The incident

"Bleh!!!"

As soon as the car stopped in the modified garage, Frank could no longer hold it in and rushed out, grabbing a trash can to throw up.

God knows what he just went through...

Merlin, on the other hand, remained calm, taking off his plague doctor's robe and mask, before heading over to his workstation to check the results of their mission.

"You're insane!" Frank complained after rinsing his mouth with some ice-cold water, still shaken.

"You'll get used to it after throwing up a few more times."

"I'm not talking about that. Next time you pull some crazy stunts like that, can you at least give me a heads-up so I can brace myself?"

"Relax. Usually, beginners get some perks. Our luck wasn't too bad this time." Merlin waved dismissively as he continued checking the computer.

Frank: "!!!"

"Wait a minute. You're telling me that all those extreme moves were your first time trying them? That's not funny at all."

"I'm not joking. I was just taking advantage of the beginner's luck to test out the new car."

"Test out the new car... So, this was your first time driving this thing?" Frank was dumbfounded again.

"Yep, today was the—" Merlin's explanation was cut off.

"Wait, wait. Just stop talking." Frank put his hand up, signaling Merlin to stop, and took a deep breath to calm himself down.

He didn't dare dig any deeper. Sometimes, ignorance really is bliss.

But one thing was for sure after tonight: surviving was a miracle!

The earlier plan was executed perfectly, but the last part? That was way too insane.

No way he was riding in this guy's car again. Escaping prison would be safer than this!

...

Frank, exhausted from a night of killing, slumped onto the couch in the break room to rest.

Meanwhile, Merlin was busy calculating their mission rewards.

"The payout for this mission is six million dollars. At thirty-three percent, I get one million nine hundred eighty thousand."

"The rest is yours. Check if it's been deposited," Merlin said, holding up his phone and gesturing to Frank.

"Got it." Frank immediately took out his phone and opened his bank app.

Seeing the increased balance, he nodded and asked, curious, "Can I withdraw the money?"

"Of course. You can withdraw it at a one-to-one ratio, just like what's in the account."

"Alright... Can't believe one mission made me a millionaire." Frank was still surprised by how easy it seemed.

"The share is just for my planning. I still need to factor in the cost of the gear you lent me. That's a personal investment."

"Let's see, one slope demon car, one pump-action shotgun, one armor-piercing pistol, three explosive rounds, one sticky bomb, sixteen grenades, twelve armor-piercing bullets..." Merlin rattled off the list like a penny-pinching accountant.

"That totals up to over two hundred thousand. Let's just call it two hundred."

Frank: "..."

"You're a real cutthroat businessman."

The total payout for the mission was six million. After giving Merlin his share, four million remained. Now, after deducting another two hundred thousand, Frank was left with just over two million.

If Merlin hadn't been generous and rounded the numbers, Frank might not have even hit two million.

Is this what dealing with capitalists feels like?

Reluctantly, Frank transferred the money to Merlin. Even though he still had over two million left, thinking about the total six million haul made it hard to feel too excited.

Revenge was sweet, but for some reason, he felt slightly bitter now.

"Hehe, anything else you wanna buy? How about preordering a Skull Mare armored car? And maybe stock up on some more bullets?" Merlin grinned as he checked his account balance, tossing out more suggestions.

Frank: "..."

Great. Now this guy was eyeing the remaining two million.

...

The two chatted for a while longer, but it was late. Merlin still had to head home soon; otherwise, things could get troublesome if George showed up looking for him.

As the garage door slowly rolled shut, Merlin sat on his bike and called out to Frank, who was about to leave, "What are your plans for the future?"

Frank paused, but he didn't answer immediately, seeming deep in thought.

Before he could say anything, Merlin continued, "If the law can't punish evil, why not become the Punisher yourself?"

"This game is just that — a game, and it's all about how the player chooses to play."

...

"I'll think about it." Frank didn't give a direct answer, throwing on his jacket and quickly disappearing into the dark night.

But the skull emblem on his shirt still remained, staring back at Merlin.

...

The next day, a series of announcements and bounty notices plunged New York City into turmoil.

This time, though, the chaos was centered in Brooklyn, sparing Manhattan for the moment. Otherwise, with the Lizard incident combined with last night's mayhem, George's headaches would have reached a whole new level.

The Hell's Kitchen Motorcycle Gang and the Mexican-Irish gang were massacred by a single man. During the police pursuit, one police captain and three officers were killed — all while inside a helicopter.

All of this revolved around two people.

One was out in the open and known to all — retired army soldier Frank.

Single-handedly, he wiped out three gangs, and his motivation was clear: revenge for his wife and daughter.

Reporters quickly uncovered the court ruling from that day, and the scandal spread like wildfire, increasing public pressure on the police.

As for the other, the mysterious figure dressed in plague attire, no one had identified him yet. But by tracking Frank's movements, they were beginning to close in on some leads.

While people were focused on Frank and the enigmatic Plague Doctor, another topic was quietly gaining traction online.

The massively popular game *Morality and Law* in Apple City.

Because the slope demon car and the supercharged sports car featured prominently in the incident matched the classic vehicles from the game, many players, initially uncertain, checked their games and confirmed it.

The game forums exploded.

"Dudes, I'm sure now. The cars from last night in Brooklyn were the slope demon and the supercharged!"

"Pics, pics… Honestly, that scene with the supercharged car facing off with the helicopter under the moonlight was epic. It's my new wallpaper."

"Merlin's beard! When did the game start having an offline mode? How did I miss that?!"

"Urgent, urgent… I want to be an offline player too. Star, send me an invite code."

"Urgent, urgent… I want to drive the Tyrant! I want to drive the Hellkiller! I want to drive a tank!"

"I wanna pull a heist!"

"Add me, add me!"

...

The events of last night sent the game's player base into a frenzy, leaving everyone wondering which of them might secretly be among the game's hidden legends.