Chapter 4: The Truth Bleeds Out

When I rushed over, I saw that the ones patrolling outside the Sullivan estate were the secret guards I had personally trained for Sean Carter. When they saw me, they didn’t know whether to stop me or not, each with a complicated expression. Before I could act, the leader suddenly punched himself and fainted. He went down like a sack of potatoes, and I had to bite my lip not to laugh. The rest, seeing this, started ‘fighting’ their nearest companions in twos and threes, then all collapsed with groans.

It was almost comical, like watching a bunch of high school wrestlers stage a fake fight. I caught the leader’s eye—he winked before dropping to the ground. They were giving me an opening, and I took it, vaulting the fence without a second thought.

I vaulted over the fence and saw Natalie being restrained in the backyard by housekeepers. Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan sat in the living room, looking down at her from above.

The whole setup screamed old-school intimidation—Natalie, defiant, surrounded by hired muscle, the Sullivans glowering down from their overstuffed armchairs like they owned the world. It was straight out of a bad reality show, except this was real, and the stakes were life and death.

Rachel Sullivan stepped forward, her uninjured hand gripping a sharp hair clip, lifting Natalie’s chin. “You think you’re clever, don’t you? Just some orphan girl, clawing your way up by stepping on my family. When my family was convicted back then, I’ve found out exactly how much you contributed. Weren’t you just trying to stay by Lucas’s side forever, so you targeted my whole family?”

Rachel’s voice was cold, but I saw the tremor in her fingers. Her grip on that hair clip was tight enough to draw blood. Natalie just glared, refusing to flinch, even as the room pressed in around her.

Natalie looked at her like she was nuts. “You think everyone is like you, with nothing but romance in their heads? The frontlines were in chaos, the city budget was tight, the National Guard couldn’t get supplies. I just picked a few corrupt officials at random to investigate—how was I supposed to know your family was one of them?”

Natalie’s words were sharp, cutting through the tension like a knife. I saw a couple of the housekeepers shift uneasily, as if realizing the adults in charge weren’t as blameless as they seemed.

Rachel sneered, “Still, it was all for Lucas. If you care so much for him, want to guess if I kill you here, will he blame me?”

Rachel’s face twisted, her voice suddenly dangerous. The housekeepers exchanged nervous glances, inching away from the confrontation. Natalie’s shoulders tensed, but she didn’t back down.

Natalie’s face changed. Our scheduled death date hadn’t come yet. If we died suddenly while waiting to quit, we might not be able to return to our original world.

A chill ran down my spine. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. I cursed the system, wishing I could smash its stupid rules to pieces.

The system screamed in my mind: [Line cutting! Line cutting! I’ll help her cut in line! Ahhh, everyone in front, make way, let us die first!]

Even in a crisis, the system’s frantic voice was weirdly comforting. I clung to it like a lifeline, hoping it could somehow save Natalie from Rachel’s fury.

I was about to rush over, but saw Lucas Grant enter the backyard ahead of me.

He strode in like he still owned the place, eyes scanning the scene, taking in every detail. His presence silenced the room instantly, all eyes turning to him.

Rachel immediately put on a pitiful face. “Lucas, my parents and I have suffered so much out west these years. If I don’t kill this woman, I can’t get rid of the hatred in my heart!”

Rachel’s tears flowed on cue, her voice breaking. The act was so good it would’ve fooled anyone who didn’t know her. Lucas hesitated, his jaw clenched, clearly torn.

Lucas froze, looking conflicted. And when Natalie saw his hesitation, her eyes turned completely cold.

Natalie’s hope faded in an instant. The hurt in her eyes was like a knife to the gut. I saw the moment she gave up on Lucas for good.

Before Lucas could speak, she spoke first: “The Grant family was loyal and upright for generations, but was framed for treason by the Sullivans with forged letters. The old general killed himself in prison, trading a lifetime of military merit for one last favor—just to let you grow up safe in this city. Lucas, do you know the whole story?”

Her voice rang out, clear and unwavering. For a second, even the Sullivans looked stunned. Lucas’s face paled, his confidence shattered by the weight of truth.

Lucas froze. As if to bolster himself, he shouted, “Even if the Sullivans did it, Rachel was just a kid then—how could it be her fault!”

He sounded desperate, clinging to any excuse to protect Rachel. I almost felt sorry for him.

A bolt of lightning snaked fiercely across the night sky.

Thunder rattled the windows, sending a shiver through everyone in the room. The storm outside seemed to echo the chaos inside.

The system shouted: [Line cutting successful! Host Natalie, hurry up and die!]

The words flashed in my mind, urgent and final. I prayed Natalie would wait for me, but she was already moving.

After Lucas’s words, Natalie only laughed. Who knows if she heard the system or not. After laughing, she said in a voice everyone could hear, word by word: “Lucas, the reference letter the Sullivans used to imitate General Grant’s handwriting was stolen from your house by Rachel Sullivan.”

For a heartbeat, nobody breathed. Even the storm outside seemed to pause, waiting for his answer.

Her voice was cold, every syllable a knife. The Sullivans gasped, Lucas staggered back, and Rachel’s mask finally slipped.

With that, she turned around and slammed her neck into the sharp hair clip in Rachel’s hand.

The world froze, the sound of the storm outside swallowed by the silence in the room. I screamed Natalie’s name, but she was already falling, her blood blooming across Rachel’s trembling hands. The bonus mission was over. As the world spun out, I clung to one last thought: if this is the end, at least we’re going out side by side.