The Devil’s Cage

On top of the white porcelain plate were three caramelized bacon and egg sandwiches, emanating a faint fragrance.

Kieran chose one and took a big bite.

He never thought of taking small bites of sandwiches, burgers or pies; he thought it was a kind of insult to food with fillings.

Eating with big bites was the true way to satisfaction.

“How is it?” Lyn Amie looked at Kieran with anticipation.

He didn’t aggrandize himself; bacon and egg sandwich was his best dish and also the dish that he made the most often.

“Em.” Kieran nodded but didn’t give any comment.

Since Kieran had the opportunity to always dine at Starbeck’s place and taste his cooking, it was hard for him to comment on other food, but he also would not ignore the point of what he ate outside.

The ingredients and cooking skills were closely related.

A cook couldn’t create extraordinary cuisine with normal ingredients.

Likewise, when a cook created a dish with extraordinary ingredients, it had already deviated from the point of normal food, like what Starbeck did.

Starbeck didn’t just possess remarkable cooking skills, but he also used extraordinary ingredients.

Kieran still had a functioning tongue, so how could he not taste the specialness of the food he ate?

That was the reason why he was so kind to Starbeck.

In fact, anyone who could give him good food, Kieran would reply with a good attitude. Lyn Amie was no exception.

At least, the sharp and cold aura around Kieran that felt like spikes was gone when Lyn Amie looked at him.

Huu!

The makeup artist heaved a sigh of relief.

Although Kieran didn’t comment on the food, Lyn Amie considered it an acknowledgement of his cooking from Kieran.

He watched Kieran eat the remaining sandwiches. After that, he served him a glass of milk heated by the microwave oven.

“Do you want sugar?” Lyn Amie asked.

“A little.” Kieran nodded.

Under Kieran’s watch, Lyn Amie added a teaspoon and a half of sugar into the milk. Kieran then took the teaspoon and stirred it clockwise.

The milk and sugar fragrance swiftly filled Kieran’s nose. It was slightly sweet, yet it maintained its freshness.

Warm milk was more acceptable than a cold or boiling hot one.

Riiiing! Riing!

Kieran finished the milk in a single gulp, and just when he was about to ask for a second glass, Lyn Amie’s phone rang.

“Director. Yes, I understand.”

Lyn Amie answered and listened. Around 10 seconds later, he looked at Kieran.

“Something big happened. We must get back to the station right away.”

Lyn Amie then removed his apron and walked to the door.

Kieran frowned.

He hated it when his meal was interrupted, but he also understood how severe it would be if problems weren’t solved in time.

He stood up, took the box with the remaining milk and followed the makeup artist.

…

“Bastards! A bunch of freaking greedy bastards!”

Less than an hour into his sleep, Eckart was woken up by his assistant’s call. Since he hadn’t slept well for a long time, once woken abruptly, his temper was not pretty, let alone the fact that the matter that woke him up was an infuriating one.

Eckart looked at the simple message his assistant sent him, and the rage in his eyes almost materialized. And by the time Kieran and Lyn Amie came into the office, Eckart had already broken three glasses.

“I swear when I get back to my prime, I’ll f*cking seal that bitch off!”

Eckart looked at Kieran and voiced his anger before passing the simple message to Kieran. He then walked to the washroom beside his office.

He needed cold water to wake himself up.

While Eckart was washing his face, Kieran went over the simple message on the phone.

A murder went down at the soldier rehabilitation center.

A doctor and a nurse were brutally strangled to death at the office. At the same time, three soldiers that were under treatment went missing; they were believed to be responsible for the tragedy.

If the message were just some report of a murder incident, Eckart wouldn’t have gotten that angry.

The safety in Rain City was on an average level. Fighting and murder didn’t take place that often in the city, but it was by no means rare either. Even if the place of the homicide were a special place, Eckart would at most say a thing or two.

What really infuriated Eckart were the following messages.

Two slightly famous shamans appeared at the crime scene.

One claimed that she sensed the dead spirit of the soldiers, and the other one claimed that the rehabilitation center was an ominous place.

On top of that, the claims from the shamans mentioned Kieran. Intentionally or unintentionally, they hoped that Kieran would come out and provide a more ‘precise vision information’.

“They are challenging you! They want to use this chance to step on you and gain more popularity.”

Lyn Amie was standing beside Kieran. The message was made clear to him as well since Kieran didn’t conceal it. A single glance from the makeup artist allowed him to know all the content. With that, the makeup artist gave his assumption on this incident.

As a TV station makeup artist, he had seen tons of incidents like this. He’d even seen much despicable and dirtier way than this.

Therefore, he knew the importance of this incident.

If this incident were mishandled, Kieran, who had just garnered the attention of the masses, would surely take a big hit. The makeup artist felt indignant right away.

He knew how hard it was for Kieran to get a chance to forge his future.

That’s right, Lyn Amie was feeling indignant on Kieran’s behalf.

After spending two days with him, Lyn Amie, a pure and kind person, already considered Kieran as one of his own, one of his best friends.

In a certain perspective, Lyn Amie’s pureness was astonishing.

Kieran was doubtful about how Lyn Amie survived in the station, a place with so many complications.

However, Kieran didn’t say anything else to Lyn Amie or talk about the incident.

The former was a secret, but the latter?

He had a more professional means to deal with this kind of incident.

Eckart came back after washing his face and slightly tidying up.

“I say we go to the scene right now. Before these two attention-seeking bastards make anything worse or irreversible, let’s take them out.” Eckart looked at Kieran, asking for his opinion.

“Sure.” Kieran nodded.

Leave the matter to the professionals.

After that?

Kieran would try his best to work along with them.

The luxury minivan drove Kieran, Eckart and Lyn Amie away from the TV station and straight toward the soldier rehabilitation center.

Soon, the minivan reached its destination.

But before they got off the minivan, Eckart noticed that something wasn’t right.

It seemed like… the place was overflowing with reporters.