Chapter 249 : Perfect Revenge (4)

Perfect ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Revenge (4)

After cleaning out the Hired Gun's hideout, Lee Gyeongbok and Light returned to Saint Cloud.

"We're going straight into a cutscene."

As soon as they entered the city, the cutscene began.

"I'm going to check on Billy."

"Okay, let's meet again in front of the police station."

Alex left Light behind and visited the police station building.

—A father who only thinks of his son, ㅠㅠ

—Gotta reassure Billy a lot, considering his mental state

—It'll be a pardon soon!

—Haha, godple will take down the boss real soon anyway

As Alex entered the underground jail, his head quickly snapped from side to side. His pupils shook not long after.

Just as the viewers wondered why, the camera panned.

"Billy?"

Drunks slumped around as if still hungover, a tramp sat listlessly, and there was a scowling outlaw.

There were several new people locked up in the jail.

"Billy!? Billy!"

But Billy was not among them.

—?????

—Whoa?

—What? Where did Billy go?

—Don't tell me they carried out the execution already?

—No way, that can't be!

The viewers were startled, and Alex could only be more so. He hurriedly scanned the jail with a pale face before rushing to a guard.

"Billy, where did Billy go?"

"Pardon?"

"My son! Where is Billy?!"

As he shouted, even the prisoners turned in shock. The guard replied nervously under the sharp gaze.

"I—I don't know. I just came on shift this morning..."

Clenching his teeth, alex immediately climbed the stairs. His destination was the Chief's office.

The door swung open with a bang. Instead of the police chief, harold was seated inside.

"Hmm? You really forgot to knock, didn't you?"

He calmly sipped his coffee, unruffled by Alex's sudden entrance.

"You're here earlier than I expected. I suppose things went smoothly?"

Alex walked toward him with narrowed eyes.

"You said you would keep your promise!"

"My promise?"

"My son! Where is Billy right now?!"

Alex's voice trembled.

He was shaking with anger and agitation, yet struggling to keep his composure.

—Harold, you'd better answer right

—If you messed around, it's game over for you, really

—His son's missing, but he's still acting rational lol

—For real, I'd put a gun to his forehead and start interrogating

Harold, however, just kept smiling, unfazed by Alex's state.

"Oh, that's what you mean."

He purposely stirred his coffee with a teaspoon, stalling annoyingly.

Just as Alex tried to say something again—

"He's safe, so you don't need to worry."

"What the..."

"This is a measure to fulfill our agreement."

Both Alex and the chat filled with question marks at his reply.

"I promised a pardon through a judicial deal, but there were so many witnesses in this recent assassination attempt. If I just let a presidential assassin go, what would happen to the Investigation Bureau's reputation?"

"Reputation...?"

"As I said, I want a unified law enforcement force. The newly-established Federal Investigation Bureau needs public support by strictly punishing outlaws according to the law."

Harold smiled and leaned back in his chair.

"Billy's been transferred to a safe house. My direct subordinates are guarding him."

"Safe house? Where is it!?"

"Conversations go both ways. It's your turn. How did things go?"

Alex clenched his fist but exhaled slowly and spoke.

"They..."

The scene flickered, skipping over the explanation as Harold's posture changed.

"You raided the hideout and left no survivors..."

Harold muttered, rolling his eyes. Then he snorted and nodded.

"I'll trust you're telling the truth—not something you'd risk your son's life over. Anyway, it's something I can easily verify."

But his face soon turned hard.

"However, it's disappointing you let the boss and that traitor Romwell's crew escape. Doesn't that mean you didn't fully keep your end of the bargain?"

—Man, I really can't stand his attitude

—Seriously needs to get punched for that

—Taking a kid hostage from the start, how is this normal lol

—Needs a neck brace for all that posturing

—Go for the neck slice!

—If not for the cutscene, he'd be pummelled already

The viewers complained about his arrogance—but the next development wasn't what they expected.

"Still, it's certainly an impressive achievement. Taking down most of the gang on your own deserves recognition."

"So then...?"

Alex—and the chat—were surprised.

"Besides, you uncovered the boss and traitors' whereabouts in Saint Cloud, and exposed the Hired Gun's client as real. It seems I made the right choice."

Harold looked straight at him and nodded lightly.

"It'll help the Bureau, too, to rack up results before the unification. So, I think this is enough. I'll honor my promise."

—Breaking the cliché here?

—So he's actually pardoning Billy?

—Maybe Harold isn't so bad after all?

—Just a stickler-for-the-rules bureaucrat?

—Wait, but the boss is still out there?

—Seems like making sure his son's safe comes first lol

The viewers were bewildered but still pleased.

'Something feels off...'

But Lee Gyeongbok, who knew Harold was the villain, wasn't so naïve. He felt there was a hidden agenda but, since it was a cutscene, he just had to wait and see.

Meanwhile, harold handed over a folded piece of paper.

"This is the location of the safe house."

Alex snatched the map, but Harold didn't let go. At Alex's glare, harold raised a finger.

"One thing, I almost forgot—please remember this."

"... What is it?"

"You must go to the safe house alone."

"Alone?"

"Yes. My subordinates are waiting for you alone. If you bring anyone with you, it'll count as breaking our deal—and something bad may happen."

"What do you mean...!"

"As I said, it's better if fewer people know."

Harold's eyes narrowed.

"That Indian who helped you at the train station is no exception."

Alex took a deep breath at those words. With a firm grip, he tore the map from Harold's hand and spoke.

"Her name isn't 'Indian.' It's Light."

* * *

When Alex left the police station, the scene changed.

Sky-high mountains with snow-capped peaks.

—Did he go to the safe house right away?

—The snowy mountain landscape is stunning

—Could use the screenshot as my wallpaper lol

The place Alex and Light found according to the map was right there.

"Is there really a safe house in a place like this?"

Light craned her neck to look up at the steep heights. Alex opened the folded map again and nodded.

"Light, thank you for coming with me this far."

His low voice drifted out.

Light stared at him for a moment, nodded in return, and turned her horse away.

—Huh?

—What, is this goodbye?

—Don't go, light!

—Will she rejoin after he finds Billy?

—Is this the ending already?

—Feels off somehow...

—Is this not a happy ending?

—There wasn't anything that could go wrong!

—With Godple, it'll be a perfect ending!

—Trust the streamer!

As the viewers lamented, alex began climbing the mountain. The screen showed lush forests at the bottom, then a rocky area, and finally the snow-covered heights, all in a panoramic sweep.

—Climbing real fast?

—Fast skips are always good lol

—Dismounted midway

—If only he rode a mountain goat!

—Would've gone off a cliff if he did

The scene zoomed in as Alex trudged through knee-deep snow, panting. Over the drift, a small cabin appeared.

"Billy? Billy!"

Alex yelled, barely able to breathe, running for the cabin.

But there was only a faint echo and the occasional wind.

—Why is it so quiet?

—???: Maybe it's the wrong mountain

—Napoleon joke?

—No way, that's ancient

—How would Grandpa Nam know that?

—Nam HAHAHAHA!

The viewers made silly jokes to ease their nerves. Lee Gyeongbok smiled faintly and commented.

"Someone's definitely here. If you look closely, you can see the snow's disturbed."

—Oh, he's right

—Godple's observing, but Trooper's making jokes lol

—Focus up, guys!

Of course, even without those traces, he had already gathered information. Inside that cabin were Billy—and the villains.

The door crashed open.

"Well, I suppose it's been a while."

Inside were a bound Billy and some armed gunmen. Alex's eyes widened as he recognized them.

So did the viewers.

—Huh?

—What the hell?

—Why are they here?

—Is it still chapter 4?

—Holy cow, the backstab is crazy

The ones surrounding Alex were Romwell's crew.

"Billy!"

Recognizing him, alex reached for his holster but stopped.

"Now, now, I get you're excited, but let's all calm down. Try to act civilized—think of talking first."

Romwell aimed a gun at Billy. Billy flinched, and Alex's face twisted in anger.

"Don't want to talk? Well, I don't really care, but it's cold here. Another corpse would only be a hassle to deal with."

At Romwell's words, another thug kicked a pile of snow in the corner. With a dull thud, the snow scattered, revealing what was underneath.

—?????

—Whoa?

—Who's that?

—Wasn't that the original owner of the cabin?

A corpse, dead not long ago, was buried there. And who it was was soon revealed.

"Oh, first time meeting? Say hello. He's none other than the infamous Hired Gun boss."

Romwell's crew chuckled, but no one else could laugh.

—Huh?

—The boss? The boss is dead?

—What the...?

—???: The otter's dead!?

—Troopers are heartbroken, lol

The chat exploded at the news that the boss they'd been chasing was dead. But some viewers and Lee Gyeongbok grasped the situation.

"Wow, so the shapeshifter was working for Harold all along."

—For real, no wonder he claimed to keep the promise even though the boss got away

—Turns out he'd already offed him

—And then acted like he was being generous? Filthy

Alex was just as quick to catch on.

"So that's why you insisted I came alone. Now that I'm no use, you're just disposing of me."

He clenched his teeth in frustration.

Romwell's crew erupted in laughter again.

"That's what we thought, too. Hired Gun got used and tossed aside mercilessly. But Mister Harold thinks a bit differently."

The chat buzzed.

—Wait, what?

—So it wasn't just the shapeshifter—Harold used the Hired Gun too?

—Mister Harold and Lady Helen, lol

—The real client was Harold, huh

—Wow, this is it

Lee Gyeongbok exclaimed at the newly revealed truth.

"Oh, that's right. Harold wanted to unify the Investigation Bureau, right? To get justification for that, he commissioned the Hired Gun for murders."

—Does that mean the presidential assassination attempt was a setup, too?

—It all lines up—it was Harold who instigated the assassination and told the president to take the carriage

—???: Got the president's trust!

—Insane, lol

As the viewers pieced it together, alex spoke.

"So when the gold bars were retrieved, it was because we'd outlived our usefulness."

"The bumpkin sheriff's gotten quite the detective skills, eh?"

Romwell jeered and continued.

"Honestly, isn't it a shame? I mean, what era are we in—slavery and racism? If you lose a war, you accept it, instead of waving loser flags everywhere. Doesn't make sense."

He scoffed at the boss's dead body.

"These idiots, hearing that Mister Harold was planning a coup, all swore loyalty. But me, and my brothers—we were different."

His crew nodded proudly at that.

"The real boss should've been me! Mister Harold knew that, too. When I told him my plan, he was totally satisfied. Said he'd reward me according to my abilities."

Romwell shielded himself with Billy and pressed a gun to the back of his head.

"That's why you and the brat here are still alive. Normally we'd have buried you already, but Mister Harold values talent."

"Talent...?"

"Yeah, you made quite the name for yourself. Anyway, let's end the talk and wrap this up. Simple choice. Lie down here with your son, or join the shapeshifters and enjoy wealth and fame. What'll it be?"

As Romwell finished, the vision turned black and white. Only Romwell's crew and their guns retained color.

[Join them]

[Resist]

As soon as the choices appeared, the chat exploded.

—Why are these choices so bad!

—Roc&Roll! Is this the best you got?!

—If we resist, won't Billy die?

—But maybe Godple can save him anyway?

—Nah, better to pretend to join and backstab

—Seems like a branching point, not a good one

—Let's try it anyway!

—Is there a save? Or a quicksave?

But there wasn't much time.

Unlike before, there was a decreasing gauge in front of their eyes.

Its meaning was clear.

—Seriously; why is there a time limit now?!

—Shootout is the answer!

—But what if Billy dies?

—Trust Godple to save him!

—But there's no cover and it's a bad position

—For real, totally surrounded

—Let's go for Genome Kick!

—We can't even open a vote because of the timer

—Godple will figure it all out!

As the timer shrank, chat lost its mind. But amidst the chaos, Lee Gyeongbok remained calm.

"Everyone."

His voice made the burning chat freeze for a moment.

"Remember? Every choice until now has always had three options."

Questions filled the chat. Was that relevant in this situation?

But then, above the dwindling gauge, atop a black-and-white hill, a single spot of color appeared.

It had been perfectly hidden behind the gauge.

—Oh? What's that?!

—Light? Light!!!

—Wow, what is this lol

—Did she come because she was worried?

—Light power! Light power!

—Seriously awesome

It was Light.

And next to her appeared a third choice.

[Take Revenge]

When viewers saw that, they exploded in cheers.

—No way, this is insane from Roc&Roll lol

—It only shows up if you're properly immersed in the character, right?

—If you decide too quickly, it doesn't show up?

—Never seen a production like this before!

—Roc&Roll really knows game design!

If you're truly immersed in Alex, you wouldn't decide easily.

The developers opened a new path, for those most deeply invested.

"So, the decision's made, right?"

Lee Gyeongbok's voice made chat burst into laughter.

—Perfect sandwich setup

—Turns out Light is the real key recruit

—Romwell's dead meat lol

—Take them all out and teach Harold a lesson next

—Time for a happy ending!

It was time to bring this vicious cycle to an end.