Melody was startled and quickly asked, "Mom, are you okay?"

Winnie replied, "We’re hiding in the property management center, so we’re safe for now. But the robbers took two residents hostage inside the complex. They’re holed up in the supermarket warehouse in a standoff with the police outside. I heard some of their accomplices went into the apartment buildings behind us to rob people’s homes. Whatever you do, don’t go outside!"

After hanging up, Melody quickly steered the yacht back to the dock. Cradling Albus, she emerged from her dimension and rushed downstairs.

Her grandmother, aunt, and Miss Lowell were watching TV in the living room. They jumped when they saw Melody rushing down the stairs and asked, "What’s going on?"

Melody said frantically, "There’s trouble outside! Robbers broke into the complex! Grandma, watch the security feed. If you see anything suspicious, hide in the basement immediately and lock the door. I’m going over to the supermarket to check things out."

Their villa had been reinforced, and the walls were topped with an electric fence, so Melody wasn’t worried about its security. The priority was the property management center and the supermarket; she was worried about Winnie and Colin’s safety.

Her grandmother quickly blocked her path, saying anxiously, "Melody, you can’t go out there!" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Melody said reassuringly, "Grandma, my mom and uncle are still at the property management center. I have to go check on them. Don’t worry, the robbers are holed up in the supermarket warehouse, and the police are standing guard outside. I’m just going to the property management center to see them."

Her grandmother tried to protest, but Melody knew that every minute spent arguing added to the danger outside. She quickly told her aunt to lock the doors and bolted.

*

Melody ran under the cover of darkness toward the property management center. The grounds were practically deserted. Even the residents who usually hunted Sandvine Worms were nowhere to be seen. Everyone had heard about the intruders and retreated into their homes.

Melody ran into the property management center. The lobby was deserted. Following a prompt from the dimension in her mind, Melody walked to the office area and knocked on one of the doors.

A tense voice called from inside, "Who is it? Go home! Don’t wander around out there, it’s not safe right now!"

Melody recognized Colin’s voice and called out, "Uncle, it’s me."

Colin recognized the voice and hurried to open the door. When he saw Melody, he asked in astonishment, "What are you doing out here, kid?! It’s dangerous!"

Winnie quickly pulled Melody inside, saying with concern, "Didn’t I call and tell you not to leave the house? What were you thinking, coming out here on purpose!"

Melody quickly tried to calm them. "Mom, Uncle, I was just worried about you, so I came to check. Don’t worry, it’s quiet outside. There’s nobody around."

Inside the office with Winnie and Colin were two of the property management’s security guards. Melody asked, "Mom, Uncle, what exactly is going on?"

Winnie sighed and explained. The robbers who broke into the complex today were career criminals. They had been operating all over the city, mugging people who were alone or staking out the homes of those living by themselves to steal supplies.

It had been over six months since the cataclysm, and most households had run out of stored food. Since their recent home invasions hadn’t yielded much, they decided to target the government’s disaster relief supplies.

With the new year approaching, and after enduring almost a full year of scorching heat, many people were at their breaking point.

To lift public morale, the government decided to open up its few remaining granaries. They planned to distribute frozen meat, rice, and flour to the supply points, hoping everyone could celebrate the New Year properly and find the strength to persevere and break through the current crisis together.

When they heard these New Year’s supplies were being distributed, the robbers decided to take a huge risk and hijack them.

The shipments were escorted by the army and armed police, so they didn’t dare to touch them en route. Instead, they decided to wait for the supplies to be delivered to the community supply points and rob the points directly.

The Metropolis Residences was remote and guarded by only two armed officers, making it their prime target.

Melody frowned, her voice tense as she asked, "How many of them are there?"

Colin replied, "About ten of them, reportedly. Most went into the apartment buildings in the back to commit home invasions. When we evacuated to this office, the community security guards and the resident patrol were tangling with them. Two others, armed with guns, forced their way into the supermarket and took residents hostage."

Melody sucked in a sharp breath. ’They actually have guns?’ Everyone knew how strict the nation’s gun laws were. These robbers were dancing with death.

After a moment’s thought, Melody asked, "What about Crystal Lynch and her family?"

Graham Summers shook his head. "I don’t know. The police started evacuating people the moment they saw someone force the gate. We all fled to the property management center. The Lynch family is probably hiding in another office."

Melody thought for a second, then said, "Mom, Uncle, I’m going to go check on Crystal and her family."

Winnie grabbed Melody’s hand, her brow furrowed. "Absolutely not! You’re not going anywhere!"

Melody said reassuringly, "Mom, don’t worry. The police are right outside. I’ll be fine."

Ignoring their worried looks, Melody turned and left the office.

*

Melody didn’t go looking for the Lynch family. Instead, she went straight to the area around Crystal Mart.

A crowd had gathered at the supermarket entrance, led by Officer Sean Pierce. Behind him stood more than a dozen community security guards, all of them staring tensely at the store.

Officer Sean Pierce was on a megaphone, negotiating with the two armed robbers inside and trying to keep them from getting agitated.

From their conversation, Melody gathered that only the two armed robbers in the supermarket remained. Their eight accomplices had already been subdued by Officer Tristan Tanner, who was leading the security guards and the resident patrol.

Melody considered this, then slipped around to the back of Crystal Mart.

High on the supermarket’s back wall was a small window fitted with security bars. On the other side of it was the warehouse.

Confirming that the robbers had destroyed the security cameras both inside and out, Albus leaped out of the dimension. He jumped up to the window, peered quietly inside, then hopped back down to report to Melody:

"One robber is in the main store, negotiating with the police outside. The other is in the warehouse in the back, guarding two hostages. They’ve knocked both hostages out; they’re still unconscious."

Hearing that the hostages were unconscious, Melody breathed a sigh of relief. ’That means I can go straight in. Otherwise, this would have been a lot more difficult.’

Melody took a deep breath. She absorbed the entire aluminum window frame, security bars and all, into her dimension. Then, using her dimension’s teleportation ability, she appeared inside the supermarket’s warehouse.

The robber in the warehouse was standing anxiously by the door, listening to his partner negotiate with the police outside.

The two hostages were bound and unconscious, tossed in a corner of the warehouse.

’He was getting more and more frustrated. He’d never expected that a complex with so few people would have such ferocious security guards. They chased them like their lives depended on it. He just couldn’t figure it out. Did these guards really need to go that hard?’

’On top of that, they’d even formed a resident patrol, and they were all armed. Most of his crew had been taken down not long after breaking in.’

’If I’d known, I never would have picked this complex!’

’The robber ran a hand through his hair in frustration. They’d been pulling heists for months with perfect teamwork, never messing up once. They’d even hit high-end supermarkets, forcing those fancy stores to move their operations online. To think they’d finally get tripped up in this backwater complex.’

’He stood up, deciding to rummage through the warehouse for supplies. Even if he couldn’t escape, he might as well eat his fill first. And if it really came down to it, he’d take those two hostages down with him.’

But as he turned, his vision swam for a second, and a woman materialized out of thin air right inside the warehouse!

The robber froze, and before he could even react, the woman lunged forward and seized his arm.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The robber instinctively reached for his gun, but in the next instant, it felt as if he’d been plunged into a sea of fire. He felt his very soul being ripped apart, and then his consciousness faded to black.

Melody absorbed the robber into her dimension. She walked over to the wall and checked on the two unconscious hostages. Finding that they were still breathing, she let out a sigh of relief.

Melody transferred the now thoroughly dead robber out of her dimension and dropped him on the floor. Then she took out a taser and zapped the body a few times.

With the scene set, Melody turned her attention to the robber out in the main store, still negotiating with the police.

He was shouting nonstop, demanding the police release his eight accomplices and load all the warehouse supplies onto a truck. If they didn’t, he screamed, they would kill the hostages.

While the robber’s attention was focused entirely on the police outside, Melody pulled the crossbow from her dimension. She aimed for his torso and fired!