Chapter 32: "We Shouldn't Be the Ones Adopting You!"
The already tense atmosphere instantly intensified.
"Uncle Ted, what did you mean by that?"
Emma gripped the shoulder strap of her backpack tightly, questioning him while subtly shifting her feet back to create distance between herself and the stuffed animal next to her.
Ted's lips curled into a disdainful smile, his eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction. "Take it as a threat, and stop pretending to be a little lamb. I've seen right through you!"
"You little bitch!"
Ted preemptively roared, his voice sharp and menacing. "I thought you were just a bit precocious and eccentric."
"But now I've realized you're a complete demon! A serial killer! A psycho!"
"You should have been adopted by bastards like Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, and the Zodiac Killer!"
His words grew increasingly vicious. "It's a shame you're a girl, otherwise I would have sent you to Camp Crystal Lake and had Jason take care of you!"
Emma, enraged by these words, screamed in fury, "Listen to the nonsense you're spouting! I'm calling the police and suing you!"
Ted retorted, "Why don't you sue yourself first!"
"I know all your secrets!"
Ted threatened, pointing to his head. "They're all here. I'm warning you, you'd better behave yourself these next few days, or I can't guarantee I won't spill the beans!"
However, Emma's emotions strangely calmed in the face of Ted's threat.
She scrutinized the unarmed Ted, who only reached her waist, a cold smile playing on her lips:
"What evidence do you have?"
"None!"
Ted replied confidently. "But I have every reason to suspect you. Especially after reading the police report on your father's death, all the signs point to homicide, and you were the only one present."
"I'll tell Rango when he gets back," Ted said confidently. "You see, I don't need him to believe me, I just need to plant a seed of suspicion between you two."
"Clap clap clap clap."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ted was surprised to find Emma clapping, the applause carrying a hint of sarcasm and provocation.
Under his bewildered gaze, Emma approached him step by step, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"I was hoping you'd live another night, but I didn't expect you to be so eager to die."
"What do you want?"
Seeing Emma's relentless advance, Ted involuntarily took a few steps back, pressing himself tightly against the tree trunk behind him. "I...I advise you not to be impulsive. I used to train in martial arts with Rango, don't force me to fight."
He shadow-boxed the air in front of him, throwing a left hook and a right straight punch, but unfortunately, they didn't even produce a sound, and with his furry paws, they looked both weak and comical.
"Are you trying to make me laugh?"
Emma smiled contemptuously, then accelerated towards him.
There were no witnesses present; as long as Ted was dealt with, everything could be attributed to an accident.
With her resolve hardened, Emma's eyes grew increasingly fierce, revealing a coldness and ruthlessness far beyond her years.
However, Ted wasn't going to sit idly by.
After calculating the distance between them, he immediately grabbed the tree trunk behind him with both paws, then thrust his hips upwards, using the momentum to launch his legs into the air and kick Emma in the chest!
This sudden attack caught Emma off guard, and she was knocked to the ground.
Ted seized the opportunity to leap onto her, locking his legs around her neck, and raining punches down on her face.
"I've been to so many haunted places with Rango, and you think you can fight me, you little brat!"
"Hiya!"
Ted mimicked the style of kung fu masters from movies, yelling as he fought.
Then he released his grip on Emma's neck, took a dozen steps back, and prepared to run up and deliver a flying kick.
"I learned this move at the dojo. That guy Rango used to laugh at Taekwondo, calling it all fancy moves. Now I'll teach him a lesson he won't forget!"
But he'd only taken half his run-up when he abruptly stopped, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.
That damn brat had pulled a gun out of her bag?!
Emma licked the blood from her lips, then gripped the pistol she'd found in Rango's bedroom tightly.
"Hey?"
Looking at the dark muzzle, Ted suppressed his fear, trying to mask it with a lighthearted tone. "This isn't something a kid should touch."
"A kid? You actually think I'm a kid?" Emma scoffed.
She glanced at the gun in her hand, blinking innocently. "Besides, didn't you teach me, Ted? If you can't stay away from that annoying person, then make them stay away from you."
Damn brat!
Ted cursed himself for being so talkative, then forced a nonchalant expression: "Fine! Go ahead and shoot! You forgot my belly's full of stuffing, even if you hit me, I might not die!"
"It's okay, I just want to see you 'leaking cotton'!"
Noticing Ted slowly backing away, Emma didn't hesitate to flip the safety, aiming at his chest and pulling the trigger!
"Hey! Rango?!" Ted suddenly shouted, his voice tinged with desperate hope.
Unfortunately, the little psycho in front of him was completely unmoved. Seeing this, he gave up on resisting and immediately turned and fled in a zigzag pattern!
Bang—!
The gunshot ripped through the air, rustling the surrounding leaves.
Fortunately, Emma clearly hadn't received professional shooting training; the bullet went way off target!
"Fuck, what's there to be afraid of with marksmanship like that?"
Seeing the bullet veer several meters off course, Ted's confidence soared, and he continued his serpentine sprint towards his home down the hill.
He was thankful he'd chosen a location not far from home.
There was a residential neighborhood not far below; he didn't believe Emma would dare to fire recklessly there.
After firing several shots that missed Ted, Emma stopped firing blindly, put her pistol back in her bag, and continued her relentless pursuit, showing no sign of letting him go!
(End of Chapter)
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