"Speak! Who's behind all of this?!"
Caitlyn sternly interrogated the siblings.
She had pieced everything together and figured it all out.
From the factory explosion to her convenient encounter with the Ionan siblings, it was all orchestrated. Otherwise, why would these two stop directly in front of her, a complete stranger to them, when they could have continued running?
Especially while being actively pursued by a full squad of armed enforcers who wouldn't hesitate to shoot escapees.
And for an indentured worker, a status legally equivalent to a slave, Levi was far too composed and articulate.
When slaves gain power, what do they typically do? Kill their masters in blind rage. But these two are following a script.
Cold sweat dripped down Levi's forehead as he realized their cover was blown. He didn't know magic, didn't have supernatural power, there was no way he'd voluntarily expose Zaun's involvement. It was the only hope he and his sister had left for freedom.
Through the communicator, Cipher's voice came through: [Give the communicator to Caitlyn. I'll have a word with her.]
He knew he had underestimated Caitlyn's investigative abilities, she'd spotted the weak link in their performance. But it didn't matter at this stage. He was confident that Caitlyn and Jayce wouldn't expose him, not when doing so would undermine their own goals.
"The communicator's in my right ear. You can take it out, he wants to talk to you directly."
Levi's hands were tied behind his back. He could only let Caitlyn retrieve it herself.
"How do I use it?"
Caitlyn pulled the communicator from Levi's ear. It looked like an earbud, but she had no idea how it worked.
"Just put it in your ear. If he wants to talk, you'll hear his voice."
Levi wasn't exactly polite in his explanation, his tone was sharp and bitter, like he'd swallowed gunpowder and couldn't spit it out.
Caitlyn didn't mind his attitude. She already understood that he was just a pawn pushed to the surface, pitiful, really, but still part of a larger game.
[Miss Caitlyn. Long time no see.]
As soon as she fitted the communicator in her ear, Cipher's distinctly voice echoed clearly.
"You're… Cipher!"
It took Caitlyn a moment to place the voice from her memory.
She had only met him twice in person, and that was years ago during diplomatic functions. They hadn't even exchanged ten meaningful sentences in total, recognizing his voice now after all this time was impressive.
"What are you scheming? This is Piltover, not Zaun!"
If Cipher, a major political figure in Zaun's government, was personally causing this chaos, it had to be part of a massive plot against Piltover's stability.
She was immediately on high alert. Everyone in both cities knew that Zaun and Piltover maintained an uneasy tension that could erupt at any moment.
The only reason open conflict hadn't broken out was because Swain's Noxian forces were still stationed in Piltover and Zaun, maintaining a balance of power.
Moreover, ever since Caitlyn had discovered years ago that Cipher had been conducting weapons trades with Noxus, her impression of him had soured considerably, she saw him as a cunning, dangerous schemer with international connections.
[Scheming?]
[I wouldn't call it that. No need to get so worked up over semantics.]
[I just want to show you and Jayce the real face of Piltover, to help you both see the world as it actually is, rather than how you wish it to be.]
Cipher sounded almost innocent. His methods may have been extreme, but to call it a conspiracy? He genuinely didn't think the description fit.
"Don't give me that twisted logic. You're trying to dress up terrorism as truth!"
"You caused a massive explosion in the industrial zone, do you have any idea how many people died or were injured? How much economic damage was done to innocent businesses? You're completely insane!"
"Don't think hiding in the Undercity will protect you from justice. You won't escape the consequences. I will personally bring you to trial and lock you away in Stillwater!"
Caitlyn was furious at his casual dismissal of the destruction he'd caused. Criminals had no right to pretend they were innocent, it was a mockery of everything the law stood for, a crime against justice itself. She was absolutely determined to capture Cipher and imprison him in Stillwater Hold to spend the remainder of his days repenting for his crimes.
[What spirit!]
Cipher praised her with obvious insincerity that made her anger burn hotter.
[Alright then, Officer Caitlyn. I caused explosions, I played dirty tricks, I'm guilty of destruction and chaos. You want to throw me in jail, fine. I won't argue the charges.]
[But what about the contractors and factory owners who have caused the deaths of tens of thousands of indentured workers over the years?]
[What about the corrupt enforcers who actively helped them maintain this system?]
[And what about the powerful figures protecting them, what exactly do you plan to do about them?]
His tone turned coldly mocking as he laid out the uncomfortable truth, forcing her into a corner.
"Bring them all to justice, and return justice to every single victim! Those whose crimes are particularly egregious, death penalty, executed immediately without delay!"
"I will never allow any criminal to walk free, no matter their social position. No matter who they are or how much influence they wield, no one escapes the law's punishment!"
Caitlyn's voice was firm, burning with the fire of someone who truly believed in justice.
She firmly believed she could accomplish it, that the darkness shrouding Piltover would be torn apart by investigation and prosecution, and the light of justice would return once more.
[Let's make a bet.]
Cipher suddenly proposed.
"What are you planning this time?"
Caitlyn was immediately on high alert. Someone like Cipher, a seasoned and cunning political operator, couldn't be trusted, not a single word that came out of his mouth.
[Just an interesting social experiment.]
[If you win, I'll travel to Piltover personally and turn myself in, serve my time quietly in Stillwater without causing any further trouble.]
[If you lose, you don't actually lose anything. After all, all I really want is to show you the unvarnished truth about Piltover.]
[So? Want to play?]
Cipher said with a smirk. Caitlyn still hadn't realized the true scope of what she was up against.
A single corrupt councilor? A few bad apples in the system?
No. The people profiting from the indentured labor system weren't just a few individuals, it was all of Piltover, from top to bottom!
If she wanted to investigate and abolish the system of indentured labor, she would be opposing the entire city.
From the most ordinary citizens whose cheap goods depended on slave labor, to the highest echelons of the elite who owned the factories, they'd all become her enemies.
Aside from Jayce, even her own mother, Cassandra, might not support her.
"I'll take that bet. No matter what intentions you have, justice will prevail in the end!"
Caitlyn couldn't stand the smug confidence in Cipher's voice. A devious criminal so full of arrogance, he absolutely had to be thrown into prison where he belonged.
[The enforcers who were chasing the siblings will be arriving at your location soon. Report everything you've learned to Sheriff Grayson, and make clear your determination to get to the bottom of this.]
[My bet is simple: the enforcers will open fire, they'll try to kill the siblings and cut off your lead. Stop you from digging any deeper.]
[Well? Doesn't it sound dark and all too real? That's Piltover's true face.]
Cipher chuckled, his tone thoroughly infuriating.
"Absolute nonsense! I'll show you what true justice looks like in a proper enforcer."
Caitlyn clenched her fists tightly. She didn't believe a single word of Cipher's lies.
She'd served as an enforcer long enough to know her colleagues, every single one of them she'd worked with possessed a noble spirit of sacrifice for the greater good. Not one had ever retreated when citizens needed protection.
He's trying to poison my faith. That's what criminals do, they want everyone to be as corrupt as they are.
"Can I speak with Cipher for a moment?"
Jayce, who had remained thoughtfully silent throughout this entire exchange, suddenly turned to Caitlyn with a request.
"Here, take it. I will bring that criminal to justice!"
Caitlyn removed the communicator from her ear and handed it to Jayce, still fuming with anger.
Cipher's insinuations, both explicit and subtle, all pointed to one conclusion: that there was no genuine "good" in Piltover's government, that everyone was complicit in corruption.
It was blatant slander designed to undermine faith in institutions, she'd be adding defamation to his lengthy list of charges.
"Cipher, Professor Heimerdinger and Viktor... they've returned to active research, haven't they?"
Jayce went straight to the heart of what had been troubling him as soon as he began speaking.
Ever since the assassination attempt by Camille, both scientists had disappeared without a trace from public view. Cipher had also gone quiet, maintaining a low profile in the Undercity.
But now he was boldly stirring up trouble in broad daylight, clearly, something had changed.
He could only think of one logical explanation: Heimerdinger and Viktor had made some major breakthrough, something significant enough to ignore threats from Camille and even Noxian political pressure.
He really wanted to see his mentor, Heimerdinger... and his intellectual partner, Viktor.
After so many years of shouldering everything alone, he was exhausted.