Marvel's Princess - Chapter 68

Natasha was driving while Charlie continuously fired at the nearby spiders. Bella, with her magical powers, found herself useless at the moment and could only sit idly by.

From time to time, she used her sharp eyesight to warn them.

“Left! Left! Shoot it dead!”

“There’s a car ahead! Move aside!”

Driving the police car and leading the way, Samantha and her bald deputy continuously fired their weapons.

Many armed townsfolk hurriedly joined the fight, and the vehicles converged, speeding towards the town center.

For the flesh-and-blood spiders, firearms were deadly.

However, the hit rate from moving vehicles was extremely low.

Scenes in movies where assassins chase protagonists, both firing from speeding cars on the highway, often result in five minutes of shooting with no hits.

High-speed movement makes hitting a target almost impossible. Charlie and Samantha were sheriffs, not special forces, and their ammo was limited. They wouldn’t fire unless sure of a hit.

Bella sat obediently in the passenger seat. Her shooting skills were fatal within ten meters, questionable within ten to fifty meters, and left to chance beyond fifty meters. She could hit stationary targets but not moving ones so that she wouldn’t perform much better than Charlie.

It was best for her to stay put.

With the combined firepower of two sheriffs and a deputy, the convoy finally made it safely to the town center mall.

The remaining townsfolk weren’t so lucky.

Hundreds of spiders swarmed out of their nests. Their strength could flip regular cars, and many townsfolk, fleeing in haste, left their guns behind, rendering them nearly defenseless against the endless spiders.

“Hurry! Everyone hurry! Peter, organize the elderly and children inside first! Martin, get heavy objects to block the doors! You, you, and you with weapons, establish a defensive line with me here!” Samantha hastily set up defenses in front of the mall.

Charlie, unsure how his date turned into this, nonetheless reliably helped Samantha organize people and maintain order.

In contrast, the middle-aged man with the supposed family fortune was much less helpful. He wanted to assist but was pulled into the mall by other bystanders.

Bella was the last to get out of the car. She made sure to instruct Shaw.

“Hide somewhere. Don’t let the spiders destroy my car.”

“Take me home.”

“OK, be careful!”

She hesitated, then tucked two handguns into her waistband. These were trophies taken from a safe house, usually stored in her pickup.

Under the back seat, she had an RPG rocket launcher but decided against bringing it.

How could she explain it if someone asked? Saying it was a reward for good grades from her teacher? A gift for community service from the old folks in the neighborhood?

None of it made sense; such weapons were not for civilians.

Bella and Natasha wanted to help, but the sheriffs insisted they take shelter inside the mall. Charlie, Samantha and the bald deputy Peter stayed outside to cover the townspeople’s retreat.

Peter had emptied the police station of weapons and ammo, filling the police car’s trunk with rifles, shotguns, and pistols.

Natasha could become a sharpshooter in the future, but she hadn’t yet handled a gun. Talent alone wouldn’t help.

Bella couldn’t explain her shooting skills, so she stayed behind.

The iron gate at the mall entrance slowly lowered as the three sheriffs continued to cover the townsfolk entering the mall.

“Mom, hurry!” Natasha called out anxiously.

She would save people if she could, but she wouldn’t send her loved ones to their deaths if she couldn’t.

“I’ll go!” Bella rushed out of the mall.

She grabbed Charlie with one hand and Samantha with the other, pulling them back inside like a gust of wind.

“You’re really strong. Peter! Peter, get in here!” Unaware of Bella’s strength, Samantha wondered how this girl grew so powerful.

Seeing her deputy still firing mechanically, she realized Peter was about to be surrounded by spiders.

Oh? There’s one more outside!

Bella slapped her forehead. The iron gate had lowered to a meter high, and Peter, slow to react, was still firing at the spiders.

She dashed out again, grabbing the two-hundred-pound deputy and running back. A green-haired spider lunged at them, paralyzing Peter with fear.

Ignoring the risk of friendly fire, Bella snatched the shotgun from Peter, aimed, and fired point-blank at the spider’s head.

At such close range, she couldn’t miss. As spider brains splattered, she dragged Peter to the iron gate.

With the gate down to half a meter, Bella shoved the dazed deputy inside and rolled in gracefully.

How did I get in here? The bewildered deputy’s memory was stuck on the frantic shooting. The next thing he knew, he was inside the mall, missing the transition entirely.

The townsfolk rushed to barricade the entrance with all sorts of objects, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

Elderly people, women, and children were terrified. The sudden chaos had unfolded in less than half an hour.

Half an hour ago, they were chatting. Now, they were huddled like headless chickens, waiting for an uncertain fate.

Prosperity Town had more people than Forks, usually around four thousand.

Less than a thousand were in the mall, with no contact with the remaining three thousand.

Husbands and wives were separated, children couldn’t find their parents, and elderly people searched for their families.

Crying, blaming, and helplessness filled the air, casting a shadow over everyone.

Even the strong-willed Natasha was affected. Many of the townsfolk were her friends, and now half of them were missing. She felt utterly powerless.

Standing beside her, Bella tried to comfort her, “It’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

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