At eight in the evening, on Zaun's Entresol, along the main road leading down into the Sump, Marsen walked in front. All of a sudden, he lifted one hand and gave a small, subtle wave behind him.
Not far back, three figures—two adults and one child—were following him at a distance.
Logan and Jinx had both put on cloaks. There was no other reason: the Sump currently had wanted notices for both Logan and Jinx. If they didn't pull their hoods up to hide their faces, there was no way they'd make it deep into the Sump safely.
And as for the Lanes… that was an even more intense place. Right now, the streets and alleys there were plastered with "missing person" posters for Logan and Jinx.
Marsen came back to Logan and Jinx.
Jinx was biting her thumbnail—her pink nail polish now uneven and jagged, chewed into something like a shark's serrated teeth.
Logan glanced at her restlessness. Isha was hugging Jinx's leg too, looking up at her every so often.
She could tell Jinx's emotions were wrong, too.
"We can't go down this way, boss," Marsen said to Logan. "They're checking even harder than they were a few days ago. We'll need another route."
Then he added, "Silco's people have come up to the Entresol. I'm guessing they're hunting Vi, but there's no reason for us to risk the main road."
"Then we take another route," Logan said. "It's Zaun—like we're going to run out of ways to get somewhere."
As he spoke, he pulled Jinx close by the shoulder and gave her a firm squeeze.
Jinx lifted her head to look at him. Her eyes were murky—bright one second, dim the next—like her mind couldn't hold steady.
But when she met Logan's gaze, she snapped back into focus. She tilted her head slightly, asking with her eyes: What?
Logan asked quietly, "Can you still do parkour through the fissures?"
"Logan, I could do that when I was eight," Jinx said.
"Good." Logan nodded. "Then let's move."
He crouched and looked at Isha.
Logan opened his arms and patted his chest. "Come here."
Isha looked at him and instantly understood. She opened her arms too, stepped forward, and hugged him.
Logan lifted her up, and the group headed for another path.
There were a lot of ways into the Sump. The main road was just the easiest. For Zaun's kids, not having a road was normal—finding one was everyday life.
Soon, before nine, they reached the Sump's outskirts. Logan set Isha down. Breathing in the familiar stench of the Sump, he felt a little lightheaded.
"It's only been like ten days," Logan said, looking around with a sigh. "And this place already looks completely different."
Beside him, Jinx kept her head down, silent.
Isha pinched her little nose.
Then a sweaty figure appeared with his tongue out, panting. Marsen wiped at his face, saw Logan and Jinx, took a deep breath, and said, "L-let's go. This way."
"During this time, I pulled the guys together," Marsen said as they walked. "They brought in their friends too. The Spirit Blossom Gang's grown. With the weapons Jinx made for us—and with the Lanes falling into chaos—we took the chance to grab some turf."
"We're at twenty-something people now," he continued. "Not enough to compare to the big gangs, but in the Lanes we count as a small force."
Logan nodded.
"Our current hideout is on the outer edge of the Lanes," Marsen said. "It used to belong to the Spider Gang—the ones who ran liquor smuggling. But now… they got swallowed up, same as the Blinding Gang."
His voice carried a hint of bleak amazement.
In Zaun, ten days was a small cycle. Small gangs rarely got a chance to rise. The guy drinking with you in a bar today might be dead in some gutter tomorrow. That wasn't strange at all.
After about half an hour, they reached the outer edge of the Lanes.
And down here, wearing a cloak and hiding your face wasn't anything special. People like that were everywhere.
So Logan's group entered without being stopped, and Marsen continued leading them.
Soon, they arrived.
Inside a broken iron fence, sheets of metal and scrap frames had been piled into a maze-like layout. Deep inside were lots of tents—the kind drifters used.
At the center was a larger tent, with blue-and-pink flower petals sprayed across it in graffiti.
"We're here," Marsen said, stepping aside with an open-palmed gesture.
Logan looked at Jinx with concern.
He saw her lips tremble slightly. Her eyes darted away.
Someone outside the tents noticed Logan and Jinx, slipped into the big tent, and said something.
And then—
A woman with pink hair and a jacket burst out.
Jinx saw her too.
The moment Jinx laid eyes on that woman, her expression shattered completely.
The word "well-behaved" didn't belong anywhere near Jinx. In front of Logan, in front of Isha, she was always mischievous, jumpy, half-manic—her nerves always on a hair-trigger.
But right now, Logan truly saw "good" in her.
Her eyes stuck to the pink-haired woman like they were glued there.
Jinx lifted one foot… then set it down again quickly.
Her hands twisted together in front of her, almost like she was praying, and she stepped forward—careful, cautious—just one step.
But the pink-haired woman was already rushing over.
She ran fast, arms thrown wide, cutting through the crowd. She ignored Logan and Isha completely and wrapped Jinx in a crushing hug.
"Powder."
Vi held Jinx tight, pulling her hard into her chest, one hand pressed firmly to the back of Jinx's head.
"Vi…?" Jinx whispered.
Vi answered by hugging even tighter—her voice gentle.
"It's me, Powder. It's me."
"Is it really you?" Jinx still didn't dare believe it. Her voice was fragile, careful. "Really?"
Vi loosened her grip and looked straight into Jinx's eyes.
"You can't recognize your own sister anymore?" Vi said softly. "It's me. Vi. It really is me. I'm back. I'm right here."
"But I thought you were dead."
Vi froze.
Then she quickly cupped Jinx's face, stroking her cheeks with trembling apology in her touch.
"I'm sorry, Powder. I wanted to come back for you. I swear I did. But someone took me."
"Marcus?" Jinx asked.
"I don't know him," Vi said. "But it doesn't matter. I just… I never thought I'd get to see you again."
And she hugged Jinx again.
"I'm sorry, Powder. I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have left you. That was my fault."
Hearing Vi's gentle voice, Jinx raised her arms and hugged back as hard as she could, burying her face against Vi's shoulder.
Her emotions finally broke.
She started to sob, and clear tears spilled from her eyes.
When they separated, Jinx looked at Vi with wet lashes, lips pressed tight.
"But everything changed after you left."
She couldn't meet Vi's eyes. Her hands folded awkwardly in front of her. Her posture collapsed inward, her slender frame curling like a child who knew she'd done something wrong.
"And I changed too."
Vi reached out, guiding Jinx's face back toward her.
"I know, Powder. I know." Vi's voice was steady. "Whatever you did, it was to survive."
"Me too. It's okay."
"The important thing is we're together again."
Marsen lifted his head and rubbed at his eyes without realizing it.
And Logan felt his nose sting, too.
Back when he watched this part, it had hit him hard. Vi really was a good sister. Just like she'd said—she went back for Powder immediately. She was just… taken by Marcus.
How old had Vi been then? Barely a teenager.
Powder had meant well and done the worst possible thing. Vi had told her again and again not to follow… but Powder didn't listen, and it got people killed—friends, and Vander, the man Vi saw as a father.
Of course Vi would lose control.
But she calmed down quickly, too.
And after all those years in prison, she'd never stopped thinking about Powder—
If not for the sudden appearance of…
Logan's thought cut off.
He looked toward the tent and saw a tall figure stepping out.
Damn it. She really came.
Logan's mouth twitched.
The classic "three women make a whole drama" scene was about to start.
A beautiful woman with long blue hair, wearing an Enforcer uniform, stared in disbelief and spoke.
"Vi… your sister is Jinx?"
The instant those words landed, Jinx released Vi and smoothly reached back toward her hip—pulling out a pistol and aiming it at Caitlyn, her face twisted with shock and rage.
Vi jolted, immediately blocking Jinx, then turning toward Caitlyn as she walked closer.
"Listen—I can explain! Caitlyn, we can talk this out!"
Caitlyn hadn't even gotten a chance to speak.
Behind Vi, Jinx had already snapped completely.
"Talk? You want to talk with her?" Jinx's voice went sharp, wild. "Why are you with a cop?!"
"I just blew up Topside and stole their stuff—and then you show up, and you brought a cop with you?"
"Are you really thinking about me? You came to find me?" Jinx's eyes flashed. "No. This is a trap! You're with them, aren't you?!"
She didn't wait for Vi to answer.
Her voice rose into a scream.
"Did you forget who killed Mom? Oh my god—now you're with a cop?!"
"Shut up! Mylo, I don't have time to listen to your bullshit right now!"
"Shut up—shut up!"
"Powder, it's okay—calm down." Vi immediately turned to Jinx again, coaxing her.
"Don't call me that!" Jinx screamed. "My name is Jinx now. Powder killed herself!"
"No—you shouldn't call yourself Jinx, you—"
"Don't talk to me like I'm a little kid!" Jinx lifted the pistol and aimed it at Vi's face.
Vi flinched hard.
Then a hand came down and pressed Jinx's arm lower.
"?"
Jinx turned her head and looked at Logan. Her tilted eyes were dead and empty.
"You're with her too… right?"
Seeing Jinx swing the pistol toward Logan, Isha hurried up, trying to stop her.
Logan shook his head.
"We're the same side," he said.
"Then what are you doing right now?" Jinx's voice trembled.
"You need to listen to Vi's explanation." Logan kept his tone calm. "She was locked in prison for years. The first thing she did when she got out was come looking for you. If it weren't for that Enforcer, she'd still be rotting in there."
As Logan spoke, color slowly returned to Jinx's eyes.
She looked at Vi.
"He's telling the truth," Vi said, glancing at Logan, then back to Jinx. "I did everything for you."
When Jinx aimed the gun at her, Vi had almost exploded too.
Vi's pain wasn't any smaller than Jinx's.
But because she was the older sister, she had to yield. She had to take care of Powder's feelings.
And what had Powder just done?
Vi's emotions tangled into something messy and bitter—but she still spoke carefully.
"I can explain everything. Okay? Powder… please."
Logan leaned close to Jinx and spoke softly in her ear.
"Listen to me. Powder or Jinx—it doesn't matter. You're still her little sister, and she's still your sister. Do you understand?"
"You've got a gun on her right now… but can you really pull the trigger?"
Jinx went silent.
Then—
Clack.
The pistol dropped to the ground.
Jinx's arms hung limp at her sides. She stared at Logan with something weak and pleading in her voice.
"Really?"
"Of course," Logan said.
"And besides…" He smiled and lightly patted her shoulder. "I'm here."
Then he looked toward Caitlyn and said quietly, "That Enforcer can't do anything here. All she can do is stand there and watch."
"Don't tense up. Don't be scared. This is our turf."
Jinx nodded.
Seeing her settle a little, Logan finally let out the breath he'd been holding.
The sisters still had a gap between them—but at least the crack had started to mend.
In the Twin Cities war, it was Caitlyn's appearance that pushed things over the edge. The Firelights took Vi away, Jinx spiraled completely, and with Silco's "talk therapy," she became someone who could point a gun at Vi without hesitation.
That kind of locked-in, impossible-to-reconcile setup made Logan think of Cyberpunk 2077 for a second—because if Yorinobu Arasaka could just pick up the phone and call V, how many disasters would never happen?
In the end, it was the writers' fault.
But now, there was still time.
Because Logan had the script.
Vi could join the Spirit Blossom Gang, stay with Jinx.
And as for Caitlyn…
This Topside rich girl could go back safely.
To be honest, after watching the show, it was impossible for Logan to have no fondness for Caitlyn.
But from a Zaunite's perspective?
Logan wouldn't like her.
Kindness from someone above you was still a kind of charity—pity handed down.
"Marsen," Logan said.
"Yes, boss."
"Keep an eye on the Enforcer. Don't hurt her—but don't let her wander either."
"Yes."
Vi opened her mouth like she wanted to protest, but when she met Jinx's eyes, she shut it again.
Logan took Jinx's hand and looked at Vi.
"Vi. It's been a long time."
"Logan…" Vi bit her lip, then nodded. "Yeah. It has."
"Come on." Logan tightened his grip gently. "Let's talk. Let's say everything that needs to be said."
Vi took a deep breath and followed—while Jinx, still holding Logan's hand, kept turning her head to look back at Vi again and again.
"Okay," Vi said quietly.