At Salt City.

Eric was peacefully asleep when an abrupt phone call woke him up. Glancing at the caller ID indicating King City, he hesitated to answer.

However, after just a few seconds of contemplation, his phone rang again.

"Just answer it," Sylvia murmured. "It might be something urgent."

Eric reluctantly picked up, only to be greeted by a voice that left him annoyed.

"Are you asleep? Do you want some late-night snacks?" Ruth said.

"It's almost dawn, and you're asking me if I want late-night snacks? Why not ask if I want breakfast?" Eric responded, baffled by Ruth's peculiar timing.

Encountering someone like Ruth, who stayed up late and offered late-night snacks, left Eric wondering if she had no better things to do.

Ruth was undeterred. "So, do you want breakfast?"

Eric was momentarily at a loss for words before he finally said, "If you don't have anything urgent, I'll hang up. I have to get up for work soon."

"You're still thinking about work?" Ruth retorted. "There's so