Fairness?

"I'm Sarah, from the neighborhood management office," the woman introduced herself.

Maisie squinted, vaguely recalling the face. Yeah, maybe it was her. Whatever. "What do you want?" she asked flatly.

"Well... it's like this." Sarah hesitated, her voice trembling. "We're all women here. Moving those corpses earlier took a lot out of us. Cole's been exploiting us, barely giving us anything to eat. Could you spare us a little food?"

She stood there nervously, awaiting Maisie's response.

Maisie frowned. That wasn't her call to make. She turned around, glancing at Cassius for guidance.

Cassius, meanwhile, had his hands resting on Angela's slim waist. Angela, eyes closed, leaned back slightly against him, a soft moan escaping her lips.

"Give each of them a slice of bread," Cassius said generously, clearly in a good mood.

Maisie nodded, grabbed a box of bread from nearby, and opened it. They were the premium kind—egg custard-filled.

"One slice each," she announced as she handed out the bread.

"Alright, off you go," Maisie added, her patience wearing thin. She didn't want to waste time dealing with Sarah when she had more important things to focus on. Winning favor with Cassius, for example. Look at Angela—such a try-hard.

But just as Maisie was about to close the door, Sarah blocked it with her hand and, shamelessly, said, "Could you give us both boxes instead?"

Maisie's expression darkened instantly.

Cassius raised an eyebrow, his hands instinctively tightening around Angela's waist. Angela gasped softly, her eyes flying open in surprise.

"Angela, take a break," Cassius murmured.

Angela blinked, startled, then relaxed, resting her head gently against his chest.

Cassius turned his gaze to the doorway. His tone dropped, calm but cold. "What did you just say?"

Sarah flinched. Cassius could be intimidating, but then again, rumor had it he didn't kill women. Emboldened by that thought, she forced herself to hold her ground.

"You're Cassius, right? You delivered takeout to my place once," she said quickly, attempting to establish rapport.

"Oh... you're from the property management office." Cassius gave a mild smile, almost friendly.

Seeing him soften so quickly, Sarah's confidence grew. "That's right! So, I was thinking... you have plenty of supplies here. Couldn't you spare a couple more boxes? You can't possibly finish all of this yourselves."

"Hmm, that actually makes some sense," Cassius nodded thoughtfully.

Sarah's face lit up with hope. "We'd just take a little! Not too much, I promise!"

Cassius remained silent. Sarah assumed his silence was consent. She shoved Maisie aside, sending her stumbling to the ground. Maisie winced in pain, tears threatening to well up. She glanced at Cassius, only to see him smiling, watching the scene unfold with amusement.

"Look! There's cookies over here. Let's grab them!"

"Whoa, fries too! Give me a hand! Oh, and beef jerky—there's so much!"

"This whole box—move it out!"

A group of women swarmed the room like locusts, greedily hauling off supplies without pause.

Cassius gently patted Angela. She bit her lower lip and gazed up at him, her eyes shimmering with a seductive gleam.

He stepped forward, his smile widening as he spoke. "Still loading up, huh?"

"Oh, come on," Sarah replied casually, not even looking at him. "You guys have more than you could ever eat. There's another box here—hurry up, girls!" She waved her friends over to grab more. Her smug, greedy expression made Maisie's stomach turn.

This is disgusting! Maisie thought angrily. Angela and I had to pay the price to get food and water, and here you vultures are, taking everything for free like it's owed to you!

By now, half the supplies in the room were piled outside by the door. Sarah clapped her hands together, grinning. "Don't worry. We'll remember this kindness. When things settle down, we'll keep quiet about... you know, those people you've killed."

"Oh? Well, I guess I should thank you then," Cassius chuckled, shaking his head.

"No need for that," Sarah said, waving it off. "We're neighbors, after all. Fate brought us together. If there's nothing else, we'll be on our way."

Cassius scratched the back of his head, frowning slightly. "You're just gonna walk off after stealing this much from me?"

"Stealing?" Sarah snapped, her expression twisting with mock offense. "What are you talking about? We didn't steal anything. We took it. There's a difference."

"Hmm," Cassius replied thoughtfully. "For the record, I never agreed to you taking anything. And I've got witnesses." He gestured to Maisie and Angela.

Maisie immediately nodded. Angela, now seated on the floor, nodded along as well.

"You… you people are impossible!" Sarah scoffed, her face turning red with indignation. "Forget it. Let's go, girls! We don't have time to argue with them." She waved her hand dismissively and started to walk away, as if she had completely forgotten how swiftly Cassius could kill.

Cassius sighed, slipping a pistol out from behind his back. He chuckled softly. "Alright then... I guess it's my turn to take something now."

Bang!

Sarah's head snapped forward as a bullet tore through the back of her skull. Her body crumpled to the floor, eyes wide open in shock. Blood pooled beneath her as it slowly seeped across the ground.

Outside the room, the other women were casually waiting for the elevator, chatting and laughing. The gunshot shattered their lighthearted mood. Turning toward the source of the noise, they froze in horror at the sight of Sarah's lifeless body lying in a spreading pool of blood. Her head wound was gruesome, a gaping hole that made them gasp in shock.

Then, Cassius strolled out of the room, grinning as if he were merely out for a walk. His pistol, black and ominous, hung loosely at his side. For a moment, there was a chilling silence as every woman stared at him in fear.

"You take from me, I take from you," Cassius said, his voice calm and almost playful. "Fair's fair, right?"

The moment stretched unbearably until, finally, one of the women snapped out of her stupor. Instead of running, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

The scream echoed through the building, followed by a rapid series of gunshots.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The loud cracks echoed throughout Building 3. Residents across the neighborhood froze in fear, their faces pale with confusion and terror.

Building 4

"Boss! Boss! Gunshots in Building 3!" one of Mallory's men burst in, shouting.

"I'm not deaf," Mallory growled, holding his girlfriend close. His eyes were sharp, calculating.

His girlfriend chuckled softly. "I wonder if that delivery guy finally got himself killed."

"Could be," Mallory mused, narrowing his eyes. "Someone with a gun might have been lying low, waiting for the right time. He probably didn't have many bullets left, but if that delivery guy wiped out Cole and his men, this gunman would've seen the perfect chance to make his move."

The others around him nodded in agreement. The theory made sense.

"Mallory, should we go check it out?" his girlfriend suggested.

"Let's wait a couple of days," Mallory replied, his tone steady. "No need to rush. Let them sort themselves out first."

Building 1, 28th Floor, Apartment 2801

"Gunshots again..." murmured a woman standing by the window. She looked to be about twenty-five, her bright, intelligent eyes filled with fear as she gazed outside. Her body tensed, instinctively bracing herself for the unknown danger that loomed in the distance.

The younger woman possessed an indescribable beauty, a natural elegance that seemed almost otherworldly. Her features appeared as though meticulously sculpted by nature itself—delicate yet striking. Wisdom and warmth glimmered subtly in her eyes, a quiet grace radiating from her gaze. Despite the passing of many harsh days, her white dress remained pristine, as if untouched by the trials around her.

The gentle breeze stirred the hem of her dress, causing it to sway lightly. There was a melancholic aura about her, a deep sadness that seemed to whisper in the air. Though her figure was modestly concealed by the flowing fabric, hints of her alluring curves—a slender waist and perfectly rounded hips—were still evident.

In the kitchen, another woman, in her early fifties, busied herself with household tasks. Her face bore the marks of time, fine wrinkles tracing her features, and her figure had softened with age. Yet, despite the signs of aging, one could tell from her underlying bone structure that she had once been as stunning as the younger woman—her sister. Now, however, the vitality of youth had faded, leaving a seasoned but tired beauty in its place.

The elder sister's name was Shana, while the younger was called Maggie. The two were blood sisters, though the years between them told a different story. Their parents, longing for a son late in life, had tried one final time. Fate, however, had other plans, blessing them with another daughter instead. Thus, the stark age gap between the siblings was born—a full generation apart, yet bound by the same bloodline and fate.