Everyone knows student textbooks are an absolute rip-off, with universities and colleges forcing us to fork out hundreds of pounds for a single book. But you might be thanking your lucky stars that you've got a few kilos of paper in your backpack the next time you're caught up in a gang shooting.
That type of scenario is unlikely, but it certainly helped one bloke in Brazil.
The unnamed student was walking through a busy square when gunfire erupted, causing people to scatter in every direction. As the man ran away from the ensuing drama, little did he know that a bullet had nearly killed him.
It wasn't until three days later that the guy opened his Mechanical Fluids textbook to see a bullet in near perfect condition sitting in between the pages, with several pages ripped, or so he claims.
The man told reporters of the market place shooting: "The [gunmen] arrived, shooting at the area where the meat stalls are, and after they came close to people, they carried on shooting.
"Next, a dark-skinned guy with a 38. [millimetre handgun] fired a shot from the corner that possibly hit my rucksack."
Three people were killed from that specific attack, which was one of three incidents in that area that night which claimed a total of seven lives, with seven others injured. Police say the trio of attacks were committed by the same criminals, however, no one has been arrested.
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You can imagine the guy will have no problem lugging that textbook to and from school now. He might even get a few more to ensure he's properly protected.
But it's certainly not the first time a chunk of paper saved a person's life.
A bus driver in Ohio was attacked by three teenagers, according to CNN, in 2014. He was shot three times at point blank range but miraculously survived thanks to a New Testament bible sitting in his front shirt pocket.
He still suffered a bullet going through his leg and a knife wound to his arm, but he certainly wouldn't have lived had that book not been protecting his chest.
Dayton Police Sergeant Michael Pauley told WHIO: "There was obviously some kind of intervention involved in this incident, because he probably should not be here."
The bus driver used a pen to stab one of the teenagers in the leg, causing him to drop the weapon and run away with his mates.
Featured Image Credit: CENTopics: Interesting, Community, Brazil