Hotdogs and human Trafficking (Probably)

Panic. Pure, unfiltered panic.

Kaz was clutching his robe, his eyes darting around like a man who had just been drafted into the worst war imaginable. "I SWEAR TO GOD, SOMETHING'S MISSING."

"Define 'something,'" MJ asked, taking a cautious step back.

Kaz looked down. Then back up. Then back down. "...It feels...lighter."

Crimson crossed his arms. "Maybe it just shrank from fear."

"IT DIDN'T SHRINK!" Kaz snapped. "IT'S GONE!"

Meanwhile, Kai was pacing back and forth, processing the second problem at hand. "Forget his hotdog. Where the hell is Leon?!"

The old Chinese man just stood there, hands behind his back, smiling like a Yakuza boss who just successfully laundered a billion dollars. "Your friend… he gone."

"Gone where?!" Crimson demanded.

The old man chuckled. "Someplace nice."

Kaz turned pale. "Oh no. They turned him into dumplings, didn't they?"

Everyone looked at the steaming plate of dumplings still sitting in Leon's VIP room.

MJ grimaced. "I mean, it would explain the weird smell."

Kai shook his head. "No, no, no. Leon's too much of a degenerate to be eaten. They probably sold him."

"Sold him? To who?" Crimson raised a brow.

Kai took a deep breath. "Think about it. Chinese spa. Sketchy backroom deals. Discounted massages. This isn't a spa, guys. It's a human trafficking ring."

Kaz gasped. "You mean they took Leon to—"

"THE CHINESE BLACK MARKET," Kai finished dramatically.

Silence.

Then Crimson scratched his head. "Wouldn't it be the yellow market?"

"Shut up, man," MJ muttered.

Kaz started hyperventilating. "I knew it. I knew the moment I saw that dragon giving a thumbs-up that this place was sketchy! This is exactly how it starts in those Netflix documentaries!"

"Relax," Kai said. "Leon's probably still alive. I mean, who would want to buy him?"

Just then, a distant voice echoed from somewhere inside the building.

"HELP! THEY'RE TRYING TO TEACH ME MANDARIN!"

Everyone's heads snapped toward a large metal door at the back of the hallway.

Kai pointed. "There. That's where they're keeping him!"

The old Chinese man simply sighed and shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk. You make big mistake, coming here." He clapped his hands again.

Suddenly, ten Chinese workers appeared out of nowhere.

Some held towels.

Some held massage oils.

One was twirling a meat cleaver.

Kaz grabbed Kai's shoulders. "BRO, I DON'T WANT TO DIE IN A PLACE THAT SMELLS LIKE LAVENDER AND REGRET!"

Kai gritted his teeth. "We fight our way through. For Leon."

MJ nodded. "And for Kaz's hotdog."

Kaz wiped a tear. "Thank you, man."

The old man took a step forward, raising a single hand. "Get them."

The Chinese masseuses charged.

Kaz screamed. Crimson punched someone in the face. MJ flipped over a massage table. Kai drop-kicked a guy holding a loofah.

And in the middle of all the chaos, the metal door slowly creaked open…

To be continued…