Piltover, the Council Hall.
Marcus was dressed neatly, a folder of documents in hand as he was escorted through the doors by other enforcers.
The moment he stepped inside, several pairs of eyes locked onto him.
The councilors' gazes fell on him, making his heart jolt instinctively—but Marcus lifted his head, steadied himself, and walked to the empty space at the center table, standing there under their scrutiny.
"After investigation, Zaun's actions over the past two days are as follows—"
Marcus opened the file. The pages were packed, line after line detailing everything that had recently happened in Zaun.
"First: without authorization, they dismantled the wastewater pipes, repaired them, and sealed sections off. This will cause problems for Piltover's future wastewater disposal."
He had barely finished the first point when a councilor spoke up.
"What? They repaired the wastewater pipes—how dare they?"
Bolbok's voice buzzed with irritation. His mechanical face revealed no expression, but his displeasure was thick in his tone. "Without permission, altering the pipes on their own—do those Zaunites still recognize our authority at all?"
Mel frowned as she listened.
She wanted to ask Bolbok: why should Zaun have you in their eyes?
Mel arrived in Piltover only after the pipes were already built. To be blunt, she'd always felt Piltover's actions were wrong—because yes, the system benefited Piltover, but it severely harmed Zaun. If Zaun hated Piltover for it, wasn't that the natural outcome?
You couldn't slap someone across the face, demand they never dare slap back, and then forbid them from even resenting you in private.
Even Noxus wasn't that overbearing.
But Mel had also enjoyed the convenience brought by her "predecessors," and because of that, she had no standing to condemn the other councilors outright.
No… in truth, everyone sitting here was a beneficiary. The pipes had been built a century ago. It wasn't something this generation had constructed themselves.
"They're getting more and more lawless!" another voice rang out—Salo, drenched in resentment.
Marcus acted as if he hadn't heard and continued.
"Second: Zaun has set up a checkpoint on the Promenade."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Salo shrieked.
"A checkpoint," Marcus replied. "Just like the station we set up on the bridge—except they're screening Piltovans. Starting yesterday, Zaun is allowing Piltovans into the Entresol, but only if they pass an identity check and write down their reason for going into Zaun."
"Fuck that!" Salo cursed outright, losing all composure as he shot to his feet. He looked around at the other councilors and shouted, "Did you hear that? Did you all hear that?!"
"It's only been a few days—just a few days!"
"They think because they beat us once on their turf, they get to turn the tables and become the masters? Since when did we fall so low that we have to watch their mood and act accordingly?"
Salo kept going, voice rising. "In all of Piltover's history—through every administration, every council—nothing this absurd has ever happened!"
"Salo, please calm down," Mel couldn't help saying.
"Calm down? Councilor Mel, how am I supposed to calm down?" Salo snapped. "What do they think they're doing—rebelling? Declaring independence? I won't allow it! Not on my watch! I'm not going to be remembered for this humiliation!"
"Councilor Salo, sit down," Jayce said, looking at him. "We are in session. Show the meeting the respect it deserves—because that's also respect for yourself."
Salo froze, then dropped back into his seat with a furious huff. As he sat, he slammed a fist hard onto the table to show his displeasure.
Marcus pretended not to notice. With a nod from Jayce, he continued:
"Third: Silco—the man we believed to be the mastermind behind all this, Zaun's true power. But our findings were incorrect. The one driving what's happening isn't Silco."
"It's the leader of the Spirit Blossom Gang—Logan."
"I've never even heard that name," Councilor Hoskel said, frowning.
They'd heard of Silco—Zaun's well-known industrialist, a man who did business with plenty of topsiders. The councilors also knew the names of certain Chem-Barons.
But Logan?
That one, they truly didn't know.
Marcus explained, "He's a new gang boss who surfaced in Zaun. In just two months, he's consolidated multiple districts. He now controls the largest community by population in Zaun, and half of the Lanes already belong to him."
"Sheriff Marcus," Salo said with a dark expression, "I have reason to suspect negligence on your part. Why didn't we know this sooner?"
Marcus didn't argue. He simply said, "Because of Silco. The Spirit Blossom Gang was founded two months ago, but the consolidation—becoming Zaun's largest gang—only happened about two weeks ago. In other words, they achieved it in half a month."
"Silco pushed it from behind the scenes and forbade his people from passing information outside. And the situation in the Lanes…" Marcus spoke evenly. "All of you know it well—unless it's absolutely necessary, our enforcers don't dare go into the Lanes."
"Logan must be Silco's successor," Marcus concluded calmly, "and he has already inherited Silco's position."
"So he's our enemy now?"
"Sheriff Marcus—do you have any files on him? Any photos?"
Marcus shook his head.
Strangely enough, Piltover knew almost nothing about Logan. In all the information they could dig up, there was only his gender and birthplace.
Male. A Zaunite born in the Lanes.
That was it—so brief it was unsettling. They didn't even know his age.
"Let's stop here for now," Jayce said, rubbing his brow as irritation weighed on him. "We'll reconvene later. In the meantime, everyone take a breath, think carefully, and decide how we're going to deal with Zaun."
Viktor's life hanging by a thread was already crushing him. That burden alone made it hard to breathe—and now, during his time as a councilor, Zaun was openly pushing back. Jayce was truly fed up.
During the recess, Jayce looked at Marcus and said seriously, "Sheriff Marcus, I want you to find a photo of Logan."
"If our enforcers can't even identify who our enemy is—can't even get their hands on a single photograph—then I genuinely believe the Enforcer Department needs a massive overhaul."
"Piltover gives you an enormous budget every year and affords enforcers this level of benefits so you'll protect Piltover with everything you have—not so you can neglect your duty."
Marcus met Jayce's eyes and nodded. "Understood, Councilor Talis. I promise I'll do it."
"Alright. Everyone, disperse," Jayce said, lowering his hand in a dismissive wave.
The councilors looked at him—some openly displeased, others nodding along. And Mel's eyes were full of worry and concern.
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