Saturday
A silent road in a dimly lit environment.
This was a secluded alley, an area with few sources of light, where the occasional street lamp flickered due to bulb issues, giving the entire street a spooky appearance.
Claire had just watched the latest movie and decided to take a shortcut home through this road.
Her footsteps echoed one by one on the street.
She couldn't tell if it was her imagination, but the footsteps that had been regular just moments ago suddenly seemed to become noisy.
It was as if someone else had joined her? This realization sent a shiver down Claire's spine, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.
Claire glanced around, seeing nothing but the empty street and walls covered with moss.
Perhaps it was psychological, but Claire, who hadn't been scared at all initially, now felt utterly creeped out.
Was there a ghost? Or was a pervert following her?
She shook her head slightly, dismissing the wild thoughts from her mind, and continued walking.
It couldn't be such a coincidence that just this once when she took the shortcut, she'd be targeted by a bad person, could it?
She thought it must be her imagination.
One step, two steps, three steps...
As she moved forward, the footsteps started again.
No mistake about it, someone was following her!
She didn't believe in ghosts, so the only possibility was… a criminal with bad intentions!
Without taking time to think further, Claire immediately started to run, shouting for help, hoping someone would hear her.
Unfortunately, there was no one around.
On the contrary, her cries for help seemed to provoke the person following her!
The pursuer also started to chase her with quick steps.
In terms of physical strength, women indeed tend to be less robust than men.
The distance between them closed rapidly.
Until Claire felt someone push her from behind, causing her to fall to the ground.
"Huff huff huff huff…"
The person flipped her over so she was facing him.
It was a middle-aged man with a disheveled appearance and narrow eyes that held a crazed look. He was breathing heavily and started to laugh maniacally at Claire.
"Behave, and I won't kill you," he said as his hand reached towards Claire's body.
Terrified, Claire thought she might not escape today. Tears streamed down her face as she frantically grabbed a handful of dry dirt from the ground and threw it at the approaching man.
Perhaps the man hadn't anticipated this defensive move from a seemingly meek student; the dirt blinded him momentarily.
While the man covered his eyes, Claire kicked him and ran for her life without looking back.
She couldn't let him catch her. She needed to get to a crowded place!
That was Claire's only thought. Moreover, she took out her phone to make an emergency call, hoping to scare off the man following her.
Unfortunately, Claire's actions seemed to have enraged the man further. He pulled out a knife from his belt and chased after Claire, shouting obscenities, "Don't let me catch you, or I'll * you first and then *!!!"
Claire ran even faster, and the policewoman who picked up her emergency call could hear the man's crazed words, adding urgency to her tone.
It seemed like the god of misfortune always loves to push people into the abyss when they are down.
"Ah!"
While running, Claire tripped over something and fell to the ground.
"Got you! Thought you could escape?"
The man's smile widened as he looked deranged, his eyes fixated on Claire while he approached step by step.
The dagger in his hand gleamed under the dim streetlight as he lunged at Claire.
Fearing the worst, Claire instinctively closed her eyes, bracing for the impending doom.
Until—
A rush of footsteps approached her rapidly.
...…
"Yueyue, how was it? Did you like it?" Ren held Yueyue's hand and smiled, asking her.
"It was great~~*.()*.," Yueyue said joyfully, holding a magic wand in her hand.
Not only had she seen a magical girl movie today, but she also enjoyed lots of delicious food!
She still felt her stomach was full!
This made Yueyue subconsciously rub her belly.
If only every day could be like this!
However, as they passed a secluded alley, they suddenly heard rapid footsteps and frantic cries for help coming from within.
This made Ren stop in his tracks.
"Daddy, someone is screaming for help!" Yueyue also heard the voice and waved her magic wand, ready to rush into the alley.
She wanted to defeat the bad guys! Protect the world! Magical Girl Little Yueyue attacks!
Ren was frightened and quickly held her back, then hid by the wall and peeked inside.
If it were just him, Ren might have checked it out directly.
But with Yueyue by his side, he had to assess the situation.
If it was truly dangerous, all he could do was apologize to the person screaming for help and make an emergency call.
Cautiously, he led Yueyue deeper into the alley.
That's when he saw a young girl pass by.
Following her was a disheveled middle-aged man with a small knife in hand, spewing vulgarities.
Ren's expression darkened slightly.
A murderer?
Seeing the man chasing the girl, Ren quickly concluded.
Then he saw the girl trip and fall.
The man walked step by step towards her.
Honestly, Ren didn't want to intervene directly since the man had a knife.
But Yueyue, holding onto his shirt, looked up at him with innocent eyes and tilted her head, softly asking, "Daddy?"
That look made Ren hesitate.
He looked at the two people in the distance and then at his daughter. Biting his lip, he weighed his options.
The man was turned sideways to him, focused entirely on the girl, giving Ren a chance to act.
He noticed several cobblestones lying on the ground.
Picking one up to feel its weight, Ren whispered to Yueyue, "Hide here."
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