“Hey, you! Drop your weapon, hands up, don’t resist!”
Hearing the gunfire from the slope, several city police officers imdiately went on high alert. They raised their pistols in three directions, closing in on Everly’s position.
Everly glanced toward the criminal. The detonator had been completely destroyed, reduced to scraps. At this mont, the suspect was being dragged by two paradics, one on each side, toward the ambulance. The backpack that appeared to contain a bomb had fallen to the ground and was picked up by a kind passerby.
Looks like there’s no imdiate threat…
With that thought, Everly obediently dropped the sniper rifle in her hands, raised both hands, signaling to the officers that she was harmless. She looked directly into the eyes of one lead officer and said sincerely, “I only fired because I saw that person holding a weapon and trying to attack others. If you don’t believe , look in his backpack!”
Judging by his arm patch, he was a detective, ranked higher than the other officers. He studied Everly for a mont, perhaps moved by her earnest deanor, and then gestured toward an officer at the rear of the group.
Following the order, that officer imdiately left the surrounding formation, hurried into the crowd, and retrieved the suspect’s abandoned backpack from the passerby.
“This… this is…”
Seeing the contents of the bag, the officer’s face instantly changed color.
…
Half an hour later.
Everly sat in the city police station’s interrogation room, cooperating fully as she answered each officer’s question.
She recounted everything: encountering the shooting in front of the teaching building, striking the criminal’s hand with a stone to survive, identifying him through his walking posture and the bruises on his hand, and using a rifle to prevent the explosive from detonating… After finishing, Everly even added a note of self-worth to the story.
“My grandfather, John Brenton, was a retired detective. He served in the Dwight State Police Departnt for over forty years, capturing countless criminals and protecting many people. My ideal is to beco soone like him. And that criminal—the way he disregarded human life, his brutal thods, his complete lack of empathy—filled with utter disgust. I’m truly glad I was able to stop him in ti and help everyone…”
Everly’s hands were clenched into fists on the table, her clear, sparkling blue eyes—like seawater—shining as she spoke sincerely and passionately to the officers about her ideals.
The officers conducting the interrogation didn’t say anything at the ti. After Everly and her companion left, faint sighs of admiration and awe leaked through the gap in the door that hadn’t fully closed.
“Oh, when that girl spoke about her ideals, her earnestness… she looked like an angel.”
“I see the future of Arica in her. I think protecting soone like her is exactly the aning of our work!”
Everly tugged slightly at the corner of her mouth.
Although she didn’t usually do things like this, whenever she decided to earn soone’s favor, victory always seed to be on her side.
Thanks to Old John’s guidance, Everly’s answers during the interrogation were clear and logical, with a complete chain of reasoning and no gaps. Her companion Misha was also willing to testify for her. All of it was done to prevent a greater disaster—it was a necessity.
Moreover, after hearing Everly’s story, the officers contacted the Dwight State Police Departnt and the Micano City Police Departnt. The results were astonishing—the girl really did have a grandfather who was a retired detective. Together, they had even played a key role in saving over a hundred lives during the indiscriminate massacre at Micano City’s famous theater!
There was nothing left to say—she was clearly a brilliant young heroine, both intelligent and courageous!
So, Everly hadn’t been in the interrogation room long before an officer ca over, opened the door with a friendly deanor, and politely escorted her out—handing her a cup of hot cocoa along the way.
“Hey, kiddo, congratulations—your na’s completely cleared… Not only that, but I heard that several officers and detectives who were at the scene went looking for the chief. You saved their lives, and they want to help you get a dal and a bravery award. Just wait for the good news—I swear, the reward money will be more than enough for you to go on a fun trip,” said the plump female officer, winking at Everly as she spoke.
Everly shyly and obediently returned a gentle smile.
The plump officer accompanied Everly all the way to the police station’s entrance. Misha was already waiting there, working her social magic, chatting animatedly with a few off-duty officers.
Seeing Everly, Misha waved to the officers with a big grin. The two girls then said goodbye to their enthusiastic escort and got into the Jeep Grand Cherokee, heading back toward school.
“Everly, you can’t even imagine how incredible what you just did was!”
No sooner had Everly sat down in the car than Misha let out an exaggerated squeal and grabbed Everly’s arm across the seat.
“What? What’s wrong?” Everly asked.
“Do you know the criminal’s backpack had five kilograms of C4 explosives?! I heard the officers say that much could obliterate everyone within a 25-ter radius. With where he was standing, everyone by the school gate would’ve died. You saved them all!”
“I did suspect it was C4, but where did he even get so much of it? C4 is a controlled substance; ordinary people can’t just buy it,” Everly said, pushing Misha’s clingy arm aside. As she drove, she curiously asked Misha for more details.
C4 is a powerful, highly stable, and extrely concealable modern explosive. It’s made by mixing powdered explosive materials with plastic binders, plasticizers, and other compounds in precise proportions. Its explosive power is roughly 1.34 tis that of traditional TNT, and the reaction is extrely fast, generating a powerful shockwave the instant it detonates.
Because C4 is highly malleable—almost like chewing gum—it’s very easy to conceal. It has no distinctive sll, making it difficult even for police dogs to detect. For these reasons, C4 is strictly controlled in the United States, and ordinary people have no legal way to obtain it. Incidentally, its detonation conditions are also very strict: smashing, burning, or hitting it won’t trigger an explosion. Only a blasting cap can set it off. During the Yuenan Campaign, people even used this property to burn C4 as fuel.
Misha said, “The police haven’t traced where the explosives ca from yet. That criminal’s hand was shattered by you, and he’s currently under anesthesia, undergoing surgery. They can’t get any intel from him. But they suspect a gang supplied it, because Vanir—the one you hit—was seen frequently interacting with gang mbers in the community over the sumr.”
“The killer’s na is Vanir?”
“Yeah. Full na Vanir Pivrelli. He and the owner of the black car, Dustin, are both mbers of the sa fraternity. But Vanir is introverted, timid, and indecisive. Dustin often mocks him as a ‘pansy,’ so their relationship isn’t good.”
“So Vanir decided to do so shocking ‘big thing’ to prove to the world that he’s not a weakling, but a ruthless killer?” Everly said with a hint of sarcasm, speaking offhandedly.
In the U.S., “pansy” is often used to describe n who lack traditional masculinity and is sotis used to insult gay n. It carries a heavy derogatory connotation.
Misha nodded. “Yep, that’s basically it—impulsive, immature, self-centered, cold-blooded, selfish… Are all guys like this? If they are, then Arica’s dood. I’d rather stay single my whole life!”
“I don’t know… there must be normal ones too… right?” Everly replied uncertainly.
Misha was amused. She giggled like a little chick for a long while, then continued sharing the intel she’d gathered. “Actually, the police still haven’t fully confird Vanir’s identity. But they’ve tested his arm for gunshot residue, and taken samples like hair and skin cells. They’re comparing those with the protective gear and firearms found in Building 2. Once the match cos back, his status as the killer will be confird.”
“And then… didn’t soone on the forum leak that the black car belongs to a junior nad Dustin? His body’s already been found—in the trunk of the car. Judging by how stiff it was, he probably died last night.”
“I see. No wonder Vanir suddenly lost it today. He probably argued with Dustin last night, accidentally killed him, and then went all out—taking revenge on society and dragging more people into his ss.”
The two chatted as they drove, and soon they arrived at the school gate.
Bad news: New Osebuch State University had just experienced a campus shooting. The school had temporarily added security checkpoints, requiring extra inspections for all vehicles and personnel entering.
Everly’s Jeep Grand Cherokee could carry a ton of weapons and ammunition in the back. There was no way it could pass the checkpoint. She had no choice but to find a parking lot outside the campus. She parked the car and, together with Misha, disguised themselves as ordinary students to enter the school.
The Teaching Building No. 2 where the shooting occurred, along with its front lawn, was cordoned off with police tape. On the ground, bloodstains that hadn’t been fully cleaned were still visible. Outside the tape, many flowers and candles had been laid. As Everly passed by, she saw so students who had survived the attack standing before the barricade, tears streaming down their faces as they silently mourned the victims.
She and Misha quietly paid their respects for a mont as well.
On that day, the entire university lost 47 students and 3 teachers. Behind them were countless heartbroken family mbers and shattered hos.
…
Three days after the campus shooting, under public pressure, New Osebuch State University collaborated with the campus police and the city police to hold a press conference to report on the incident.
The information the police released matched Everly’s deductions almost exactly.
Perhaps to cover up the campus police’s mishandling of the situation and to redirect dia and public attention, the press conference heavily emphasized Everly’s heroic act: cleverly seeing through the criminal’s disguise and preventing a devastating explosion before it even happened. The university and police unanimously decided to award the brave girl a dal, along with a cash reward of 15,000 US Dollars.
After the press conference, Everly beca instantly famous throughout the university—and even across the city of Dalami.
Whether walking on campus or in the streets, people would enthusiastically greet her. Strangers would run up to take photos with her, and even though Everly responded with her usual cold deanor, these over-familiar Aricans sward around her like flies, oblivious to their annoyance, and thought her frosty attitude made her look even cooler.
Everly: “……”
Oh, and the number of confessions she received also increased.
Whether the confessors knew her or not, whether they understood her or not, it didn’t matter—they all treated it as a chance to claim so piece of her attention.
With this simple mindset, one person after another ca to confess to Everly, making her feel endlessly exasperated.
Aricans are really too much!
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