First Day

"Forensics ran a thorough check on the weapon and its blade matches the stab wounds on the other victims."

"And the man?"

"He had no ID on him, so we cannot confirm his identity just yet. But his test said he suffered a severe concussion to the head. From what they told me, only the force from a weapon, like a plywood or a baseball bat and so on, can cause such a severe concussion. But the thing is, a bat or plywood would leave an injury or a mark at least, but there was nothing on him. Which leaves the possibility that it was done by hand."

Detective Lang remained silent while his colleague walked him through the finds. They were all vital points that linked tonight's case with the other murders, but the detective couldn't help but contemplate further.

The detective's colleague noticed the look on his face and hollered,

"I know that look on your face… I've seen it many times that I've wanted to murder you for it. You're not satisfied with the results so far, right?"

"We both know there are indications of a third person based on what we were told and what we've put together. The lady was drugged with Curare, which means she must have been too weak to move a muscle… there's no way she would have knocked him out and stripped him. Besides, there are no traces of his clothes anywhere, which means someone must have taken them. That 'someone' is who I need to find, and fast. This is a serial killer case… everyone is a suspect."

The detective laid bare his analysis, whilst explaining his skepticism on how this case was going to end.

"I have a life of my own… I am no glutton for more work. I am satisfied with the results so far. But we're dealing with the safety of innocent people, I cannot afford to be careless. I just can't help but think it's too soon to conclude the case."

His colleague couldn't help but smack his lips.

"Save me the patriotism crap, I already knew you would be like this. In any case, there's nothing else we can do from this end, we'll just have to wait for the only other witness at the scene, Miss Yan Qincheng."

~Shen's Appetite~

Old man Shen was surprised to see Zhi Luan up and ready for work. He brought Zhi Luan downstairs, where three other staff were waiting.

"Ahem," Old man Shen drew everyone's attention.

"We have with us a new staff, although on probation. He'll be working in the kitchen. In your spare time, show him how things are run around here, or you could test him, I don't care. Dismissed!"

Old man Shen still harbored a grudge about last night's events, and given his very brief introduction, it was clear he didn't want to explain further, leaving his staff confused.

Old man Shen brought Zhi Luan into the kitchen,

"The first thing you have to master as a chef is the menu,"

Old man Shen grumpily spoke and passed two notepads to Zhi Luan.

On one of them was written 'Breakfast Menu' and 'Main Course' on the other.

Old man Shen went ahead to ask,

"What can you make on the Breakfast Menu?"

Zhi Luan looked at the menu for some time before answering plainly,

"I don't know,"

Old man Shen had anticipated that reply and so didn't get too angry.

"Fine then. You go help the others set up the restaurant. I'll call you back when things are ready in here."

Zhi Luan went to join the others in prepping the restaurant for the day.

There were three employees, three men and a lady. One was cleaning the counter, while the other two set up the tables. Zhi Luan became the center of attention the moment he walked in. But he didn't mind and went to help set up the tables. Then, the employees could hold their murmurings no longer.

"Hey, what's your deal?"

One of them asked, rather rudely.

Zhi Luan glanced at him and resumed his chore.

"What she meant to say was that we are confused. You weren't here yesterday, and the old man said nothing about getting a new guy. Plus, the old man's introduction wasn't helpful at all."

Zhi Luan paused and gave a summary,

"The old man and I met late last night and struck a deal, but with regard to the details, I cannot say. You'll all find out after my probation."

"I see. The old man is as eccentric and spontaneous as ever."

The employee chuckled. Then he smiled at Zhi Luan,

"I'm John Cang, my mother was a foreigner, hence the name. This is Yu Lu and that one over there is Lu Yu, he's the grumpy one."

John Cang introduced the lady setting up the table with him, who was also the one who spoke rudely before, and the person cleaning the counter respectively.

"What's your name?"

John asked.

"I'm Zhi Luan."

"Nice to meet you Zhi Luan. If there's anything you need to know, don't hesitate to come to us for guidance."

About twenty minutes passed before old man Shen called Zhi Luan into the kitchen, giving him a quick tour. A little while later, the restaurant resumed its business for the day, and it soon welcomed its first customer for the day.

John took the customer's order to the counter, where Lu Yu pasted it on a board where the old man could easily see it from the kitchen.

Old man Shen prepped his knives and got down to business. The customer's order was bacon and broccoli soup. Old man Shen moved swiftly and smoothly. The broth was prepared beforehand, so all old man Shen had to do was add a few touches to it with three slices of well-spiced bacon, some broccoli, and noodles. In a little over five minutes, the customer's order was ready, teeming with a spicy rich aroma.

Old man Shen turned to Zhi Luan,

"You got that?"

He asked, to which Zhi Luan nodded slightly.

~Sanxing City General Hospital~

After the fiasco last night, Miss Yan Qincheng spent the night at the hospital. She was already conscious and could speak lightly. She was looking out the window in deep thought when she heard a knock on the door.

"Miss Qincheng, I'm Detective Lang. I'm coming in."

Detective Lang came in and introduced himself again,

"Miss Yan Qincheng, I'm Detective Lang from the city precinct. I'm here because of what happened last night…"

While the detective spoke, he noticed Yan Qincheng slightly tremble as she grabbed the sheets. She couldn't hide the panic she felt when she remembered last night's event.

The detective noticed this and sighed,

"I see you've recovered well. I asked the nurse and she said you'll be discharged this morning. She also told me you've been given drugs for the toxin in your body… you'll recover nicely. Look, I've handled cases like this before and I know you're still mentally scarred. Unfortunately, there are no drugs that can fix that… you'll just have to move past it…"

"Detective,"

Yan Qincheng called out while the detective spoke.

"I know you're here to ask questions, but I'm not ready to answer them, please understand."