Chapter 196: Revenge Is Sweet Part 5

Once the call was cut, Oliver found himself in a very tough situation. His immediate thought was whether to contact Batman and the League about this, but he quickly dismissed the idea. 

He was already on the clock now, so waiting for backup wasn't ideal. He could only start making his way down the building immediately while pondering who could be behind this.

Once again, an immediate thought arose in his mind: Arias. Given the recent warning from Lois, it was natural to assume that Arias was responsible, but Oliver knew he had many enemies as Green Arrow, so he didn't jump to conclusions. 

…

While time was ticking away for Oliver, Arias sat in his office, staring at a blank monitor with a ballpoint pen in hand. He kept clicking the tip in silence, seemingly lost in thought, until his satellite phone rang. 

Upon answering, Cheshire's voice came through. 

[It's done, but there were some… unexpected changes to the plan.]

Hearing this, Arias frowned and asked, "What changes?"

To someone like him, who tried to maximize benefits and minimize losses, Arias was very careful with his planning. He wanted to be sure these changes didn't affect the overall outcome he envisioned. 

[I found someone close to him like you said—a girl, his secretary. But her parents were around, so that's the change. What do you want me to do?]

Hearing of these changes, Arias fell into brief thought before replying, "No. If anything, this should work even better. The only change is…" 

…

Unbeknownst to the events transpiring that evening, Batman was inside his Batcave tending to other matters. 

He stood in front of a 3D display of a mountainous terrain on an island. Beside him was his butler, Alfred, who glanced at the structure with a concerned gaze. 

"Was it really wise to purchase an island so far from the mainland, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked flatly, looking at the structure from different angles while shaking his head.

Bruce, who wore his Batman attire minus the mask, showed little reaction to Alfred's concern. 

"The League is going to need a new base of operations, and the best places for that are territories belonging to no one nation. It'll be costly, but this island meets a lot of my requirements."

Alfred could only sigh, still unconvinced. But he knew it was no easy task convincing Bruce otherwise once he set his mind to something. 

"Well, I suppose the view will be quite nice at times," Alfred remarked whimsically before shifting the topic. 

"Young Miss Barbara has been performing quite well in her training drills, but are you sure it's the right decision to keep her close despite her affiliation with Arias Markovic?"

Hearing Arias's name, Bruce paused for a moment and shook his head. 

"It's not, but I'm responsible for getting her into this, so I'll see to it that she's ready."

"And should she become a problem in the future?" Alfred asked bluntly, never one to mince words.

Bruce replied with equal bluntness. 

"Then I'll take care of it, as I would any problem."

Alfred could only sigh and shake his head. 

"It seems Arias Markovic has made you and many others quite restless. I see a lot of you in him, Master Bruce—your fierce dedication, strong will, and brilliant ingenuity. And it's exactly because I recognize those qualities that he concerns me."

Bruce furrowed his brows at this remark and quickly opposed. 

"He is nothing like me, Alfred. But I do recognize that he's a major threat. After all, you acknowledge very few people."

This time, it was Alfred who shook his head. 

"I have lived in Gotham for many years, Master Bruce, and I have seen it grow and change along with the world. In my time, I have seen many great… and dangerous people."

Hearing this warning from Alfred, Bruce couldn't help but ask, 

"You consider Arias Markovic that dangerous? He's an extremist at most, pushing his view of the world into reality, much like Ra's doctrine."

To that question, Alfred shook his head once more. 

"No, considering what I've seen, at most I'd say he's perhaps slightly less dangerous than Ra's Al Ghul. But what about the things we haven't seen him do?" 

…

Back in Star City, Oliver drove quickly through the streets in his Arrow-car, its presence a familiar sight to the residents of Star City. 

But to avoid drawing attention to himself, he parked it in a quiet alleyway close to the gated community where Melanie lived. From there, he made his way into the property and finally saw Melanie's home.

Seeing that he still had some minutes before the designated time, Oliver quickly scanned the area for any suspicious signs but saw nothing. The rest of the neighborhood was operating as it would on any other day, and Melanie's house looked normal from the outside.

*'How do I approach this?'* This was the question tugging at Oliver's mind. 

Without being sure whether there was more than one enemy, he couldn't blindly rush in for a rescue. But at the same time, he had no guarantee that things would work out if he followed the enemy's instructions. 

Seeing time tick away, Oliver chose the safer option. But just in case, he tapped the arrow insignia on his belt to send out a distress signal before standing up and approaching the home. 

If things went south, he would place his trust in Batman and the League.

Upon approaching the home, Oliver wanted to knock, but the door clicked open on its own. He frowned, knowing it was a clear message that whoever was behind this could see him. The real question was, for how long had Oliver been watched? 

This variable made him nervous as he cautiously walked into the home. 

"Hello?" he called out, but received no answer and walked further inside.

He soon made his way to the living area, where he found Melanie's parents struggling in their binds on the floor. Melanie, however, was neither tied nor bound. She was seated near them, tears streaming down her face. 

"Are you okay? Is anyone hurt?" Oliver, or rather Green Arrow, asked with visible concern and was about to approach when suddenly Melanie yelled toward him, 

"Don't move!"

Green Arrow froze instinctively and immediately looked down at his feet, frowning at what he saw… *'A pressure plate…'* 

Before he could question anything, the same hoarse, digitally altered voice that had contacted him earlier resounded in the living room. 

[Oh, you came a minute early? I like that. In case you haven't realized it yet, you're standing on a very sensitive pressure plate, and in the corner, there's a tiny little motion sensor locked onto your arms. The moment either is set off, the numerous charges I've put in the ceiling and floor will go off… boom.]

"Who are you? Why don't you let these people go? Your business is clearly with me." 

Oliver, despite the dire circumstances, didn't look fazed, having been in similarly tight situations before.

Cheshire, who was about to respond playfully, received her own instructions through an earpiece. 

[Don't answer. He's trying to stall for time. Just do exactly as I told you. Click~!]

Cheshire, who was hiding in one of the house's rooms, rolled her eyes in disappointment but did as she was told. 

[Oh, I will, provided our brave little miss here can follow instructions. Melanie, was it? Look in the first drawer beside the couch—you should see a little present from moi. Tick-tock, I haven't got all night.]

A trembling Melanie hurriedly did as she was told and took out a pistol with a silencer attached, her eyes widening even more in fright. 

[Good, good. Now approach the wannabe hero in front of you and put the gun right at the center of his palm… then softly pull the trigger. Do that for each hand. You have 10 seconds.]

Hearing this absurd task, Melanie was shocked. 

"I-I can't."

[9 seconds until your family dies. 8…]

Oliver, not wanting to risk the lives of the innocent, gave Melanie a vocal push. 

"Do it. I can take it."

[5…]

Melanie quickly grit her teeth and did as she was told, placing the barrel of the gun right on Green Arrow's palm before firing once. 

**Pa!**~• 

It rang silently, but Green Arrow couldn't help but jerk in pain, unable to move due to the pressure plate and motion sensors.

But neither he nor Melanie were given time to process the situation as the hoarse voice continued to count down. 

[3…]

So, in quick succession, she shifted her attention to the second hand and shot again. 

"Arghh…" 

Green Arrow gritted his teeth, doing his best not to move his hands as they trembled in pain. Melanie cried harder, the situation becoming far too much for her. 

"Please… just let us go…"

[Ohh, well, since you asked so nicely, just do two more things for me, and then you can go. First, be a dear and remove our guest's mask. I mean, we're all friends here, right? Come on, chop chop.]

A trembling Melanie did as she was told, lowering Green Arrow's hood before removing his mask. Her hands unconsciously dropped it once she saw his real face. 

"Oliver… no…

 no… please… *sob*"

Melanie found herself in a twisted form of denial, as if her worst nightmare had come true. But she wasn't given time to dwell on her confusion. 

[Wow, to think Star City's vigilante hero was such a looker. A shame, really, that my next task is for you to kill him.]

!!

Hearing this, Melanie felt her legs go weak, but the voice continued. 

[But… since I'm such a nice person and I'm short on time, I'll give you a choice. Either you put a bullet in him… or yourself. Then no one else has to die. You have 3 seconds, and then everyone can just die together.]

"Wait! Wait! Let these people go! I'm the one you want!" Oliver yelled angrily, finding himself in a situation beyond hopeless. 

If he moved… everyone died. But if he didn't… a woman he had feelings for would either kill him or herself. 

He had absolutely no say in the matter and could only helplessly grit his teeth. 

[3…]

"Melanie, look at me. Point the gun and shoot me. Do it." 

With no other options, Oliver could only try and persuade Melanie to end him.

But Arias would never have arranged this if it was so simple to deal with. He understood best what a woman in love was capable of. 

Oliver had single-handedly changed Melanie's life for the better as Oliver, and had even saved her before as Green Arrow. The debt she owed him wasn't small, and neither were her feelings. 

[2…]

So, as the countdown reached its end, Melanie showed a defeated smile as tears fell down her face. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Queen… thank you for everything. Mom… Dad… *sniff* I love you." 

[1…]

**Pa!**~• 

Without any hesitation, the young woman put the gun to her own head and fired, instantly ending her life.

Even as the woman ended her life before him, Oliver was helpless to move, instead gritting his teeth as his eyes turned bloodshot. 

[Wow, what an ending, wouldn't you say? Well, as someone who keeps their word, consider your lives spared. Isn't that great? Well, thank you for playing.]

With a static screech, the voice soon cut off entirely, and the room went silent. 

Both Oliver and Melanie's parents could only watch her body soak in a pool of her own blood, lifeless… forever gone. Tears ran down their faces, and they struggled to move but to no avail. 

As for Green Arrow, he could only shut his eyes, feeling both anger and despair. 

…

But it wasn't over. As Cheshire rushed to make a speedy escape out of the compound, she contacted Arias again. 

"It's done, and you were right—the girl killed herself. But don't you think the guy should've gotten more than just some shots to the hand?"

Cheshire was well aware that Green Arrow was Arias's target, and although she could understand the emotional scarring he would face, she wasn't quite content with the physical outcome. 

But Arias, being who he was, didn't care. Torture was unbearable to those with weak wills—overall pointless when applied to certain individuals. More importantly, he already had a set outcome.

[He caused my reputation to fall somewhat, so I want to see how his will fares as the world learns of his identity and his part in the death of such an innocent woman.]

[On the very slim chance he makes it through that ordeal, the many criminal charges against Green Arrow will fall to him. His reputation will plummet, his company will suffer by affiliation, and in turn, his wealth. One way or another, he'll soon be sitting in a cell, reliving the scene of that innocent young woman dying right in front of him every night… a feeling that will be made even worse once it's found that there were no charges, no pressure plates, and no motion sensors. That, Cheshire, is its own form of torture.]