Teresa Taylor shouted, "Mike Brown!"

Mike hurried over, clearly flustered. "Yes, ma'am? What's the matter?"

"How many boxes?" Teresa asked coldly.

"Boxes? What boxes?" Mike replied, confused.

Teresa frowned. "Instant noodles!"

Mike looked dumbfounded. "There weren't any boxes, just five packs in total."

Teresa's expression darkened further.

Was Mike playing dumb, or had Bush Brown deceived him? If it was the latter, Mike was truly useless.

She had deliberately assigned him to work with Bush Brown to prevent any underhanded tricks, but he apparently knew nothing at all!

"How exactly did you and Bush Brown distribute the supplies?" Teresa demanded.

Mike stammered nervously, "Brown led a few people to move the supplies while I... recorded everything in a log..."

Teresa's jaw tightened. Idiot!

Adam Pg had always been in charge of distributing supplies, but after his injury, she'd handed the task to Mike Brown. Unfortunately, it seemed he was completely incompetent.

Sensing the growing tension, Bush Brown grew desperate. Tugging at Teresa's sleeve, he began pleading. "Officer Taylor! Please, let me explain!"

"Explain what?!" Teresa snapped, shaking off his hand. Her voice was icy. "I'm going upstairs to see what's there. Everyone, follow me!"

The other survivors began to sense something was amiss.

It sounded like Bush Brown had been pulling some tricks, and their distrustful gazes turned toward him.

Bush broke out into a sweat. If they found out the truth, he'd be finished.

This damn police officer is too stubborn! I need to think of something fast!

In a last-ditch effort, Bush Brown put on a righteous facade and raised his voice. "Officer Taylor, I have a question too! Those supplies were all looted from Building B by T-bag's gang. Why should they be evenly distributed to your people? This is robbery! The supplies I kept weren't for myself but for all the residents of Building B. Ask them if you don't believe me!"

He shot a meaningful glance at the people who had helped him carry the supplies earlier.

These people were his allies, having already benefited from his secret stash. Catching on quickly, they chimed in.

"Yeah! Brown said those supplies were reserved for Building B's survivors!"

"Brown is a good man. You can't falsely accuse him!"

"Why should outsiders get our supplies?"

Faced with such blatant excuses, Teresa found herself both furious and amused.

Bush Brown, emboldened by the support, retorted sharply, "T-bag's gang were criminals. Officer Taylor, are you one too?! What gives you the right to seize our supplies? These belong to the residents of Building B!"

Having fully committed to his act, Bush tried to appear as though he was standing up for justice, biting the bullet as he went.

The survivors split into two factions.

The ones who had come with Teresa were livid, shouting back, "If it weren't for Officer Taylor, you'd all be starving! What supplies would you even have to distribute?!"

"You ungrateful bastards! You'd have been dead without her!"

Meanwhile, some of Building B's survivors, swayed by Bush Brown's performance, started defending him.

"T-bag's gang looted our supplies. Why should we share?"

"Who invited you people here anyway? We don't want you here!"

"Outsiders should leave! Sunny Garden Towers doesn't welcome you!"

Teresa fell silent.

Are these people even worth saving?

The day's events had left her feeling disheartened.

After everything she had endured to protect them, was it even the right thing to do? Was it worth it?

Seeing Teresa's hesitation, Bush pressed on, his tone syrupy but insincere. "Officer Taylor, I'm just trying to do what's best for the residents of Sunny Garden Towers. If you take all the food and leave, what will happen to us?"

Behind him, his cronies chimed in: "Exactly! Brown is the most selfless person here!"

"My husband only has the best intentions, Officer Taylor. You're misunderstanding him!"

Teresa glared at them with thinly veiled disgust.

She wasn't stupid. She could see through their lies.

The thought of spending even one more second with Bush Brown and his cronies made her skin crawl.

But how to deal with him was a tricky question.

Idiot! Bush thought smugly to himself, growing more confident. Straightening up, he adopted a sanctimonious tone. "Officer Taylor, we are not the same. I am the elected city councilor for this district, and it is my duty to—"

Wham!

A steel rod suddenly pierced through Bush Brown's head, pinning him to the ground.

He was dead before he even finished his sentence.

The room went deathly silent. Everyone stared in horror at the gruesome sight.

Moments later, James Lone descended effortlessly through the ceiling, landing lightly on his feet. A faint smile played on his lips.

"Great speech," he said cheerfully. "Next time, spare me. It makes me sick."

"You—!" Teresa's expression shifted, a mix of shock and disbelief as she stared at him. She hesitated, unsure whether to stop him or not.

Paz, Bush's wife, screamed hysterically. "You killed my husband! You'll pay with your life!"

She lunged at James, clawing wildly.

Bang!

A bullet tore through her forehead, and she crumpled to the floor.

The room erupted into chaos. Survivors scrambled to retreat, terrified.

Teresa's face turned pale.

Why did he kill Paz too?!

James turned his gaze to Bush's cronies, his smile never wavering.

Their auras glowed red with guilt.

"Don't kill me! Please don't kill me!"

"It wasn't my idea! Bush made us do it! I only took ten packs of instant noodles!"

"Boss, I had nothing to do with it! I swear, it was all Bush!"

Teresa could no longer stand it. Raising her voice, she shouted, "Enough! James Lone, they don't deserve to die!"

James laughed lightly. "Oh? Is that so?"

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each of the cronies dropped, a bullet neatly placed in their foreheads.

The remaining survivors panicked, stumbling over each other to get away.

Even Teresa's expression hardened. He killed them all!

She snapped at him angrily, "What gives you the right to take their lives?!"

James looked at her with mild amusement. "Because I have a gun and they don't."

"That's barbaric!" Teresa countered, her voice filled with frustration. "This is dangerous, brute-force thinking! We should have arrested them and put them on trial!"

"Trial?" James sneered. "And who's going to try them? You? Them? Or who?"

Teresa had no answer.

James stepped closer, his tone cold and deliberate. "In peaceful times, the courts hold power, so they judge. But now? I have the most power, so I judge. If I say they're right, they're right. If I say they're wrong..." He paused, then said sharply, "They die."

"You—!" Teresa was conflicted. Part of her found his words logical, but she couldn't accept them. Weakly, she muttered, "You're just twisting words!"

"And you're just a blockhead," James retorted without hesitation.

Teresa glared at him, fuming, but didn't make a move to arrest him. She knew it would be futile.

She glanced down at the bodies, a small, shameful part of her feeling a hint of satisfaction.

Good riddance.

James noticed her conflicted demeanor, the faint green in her aura growing stronger.

This woman... she'll just end up being used as a tool if she gets to the aid point. What a mess.

Holstering his gun, James casually opened a nearby door and said nonchalantly, "Come with me."

Teresa's face flushed red, arms instinctively wrapping around herself. "What are you planning?! Again?!"

The survivors stared at the two in shock.

Are they... lovers or something?

Was the medicine Teresa brought back not stolen, but simply asked for?

The survivors of Building B began piecing things together. Seeing how James had descended through the ceiling, many guessed he must have an ability like phasing through walls.

It explained how he had stockpiled so many supplies.

James, growing impatient, said, "I forgot to ask you something earlier. Get in here already."

Relieved yet oddly disappointed, Teresa followed him into the room, cheeks burning as the others whispered behind her.

Hmph! I'm not afraid of him! If he tries anything, I'll... I'll beat him up! Hard!

Summoning her courage, Teresa stepped inside, and James shut the door behind them with a loud thud.

Startled, she jumped like a frightened rabbit, earning a chuckle from James.

"What are you so scared of? Weren't you bold just now?"

"Who's scared of you?!" she snapped, trying to sound confident.

James didn't bother arguing. Getting straight to the point, he asked, "The black Nephelium fruit—your Blood Burst ability—where did you find it?"