Hearing what Joyce Lawson said, Melody Summers was a little confused, but she didn’t press the matter.

She helped Joyce Lawson sit down on the sofa and asked with concern, "...By the way, Mona, where is the rest of your family? Your mother and your brother?"

When Melody Summers first came in, she had seen Titus Lowell carrying Joyce Lawson’s father, while Joyce and her grandmother were tied up together. She really had no idea what was going on.

Joyce Lawson collected herself and told Melody Summers everything her family had endured that night...

"...Those two robbers must live next door in 1603. I’ve borrowed a flatbed cart from them before. I have no idea how they got through our digital lock..."

After hearing Joyce Lawson’s story, Melody Summers thought for a moment, then frowned and asked, "So, you’re saying your mother and brother were likely taken to 1603?"

Joyce Lawson thought for a moment, then nodded. "I think so... I just don’t know how many other accomplices they have in 1603."

"I just heard the robber in the living room mention a ’Big Bro’ and ’Second Bro.’ I think they might be three brothers, which means there’s probably another one in 1603..."

At this thought, Joyce Lawson gripped Melody Summers’s hand nervously. "Summers, should we call the police?"

Melody Summers shook her head. "It’s no use, Mona. Given the weather, the police won’t be able to make it..."

The snow outside had already buried the second floor, and the temperature had dropped to over fifty degrees below zero. Every building unit was like an isolated island—no one could get in, and no one could get out.

’It’s probably because they know the police can’t come,’ Melody Summers thought, ’that these people from 1603 are so brazen, breaking in and attacking people like this...’

Looking at Drake Lowell lying on the living room floor, Joyce Lawson murmured, "So... what are we going to do with these two robbers..."

Joyce Lawson asked the question, but in her heart, she already knew the answer.

’The police won’t be able to come for months.’ 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

’Titus Lowell and Drake Lowell were willing to commit murder during a home invasion. That means they’re utterly ruthless.’

’If we just let them go, they’ll be a massive threat to everyone in the building!’

’At the very least, when they wake up, they’ll definitely come after 1601 and 1606 for revenge.’

’The best thing to do now is to give them a taste of their own medicine... and get rid of them.’

...

Joyce Lawson and Melody Summers talked in the living room for a while. In the bedroom, Mason Lawson, who had been waiting for them to return, eventually fell asleep from the sheer stress.

In his sleep, Mason Lawson suddenly felt a bone-chilling gust of wind. The cold jolted him awake.

Mason Lawson groggily opened his eyes to see the window in front of him wide open. Melody Summers and Joyce Lawson were working together, lifting Titus Lowell’s limp body.

Then, the two of them threw Titus Lowell’s body out the window!

Watching them, Mason Lawson froze for a moment.

When he realized what they had done, Mason Lawson’s pupils contracted. ’They worked together to kill the robber!’

’He was utterly shocked. He never thought his daughter, who had always been so gentle, would dare to kill someone!’

Just then, Joyce Lawson closed the window and turned to look at Mason Lawson.

The moment their eyes met, Mason Lawson shuddered involuntarily.

’He found himself subconsciously afraid...’

But Joyce Lawson paid him no mind. As if she hadn’t seen Mason Lawson at all, she collapsed onto the bed, utterly exhausted.

Drake Lowell and Titus Lowell were both tall, burly men, heavier than dead weight. After throwing both of them out the window, Joyce Lawson felt like her arms were about to snap.

Seeing that Joyce Lawson was still ignoring him with no intention of untying him, Mason Lawson started to get anxious.

He started banging his head on the floor—THUD, THUD—while muffled "Mmmph! Mmph!" sounds escaped his lips, trying to remind his daughter that he was still tied up.

But Joyce Lawson completely ignored him.

Seeing this, Mason Lawson was furious. He cursed inwardly, ’Joyce, that wretched girl, how dare she treat me like this! The moment I’m free, I’ll teach her a lesson she won’t forget!’

When Joyce Lawson remained unmoved, Mason Lawson squirmed around and turned a pleading gaze to Melody Summers.

He knew Melody Summers was the one who had saved them. He figured she was a kind person and would surely help him.

But Melody Summers just scoffed and quietly averted her eyes from Mason Lawson’s earnest gaze.

Melody Summers had just heard Joyce Lawson’s story. She knew that during the crisis, the rest of the Lawson family had chosen to use Joyce as a human shield—including the man before her, Joyce’s own father.

’A crisis reveals a person’s true nature. Even animals in the wild know to protect their young. A mother bird will risk her life fighting a snake to protect her eggs, but Mason Lawson... he’s worse than a beast!’

’Melody Summers had been betrayed by her own family before, so she could deeply empathize with Joyce Lawson. Even if Joyce wanted revenge on her family, Melody would support her.’

After a while, Joyce Lawson looked up at Melody Summers and asked, "Summers, what do we do now?"

Melody Summers thought for a moment, then pulled a stun baton from her pocket and handed it to Joyce Lawson. "Mona, take this for self-defense. If you set it to maximum, it can knock out a grown man. That’s what I used to take down the robber in the bedroom..."

Melody Summers seized the opportunity to lie, explaining how Titus Lowell had been knocked unconscious. After all, him fainting for no reason was too strange, and she didn’t want to reveal that she had sedatives.

She continued, "Mona, you stay here and lock the door. I need to go check out 1603..."

’Melody figured that if Titus and Drake Lowell had accomplices in 1603, they would definitely come looking for them when they didn’t return.’

’It’s better to strike first than to wait for them to come to us!’

Hearing this, Joyce Lawson grabbed Melody Summers’s arm. "No, you can’t!" she said, shaking her head. "1603 is too dangerous right now! You can’t go!"

Melody Summers smiled and patted Joyce Lawson’s hand reassuringly. "Don’t worry, I still have the stun baton. It’ll be enough to handle them. I have to go to 1603. Otherwise, we’ll be at a huge disadvantage if they find us first!"

Joyce Lawson’s eyes were filled with worry. After a moment’s thought, she said, "What if there are a lot of them in 1603? It’s too dangerous for you to go alone. Why don’t we ask some of the other neighbors to go with you..."

Melody Summers shook her head at Joyce Lawson’s suggestion.

’In a situation like this, everyone is just trying to survive. No one has the energy to get involved in someone else’s problems.’

’Besides, Joyce’s family was screaming for a long time. There’s no way the neighbors didn’t hear. But no one came to help. It’s obvious everyone’s afraid of getting dragged into it.’

’Besides, a crowd would only get in my way, and I wouldn’t be able to use my spatial power effectively.’

And so, ignoring Joyce Lawson’s pleas, Melody Summers went to 1603 alone...