Chapter 577: Enemies at the Door

Melody Summers reassured her, "Grandma, don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me. I know the layout of this villa much better than they do!"

Just then, the gunshots outside stopped, but the continuous sound of a hammer striking glass, accompanied by the tinkle of shattering panes, rang like a death knell in everyone’s heart.

Hearing the commotion, Melody Summers could no longer be bothered with pleasantries. She broke free from the two elders’ grip, pulled out a gun, and handed it to Nina Summers. "You stand guard here," she said grimly. "If anyone gets in, open fire. Understand?"

Although Nina Summers’s face was pale with fear, she gritted her teeth and said, "It’s too dangerous for you to go out alone. I—I’ll go with you!"

Without taking no for an answer, Melody Summers shoved the pistol into Nina Summers’s arms. "You’d only get in the way. Stay put!"

Ignoring her family’s protests, Melody Summers pushed open the basement door and ran out. For good measure, she even locked it from the outside.

Just as Melody Summers ran into the backyard, the sunroom’s glass roof finally gave way. Shards rained down into the yard with a great CRASH. Immediately after, several figures leaped down from above...

******

「Ten minutes earlier.」

Jason Fletcher used a special tool to cut through the electric fence and disable the alarm system at the Summers Villa. He turned to his accomplices. "All set. Let’s climb straight up, boys!"

No sooner had Jason Fletcher spoken than two figures were already scrambling up a ladder.

Jason Fletcher was about to follow them up, but an accomplice in black next to him seemed to hesitate. He grabbed Jason Fletcher’s arm. "Fletcher, the boss specifically assigned us to attack Building 4, but we’re wasting time here... This isn’t right. What if we mess up the boss’s plans?"

Jason Fletcher just laughed nonchalantly. "Don’t worry about it. We’ll slaughter this family first, then go carry out the boss’s mission! They’re nothing but old folks, women, and children. Killing them will be easier than wringing a chicken’s neck. It won’t take more than a few minutes!"

The man in black was still hesitant. He said, troubled, "The boss is already pissed off enough about Saul Archer and Jay Lowell escaping. If he finds out we went off-mission..."

"Oh, Lynch, you’re just too damn timid!" Jason Fletcher cut him off, saying dismissively, "Let’s be blunt. When we work for the boss, we get peanuts after the job is done. But this house is a different story..."

Jason Fletcher looked up at the Summers Villa, his eyes burning with a wildfire of greed. "This family has a ton of good stuff. We kill them, take their money and supplies, and we’ll be set for at least the next year!"

The man in black was still hesitating when a small figure darted out from behind Jason Fletcher and said in a childish voice, "Mr. Lynch, my dad’s right! This family has tons of supplies, stacked as high as a small mountain! Come on and help us rob them!"

The boy who spoke was none other than Howard Fletcher, the very same suspect the police had been searching for!

After killing Zara Walsh, Howard Fletcher had fled to the mountains behind The Metropolis Residences, where he’d stumbled upon his biological father, Jason Fletcher, at a construction site.

Howard Fletcher had been with Jason Fletcher ever since, which was why the police hadn’t been able to find him.

Despite this, Howard Fletcher still resented Melody Summers’s family. He hated the Summers Family for not adopting him according to his plan, for not letting him join their household and live a life of luxury. So, he had goaded his father, Jason Fletcher, into using the night’s chaos to kill this ungrateful family!

Seeing the man in black still hesitating, Jason Fletcher grew impatient. He shoved the man and cursed, "A grown man, dithering around like this! Suit yourself. If you don’t want to come, just stay out here and wait for us!"

With that, he gave his son, Howard Fletcher, a push up the ladder and then climbed up himself.

The man in black sighed in resignation and followed them onto the roof.

Seeing the faint light coming from the yard below, Howard Fletcher lay sprawled on the sunroom’s glass roof, excitedly swinging the hammer in his hand.

The hammer struck the bulletproof glass again and again, producing a series of loud, dull THUDS.

Seeing this, Jason Fletcher also began firing his gun randomly.

Just like that, the four adults and one child busied themselves on the roof. Two or three minutes later, the glass roof finally shattered!

The group on the roof was overjoyed. They picked their spot and leaped down, landing right in front of Melody Summers, who had just stepped into the backyard.

Melody Summers quickly switched on the backyard lights. In the sudden glare, she saw the intruders’ faces clearly.

To her astonishment, however, three of the five assailants were people she knew!

Melody Summers looked at Cameron Summers and Clark Summers, her brow furrowed. "...What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded in a low voice.

Before Cameron and Clark Summers could speak, the man in black and Jason Fletcher simultaneously raised their guns and aimed them at Melody Summers’s head.

The man in black barked at Melody Summers, "Hands up! Don’t move, or I’ll blow your brains out!"

Melody Summers: "..."

Melody Summers raised her hands in compliance, her eyes quickly sizing up the group before her.

She didn’t recognize the two men pointing guns at her. They were tall, but their hands weren’t steady; they looked like amateurs. Cameron Summers and Clark Summers were holding long knives, while Howard Fletcher brandished a hammer.

After getting a clear look at the situation, Melody Summers breathed a small sigh of relief. ’Good. These five together don’t amount to much in a fight. Clark, Cameron, and Howard are just here to fill out the numbers; they’re no threat to me at all. With my spatial ability, I can take care of all of them easily!’

Jason Fletcher’s eyes narrowed, scanning Melody Summers from head to toe. After confirming she was unarmed, he walked over and patted her cheek with his gun barrel. "Little bitch," he threatened, "where is everyone else? Get them all out here!"

Melody Summers tilted her head slightly, avoiding the gun. "I’m the only one home," she said coldly. "What is it you want?"

Before Jason Fletcher could reply, Clark Summers spoke up from behind him. "Mr. Fletcher, don’t believe her! There are definitely others in the house! They’re probably hiding somewhere and calling the cops!"

Melody Summers’s gaze shot to Clark Summers. "Clark! Are you insane?" she said coldly. "Getting mixed up with these people... Have you even thought about the consequences?!"

Clark Summers snorted, his young face twisted with a ferocity that belied his age. He glared at Melody Summers and snarled, "You shut up! Bitch! This is all your fault!"

’If only Melody Summers hadn’t refused to take him and his father in, they wouldn’t have been left with nowhere to go. They wouldn’t have run into Jason Fletcher and his crew, and they certainly wouldn’t have been goaded into becoming outlaws with them, living every day with their lives on the line!’