd resort to force. The number of dock gang leaders and Undercity merchants who died by her hand over the years was not small. But compared to Jinx? There was simply no comparison, because this "little master" was someone who, if a single word was amiss, or if a deal was already settled but something small displeased her, she'd simply get upset and kill people. A lunatic was more terrifying than a thug, because you could never guess what she was truly thinking.
Not to mention Silco's indulgence of her. Everyone in Black Alley knew how favored she was. Residents here had often witnessed Jinx pointing fingers at Sevika's nose and cursing her outside The Forge Tavern, while Sevika, even trembling with rage, dared not retaliate. And now, seeing her sleeping soundly on the back of a black-haired young man, these people were utterly stunned.
"Am I seeing things? Is that Jinx?"
"It is. Her hair might deceive you, but that slender body and her aura can't."
"How did he do it?"
Leo ignored the surrounding stares, holding Jinx's round, perky bottom, and walked towards what used to be Finn's territory. He no longer needed to hide Jinx from the Undercity residents' eyes; he now possessed the strength to do so. Silco had given that territory to Leo, expanding the Lotus Flower Gang's power. Once the Firelight gang merged, the Lotus Flower Gang plus the Firelights would make Leo... the second largest force in Zaun, after Silco.
Chem-Barons? Ha, they were just pathetic thugs who recruited a few dozen goons, started factories, and then proclaimed themselves kings.
Silco gave the territory to Leo for a simple reason: though Sevika was the one who ultimately killed Finn, Silco had no intention of claiming Finn's territory for himself. Not only was it part of his agreement with Leo to expand the Lotus Flower Gang's strength, but it was also to manage "public opinion." That's right, whether they were Chem-Barons or people living in the Undercity, if they knew what happened that day and that Finn didn't attend yesterday's Baron meeting, they would all guess that Silco was certainly behind Finn's death. But if Silco didn't admit it, would anyone dare to openly babble that Silco was responsible? Unless Finn resurrected and stood up, saying Silco killed him and leading public opinion, no one would dare to come out and accuse Silco at this time. What's more, Finn's territory was now given to a... newly risen gang, the Lotus Flower Gang? Although the current news was that Finn was killed by members of this gang, framing it as a gang versus Baron shootout, everyone clearly knew that this Lotus Flower Gang had an undeniable connection with Silco.
"Mmm..."
"How long was I asleep?"
Yawning, Jinx shifted her body, changing from lying prone on Leo's back to straddling him. One hand rested on Leo's shoulder, the other rubbed her eyes, and she mumbled groggily, "Are we going back?"
"You've been asleep for about two hours. How do you feel?" Leo said with a smile, hearing the hazy voice behind him.
Jinx stretched her arms and legs like a cat, taking a long stretch. Her long braids hung down to Leo's ankles, almost touching the ground. She nodded and said, "Very good, except it felt like someone was pinching my nose when I was asleep. So annoying."
"...That's because you were sleeping face down on the sofa. Your face was buried in the cushions, so your breathing naturally wasn't smooth."
"Is that so?" Jinx asked in surprise.
"Of course."
"Where are we going now? This doesn't look like the way back to the Lotus Flower Gang," Jinx said, looking around. When she saw people staring at her and Leo, she'd glare back. Anyone she glared at would immediately avert their eyes, avoiding Zaun's little demon king.
"We're going to the new territory we just established. Vi and the others are already there, and Ekko is waiting for me to arrive there too," Leo replied. Earlier this morning, Zeri had delivered Ekko's message: he agreed to lead the Firelight gang into the Lotus Flower Gang.
Thinking this, Leo moved the hand supporting Jinx's small bottom higher. Seeing that Jinx hadn't asked to get down and walk herself, Leo naturally wouldn't actively tell her to get off his back. After all, Jinx wasn't heavy; carrying a girl of around 110 pounds was no burden at all for Leo. Another thing was that being in contact with Jinx, she had a scent Leo really liked—a mix of laundry detergent, machine oil, and an indescribable milky fragrance. These smells, when mixed, weren't strange; in fact, Leo liked smelling them a lot. Was it because the owner of the scent was Jinx? Leo didn't know. But the scent made him feel at peace.
"Leo, I hate Ekko," she suddenly said, wrapping her arms around Leo's neck and resting her head against his, her voice muffled.
"Why?"
"Because he hates me too. If he hates me, then I hate him," Jinx said, as if stating the obvious. "He thinks I've changed, that I'm not normal, and he keeps bothering me. Actually, the first time I saw him, I didn't even recognize him, otherwise, I wouldn't have attacked him. We used to play together all the time when we were little. I wasn't that crazy, Leo."
"He clearly recognized me, but he still didn't acknowledge me. Is it just because I'm with Silco now?" Jinx's tone was a bit angry. "Both Vi and Ekko are the same. They always say they love me and care about me, but when they found out I was with Silco, they started being afraid of me and hating me. But they could have persuaded me to leave Silco, you know?" Jinx's voice held a hint of disappointment.
This meeting with Silco was Jinx's first in a month since leaving him. Before, she had never been away from Silco for so long. Did she miss Silco? Yes... Did she not understand the situation between Silco and Vi and Ekko? She did... In fact, Jinx understood everything. She was especially smart when she was little. She also knew all these years that Silco killed Vander. No... it should be, "I and Silco killed Vander." But Vi abandoned me, and then Silco came to me, so what could I do? Vi's departure had caused her a mental breakdown; her will to survive instinctively made her run towards the nearest person, seeking an adult's protection. I... I just wanted to survive. Powder, back then, didn't understand so many reasons.
But ultimately, it was indeed her own mistake first. Thinking of this, Jinx felt her mood drop again. Leo, carrying her, clearly sensed her unhappiness. Her emotional state was skyrocketing like crazy.
"Then do you think it's Ekko and Vi's fault?" Leo thought for a moment and asked.
Jinx heard this, suddenly opened her mouth, lowered her head, and lightly bit Leo's neck. Then, she extended her tongue and licked Leo's neck twice. The wet, soft sensation made Leo's body tremble, an indescribable tingling sensation shooting up his spine. He took one hand from supporting Jinx's bottom, reached for his neck, and covered the spot Jinx had licked. It was warm and damp. He turned his head and saw Jinx's troubled face. Her small, troubled face, as she gripped Leo's shoulders to steady herself, looked incredibly cute.
Leo looked at her and noticed she seemed more normal. It had been a while since he'd seen her go completely wild. But that wasn't surprising, because now she had Isa, Vi, and Leo. The people she cherished were all around her, so her emotions would naturally become more stable.
"You're bullying me," Jinx said to Leo.
"I was just asking," Leo said, exasperated.
"Actually, I know. I know I made a lot of mistakes. It's not their fault, but... I just want them to be as accepting and loving as they used to be, but they've all changed!" Jinx looked at Leo, her brilliant blue eyes blinking. She continued, "They all say I've changed... Bullshit! They're the ones who changed!"
"If they were as accepting and loving as before, I'd definitely be their little tag-along, following them and listening to them like I used to."
"But you saw it, they're all afraid of me. Especially Vi. She says she loves me, says she's staying with the Lotus Flower Gang for me, says she'll protect me. But last time, when I secretly went to see her, standing by her bed and watching her sleep, she woke up and jumped in fright when she saw me."
"Oh my god, she was so scared she curled up in the corner of the bed. Am I that ugly? I'm so pretty!" Jinx shrieked, grabbing the hair in front of her forehead and shaking it as she spoke.
"Leo, am I the prettiest?"
"Yes," Leo answered very seriously. He had seen Jinx with disheveled hair, Jinx sleeping, Jinx quiet with no exaggerated expressions. Leo could say with certainty that she was indeed the prettiest girl in Zaun. Especially when her blue hair was wildly spread, and she was drowsily spacing out, Leo found it hard to describe her. But... perhaps aloof, broken, and melancholic were the best adjectives?
"I still don't want to see Ekko."
"It's okay. If you don't want to see him, we won't."
"Don't you have important things to discuss with him? Aren't you supposed to take over the Firelight gang?" Jinx blinked.
"It's fine, there will be other opportunities. He's already agreed anyway." Leo changed direction, no longer heading towards Finn's former territory, but towards the Lotus Flower Gang's base.
Jinx suddenly threw herself onto Leo's back, her small chin resting on his head. "Silco isn't really that bad. No, he's very bad, a super bad guy, killed a lot of people. But Leo, he's really good to me."
"I'm not stupid. I can feel who's good to me and who's bad."
"He really does raise you like his daughter. Don't worry, Jinx, Silco won't be our enemy. He'll be fine."
"I wasn't thinking that much."
Leo carried Jinx, walking step by step back to the Lotus Flower Gang. Jinx lay on his back, her face nestled in the hollow of his shoulder. Suddenly, she stirred, rubbing her forehead against Leo's shoulder.
"You're different..."
"What?" Leo heard Jinx's voice and asked her. His hearing was excellent. But Jinx didn't speak, just rubbed against Leo's shoulder like a cat.
You're different,Truly.Leo,They all just want Powder back, they all hate Jinx.Silco likes Jinx, but he hates the weak and useless Powder.But,You're different,You just want me.
She raised her head, squinting, and hugged Leo tightly.