Lin Yu'an shook his head, immediately retracting his thoughts,
The nightmare of a previous life was about to cruelly reappear before his eyes!
But in this life, he was not unprepared!
Before rushing into the supermarket, he briefly returned to the pickup, retrieved a fully loaded Glock 19 from the compartment below the seat.
If there's a chance for revenge this time, the helplessness and despair with a pen in his previous life, he never wants to experience it again!
He gently patted Aliya's back, whispering in her ear with a voice only the two could hear: "Aliya, don't be afraid, stay here, don't move! Trust me!"
Although Aliya was still startled, seeing the determination in Lin Yu'an's eyes, she nodded firmly! She always trusted Lin Yu'an unwaveringly.
At the other end of the supermarket, the maniac in a dark hoodie was pointing his modified AR-15 at a trembling young mother.
Without hesitation, Lin Yu'an drew the Glock 19 from his waist, adeptly cocked it, and advanced in a prone position toward the gunman under the cover of the shelves.
The "Stand Your Ground Law" in Texas means that even if you're not within your "castle."
If you are threatened with serious harm to life or body, whether ongoing or imminent, you typically don't need to retreat and can use reasonable force for self-defense.
The mother held a baby tightly, who was wailing due to the sudden loud noise.
"Hey, sweetheart~ now, giving you a choice, you and your little darling can only one live."
"You choose! I'll count to five, if you don't choose, you'll both meet God!"
The maniac let out a hoarse, sickly laugh, swinging the gun muzzle between the mother and the baby.
The young mother's face was pale, tears streaming down her cheeks, but her gaze was extraordinarily resolute.
Without hesitation, exerting all her strength, she screamed, "Please...please let my child live! I beg you!"
The madness on the maniac's face twisted with a sadistic cruelty.
"Oh? Such moving maternal love! But alas, I never had it."
"Haha, tricked you! Blonde White chicks are really easy to fool! What I never had, this little cutie in your arms can't have either~"
The smile on his face vanished, replaced by a wild ferocity: "Both of you are meeting God today!"
Saying this, his finger slowly squeezed the trigger!
At that critical moment!
"Hey! Look here!"
A shout like thunder boomed in the chaotic supermarket!
The madman named Derek shuddered all over, his finger on the trigger instinctively pausing, he turned his head in surprise toward the sound.
About ten meters away, stood an unfamiliar Asian man by the shelves.
Before he could react, Lin Yu'an had already moved!
No hesitation, no delay! Instantly executing American Iaido, Magazine Emptying Skill!
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Fifteen 9mm Parabellum rounds, in under three seconds, violently spewed from the Glock 19's barrel!
The savage and bewildered look on the psycho's face was eternally frozen.
He didn't even have time to turn the gun muzzle or utter a cry as blood bursts erupted from his chest and head, and he helplessly fell backward, landing heavily on the cold floor.
Lin Yu'an's chest heaved violently, his right hand holding the Glock 19 trembling slightly, with all past regrets, self-reproach, sadness, despair; the endless agony.
As if all found an outlet in those fifteen gunshots! When Derek fell, the great weight that burdened Lin Yu'an for countless days and nights shattered mightily.
An unprecedented ease washed over his entire body, and the world at this moment seemed to regain color and sound.
"Aliya!"
He snapped back to reality, soon the police would arrive, he dared not continue holding the Glock 19, placing it on the shelf and then rushing toward the diaper pile.
Aliya was still huddled there, and when Lin Yu'an picked her up, she looked at him with tear-filled eyes, full of trust.
"Dear, you..." her voice was tense.
Lin Yu'an said nothing, only once more embraced her tightly.
"It's over, Aliya, it's all over, it's alright now." He whispered in her ear over and over, as if speaking to his past self.
The shrill sound of police sirens approached, breaking the supermarket's brief calm.
Quickly, several armed police officers rushed in, swiftly controlling the scene, their eyes warily sweeping over everything.
Upon seeing Derek lying in a pool of blood and the menacing AR-15 next to him, as well as the Glock handgun Lin Yu'an placed on the shelf, the police immediately became highly alert.
"APD! Drop the weapon!" Confirmed by the blonde White mother, the officers promptly focused on Lin Yu'an.
Lin Yu'an slowly raised his hands, signaling he was no threat: "The gun is there, it's empty, that person was the gunman, he tried to harm the woman with the baby."
Just then, the mother holding the baby also came to her senses, hurriedly confirming to the police through tears: "It was him! He saved us! The one who fell is the maniac, he was going to kill me and my child!"
She pointed at Derek's corpse, then indicated Lin Yu'an.
Other terrified customers also testified one after another, describing the harrowing scene they had just witnessed.
The police quickly assessed the situation at the scene; the AR-15 beside Derek, scattered shells, and multiple witness testimonies pointed to a clear fact.
An older officer stepped forward, signaling colleagues to lower their guns, yet still maintaining caution: "Sir, please cooperate with our investigation. What is your name?"
"Lin Yu'an."
"Is that Glock yours?"
"Yes, I have a gun permit."
In the following hours, Lin Yu'an spent time at the police station, providing a detailed account of the events.
Lin Yu'an calmly explained everything, stating he just came to find his wife, happened to have the gun with him, and in self-defense in the supermarket, shot the assailant who attempted to murder.
Texas law is relatively lenient regarding self-defense, especially when facing a proactive gunman, the right to self-defense is expanded indefinitely.
Preliminary investigation results, along with numerous witness testimonies and the supermarket's surveillance footage, were extremely favorable to Lin Yu'an.
That night, with the assistance of a lawyer, Lin Yu'an was granted bail.
Stepping out of the police station, the night wind was slightly cool. Aliya snuggled tightly against Lin Yu'an, as if only this could provide her a sense of security.
She softly called out, her voice filled with endless tenderness: "Dear...thank you."
Lin Yu'an clasped her hand tightly, looking at her slightly pale and still frightened face, his heart filled with tenderness.