Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Zhou Mei’s Invitation

The four members of the Summers family worked in perfect sync. They moved quickly, and before long, they had collected all the volcanic ash from the roof and bagged it up.

Gazing at the clean roof, the four of them took off their protective suits and gear with satisfaction. They carefully carried the bags of volcanic ash down before heading back inside to wash up and go to bed.

Perhaps it was because the dark clouds had blurred the line between day and night, but Melody Summers found herself unable to sleep.

She casually picked up her phone and scrolled through the group chat messages, discovering that everyone was discussing the news report about the tallest tower collapsing under the weight of the volcanic ash.

"4-1209 Goofing Off: How could such a famous building just collapse like that? I never even got to visit it."

"2-1908 Coco: We’re witnessing history yet again."

"4-2009 Nina: Isn’t it just dust? How could a layer of dirt make a whole building collapse? That tower must have been a shoddy piece of work!"

"2-1908 Coco: It’s not dirt. Didn’t you see the news? It’s all rock particles, and it’s incredibly heavy—hundreds of millions of tons, apparently. With that much weight pressing down ton by ton, of course it would make the building collapse."

"4-2009 Nina: No wonder the property management staff was cleaning the roof all day. Ugh, these are tough times."

"6-2702 Holly: Everyone, try not to take your kids outside these days. The air quality has gotten so bad since the volcanic ash blew into our city. I just took my kid downstairs for a quick walk, and he’s been coughing non-stop since we got back."

"2-1408 Bella Grant: Definitely don’t take the kids out. My husband went out for a bit, and he’s had a runny nose ever since he got back. His snot is black, and it looks like it’s full of tiny rock particles."

"Property Management Center: @All Residents. Please be sure to wear masks and goggles when going outside. If you do not have masks, you can pick them up at the property management center or the supply distribution point. Each person may collect two masks per day with their ID."

"6-2702 Holly: Ugh, if it’s like this in our city, I can’t imagine how much worse it is in the hardest-hit areas. Life is so difficult. When will this ever end?"

"4-1009 Lowell On Deadline: Did you guys know? In 1815, Mount Vorlag had a super-eruption that caused long-term drought and blizzards across the Aeridorian Continent. In the end, crop failures in Veridian nations led to a major economic depression, and hundreds of thousands of people died. To shift the crisis, they started colonizing everywhere, which is also related to the Opium Wars."

"5-2602 North Window: @4-1009 Lowell On Deadline I know about that. The acid rain caused by the volcanic ash also triggered cholera outbreaks in many countries. Cholera spread all the way from Veridia to Southeast Archanea. That’s the terrifying power of the butterfly effect!"

"7-901 Adventurous Lawson: Acid rain? Hey, I’d take any rain at this point. As long as there’s water. I just want to take a shower before I die. Pray for rain!"

"4-1209 Goofing Off: @7-901 Adventurous Lawson Don’t you dare pray for rain! Didn’t you see the news? When volcanic ash gets wet, it becomes conductive. All the power lines and fiber optic cables will be fried. How are we supposed to surf the web then?"

"..."

Melody Summers scrolled through the group chat, recalling how in her past life, many people had developed respiratory and pulmonary infections from inhaling volcanic ash, leading to incessant coughing.

Since she couldn’t sleep anyway, she got up and went into the Arcadian Space. She rummaged through the seed warehouse and found some Chinese medicinal herb seeds she had bought before.

She sowed seeds for scrophularia root, fritillaria bulbs, rehmannia root, ophiopogon root, and asparagus root in the Arcadian Fields. She planned to make some loquat syrup for her family after a while. It was said to be very effective for clearing the lungs and stopping coughs.

After finishing her work, Melody Summers opened the online shopping platform in the Arcadia Store. Ever since the long night began, many pieces of night-use equipment had been added to its stock.

After a quick search, Melody Summers found a product with the title: [Just Like Daytime! Latest Technology! Top-Tier Chip Algorithm—Full-Color Night Vision Surveillance Camera].

Melody Summers scrolled through the reviews and saw that everyone praised the camera’s night-filming capabilities. Gritting her teeth, she placed an order for 100 units.

Colin and Winnie Summers had mentioned before that during this period of darkness, someone had been taking advantage of the gloom to steal things, and the community’s surveillance cameras couldn’t get a clear picture.

If this thief wasn’t caught and was allowed to continue, she feared more and more people would start imitating them.

’Once a theft succeeds, there will be another.’

’It’s as they say, "Greed is a bottomless pit." It would slowly escalate to robbery, then home invasions...’

’This budding instability had to be nipped in the bud, or the consequences would be dire.’

Melody Summers planned to replace the surveillance cameras at her own home and throughout the community with these new, full-color night vision models. ’Hopefully, they’ll be able to catch that thief!’

******

Because the air outside was poor, Melody Summers hadn’t gone out much recently. She spent her time in the space tending to the medicinal herbs in the fields and diligently picking loquat leaves. She would take the leaves to the bank of the Arcadian Stream to wash them thoroughly, preparing them for the loquat syrup.

Today, after lunch, Sophie Thorne came to visit the Summers’ home.

She brought a case of snow pears, along with a good amount of lily bulbs and fritillaria bulbs.

Seeing this, her grandmother quickly said, "Oh, you dear child, you always bring so many things. You’re spending far too much!"

Sophie Thorne just smiled and replied, "Grandma, the air has been bad lately. These snow pears can be stewed into a drink to help clear the lungs and soothe coughs."

Sophie Thorne followed Melody Summers up to the third-floor sunroom. After they sat down, Melody noticed a Pink Diamond brooch pinned to Sophie’s chest.

’That size, that color...’

’It looked far too familiar...’

The more Melody Summers looked, the more it resembled the Pink Diamond she had sold along with the blue one!

Albus, who was nearby, clearly thought the same. The white cat sat up, staring intently at the brooch on Sophie Thorne’s clothes.

Melody Summers asked tentatively, "Sophie, that brooch must be very expensive, right? Where did you buy it?"

Sophie Thorne was taken aback for a moment, then replied with some embarrassment, "Ronan’s grandfather gave it to me. I don’t know the exact price, but I heard it was auctioned off with another blue diamond, and they went for 2 billion in total."

Sophie Thorne had just come from the Rhodes Family’s estate. Since she was going to see Mr. Rhodes, she had deliberately worn the brooch he gave her.

After returning to The Metropolis Residences, she wanted to share some of the things Mr. Rhodes had given her with Melody’s family first, so she came over without having time to go home and change, still wearing the brooch.

billion!

Melody Summers: "..."

Albus: [...]

Albus stood up and paced a few circles on the table.

[Damn profiteer!]

Then, Albus began to roar furiously in Melody Summers’s mind:

[A 1 billion price difference! We got ripped off for 1 billion!]

Albus’s voice was so loud that it gave Melody Summers a headache. She couldn’t help but raise a hand to gently rub her temples.

Sophie Thorne couldn’t hear Albus’s voice. She curiously watched the white cat spinning rapidly on the table, finding it quite amusing, and immediately took out her phone with a grin to record a video of the frantic feline.

Just then, Melody Summers’s phone suddenly rang. She picked it up and saw it was a call from an unknown number.

Melody Summers hesitated for a moment before answering, "Hello?"

A strange female voice came from the other end. "Are you Melody Summers?"

Melody Summers replied, "I am. How can I help you?"

The woman on the phone said, "My name is Holly Rhodes. I’m Simon Lancaster’s girlfriend. Melody Summers, I have something to discuss with you. Let’s find a place to meet and have a proper chat."

Melody Summers was stunned. She hadn’t expected Holly Rhodes to actually call her.

While Melody Summers was still hesitating, Holly Rhodes on the other end had already given her an address and then promptly hung up.

Seeing Melody Summers’s conflicted expression, Sophie Thorne asked with some confusion, "What’s wrong?"

Melody Summers hesitated before replying, "It was Ronan’s cousin, Holly Rhodes. She wants to meet me at the cafe on the third floor of the Oceanus Hotel."

Then, Melody Summers told Sophie Thorne everything, from Silas Lancaster showing up at her door with a knife to her writing the complaint letter against Simon Lancaster, and finally how Sylvia Lancaster had contacted her, asking her to take the fall for Simon.

Melody Summers concluded, "I didn’t agree to Sylvia’s request back then, so Holly Rhodes is probably contacting me now to persuade me to get in touch with the Rhodes Enterprises investigation team and help Simon Lancaster get his job back."

Sophie Thorne listened with a frown, surprised that the Lancasters could be so shameless. After a moment of thought, she replied, "I’ll go with you."

Melody Summers hesitated for a moment but finally nodded.

******

It was two o’clock in the afternoon, a time that should have been bright with sunshine, but now it was completely dark, as if it were night.

To conserve electricity, the streetlights were only lit sporadically, barely illuminating the road on either side.

The amount of volcanic ash in the air had decreased significantly over the past two days, as the larger particles had settled to the ground.

The government organized crews to clean the roads every day, and gradually, some private cars dared to venture out.

As Melody Summers drove, she observed the sides of the road. Every so often, she would see police officers on duty, their patrol cars’ hazard lights flashing, providing a strange sense of comfort in the darkness.

The two of them drove all the way to the Oceanus Hotel. After parking in the underground garage, they entered the elevator and headed up to the third floor, where they were to meet Holly Rhodes.

This was Melody Summers’s first time at the Oceanus Hotel. She discreetly took in her surroundings.