Chapter 116, Twenty-first Read (2)
In the pitch-black room, only a beam of light shone down from above onto the chair in the center, illuminating the person sitting on it clearly.
Bourbon sat in the chair and saw a familiar electronic screen appear on the wall in front of him.
“Bourbon,” Rum said, “Scott is a police mole, and you have to kill him yourself to prove your innocence.”
Bourbon paused, his eyes widening slightly, and instinctively asked, "What?"
He realized what he meant immediately and frowned, asking, "Is Scotland an undercover agent? Has it been confirmed?"
“Of course, the intelligence source is reliable.” Rum’s eyes were fixed on the blond, dark-skinned youth in the video. “You know, the organization cannot tolerate the slightest mistake in this kind of thing.”
“Okay, I understand.” Bourbon sighed, a look of utter grievance appearing on his exquisitely doll-like face, while his inorganic, metallic purplish-gray eyes were filled with anger, malice, and icy ruthlessness at being betrayed and deceived.
“But wouldn’t it be too easy to kill him so simply? Even if we no longer need to interrogate him for information, couldn’t we at least bring Scotland back so I could torture him properly before killing him? If he’s an undercover agent, it would be disastrous for me. What will the people in the organization think of me afterward? I’m not satisfied until I get my revenge, Mr. Rum,” he said.
Rum: "..."
Bourbon was indeed ruthless; his worries were probably unnecessary. It was impossible for Bourbon to be turned by Scotland and betray the organization.
But the test should still proceed as planned; better safe than sorry.
“No, if he escapes, you’ll be in even more trouble.” Rum said firmly, “Bourbon, you need to kill Scotland with your own hands immediately.”
*
November 7th.
10:25 PM.
Gin glanced at the message Rum sent, chuckled, and put his phone away.
"What's wrong, brother?" Vodka asked.
“Rum wants to test Bourbon and Ray,” Gin said. “Let’s observe their reactions carefully during the operation, and if anything seems amiss, we can shoot them immediately.”
"Better to kill the innocent than let the guilty go free" is not just Gin's motto.
If the organization didn't operate this way, it wouldn't have allowed Gin to take action against so many suspected undercover agents.
If Bourbon and Ray weren't truly outstanding and useful codename members, and Bourbon hadn't gained a special status because of the Pandora Experiment, they should have been taken into custody by now.
"Notify Cohen and Chianti." Gin opened the Porsche door and got in. "Start the operation. Go catch the rats, and remember to catch them alive."
Ray and Bourbon had better not let him discover anything amiss, otherwise...
Gin lit a cigarette, and an uncontrollable, cruel, and insane smile crept onto his lips.
Vodka responded, and after informing Cohen and Chianti, he got into the driver's seat and started the car.
Oh dear, how could Scotland be an undercover agent? I never would have imagined it, I simply can't believe it.
Don't their police officers conduct psychological tests on their employees? Or is all that terrifying Scotland a facade? No... this seems even scarier, doesn't it?
Poor Bourbon! He was tricked so badly by an undercover agent, and now he's suspected of being a traitor by Rum and Gin. It's really too tragic. Knowing his temper, he must be furious right now.
But was Scotland really an undercover agent? To be honest, he even suspected that Boss Rum's intelligence was flawed...
"Scotland really is an undercover agent!" Vodka exclaimed in shock as he looked at a group of police officers who ran out to stop them.
The black Porsche chasing Scotland was forced to change course and could only watch helplessly as the car escaped.
It is 11 p.m. now.
They never expected that despite their well-prepared ambush, Scotland would still manage to escape. It seems that Scotland had also been prepared to expose itself and then retreat.
Moreover, judging from his status, that guy must hold a fairly high position within the police force.
“We won’t let him escape.” Gin sneered, pressing his earpiece and saying, “Cohen-Chianti, go and get the helicopter over here. Ray, take a shortcut and block his path from the other side.”
While giving instructions to the others, he also used his phone to tell Rum and the BOSS, and then mobilized more members of the organization to use the unnamed low-level members who were currently in Tokyo as pawns and cannon fodder to stop the police.
“Ah, brother, it’s Bourbon on the phone,” Vodka suddenly said, holding up his phone to show him.
Gin turned his head, his wolf-like green eyes narrowing.
"I'll answer it," he said.
Vodka answered the phone: "Bourbon? What's wrong?"
“Vodka, where are you?” Bourbon’s cold, murderous voice rang out. “Tell me the escape route in Scotland, and I’ll be there in no time.”
Vodka looked at Gin, who paused for a moment, then nodded.
So Vodka told Bourbon about their situation.
As soon as Vodka finished speaking, Gin reached for his phone and taunted, "You just came from Rum's place, which is at least an hour away from here. Even if you asked for directions, you wouldn't have enough time to get there in time, would you?"
"Or are you, Bourbon, also a traitor to the organization, trying to use the power of other institutions to help that rat escape?" he said.
“Gin, I know I’m a suspect right now, so I won’t argue with you,” Bourbon said coldly. “But I’m warning you, Scotland must be killed by me, and nobody can take it from me.”
After uttering these resolute words, filled with malicious obsession and murderous intent, Bourbon cleanly and decisively hung up the phone.
Gin wasn't angry at all; instead, he smirked and chuckled before tossing the phone back to Vodka.
"That guy actually had a day when he was genuinely angry and embarrassed."
*
11:45 p.m.
"Gin!!!" Chianti screamed angrily into the headset, "Bourbon has gone mad! He actually fired a sniper rifle at our plane! We almost crashed!!!"
Gin took off his headphones and held them slightly away: "Bourbon arrived so quickly?"
They drove so far after that, yet Bourbon still managed to catch up. Is his car alright?
“That guy called me and said we weren’t allowed to take Scotland’s life from him! He said only he could kill Scotland! He said he had to kill Scotland with his own hands! And he said it was Rum’s order???” Chianti continued to yell, “Why can he kill Scotland but we can’t?! I want to shoot Scotland too!!!”
“I also want to shoot,” Cohen said.
"Don't let him actually kill Scotland. The mission objective remains the same: capture Scotland alive." Gin got out of the car, his long silver hair and black trench coat fluttering in the cold wind. "Killing Scotland with his own hands was a test Rum gave to Bourbon. I didn't expect him to be so crazy as to capture Scotland even faster than us."
“We can’t stop him! That guy is threatening us with a sniper rifle in one hand, telling us not to come any closer, and with the other hand he’s pointing a pistol at Scotland, threatening him not to move! Is he a gorilla?!” Chianti raised her voice, almost frantic. “Can I shoot??? Can I just shoot them both dead?!”
“Calm down, Chianti.” Gin strode forward. “Ray is almost here, and Vodka and I will be there soon too. Let’s find a way to prevent Bourbon from actually killing Scotland.”
"Can't we just tell him directly?" Cohen asked.
“No, the testing is still ongoing,” Gin said. “Testing whether Bourbon and Rye are traitors is more important than the life or death of Scotland.”
“Ah! I see Rae!” Chianti said.
Inside the armed helicopter, Chianti stared at the magnified screen on the rooftop, while Cohen pointed out the scene where Rye had just arrived downstairs.
Ray glanced at the armed helicopter hovering overhead, firing a massive beam of light, grabbed his gun, and rushed into the building.
“Ley went up too,” Cohen said.
“What about Bourbon and Scotland?” Gin asked.
"Bourbon stopped paying attention to us after we didn't fire, and he's pointing his gun at Scotland and saying something." Chianti's face was practically pressed against the screen. "Cohen! Hurry! Get the plane closer!"
Damn, she's really curious about what they're talking about now.
"Judging from that expression, Bourbon's probably used his signature sharp tongue and sarcastic sarcasm again. Scotland looked like he'd been stung, feeling guilty and heartbroken, hahaha! Serves him right! So even undercover agents feel uneasy about deceiving others' true feelings?" Chianti provided Gin with a live commentary. "That Scottish guy seems to be explaining something, but Bourbon looks even angrier. Bourbon... Fuck! Bourbon fired a shot!!!"
Gin paused, frowning. "He killed Scotland?"
“Ray is here! Damn it! Could it be that Bourbon heard Ray’s footsteps and was worried that others would kill Scotland, so he took matters into his own hands and killed Scotland first?” Chianti cursed. “Of course, with Bourbon’s skills, one shot to the heart, blood splattered all over the wall, Scotland fell down on the spot. I’ll show you the video when we get back.”
Lai stood at the entrance to the rooftop, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the scene inside.
The pitch-black night was brightly illuminated by the huge beam of light shot down from the helicopter in the sky, enough for him to see everything on the rooftop.
The blond youth, holding a still-smoking gun, crouched beside the black-haired youth's body, whose eyes were forever closed. Amidst the crimson bloodstains, he turned to look at him, a smug and cruel smile on his face.
“Ray, you’re late,” he said.
Rye walked over, looked down at Scotland's quiet, blood-stained face and the gaping hole in his heart, and slowly spoke in the cold, bloody air.
“You actually killed him?” he said. “Didn’t Rum say he was going to capture him alive?”
Bourbon tilted his head in confusion: "What are you talking about? Rum told me that I have to kill him myself to clear my name."
He stood up, shrugged, and smiled at Rye: "Of course, even if Rum hadn't said that, I wouldn't have let anyone else kill Scotland. Only I can kill this man. His life must be taken by me."
Ray met his gaze, looking into those dark and crazed purple eyes, and realized that his current state was not normal. He was probably a little stimulated by the fact that Scotland was an undercover agent who had killed him with his own hands.
Ray glanced down at the Scottish corpse on the ground again, expressionless. He had originally wanted to go over and examine the body himself, but seeing how possessive Bourbon was of his food, he probably wouldn't let him touch even a corpse. Oh well…
The helicopter overhead began to move away, the beam of light disappeared, and the rooftop was plunged into darkness again, with only a few specks of moonlight barely illuminating the surroundings.
Bourbon crouched back down beside the Scottish body and pulled a sharp knife from his person.
Ray's aura instantly sharpened: "Bourbon, what are you doing—"
Bourbon's phone suddenly rang. He stopped what he was doing, took out his phone, and answered the call.
"Bourbon, retreat immediately, the police are here," Gin said. "The police have deployed a lot of officers and are about to surround this place. If you don't leave right away, you might get arrested."
"Huh?" Bourbon shouted in annoyance, "I don't want to! I haven't even dismembered his body and thrown it into the sea to feed the fish yet! I'm taking Scotland's body with me!"
Gin: "..."
That madman!
Gin could already hear countless sirens rapidly approaching.
"Tsk." He clicked his tongue impatiently, then snatched Vodka's phone and called Ray. "Ray, take Bourbon away."
“Understood.” Rye stepped forward with a cold face, trying to grab Bourbon and drag him away from the Scottish corpse.
At least... at least leave Scotland with a complete body.
Bourbon looked up and glared at Ray, warning him not to come any closer.
“Alright, then we’ll just have to blow his body into fireworks.” Bourbon said regretfully as he pulled a bomb out of his pocket.
Gin: "..."
Gin: "You even brought a bomb?"
"Huh? It's normal for members of an organization to hide guns and bombs in their cars, isn't it?" Bourbon said matter-of-factly in a tone that seemed to say, "What are you talking about?"
Gin: "..."
No, only a madman like you would put a bomb in your car and drive it like that.
Gin reaffirmed his resolve never to ride in Bourbon's car again.
*
“He died so easily, that’s too good for him,” Bourbon said, humming a tune.
A huge explosion came from behind.
Ray turned his head and glanced at the burning building in the darkness. His gaze lingered on the rooftop for three seconds, and the scene of Scotland's death and Bourbon's blood-stained face and cruel smile flashed through his mind again.
He turned and left without expression.
Scotland, like Rye, was an undercover agent, which would have been a good thing if he had survived.
Ray started to hate Bourbon.
This time I really hate it, even loathe it.
Bourbon is indeed a cold-blooded and ruthless madman. It's ridiculous that he actually wavered on this before.
It's such a pity for Scotland. It's such a shame. Rye tried so hard to let him go. He was a man who shouldn't have died here.
Lai got into the car, placed his hands on the steering wheel, and looked somewhat complicated.
He could tell from the scene that Scotland hadn't put up much of a struggle.
Given Scotland's strength, they could even put up a fight against Bourbon. If he had wanted to put up a fierce resistance, he wouldn't have died so easily.
Not to mention that Bourbon injured one of his hands for some reason before, and it hasn't healed yet, so his fighting ability has been greatly reduced compared to before.
The fact that he died so easily at Bourbon's hands probably means he never intended to resist...
Lei sighed silently and drove to the location Gin had mentioned to meet up with everyone.
He really didn't expect that Scotland would be an undercover agent for the police.
Is it that the police don't pay attention to the psychological problems of the undercover agents they select, or is it that Scotland is good at disguising itself?
Lei guessed that it might be both.
He trusted his intuition; Scotland's mental health issues were real, and his horrific madness wasn't all an act.
Therefore, the truth is a mixture of truth and falsehood, because Scotland is very good at disguising itself, so it not only deceived the organization, but even successfully deceived the psychological test conducted by the public security authorities.
Even so, he was a righteous infiltrator who went undercover in the darkness, and in the end, he sacrificed his life to protect his comrades.
So, what exactly are Scotland's feelings towards Bourbon?
Was it simply a case of undercover agents using and deceiving people? Or did they unknowingly develop a real-life relationship?
Scotland's high regard for Bourbon was not entirely feigned; such care and affection cannot be faked.
If that's fake, then Ray really has to doubt his own observation skills and intuition.
As for Bourbon...
Lei clicked his tongue, his green eyes turning icy.
Bourbon is a complete madman; he's incapable of having normal human emotions.
*
In the room, which the organization members called the "little black room," Bourbon, who was to be interrogated for three days, sat casually in a chair with his legs crossed, one hand resting on the armrest and the other leisurely holding a wine glass and drinking.
He was drinking Scotch, saying it was to celebrate killing Scotland.
The organization members behind the monitor were speechless, and could only mutter "pervert" and "madman" to themselves.
Bourbon, who looks like a wicked and arrogant golden fox in the surveillance video, doesn't seem like an undercover agent or traitor at all.
Where else besides the organization could he find a place to stay?
Even if everyone knows this in their hearts, the procedure still needs to be followed.
Anyway, Bourbon himself knew perfectly well that he was living quite well in that small, dark room where everyone in the organization was filled with fear and anxiety. It almost gave the illusion that it was a palace built specifically for him.
Bourbon remained perfectly at ease under the watchful eyes of numerous cameras. After finishing his drink, he placed the glass on the table beside him, shifted his position and changed his stance, then continued to lean back in his chair with his legs crossed, his hand supporting his chin as he pondered.
The current time is approximately 11:50 PM on November 8th.
The reason for saying "approximately" is that Bourbon cannot see the time now and can only estimate it based on his own calculations.
However, the error is probably no more than three minutes, so it's not a big problem.
Just two more days and we can go out.
The fact that the system hasn't crackled so far means that Hiro has safely passed November 7th.
The main storyline of the game did not give him any warnings about heart pain, indicating that Bourbon killing Scotland and causing Rye to completely hate Bourbon is a plausible development.
The path of faking death seems feasible...
“Bourbon,” Rum’s voice suddenly rang out.
Bourbon looked up at the electronic screen that was gradually appearing in front of him.
The [RUM] communication page is flashing on the screen.
“There’s something I want to show you, it’s about Scotland,” Rum said. “You’ll probably be surprised.”
Bourbon lowered his hands and legs, sat up straight, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "Oh? Is it some kind of keepsake?"
The scene suddenly changed, and at the same time, Gin's sneer could be heard: "If you call it a relic, then it probably is."
The screen displayed photos of three men.
Bourbon's heart stopped as he looked at the three incredibly familiar faces.
“I had three informants in the Metropolitan Police Department. The intelligence that Scotland was an undercover agent came from one of them, but that person got into trouble soon after passing on the intelligence,” Rum said. “I had someone investigate, and it turned out that on that day, three strange policemen who were not colleagues in the same department came into contact with my three informants at the same time.”
"Kata Wataru Date and Kenji Hagiwara from the First Investigation Division, and Jinpei Matsuda from the Explosives Division of the Mobile Suicide Squad."
Rum slowly read out the names of the men in the three photos while staring at the expression on the blond youth's face.
"Where did these three policemen learn about the organization and begin their investigation? And to what extent did their investigation go?"
"Why did they, who previously seemed completely unaware of the organization's intelligence, immediately launch an investigation after Scotland was exposed? Where did they learn that intelligence had been leaked in Scotland? And why did they conduct such a hasty and obvious investigation for Scotland?"
Bourbon stared at the three photos and pondered, "Since they're all police officers, maybe they knew each other before and have kept in touch ever since."
After saying that, madness and excitement gradually rose in his purplish-gray eyes: "So, they are the [relics] of Scotland?"
“Yes.” Rum smiled as well. “Scotland is exceptionally powerful and probably holds a rather special position. They originally wanted to capture him alive for interrogation, but unfortunately, you killed him. So, discovering these three [relics] is a stroke of luck. Gin had already led people to capture them, intending to bring them back to the organization to interrogate them and find out Scotland’s true identity, and to confirm how much of the organization’s intelligence Scotland had leaked.”
"Originally?" Bourbon raised an eyebrow, immediately launching into a sarcastic remark, "Hahaha, Gin didn't fail, did he?"
“They were very vigilant, quickly realized something was wrong, and worked together to fight back. They were very strong, unlike ordinary police officers,” Rum exclaimed. “And later, a skilled sniper helped them. Their level of skill even made one wonder if Scotland was still alive, which ultimately allowed them to escape temporarily.”
“Impossible. I killed Scotland myself, confirmed his death, and even planted a bomb.” Bourbon’s face hardened, and he frowned. “Or are you suspecting that I helped Scotland fake his death?”
“Although I don’t know how to do it, it’s still possible,” Rum said bluntly. “Bourbon, your review period will be extended by at least one month.”
"Tsk, fine." Bourbon said, but then got up and angrily punched the wall. Rum even trembled a few times when he saw the surveillance video.
“Don’t be angry, I didn’t just come here to show you these three photos.” After Rum finished speaking, the image on the screen changed again, becoming a video.
"Boss Rum, can you see clearly?" Vodka asked, seemingly holding a live video stream on his phone.
“Turn the volume up a bit more,” Rum said.
“Since we can’t catch them, we’ll just have to kill them all.” He then explained to Bourbon, “I’ve come to invite you to watch the execution of the rats.”
The blurry, shaky video shows four men running through the mountains, looking up at the camera with shocked expressions.
Those were four faces that Bourbon was very familiar with. In addition to the three he had just seen in the photo, the other face, which looked very ordinary, was also a disguise mask that he had made for his childhood friend.
The helicopter's deafening noise shattered the quiet room, followed by Gin's laughter.
"Let them taste the bullets," Gin said. "Chianti! Fire!"
"Alright! Got it! Hahahaha! Go die, go die, go die, go die!" Chianti laughed maniacally.
Bourbon stood stiffly in front of the screen, his hands trembling slightly, but he could only watch helplessly as bullets rained down, continuously piercing the bodies of his four friends.
【Hagihara Kenji is dead】
Matsuda Jinpei is dead.
[Ida Aircraft is defunct]
[Morokushō Kagemitsu has died.]
Bourbon saw that when his childhood friend, who was protecting his disguise from being destroyed, fell to the ground before dying, he opened his mouth and seemed to say something.
It was a very simple sentence that could be easily understood by reading the lip movements.
"Zero, I'm sorry..."
[Win the Bad Ending: The Butterfly Effect - The Death of Kenji Hagiwara]
[Achieve the Bad Ending: The Butterfly Effect - The Death of Matsuda Jinpei]
[Achieve the Bad Ending: The Butterfly Effect - The Death of Date Wataru]
[Achieve the Bad Ending: World Line Convergence - Death of Morofushi Kagemitsu]
The four policemen were dead beyond any doubt, and the deafening strafing by the armed helicopters ended.
In the silence, only Chianti's arrogant laughter and Cohen's cheerful agreement could be heard, along with Vodka's question and Gin's cold laugh.
Rum turned off their live stream and, in the deathly silent little dark room, carefully observed the blond youth's expressions and movements through the surveillance cameras from various angles.
Bourbon slowly lowered his head.
His slightly long, golden hair obscured most of his expression, revealing only the taut, trembling dark skin on his face.
He seemed to be gritting his teeth and suppressing some emotion, then his Adam's apple bobbed, and finally he slumped back into his chair, exhausted.
The slender blond youth sat back in the chair, head bowed, eyes closed, remaining motionless in that position, with only his fists clenched on his lap.
After a while, blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth, and Rum suddenly realized something was wrong.
That wasn't blood from biting your gums or lip in anger; that color of blood... was it poison?!
Rum jumped to his feet: "Quick! Open the door!! Go in and check on Bourbon right now!!!"
You are dead.
[End of 21st playthrough]
[Resulting in a Bad Ending: Caught in the Crossfire]
[Load save/load]
【yes】
[Loading save file...]
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