Chapter 0 “Prologue Part 8”
“We were so mesmerized by the sight that we didn’t even notice the door slamming shut behind us.” Gold Happy began to pant once he reached this part of the story. It’s genuine fear he’s feeling so whatever’s happening to his trembling self occured out of reflex. “Then the sectioned-off building opened, the door opened…. There were a few doctors with white lab coats waiting for us, smiling at us. It’s as if they knew we were coming and expected us to show. Before I or any of my disciples could react, I fainted….”
By the time Gold Happy awoke, he had already been tied to a chair before a round dine table inside a restaurant. There were also the doctors and several patients of the facility sitting with him.
“I found no one I knew near me when I awoke. I was alone. My apprentices and my son…. they were all gone….” The color completely drains from the thief’s face, “I wanted to ask them of their whereabouts and what they did to them, but I couldn’t speak. Something was blocking my throat… I couldn’t utter a single sound.”
Everything that followed could only be described as a nightmare in the thief king’s mouth.
Those doctors and patients didn’t care if Gold Happy was awake, they merely continued on with their whispering chatter. And due to the low volume, he couldn’t hear a single thing these creepy people were saying. But one thing’s for sure, they were particularly happy about the next event.
And sure enough, the main course rolled into the restaurant with the chef pushing the dining cart.
There’s a large pot covered with a metal shroud so Gold Happy couldn’t see what it was. Even so, the thick, pungent aroma alone was enough to make the thief salivate. He worked hard tonight. Without any food thus far, it’s no wonder his stomach would growl at first whiff of the smell.
Instead of abusing Gold Happy though, the doctors around him helped untie his right hand and enthusiastically handed him a bowl of the broth.
The soup had a strong smell to the nose that’s faintly reminding him of some wild games, but the kind of pleasant fragrance couldn’t be hidden underneath. It’s thick and rich, and with every mouthful he took came a rush of refreshing sensation.
For the first time in his life, the thief discovered what it meant to be a glutton because he had lost control of his mind to think. He drank the soup frantically, gnawing away at the stewed bones and tender meat. It wasn’t until he found the two finger bones at the bottom of the bowl did the man realize what he had eaten.
After listening to Gold Happy’s story, Fatty Ho couldn’t say anything. He stared directly into his subject’s eye and silently sorted through the truth and lies in those words.
Although he had seen many strange things in his time on the job, this situation was nevertheless beyond what he had imagined.