Chapter 114, Twentieth Round (33)
[Rei Furuya: I'm sorry, but could you all please calm down for a moment and briefly tell me what's been happening to you lately? My timeline has suddenly synchronized with yours, which means something major must have happened that caused the system to activate a simultaneous live stream, wanting us to build up a sense of despair in the group and gather our energy together.]
[Okabe Rintaro: I've encountered... a choice where one of the two most important people in my life must die.]
[Okabe Rintaro: After sacrificing the choices and happiness of so many people, I finally reached the last step. I was just one step away from completely jumping out of this world line to save Mayuri, but then this happened. I feel like I'm going crazy.]
[Rei Furuya: Is it a choice between Mayuri and his assistant?]
[Okabe Rintaro: Yes, throughout the time jumps I made to save Mayuri, Kurisu has always believed in me, supported me, and helped me, no matter which timeline or point in time I was in. Without her, I definitely wouldn't have made it this far. I just recently realized that I've fallen in love with Kurisu.]
[Okabe Rintaro: But now you're telling me that to save Mayuri, the world has to jump to the timeline where Kurisu died, and if I choose the timeline where Kurisu is alive, Mayuri will definitely die. My most important childhood friend and the first girl I ever liked—I have to choose who lives and who dies? What kind of joke is this?!]
[Shinpei Net: I feel like I've entered the world of shadows. I don't know the specifics yet, but everything is quite bizarre.]
[Subaru Natsuki: Rem is in trouble. It's all my fault. If it weren't for my negligence, she would never have encountered such a cruel thing. What's even more painful is that I can no longer use the rewind function to save Rem before she was in danger.]
[Subaru Natsuki: It's all my fault. Rem has been devoured, losing her name and memories, and is now in an eternal slumber. We went through so much together, saved so many people, yet she's the only one forgotten by everyone except for me and Betty. This is just too much! I really can't accept it...]
[Homura Akemi: I'm fine here, it's the same as always, except...]
Homura Akemi: I was forced to kill Madoka with my own hands again.
*
“Let’s start Plan C right now.” Rei Furuya grabbed Hiromitsu Morofushi and pleaded, “How about we fake our death and leave the organization before our identities are exposed? I’ve already made arrangements and we can start anytime. Right now, we’re in a passive situation where nothing is certain, and it’s really easy for something to go wrong.”
Although Bourbon did indeed kill Scotland under Plan A, Scotland's death was merely a pretense.
After seeing what was happening in the group chat, Furuya Rei began to wonder if Bourbon being forced to kill Scotland might actually be true.
Morofushi Kagemitsu met his gaze for three seconds, then smiled and slowly shook his head: "Zero, it's not time to give up yet. You know that unless it's really a last resort, I won't fake my death and leave the organization to abandon you alone in the dangerous depths of darkness."
As he spoke, his expression gradually became serious: "And what if the convergence of the world lines also includes my death in front of you and Ray, making it impossible to resolve your conflict? Ray isn't in the country right now, so we can't carry out Plan B. What if the world determines that the main storyline has been destroyed, causing you to suddenly die and restart the world?"
“Then I can plan things better next time, but what if this cycle continues and it really reaches the worst possible ending? What if something irreversible happens?” Furuya Rei stood up anxiously and paced around. “Judging from what’s happening in the group, it’s almost certain that something serious and irreversible will happen to us!”
“But we haven’t found any clues yet, have we? And I believe Zero has made thorough preparations and will definitely not let any irreparable tragedies happen.” Morofushi Hiromitsu said firmly, “At least during the stage of exploring unknown information, before confirming whether Zero will encounter any danger, I will absolutely not leave your side.”
Jianggu Ling was stunned.
"No matter how much I prepare, I can't be sure I can withstand all the malice from the world and the system..." Furuya Rei took a deep breath, put his hands on his hips helplessly, and said, "Okay, let's try to carry out Plan A or Plan B according to the original plan."
"Even if this period of high vigilance might last up to a month, is that alright?" Furuya Rei frowned. "There are clearly easier and more direct methods, yet you insist on choosing this most troublesome and dangerous path..."
“Even ten years wouldn’t matter.” Morofushi Kagemitsu laughed. “With Zero, I won’t find anything troublesome.”
Furuya Rei's bristling hair was successfully smoothed down little by little by him.
"Alright, let's give it a try." He sighed, then emphasized for the umpteenth time, "But once you determine there's danger, Hiro must run away immediately and do everything he can to survive, understand?"
"Yes, I will definitely try my best to hold on." Morofushi Kagemitsu nodded with a smile. "After all, I made a promise with Zero that I would never die again and leave you alone."
He was truly prepared for this and believed that Zero would definitely come to save him.
Even if he were tormented by interrogation like that CIA agent, to the point of wishing he were dead, he would persevere.
*
November 7th.
At 7 p.m., Gin gave the Whiskey Trio a mission, telling them to get ready to go to Hokkaido together the next morning for an important mission.
Therefore, Bourbon and Scotland returned to the three-person safe house, waiting for Rye to fly back so they could discuss the mission details together.
8 PM.
Bourbon received an email from Rum saying that he had a mission to work with Curaçao.
Bourbon replied that Gin also had a mission from the BOSS, and Rum immediately said that the two missions would not conflict, and he only needed to help out for an hour or two.
Time is money!
Hurry, Bourbon!
——RUM——】
Bourbon replied that he had received the message, then looked up and made a serious eye contact with Scotland.
Scotland nodded, indicating that it was ready.
Bourbon took a deep breath, put on his hat, and left the safe house. On the way, he kept tapping on his phone, rapidly arranging his next steps.
Scotland sat in the room for two minutes in thought, then took out the black cell phone he had always used to notify the class president, Hagiwara, and Matsuda.
Although I don't want them to get involved in the organization's dangerous affairs, I've already promised to let them know when the plan starts, so I can't go back on my word so soon. Besides, they should know their limits and not help recklessly.
After all, as ordinary police officers, there's not much they can actually do. If they act impulsively and put themselves in danger, it could become the very reason why Furuya Rei fails and has to reload his save.
They must be well aware of this as well.
After taking care of the important matters, all that's left to do is wait.
Scotland prepared a snack for himself to replenish the energy needed for the upcoming activities, and checked his weapons and all equipment again before feeling relieved.
Then, he took out his newly bought white phone and turned his blue eyes to the silver bass leaning against the wall.
*
November 7th, 10 PM.
Having received orders to rush back from abroad overnight, Rye returned to the safe house of the Whiskey Trio.
Since Gin's orders stated that the three of them would be responsible for this mission, they should meet here.
The thought of having to do missions with Bourbon again gave him a headache, and he didn't know why the organization hadn't disbanded their team yet.
As soon as he opened the door, Ray heard the sound of bass being played.
There are also the gentle, clear songs of Scotland.
"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms, I want to see you, I want to see you right now."
"It's okay, don't cry anymore. I'm the breeze, surrounding you."
Lai closed the door and went in, his expression and tone somewhat subtle: "Why are you singing 'Cherry Blossom, Cherry Blossom, I Want to See You'?"
The music and singing were interrupted. The Scottish man, sitting on the sofa, turned around and gave him an apologetic look: "Sorry, did I disturb you?"
“No, I was just thinking that if Bourbon heard this cherry blossom song, he would definitely be furious.” Ray leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. “He’s the kind of person who likes to take his anger out on others.”
Scotland laughed upon hearing this, put a finger to her lips and winked, saying, "Yes, that's why we have to keep it from Bourbon."
Ray really wanted to see Bourbon's expression when he discovered that Scotland was singing a cherry blossom-related song that he hated the most, but since Scotland had said so, he could only regretfully give up.
Scotland turned her attention back to the bass in her arms, strummed the strings, and began singing the song again.
"I can't stay here anymore, I have to leave, I'm so sorry."
"I have to go to a faraway place alone."
As Ray approached, he noticed a cell phone on the table in front of him, which had just started recording after he clicked "restart".
Do you want to listen to the recording after practice to check where it's not perfect?
"Where are you going? Please don't ask why, I'm really sorry."
"I can no longer stay by your side."
But... this phone doesn't seem to be the one Scotland used for a long time, does it look like a new phone?
"Although we can no longer meet, and although I feel very lonely, it's okay."
Lei controlled his movements and silently walked to the refrigerator, opened it, and found that his favorite canned coffee, which he had almost finished before leaving, had been refilled. He knew without a doubt that it was made in Scotland.
"Waiting for your return in the afternoon, the sound of your footsteps cannot be told to anyone but me, it is a secret I alone know."
"For me, it's the happiest thing."
Lai took out a can of coffee, still holding the backpack behind him with his other hand, and glanced at Scotland.
This man is amazing. He can play any song or piece of music with perfect emotion, without showing any sign of his expressionless face as he fires a gun and his hand is stained with blood.
Let alone ordinary people, even he was starting to doubt his own senses, even though he was already very clear about how terrible Scotland was.
"Your smile, your tears, are all expressions of your tenderness."
"The sound of you calling my name, the hands that hold me tight, are all your warmth."
Even if we can no longer touch those moments, we will never forget these happy memories.
Oh, this must be the power of love.
But is it really okay to sing "Sakura" in front of Bourbon? What kind of expression will that guy make?
Lai was actually a little excited.
He looked away, took out his key, opened his room, and went inside.
"It's okay, I'm right here. I am spring, the sky that embraces you."
"Thank you. I've always liked you the most. I'm a star, and I will always watch over you and protect you."
Even after the door was closed, the gentle Scottish songs could still be faintly heard.
"Where cherry blossoms dance in the air, close your eyes and I'll be in your heart."
——
Organization base.
“Bourbon,” Rum said to the blond, dark-skinned youth who had been summoned, “Scott is a police mole. You must kill him yourself to prove your innocence.”
“…” Bourbon said, “Yes.”
——
Lei sat in a chair with a can of coffee in his hand, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.
The singing outside the door had stopped; the cherry blossom song had probably been successfully recorded.
Lei frowned, sensing that something was amiss, as if something bad was about to happen, which made him uneasy.
He thought about it for a long time, checking everything that had happened recently, but found nothing wrong. His rationality wavered between trusting his intuition and not being too nervous.
He took a sip of coffee, opened his computer with one hand, and started typing on the keyboard, trying to find something from his intelligence network.
But after searching high and low, all they found was that the whiskey gambling trio's falling out had taken another turn.
That bet was huge. Ray bet 100 million, Chianti bet 500 million, and everyone else bet at least 10 million. All in all, the total bet reached an astonishing 8 billion.
The Whiskey trio has been a team for three years now. Everyone who bet on their falling out lost, and in the end, only the three of them are the winners.
One is vodka, one is Scotland, and one is an ordinary member without a code name.
Now that the market has opened, they suddenly discovered that the ordinary member had actually bet 1 billion!
This even drew Gin's attention. The most outrageous thing was that the investigation eventually revealed that the ordinary member was the one who had Vermouth disguise herself and then bet on her own bourbon.
So now everyone is shocked and suspicious that Bourbon orchestrated the whole thing, but they also feel that Bourbon wouldn't act for three years for such a small amount of money.
Ray also disagreed, and he even sometimes suspected that Bourbon and Scotland might have taken their fake relationship into real life.
After all, Scotland is really easy to get along with when he's not going crazy. He's strong and gentle, so much so that Scottish regrets that such a man is a member of an enemy organization. He's also so good to Bourbon. Maybe Bourbon was really moved?
It's worth noting that the conflict between Rye and Bourbon isn't as intense as it used to be, which even led to the end of the betting game. However, Bourbon's relationship with Scotland is getting better and better, so maybe they'll actually become a couple...
The phone next to me suddenly vibrated, and the dark screen lit up.
Lai opened his phone and froze instantly; all the images of the future he had imagined shattered.
Scotland is an undercover agent for the police.
Ray, to prove your innocence, you must personally go and bring that traitor back to be punished and executed.
Remember, capture them alive.
——RUM——】
Ray suddenly stood up.
But when he opened the door, Scotland on the sofa had already silently escaped, without even closing the door.
After a two-second silence, Ray picked up his gun and gave chase.
【yes.
—Rye】
*
November 7th.
11:50 p.m.
Rei Furuya has already approached the area where Kagemitsu Morofushi is surrounded and being chased, and will be able to rush over to support him soon.
Damn it, he suspected Rum had deliberately sent him away.
A blond youth running frantically through a narrow, dark alley suddenly receives an email from his childhood friend.
"Zero, besides Ray, Gin, Vodka, Cohen, and Chianti are also hunting me, along with some other unnamed members of the organization. Because the situation was discovered too late, and the organization's pursuit force is very strong, police support will likely be difficult to arrive immediately."
Akai caught up with me, but also let me go.
He confessed his FBI undercover identity to me, but there's not much he can do to help me in this situation. All he can do is let me go and provide me with important information. So don't blame him; he did his best. I still hope your relationship can improve (laughs).
This intelligence from the FBI is very important. Akai said that Rum has developed an even more terrifying brainwashing technique. One of their undercover agents was almost completely brainwashed and leaked a lot of information, causing them great harm. After finally regaining some of his senses and leaking information, he immediately committed suicide.
And unlike you, Rum's orders to them were to capture me alive and take me back for interrogation. Needless to say, they would also use that kind of brainwashing technique on me.
I will try my best to escape, but if I can't escape and get caught...
I'm sorry, Zero, I probably can't keep my promise.
——Hiro】
Rei Furuya clenched his fist and slammed it against the wall. After taking a deep breath, he ran even faster, and at the same time dialed Kagemitsu Morofushi's number.
The call was dialed repeatedly for five minutes before it was finally answered. By then, Rei Furuya had already used the locator to pinpoint that Kagemitsu Morofushi was in the abandoned building not far away.
11:57 PM.
“zero…”
"Hiro! Where are you now? I'm downstairs! Hang in there! I'll be there soon! I'll definitely save you! You promised me you would never commit suicide!!!" Furuya Rei said quickly, rushing into the dark stairwell as he spoke.
“Zero, I’m sorry, I can endure anything else, even being captured and interrogated by the organization under countless tortures, but this is the only thing I can’t accept.” Morofushi Hiromitsu’s tired but resolute voice came through the phone. “Zero’s identity must not be exposed, and I must not let the organization know that Zero can read save files. I must not be brainwashed into harming Zero, Ko-Ming, and all the comrades behind them. The information in my head and myself must not be known or used by the organization.”
"I won't let you get brainwashed! Even if you get caught now, I can still get you out before you're transferred to Rum's! Even if you get caught, I won't let the brainwashing succeed!" Furuya Rei ran frantically upstairs, almost crashing into the wall as he turned a corner.
“But I don’t dare to gamble on even the slightest possibility that the organization will discover Zero’s ability to reload saves.” Morofushi Kagemitsu grunted, his breathing becoming more rapid. “Zero, no matter what, the organization absolutely cannot find out that you can reload saves, or everything will be completely over.”
"I know! But it's not time to give up yet, is it?" Furuya Rei gritted his teeth.
"It's too late. Gin and his men have already surrounded us. I can't escape."
"Hiro! What are you doing? No—"
"Zero, I'm sorry..."
"Wait! Hiro—"
"Bang!!!"
A gunshot rang out, and the phone call was cut off.
Rei Furuya stood frozen in place, as if he had fallen into an ice cave, the ringing in his ears caused by the gunshots sharp and prolonged.
[Morokushō Kagemitsu has died.]
[Side ending unlocked: Worldline convergence - Death of Morofushi Kagemitsu]
As if suddenly awakened from a nightmare, Furuya Rei instinctively raised his gun and pointed it at himself. Only after realizing that no one around would stop him did he come to his senses and calm down a little.
He stood still, took two deep breaths, and barely regained control of his trembling body. With a blank expression, he continued to rush upwards and found his childhood friend lying in a pool of blood on the rooftop.
Midnight.
Gin, Vodka, and Ray were all gathered around the black-haired youth whose eyes had closed forever. They turned to look at him after hearing the noise.
In his hand, Ray held a black cell phone that had been pierced by a bullet and a perfectly intact white cell phone.
“Bourbon, you’re too late.” The man with long black hair had cold green eyes. “The traitor is dead, but it’s a pity we couldn’t get anything out of him, not even his name. It’s like killing a ghost, which is unpleasant.”
Bourbon stared at his face, clenching his teeth, his chest heaving violently.
"Take the intact white phone back to the organization for analysis." Gin also gave up on studying the Scottish corpse; finding no clues, they could only try their luck with the only intact phone.
"Did he commit suicide?" Bourbon walked over expressionlessly, squatted down next to Scotland's body, stared at the bloody hole in his chest for a few seconds, and then reached out and pressed it.
His heart, pierced and torn apart, had naturally stopped beating; only the continuously flowing scarlet blood stained his hands.
“Yes, I never expected that Scotland was an undercover agent, and that he committed suicide so cleanly and neatly…” Vodka patted him on the shoulder. “Bourbon, you’re really in trouble. You’re probably going to be in some trouble soon, but I believe you’re definitely innocent. Nobody would have thought that the terrifying Scotland would be an undercover agent. I still can’t believe it.”
"Where did you get the information that he's an undercover agent?" Bourbon withdrew his hand and slowly stood up.
Ray's body tensed instantly, and a scene inexplicably flashed through his mind of himself stopping the blond, dark-skinned youth from committing suicide following Scotland's death.
His brows furrowed deeply, because the unbelievably familiar sense of déjà vu left him momentarily bewildered and even somewhat disoriented.
"Didn't Boss Rum tell you?" Vodka asked in surprise. "The message came from the Metropolitan Police Department's undercover agents. They've confirmed that Scotland is an undercover agent in the Metropolitan Police Department codenamed Black Cat, but they don't know his real name or identity yet, so they want us to arrest him and interrogate him."
“Is that so…” Bourbon sighed, raising the gun to his head with his hand stained with Scottish blood.
Under the shocked gazes of the other three, the blond, dark-skinned youth remained expressionless and pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Bang--"
You are dead.
[End of 20 playthroughs]
[Result in a Bad Ending: The Sun Tied to a Long Rope]
[Load save/load]
【yes】
[Loading save file...]
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