I first ran to Leah King's house and told him I was going to visit the neighboring resident to investigate something. Only then did I enter The Dragon's room. As soon as I stepped in, I noticed the place was a mess—nothing had been tidied up, things were strewn everywhere, the TV was still on, and The Dragon was lying on the sofa, looking thoroughly dejected.
"Sigh, the boss is really something. Calling me and Monkey for such a boring task—it's so dull. Isn't the girl next door Bertram's daughter? Just have Bertram send someone over."
I moved some trash aside, tossing it carelessly to the side, and sat down on the sofa, looking at The Dragon.
"What's so bad about it? Now you can get all the rest you want."
But The Dragon kept flipping through TV channels, still bored. I started asking questions.
"Has anything happened around here these past few days?"
The Dragon shook his head.
"There's nothing going on, that's why it's so quiet. Sigh, Monkey went out to play again. Tomorrow it's my turn."
I let out a sound of surprise and looked at The Dragon.
"What if someone from the Immortality Society attacks? Wouldn't you guys..."
"Ethan Zhang, don't underestimate me. I may not be as strong as Noah Grimm or Vivian Maple, but under the boss, I can rank in the top twenty."
I nodded.
"Alright, I'm heading over."
I said, and The Dragon stood up.
"Since you're here, stay for a meal."
"No thanks, Miss Leah King already has food prepared."
"Are you sure you want to eat it?"
I made a surprised sound. The Dragon grinned, but didn’t stop me, so I went to Leah King’s place. By then, Leah had already showered and was busy in the kitchen. Her manager had also returned, and I saw they’d bought some meat and vegetables. The two of them started cooking together.
With the sound of stir-frying in the background, I caught a strange smell but said nothing. When it was time to eat, the three of us sat in the dining room, looking at five dishes. The colors seemed a bit off, especially the stir-fried meat—it looked blackened and had a weird odor.
I took the bowl of rice the manager handed to me and took a bite. It seemed like there was too little water—the rice was undercooked and hard. I took another bite, then tried some of the meat. The moment it hit my mouth, I almost spat it out. The stir-fried meat was loaded with salt and MSG, plus something else I couldn't identify.