The family worked together, all lending a hand to move a dozen or so huge shopping bags into the living room, covering the floor.

Grandma opened one of the bags and took out two fluffy white blankets.

Miss Lowell felt the blankets, marveling at the fine, velvety texture in her hands. "This is velvet-grade mink," she exclaimed. "I can’t believe you can still buy this stuff these days, let alone made into a blanket. It’s so extravagant."

Grandma also shook out a quilt. It had a satisfying weight to it, unlike the shoddy products common in stores. You could tell it was packed full of cotton, every bit as good as the quilts she used to make at home. She nodded in satisfaction. These kinds of quilts were the most comfortable for winter.

With everyone pitching in, the family moved the dozen or so bags into the storage room. The weather wasn’t at its coldest yet, so they wouldn’t need these things for a while.

After they finished tidying up, Melody Summers sprawled on the sofa, casually pulling out her phone to scroll through her group chat.

"4-1009 Lowell On Deadline: Have you guys heard? Something happened over at Building 12!"

"4-1209 Slacking Off: @4-1009 Lowell On Deadline What happened now?"

"4-1009 Lowell On Deadline: It’s a murder, I hear."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: Huh? For real? The police haven’t issued a notice. Any residents from Building 12 online? Spill the details."

"12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Supplies (Closed): Probably true. I saw cops going in and out this afternoon. They carried two body bags downstairs."

"2-1408 Bella Grant: No way. Someone died again? Was it suicide or homicide?"

"12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Supplies (Closed): Not sure. I just heard it from someone else."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: If it really is a murder, why haven’t the police released a statement?"

"12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Supplies (Closed): Who cares? If there’s no official notice, it means we don’t need to know."

"12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Supplies (Closed): By the way, the temperature’s dropping hard. Anyone need quilts or down jackets? Six-pound cotton quilts, 50,000 each. Unisex down jackets, one-size-fits-all, 30,000 a piece."

"2-1408 Bella Grant: @12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Supplies (Closed) You’re something else. I remember you were selling electric fans during the heatwave last year, and now that it’s getting cold you’re selling quilts and down jackets. You must be making a killing since the disaster, huh?"

"12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Supplies (Closed): @2-1408 Bella Grant Hey, I’ve got no choice. My kid’s a growing boy, can’t have him eating sand vine cakes every day. Prices are so high now, I’m just trying to make enough for some calcium supplements for him."

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: 30,000 for one jacket! That’s so expensive!"

"12-1803 AAA Lawson’s Supplies (Closed): Can’t be helped. Cold-weather supplies are sold out everywhere. I had to pull a lot of strings just to get these. A lot of experts are predicting a blizzard, and the temperature will drop even more. It’ll be even harder to buy them then!"

"..."

Melody Summers read through the chat log, thought for a moment, and typed:

"B16 Summertime: Besides quilts and down jackets, you can also stock up on fuel in advance. Bamboo and wood charcoal are still available, and so are things like solid fuel tablets."

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: Burn charcoal? Isn’t that too dangerous? It’s easy to get carbon monoxide poisoning. I think I’ll just use an electric heater."

"4-1209 Slacking Off: But what if they ration electricity, like they did during the heatwave?"

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: That’s true... In that case, I’d better buy some fuel! I can’t just freeze to death!"

"..."

Putting down her phone, Melody Summers thought to herself, ’I bought a lot of warm clothes and quilts before the disaster, and now Ronan Rhodes has brought over another huge pile of stuff.’

If she couldn’t use it all, she planned to donate the surplus to the emergency management office and let them distribute it to those in need.

******

As the temperature dropped day by day, time flew by, and soon it was the end of the month.

Today was the day of the celebration party for Paige Walsh’s research institute, held at the Nimbus Hotel.

Melody Summers and Sophie Thorne had been invited to the banquet by Yuri Walsh, and they had agreed to leave together at 7 PM tonight.

As 7 PM approached, Melody Summers had finished getting ready and was sitting in the living room, waiting to leave.

When she heard the villa’s doorbell ring, she thought it was Sophie Thorne and hurried to get the door.

Unexpectedly, the people standing outside weren’t Sophie Thorne, but Roman and Ronan Rhodes.

Melody Summers was a little surprised to see them. "Officer Rhodes? What brings you here?"

Before Roman Rhodes could speak, Ronan stepped forward with a smile and handed her a bag. "These are self-heating patches. They’re supposedly the latest in long-lasting heat technology. Give them a try and see how they work."

Melody Summers quickly thanked him as she took the bag.

Ronan Rhodes had been bringing over a lot of things recently, all sorts of cold-weather supplies. At first, Melody Summers had tried her best to refuse, feeling it was improper to accept gifts for no reason.

But Ronan was unusually insistent, always acting as if he wouldn’t leave until Melody accepted.

So, Melody had no choice but to accept, keeping his kindness in mind and planning to repay him when she had the chance.

Melody Summers accepted the heat patches, then said to Ronan and Roman Rhodes, "Please, come in and sit down. Officer Rhodes, when were you discharged from the hospital? Are you recovering well?"

Roman Rhodes had been discharged a while ago. As soon as he was out, he had urgently implemented an investigation plan targeting the Hayes Family, using swift and decisive measures to root out two moles hidden within the police force.

The investigation revealed that the Hayes Family was connected to all three of the Advent Sect’s previous terrorist attacks.

The police now had concrete evidence and were formulating an arrest plan. If all went well, they would close the net tomorrow night.

Only then did Roman Rhodes find the time to come over to the Summers’ home.

Roman Rhodes didn’t answer Melody Summers’s question. He just looked at her with a half-smile and held out his hand. "I won’t come in. Let’s just talk here. The guns you had before? Hand them over."

Melody Summers froze. ’Crap,’ she thought.

Melody Summers guiltily averted her gaze and mumbled, "What guns? I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Roman Rhodes almost laughed in exasperation. Shaking his head helplessly, he said, "The guns you have... you got them from the Crestview Hotel, didn’t you?"

When Melody Summers remained silent, Roman Rhodes sighed.

He pulled Ronan Rhodes inside the villa, gently closing the door behind them. Then he took out two pistols and a few magazines of ammunition and said to Melody, "Take these two pistols. Give me the ones you got from the Crestview Hotel."

Seeing Melody’s dumbfounded expression, Roman Rhodes continued, "The guns you got from the Crestview Hotel were all homemade by those criminals on machine tools. The craftsmanship is shoddy, and they’re extremely dangerous. They could misfire or blow up in your hand at any moment. It’s too risky for you to have them..."

"I know you’re worried about safety. And since your mother works at a supply distribution point, I was able to apply for these on your behalf. They have serial numbers and are much safer than those two defective pieces you got from a shady source."

It took a moment for Melody Summers to process, but then she was overcome with joy. She gleefully took the pistols and magazines from Roman Rhodes, weighing them in her hands, reluctant to put them down. Then, she quickly jogged back into the house.

A moment later, she returned with the two guns she had found at Findback Peak and handed them to Roman Rhodes. "Thank you, Officer Rhodes!" she said with a smile.

Roman Rhodes took the two guns and weighed them in his hands. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "...Is your mother home right now?"