Chapter 8 [The Zodiac Serial Murders] has officially begun.
This means…
Now, we have to find and kill this random lunatic murderer who has been selecting victims from the townspeople for the past few months.
Zodiac could be among the original residents of the town or among the recent immigrants who came to Justice Town.
But if we really think about it…
‘Zodiac was originally active in other areas of Utah, not Justice Town, so the probability is higher that he’s among the immigrants.’
…Zodiac is most likely among the immigrants.
“Ugh… Why the hell did the protagonist have to come here at this time and turn the town upside down?”
Zodiac must have come to Justice Town because of the protagonist.
I clicked my tongue and pondered Zodiac’s letter once more.
[Next, I will kill a little girl.]
“……”
Once the [Zodiac Serial Murders] episode begins, it’s inevitable that there will be multiple victims in the town.
As Zodiac warned, a little girl will die next.
‘Not exactly a sight I want to see.’
Even though I reminded myself that they’re NPCs, the thought of children dying still made me uncomfortable and reluctant.
It would be great if we could catch Zodiac before that, but even though I’ve played <Outlaw>, I currently have no way to catch Zodiac.
Swoosh.
Still, hoping for some other clue, I rummaged through the corpse.
Seeing this, the security guard at the scene tried to stop me.
“Ah, Kid. Don’t dig around too much. The Sheriff will be here soon.”
“Hmm… The Sheriff really isn’t much of a gentleman.”
“What? What do you mean by that?”
Dudududu.
As the security guard tilted his head in confusion, I pointed to the distance.
The sound of galloping hooves could be heard from over there.
“He’s coming now, the Sheriff.”
As soon as I said that, Sheriff Jet, whom I had seen earlier, appeared.
Dududududu.
He was riding his horse faster than usual, probably very shocked by the news that Zodiac had appeared in Justice Town.
“Hey, Sheriff! Hurry up and…”
As soon as I saw the Sheriff, I waved my hand to greet him as usual.
But…
‘Hmm?’
I froze.
I couldn’t help but freeze when I saw the face of the person riding behind the Sheriff, coming this way.
‘…That’s her.’
Bright blonde hair, so well-maintained it could reflect light.
In contrast, boots so worn out they were practically falling apart.
A sleek women’s suit that clearly showed she was from the city…
And a face that didn’t match, looking almost childlike.
The protagonist character of <Outlaw>…
And the granddaughter of the founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, which dominates the West…
Sophia Pinkerton.
Oh no.
…This is messed up.
To reiterate, Sophia and I were not strangers.
Of course, back then, I had a mask on, so she wouldn’t recognize my face right now…
But Sophia, with her [Detective’s Intuition]—a basic trait provided when choosing the protagonist character in <Outlaw>—was extremely perceptive.
[Detective’s Intuition]
In the game, it was just a trait to help with quest progression, but in reality, it was almost like being a shaman.
She would definitely figure out my identity as soon as she saw me.
And the problem wasn’t just [Detective’s Intuition].
Just like in San Francisco, people here call me Kid.
If people call me Kid, her suspicions would definitely turn toward me…
And the person who calls me Kid the most in town was right in front of Sophia.
“Hey-!! K…”
Damn it.
As expected, Jet, who’s no gentleman, tried to call me Kid as soon as he saw me.
I desperately shook my head at Jet, making a face.
‘Damn it… Don’t call me Kid!’
Of course, all I could do was give Jet a look, begging him not to call me Kid…
But I believed.
In the bond between me and Jet.
After all, we’ve been seeing each other’s faces for three years, bickering all the while…
Couldn’t we at least have this much telepathy?
“…Huh? Ah…”
Whether he sensed my feelings or noticed something was off from my expression…
Jet also nodded with a stiff face and then…
“Kid-!!!!!!”
…Shouted loudly.
“Hey-!! Kid-!! Yeah-! Kid-!! I’ll be there soon, Kid-!! Don’t touch the body and wait-! Kid-!!! Kid-!! Kid-!!!”
“…Bond, my ass.”
Anyone listening would think Jet was calling his dog, Kid.
Jet literally shouted my name, Kid, so loudly the whole neighborhood could hear.
There was no way Sophia, right behind Jet, didn’t hear it.
With Jet’s voice that loud… Even deaf Bob would’ve heard it.
‘Now… What do I do?’
Sophia was extremely obsessed with me.
As soon as she heard the name Kid, her eyes would’ve gone wild.
She’d probably grill me like crazy as soon as she arrived…
Clack, pat.
…Or so I thought?
She, along with her horse ‘Spiegel,’ overtook Jet and arrived at the scene before anyone else…
But she didn’t even glance at me, who Jet had called Kid, and went straight to the corpse.
With hawk-like eyes, she examined the wounds, even touching them, and quickly began her deductions.
“…The blood hasn’t completely dried yet. Considering it’s winter, not a single fly is around. This person hasn’t been dead for long.”
Jet, who arrived a little later, recognized the face of the corpse and gritted his teeth.
“…Damn it, Hector’s gone.”
As the Sheriff, Jet was acquainted with most of the townspeople.
While Jet lamented the death of Hector, the cloth shop owner, Sophia read Zodiac’s letter.
“Terrible handwriting… No, it seems like he wrote it with his non-dominant hand to avoid handwriting analysis. …Quite meticulous.”
Flash.
There it was, her signature triangular eyes.
With those obsessive, manic eyes, Sophia began deducing the killer, focusing solely on the corpse.
‘Oh, this is unexpected.’
I thought she’d go crazy and interrogate me as soon as she saw me, but she defied my expectations.
Is it the system’s influence? Right now, she seemed like someone who could see nothing but the Zodiac serial murder case.
‘Then I’ll take this chance…’
Sneak.
I took the opportunity to leave the scene while her attention was focused on the corpse.
And then…
“Excuse me, sir.”
“……”
Sophia stopped me.
She held me back with her sharp pupils and asked,
“Are you the one who discovered the scene?”
“No, I’m not.”
“Then why were you guarding the scene with the security guard?”
Jet and the security guard answered her suspicious question instead.
“Ah, that’s because this guy is Kid, a famous bounty hunter in this town.”
“That’s right. So I left Kid to keep an eye on the body.”
Even in the midst of this, these idiots kept calling me Kid.
“…Kid.”
Grind.
Sophia gritted her teeth as soon as she heard the name Kid.
The sound was so loud that even Jet and the security guards were startled.
“…Guess it’s not going to be that easy, huh?”
Back in San Francisco, when I faced Django, his bullets didn’t feel like dodgeballs like everyone else’s—they felt like baseballs.
There are very few people like that in the world.
People who could rival me, with my cheat-like trait of being the [Best Gunslinger in the West].
Gunslingers with immense talent.
And Sophia in front of me was one of them.
“…So, have we ever met before?”
“……”
I smiled innocently at her question, which seemed to be hiding some anger.
“Nope? Not at all?”
At that moment, my hand was unconsciously reaching toward the holster with my gun.
**
Am I… special?
Am I a chosen one?
Am I from a completely different world than ordinary people?
Everyone thinks that at least once during their rebellious teenage years.
Usually, it’s just a cute delusion that becomes a cringe-worthy memory.
But if you have the skills and talent to back it up, it’s not so cute anymore.
An overflowing family background, a brilliant mind, supernatural instincts, and sharpshooting skills that rival Robin Hood’s reincarnation.
As a child, Sophia Pinkerton believed she was special.
She had the ability to do anything she wanted…
Her cute delusion of being special turned into arrogance.
It was the same when she first joined her grandfather’s company, Pinkerton.
Even as a rookie agent, she thought she could take down notorious outlaws and gangs.
And she did. She caught many outlaws, and as she proved herself, her family and colleagues acknowledged her as someone special.
Except for one person.
“Sophia, you have great power. But the world is vast, and you’re still young.”
Ben Parker, a top-tier agent at Pinkerton and her uncle, was the only one who worried about her.
Ben followed her around, acting as her personal bodyguard, and restricted her actions.
Sophia found her uncle annoying… but she also wanted his approval.
So, even as a rookie, she came up with a bold plan.
To capture the key members of TKK, who shared San Francisco with the South Brotherhood.
A daring plan, indeed.
Bang.
“…Ugh.”
Of course, her plan failed before it even began.
Just her snooping around for TKK’s information brought the Grim Reapers of San Francisco to her.
The White Reapers of TKK, hiding their identities behind white masks and suits.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Sophia, who had always been confident in her shooting skills… couldn’t even see her opponent’s hand.
That day, Sophia, the privileged lady and skilled gunslinger, was shot for the first time.
“Ugh… waaah…!”
“…This is pathetic.”
Sophia, overwhelmed by the pain, cried like a child.
The man who shot her approached, laughing incredulously.
“Why’s the protagonist like this? Huh, can’t even kill her because the game might force an ending. She wasn’t like this when I played.”
Protagonist? Game? Ending? Play?
His words were full of incomprehensible terms.
Sophia, in too much pain, was just terrified of the situation.
She threw away her pride and begged.
“…Please, spare me. Please…”
“…This is so disappointing. The protagonist I spent 10,000 hours playing is this much of a failure?”
The man clicked his tongue in a cold tone.
It wasn’t just him who looked at Sophia with pity.
“Kid, so we’re not killing her?”
The woman with him pointed a revolver at Sophia and asked. The man called Kid shook his head.
“…Nah, not killing her. Even if she’s a failure, she’s still the protagonist of this game.”
“Got it.”
The woman immediately holstered her gun.
Seeing that, Sophia felt relief at surviving rather than the shame of being spared by outlaws.
But then.
“Sophia-!!”
A familiar voice came from beyond the alley where Sophia was held.
It was her uncle, Ben Parker, who always worried about her arrogance.
“Sophia-!!!”
As he called out desperately, the woman asked Kid again.
“Kid, can we kill him?”
“Kill him.”
At that cold answer, Sophia screamed in frustration, loud enough for her uncle to hear.
“No-!! Uncle-!!!!! Don’t… don’t come here…!!”
But…
Bang.
Sophia’s scream wasn’t faster than the woman’s bullet.
Uncle Ben Parker turned the corner, saw Sophia’s face, and was shot dead.
“……Ah.”
Sophia couldn’t process the horrific scene before her.
Kid was the one who brought her back to reality.
He grabbed the back of her neck and dragged her to her uncle’s body, then said:
“Look, Sophia. With great power comes great responsibility.”
“Ugh… ugh…”
“If you’re the protagonist, you’re supposed to take down the final boss. Why are you messing with us? This man died because of you.”
Sophia would never forget his cold tone that day.
“Next time, it could be your mom, your dad, who knows? So stick to the script. Go after the South Brotherhood like in the game, not us. I wanna go home.”
“Ugh… waaah…”
“I’ve enlightened you, so go catch the South Brotherhood. Got it?”
Thud!
After that, Sophia, who had lost consciousness, was found in the morning with her uncle’s body…
She couldn’t forget the shock and secluded herself in her mansion for a year.
Only after hearing that TKK had disbanded and their leader had disappeared did she come out.
After her seclusion, she was different.
With great power comes great responsibility.
As he said… she was determined to take responsibility for her uncle’s death.
So she hunted for Kid like crazy…
And was it a coincidence?
She ran into a man called Kid here in Justice Town.
“…So, have we ever met before?”
“Nope? Not at all?”
This bastard.
His tone and vibe were different, but…
Sophia was sure the man in front of her was that Kid.
