Chapter 98: Robbery? An Inside Job Conjecture?

Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Robbery? An Inside Job Conjecture?

An ear-piercing scream, laced with terror, shot up from downstairs.

The sound cut through the downpour, drilling clearly into Seraphina Sullivan’s ears.

It was a sound full of desperation, definitely not an ordinary argument or accident.

Seraphina Sullivan froze, exchanging a glance with Sean Chandler in his little black cat form.

They were both completely baffled.

In an instant, they both rushed to the window, following the direction of the bloodcurdling scream to look down.

The shriek was so horrifying that it instantly drew the attention of many other neighbors, all of them trapped in their homes, who poked their heads out to see what was happening.

Perhaps it was because the storm had everyone cooped up, but boredom and anxiety made them all especially attentive to any commotion outside.

"Help! Help me! Robbery! Murder!"

Along with the jarring sound of shattering glass, Seraphina clearly saw what was happening. On the second floor of the building across the way, a middle-aged woman was frantically waving a mop handle, desperately fighting off three masked men climbing into her apartment through a broken window.

The men were rough, and they had clearly come prepared.

The woman’s resistance was quickly broken. She was dragged forcibly into the room, and her desperate screams suddenly cut off, as if something had been clamped over her mouth.

Immediately after, the three masked men began brazenly carrying things out of the apartment.

Bags of rice and flour, jugs of water, convenience foods, and even a small safe!

"A home invasion in broad daylight?!" Seraphina was stunned.

’The disaster has barely even started, and society is already collapsing this fast?’

’Are these people really that brazen?’

’No, that’s not it!’ she immediately realized. ’This isn’t that simple.’

’Ordinary robbers would be trying to lay low at a time like this. Why would they be so arrogant as to do this in plain sight?’

Without hesitation, she immediately activated her [Eye of Resume], her gaze locking onto the three masked men busy hauling their "loot."

A pale blue data box quickly appeared:

[Name: Quinn Parker]

[Gender: Male]

[Professional Skills: None]

[Weaknesses: Cowardly]

...

[Name: Wyatt Lewis]

[Gender: Male]

[Professional Skills: None]

[Weaknesses: Greedy]

...

[Name: Gene Morton]

[Gender: Male]

[Professional Skills: Talent: Confusion - Can create and release a powerful knockout agent in gas or powder form, rendering targets within a certain range unconscious.]

[Weaknesses: Severely nearsighted, poor dynamic visual acuity]

Seeing the data for the third man, Gene Morton, it all clicked for Seraphina.

’A Player!’

’So a Player is involved!’

’Having a control-type Ability like that would certainly make them more brazen during a robbery. The woman who lived there was probably knocked out instantly by his drug.’

’That explains why they’re being so bold. They have a trump card!’

Just then, neighbors in the surrounding buildings also realized what was happening and began shouting angrily:

"Hey! What do you think you’re doing?! We’ve already called the police! Put that stuff down!"

"This is completely lawless! Is anyone going down there to help?!"

"Where’s the property manager? Security? Are they just going to stand by and watch?"

The voices rose and fell, filled with righteous indignation, but... it was just shouting.

No one actually dared to go down and stop them.

The murky floodwaters, the vicious thugs, and Gene Morton—who clearly wasn’t someone to mess with—made everyone hesitate. They only dared to offer verbal support from the safety of their own homes.

The cruel reality of the situation was laid bare.

Seraphina didn’t want to get involved in other people’s business, but watching a Player use their Ability to bully ordinary people, possibly even endangering their lives, crossed a line for her.

Besides, Seraphina recognized the family being robbed from the community’s group chat. They were the ones who had been showing off their stockpile of supplies.

That was likely the main reason they were targeted.

What’s more, Gene Morton’s [Confusion] Ability instantly reminded her of Keith Griffith’s uncharacteristically "helpful" behavior from last night and before.

’Could it be... that Keith Griffith and this Gene Morton are working together?’

’Was Keith Griffith trying to get inside people’s apartments before just to see who had the most supplies?’

’Was his goal to scout targets and act as the inside man to make the robberies easier?’

’If that’s true, then this isn’t just a spontaneous crime. This is an organized operation!’

While Seraphina was lost in thought, the three masked men seemed to have finished moving the valuables. They were preparing to escape with their "loot" through the window.

They even arrogantly flipped off the people shouting from the apartments above.

The robbers’ timing was cunningly chosen.

Right now, the entire city’s police and rescue services were focused on large-scale evacuations and emergency operations in the most severely flooded and dangerous areas.

For a crime like this, happening in a relatively stable residential complex, the response time was bound to be severely delayed.

The residents above could only watch helplessly as the three masked men loaded the stolen supplies, one by one, onto a kayak they had parked below the window.

Then, with practiced strokes of their paddles, they disappeared into the vast curtain of rain and murky water, leaving behind nothing but a shattered window and the deathly silent apartment of their victim.

The community’s group chat instantly blew up, with messages flying by:

[This is insane! A home invasion in broad daylight! Is there no law and order anymore?!]

[I called the police! The dispatcher said their resources are stretched thin with all the emergencies. They filed a report and will send someone over ’as soon as possible,’ but they told us to prioritize our own safety! How long is ’as soon as possible’ going to be?!]

[What happened to that family? Why is it so quiet? Don’t tell me... Did someone get killed?! @Property-Keith Griffith, go check on them!]

[@Property-Keith Griffith What the hell do we even pay you for! Where the hell are you at a time like this?! Are our management fees just for you to sit around and do nothing?!]

[Seriously! You’re quick enough to chase us for fees, but when something important happens, you’re nowhere to be found!]

The chat was filled with anger, fear, and condemnation of the property management, but arguing couldn’t change a thing.

Seraphina silently closed the group chat, ignoring the useless arguments.

She knew full well that what had just happened in the opposite building would not be an isolated incident.

Once the floodwaters breached the dam of social order, the darkness hidden in the depths of people’s hearts would pour out like a torrent.

Especially for Players who had suddenly acquired Power. Some of them would find it difficult to resist the temptation to do whatever they pleased.

’I just need to worry about myself,’ Seraphina murmured.

’In this apocalypse, self-preservation is the top priority.’

’Sympathy and a sense of justice are all well and good, but only after guaranteeing your own safety.’

’Who knows if I’ll even survive the next instance? Wasting energy on irrelevant things right now is pointless.’

The uncertainty of the future hung over her head like a sword, not allowing her a moment’s respite.

’She wasn’t a savior. She was just an ordinary person trying her best to survive.’

"Hmm, I’m hungry. What should we eat?"

She shook off the heavy thoughts, shifting her focus to a more practical matter: filling her stomach.

As if sensing her thoughts, Sean Chandler, who was now back in his human form and dressed in tactical gear, rubbed his own stomach.

He rarely took the initiative to express his own desires, and when he did, his voice was as flat as ever:

"I want to eat steamed buns."

Seraphina’s eyes lit up.

"Yes! Let’s make steamed buns!"