Chapter 374: The Final Path to Redemption (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

All players currently playing Red Dead Redemption were dumbfounded when they learned Arthur had contracted tuberculosis.

If it were today, the cure rate for tuberculosis would be very high.

But what era is the game set in?

The late 19th, early 20th century.

In such a world, tuberculosis was equivalent to a terminal illness.

So, Arthur Morgan's ultimate fate was destined to be death? All players felt a tremor in their hearts at this thought.

Because they simply couldn't think of any way to save Arthur Morgan.

As for how Arthur Morgan contracted tuberculosis? Many players already had a guess, combining it with the tragic encounter of Mrs. Downes they had seen earlier.

They recalled Thomas Downes, a debtor Arthur encountered in Valentine while collecting for Strauss. The blood coughed up when Arthur beat him might have been the trigger.

At this moment, Arthur was lost, wandering aimlessly through the streets until he was called by a kind voice – an old nun he had met once before.

The nun, seeing Arthur's dazed state, offered to talk with him. She told Arthur that there was no purely good or purely evil soul in this world.

What mattered was what kind of person you wanted to be, and to strive to become that person to the best of your ability.

The nun's words cleared Arthur's mind considerably. What had happened couldn't be changed; all he could do was help those around him who needed it.

So Arthur rallied and found Sadie, and together they went to rescue John Marston.

Sadie had already prepared a hot air balloon, allowing Arthur to survey the prison's terrain from above.

Flying in the sky in a hot air balloon, watching the birds and white clouds, and looking down at the earth, gave players a unique feeling.

After a fierce battle, Sadie and Arthur rescued John.

But upon returning to camp, Dutch reacted with anger, because all of this had been done behind Dutch's back.

Here, Arthur had his first argument with Dutch.

Dutch looked at Arthur and angrily shouted: 'I had a goddamn plan!'

Yes, a plan.

Dutch again stated that he had a goddamn plan.

Whenever Dutch's dialogue appeared, he basically couldn't go three sentences without mentioning his plan.

This made people wonder just how many plans Dutch had, like a clown whose act had failed, desperate to save face.

Dutch had completely changed.

The Dutch from the snowy mountains had once told Sadie that although they were outlaws, they were a group of people with ideals.

Yet, the Dutch who once said no one would be left behind now ignored John Marston, who was about to be executed, and instead conspired with Micah, preoccupied with his grand plan.

During this process, Arthur also began helping strangers. When collecting a debt, Arthur found the debtor had died from overwork. Seeing the widow and children, Arthur not only didn't collect the debt but gave them money, though the widow just smiled bitterly, saying it was too late.

Upon returning to camp, Arthur also directly drove Strauss away.

The entire camp grew increasingly desolate. Some companions whose ties to the gang were not deep, such as Reverend Swanson and Trelawny, quietly chose to leave when no one was paying attention. Arthur even actively helped them depart.

The remaining members either drowned their sorrows in drink or harbored mutual suspicion, their cohesion completely gone.

But for Arthur, no matter what, he wanted to protect his family, including the out-of-control Dutch.

And at this time, Dutch's mouth was still full of his plans.

To grow mangoes in Tahiti, to set up fisheries in the Fiji Islands, to raise tree kangaroos and turkeys in New Guinea.

Simply put, it was about making money, running away, and then farming.

But Dutch's actions showed no such intention.

He recklessly killed the big capitalist Cornwall.

He even thought of instigating conflict between the Native Americans and the American army stationed in the West, hoping to fish in troubled waters and pull off a big score.

At this point, Arthur would even actively urge John Marston to run away with Abigail and Little Jack.

Then, Eagle Flies, the son of the Native American chief Rains Fall, approached Dutch, wanting to hire him to attack the American army and steal Native American horses.

Unlike Chief Rains Fall, who had experienced long wars and knew that Native Americans could not contend with white people, and could only preserve their people by enduring humiliation, Eagle Flies was solely focused on making those white people pay.

Everyone, including Charles, was unwilling, because it was simply too crazy.

But Dutch saw a exploitable point in Eagle Flies. He didn't care about the fate of the Native Americans; he only wanted to escalate things to divert the attention of law enforcement. Dutch even incited Eagle Flies to lead his people to attack the army.

In the end, naturally, the Native Americans suffered heavy casualties, and even Arthur and Dutch nearly died in that battle.

And it was precisely because of this battle that the hatred between white people and Native Americans intensified. Even Monroe, the only officer in the army who cared for Native Americans and wanted to bring true peace, was charged with treason.

But fortunately, with Arthur's help, Monroe successfully left America, and at the train station, Arthur once again met the old nun.

Facing the old nun who was about to go live in Mexico, Arthur's heart warmed, and he poured out all his low emotions. Looking at the nun comforting him, Arthur faced his true inner self for the first time.

"Perhaps... I'm scared."

Arthur's expression at this moment made all players who saw it feel a pang of heartache.

In the past, Arthur had always been a tough guy, never showing such an expression, but now, for the first time, Arthur showed a vulnerable expression.

The illness worsened day by day, and death eroded Arthur. He was also a mortal, and he naturally felt fear.

But in the end, Arthur decided, as the nun said, to help others in the remaining time of his life and face his final outcome with equanimity.

He went to help more people, even visiting Mr. Downes's widow and children, trying to make amends for the harm the Van der Linde gang had caused them.

Arthur knew he couldn't get their forgiveness, so he simply helped them solve their problems and gave them a large sum of money to leave.

Returning to camp once again, Arthur received a final letter from Mary, along with a ring, their token of love.

In her heart, Mary said she clearly knew that the old Arthur had always been fighting an inner giant.

But that Arthur had lost to that giant again and again.

Mary had hoped again and again that Arthur could defeat that giant, but each time, only hope arrived.

What she didn't know was that the last time, Arthur had already defeated that giant.

It was just too late.

In the final journey of his life, Arthur began his own path to redemption; he was no longer lost.

The former Arthur was not a good man; he had killed people, robbed others, and committed all sorts of bad deeds.

But in these last moments of his life, Arthur hoped to achieve some redemption, to make his soul feel better.

In the current gang, there were few people Arthur could trust, but Sadie, like a Valkyrie, was definitely one.

Knowing his days were numbered, Arthur asked Sadie if she could take care of people like Abigail and Little Jack in the gang if things became unmanageable later.

Sadie naturally agreed, but she also had a request: that Arthur accompany her to kill all the remaining O'Driscolls, as one of them was the man who had killed Sadie's husband. This was Sadie's last unresolved issue.

They furiously fought their way into the farm, and Sadie finally found closure by stabbing her enemy through the heart with a dagger.

Their friendship deepened. Then, the two returned to the gang, only to find Eagle Flies leading all the warriors of his tribe, preparing to attack a white man's oil refinery. He even asked the Van der Linde gang to join them in battle.

Arthur and Dutch's group subsequently headed to the refinery, but by the time they arrived, the Native Americans had already suffered heavy casualties.

During the fierce battle, the Native Americans successfully retreated, and Dutch took advantage of the chaos to go with Arthur to the factory office and steal a large stack of bonds.

But as the two were leaving the factory, Arthur was accidentally sprayed by steam and subdued by the arriving enemies.

Arthur, on the ground, loudly called for Dutch's help, but at that very moment.

The man he had once admired so much, the man for whom he had dedicated his entire life, merely pretended not to hear and silently turned to leave.

In his utter despair, Arthur was unexpectedly rescued by Eagle Flies, who rushed in, but Eagle Flies himself was severely wounded by gunfire.

Looking at Dutch, who seemed to have lost his memory and claimed to know nothing, Arthur's heart turned cold.

He sent Eagle Flies back to the tribe, but in the end, he didn't make it.

At this point, Charles also chose to stay and help the Native Americans.

Back at camp, Uncle and Pearson had also fled.

An enraged Dutch led the remaining members to complete his final 'plan' – attacking the army's train.

Midway, John was shot, and Dutch claimed he would go back to rescue him.

But after the robbery, Dutch did not bring John back, only telling Arthur that John was dead.

Arthur was skeptical of Dutch's words, and upon returning to camp, he found Tilly had escaped with Little Jack. It turned out the Pinkertons had come calling again, and had even captured Abigail, intending to make Dutch's group surrender.

But Dutch was completely oblivious to these matters by now, even announcing in front of Little Jack that he was abandoning Abigail.

In the end, only Arthur and Sadie chose to stay and rescue Abigail.

With Sadie's help, Arthur rescued Abigail and also learned the true identity of the traitor from Pinkerton Agent Milton.

It was the despicable Micah.

After rescuing Abigail, Arthur asked Sadie to protect Abigail, while he himself chose not to leave with them.

Because even though time was short, and even though Dutch had disappointed Arthur immensely, he had his own conviction.

He still had to return to the gang and expose Micah's insidious true colors.

By this time, Arthur was ravaged by illness, a shadow of his former self. The once sharpshooter was now on the verge of being crushed by lung disease.

Mounting his beloved horse, he took out his worn cowboy hat from his bag and put it on. Arthur resolutely headed towards the gang's location.

Cinematic shots, coupled with a desolate background music.

'That's The Way It Is'

This was Arthur Morgan's final path to redemption.

Arthur, riding with the wind, dedicated his entire life to the gang, starting and ending with the gang, just like the name of the game, Red Dead Redemption.

Watching Arthur gallop across the wilderness, Old Dai, who was playing the game, could no longer hold back his tears.

'I wish you would have done that before you worked yourself to death,' the widow in the mountains, with her child, said to Arthur.

'I'm truly sorry for you, son, this disease is terrible,' the doctor in the clinic regretfully told the now diagnosed Arthur.

'All you can do now is decide what kind of man you want to be for the rest of your life.'

'Thank you for saving my life, you're a good man, I mean...'

'Thank you, partner!'

'You know, there aren't that many good people in this world... that's for sure.'

'People never change, they just get closer to their true selves.'

'Perhaps this is a sign, Arthur... try to do some good.'

The words of people he had met on his journey echoed in Arthur's ears.

In the twilight, Arthur returned to camp.

In front of everyone, Arthur told Dutch that Micah was the traitor.

At this moment, John Marston, who had once again been abandoned during the train robbery, also returned to camp and confronted Dutch.

The entire gang descended into chaos, even pointing guns at each other.

Once a family, now suspicious and hostile.

Just then, the Pinkerton detectives attacked from the mountain again. At this point, Micah even shot and killed Susan Grimshaw.

Unlike before, when they could unite against external enemies, now they could only scatter and flee.

During their escape, the illness consumed Arthur's last remaining strength.

The horse that had accompanied the players and Arthur on this journey also closed its eyes forever.

Horse reviver could no longer be used.

Looking at the injured John Marston, Arthur Morgan finally made a decision here.

He had no future. Suffering from a terminal illness, he didn't know how many more sunrises he would see.

But John Marston was different.

Abigail and his son, Little Jack, were still waiting for him.

'No, I don't think I can last much longer,' Arthur Morgan stopped and shook his head.

'Try again, there's no time to talk so much now, at least not now,' John Marston urged Arthur Morgan not to give up.

Shaking his head gently, Arthur Morgan took a deep breath.

'You go first.'

'The two of us can't get away together... Go, now, while you can.'

'This means a lot to me, go...'

Arthur took off his cowboy hat and placed it on John Marston's head.

This was his last redemption in life.

After convincing Marston to leave, Arthur single-handedly repelled the pursuing Pinkerton Agents.

But just then, Micah, the insidious scoundrel of the gang, seized the opportunity to ambush Arthur.

Facing Micah, Arthur Morgan fought with his last ounce of strength.

Even though the illness had severely weakened Arthur, he still fought Micah to a near-stalemate.

The only thing that broke the deadlock was the sudden appearance of Dutch.

Facing Micah and Arthur lying on the ground.

At this moment, Dutch might have realized who the traitor in the gang truly was.

But at this time, he simply turned and walked away without a word.

After that, Micah also turned and left.

Leaving Arthur alone on the ground.

Accompanied by a desolate BGM, Arthur suddenly seemed to have a hallucination.

Just like when he first contracted tuberculosis and collapsed on the street, a deer appeared before Arthur.

Then the sun rose. Looking at the sun on the hillside, Arthur showed a faint smile. At this moment, he finally found peace.

The gang he had cared about his whole life, even to the very end, and couldn't let go of, he finally let go of it now.

Because he understood one thing.

That in the last moments of his life, he had completed his own redemption.

As the sun rose, Arthur closed his eyes forever.

Sharpshooter Arthur, his story had ended.

(End of Chapter) <>