Chapter 53 54

Chapter 53: Hunger

Impatiently repeating the price once more, Katie's sweet smile faded from her face when she saw Mr. Faraday still had no reaction. Stepping back slowly, she began to signal her colleague Jerome, who was not too far away.

Jerome was a hulking figure, his presence alone enough to deter any mischievous troublemakers. Even those looking for trouble would think twice before challenging his formidable build. It seemed best to let him deal with this lunatic; she wasn't keen on taking any losses herself.

Mr. Faraday took about five seconds to devour an entire hamburger, yet the gnawing hunger in his belly persisted. He turned his head, puzzled, to see that the hefty man beside him was already halfway through his second burger. With half a burger still in his hand, he chewed and stared at Mr. Faraday with a devil-may-care look, not blinking, clearly judging his extravagant eating manner.

After a brief stare-off, Mr. Faraday's gaze shifted to the remaining half of the burger in the big man's hand. He stepped forward, snatched it, and stuffed it into his mouth before the man could react, chewing rapidly.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

The onlooking hefty man immediately got annoyed. He stood up abruptly, his stature two sizes larger than the sturdy Mr. Faraday, clearly unafraid of the man who had stolen his burger.

"Sir! Please don't cause trouble. You better pay up and leave, or we'll call the cops," Jerome, summoned by Katie, had just witnessed the scene and frowned, internally cursing his luck for having to deal with a madman.

The slight commotion was beginning to draw the attention of other customers, who all turned to see what was happening. Even those sitting a bit farther away craned their necks in curiosity.

The half burger did nothing to satisfy Mr. Faraday's appetite. After swallowing the last bit of meat, he scanned around for more food. But the burger-less hefty man was losing patience and, pulling up his sleeve to reveal a hairy, muscular arm, reached out as if to grab Mr. Faraday and teach him a lesson.

However, his attempt was halted midway as Mr. Faraday caught his wrist with even greater speed. A series of crisp "crack" sounds followed, and the hefty man's hand hung at an odd angle, obviously crushed.

"Ah!! God! Let go... let go..."

The once show-off hefty man instantly revealed his true colors. His large body slanted as he tried to ease the pain in a weird stance, tears and snot flowing as he cried out for mercy.

Mr. Faraday wasn't even looking at him, instead casting his eyes over to the food at nearby tables. The customers there stared back, including the crying hefty man, clearly shocked by the bizarre scene.

"Oh no! Let's go, Billy."

A middle-aged woman reacted quickest, scooping up a little boy struggling with a sandwich, his face smeared with salad dressing, and quickly moved their chairs away, obviously fearing the fight might escalate.

"Sir! Sir! I'm warning you! Hey! Let him go!"

The burly Jerome hadn't expected the situation to turn violent so quickly. While inwardly criticizing the useless hefty man, he didn't take it seriously and charged over, throwing a heavy punch toward Mr. Faraday's head. The punch swirled through the air with a dull thud, definitely not something one would want to receive.

Jerome's punch was effective, making Mr. Faraday release the hefty man's hand. However, Mr. Faraday blocked the punch with a speed almost invisible to the eye. As familiar cracks sounded, intense pain hit Jerome, making him understand why the hefty man cried like a fool—it really was that painful!

Mr. Faraday's fingers, like iron tongs, tightly clutched Jerome's fist, his strength unbelievably greater, crushing the hand of the regularly exercising Jerome without resistance.

Dammit! But Jerome's nickname, 'the tough guy,' wasn't for nothing. Despite the pain that made him want to curse, he gritted his teeth and aimed a kick at the lunatic before him.

Unfortunately, he forgot one thing—people have two hands.

So his right leg also ended up in Mr. Faraday's grip, and the "crack snap" sounds followed again. It was the third time in a minute Jerome heard that sound, but he couldn't think anymore as the double pain was unbearable. As Mr. Faraday released him, Jerome collapsed, knocking over a nearby chair and lying on the ground, emitting loud screams of agony.

"Ah, you bastard, call the cops! You executioner!"

The first victim, the hefty man, cried messily, sitting on a chair holding his arm, not daring to touch it, crying and calling for help.

His cries were louder than Jerome's, which once again caught Mr. Faraday's attention. He ceased eyeing the food around him and focused intently on the trembling fat on the hefty man's face. His acute hearing detected the violent pounding of the man's heart, sensing the blood flowing beneath the thin skin. His eyes revealed a mix of curiosity and greed as he slowly leaned in closer.

Hmm?

The crying hefty man was startled by this eerie action and tried to back away. However, his reaction seemed to trigger something in Mr. Faraday, who quickly stretched his neck forward and bit into the man's cheek, tearing off a large chunk of flesh.

Ah! This sensation! The fresh, tender taste was delicious!

A chill of satisfaction swept through Mr. Faraday, and without even chewing, he eagerly swallowed the piece of flesh. He then grabbed the man's shoulders, bent down, and began to tear greedily. The force was so great that it flipped the hefty man onto the ground, sending blood and flesh flying everywhere. The hefty man could barely resist, emitting a few sharply piercing screams before falling silent after a few convulsions.

This horrifying spectacle caused the already fragile nerves of the onlooking customers to completely snap. They screamed and scrambled in panic, some so terrified they couldn't even sit still. A few, in their rush to escape, got stuck at the door, fighting to get through.

The diner was in chaos. Katie, who had just grabbed her phone to call the police, no longer wore her usual sweet smile but looked utterly terrified. She trembled as she tried to dial, unable to press the correct keys, and finally gave up with a scream, turning to run out the back.

Fortunately, she no longer needed to worry. Almost at the same time, the nearby police station had received seven or eight calls reporting a cannibalistic monster on Ninth Street. The vivid and imaginative descriptions almost made the dispatchers think it was a prank, but the repeated calls soon made them realize something was seriously wrong, prompting them to send officers immediately.

Chapter 54: Bloody Scene

Dan's Diner, with its double glass doors, could not withstand the surge of dozens, if not hundreds, of people trying to escape at once. After more than a minute, still, nearly half of the customers had not managed to squeeze out.

Because Mr. Faraday was initially near the entrance, those who couldn't escape immediately had to frantically hide to one side, too terrified to approach.

In just a minute, the fallen hefty man was significantly dismembered, scattered in pieces across the area, even his internal organs spilled out, and blood soaked the entire floor. Mr. Faraday quickly adapted, learning to select the tastier parts rather than eating indiscriminately. As he lost interest in his current feast, he stood up and turned his attention to those who hadn't made it out.

Among those trapped near the exit were the sweet Katie and Jerome, who had managed to crawl to the door. Seeing Mr. Faraday look their way and standing up, they could no longer contain their nausea spurred by fear and started vomiting and screaming, too panicked to even wipe their faces, desperately pushing toward the exit.

But the diner's door was too narrow; the narrow glass doors could accommodate only two or three people running out at the same time. In such a heart-gripping moment, with only instinctual reactions left in their minds, no one was about to yield, which only further delayed their escape.

Mr. Faraday moved quickly to the door, surveying them with a deep, hollow gaze, as if contemplating his next target. The terrifying presence made several customers who hadn't yet escaped retreat further, desperately shrinking back.

"God! Someone help us!"

Katie's once beautiful makeup was now ruined by tears and vomit. At that moment, she finally remembered that the restaurant had another exit and nearly screamed in a crying voice: "Run that way, there's a back door!"

Her shout awakened the other customers, sending them into a chaotic scramble toward the counter direction. Poor Katie, however, tripped over someone's push and fell, ending up at the back.

Before she could curse those who abandoned her, she was stunned by the sight before her. The madman, moving too fast to see clearly, leaped several meters across the room and pounced on a bald middle-aged man at the front of the pack.

The piercing screams were followed by the sounds of flesh being torn and chewed.

Those attempting to escape through the back door were scared witless, their panic causing them to retreat like a tidal wave around the unfortunate man, and they ran back to the front door. This time, they managed to slip out smoothly, though no one had the courage to confront the cannibalistic madman—not even Jerome, who, despite missing an arm and a leg, mustered every bit of strength to drag himself onto the street, where a kind passerby finally helped him.

The bald man apparently didn't suit Mr. Faraday's taste, only delaying him for a few seconds before he rose again to seek another target. By now, Mr. Faraday had developed a taste for the chaos and grew increasingly interested in the scrambling 'food', but with the diner empty, he leaped out the door, his gaze quickly shifting to some unaware pedestrians across the street.

However, their curiosity soon cost them dearly, as Mr. Faraday moved with the speed of a giant grasshopper. With one leap, he landed on a car passing in the middle of the road, creating a dull thud, then bounced off to the sidewalk, grabbing a middle-aged woman by the neck and bringing her to his mouth.

Blood sprayed again.

This blatant display of consumption and bloodshed terrified the onlookers into trembling. But this time, finally, someone brave and willing to fight back emerged.

"You freak, you monster bred by a bitch, get the hell away from her!"

A muscular young man in a tomato-red t-shirt shouted to embolden himself, kicking at Mr. Faraday, who was holding the woman. His kick, however, was effortlessly blocked by Mr. Faraday.

Interrupted from his meal, Mr. Faraday growled irritably, turning to look at the young man while still chewing and swallowing, blood dripping down his chin in a repulsive red smear.

Ignoring the pain in his foot, the young man was about to strike again when he was suddenly hit hard by a nearly invisible blur, his head twisting unnaturally almost halfway around, causing him to stagger and collapse to the ground.

Mr. Faraday had snapped his neck with a slap, leaving half his face sunken and an eyeball burst from its socket.

This horrifying display of lethality and the gruesome death immediately shattered the will of other bystanders, who screamed in various tones and scattered in all directions.

Having chased off these "buzzing flies," Mr. Faraday grunted from deep within his throat, satisfied, and bent down again to enjoy his catch.

The shrill sound of police sirens pierced the night sky, drawing closer and soon a patrol car drove onto Ninth Avenue.

This once bustling avenue was now eerily deserted, with hardly anyone on either side of the road. Only a few bold or unaware individuals dared to watch from a distance outdoors, while everyone else had retreated into the buildings and shops lining the street.

"Los Angeles Police! Hands on your head, get down, release the hostage!"

Dickie Quick exited the patrol car with a suave and handsome stance, his pistol aimed at Mr. Faraday, who was facing away, and issued a stern warning. His partner, Tevin, also got out of the car from the other side, his right hand on the butt of his gun, slightly leaning forward, ready to charge at any moment.

The patrol system in the United States is very well-organized, with logically assigned beats, shifts, and route planning, usually involving pairs of officers. This ensures that if one officer is attacked, his partner can provide immediate backup, giving the officers more confidence.

Startled by the shouting behind him, Mr. Faraday quickly turned around, clutching a tattered body in his hand.