Nina Summers was stunned for a moment when she heard this. Then her eyes widened, and an irrepressible joy surged through her.

She excitedly shuffled forward on her knees and grabbed Melody Summers’s leg. "Really?" she asked, her voice filled with excitement. "The police are coming to save us? I don’t have to die? I can get out of here safely?"

Melody Summers quickly bent down to help Nina Summers to her feet. Before she could reply, Joelle Lawson, who was standing nearby, cried out in alarm, "You called the police!? How could you call the police!"

Alarm bells went off in Joelle Lawson’s head. ’I finally found a place where all my needs are met. I won’t let the police destroy it!’

Joelle Lawson turned to run. She had to tell Yates the news so they could prepare!

When she had been entertaining clients at the Oceanus Hotel, the police had investigated then, too. It was only because her bosses got a tip-off that they were moved to this new hotel.

Joelle Lawson was desperate to get out and warn them, but Melody Summers was one step ahead. Before Joelle could even make it out the door, Melody took two quick steps and blocked her way.

As Joelle Lawson stared in shock, Melody Summers grabbed her arm and slammed her to the ground.

Joelle Lawson was young and far too slender. Pinned by Melody Summers, she couldn’t move a muscle.

Seeing she couldn’t break free, Joelle Lawson opened her mouth to scream. But Melody Summers quickly clamped her other hand firmly over her mouth, muffling the cry.

Melody Summers turned to the stunned Nina Summers. "Don’t just stand there! She’s trying to go snitch! Quick, get the bedsheet and wrap her up in it!"

Nina Summers scrambled onto the bed, ripped off the sheet in a flash, and lunged at the struggling Joelle Lawson on the floor.

Both Melody Summers and Nina Summers were a head taller than Joelle Lawson. With her skinny arms and legs, Joelle was like a small child in their hands. They quickly had her wrapped up as tight as a burrito.

Afraid Joelle Lawson might break free, Nina Summers then pulled off the duvet cover and wrapped her in another solid layer, tying the corners into dead knots. Now there was no way Joelle could escape.

Seeing Joelle Lawson wriggling on the floor like a large cocoon, Nina Summers took off her own knit sweater and began stuffing it into Joelle’s mouth until it was completely full. Now, no matter how much Joelle screamed, she couldn’t make a sound.

After all that, Nina Summers collapsed onto the floor, drained of strength.

She and Melody Summers exchanged a look. Melody quietly opened the door and peeked both ways. Thankfully, the commotion hadn’t attracted any of the thugs. ’Otherwise... with Nina Summers and Joelle Lawson here,’ Melody thought, ’it would be pretty difficult to deal with them without revealing my space.’

Nina Summers had recovered from the shock. Still remembering how Joelle Lawson had taken care of her over the past few days, she began to plead hesitantly, "Amy, the police are here to save us. How could you try to warn those people?"

"Those kidnappers don’t see women as human beings... You think it’s a good thing now, having plenty to eat and drink. But have you ever thought about what happens when they turn on you? They could kill you and bury you somewhere at any moment. No one would even know you were dead."

With the sweater stuffed in her mouth, Joelle Lawson couldn’t speak. She could only glare fiercely at Nina Summers.

Oblivious to the disgust in Joelle Lawson’s eyes, Nina Summers continued to persuade her. "Staying here is not a good thing. You’ll only sink deeper and deeper into the abyss. How old are you? Are you even an adult? You’re so young. If you stay here, your whole life will be ruined."

Joelle Lawson kept glaring at Nina Summers, her eyes practically shooting fire.

’This pampered princess who’s never known a day of hardship,’ she thought, ’what right does she have to say that to me!’

’Nina Summers and Melody Summers can go home after leaving The Crestview Hotel. But what about me? I was sold by my own father! Where would I even go if I left?’

Seeing Nina Summers was about to say more, Joelle Lawson mentally cursed her for being a hypocrite, rolled her eyes, and looked away.

Joelle Lawson prayed silently. She hoped the police were incompetent. She hoped Yates and the others would move her to a new location. She hoped their boss was well-connected enough to smooth this whole thing over.

Then, a commotion from outside shattered her illusions.

"Don’t move!"

"Everyone on the ground! Hands up!"

"You’re surrounded!"

Melody Summers and Nina Summers looked at each other, seeing the joy in each other’s eyes—

The police were here!

******

With the clues and information provided by Melody Summers, the police acted swiftly, quickly gaining control of the criminal gang at The Crestview Hotel.

Before the police raid, Flynn Adler’s informant tried to pass him a message as usual, reminding him to hide and move his people. Of course, the message vanished without a trace—Flynn Adler’s body was already cold, still lying in Room 1108!

With their leader Flynn Adler dead, the hotel’s kidnappers and thugs were leaderless. Roman Rhodes and the SWAT team rounded them all up in one fell swoop.

The SWAT team quickly secured each floor, clearing them out and dealing with any remaining resistance.

Following Melody Summers’s tip, one SWAT team hurried to the second and third basement levels. They rescued the women locked in the small rooms before the kidnappers even knew what was happening.

When the SWAT team entered, Nina Summers lunged toward them as if they were her last lifeline. She cried out incoherently, "Save me, officer, please get me out of here! This hotel is full of monsters! A lot of girls have died here!"

Melody Summers, however, calmly explained Joelle Lawson’s situation to the officers who came in, including the fact that she had tried to tip off the kidnappers.

The SWAT officer listened with a serious expression, then had Joelle Lawson, still wrapped up like a cocoon, escorted out separately. He told his colleague to mark her for priority interrogation.

Nina Summers and Melody Summers were then led out by the officers and taken to the police station.

*

The operation went very smoothly. Aside from a few thugs who tried to resist and were shot in the head by the SWAT team, everyone else surrendered without a fight.

At the station, Melody Summers once again explained to Roman Rhodes the full story of how she ended up at The Crestview Hotel. Her initial call to the police had been rushed, but this time she gave a detailed account.

"Because Clara Hayes didn’t like me and Nina Walsh, she had her fiancé, Flynn Adler, kidnap Nina Walsh and take her to The Crestview Hotel. Then she forced Nina to record a video to lure me there too."

"After I got to the hotel, I realized I’d been tricked. Flynn Adler tried to force me to stay and work as a prostitute, and he threatened me with organ harvesting."

Roman Rhodes listened with a frown, then turned and signaled for a subordinate to summon Clara Hayes for questioning.

Melody Summers took out the recording pen and other items from her pocket. "This is the original recording of Flynn Adler admitting to kidnapping, human trafficking, and organ trafficking," she continued. "Officer Rhodes, these people are truly evil. I’d bet they’re behind eighty percent of the recent kidnapping cases in the city."

"Also, although Flynn Adler never directly confirmed it, I suspect the Hayes Family of the Oceanus Hotel is involved in this too."

Melody Summers could only tell Roman Rhodes what she knew and suspected. As for the rest—the Adler Family’s mole in the police force, the collusion between the Adler and Hayes families, where the Adlers got so many guns, and where the harvested organs ended up—that was beyond her. She was just an ordinary citizen; it was up to the police to slowly uncover the truth.

Roman Rhodes nodded, his expression grave. "Don’t worry," he replied. "We’ll conduct a thorough investigation. We owe you for providing these timely leads."

This group had taken advantage of the police being stretched thin since the disaster to engage in kidnapping and human trafficking. The higher-ups had been aware of them for a while, but they were hidden too well. That, combined with their informant tipping them off, allowed them to escape several times.

This time, thanks to the clues and evidence from Melody Summers, they had finally been able to catch the entire group.

Thinking of this, Roman Rhodes sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. His tone was no longer strictly professional; he spoke to Melody Summers like an elder. "You were too reckless this time. If something like this happens again, you should call the police directly. Don’t go rushing in on your own!"

"You may have shot Flynn Adler and his bodyguard this time, but what if he’d had ten bodyguards? How would you have escaped? Have you thought about that? You’re an only child. If something had happened to you, can you imagine how devastated your family would be?"

Melody Summers listened to Roman Rhodes’s lecture. She knew Officer Rhodes meant well, so she could only nod sincerely to show she understood.

But she thought to herself, ’This trip to The Crestview Hotel... I killed Flynn Adler, got my revenge, and even scored two handguns. This was a huge win for me!’