Melody Summers and Officer Tate chatted idly as they walked toward Building 4.

The snow last night hadn’t been heavy, leaving only a thin layer on the ground.

Melody Summers wore rubber rain boots, her steps making a CRUNCH CRUNCH sound on the dirty snow.

Officer Tate flipped through the file for 1505 as he walked. He said to Melody Summers, "This apartment, 4-1505, was originally home to a family of three—a young couple and their child."

"Last April, the husband’s mother, Ms. Vance, moved in with them. She’s the one who brought a dog to your apartment to steal from you yesterday."

Melody Summers was confused. "So, there are four of them living there now? That’s strange. Why would the couple make Mrs. Vance, the oldest one, do something so dangerous?"

Recalling yesterday’s harrowing scene, Melody Summers couldn’t help but complain to Officer Tate. "Officer Tate, you have no idea how dangerous it was! My apartment is on the 16th floor, and Mrs. Vance actually just climbed right onto my balcony!"

"She just had a rope tied around her waist and no other safety gear. The rope was incredibly thin; I bet it wouldn’t have been able to handle the force of a fall. If she had slipped, it definitely would have snapped!"

"The temperature outside yesterday was almost negative twenty degrees! You’d freeze stiff after just a few minutes out there! She was clinging to the security bars like a gecko. Can you imagine how cold that was? If her hands and feet had gone numb, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"

Melody hadn’t even dared to go out and confront Mrs. Vance yesterday. She was afraid that her sudden appearance would startle the old woman and send her into a freefall from the 16th floor.

There wouldn’t have been an intact body left.

The kind you can’t even piece back together!

Melody really didn’t want a death on her conscience, especially in her brand-new apartment. If Mrs. Vance had actually fallen from her balcony, she’d never be able to look at that window again without feeling uneasy.

Besides, as annoying as Mrs. Vance was, breaking and entering was a crime, but not one punishable by death. Melody didn’t want to send the old woman to her grave over something so trivial.

Officer Tate shook his head. Frowning at the file in his hand, he replied, "Not four. They’re a family of three now, too..."

Melody was confused. "What do you mean?"

’The couple, their child, and the husband’s mother. Doesn’t that make four people?’

Officer Tate lowered the file. "The husband died in that terrorist attack a few months ago," he explained. "Now it’s just his wife, their child, and his mother living together."

Melody froze.

’So that’s what happened...’

Thinking about the terrorist attack that had struck in the dead of night a few months ago, Melody’s heart sank. She let out a soft, "Oh."

That attack was a nightmare for everyone in The Metropolis Residences. Even though Melody hadn’t been there, it wasn’t hard to imagine the scene of utter carnage.

Natural disasters, man-made catastrophes... for ordinary people, they were all inescapable forms of suffering.

Seeing Melody’s somber mood, Officer Tate gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Whatever her situation, it doesn’t give her the right to steal from others. Don’t feel any pressure over this."

Melody nodded. She wasn’t that much of a bleeding heart; otherwise, she wouldn’t have saved the evidence and reported it to the police so promptly.

It wasn’t about a small piece of pork; she just had to teach Mrs. Vance a lesson.

Since they had moved into Building 4, Mrs. Vance had come by to bother them more than once.

If she let Mrs. Vance get away with it this time, the woman would get a taste for it and would surely try the same thing again.

And you can’t spend every day on guard against a thief.

...

Officer Tate and Melody Summers arrived at Apartment 1505.

Officer Tate walked right up and knocked on the door.

Melody had worried that Mrs. Vance’s guilty conscience would keep her from answering, but to her surprise, the door opened quickly.

It wasn’t Mrs. Vance who opened the door, but a frail little boy.

The boy looked to be four or five. His body was so gaunt that his head seemed disproportionately large, like a bobblehead doll.

The little boy froze for a moment when he saw the strangers at the door.

But a second later, he recognized Officer Tate’s uniform.

He let out a "Wow!" and shouted with a happy smile, "Mr. Policeman!"

Then, the little boy enthusiastically ushered Melody and Officer Tate inside.

Once inside, Melody and Officer Tate discreetly looked around. They were surprised to find that the apartment... looked very strange.

The living room had no sofa and no appliances. Aside from a wooden table with four chairs, there were only two drawer cabinets and almost no other furniture.

A few plastic bags and some of the boy’s toys were scattered on the floor.

The place could almost be described as destitute.

But calling it "destitute" wasn’t quite accurate either.

The walls and floors had been beautifully renovated. The wallpaper was fine and delicate, with an elegant, subtle pattern, and the flooring was high-quality. It was clear the owners had invested a lot of money in the decor.

This blend of exquisite decor and sparse furnishing made the whole living room feel strangely dissonant.

Just then, Mrs. Vance, hearing the noise from the living room, came out of a bedroom, muttering, "Who is it, so early in the morning..."

Before she could finish, she caught sight of Officer Tate and Melody Summers standing in her living room.

She froze instantly, the words dying on her lips.

While Mrs. Vance was still frozen in shock, Officer Tate spoke first. "Excuse me, are you Ms. Nathan Vance?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Mrs. Vance nodded, flustered. She answered in a small voice, "Yes, that’s me... Officer, why are you here? Is something wrong?"

Mrs. Vance was clearly panicking. Her eyes darted about, unable to meet Officer Tate’s gaze.

Officer Tate nodded and continued, "Ms. Vance, there was a theft in Apartment 1606, downstairs from you, last night. Some supplies were stolen..."

Before Officer Tate could finish, Mrs. Vance quickly feigned a look of shock. She stammered, "Wha-what? Something was s-stolen?... How could that happen?!"

Melody stood silently to the side, watching Mrs. Vance’s performance with a cool gaze. ’Looks like she’s going to try and play dumb,’ she thought.

Mrs. Vance continued, "That’s terrifying, Officer. But that’s the 16th floor! How could there be a thief? Maybe their security door wasn’t locked properly?"

Officer Tate ignored her and continued, "We have reason to believe that you are directly connected to the theft at 1606."

At his words, Mrs. Vance’s heart plummeted. Her sixth sense told her she was done for this time...

But she had to at least try to struggle!

So she began to ramble, "No, no, that’s impossible!... I’m just an old woman, how could I do something like that?! Officer, you... you can’t go around accusing innocent people!"

"It really wasn’t me! If you don’t believe me, go check the crime scene. You won’t find my fingerprints or footprints there!"

"Don’t you police use forensics these days? Don’t you have to analyze trace evidence for your cases? There’s no way you’ll find any trace of me at the scene! I... I’m truly innocent!"