Chapter 170 Gunfire and Running ShadowsÂ
Everything happened in a flash.Â
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“Drop the gun, or she dies,” George said, pressing the barrel against Luna’s forehead. His voice stayed low and calm. “She’s important to you, isn’t she?”Â
Horus and his men held their ground, not daring to move.Â
George seized the moment. He dragged the woman with him and backed out of the room.Â
Gunshots echoed from somewhere outside.Â
Horus jumped to his feet. At the same time, the screens flickered with static. A sharp buzzing sound filled the air before the images vanished.Â
Not one, but all of them.Â
Every screen went dark at once, as if someone had cut the power.Â
George didn’t stop to think. He pulled Luna along and retreated into a more open space.Â
Horus and his group had no time to worry about George betraying them. “What the hell is going on?” someone demanded.Â
“Boss! Someone-someone broke in!”Â
The voice over the walkie-talkie cut off abruptly. Silence followed.Â
Horus’s expression tightened. Something was clearly wrong. He turned and strode out at once.Â
The others exchanged quick looks and followed close behind.Â
Garrick frowned. “The cops wouldn’t rush in like this, not unless they’ve given up on the hostages.”Â
That didn’t sound right. The police here were always cautious. They wouldn’t risk innocent lives so easily.Â
Which mean, whoever had barged in wasn’t the police,Â
Back in the room, the children saw the kidnappers leave, hope sparked in their eyes.Â
“That’s great! The police are here! We’re saved!”Â
Annie said nothing. She pulled out the dagger and started cutting the ropes. She crouchedÂ
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entire and Running ShadowsÂ
down and worked quickly, freeing everyone.Â
By the time she finished, her hands were scraped raw.Â
“Run. Now,” she whispered. “Those people aren’t the police. Don’t run toward anyone you recognize. Real police wouldn’t rush in like that.”Â
She feared the group that came might be even more dangerous than the kidnappers.Â
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George kept Luna in front of him as a shield, while he moved forward, showing her no care at all.Â
Once they reached a safer spot, his grip loosened slightly. Luna caught the opening. She twisted sharply, trying to grab her gun and fight back.Â
But in the very next second, a bullet punched through her head.Â
Bang!Â
Her eyes flew wide as she collapsed to the ground.Â
She died on the spot.Â
George paused, caught off guard, then turned his head.Â
Not far away, Toby stood still.Â
A gun rested in his hand, smoke curling from the barrel. His pale face was completely blank. without a trace of emotion.Â
“What were you doing wasting time with that woman?” he said coldly. “Where’s Maya?”Â
After that, 300 armed, professionally trained bodyguards arrived.Â
Toby went first to release all the trapped teachers, staff, and the surviving students inside the school.Â
It wasn’t out of kindness.Â
In his eyes, the more people who got out, the more moving targets there would be. More people meant more confusion. In that chaos, Maya’s chances of surviving would go up.Â
George shook his head. “No idea. She was the first one to run out. You didn’t run into her?”Â
“No.” Toby frowned. “Could she have run into Dad?”Â
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10 Gustine and Running ShadowsÂ
“Dad’s here too?”Â
George felt a chill. That was a bad news.Â
He’d better run as soon as this was over.Â
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Maya kept running until her legs felt weak. Cold air rushed into her lungs, and every breath hurt. She ran from the fifth floor down to the third. Maya saw a group of armed men in matching uniforms.Â
How did things get this out of control?Â
She couldn’t figure it out, and she didn’t have time. She didn’t know who was who. All she could do was run whenever she saw someone.Â
“Maya!”Â
Hearing her name, she turned instinctively. She saw familiar faces-her teacher, and students from different grades.Â
It was a huge relief to see them.Â
She ran toward them. “Ms. Peterson!”Â
There was no time to talk. Sharon Peterson grabbed her arm.Â
“Quick! Come with me!” she said, breathing hard. “There are a lot of unknown people in the school. Don’t run around. We need to hide.”Â
Running blindly wasn’t smart. Maya nodded and followed close behind.Â
Gunshots echoed from all directions, like firecrackers going off at random.Â
At first, everyone was terrified. But slowly, they went numb.Â
No one knew who had been shot and died.Â
No one dared to look.Â
They just ran as fast as they could. If they saw someone, they hid. Fear spread through every person there.Â
“Ms. Peterson,” Maya asked between breaths, “who got you out? Was it the police?”Â
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Gunfire at Pantang JadowÂ
“No.” Sharon said, her voice shaking.Â
“The police wouldn’t do this. These people just let us out. It looks like they want to stir things up, not rescue us.”Â
At least the kidnappers had a clear goal, they wanted money.Â
But this group? What did they want?Â
No one knew.Â
Maya’s head was spinning. But as she observed carefully along the way, she realized something.Â
Compared to the helpless teachers and students, that third group seemed to be targeting the kidnappers instead.Â
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