Chapter 167: It’s Him

Chapter 167: Chapter 167: It’s Him

Liam Hawthorne shot to his feet and turned to walk out.

He couldn’t stop himself—he had to find her!

He had forcefully suppressed the countless urges to see her lately. But whenever the dead of night fell, the longing was like maggots burrowing into his bones, tormenting him endlessly.

"President Hawthorne, what’s wrong?"

The manager at his side hurried to keep up, his face full of confusion as he spoke.

Liam Hawthorne stopped abruptly. Before he could speak, a staff member in the security room cried out in alarm.

"President Hawthorne! Manager Warner! It’s bad, something’s happened!"

At the sound, both men immediately turned, their eyes locking onto the monitor.

On the screen, in the middle of the sprawling amusement park, a man with a savage expression suddenly pulled out a weapon and began frantically slashing at the innocent park-goers around him. The sudden, violent attack sent the scene into an uproar. Screams and cries rose and fell as the crowd scattered in every direction, fleeing for their lives. The park descended into utter chaos.

"Go handle it. Now." Liam Hawthorne’s voice was cold and flat, devoid of any warmth. As the words left his lips, he was already striding swiftly toward the scene.

Manager Warner didn’t dare to delay. He stuck close to Liam’s side, furiously dialing the security department to dispatch all personnel to the scene. At the same time, he barked sharp orders into his walkie-talkie, instructing the on-site staff to guide guests in an orderly evacuation and do everything possible to prevent a stampede.

Meanwhile, Vesper Grayson, Shiloh Sloan, and Bella Thorne were in a slightly elevated spot, which gave them a perfect view of the chaotic scene unfolding in the center of the park.

It wasn’t until the area below devolved into complete chaos that the three of them belatedly realized something was wrong. Watching the crowd scatter frantically like ants on a hot pan, their hearts clenched, and they didn’t dare to get up or move.

"What on earth is happening? Why did it suddenly get so chaotic?" Bella Thorne’s face was pale. She looked around in a daze, a note of barely concealed panic in her voice.

Shiloh Sloan immediately stood up. With a grave expression, she warned, "You two stay right here, don’t move. I’ll go see what’s going on."

A moment later, Shiloh Sloan hurried back, her expression a mixture of urgency and panic.

"It’s awful. Some guy is attacking people indiscriminately. He’s just slashing at anyone he sees. It’s terrifying."

"He must be mentally ill, right? To do something like this in broad daylight!" Bella Thorne covered her mouth, her voice a shocked whisper.

"It’s very likely. We can’t stay here. We need to use the chaos to get out of here now!" Shiloh Sloan immediately grabbed her backpack and reached out to pull Vesper Grayson and Bella Thorne away.

But Vesper Grayson grabbed her arm, her expression preternaturally calm. "The crowd below is in a panic, and people are running everywhere. If we go down now, we’ll just get separated by the flow of people, or even knocked down and injured. The safest thing to do is to stay right here and do nothing."

’I’m pregnant now. If I were to get jostled in the chaos, a few injuries would be the least of my worries. But if something happened to the fragile baby in my womb, the consequences would be unthinkable.’

’I can’t risk my child!’

Shiloh Sloan considered her words for a moment. Knowing Vesper was right, she immediately nodded.

"Okay, you’re right. We’ll wait here and see what happens."

Just then, the amusement park’s security guards finally rushed to the scene. They quickly surrounded the attacker, tightening the circle step by step as they attempted to subdue him.

Seeing he had no escape, the man flew into a frenzy. His violent gaze swept the area before he suddenly grabbed a little boy who was wailing in terror. He pressed the cold dagger firmly against the child’s delicate neck and hid behind him, creating a standoff with the security guards.

"Look! He took that little boy hostage!" Bella Thorne shuddered, pointing below as she cried out in shock.

Vesper Grayson and Shiloh Sloan immediately looked over. They saw the man pressing a dagger to the little boy’s throat, his face contorted with rage. On the ground around them, seven or eight injured park-goers were already lying there, clutching their bleeding wounds and wailing in agony. The scene was horrifying.

"Stay back! If any of you takes another step, I’ll kill him!"

The man brandished the dagger wildly, his emotions running high as he screamed threats at the surrounding security guards. The guards were hesitant to act for fear of harming the hostage. They could only glare at him like tigers stalking their prey, not daring to make a single rash move. The situation reached a stalemate.

Just then, the chaotic crowd instinctively parted to form a path, and two men strode through, one after the other.

The man in the lead was tall and slender, and he looked somewhat familiar.

She narrowed her eyes, focusing on him, and a flicker of surprise, almost imperceptible, crossed her face.

’It was Luke Lockwood... No, that’s not right. He’s already resumed his real identity. I should call him Liam Hawthorne.’

’What is he doing here?’

From their distance, Vesper and her friends couldn’t hear the conversation below. They could only see Liam Hawthorne give a few quiet instructions to the security guard beside him before stepping forward alone to negotiate with the frenzied attacker.

"Vesper, look at that man. Isn’t that the scumbag, Luke Lockwood? How can two people in the world look so much alike?" Shiloh Sloan had also recognized the familiar face. She narrowed her eyes, her tone dripping with disdain and confusion.

Vesper Grayson’s expression was calm as she replied faintly, "You’re not mistaken. It’s him."

"Hah!" Shiloh Sloan snorted, her face full of scorn. "Since when did he become so helpful and start meddling in other people’s business?"

Vesper Grayson remained silent.

’I knew in my heart that Luke Lockwood wasn’t fundamentally a wicked person. When we were younger, he had a strong sense of justice and would always step in to help those in need—that’s how we met and fell in love. It was what he did later that completely broke my heart.’

At that moment, another shrill scream pierced the air. The attacker had completely lost his mind. His eyes were bloodshot as he raised the hand holding the dagger high and viciously plunged it toward the little boy’s chest!

In the nick of time, Liam Hawthorne’s eyes flashed with a sharp glint. He moved like lightning, lunging at the man and tackling him. They grappled on the ground as Liam seized the man’s knife-wielding wrist with both hands, desperately trying to wrestle the weapon away.

The terrifying scene scared everyone witless, and they all instinctively backed away. Vesper Grayson’s heart sank. Her gaze fell on a megaphone in a nearby staff member’s hand, and without a thought for her own safety, she strode over to them.

"Excuse me, I need to borrow this!"

She didn’t have time to explain. She grabbed the megaphone, flicked the switch, and roared at the chaotic crowd below.

"What are you all standing there for?! Get up there and help subdue him!"

Her clear, powerful voice instantly snapped the stunned crowd out of their stupor. The security guards and a few able-bodied young men immediately reacted, rushing forward. Working together, they pried open the attacker’s hand, successfully snatched the dangerous dagger, and quickly pinned the crazed man to the ground.