Suzy stopped paddling. The inflatable boat rocked gently on the surface of the water.
"Hey, Mister... I don’t really have anything on ..." Her voice trembled uncontrollably.
It was an instinctive reaction—after all, this was her first ti facing sothing like this.
No matter how many tis she had rehearsed it in her mind, imagination was never the sa as reality.
And yet, Suzy was calm. Calr than she had ever been.
"Yo, it’s a chick."
Her reaction only made the attackers more smug, their guard lowering further.
A lone woman posed little threat to them.
And with her voice shaking like that? Clearly timid. Weak. Easy prey.
They had already labeled her in their minds.
"Cut the crap! Bring the boat over now! Or I’ll skewer you and feed you to the fish!"
The bald man barked impatiently, stepping closer as he brandished his wooden spear.
anwhile, the man who had jumped into the water was already closing in.
Now.
A cold glint flashed in Suzy’s eyes.
Her right hand, which had been hanging quietly at her side, suddenly snapped upward—
Fssst!
A nearly inaudible sound sliced through the air, striking the man in the water with perfect precision.
"Ah—my eyes!!"
He let out a bloodcurdling scream, thrashing wildly.
The sudden chaos drew the others’ attention—and gave Suzy the opening she needed.
Raising the weapon in her hand, she unleashed a rapid barrage at the n surrounding her.
Her hand trembled slightly, but her aim remained deadly accurate.
One after another, they were hit.
She aid straight for their faces—the potent pepper spray needed only the slightest contact to incapacitate them.
"You bitch! You’re asking to die!!"
The remaining two attackers, both shocked and enraged, plunged into the water—disappearing beneath the surface.
Suzy knew exactly what they were doing.
Closing in.
She scanned her surroundings sharply, then drew a dagger, gripping it tightly.
A ripple on her right—
She struck without hesitation, plunging the blade downward.
Thud—
A muffled cry echoed beneath the surface. Blood quickly spread through the water as the ambusher clutched his thigh, screaming as he surfaced.
Seeing this, the other man abandoned the attack and rushed to pull his companion away.
In the end, they lost their nerve.
This woman might look timid, but she struck fast and without rcy—and she carried weapons far more dangerous than they’d expected.
Better to retreat.
After a brief exchange, the group began swimming back toward shore with their injured.
Suzy watched them coldly, then picked up her paddle again, preparing to leave.
Just then—
A young face appeared at a nearby window.
The girl looked no more than fourteen or fifteen, her hair disheveled. The mont she saw Suzy, her eyes lit up with desperate hope.
"Miss!! Help! Please—please save us!!"
At her wrist, a faint glimr of light flickered.
Before Suzy could get a closer look, a hand yanked the girl backward.
"Shut up right now!!" a woman shrieked.
"I won’t—ah—Miss—help—please—!"
The girl’s hoarse cries grew weaker... until they vanished completely.
Suzy’s gaze sharpened, sothing dangerous flickering in her eyes.
A mont later, the middle-aged woman reappeared at the window, her expression sharp and hostile.
"Mind your own business! Get lost!"
Suzy’s mind flashed back to that faint glimr at the girl’s wrist.
She turned her head, glancing once more at the battered, disheveled group of attackers.
They were working together.
In that case...
Without a change in expression, Suzy reached into her space and pulled out a crossbow.
The n, already half-blinded and reeling from the pepper spray, froze as soon as they saw it. Cold sweat broke out across their bodies.
Who was this woman?
How was she carrying so many weapons?
Regret hit them all at once.
Suzy didn’t waste a single word.
She raised the crossbow, aid at the leader—and pulled the trigger.
The bolt shot forward with a sharp whistle, embedding itself deep into his calf. Blood welled instantly as the man let out a piercing scream.
"Ah—! You... you—!"
He pointed at her with a trembling hand, wanting to demand why she had suddenly attacked—but the question died in his throat. Even he realized how ridiculous it would sound.
The others stared at her warily, not daring to move.
Compared to the weapon in her hands, theirs were slow, crude, and unreliable.
Not to ntion, their eyes still burned from the pepper spray—they couldn’t even aim properly.
"You’re all together, aren’t you?" Suzy said calmly, gesturing with the crossbow toward the window where the middle-aged woman stood.
They understood the warning instantly.
"Yes—yes, we are..."
"What about that girl?" Suzy asked.
The two n exchanged uneasy glances, hesitating.
Thwip—
A bolt struck the wooden plank right at their feet.
"We—we kidnapped her!" they blurted out in panic.
Suzy nodded slightly. "How many people are in that room?"
"J-just her watching them..."
"Don’t try anything clever," Suzy said softly, her tone chilling. "I won’t let you off."
Under such a threat, no one dared resist.
They had seen her accuracy—and they had no doubt she could put a bolt through their skulls if she wished.
They didn’t want to die.
Once she was sure they were no longer a threat, Suzy maneuvered the inflatable boat closer to the window where the woman was, then climbed inside.
From a distance, the woman had seed bold and domineering.
Now, face-to-face, her expression turned pale with fear.
"D-don’t co any closer! Or I won’t hold back!"
She clutched a kitchen knife, shouting frantically, "Hurry! What are you waiting for?! Co help !"
Before she could lose control and lunge forward, Suzy fired.
The bolt struck her knee.
The woman scread in pain and collapsed to the ground.
In one swift motion, Suzy kicked the knife away, her movents clean and efficient. Then she surveyed the small room.
In the corner, three children were tied up. Two girls and a boy.
The girl who had called for help was among them—the oldest.
She slumped weakly against the wall, her eyes unfocused, barely conscious.
Her cheek was swollen, and a cloth had been stuffed into her mouth—fresh marks made it obvious the woman had done it not long ago.
The other two children, no more than ten, stared at Suzy with fear and confusion.
Behind her, the woman’s wails continued.
Ignoring the noise, Suzy stepped forward and untied the ropes binding the children.
"What happened here?" she asked.
The older girl, seeing Suzy, seed to regain a sliver of clarity. She grabbed Suzy’s hand tightly.
"Miss... cough... Miss..."
Noticing their cracked lips, Suzy took out a bottle of mineral water mixed with spiritual spring water from her backpack and helped them drink, one by one.
After drinking, their condition visibly improved.
"Can you explain now?" Suzy asked.
The girl spoke, her voice still trembling, "They... they ca to rob us... and they killed my parents..."
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