Taken hostage

Could you stop bothering me at a time like this?

The system seemed able to read his thoughts and immediately responded.

[Understood. If you need anything, you can call Little A. I look forward to seeing you again.]

But the peace didn't last long before another system notification popped up.

[Side quest detected. Wealthy heir Victor Zsasz has fled his family's wedding ceremony. Please help him evade his bodyguards. Complete the quest to receive 1 High-Society Party Invitation and 1 Marking Beacon.]

"Do I need to say it again? Stop bothering me!"

What kind of Mary Sue plot is this? Don't tell me it wants me to help Zsasz escape.

Never mind how dangerous that would be-a ruthless serial killer like Zsasz probably didn't need anyone's help.

[You've misunderstood. Novice is an open city. Aside from leaving the game area, you can do anything you like. Any location may unlock a quest, and whether you complete it depends on...]

Before the text finished appearing, William closed the dialogue box.

Almost at the same moment, two gunshots rang out deep inside the factory.

Bang-bang!!

A scramble of footsteps followed from behind the iron door, mixed with officers' shouts.

"He's over there!"

"I hit him!"

"There's a body beneath me..."

Everything happened too fast. Before William could process it, a policeman came into view, leaning against the iron door.

Blood soaked the policeman's collar. Clutching his neck, he staggered out of the factory and collapsed.

William took no chances. He aimed his gun into the factory, crouching as he slowly approached.

"Are you okay...? Hey! We've got a wounded officer here..."

"Easy, buddy!"

With a chilling chuckle, a finger tipped up the police cap, revealing a razor-sharp gaze beneath its shadow.

The face that met William's eyes was covered in straight knife scars.

It was Victor Zsasz!

The instant their eyes met, Zsasz clamped his right hand around William's throat, twisted William's wrist back with his left, and snatched his service pistol.

Just like in the comics, Zsasz looked scrawny but possessed strength far beyond an ordinary person's.

Caught in his grip, William was like a kitten held by the scruff, utterly unable to resist.

"You should've been more careful, kid! Not that it would've made much difference. The moment you left cover, I could've put a throwing knife through your throat. I knew you wouldn't leave a fellow officer to die, right?"

Zsasz was more talkative than William had expected, and the raspy voice vibrating through his relaxed vocal cords was surprisingly pleasant.

Provided, of course, that he ignored that terrifying, scarred face.

"If I help you escape, will you let me go?"

William showed no panic. As long as Zsasz hadn't killed him outright, he believed there was still room to negotiate.

"You're the most shameless bastard I've met lately. I'm holding you hostage, and you call that helping me?!" Zsasz gave a sinister grin.

"You misunderstood me."

William licked his dry lips and deliberately slowed his speech.

Sure enough, he piqued Zsasz's curiosity.

"What do you mean, then?"

"Every cop in Gotham is heading to the Sugar Mill right now. Kill me, and you cut off your own escape route."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I drive. You keep pretending to be wounded."

Zsasz narrowed his eyes.

It was a tempting proposal. With William providing cover, he could indeed avoid a lot of trouble.

The problem was, why should he trust a hostage?

"I know what you're worried about. I just want to live. Gotham cops aren't as brave as you think-except for that idiot James Gordon!" William stressed the last words, as though venting his resentment toward Gordon.

That earned Zsasz's agreement.

"Yes! Exactly!! James Gordon is like a stinking, extra-strength glue trap. He's so damn annoying! All right, buddy, we'll have plenty of time in the car to bad-mouth Gordon, but right now we need to go! Just remember, no funny business. This gun stays pointed at you!!"

The muzzle pressed into William's lower back.

They climbed into the police car, one after the other.

Zsasz smeared blood over his cheeks and leaned against the window, pretending to be at death's door.

William stole a glance at him. Blood was flowing from his side; a bullet seemed to have torn away a large chunk of flesh.

Events unfolded just as William had predicted. One wailing siren after another converged on the abandoned Sugar Mill, and more officers had been stationed at the industrial district's exit to check passing vehicles.

As expected, his car was stopped.

"William, aren't you on leave?"

"Long story. I've got a wounded officer. Get those spike strips out of the way!"

The urgency on William's face was no act. Hidden in the shadows, Zsasz was pressing the police pistol against his side with such brute force that he seemed intent on driving the barrel into his flesh.

Fortunately, once the officer at the checkpoint heard someone was wounded, he asked no further questions and immediately waved them through.

And so, through a strange turn of events, William helped a serial killer slip through the police dragnet.

"Left, then right at the second intersection!"

"Keep going straight. Turn left when you reach the docks."

Rain began falling on Gotham in the early hours of the morning.

Heavy drops hammered the metal roof, and a film of mist clouded the windows.

Following Zsasz's directions, William drove without any sense of where he was going, until the police car stopped in a dark alley beside the harbor.

Zsasz got out first, then flicked his gun toward the open car door.

His meaning was clear-stop resisting and get out.

William slowly lifted his hands from the steering wheel.

He was taken into Zsasz's hideout, an abandoned apartment that looked utterly unremarkable from outside.

After leading him through a dark, damp hallway, Zsasz shoved him into the apartment.

William looked around.

Old newspapers covered the windows. When the living room's ceiling light came on, it revealed a tastefully furnished little apartment that was almost spotless.

"Take off your shoes. Get my carpet dirty, and you're dead."

Back home, Zsasz sounded considerably more relaxed. He kicked off his ill-fitting dress shoes, walked over to the refrigerator, and poured himself a glass of milk.

Throughout the process, his gun remained trained on William.

Then the now-barefoot William was led into a room converted into a secure cell.

It had no windows. Gray tiles lined the empty room, with a sink and a toilet installed in one corner.

"Get some rest. Once I've dealt with my wound... I'll deal with you."

Zsasz wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb, looking at William as though he were a cake topped with strawberries.

Once the door closed, William went over to examine it.

Unfortunately, the door was not only thick and heavy, but also had no handle or lock on the inside. Its edges fitted flush against the walls. Clearly, it wasn't designed to be opened from within.

Well, since it's come to this, I might as well rest.

William took a couple of mouthfuls of water from the sink, then spat it all out with a splash-Gotham's tap water had a strange taste, like rotting corpses mixed with rusty iron.

He could only splash some water on his face and force himself to stay alert.

As he racked his brains for a way to escape, another system notification popped up.

[Congratulations on completing the quest. You successfully helped Victor Zsasz evade his family's bodyguards, earning 1 High-Society Party Invitation and 1 Marking Beacon. Little A has detected that you are currently idle. Would you like an introduction to the system interface and its core functions?]

"Go ahead."

William had no choice. Pinning his hopes on the system was clearly more realistic than breaking down the door with his bare hands.

The dialogue box vanished, and an inventory window immediately popped up in its place.

The rewards from the earlier quest appeared as icons in its slots.

[This is your inventory. Anything you can carry on your person can be stored here, but please leave at least three slots empty so that quest rewards can be delivered.]

[Next, let me explain how the Marking Beacon works. Simply drag the item from your inventory onto the portrait of a romanceable character, and you will be able to see their true opinion of you and their affection level. Please note that beacons are consumable items, and a mark cannot be removed once applied.]

[Next, I will open the character menu. It contains all the romanceable girls you have met.]

The inventory closed, and a new window popped up.

There were three portraits in the window. The first was the drug-addicted neighbor who had killed his father earlier, the second was James Gordon, and the last was Victor Zsasz.

[These are the girls you can currently romance. Try dragging a beacon onto their cute portraits.]

William glanced at Zsasz's spectacularly horrifying, scarred face.

You call that cute?

Following the instructions, he moved a beacon onto Zsasz's portrait.

The portrait changed. A row of gray heart icons appeared on the left, and latitude and longitude coordinates even appeared above it.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked Victor Zsasz's affection system and coordinates. Even when you're apart, you can use his coordinates to arrange chance encounters whenever you like.]