The Third Way

"Hey, my bad, homie. I picked C, ain't that a bitch?"

- Franklin Clinton to Devin Weston.



The Third Way is the final storyline mission in Grand Theft Auto V. The mission is triggered if the player has Franklin choose option C (Deathwish).

Overview
Agents Steve Haines and Dave Norton task Franklin to kill Trevor Philips, due to him being a liability, despite having saved both of them. Later, Devin Weston shows up at Franklin's house and tells Franklin to kill Michael De Santa, due to him also being a liability, for Molly's death and his failure to kill Michael's family. Weston then gives Franklin three options. A, listen to the FIB Agents, or B, Weston himself, or C, try to save both of his mentors. After Weston leaves, Franklin is given a set of three options on his cell phone, Kill Trevor (A), Kill Michael (B), or Deathwish (C). Choosing C leads to this mission, and has Lester called, who tells him to discuss the things at his place.

After choosing option C, Franklin meets Lester at his home where he tells him how Haines wants Trevor killed and Weston wants Michael killed. They at first, seem to not have any hope of thinking of a way so both Trevor and Michael survive. But after a brainstorm, Lester comes up with a plan to avoid having to kill either. The plan is to lead the FIB and Merryweather into a trap at the foundry under the pretense of melting down the gold there from the Union Depository heist. Haines' FIB unit seeks redemption for the internal affairs incident so they participate in the raid, and Merryweather being sent to recover the stolen gold.

Showdown at the foundry
Franklin picks up Lamar Davis at his home and they go to the foundry, with Lamar having newfound respect for Franklin for doing this for both Trevor and Michael rather than himself. Lamar waits outside and keeps a lookout while Franklin goes inside to find Michael and Trevor arguing and about to kill each other; Michael with a Heavy Sniper and Trevor with a Combat MG, but he easily stops them. Lamar then warns Franklin about the FIB agents approaching fast towards the foundry and their location, and Michael, Trevor, and Franklin work together to kill all of the FIB agents and Merryweather mercenaries sent against them in one swift ambush. Various stages of the ensuing battle require that the player provide backup to certain characters. First, Lamar will radio that he is being overrun and needs help. Franklin must get out to the foundry entrance where he dropped off Lamar, and kill the FIB agents attacking Lamar before he is wasted and the mission fails. Then Michael, after not receiving a response from Trevor, must go over to where Trevor was positioned to check on him before being wasted, causing the mission to fail. Because Franklin says that he has to stay with Lamar, Michael leaves his sniping position and fights his way to reach Trevor who gets back up (supposedly being knocked out, and having not been shot possibly because the agents assumed they killed him, according to Trevor himself). Then, Michael and Trevor must fight their way out of the foundry and help Franklin kill off any remaining FIB and Merryweather forces in the area.

Tying up loose ends
Finally, after all of the agents and mercenaries are killed, the trio take a moment to catch their breaths. Then Franklin brings up the fact that they still have work to do, namely pick off 'friends' who either betrayed or tried to kill the trio in the past. He then calls Lester for their whereabouts.

Michael lists Steve Haines who had previously made the three, Lester and others commit various crimes in order to advance his own career before attempting to betray Michael to the FIB and have him arrested as the raid in the Humane Labs destroyed his career record when he was arrested. He then asked Franklin to kill Trevor as a scapegoat and not participating in the Bureau Raid due to hostility between Michael and Trevor during that period. Haines and Dave also rationalized that due to Trevor's involvement with Merryweather attack and the Triads shootout at North Yankton would serve as justification that Trevor was not a sensible person and needs to be killed.

Trevor initially wanted to kill Dave Norton as well, most likely for killing Brad in North Yankton nine years ago and for being Haines' lackey and unbeknownst to him, told by Michael and later Franklin to kill Trevor; however, Michael tells him that they need Norton alive as he can clear their names so no one comes after them later. In addition, Norton was betrayed by both Haines and Sanchez, Haines for attempting to arrest him and Michael to silence them both and Sanchez for causing the massive internal affairs incident after revealing himself as a double agent and working for a rival and more different FIB unit. As Norton shifted the blame on Sanchez for the IAA incident after this death, Haines' death will clear them all of the whole incident completely as Norton told Michael "History is written by the living."

Michael then nominates Devin Weston, who had similarly employed all three and Lamar to steal various expensive cars and cheated out of a payday, then tried to shut down a movie that Michael produced and in retaliation to the accidental death of his lawyer Molly Schultz, later sent mercenaries from Merryweather to try to kill Michael's family, only for Amanda, Tracey and Jimmy to survive, and had later asked Franklin to kill Michael. Indirectly he was also responsible for Lamar's plight with Stretch as Lamar sought an alternate source of income and Stretch used it to ambush them when he refused to pay them.

Franklin brings up Wei Cheng, who had decided against working with Trevor and his drug manufacturing enterprise and work instead with the O'Neil Brothers (Trevor had already killed off The Lost MC and the Aztecas including key members Ortega, Johnny Klebitz, Terry Thorpe, Clay Simons and possibly Ashley Butler prior and later killed off another chapter of the Lost MC before moving to Los Santos), all except Elwood, Walton and Wynn (who drove off to meet Cheng and his son Tao), were later killed at their ranch which was subsequently blown up and their operation was destroyed by Trevor, resulting in Elwood seeking revenge on Trevor by attempting to blow up Floyd's condo with anti-tank rockets, where Trevor was residing in, which attracted Franklin's attention (As Franklin and his dog Chop pursued them, Elwood, Walton and Wynn were later killed following their own vengeance against Trevor). In retaliation to Elwood's murder, Cheng and his Triads had attempted to kill Trevor by holding Michael hostage, believing the two to be gay lovers, although Michael was saved by Franklin with the two killing all the witnesses during their escape (Trevor and Michael weren't on speaking terms due to Trevor discovering the truth behind Brad's fate in North Yankton during a botched robbery). Even if Tao lives, Tao's ineptitude as seen when dealing with Trevor would make it easy to avoid retribution from the Triads as both instances Trevor met Tao he is seen completely intoxicated and unfit to be Wei's successor.

Trevor asks Franklin about Stretch, a long time imprisoned Chamberlain Gangster Families OG, had begun associating with a rival gang, the Ballas, while incarcerated in the Bolingbroke Penitentiary and, after being released (and after Stretch ironically killed D due to D setting up Franklin and Lamar for a previous grievance), had attempted to get Franklin and Lamar killed by the Ballas by luring them into a trap (fortunately they were saved by Trevor who had accompanied him). After Stretch finds out Franklin was boosting cars for Devin, Franklin refused to submit to his demands. Stretch later uses the situation to deceive Lamar in that they could buy weed from the Ballas at a Paleto Bay sawmill but made an ambush for Lamar who was in need of income after Devin refused to pay for the cars; Franklin, Trevor and Michael saved him. Franklin agrees that Stretch needs to be taken care of.

Lester tells the group that Agent Haines is filming his television show on the Del Perro Pier; Trevor agrees to this job as he has hated Haines since the moment they met. Lester then locates Stretch, through his phone signal, at the B.J. Smith Recreation Center, and Michael is put on this assignment as he had no known run-ins with Stretch, which would throw suspicion away from Franklin. Lester then informs Franklin that Wei Cheng's son Tao used his credit card at the beach club in Pacific Bluffs; Franklin is unknown to the Triads so he'd be the perfect candidate for the murder. Lester agrees to contact the three later via headset when he locates Weston. The three each split up, locate, and take out their targets, evading or wiping out the Ballas (Michael), the police (Trevor) and the Triads (Franklin) in the process. No matter when Trevor kills Haines, he will always be the one to kidnap Weston, regardless when Michael or Franklin killed their targets.


 * Michael is sent to kill Stretch as revenge for betraying Franklin and Lamar, cheating Trevor on two drug deals, and trying to have the pair killed by the Ballas in Hood Safari and Lamar Down.
 * Trevor is sent to kill Haines as revenge for setting up Michael during Dead Man Walking, almost getting our heroes killed in Three's Company, hiring Trevor to torture Ferdinand Kerimov and betraying him in By the Book, selling our heroes out to Devin Weston, betraying them, and almost getting them killed in Blitz Play, setting up our heroes and stealing their take in The Paleto Score, betraying our heroes and Dave in Monkey Business, setting up Michael and Franklin in The Bureau Raid and betraying them, and betraying Michael, Dave, and Trevor in The Wrap Up and trying to have them killed.
 * Franklin is sent to kill Cheng as revenge for betraying Trevor in Bury the Hatchet, kidnapping and torturing Michael in Fresh Meat, interfering with Trevor's business interests in Trevor Philips Industries and Crystal Maze, and for trying to have Trevor and Michael killed.
 * Once the above targets are eliminated, Trevor goes to Devin Weston's Mansion to kidnap him. This is revenge on Weston for betraying Trevor, Franklin, Lamar and Michael out of a lucrative payday after they give him the luxury/sport/antique cars he wanted, trying to have Michael's family killed by sending Merryweather mercenaries to Michael's house as payback for Molly's accidental death and for trying to have Michael killed. Before kidnapping Weston though, Trevor must fight his way through Merryweather security forces in order to kidnap the billionaire.

Before confronting their enemies
If the player turns to Trevor first he will call Ron Jakowski and informs him that TP Industries are entering a transitional period and now have money coming through (The Big Score) and the Chinese problem might be taken care of. Ron comments that the O'Neil Brothers are gone and the Lost MC have made no contact with Trevor and everything will be OK, to which Trevor agrees before hanging up and heading for Haines.

If the player turns to Franklin at first or stays at him near Pacific Bluffs, he will call Lamar and tell him that he is his best friend and he is forever loyal to him. Lamar then asks Franklin if he is finished, to which Franklin states almost just to handle a couple of loose ends. Lamar then realizes the game plan and Franklin says goodbye by telling Lamar to lay low before hanging up and going after Cheng.

If the player turns to Michael there will be no phone calls.

Killing Stretch
Stretch is found on a basketball court next to the BJ Smith Recreational Center with several gangbangers around. During the conversation, Stretch states that Lamar is disrespectful and is trying to break the order of things (stating that he was a fool since they met and even though they were friends - although Stretch disagrees). Michael then comments to the others that he knows which one Stretch is, he then gets out of his car and interrupts their chat. Stretch quickly realizes that he is friends with Franklin (he already learned about Trevor from the Ballas) and orders his friends to kill him. However, some split up and Michael kills Stretch easily before either killing or escaping the Ballas and informing Franklin that Stretch is dead and is not a problem any more (to which Franklin comments that they were never friends since he has screwed them from the start).

Stretch is relatively easy to eliminate, as he and the guards are mostly packing pistols. Taking too long to escape, however, will make the surviving Ballas get in their cars and chase you and thus forcing Michael to take them all out. Kill Stretch with a melee attack to get a gold medal.

Gold Medal Tip: After Franklin leaves the foundry, switch straight to Michael as he'll be about two blocks away. Stretch is the person carrying a basketball and is wearing the same clothes he wore in "The Long Stretch", without the baseball cap. Use the special ability and land an accurate hit on Stretch, and then while the ability is active, kill as many Ballas with a firearm and then when the ability ends, kill any gangsters left standing.

Weapon Required: Any melee weapon including fists. It's the best to use the Antique Cavalry Dagger or a Knife for a swift takedown, or the Hatchet/Hammer assuming that the player owns the Collector's edition. Alternately, simply park on the street and fire an RPG at the group, although this will bypass any dialogue between Michael and Stretch and negate the gold medal. It will not prevent other Ballas members from attacking.

Killing Steve Haines
Agent Haines is found on the Ferris wheel on the boardwalk shooting a video for a TV show. Him and a camera man are in one of the Ferris wheel's cars.

Trevor asks Lester to patch into Haines' microphone, since he wants a last reminder of what an "annoying prick" the agent is. Haines, meanwhile, is focusing on The Underbelly Of Paradise with some shots and good quotes. If Trevor gets too close, Haines figures out why Trevor is here (or how maybe) and orders his death, but Trevor shoots the corrupt FIB agent (either with a sniper from a far distance or any other weapon), killing him. Once Trevor has killed Haines, he will have a two-star wanted level to evade. Once Trevor has lost the police, he informs Lester that Haines is dead and asks the whereabouts of Weston. Lester states that he has found him at his house in the Tongva Hills where Merryweather are guarding him, Lester begins to describe Weston's home, but Trevor ignores his word and heads towards the mansion.

Approaching too close to the Ferris wheel or missing too many shots will alert Haines and fail the mission. Trevor must shoot the agent from a distance, for which a sniper rifle is required. After killing Haines, Trevor must then lose the cops before heading after Weston. Kill Haines with a headshot to get a gold medal.

Gold Medal Tip: Once Stretch is dead, switch to Trevor and he should be at the top of the pier. Stop near the Del Perro Police Station and use the truck to get onto the roof and aim at Haines (getting too close will trigger Trevor's message to Lester and the Ferris wheel will start moving). Since the wheel is not moving the player does not need to compensate for a moving target and can easily hit him in the head with a Sniper rifle, the Heavy Sniper works best.

Weapon Required: Heavy Sniper. If proficient with an RPG, it can also be used, though once again at the cost of a gold medal.

Killing Wei Cheng
Kill Cheng last. He is found surrounded by bodyguards as well as his son Tao in a motorcade of vehicles leaving the Pacific Bluffs Country Club. As soon as Franklin arrives or gets too close, Cheng discovers this and orders his men to drive off, which he does, but Franklin follows. Tao can be killed as well and if he dies before his father, the elder Cheng will react to his death very unpleasantly. Eventually, Franklin kills Cheng (in any way, and lose any attracted wanted level) and informs that the Triads are no more, to which Trevor replies that they are not going have super weapons to sell to but it does not matter anyway.

As soon as Franklin arrives, Cheng and his bodyguards are getting into a Washington, escorted by two Cavalcades. Franklin can tail the Cheng motorcade normally and can even go faster than them, until he rams or attacks a vehicle, then the Triads will start driving faster and shooting out of their vehicles. After killing Cheng, Franklin still has to outrun any surviving Triads in their Cavalcade, which is no easy task, since his bike is slow. It is most likely that he will be needed to kill the Triads instead of outrunning them.

Alternatively, Franklin can target Cheng's car (pre-placed Sticky Bombs, a Minigun, or an RPG - though the sticky bomb is required for the gold medal), killing him before he leaves the parking lot, avoiding the trouble of having to chase down the fleeing convoy on the highway. Kill Cheng with a sticky bomb to get a gold medal. To obtain the gold medal achievement easily, prepare the sticky bombs while riding towards the club, trigger Franklin's special ability as soon as the convoy is in sight and aim one sticky bomb per vehicle (the slow motion will increase the player's accuracy and allow better targeting). Detonate them and they should not survive the blast.

Gold Medal Tip: Quickly throw a sticky bomb at the Washington and detonate as soon as it hits. Then quickly dispose of the Cavalcades.
 * Only throw a sticky bomb at the Washington while Franklin's ability is active and detonate as soon as it lands. This will kill all Triad members and destroy the vehicles. However, this must be done before they start to drive.

Weapon Required: Lots of sticky bombs.

Kidnapping Devin Weston
Trevor must make his way through a squad of eight Merryweather guards patrolling the house to get to Weston. He can either take a subtle approach by sneaking around and knocking out the guards (or killing them with a suppressed weapon), or he can take a direct route and attack the guards head on. After Trevor makes his way through the Merryweather security forces, he finds Weston hiding in a trunk near the pool. Trevor punches and knocks him unconscious, and carries him to his Tornado in the drive-way. Trevor throws Weston in the trunk, shuts it, and drives the car to meet up with Franklin and Michael.

Gold Medal Tip: Do not be concerned about a stealthy attack due to the time objective, quickly run into the garden, use a fast weapon like the Carbine Rifle and use the lower walkway as cover. Use the hill to quickly get down the GOH. Drive cautiously when passing Hookies as there may be several bikers that will shoot at the car. Shooting back results in a wanted level and not shooting may kill Trevor or Weston, failing the mission.

Weapon required: Any silenced weapon, or any powerful ballistic weapon like the minigun.

Taking Weston to an unknown location to organize his death
As Trevor drives out of Weston's driveway, he informs Franklin and Michael that he has the billionaire and suggests they meet at a cliff at the Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness and "make him disappear." Weston regains consciousness to find himself in the trunk. Realizing what Trevor is doing, Weston attempts using flattery and bribes to bargain for his life, offering Trevor anything his immense wealth can acquire if he joins his private army. Trevor tells Weston that he does not care about bribes; he just wants to kill him. The billionaire then attempts to bribe Trevor with money, but the drug dealer reminds Weston about his own successful business company before reminding him that he is already gold rich and tells Weston that he has nothing to offer. Trevor then tells Weston that he has nothing left in life and should prepare for his death. Weston then summons the last of his will and tries threats, despite only having minutes left to live. Trevor arrives at the cliff and informs Weston that they have enough time left for some (off-screen) "one-on-one time".

Killing Devin Weston
"You know, Devin, the way I see it, and hey, I'm no intelligent businessman like you, but the way I see it, there's two great evils that bedevil American capitalism of the type that you practice. Number one is outsourcing. You paid a private company to do your dirty work for ya, and then you underpaid that company because you thought you were big enough and bad enough that you didn't have to play by the rules. Oh, number two. Off-shoring your profits. But we know your opinions on the matter Devin. Keep your problems the fuck out of America, huh? Hey, Devin... Goodbye my old friend. Thanks for all the advice."

- Michael De Santa, moments before killing Weston. A few hours later, around 20:00, Michael arrives and asks Trevor if they are "good," with Trevor happily agreeing. Michael lights up a cigarette, but thinks better of it and throws it off the cliff. Franklin then arrives before Trevor opens the trunk of the Tornado to reveal a badly bleeding, half-naked, tied up and gagged Weston. Franklin taunts the billionaire about his choice of ending, ("My bad, homie. I picked C. Ain't that a bitch?") while stating he should have just paid him. Michael taunts Weston about two "great evils" of capitalism that he has performed (betraying everyone he has ever known, as well as Haines, all the major antagonists, Don Percival and his own company) because in Michael's words, Weston was "big enough and bad enough" to not play by the rules and walk offshore alone as a free man. Michael states that neither he, Franklin or Trevor would ever do such a thing, and informs the business magnate to "keep his problems the fuck out of America." Michael, Trevor and Franklin bid Weston farewell and a "thanks" for the final advice before Michael closes the trunk. The three protagonists push the Tornado with Weston in the trunk off a cliff and into the ocean below. The car then explodes shortly after impact with the shallow seabed, destroying both Weston and the car.

Ending C
"I'll tell ya one thing T, I'm gettin' too old for this nonsense."

- Michael's announcement of his retirement to Trevor, also the final line in the main game's storyline. Following Weston's death, Trevor asks what the trio do now, with Michael responding that they are going to lay low for a while then get on with their lives, with Trevor suggesting as friends, and Michael accepting, as "flawed, awful, totally uncomfortable, and poorly matched friends." Trevor then states that they could then go back to the "capitalism they practice," planning even more heists with better funding, but Franklin wonders how their actions will be any better than Weston's. Michael jokes that hypocrisy is society's finest virtue. Trevor then tells Michael that his therapist has a lot to answer to for, which Michael calmly agrees to, saying that even though he hates himself, now he knows how to say it, responded by Trevor asking if he has to go to a therapy session because he hates Michael. Sensing another argument, Franklin backs away from the two and towards his bike, telling him that they "terrify him of middle age." Michael walks back towards his car, but not before announcing his official retirement to Trevor, claiming he is "too old for this nonsense". Franklin and Michael drive off as Trevor looks on, before awkwardly walking off-screen as the credits roll. After the credits, the player gains control of Trevor, just as he arrives home in Sandy Shores. Entering the trailer triggers the post-game mission Mrs. Philips.

Deaths

 * Many Merryweather and FIB members - Killed by Michael, Trevor, Franklin and Lamar. (And each other, according to Michael.)
 * Stretch - Killed by Michael for betraying Franklin, Lamar and Trevor and selling them out to the Ballas.
 * Steve Haines - Killed by Trevor for betraying Michael at the Kortz Center and trying to have Trevor killed and Michael arrested.
 * Wei Cheng - Killed by Franklin for betraying Trevor and trying to have him and Michael killed.
 * Devin Weston's Merryweather bodyguards - Killed by Trevor for trying to stop him from kidnapping Weston.
 * Devin Weston - Killed by Michael, Trevor and Franklin for attempting to have Michael and his family killed, as well as betraying Trevor, and Franklin and Lamar by cheating them out of a payday for the car thefts.

Optional deaths

 * Several Ballas members - (Optional) Can be killed by Michael for getting in his way of killing Stretch.
 * Several Los Santos Police Department Officers - (Optional)  Can be killed by Trevor after he kills Haines. (This is not recommended however, as it will increase Trevor's wanted level and make it more difficult to escape.)
 * Several Triad members - (Optional) Can be killed by Franklin for getting in his way of killing Wei Cheng.
 * Tao Cheng (Optional) - Can be killed by Franklin alongside his father, Wei Cheng.

Foundry Shootout

 * Go pick up Lamar at his  house.  - (Franklin)
 * Go to the  foundry.  - (Franklin)
 * Enter the  foundry.  - (Franklin)
 * Ambush the  FIB team  when ready. - (Michael, Trevor and Franklin)
 * Go to  Lamar.  - (Franklin)
 * Take out the  attackers.  - (Franklin)
 * Rescue  Trevor.  - (Michael)
 * Take out the  attackers.  - (Michael and Trevor)
 * Go outside. - (Franklin)
 * Take out the  attackers.  - (Michael, Trevor and Franklin)
 * Regroup outside the  main doors.  - (Franklin)

Killing Targets: Any Order

 * Get rid of  Mr. Cheng /Escape the  Triads.  - (Franklin)
 * Take out  Stretch /Escape the  Ballas.  - (Michael)
 * Bring down  Haines /Lose the Cops. - (Trevor)

Kidnapping Devin

 * Go to  Devin's house.  - (Trevor)
 * Take out the  guards.  - (Trevor)
 * Kidnap  Devin.  - (Trevor)
 * Go to the  rendezvous point.  - (Trevor)
 * Finish Devin. - (Michael, Trevor and Franklin)

Gold Medal Objectives

 * Time - Complete within 21:30.
 * Skip the cutscene to save time.
 * When the trio are killing the antagonists, let Michael kill first, then Trevor, then Franklin.
 * Headshots - Kill 20 enemies with a headshot.
 * It's advised to use Shotgun or Pistol to achieve this, Michael's ability helps.
 * Accuracy - Finish with a shooting accuracy of at least 70%.
 * Do the non-headshots with low damage weapon, or Shotgun, again, Michael's ability helps.
 * Also, enable auto-aim for better accuracy
 * Stick, Tick... Boom! - Kill Cheng with a Sticky Bomb.
 * Use Franklin's Special Ability to throw the Sticky Bomb.
 * It's advised to only use one, and throw to second vehicle, as another two will explode and all enemies will die, saving time to achieve Time Gold Medal Objective.
 * Lead Lobotomy - Kill Steve Haines with a headshot.
 * Easy to achieve. Just use the Heavy Sniper to shoot him.
 * If the player wants to save time as well as increased accuracy, stop at the bridge, jump to the trunk and shoot Haines, as the Ferris Wheel will not move unless the player trigger the cutscene.
 * Stretched Out - Kill Stretch with a melee attack.
 * Use the knife (Machete Or Hatchet in the Enhanced Version) to kill Stretch.

Stock Tips

 * Upon completion of this mission, with the theft of four tons of gold bullion wreaking havoc on financial markets, the value of Augury Insurance will rise by an approximate 101.49%. Having all three characters load up on this stock before starting the mission can result in huge profits.
 * Also upon completion, Cluckin' Bell stock will rebound from its low in the wake of The Paleto Score, resulting in an approximate 66.89% return on investment.
 * Finally, Gruppe Sechs stock will increase in value by approximately 10.8%.
 * Players are free to take advantage of any of these market changes, though the disproportionate rise of Augury stock makes this by far the most profitable of the three.

Weazel News (Radio)
"''Celebrity FIB agent shot while shooting TV show. Devin Weston disappears after shootout in Chumash. Gangster shot in Chamberlain Hills shootout. A prominent Chinese gang boss murdered. Merryweather to shut down domestic operations? Popular TV host and FIB agent Steve Haines was killed yesterday while shooting a segment of his show on the Del Perro Pier in a crime police are calling "suspicious". Meanwhile, a violent incident at billionaire investor Devin Weston's hillside mansion in Chumash left several security guards dead and Mr. Weston himself disappeared. Police are unsure exactly what happened. In further violence, prominent gangster Harold "OG Stretch" Joseph and Wei Cheng, a triad gang boss were both also murdered. Residents say they are in shock. In devastating private warfare news, Merryweather has announced that it is shutting down domestic operations to focus on contracts overseas. A bloodbath at a foundry in East Los Santos is the latest in a long line of PR disasters for the private security company during its short-lived U.S. expansion plans.''"

Weazel News Newspaper
"In a sad day for national security, private security company Merryweather has announced that it has shut down its domestic operations indefinitely following another high-profile incident, this time a shootout at a foundry in East Los Santos. Merryweather will switch focus back to its "bread and butter" security contracts in the Middle East where the enemies are less well-equipped, the glare of the media lens is less harsh, and preemptive strikes less likely to be taken out of context as "killing sprees".

Liberty Tree Newspaper
"Billionaire investor and life style guru Devin Weston has disappeared. Police suspect foul play, but no body has been recovered. Mr. Weston, 51, who rose to fame in the tech bubble and subsequently made more money in a host of other industries, including entertainment, the Internet, currency trading and luxury travel, recently caused controversy when he invested heavily in Merryweather, the notorious and discredited private security firm run by Don Percival. Police responded to sounds of gunfire at Mr. Weston's villas in the hills above Chumash, but despite signs of violence and several dead security guards, Mr. Weston himself was not found, dead or alive. Also missing was one of Mr. Weston's collection of luxury cars."

Los Santos Meteor Newspaper
"''Steve Haines, decorated FIB agent and host of the popular TV show "The Underbelly Of Paradise" unwittingly helped expose that underbelly further yesterday as he was assassinated while filming a segment of his TV show on the Ferris Whale on Del Perro Pier. Agent Haines, who had twice recently been injured in the line of duty, had been an agent for nearly 20 years and a TV host for five. FIB spokesman Gary Lane told the Los Santos Meteor "Agent Haines died a hero, doing what he loved, which was presenting a TV show. He really helped combine the chaos of anti-terrorism and the mindlessness of network television into one highly successful career." Mr. Haines, who was not married, lived with his mother.''"

Daily Rag Newspaper
"Wei Cheng, a prominent Triad gang boss was murdered yesterday. His Triad had been weakened by a series of recent incidents, both in Los Santos and bizarrely up in Ludendorff, North Yankton. Mr. Cheng, a Chinese national, was believed to be prominent in a two-way drug and weapon trade between China and the US, smuggling materials in and out of the country via the Port of Los Santos.

Los Santos Shepherd Newspaper
"A notorious member of the Chamberlain Gangsters Families gang was killed yesterday, only months after he released on parole. Harold OG Stretch was shot while playing basketball. No witnesses have come forward. Mr. Joseph was unmarried."

Bleeter Posts

 * @tttturtledog - "No way! Steve Haines murdered! I love The Underbelly Of Paradise! What do you reckon - IAA assassination or gangland revenge hit?"
 * @MerryweatherSecurity - "Merryweather Security Consulting is winding down its United States operation. This is nothing to do with the congressional investigation into its activities. We will continue to offer innovative and cost effective warfare and foreign policy solutions throughout the developing world."

Phone Calls

 * Lamar Davis - Trevor can call Lamar immediate after gaining control of Trevor. Trevor will thank Lamar for his help to which he'll respond that nothing says thank you like a gold bar. But Trevor tells him that nothing says thank you like saying thank you.
 * Lamar Davis - Franklin can call Lamar to inform him that Stretch is dead. Lamar is shocked because Stretch is an OG, to which Franklin reprimands him reminding Lamar that Stretch not only tried to get them killed but set them up to buy a "brick of dry wall." Lamar agrees it was probably for the best and he's lucky to have Franklin making the decisions.
 * Solomon Richards - Michael can call Solomon who asks if everything is okay. Michael says yeah and asks when are they making their next movie. Solomon responds that soon and if Michael knows anyone "with some liquidity for financing." Michael says he does that they should have lunch together. This phone call also reveals that the quote Michael mentioned earlier is from a movie called Arthur Penny's Sanitorium.
 * Dave Norton - Dave calls Michael to ask if he's behaving himself, and asks about his family, to which Michael responds positively. Michael asks Dave about work, to which Dave replies that his work is "good" and he has had a few lucky breaks. Both men tell each other to look after themselves, and part on good terms.
 * Patricia Madrazo - Patricia calls Trevor to say one more time that she misses him and that he is a "sweet lover", before both say their last goodbyes to each other.
 * Tanisha Jackson - Tanisha calls Franklin to tell him that she is getting married the next day, and Franklin wishes her the best.

E-mails and Text Messages

 * Dave Norton - Dave sends Trevor an e-mail revealing that he was the one responding to his letters to Brad. He tells Trevor that his secrets are safe with him, but also warns him to behave himself and never contact him again.
 * Dave Norton - Dave sends Michael an e-mail, telling him to stay out of trouble, and also tells him that he has been named the new host of The Underbelly Of Paradise, and that he will really miss Steve and his "horrible outfits". He also hopes that he and Michael will never meet again. Michael wishes Dave luck, and promises to "be good".
 * Lamar Davis - Lamar sends Franklin an e-mail, saying how he's almost ready to start acting like a man, and how he finally learned something.
 * Michael De Santa - Michael sends Franklin an e-mail telling him that they "did it", and how it nearly drove Michael insane, and he hopes that Franklin learned something from hanging with him and "the maniac," even if it was "how not to grow old" and that he is his "friend for life." Franklin thanks Michael for looking out for him.
 * Don Percival - Don sends Michael and Trevor an e-mail saying that they have never met before, but they saved him a fortune and Don got to buy Devin's Merryweather stake at a reduced cost, and he thanks them for making him a lot of money. However, he warns them to stay away from him and not interfere with his business again.
 * Ron Jakowski - Ron sends a text message to Trevor saying that he left a surprise for Trevor by his trailer.

Stock Market

 * Even though no tips are explicit or implicitly said, while he came up with a way to deal with their situation, Lester mentions to Franklin that Devin Weston owns 11% of the shares of Merryweather. This means if he dies, his shares will drop (as later mentioned in an email sent by Don Percival, owner of Merryweather). The player can take advantage of this and use the recently obtained profits from The Big Score to invest in Merryweather Security Consulting. The percentage of return here can be as high as 70% to 100% if done right. This can be considered one of the most dangerous investments in the game.

Trivia

 * This is most likely the canon ending, since the trailers featured scenes from this one as opposed to the others, and there is also an official artwork for it. It is also consistent with the final missions of the other games in the series, whereby the protagonists defeat their antagonists.
 * On a similar note, this is the first time in the series that all the major antagonists are killed in the same mission.
 * This is further proven with the release of GTA Online's Smuggler's Run DLC, where Ron explains that Trevor has "gone Vinewood" as of 2017.
 * During this mission, Michael's car rims are changed from the dollar rims to a completely different set of black rims, possibly the "GT One" wheels (unless the player has already customized the car). After the mission is completed and during the time when Michael murders Stretch, they will change back to the dollar rims.
 * No "Mission Passed" screen appears after the mission. Instead, the credits are played.
 * The achievement "To Live or Die in Los Santos", which is acquired after beating the final mission, is a reference to the 1985 film.
 * The song that plays in the cutscene when Trevor waits for Michael and Franklin is "Dog" by Wavves. The song is not featured on any of the radio stations.
 * During the opening cutscene, Lester asks if Franklin's problem might be that "someone has the same tattoo as him". This line is also said by one of the DJs on Vinewood Boulevard Radio during one of the segments in between songs.
 * After helping Lamar fight off the FIB agents outside the warehouse, he doesn't regroup with the rest of the group. However, after all agents and mercenaries are dead he is still at the same position as before, alive. He emails Franklin after the mission, confirming that he survived.
 * Regardless of which vehicle the player arrived at the foundry with as Franklin, he will always have his Bagger when he drives away from the foundry.
 * Additionally, if Franklin arrives with any other vehicle, and then fail the mission before reaching the foundry and restarting, his bagger will appear in front of Lester's house in lieu of transportation. However from the third try onward, no vehicle will be provided.
 * When picking up Lamar, after arriving at the checkpoint, Franklin's vehicle will always stop in an instant regardless of speed.
 * Michael and Trevor start with the same weapons that they used in Lamar Down, with Michael carrying the Heavy Sniper and Trevor using the Combat MG. However they will not switch back if the player changes them, unlike other missions. Switching weapons in the wheel as one character will stay the same, e.g, changing from the Pistol to the AP Pistol, as Franklin will mean that the first available weapon to switch to in the slot will be the same with Michael and Franklin.
 * Sometimes when the game ends and switches to Trevor, he may be listening to Los Santos Rock Radio, though the song playing may be from Radio Mirror Park, Vinewood Boulevard Radio or Radio Los Santos. This can be fixed by switching the radio off and switching it back on five minutes later.
 * Trevor will always be the one to kidnap Weston regardless of whoever finished their tasks first or last. It should be noted that the player must then travel to Weston's house from Del Perro Pier if Trevor is the last character to kill his target, which can be very time consuming and make the time check for the golden award difficult. Therefore, it is best to kill Haines first or second.
 * The internet news article about Stretch's death mentions that he was killed a couple of months after being released from prison. This suggests that the events of the storyline happens during at least two in-game months.
 * Interestingly, regardless of the way the player kills Stretch, Weazel News will describe his death as a shooting.
 * After Trevor has killed Haines and escaped from the police, the radio station in his Bodhi will be tuned to Channel X and "My War" by Black Flag will always play. Similarly, when Trevor enters Weston's Tornado after putting him in the trunk, the radio station will be tuned in to Los Santos Rock Radio, and the track "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" by The Alan Parsons Project will always play.
 * After completing this mission, if the player switches to Michael, Dave Norton will call and say that he hopes Michael is "behaving" himself. If the player gets a wanted level, Norton will call again and tell Michael to stop causing trouble. This only happens for the first wanted level obtained after completing the mission.
 * When Michael says "Be very afraid" to Franklin it may be a reference to the 1986 movie The Fly, due to Michael's love of movies.
 * If the player changes the protagonists' clothes before starting this mission at Lester's house, by the time the player reaches the foundry with Lamar, Trevor and Michael will be wearing different clothes. Michael will wear blue jeans and a brown leather jacket, while Trevor will wear blue jeans and a white t-shirt.
 * Despite being referred to as FIB, the tactical units at the foundry use the NOOSE model which has "POLICE" written on the front and back, unlike the FIB tactical teams in The Wrap Up who wear uniforms with "FIB" on the back. They also arrive in FIB Grangers just like NOOSE does during a 4 or 5 star wanted level.
 * After Trevor throws Devin into the trunk of the Tornado, a unique door sound is heard as he gets into the driver's seat.
 * During the shootout in the foundry, when Michael says, "The FIB and Merryweather are doing us a favor - taking each other out," the letter E is missing from the end of "are" on the subtitles.
 * Most players kill Steve Haines with a sniper rifle, as it is required for the gold objective and a good view of Haines without alerting him. When killed, there will be a brief cutscene whereas Haines is headshot and his cameraman will panic and call his supervisors, informing them of Haines's death. However, if the player targets Haines with an RPG, a different cutscene will play: a wide angle shot showing the rocket's path to the Ferris wheel. Obviously, the cameraman has no dialogue, as he is killed in the blast as well.
 * Devin's Tornado has a unique licence plate reading "MONIED". The car can be obtained by modifying it at a mod garage before finishing the mission. After completion, the car should show up at the LSPD Auto Impound for Trevor (Note: This does NOT work on replays).
 * Spawning in a car during the cutscene before pushing Devin’s Tornado down (via trainers) will cause the game to skip the sequence and roll the credits. “The Setup“ can be heard in the background and the credits will overlay the game itself. The prompt “Hold W to push” will be visible on the corner of the screen but all controls will be disabled.
 * Spawning in a car during the cutscene before pushing Devin’s Tornado down (via trainers) will cause the game to skip the sequence and roll the credits. “The Setup“ can be heard in the background and the credits will overlay the game itself. The prompt “Hold W to push” will be visible on the corner of the screen but all controls will be disabled.

End Credits Music
The ending music is entitled "The Setup" by Favored Nations. This song can be heard from Radio Mirror Park.

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