BR Ice Cream Shop was located in the bustling city center, right next to Khebury's largest jewelry store, which had its own exclusive vault. During business hours, there was a connecting glass door between the two establishments.
It was evident that several men in black had fled here after robbing the adjacent jewelry store. No wonder there had been a commotion outside just now. The jewelry store had encountered trouble.
The jewelry store had security measures in place, making it difficult to fully control the people inside. However, the situation was different at the neighboring ice cream shop; it was easier to hold children hostage.
Joyce was already on guard and immediately shielded Anderson behind her. As she scanned the area, she noticed there were six men in black, three of them armed with guns and the other three with knives. It was uncommon to encounter a daytime robbery on the street, especially in Khebury, known for its good public safety. It had been years since such an incident had occurred.
One of the men in black with a knife charged towards Joyce, intending to take her and the child hostage since she was closest to the entrance. Joyce sneered and swiftly kicked the knife out of the man's hand.
Immediately after, she drew her gun and in just a second, fired two shots consecutively, bringing down two of the men in black by hitting their wrists, the ones holding the guns.
With cries of pain, the three men in black collapsed to the ground, clutching their injured wrists and writhing in agony.
After hiding Kiki under the table, Reuben quickly subdued the closest man in black and disarmed him of his knife. Unfortunately, there were still two men in black who were out of their attack range.
One of the men in black, with quick reflexes, grabbed the nearest little girl who had been enjoying her ice cream and held her in front of him, using a gun to press against her head.
The little girl was terrified and dropped her ice cream on the ground. Being young, she didn't understand the danger, only felt fear, and burst into loud sobs.
Enraged, the man in black shouted, "Stop crying! If you cry again, I'll shoot you!"
The little girl's mother was knocked over by the man in black with a single slap and fell to the ground, unable to speak due to the pain. Seeing her daughter being held at gunpoint, she desperately shook her hands and pleaded, "Don't cry, don't hurt her! Please don't! Nella, don't cry! Listen to me, don't move, be a good girl and don't move."
The little girl, frightened to a certain extent, instinctively stopped crying. She only stared with teary eyes, filled with fear, mouth wide open as she gasped for breath.
Meanwhile, another man in black took a little boy hostage with a knife and threatened, "Don't come any closer! If anyone comes near, I'll stab him!"
The little boy's mother couldn't handle the shock and immediately fainted, collapsing to the ground.
Joyce firmly shielded Anderson behind her, pointing her gun directly at the man in black who held the little girl hostage, confronting him fiercely.
"Let her go! You won't escape!" she exclaimed.
She tried to find an angle to make a move, but the man in black was quite professional and didn't reveal many flaws. For a while, she couldn't find an opportunity to act.
At that moment, Joyce exchanged a glance with Reuben, signaling him not to act rashly.
Naturally, Joyce understood the reasoning behind it. She raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Reuben to find an opportunity to deal with the man holding the little boy hostage while she kept a close eye on the man holding the little girl.
The man in black clearly hadn't expected to encounter someone who could shoot in an ice cream shop, let alone a woman. It was evident that the opponent had good marksmanship, having already taken down two of their group.
He started to panic, firmly pressing the gun against the little girl's head and shouted, "Put down your gun! If you don't, I'll shoot her right away!"
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