?Chapter 339:


    The man angrily confronted the scarred one.


    “Holding a gun doesn’t change the fact that you’re a coward. You can’t face your enemies directly, so you kidnap unarmed people like us to use as hostages.”


    The scarred man seemed intrigued, his gaze locking onto the man who had challenged him.


    “You seem to disagree with my methods.”


    Among the hostages, the man who spoke stood out, notably taller than the others. Katelyn looked up and realized he wasn’t standing alone.


    His wife and daughter were right beside him.


    His daughter cried out in fear, and her mother quickly covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.<fna1ab> Content originallyes from find(?)ovel</fna1ab>


    The woman kept signaling for her husband to get down, but he remained unmoved.


    He gritted his teeth and red defiantly at the gunman.


    “I propose a deal,” he said. “If I win, you let my wife and daughter go.”


    Suddenly, Katelyn understood why he had challenged the scarred man. He was willing to sacrifice his own life for a chance to save his family.


    Yet, negotiating with such an unstable criminal seemed like sheer madness.


    If the man declined and shot him, there would be no chance of survival.


    Even if the scarred man agreed, he could easily break the agreement at any moment.


    The safest course would be to wait for backup.


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    However, with desperate criminals like these, there was always the risk that they might begin shooting randomly at any second. They were at a stalemate.


    Confronted with the very real threat of death either way, the man chose to take the risk.


    Katelyn watched him with a deep respect. It was rare to see someone stand so bravely in such a critical moment to protect their loved ones.


    Vincent’s eyes were filled withplexity.


    He had already informed Samuel of their location, and help would arrive soon.


    But for now, there was no going back.


    The scarred man’s smile deepened as he motioned to the man. “Good for you. You’ve got guts, and I respect that. I’ll let you take your chance. But remember, you’ve only got one life.”


    The man inhaled deeply and moved forward resolutely. “As long as my wife and child are safe.” Tears streamed down the woman’s face.


    The scarred man pulled a revolver from his coat, its six chambers exposed.


    He removed five bullets, leaving just one, and disyed the setup to everyone before snapping it shut.


    “Now that we’re going to y, let’s make it big. We each take a turn. Whoever finds the bullet… it’s just their unlucky day.” As he spoke, a chilling smile spread across his face, making him look even more menacing.


    “I’ll start.”


    The scarred man ced the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.


    There was no bullet. He survived. Smiling, he passed the gun to the man.


    The man hesitated for a moment, but then resolved himself, looking at his weeping wife and daughter in the audience.


    “Promise to keep going strong.” He gave onest, meaningful look at his family, then ced the gun to his temple and fired.


    In that breath-stopping second, someone in the crowd screamed, “No!”


    The gun clicked empty; he, too, was safe.


    Relief washed over Katelyn, but the reprieve was brief. With only two shots fired, four remained.


    One of them was bound to fall.


    The suspense of the standoff held everyone’s attention.


    Each time the man fired, the crowd sent silent prayers. With every click, the air thickened with tension, until only two chambers remained.


    No one knew which shot held the bullet.


    As the climax approached, Katelyn found herself unwittingly clutching Vincent’s hand, her palm slick with nervous sweat. Though she wasn’t the one at risk, the anxiety was overwhelming, as if she were directly involved.


    Amidst the heightened tension, the man pulled the trigger once more.


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