Chapter 376: Gun in Hand, Kill the Dog Micah (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

The popularity of "Red Dead Redemption" was soaring, coupled with Chen Xu's considerable reputation among players.

This official Weibo post was noticed by players as soon as it was released.

However, the content within it sparked much discussion among players.

'A satisfying ending for us? Mr. Chen is fooling us again!'

'Satisfied? Absolutely not! We strongly demand Arthur's resurrection!'

Looking at Chen Xu's official Weibo account, many players, saddened by Arthur's death, vented their emotions through comments.

However, many other players became even more curious about the final ending Chen Xu mentioned.

Moreover, these players clearly understood one thing.

That is, Arthur's death was almost an unchangeable fact.

If that was the case, what would the subsequent story be like?

What about the fates of the other members of the Van der Linde gang?

After venting on the official Weibo account, Song Ren, like many other players, entered the game to play from John Marston's perspective.

The timeline had now advanced to the eighth year after Arthur's death.

During this period, John Marston had been living incognito with his wife Abigail and son Little Jack.

The overall game story leaned more towards a calm narrative and family relationships.

Taking his wife and son, John Marston found work on a ranch near Strawberry Town.

He lived a simple life, milking cows and driving fence posts.

And then there was the ranch owner's wife, who actually wanted to invite John Marston to her room for a cup of coffee.

Ahem, we'll skip that part.

Most cowboys, contrary to the popular image of them wielding revolvers and living dangerously, were actually different.

They spent more time milking cows, helping mares give birth to foals, and engaging in other farm activities.

“What's a surprise? This is a damn surprise! So, all that before was fake Western life, and this is the real cowboy life now?”

Controlling John Marston as he worked on the farm, Song Ren was completely speechless.

Because this content felt just like the 'Farm Life' themed content in "Red Dead Redemption" on the Huanyu VR Platform.

However, the peaceful life was soon shattered.

One time, while taking his son to Strawberry Town to get mail and buy things, one of John's old enemies recognized him.

On the way, John was forced to kill in self-defense, and Little Jack was badly frightened.

Back home, Abigail and John fell into an argument, a scene they had endured countless times over the past eight years.

Worried about Little Jack, Abigail chose to temporarily leave John.

At the same time, John discovered that the package he brought back wasn't a dress Abigail bought for herself, but a birthday gift for him: a wool shirt.

After Abigail left, John Marston worked even harder, wanting to save money to establish his own small farm and regain his wife's trust.

With the help of his kind boss, John Marston applied for a loan at the bank in Blackwater Town and bought a piece of abandoned land that Abigail had once admired: Beecher's Hope.

So, John began a life of building his farm while simultaneously paying off his loan.

During this period, through Arthur's notebook, John also met some people Arthur had once helped, as well as encountering former gang members.

At the train station, John Marston met Mary-Beth, the gang's former thief, who, having always loved reading, was now an American bestselling author.

Reverend Swanson, after quitting alcohol, had become a highly respected clergyman and even took charge of the New York Church.

Pearson, the cook, had opened a general store in Rhodes Town.

Tilly, the Black woman, married a lawyer and settled in Saint Denis, living a comfortable and peaceful life.

And Karen, the blonde, busty woman who initially performed a honey trap, then pretended to be a fallen woman during the Valentine Bank robbery, lived a life of alcoholism after Sean's death, and had a big argument with Susan Grimshaw after the latter killed Molly—she too successfully emerged from her past shadows, quit drinking, and became a stage actress.

Of course, in his previous life, the character Karen was one forgotten by Rockstar Games; all other gang members had their whereabouts revealed.

But Karen's fate remained unknown, so Chen Xu also completed an ending for this character.

“Why does it feel like everyone else is doing better than me!?” Song Ren, having finished catching up with old friends, fell silent as he watched John Marston in the game.

He thought, everyone was a member of the Van der Linde gang.

Some entered high society, settled in Saint Denis, took charge of the New York Church, and became bestselling authors and stage actresses.

At worst, someone opened a general store in Rhodes Town.

Yet, here he was, building a farm in a godforsaken place outside Blackwater Town, and saddled with a mortgage?

However, Song Ren soon met someone who was doing even worse than him.

That was Uncle, the gang member who always complained of back pain and was content to waste his life away.

If Dutch was the Western Idea King, always having a plan.

Then Uncle was the Western Backache King, lying on the ground all day, claiming his back hurt and he couldn't move.

But this Uncle clung to John like a stubborn plaster, refusing to leave no matter what.

“Lazy good-for-nothing Uncle.” Looking at Uncle, who refused to get up, Song Ren was speechless.

Nevertheless, he felt that even though John Marston in the game complained about Uncle daily, he was probably happy.

Moreover, Uncle wasn't entirely useless; he helped significantly with procuring wood for the farm's renovation and even found out Charles's whereabouts.

It turned out that after Charles helped the Indian village, he returned to the camp, buried Susan Grimshaw nearby, and also found Arthur's body, burying it on a spectacularly scenic mountaintop, allowing Arthur to rest amidst flowers and beautiful scenery.

After that, Charles came to Saint Denis, making a living by bare-knuckle boxing. Upon seeing John, Charles was also very happy and accepted John's invitation to go to his farm. In the process, he also learned of Strauss's whereabouts; the seemingly cowardly moneylender was later captured by Pinkerton Agents, but unlike Micah, who betrayed the gang, Strauss did not reveal a single thing about the gang even to his death.

Later, John also encountered Sadie, who now made a living as a bodyguard and bounty hunter. By following Sadie's path, John earned a good amount of money and paid off his loan.

With the establishment of the farm, John welcomed Abigail back, went with her to take photos and watch a movie, and proposed to her in the middle of the lake using Arthur's old ring.

Watching the two embracing under the sunset, Song Ren felt a touch of emotion.

Arthur's romantic regrets were compensated by John in a way of legacy.

John Marston had now completely transformed into the good man Arthur had wanted him to be.

On John's farm, Charles, Uncle, John, Abigail, and Little Jack lived a happy life.

Everything seemed wonderful, but Song Ren still felt a sense of regret.

Because some unresolved hatred remained.

However, Song Ren's thoughts were soon confirmed.

One day, Sadie arrived and told John and the others that she had found Micah's whereabouts.

Hearing this, John returned home without hesitation to retrieve his gun.

He understood that everything had been hard-won, and even if Arthur could see him, he wouldn't want John to seek revenge for him.

But John also had his own convictions.

Inside the room, Abigail pleaded with John.

'Please... don't go! John, are you willing to gamble all of this away?'

'For what? For Micah?'

John, holding his gun, looked at Abigail and replied.

'All of this?'

'None of this would even exist if it weren't for Arthur, Sadie... and those friends who sacrificed themselves.'

'I have no choice.'

Hearing John's words, Abigail said no more.

She merely watched with worried eyes as John mounted his horse and rode away with Sadie and Charles.

'We're going to kill that dog-s**t Micah.' The three rode on, tracking the clues until they reached the great snowy mountains the Van der Linde gang had once traversed during their escape.

Climbing the snowy mountain, accompanied by the stirring execution song, the three fought their way towards the summit.

“Micah Bell! John Marston has come for you!”

On the final snowy peak, they found Micah, and also an unexpected person: Dutch.

But what was even more unforeseen was that during the three-way standoff.

Dutch actually shot and killed Micah.

A shot that was eight years too late.

In the next moment, both the player and John poured their rage into the revolver's bullets, savagely firing them into Micah's body.

Afterwards, Dutch glanced at the cowboy hat on John's head, then left the snowy mountain without a word.

John and Sadie, meanwhile, found a large chest full of money inside the room.

Only now did they realize that, long ago, Dutch had already saved enough money for them to leave the West.

Yet, Dutch had always told them they didn't have enough money and that they still needed a plan.

As stated in the prologue, the era of gunslingers and outlaws had ended.

However, some people refused to acknowledge this, unwilling to change their way of life.

Just like Dutch.

Was Dutch's goal money?

Clearly not; otherwise, he could have easily killed John Marston and Micah at the end, monopolizing all the money for himself.

He simply wasn't willing to end the Western life he knew.

But now, perhaps Dutch finally realized.

The era he was familiar with was finally coming to an end.

Just as the prologue had said, the era of outlaws would eventually come to an end.

(End of Chapter) <>