Chapter 171 Thirty Feet to Death
The clash between the two sides actually gave them an edge.
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The kidnappers were cracking under pressure. Like animals backed into a corner, they grabbed a few students and dragged them forward, trying to use them as shields to force a ceasefire.
“Aren’t you with the police?” One of them shouted, his voice sharp with panic. “Fire again and I’ll kill them!”
The criminal gang just spotted the group and charged at them, gun raised, acting like they’d lost all control.
He didn’t get to finish. A gunshot cut through the air.
Bang. He dropped before the last word left his mouth.
Maya froze where she stood.
Her eyes locked on the blood spreading across the floor, her thoughts going completely blank.
Slowly, she turned toward the direction of the shot, trying to see who had fired.
Before she could make it out, Sharon pulled her into a tight embrace. The woman was trembling badly, her whole body shaking. Even her voice came out unsteady. “It’s okay… it’s okay, don’t be scared.”
She was trying to comfort Maya and the other students huddled behind her.
Maya stayed silent. She swallowed her tears and held on to her teacher.
By then, the entire school had been surrounded by trained men.
Teachers and students alike sank to the ground, their legs giving out beneath them. Fear pressed down so hard that no one even dared to cry out loud.
A heavy silence settled over everything.
Only the distant sound of gunfire broke through it now and then.
Then came footsteps. One after another, getting closer. To everyone there, it sounded like death itself was closing in.
“Maya.”
The voice came out of nowhere, cutting straight through the tension.
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16:30 Sat, May 9 M…
Chapter Thirty Feet to Death
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Everyone looked up instinctively, fear flashing across their faces.
A very tall man stood there, a gun in his hand.
His hair was slicked straight back, exposing his calm, plain features. It gave him a sharper edge than before. On the surface, he didn’t look threatening at all.
But that harmless-looking man just blew a kidnapper’s head apart with one hand from 30 feet
away.
His eyes were deep and cold, enough to make anyone feel a chill.
Raymond stood still.
The hem of his coat moved slightly in the breeze. Smoke still drifted from the barrel of his gun. A faint smile rested on his lips as he looked at Maya.
“Come here.”
The man who seemed to be the leader of the kidnappers called her over.
Everyone turned to look at Maya at the same time. Fear spread across their faces, as if they had already decided she wouldn’t survive.
“It’s over!”
“Waaah!”
Children cried softly around them.
“W-wait!” Sharon grabbed Maya without thinking. Her face was pale, and her whole body shook. “Who are you? If you want money, we can talk. Please don’t…
“Please don’t kill anyone.”
Even she knew how weak those words sounded.
From what they had seen, this man had probably killed his way in.
Maya suddenly looked up when she recognized that familiar voice.
The moment she saw her father, everything else faded away. Her eyes locked onto his face.
Then she rushed toward him without hesitation.
Raymond hadn’t expected that kind of strong reaction.
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16:30 Sat, May 9 M…
Thirty Feet to Death
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She must have been scared out of her mind today.
Thinking that, he bent down, caught her easily, and lifted her up.
Before he could say anything, a small hand shot up and grabbed his head tight.
The girl’s clear voice rang out, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Daddy, why did you style your hair like that?! Your slicked-back hair looks so ugly!”
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He tightened his arm a little. He could feel her emotions slowly settling down.
The girl wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed close into his chest, like a bird that had finally found its way home.
But the things this “bird” blurted out weren’t very nice.
What did she mean that his hair looked ugly?
“Why are you dressed like this?”
Maya stared at him, then reached up, tugged at his hair again, not giving up.
Raymond just grabbed whatever was in his closet, but he wore a sharp black coat now. His messy hair was combed back, showing his forehead. Compared to his usual tired, laid-back look, his features now seemed much sharper.
“Does it look bad?” Raymond saw that she didn’t seem too shaken. He relaxed a little. A smile touched his lips. “People around me say I look very stylish.”
Maya had no words.
“Dad,” she said in a muffled, serious voice, “do you think this is one of those horror stories where everybody’s taste gets worse, but yours stays the same?”
He didn’t get upset. Calm as ever, he shot back, “But stylists abroad say a successful man should wear his hair slicked back.”
To be fair, Raymond didn’t look too bad. He actually looked good.
But he felt a little unfamiliar to Maya.
Just moments ago, she had seen him raise a gun. The cold look on his face, the calm, empty
eyes—it had thrown her off for a second.
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In the end, she still felt more at ease with her usual dad-the messy, lazy office worker who always complained about going to work.
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