However, at this moment, James Parker had already started walking forward again. He walked very slowly. The two bandits glanced at each other, clearly unable to make up their minds. Just then, William Harris, who had been cowering to the side, mustered up his courage and said, “You, you guys wait, I’m from the Huang family…”

　　“Don’t come any closer! Do you want to die?!” It’s one thing for a child, but it’s a whole different matter for an adult. As soon as William Harris spoke, Scarface immediately pointed his pistol at him, scaring him into raising both hands and not daring to say another word. Meanwhile, James Parker had already walked up close.

　　“Knife Bro,” the man with the triangular eyes turned his head and said, “I think we might as well swap the one you’re holding for this kid. Having an adult with us is bound to cause trouble.”

　　“Hmph, what trouble could there be?” Scarface glanced at the woman in his grasp, hesitating inwardly. In fact, he had another thought in mind. Of all the people by the pond, this older girl was the prettiest woman. The two of them planned to hide out in the mountains for quite a while after taking the money, and if they had a woman with them, life would be much easier. As he was thinking this, Emily Bolton, who overheard their conversation, said, “No, I don’t want to switch!”

　　“Damn it! You think you get to call the shots here?” Scarface shouted, pressing the gun to James Parker’s head and shoving Emily Bolton aside. James Parker grabbed Lily’s hand and said softly, “It’s okay. Don’t worry.” Lily nodded through her tears, “I’m not afraid…”

　　“Damn, the first time in my life I’ve seen a real hero, and it turns out to be a kid.” The man with the triangular eyes sighed. Then, the four of them began heading up the mountain. At that moment, Sarah Lane rushed out from behind, “Let me take Lily’s place!”

　　Before the two bandits could react, James Parker shouted, “Shasha, stop! Go call the police and get us out of here.”

　　This made the little girl freeze in place and start sobbing. Scarface patted James Parker on the shoulder, “Hey, you sure know a lot. Let me tell you, if we’re doing something like this, we’re not afraid of you calling the police. Go ahead!”

　　The four of them walked more than ten meters and were about to enter the woods when Emily Bolton suddenly dashed out. As she got close, Scarface immediately pointed his gun at her forehead, “What the hell do you want now? Do you really want to die? Think I won’t shoot you?”

　　“I want to go with you!” she said, trembling all over, but her eyes showed no sign of backing down. “I can’t let two kids go with you. Either I switch with them, or you take me along too!”

　　“What’s going on today…” Scarface stared at her in disbelief, “Does everyone want to play the hero? Damn it, come any closer and I’ll shoot!”

　　“Go ahead and shoot.” Emily Bolton was clearly struggling internally, but she still followed the gun’s aim. “Either kill me, or take me with you. I can’t let the kids go with you…”

　　James Parker glanced at the gun pointed at Emily Bolton, then at the hunting knife on Scarface’s waist. If he acted now, he was seventy percent sure he could take Scarface out before he fired, but Lily was right beside him, and there were too many people around… After thinking it over, he cursed, “Get lost, you stupid woman! Who needs your help? Go back and sleep with William Harris!”

　　Despite such crude insults, Emily Bolton only looked at him and said nothing. After all, murder is a much more serious crime than robbery or kidnapping, so Scarface didn’t dare pull the trigger lightly. He backed up a few steps, glanced at the sky, and gritted his teeth, “Fine, you want to come along, huh? Are those tents on the ground? Bring two over here!”

　　He was referring to the travel backpacks with tents attached. Hearing this, Emily Bolton nodded, ran back to pick up James Parker and Lily’s packs, then said to the crying Sarah Lane, “Remember to call the police.” As she turned to leave, William Harris grabbed her hand, “Yahan, you can’t go with them!”

　　“Get out of my way!” Yahan shook him off. “You’re even more useless than a child!”

　　Leaving those words behind, she ran toward the four of them.

　　In the afternoon, clouds began to gather in the sky. Looking up, it seemed like it could rain at any moment.

　　The five of them moved through the forested mountains, Yahan carrying a pack at the front, followed by Scarface, James Parker also carrying a travel pack and holding Lily’s hand in the middle, and the man with the short pistol and triangular eyes bringing up the rear. As they walked, James Parker seethed with anger inside.

　　He really wanted to just give up on that self-righteous, foolish woman! If it had just been him and Lily, there would have been plenty of chances along the way to take out the two bandits. Lily was young and knew him well, so after showing his skills once, it would be easy to ask her to keep it a secret. But now, with a stranger added to the mix, not only were the bandits more alert, but he’d also have to make sure Emily Bolton didn’t notice when he made his move. At this rate, the earliest chance to act would probably be at night.