James had always been someone who had experienced significant events, and although Darnell had struck at his weak spot, he gritted his teeth and held his ground against the pressure.
He knew clearly that if he showed weakness today, he would never be able to stand firm in Woodsea again.
So he ignored the shouts of Noemi and others and just stared coldly at Darnell. “Darnell, are you determined to oppose me?”
His tone carried a threat. “If you don’t give me face, don’t blame me for being rude to you.”
“Darnell, when have you ever been polite to me?”
Darnell snorted indifferently, “Do you have any credentials to prove you’re a police officer?”
“If not, leave quickly, or I’ll charge you with illegal harassment of citizens!”
He grabbed Lillian’s hand, looking very frustrated and aggrieved. “We were about to have our wedding night, but you fake cops interrupted us. If you don’t leave, I’ll sue you for emotional distress.”
Lillian squeezed Darnell’s palm back, her pretty face as red as an apple, but she didn’t pull away.
At this moment, the villagers of Woodsea also started making a fuss. “That’s right! Fake cops should leave immediately.”
“If you don’t leave, we’ll call the police.”
Seeing Darnell so arrogant, James sneered. This was his territory. Last night, Areli held him back from acting recklessly.
Now facing a group of people without any background, he naturally couldn’t back down in front of them. Otherwise, how could he manage people in the future? How could he intimidate troublemakers?
He wasn’t afraid to fall out with Noemi. What was a mere Darnell compared to that?
“Arrest them!”
James shouted loudly, skipping all procedures and going straight to the result. “If they dare to resist, execute them on the spot.”
The villagers and tenants of Woodsea saw James’s overbearing attitude and immediately stood up to support Darnell. “What are you doing? Are the police going to beat people again?”
Garrett and his six companions clenched their fists tightly.
Two auxiliary police officers took out cold handcuffs with grim expressions and walked towards Darnell without hesitation.
They were loyal to their duties. Although they were paid by the government, James was their direct superior who had mentored them for so long. If they didn’t perform now, when would they?
Noemi’s face was very calm. She picked up her phone and then put it down again. She wanted to see Darnell’s ability to handle the situation.
James still held onto his gun holster, sneering at Darnell as if mocking him. Did this brat dare to resist arrest?
As the two auxiliary police officers approached closer, Darnell suddenly shouted, “Garrett, Arthur, and Vance.”
“Arrest those impersonating police officers.”
Darnell ordered loudly, “Take them down for me.”
Garrett and his companions were slightly stunned but then rolled up their sleeves and shouted, “Understood.”
James and his men were shocked. Was Darnell so arrogant, or had he gone mad?
Bang!
As thoughts raced through their minds, Garrett had already kicked one auxiliary officer who was about to handcuff Darnell and punched another in the stomach.
The two auxiliary officers fell instantly, wailing in pain, which stimulated everyone’s nerves.
James was extremely angry. “Arrest them!”
More than twenty auxiliary officers roared and charged at Garrett. Arthur and Vance were well-prepared and swiftly blocked them.
Noemi and other villages rolled up their sleeves to help.
“Ms. Sotheby, you all rest.”
Darnell waved at the villagers not to intervene and chuckled, “Don’t steal our credit.”
“Steal your credit?”
Noemi twitched her lips slightly before whispering, “Can you handle it?”
She knew what kind of character James was.
“I must handle it!”
Darnell said meaningfully, “If we don’t handle James properly, there will be no peace in Woodsea.”
“I’ll leave it to you then.”
Noemi patted Darnell’s shoulder. “Do a good job. I believe in you. Lillian’s big chest and thighs are all yours.”
Darnell’s eyes lit up with a flattering smile, “Thank you, Noemi!”
The brawl didn’t last long. Although there were many auxiliary officers compared to Garrett’s seven men, they were too weak.
In less than five minutes, they were all knocked down by Garrett and his companions. Each one was either handcuffed or tied with ropes. Many of their uniforms and badges were torn apart.
Garrett and his companions remained unscathed except for a few minor bruises from scuffles which made them appear even more valiant.
The onlookers couldn’t help but exclaim. It was the first time they saw people daring to beat James. It was simply audacious but secretly satisfying.
Being able to teach a tyrant like James a lesson was indeed gratifying.
“Darnell, are you rebelling?”
After Gisselle and Hugo instinctively backed away several meters, James looked at his subordinates lying on the ground along with the schadenfreude expressions of the onlookers around him, feeling an immense sense of humiliation.
His hand reached for his waist. Moments later, a black gun appeared in his hand as he gritted his teeth, shouting, “Do you believe I’ll shoot you dead?”
Garrett and his companions were startled but didn’t retreat at all.
Noemi and her group frowned even more disdainfully at James, feeling like he was just a joke.
The onlookers behind Darnell scattered fearfully, worried that they might accidentally get shot.
James felt very satisfied. In this day and age, having a gun could make people obedient. After all, who wasn’t afraid of having a barrel pointed at their head, right?
“You dare resist arrest and assault police officers? I’ll shoot you dead!”
James shouted fiercely at Darnell, “Kneel down immediately.”
Darnell patted Lillian by his side and offered her a reassuring smile before stepping forward a few paces to stand in front of Garrett and the others. With a calm yet authoritative tone, he said,
“Don’t point that gun at me or my brothers. The consequences are beyond what you can handle!”
Garrett and the others were moved by his words. Darnell always had a way of captivating their hearts and inspiring their spirits.
The natural aura and commanding tone that radiated from Darnell caused James to hesitate for a moment. James instinctively took a step back.
But soon, anger and humiliation surged within him, and he shouted, “Who do you think you are? How dare you lecture me? I’ll take you down!”
With a menacing grin on his face, James yelled and, without hesitation, aimed his gun at Darnell’s thigh and pulled the trigger.
“No!” Lillian and Garrett shouted in unison.
Bang!
The deafening gunshot rang out, followed by Darnell’s sharp, short scream of pain.
Lillian and Garrett instinctively rushed forward but quickly stopped in their tracks, stunned by the horrific scene unfolding before them.
Amidst the billowing smoke, James stood frozen as he stared blankly at his right hand, which was a bloody mess, charred and mangled.
His service weapon had fallen to the ground, the barrel grotesquely twisted, emitting wisps of smoke, stained with blood and bits of flesh.
The gun exploded!
As everyone turned to look at Darnell, he stood there, covering his ears, looking utterly stunned, as if the chaos around him had nothing to do with him.
After a long pause, Darnell lowered his hands and, visibly shaken, exclaimed,
“Good gracious! That scared the hell out of me!”