"No!" Sophie Thorne blurted out. "That’s too dangerous..."

Melody Summers subtly shot Sophie a look, stopping her from saying more. "I know what I’m doing. Don’t worry."

Seeing that Melody had agreed, the pregnant woman timidly pointed to a nearby alley. "My home is just down this alley, a few minutes’ walk. It won’t take up much of your time."

Melody nodded, then said to Sophie and the others, "You all wait for me here. Don’t follow me. I’ll be back soon."

***

Melody supported the pregnant woman as they walked through the dim alley. There were no streetlights; only the flashlight from a phone illuminated the thick darkness.

As they walked, the pregnant woman kept talking to Melody. "Thank you so much, miss. You’re such a good person..."

Melody lowered her gaze and replied nonchalantly, "It’s nothing. You don’t have to be so polite."

About ten minutes later, after twisting and turning through the alley, they arrived at an iron gate. The pregnant woman seemed to let out a sigh of relief. She smiled at Melody and said, "This is my home."

Even though they had arrived, the woman’s hand was still gripping Melody’s tightly, as if she was afraid Melody would suddenly run away.

Melody calmly let her hold on, showing no intention of leaving.

After a knock, the door was quickly opened.

A tall man opened it. The pregnant woman pulled Melody inside and took the initiative to explain, "I fell outside just now, and this nice lady brought me back."

The man who opened the door sized Melody up, squeezed out a smile, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you for helping my wife. Please, come in and have a glass of water."

The man then took a few steps forward, discreetly blocking the doorway.

Melody, however, acted as if she hadn’t noticed. She smiled, nodded in agreement, and even reached out to close the heavy gate herself.

The pair seemed stunned that she would voluntarily close the gate. Both were taken aback.

It was probably the first time they had ever encountered such a proactive and cooperative target. They both silently cursed Melody for her stupidity.

As she helped the woman into the house, Melody surveyed the property.

It was an ordinary single-story house with a small, empty courtyard that offered a clear view, with nowhere to hide anything. The house had two bedrooms and a living room, but the doors to both bedrooms were shut tight.

The moment they were inside, the man who had opened the door couldn’t wait to show his true colors.

While double-locking the door, he said to Melody with a wicked grin, "Well, little girl, since you’re here, you’re not leaving. My wife’s pregnant, so you can stay and be my new wife, haha!"

But the pregnant woman shot him a glare. She took off her coat and pulled a fake belly out from under her sweater.

It turned out she wasn’t pregnant at all.

The two of them had expected Melody to cry and scream like their other victims, but Melody showed no significant reaction.

Meeting their triumphant gazes, Melody asked, "My friends are still waiting for me outside. If I don’t go out, they’ll definitely come looking for me. They all saw me come in here with you. Aren’t you afraid they’ll call the police for me?"

The man cursed at her words. Then, while eyeing her with a lecherous gaze, he said, "Don’t threaten me with the cops! I’ll be straight with you, little girl, we’re not afraid of them. Now that you’re here, there’s no way you’re leaving. You might as well just be good and come to me. Seeing as you’re quite a looker, I’ll be sure to treat you well."

He then ignored Melody and turned to the fake pregnant woman, saying in a fawning tone, "Ms. Archer, just give this one to me. Lily just said to dispose of her, not how. Instead of just killing her, you might as well let me have her..."

The fake pregnant woman, the one called Ms. Archer, replied, "Fine, you can have your fun, but be careful. Don’t let her escape. When you’re done, tie her up and lock her in the basement. This is a critical time, so don’t cause any unnecessary trouble."

The man nodded repeatedly. "Don’t you worry, Ms. Archer. With me here, she’s not going anywhere. After I’m done, I’ll lock her in the basement. The police won’t find her even if they come knocking!"

Melody’s eyes narrowed as she listened to their conversation. ’Lily? It has to be Lily Adler, ten to one.’

’Lily Adler is Hector Hayes’s mistress. It seems this place has something to do with Hector Hayes!’

After giving her instructions, Ms. Archer didn’t spare Melody another glance and walked straight to the bedroom on the left, as if Melody were already a fish on the chopping block, no longer worth her attention.

The moment Ms. Archer opened the door, Melody glanced inside—it was just an ordinary room, with nothing seemingly out of place.

As soon as Ms. Archer closed the door, the man in front of Melody eagerly stepped forward and started tearing at her clothes with a look of desperation on his face. "I’ve been with so many women, but I’ve never had one as beautiful as you. I see you’re not even trying to run. You’re looking forward to this too, aren’t you..."

The next second, the words died in his throat.

His eyes widened in stunned disbelief as he stared down at his chest. A knife was buried deep in his heart.

In a flash, before the man could even react, Melody yanked the knife out, and blood instantly gushed forth.

Before he could even cry out, Melody raised her hand and viciously slashed the knife across his throat.

The spurting red blood stained Melody’s pale cheeks and dress. The man collapsed to the ground without making a sound.

He twitched and convulsed on the floor for a few moments, then went still.

The man’s eyes remained wide open; he couldn’t rest in peace. Even at the moment of his death, he couldn’t understand where Melody had gotten the knife.

Melody looked down to confirm he had stopped breathing, but just to be sure, she stabbed his neck a few more times until more than half of it was severed, connected to his body by only a flap of flesh.

With a look of disgust, Melody wiped the blood from her face. The metallic smell rushed to her head, making her feel sick.

Fighting the nausea churning in her stomach, she walked to Ms. Archer’s room and knocked on the door.

With the sound of the lock turning, Ms. Archer’s impatient voice came from inside. "What is it now? Don’t tell me you’re finished already?..."

The moment the door opened, Melody kicked Ms. Archer hard. With a startled "Ah!", she lost her balance and was sent sprawling to the floor.

Melody walked into the room and quickly pounced on Ms. Archer, grabbing her wrists and driving a knee hard into her stomach, pinning her to the ground.

"Young! Young!" Ms. Archer cried out in panic, hoping the man outside would come in and subdue Melody.

But in the next second, a wad of cloth was stuffed into her mouth, and all she could produce were muffled "Mmph" sounds.

It seemed Ms. Archer was only now realizing something was wrong. She began to struggle frantically, but having lived a pampered life, she was no match for the strength of Melody, who worked out in her space every day.

Melody easily suppressed Ms. Archer’s struggles, then pulled a roll of duct tape from her space. She bound Ms. Archer’s hands and feet securely, even wrapping the tape several times around her gagged mouth.

Then, letting Ms. Archer writhe and squirm on the floor, Melody began to search the room.

The room was sparsely furnished. The cabinets were almost empty, containing nothing but a couple of changes of clothes. It was clear this was just a temporary hideout, not a long-term residence.

Melody found nothing unusual in the cabinets. She knocked on the desk, but it also seemed normal.

Then, Melody bent down to look under the bed. She was surprised to find that it was remarkably clean, with almost no dust.

And as Melody looked under the bed, Ms. Archer, who had been struggling on the floor, suddenly stopped. She just stared at Melody, her eyes wide with panic.

Melody glanced at Ms. Archer. She figured the space under the bed had something to do with the basement they had mentioned.

Under Ms. Archer’s terrified gaze, Melody ripped off the mattress and lifted the bed frame. She saw that one of the floorboards under the bed was slightly warped and raised.

Melody felt around and lifted the warped board, revealing what looked like the top of a staircase—