Chapter 557 Audrey Was Brutally Abused 2
Royce got the message loud and clear. He stopped what he was doing, but his eyes were still full of defiance as he sneered at Harper, "Can you even shoot?"
With a cocky grin, he jabbed his finger into Francis's busted knee. The sound alone was enough to make anyone wince, but Francis took it like a champ, not saying a word.
Harper's hand holding the gun started to shake. She had actually learned to shoot. While she was abroad, Clayton had taught her all sorts of self-defense stuff, including shooting. But she'd never actually had to use it in real life.
Plus, after coming back to Dreamlandia, the gun laws were super strict. Regular folks couldn't just go around with guns. So, Harper never got the chance to use one.
Now, with Royce mocking her, Harper quickly loaded the gun, flipped off the safety, and aimed it right at him. Her moves were smooth and practiced, showing she had some serious training.
Royce was caught off guard and didn't dare make a move. His only gun was now in Harper's hands, pointed straight at him.
Harper said, "Hands up and step back!"
Royce raised one arm slightly, his eyes darting around, which Francis noticed. Royce was planning to use a smoke bomb.
Francis swung his elbow and landed a perfect hook punch, knocking Royce to the ground. Royce grabbed his jaw, ready to fight back. In his mind, Francis was just a cripple with one good leg. How could he lose to someone like that?
But before he could do anything, Francis's arm wrapped around his head, squeezing until Royce passed out. Once he was sure Royce was out cold, Francis leaned against the wall and slowly got up. Then, everything went quiet. The once-agitated Harper seemed to have disappeared.
As the smoke cleared completely, Harper walked forward slowly, and that's when Francis saw a cold gun barrel pressed against the back of her head. The person holding the gun was Audrey, her face covered in blood and looking terrifying. Audrey's mouth was a bloody mess, with no lip, making her look especially creepy and scary.
"Drop the gun," Audrey said, struggling to speak. Even though she could talk, it was clearly painful, and even the slightest movement caused her agony. She had just injected a painkiller, but it didn't seem to help. Her body must've built up a resistance to them.
Harper dropped the gun, still shaken and scared by Audrey's sudden appearance. It was the first time she'd seen someone look so hideous, not just in an evil way, but truly physically grotesque and terrifying.
Stanley was definitely ruthless. But if Audrey could walk out covered in blood, it meant she had already killed Stanley. That meant Audrey seemed even more terrifying than Stanley.
Francis, worried about Harper, said in a deep voice, "Audrey, it's not too late to put down the gun."
Audrey let out her creepy laugh. "Too late? Francis, look at my face. You think it's not too late?"
She blinked and made a dramatic face, asking, "Why aren't you looking at me? Think I'm ugly? Maybe I should give Harper a few cuts too. Make her as ugly as me."
Francis's face darkened. "Audrey, Stanley did that to you. It has nothing to do with Harper. Let her go!"
"Let her go? Are you dreaming?"
Francis got serious. "This is Dreamlandia, a country with laws. You hurt someone, you go to jail."
Harper was super nervous, but hearing Francis, she felt a bit puzzled. It seemed like Francis was trying to get Audrey to say something. Seeing him like this, Harper felt a bit more at ease and stayed quiet.
But Audrey wasn't having it. She yanked Harper's hair hard. Harper cried out in pain. Audrey laughed, "I killed Stanley. You think I'm scared of jail?"
"You killed him?" Francis repeated, looking shocked. "You actually killed Stanley?"
This was kind of a provocation, but Audrey, in her crazed state, didn't catch on. "Yeah, I killed him. Slashed his face over eighty times. He disfigured me, so I made him worse!"
Harper couldn't believe Audrey was so nuts! Wasn't Stanley supposed to be super tough? How did Audrey take him down so easily? It was hard to believe.
Audrey pressed the gun harder against Harper's neck and snarled, "Harper, Francis, all of you who hurt me will pay!"
Francis sneered, "Audrey, do you really not get who hurt who?"
"It was you and this bitch who hurt me!" Audrey tightened her grip on Harper's neck.
Harper was being choked and could barely breathe. In her dazed state, she suddenly heard Francis say, "Harper, do you trust me?"
Harper didn't know what Francis meant, but instinctively replied, "Francis, I trust..."
Audrey tightened her grip again. It seemed she didn't even need to shoot; Harper would be strangled to death.
"Harper, just trust me, okay?" Before Harper could react, Francis suddenly lunged. Harper was knocked to the ground by Francis, and they both hit the floor hard.
Seeing Harper break free, Audrey instinctively pulled the trigger. The familiar sound of a bullet being fired made Harper freeze. The next second, her eyes turned red, and she screamed in terror, "Francis!"
Francis had just lunged at her, so the bullet must have hit him instead of her. Harper's eyes filled with tears as she turned Francis over to check his body. "Francis, are you shot? No, I don't want you to do this. Don't die on me."
Francis smiled and tried to comfort her, "Silly, didn't I tell you to trust me?"
Harper was stunned. Francis's voice was weak, but it didn't sound like he had been shot. Plus, there was no blood on him where a bullet should've hit.
Harper looked up, confused, and Audrey seemed puzzled too. To check, she pulled the trigger again.
"Francis!" Harper tried to pull him away, but he struggled to stand on one leg, facing Audrey's gun.
"No!" Harper's face went pale with fear.
Audrey, like a madwoman, kept pulling the trigger, aiming at Francis's face. The sound of several empty clicks left Audrey bewildered. How could this be?
Finally, the gun jammed and made no sound at all. Audrey angrily threw the gun to the ground, getting more agitated. "Francis, did you do this?"
Her excitement made her speak quickly, pulling at the huge, ugly wound on her mouth, causing her to grimace in pain, looking especially terrifying and disgusting.
Francis looked at her calmly and said, "The gun was switched."
When Stanley crushed his kneecap, Francis had taken the chance to switch the guns. But in his rush to save Harper, he had forgotten to take the hidden gun. So, the gun Audrey had was actually the fake one Francis had prepared. But to be safe, Francis still shielded Harper with his body, wearing a bulletproof vest underneath.
To capture Stanley, Francis had made many preparations. So, even if Stanley hadn't died at Audrey's hands today, he would've been captured.
But given Stanley's personality, he would rather die than be captured alive. He was notorious for his craziness and reckless fighting style. If it came to a shootout with the police, it would've been chaotic. The police, with their professional concerns about avoiding hurting the hostiles, would've suffered losses trying to capture Stanley.
Now, it was better this way, with only Stanley dead and no other casualties.
"Switched the gun?" Audrey's eyes darted around as if trying to understand something.
The reason she had shot at Francis without hesitation was because he had abandoned her, leaving her to Stanley. Audrey hated Francis with a burning passion! She wanted to tear his flesh with her teeth and gnaw on his bones!
But now, hearing that Francis had switched Stanley's gun, Audrey's not-so-bright mind thought of something. Suddenly, a smile spread across her face. Although it was still a terrifying face, the smile reached her eyes.
She said with eager anticipation, "Francis, you still care about me, don't you?"
This inexplicable statement made Francis frown slightly, completely unable to understand. But Audrey laughed out loud, looking very happy. "Even though you left me to Stanley, you were afraid he would kill me, so you secretly switched his gun to protect me. You said it yourself, you wish I can win against him!"
Francis's lips tightened, genuinely shocked by Audrey's delusion, unable to speak. Harper was also stunned. It seemed Audrey was truly mentally unstable. Any normal person could see that wasn't the case.
But Audrey was lost in her fantasy, laughing even more brightly. "Francis, I forgive you. Even if you left me for Harper, I'm not angry. I allow her to be with you. In the future, we can all be together. What do you think?"
Francis frowned, "Are you crazy? When did I ever want to protect you?"
Audrey, lost in her dream, stubbornly said, "That's how it is, Francis. Don't lie to me. I know you have feelings for me. After all these years, we've worked and lived together..."
Audrey's claims became increasingly outrageous, all of which were things Francis had never done and were completely made up by her.
Francis coldly interrupted, "Audrey, when I left you to Stanley, I envisioned two outcomes: either he would torture you to death, or you would kill him, but then the Charles family would torture you!"
"No, that's not true." Audrey didn't believe it. Her beautiful dream was cruelly shattered by Francis. She pressed her hands to her chest, muttering, "You do love me. You're lying to me."
She kept repeating to herself, trying to rebuild her dream.
"Audrey, how dare you talk about forgiving me? From start to finish, you're the one who committed evil. Remember, the things you've done will never be forgivable!" Francis's lips curved beautifully but his words were merciless, "I hoped you would beat Stanley because I thought the latter outcome would be more satisfying!"
Everyone knew what it meant to offend the Charles family!
Actually, not everyone in the Charles family was so crazy. Many couldn't stand Stanley because he was foolish, impulsive, and ostentatious, relying on his favor. If the opposition knew of Stanley's death, they might even celebrate.
But as long as the current leader, Armando, was in power, the person who killed Stanley wouldn't escape. She would be captured and subjected to the most brutal punishment!
Although Audrey was somewhat deranged, she wasn't completely stupid. She kept shaking her head, saying, "It wasn't me; I didn't kill Stanley. You have no evidence."
Francis sneered. Even in her madness, Audrey was still cunning. He coldly said, "Forgot to tell you, the footage of you torturing Stanley was uploaded in real-time. Armando will soon personally view your brutality and hear your confession of killing Stanley."
"What did you say?" Audrey thought she had misheard, whispering, "You're joking, right?"
Francis, cold and precise, said, "I told you, I prepared the most fitting ending for you."
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