33-34

*Chapter 33: The Patrol Officers*

“Special Recipe Bacon Sandwich.”

Early the next morning.

The bearded man knocked on the door of Room 404 once again, holding breakfast.

“So, another secret menu item?”

Allen glanced down at the sandwich bread on the plate, its edges overly burnt, and asked with a sarcastic tone.

“Exactly.”

Without hesitation, the bearded man nodded and grinned smugly, unaware of the smear of ketchup inadvertently staining his collar.

“I’m starting to doubt whether the restaurant ‘John Charlie’ actually exists.”

Allen withdrew his gaze from the bright red ketchup and continued his sarcastic remarks.

“No doubt about it.”

Shrugging, the bearded man responded confidently.

“‘John Charlie’ is the most famous barbecue joint near the Devil’s River area. Their smoked beef is unparalleled. Anyone who’s tasted it would never forget it...”

Standing at the doorway, Allen listened to the bearded man’s vivid description of the barbecue while looking down at the unevenly cut sandwich on the plate, his expression inscrutable.

“Of course, their sandwiches aren’t bad either,” the bearded man added hastily, noticing Allen’s expression and quickly redirecting the conversation.

“This is a secret menu item at ‘John Charlie.’ Under normal circumstances, it’s not something everyone gets to try.”

Honestly, I’d rather eat something that’s not from the secret menu.

Allen thought silently to himself, though he was somewhat curious about the barbecue the bearded man mentioned.

Still, he hadn’t forgotten the purpose of his trip.

He reached out, took the sandwich from the bearded man’s hands, and once again shut the door in his face.

“So rude,” the bearded man muttered softly, standing outside the closed door.

“Still, I made ten bucks.”

The thought of pocketing a ten-dollar tip from Allen’s payment brought a smile back to his face.

---

“Ketchup and bacon don’t mix at all.”

Inside the room, Allen took a bite of the sandwich, tasting the clash of tangy sweetness from the ketchup with the smoky flavor. He frowned.

Pinching his nose, he forced down the rest of the sandwich, then dusted off his hands and shifted his focus back to the system’s interface.

After a night of preparation, the background for the script was nearly complete.

All that remained was waiting for the moment the performance officially began.

“Since I’ve spent over 10,000 ‘Plot Points’ to develop this script, perhaps I should add a bit more attention to set up for future evolutions...”

In the dim light of the inn, Allen muttered to himself.

At the top of the system interface, 500 points were suddenly deducted from the [Plot Points] counter.

Simultaneously, certain parts of the script were quickly adjusted.

The headquarters of the Texas Rangers in Austin received an emergency call.

---

“It’s an honor to meet you all…”

Outside a forest near a remote small town on the Devil’s River in Texas, a large group of officers was collecting evidence at the scene.

A long stretch of yellow police tape cordoned off the crime scene. The town sheriff nodded to the Texas Rangers who had just arrived.

“You’re probably used to cases like this, but for a small town like ours, this is a big deal.”

Leading two Rangers into the forest, the sheriff briefed them on the case.

“He was found at six-thirty in the morning. A forest adventurer came across him and was terrified. We rushed to the scene as soon as we got the call. I can assure you, in all my years in this town, I’ve never seen a death this gruesome.”

“Do we know who the victim is?”

Noticing the sheriff’s choice of words, Amanda, one of the Rangers, immediately followed up.

“It’s Old Johnson, a local hunter.”

The sheriff adjusted his hat and continued.

“We found a broken shotgun near the scene. It seems like Old Johnson was attacked by a wild animal while hunting. That could be the cause of death.”

Following the sheriff’s description, Amanda and her partner, Robin, arrived at the bush where the victim lay.

Seeing the mangled body, they immediately understood why the sheriff described it as gruesome.

“People look different when they’re dead,” the sheriff muttered with a touch of unease as he gazed at the body.

Amanda and Robin, however, ignored his sentiment. They crouched to examine the wounds.

Using a gloved hand, Robin turned over the body and calmly analyzed the injuries.

“The fatal wound is on the neck. It seems to be a wild animal attack.”

“It’s not just a simple animal attack,” Amanda countered, offering a different perspective.

She frowned, scanning the corpse and glancing at the broken shotgun nearby.

“A mere animal attack wouldn’t snap a shotgun in half.”

Standing up, Amanda surveyed the area. Soon, she noticed clear drag marks on the ground. Following the trail, she discovered the body of a hunting dog among some trampled bushes.

---

“Interesting.”

Back at the inn, Allen watched Amanda’s actions through the system interface, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

The female Ranger’s performance exceeded his expectations.

He had been pondering how to guide the police to discover the hunting dog’s body. To his surprise, the Ranger found the clue immediately upon arriving at the scene.

“Maybe she’s a good candidate…”

Staring at the confident female Ranger in the system display, Allen muttered to himself.

---

“No wonder you’re from Austin.”

After arranging for officers to drag the hunting dog’s body out of the bushes, the sheriff glanced at Amanda and couldn’t help but admire her.

“If it were up to us, it’d probably take half a day to notice those bushes.”

“I just followed the tracks on the ground,” Amanda replied casually, her focus never leaving the hunting dog’s body.

Once the dog was pulled out, Amanda saw its body twisted nearly 180 degrees.

Robin stepped forward to inspect the body and found a strand of golden hair in the dog’s mouth.

“Found something, boss.”

Hearing her partner, Amanda stepped closer.

Seeing the strand of hair in Robin’s hand, she narrowed her eyes.

“Looks like this case is more complicated than we thought...”

(End of Chapter)  

*Chapter 34: A Cameo Appearance *

"Any findings?"

The small town's John Charlie Restaurant.  

After completing a basic round of questioning, Amanda and Robin gathered at the restaurant.

"Not much in the way of useful leads," Robin said, shaking his head. Taking a bite of the smoked beef in front of him, he nodded unconsciously before continuing his report.

"Old Johnson rarely came into town. The last time residents saw him was three days ago. He was hauling a load of animal pelts to sell to the local grocer and stocking up on necessities and shotgun shells at the supermarket."

Amanda: "Did the deceased have any disputes with the townsfolk?"

Robin: "None. Old Johnson was a loner, reclusive by nature. He barely had contact with anyone except for a few occasional acquaintances."

Robin's report made Amanda frown.

In most cases, reclusive victims were among the hardest to investigate.

Their limited social interactions often left investigators with little to no usable leads.

This was especially true given the clues found in the forest: a broken shotgun and strands of golden hair.

Even Amanda found it challenging to deduce anything concrete from these two pieces of evidence.

"Anything else unusual?"

Unable to pinpoint a lead immediately, Amanda chose the most tedious and time-consuming approach.

"Not much else," Robin said after racking his brain to recall the details of his investigation.

"Except, late yesterday, someone drove into town. Quite a few residents noticed."

"Then let's start there," Amanda decided decisively.

"Any idea where this person is staying?"

"Someone saw them enter the town’s only inn."

---

*The Inn, Kitchen*

"The fridge is nearly empty," muttered a bearded man, staring at the meager contents: a few slices of ham, some eggs, and bread. He sighed.

"Maybe they’ll like ham and eggs."

Mentally rationing the remaining ingredients, the bearded man nodded to himself. Without hesitation, he grabbed the ham and eggs.

"Lunch is settled: John Charlie’s hidden menu—ham and eggs," he declared to himself.

"Is anyone here?"

Just as he prepared to showcase his culinary skills, a voice from the inn’s living room interrupted him. Reluctantly, he stopped what he was doing.

"Rooms are $30 a night, cash only. Meals aren’t provided—not even breakfast. If you’re hungry, John Charlie’s at the street corner is your best bet—assuming..."

Reciting his well-rehearsed lines, the bearded man emerged from the kitchen. He stopped short when he saw the man and woman standing in the lobby.

"Texas Rangers."

Before he could finish his spiel, the woman produced an ID badge from her pocket, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Alright, officers," he said, stopping in his tracks. His tone became apprehensive.

"What can I help you with? This is a legitimate establishment, I assure you."

Amanda’s sharp eyes briefly noted a smear of ketchup on his collar before she sternly replied, "We’re investigating a death and need your cooperation, sir."

"No problem, officers. I’ll cooperate fully," the bearded man said hurriedly, wiping his hands on his shirt and nodding repeatedly. Despite his efforts, his rugged appearance lacked any air of innocence.

Thankfully, Amanda wasn’t one to judge based on appearances.

Otherwise, she might have pegged him as a suspect right away.

Her gaze shifted to the staircase as she continued questioning.

"Have there been any unusual events or people staying at the inn recently?"

"Unusual events or people?" the bearded man repeated reflexively.

After thinking for a moment, he recalled a guest who had checked in just the day before.

"If I had to say, there’s a guest who arrived yesterday. But he’s been holed up in his room since checking in—probably nothing to worry about."

Amanda immediately connected this guest to the individual Robin had mentioned earlier.

"Would you mind taking me to meet him?"

Although the bearded man’s account corroborated the guest’s alibi, Amanda believed it was still prudent to meet him. She might uncover some additional clues.

"Well..."

The bearded man hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.

"Alright."

---

*Room 404*

"This is the room," the bearded man said, standing in front of the closed door. He glanced at the Texas Rangers—Amanda and Robin—before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door.

Knock, knock, knock!  

"Coming," a voice called from inside.

Inside the room, Allen adjusted his expression as he monitored the situation through his system panel.

Since the script’s inception, Allen had quietly observed its progression. With Amanda’s unexpected involvement as a real-life Texas Ranger, the storyline had generally adhered to its original course, but subtle changes had emerged. For instance, this very scene was not part of his original script.

Nonetheless, Allen didn’t mind these improvised developments; in fact, he found them somewhat enjoyable.

"So, what’s the surprise on today’s hidden menu?"

Opening the door, Allen saw the familiar bearded man and delivered his pre-prepared line.

His expression shifted to one of 'surprise' when he noticed Amanda and Robin standing beside him.

"And you are?" Allen asked, glancing between the two Rangers and the bearded man.

"Texas Rangers, sir," Amanda said, displaying her credentials. She scrutinized Allen’s appearance, her instincts quickly ruling him out as a suspect. There was little to connect this unassuming man to Old Johnson’s death in the forest.

Meanwhile, behind his outward surprise, Allen also found Amanda intriguing.

This face-to-face interaction with characters from his system-generated script gave him an uncanny, immersive feeling. It was as if he were part of a film’s plotline.

The experience was akin to a director making a cameo in their own movie.

Except Allen’s script was far more real.

---

(Chapter End)