Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Provoking Trouble

Winnie Summers was caught off guard and staggered back from a shove by "Chrome Dome"!

Colin Summers, who was standing to the side, rushed to steady Winnie. He then frowned and yelled at Chrome Dome, "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why are you getting physical?!"

Melody Summers, Grace Sutton, and the others’ expressions turned cold at the sight.

Melody stopped her grandmother and Miss Lowell, who were about to step forward, and gestured for them to stay calm.

Melody then handed the snow boots she was carrying to Grace Sutton. She took a few steps forward, positioning herself defensively in front of Winnie.

His face flushed, Chrome Dome was still yelling at Winnie. "I’m telling you, I never collected anything! You’re slandering me! You government leeches are all crooked, just lining your own pockets. If you ask me, you’re the ones who embezzled the supplies! That’s why you’re falsely accusing me of already taking my share!"

With that, he turned to the surrounding crowd and shouted, "Don’t let these supply distributors fool you! No official has ever been worth a damn! Just look at them—all clean and rosy-cheeked. If they weren’t stealing our supplies, how could they be living so well!"

Hearing this, the onlookers began to grow uncertain.

Someone in the crowd started fanning the flames, and ambiguous murmurs spread:

"He sounds so sure of himself... What if he’s telling the truth?"

"Maybe those in charge really are lining their own pockets... It’s not like that hasn’t happened countless times before..."

"It’s possible. I’ve noticed it myself. The people at the supply distribution point are all rosy-cheeked. It’s obvious they’ve never missed a meal. Where do you think their food is coming from...?"

"They’re so clean, and they’re living like it was before the Cataclysm. You really believe they aren’t corrupt...?"

"I heard from people in other communities that their supply points hold back rations to sell on the black market. I guess it’s true after all..."

"..."

Hearing the crowd’s murmurs, a triumphant smirk spread across Chrome Dome’s face.

He said no more. He just stepped forward, yanked a padded winter coat out of a box on the ground, clutched it to his chest, and turned to leave.

But Melody, quick as a flash, grabbed a corner of the coat and yanked it back.

"What do you think you’re doing?! Trying to rob us in broad daylight?"

Chrome Dome was furious that the coat had been snatched away.

He turned to glare at Melody and snarled, "Who the hell is this damn brat, sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong! That’s my coat! Give it back!"

Melody ignored him and announced loudly, "This community has security cameras. You dare come with me to check the footage? One look and we’ll know for sure whether your wife already collected her items!"

Colin quickly nodded in agreement, adding just as loudly, "That’s right! There are cameras! And there’s a record in your household information system! Let’s go and see exactly how many items your wife already claimed!"

’They couldn’t let Chrome Dome take even one extra coat, no matter what! If they did, others would follow his example, and the situation would quickly spiral out of control.’

Seeing his plan fall apart, Chrome Dome flew into a rage and lunged at Melody.

He spat out a stream of curses, "You little bitch! I told you to mind your own business! I’m going to teach you the lesson your parents never did!"

But in the next instant, a sharp, searing pain shot through his eyes and throat.

He staggered in pain, his vision blurring as he missed her completely.

Before he could even react, Melody kicked him hard, sending him sprawling!

Chrome Dome collapsed to the ground from Melody’s kick. He writhed on the floor, tears and snot streaming down his face, and screamed, "AHHH! MURDER! THE LITTLE BITCH BLINDED ME!"

Melody stood over him, a can of modified pepper spray in her hand. She watched him writhe on the ground with a cold expression and declared in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "You keep swearing you never collected your share. Why are you too scared to check the security footage?"

The crowd snapped back to reality, their gazes turning on the man on the ground:

"Yeah, why won’t you check the footage?"

"Checking the footage would settle everything. If you’re too scared to do it, don’t think you can use us as your puppets!"

"Who was stirring up trouble just now? It’s obvious this guy was just looking for a fight! You all actually fell for his bullshit?"

"..."

The commotion quickly drew the attention of the police.

Officer Tristan Tanner and Officer Sean Pierce stepped forward, pinning down Chrome Dome as he writhed on the ground like a pig. "Causing a disturbance during supply distribution earns you one warning. If it happens again, you’ll be blacklisted and banned from receiving any supplies!"

By now, Chrome Dome’s face was a mess of his own tears and snot.

He was coughing too hard to even speak and could only let the two officers haul him up from the ground like a stuck pig.

Just as Officer Tristan Tanner and Officer Sean Pierce were about to haul Chrome Dome off to the emergency response office, another incident occurred.

A middle-aged woman with curly hair burst from the crowd, shouting frantically at the police, "Let go of my husband!"

This was Chrome Dome’s wife.

She’d been hiding in the crowd earlier, fanning the flames to help her husband get away with his scam.

Now that her husband was being arrested, she had no choice but to rush out.

The woman promptly threw herself to the ground. She began to roll around and wail, "Help! The officials are all a pack of thieves! The police are arresting innocent people! Everyone, be our witness! Judge for yourselves!"

The curly-haired woman wailed on the ground, while Chrome Dome howled from the effects of the pepper spray.

The couple began to wail as if in a contest, each trying to cry louder and more pitifully than the other.

But the crowd was unmoved. They simply watched the pair as if they were a comedy act.

Seeing the crowd’s indifference, the woman grew a little awkward.

So she stopped crying and, in a surprisingly agile move, sprang to her feet.

To everyone’s surprise, the woman pulled a lighter from her clothes. She flicked it on and yelled at the police, "If you don’t let my husband go, I’ll set fire to all these supplies!"

Seeing this, the crowd, which had been enjoying the spectacle, instantly erupted.

"Are you crazy?! Put down the lighter!"

"Have you lost your mind?! These are winter coats! If they catch fire, we’re all in deep trouble!"

"Fire extinguisher! Quick, get a fire extinguisher!"

"..."

No one was in the mood to watch the show anymore. They were all terrified the woman would actually set the supplies ablaze.

The stall was surrounded by padded coats, quilts, and a pile of solid fuel tablets.

If that stuff caught fire, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Without those supplies, how would anyone survive the winter?!

Security guards from the property management office reacted instantly, rushing to grab fire extinguishers.

Seeing the terrified looks on everyone’s faces, the woman broke into a triumphant grin. She shouted at the officers again, "Let my husband go! And give us two more coats, or I’ll burn this place to the ground! We can all freeze to death together!"

Seeing this, Officer Sean Pierce took a few steps forward and said to the woman, "Calm down! Put the lighter down!"

When the woman saw Officer Sean Pierce approaching, she grabbed a nearby coat and threatened loudly, "Stay back! All of you, stay back! You come any closer and I’ll light this thing up!"

The lighter’s flame hovered over the coat.

Seeing this, Officer Sean Pierce had no choice but to stop in his tracks.

Just as they were locked in a standoff, a man suddenly burst from the crowd.

Catching the woman by surprise, the man tackled her from behind, pinning her to the ground so she couldn’t move.

But in that split second, the lighter flew from the woman’s hand.

It flew right toward the pile of solid fuel tablets. A wave of screams erupted from the crowd.

People scrambled backward, terrified of being caught in the blaze if the fuel ignited.