Big Chef Lady turned her head sharply, the skewered meat in her hand pausing mid-air like a juggler who'd suddenly lost the beat.
"Don't talk rubbish. Big Chef Lady's right over there," she hissed, forcing a wobbly smile onto her round face as she shot Maverick a warning glare. Her tone, however, had all the warmth of a soggy crumpet.
Dr Chan gave a visible shudder."Please, for the love of tea and common sense, don't go guessing things like that!"
Maverick narrowed his eyes, the gleam in them sharpening like the edge of a well-used butter knife. His voice dropped into a slow, deliberate drawl."You're part of this'Hunting Game' too, aren't you?"
Shen Lu turned a shade paler—no small feat, considering he already looked like an anaemic ghost in bad lighting. He gawked at Maverick, quickly realising this was no jest. After a long silence, he muttered,"How did you know?"
"Your shoes."
Shen Lu blinked down at his battered trainers—mud-caked, scuffed, and tragically past their prime. They looked about as incriminating as a soggy biscuit.
"They're branded with that insignia, aren't they?"
Ah. The penny dropped. The shoes bore an embossed shield logo—barely visible when new, but as they got dirtier, the emblem practically screamed its identity. These weren't just any shoes; they were standard-issue for their elite little band of hunters. Mercenaries wouldn't touch something so flashy. Civilians couldn't afford them. And rich folks? They'd rather walk barefoot than be caught dead in"tactical trainers."
Shen Lu neither confirmed nor denied. Instead, he slowly curled in on himself like a paper crane in the rain, shrinking under an invisible weight.
He'd discarded everything that might betray him—uniform, ID, even his concealed weapon. And yet… it was the shoes that gave him away. The bloody shoes.
The rotund cook's hands slowed over the skewers, lost in thought. Maverick's gaze remained fixed on Shen Lu.
Shen Lu didn't dare meet it. After what felt like an eternity, he murmured,"I've never… killed anyone."
"But you came here to do just that," said Maverick. The words were quiet, but they landed like a meat cleaver on a butcher's block.
Shen Lu's lips had turned chalk-white."I didn't have… a choice."
He sat down abruptly, like a puppet whose strings had been cut, staring into the fire. His voice came out dry as autumn leaves:
"In my family, it's tradition—a rite of passage. You either pass, or you're erased. Not just from the inheritance. From existence. Your name is stricken from the family records. You're... disposable."
Maverick leaned against a rock, arms folded."So you're telling me this was all out of obligation?"
"I didn't come here to enjoy the bloodshed. I came because… I didn't want to die."
The cook finally set down the skewers and sighed."These rich boys and girls—tools, the lot of'em. Family turns them into weapons before they learn how to use a spoon."
In the flickering firelight, Shen Lu looked even more ghostly—a paper doll at the mercy of flame.
"Who's behind this'game'?" Maverick asked, voice hardening.
Shen Lu closed his eyes. It took several seconds before he could speak.
"The Ten Elders."
"Sounds like a bunch of underground kingpins."
"No," Shen Lu said with a mirthless chuckle."They're not hiding in the shadows. They own the shadows. Ten corporate dynasties. Nobility of the boardroom. They control the city's water, food, even the air you breathe has their bloody logo on it."
Maverick scowled."And the government?"
"The mayor's their puppet," Shen Lu replied with eerie calm, as if he'd resigned himself to the absurdity long ago."They don't need to overthrow the system. They are the system."
For a while, only the crackling of the fire filled the cave.
Dr Chan rubbed his temples."And there I was thinking we'd reached a safe zone. Turns out we're just breathing branded air."
Maverick muttered, half to himself,"They threw you into a slaughterhouse, handed you a blade, and didn't even give you time to warm the handle…"
Shen Lu didn't answer. He simply clenched his fists until his knuckles turned bone-white.
The cook walked over and patted his shoulder."No. If I hadn't dragged him out of that mess, he'd be six feet under by now. People aren't born to kill."
She turned to Maverick, giving him a pointed look."Ease up, will you? He's about to fall apart."
Maverick raised a brow, lips twitching with interest."Now this is getting fascinating," he said, tone light as whipped cream but twice as cutting."So what's the real story? Undercover, are we?"
The cook spun around, eyes narrowing, and stared hard at Shen Lu.
The boy gave a bitter laugh and slumped to the ground, eyes fixed on the cave's entrance."Think what you want. If you're going to report me, go ahead."
Maverick regarded him for a moment, then suddenly smiled."Relax. I'm not turning you in. Not unless you do something stupid. Like leading hunters straight to us."
Shen Lu nodded quickly, chin nearly touching his chest."I won't leave. I won't betray you."
"So what's your plan then?"
"For heaven's sake," Shen Lu groaned,"I've just started feeling safe. Can't you leave me be?"
"Oh, leave it," the cook said, waving dismissively."He's barely more than a twig in trousers. Look at him—can't imagine he's laid a hand on a fly, let alone a human."
The boy clenched his jaw, jawline taut with frustration.
She gave him a hearty pat and a crooked grin."Don't get your knickers in a twist. I didn't save you just to sell you out. You looked like a lost puppy. Still do."
Turning back to Maverick, she raised her eyebrows."And if he really were some elite killer, do you think he'd be running around getting his arse handed to him? You're no stranger to being hunted yourself—bit rich of you to throw stones, isn't it?"
Maverick opened his mouth to retort but found himself strangely tongue-tied. Dr Chan, who'd been enjoying the scene like a free theatre show, nudged him with an elbow."We don't even know what we're doing tomorrow. Stop interrogating the poor lad."
"But what if he does reveal our location?"
"I swear," Shen Lu croaked,"I'd rather die than give them anything."
Maverick was at a loss for words. Dr. Chan, who had been watching the scene with great interest, nudged him."We don't even know what to do ourselves, and you're worrying about him?"
"What if he tells those hunters where we are?"
"Don't worry, I'd rather die than give away this place!" Shen Lu murmured weakly.
Just as Maverick was about to say something else, the Fat chef lady secretly kicked him, making him snap to attention. The skinner leader had finished tending to his stall and was now strolling over in their direction.