NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19: Chapter 19
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The dark and filthy sewer was repulsive, making one feel physically uncomfortable. Caitlyn had gagged countless times—not because she couldn't handle hardship, but because the smell was so disgustingly overwhelming. Vi wasn't feeling any better. She was embarrassed to realize that she had gotten herself lost. There was barely any light in the sewers, and after running around in panic for a while, she couldn't even figure out her direction, unsure if she was heading toward the undercity.
In the winding and intricate sewers, Caitlyn's gun was not as effective as she had hoped. Every time she aimed, Vi would turn into another passage. Finally, a straight path without forks appeared ahead. Caitlyn switched to her launcher, pulled the trigger, and shot out another net. Vi was trapped once again, and before she could break free, Caitlyn caught up, taking out a pair of handcuffs—one cuff on her wrist, the other on Vi's. "Finally... caught you!"
"Really?" Vi flipped over, pinning Caitlyn beneath her. They wrestled, though not intensely. After all, they were both injured, one pursuing and one escaping, and by this point, both were exhausted. They were too weary for actual combat; instead, they just pulled each other's hair, using their last bit of strength to determine the winner. "Enough! You're so badly injured, why keep struggling? Stop fighting and let me take you back for treatment!"
"Get off me, you damned enforcer! I'll kill you!" "Why fight so hard? Give up, look at how much blood you've lost!" Caitlyn, not as strong as Vi, was soon pinned under her. Vi gripped Caitlyn's throat tightly, her eyes bloodshot, gritting her teeth as she hissed, "Die... die! Even dragging your corpse, I'll crawl back! Powder is waiting for me!"
Neither of them noticed they were fighting on unstable ground. The years of flowing industrial waste had corroded this layer of the floor, leaving it riddled with holes. Under pressure, it began to collapse. By the time Caitlyn and Vi noticed the commotion around them, it was too late. The ground caved in, creating a large hole, and they plummeted defenselessly to the very bottom of the sewer.
"Vi still hasn't returned. She must have been caught by the enforcers." Justin, looking serious, took off his pants, aimed at the toilet, and prepared to take care of business. "Then why aren't you looking for her? Why call me?" Isaac puffed on a pipe, lounging at the door with a face full of reluctant resentment. Not because of anything else, but because he was standing there, and Justin was still nonchalantly using the bathroom, paying no heed to his beauty.
Isaac seemed to have some special lineage. Though male, he was naturally more seductive and charming than many women. In the shop, he was attractive to both sexes. As for why Justin was unaffected by him... it was simply a matter of familiarity. After all, they had shared the same bed growing up, in a sense making them childhood friends.
"I really can't go looking... It was tough enough calming Jinx down yesterday, and now she gets agitated if she can't see me, going berserk if I'm away for over three minutes. You know, her mental issues..." Justin sighed deeply, shook off, and pulled up his pants. "Then take her with you to find Vi."
"That won't work either. Jinx doesn't know about Vi yet. If I tell her and she gets excited, who knows what chaos she'll cause. And if Vi doesn't make it, she might spiral into grief, and cause even more trouble."
"Raising her isn't easy. Happy, can't do. Sad, can't do." "That's because we're not capable. If we were strong enough to protect her, we could let her be." Justin sighed again, "Anyway, I should stay with her these days. I'll entrust Vi's situation to you."
"Men." Isaac's eyes held a violet depth. "You promised to bring me makeup last time. But you didn't, and now you want me to help." "Next time, for sure." Justin grinned, tapping Isaac on the shoulder. "We're like family... Hey, I just noticed you changed your eyeshadow. Looks great."
"That's just the dark circles from staying up late waiting for you all to get back last night!" Isaac attempted a monkey steal peach move, but Justin caught it smoothly, saying, "Don't mind those little details, you're naturally beautiful, they don't matter..."
Isaac lifted his foot, landing a precise hit. Justin clutched his lower body and limped back to the bedroom. Jinx was tinkering with her little gadgets, suddenly sniffing the air and turning her head like an owl, staring at him intently, "You smell like a woman's perfume!"
"That's just Isaac," Justin replied.
"Hmph," Jinx grunted in dissatisfaction, turning her head away from Justin and furiously working on her gadget. Alas, she was too forceful and accidentally snapped an entire segment of the gun.
Vi gradually awoke from unconsciousness, her whole body feeling like it was falling apart and her head dizzy. With her usual fighting experience, she figured she had a few broken ribs, but luckily, her limbs were mostly fine, and she could still barely move. Vi shook her head and started observing her surroundings. The light here was dim, but she had spent so much time in the sewers that she was used to it and could see quite a bit.
This seemed to be an abandoned part of Piltover's sewer system, with no flowing sewage and a much better smell than the layer above. The walls were covered with moss, and occasionally, large and fat rats scurried by—Vi even considered catching a few to eat. In the undercity, roasted rat was a delicacy. Oh right, there was an annoying person lying next to her. The cop was still unconscious; Vi wasn't sure if she was dead or not. She wanted to get up and find a way out but realized they were still handcuffed together, so she leaned over to search the cop's pocket for the handcuff key.
Caitlyn, feeling someone groping around her, suddenly jerked awake—could it be some pervert! "What are you doing!" Caitlyn pushed Vi away, relieved that her clothes were still on. Vi extended her hand, "Key!"
"What key?" Caitlyn asked.
"The handcuff key!" Vi demanded.
"No way! Go back with me to the station for interrogation..." Caitlyn tightly clutched her bag, suddenly pausing. "What, do you think your colleagues can find this place? Don't even think about it; you can't beat me." Although she disliked cops, Vi wasn't a lunatic like Jinx and tried to reason with her. "Unlock the handcuffs, let's find our own ways, stay out of each other's way, how about it?"
"The key... is gone." Caitlyn responded awkwardly, glancing quickly at the ground, only to find rubble and nothing else.
"No way..."
"Really!" Caitlyn, moving with Vi, searched through the pile of rubble, their hands still handcuffed, constantly getting in each other's way, making it impossible to search effectively. "Just come back with me to the station; there is a spare key there." Caitlyn, sweating profusely, felt too exhausted to move stones anymore.
"No way! I don't believe you!" Vi pounced on Caitlyn, seizing her bag and opening it: "Isn't it here!"
"That's my house key."
Vi tried it, and it didn't work. There were no other keys in the bag. Sighing, Vi tossed the bag aside, collapsing onto Caitlyn. The two were barely holding on, and with the lost key, they were completely out of strength. Vi lay heavily on Caitlyn, panting heavily before suddenly coughing and bringing up a lot of blood.
"Are you alright?" Caitlyn asked with concern.
"Broke a few ribs when we fell... cough... ugh!" Vi spat out a large mouthful of blood, then slumped, unable to even cough anymore. Caitlyn frowned slightly, feeling a twinge of guilt. She hadn't gotten injured because when they fell, Vi had cushioned the impact.
"Let me help bandage you. I've studied battlefield medical techniques." Caitlyn reached out to support Vi's back.
"I don't need your kindness!" Vi swatted away her hand roughly, lying on the ground, head drenched in sweat. The adrenaline rush had masked the pain earlier, but now it was unbearable even to move. "Don't lie flat, and don't breathe deeply!" Caitlyn tore her clothes into strips, wrapped them around Vi, and began bandaging her. Vi wanted to push her away but simply didn't have the strength.