The interrogation-room door opened, and a stone-faced soldier came in carrying a large tray of food. He set it down in front of Otter with a clang.
The plate was piled high: golden fried fish paired with lemon juice and Tartar Sauce, fries with a small bowl of Malt Vinegar, iceberg lettuce and boiled eggs drizzled with salad dressing, and pork pies spread with Branston Pickle.
Otter seemed to be starving. He eagerly raised his hand and laboriously reached into the plate, tossed the steaming fries into the Malt Vinegar, then stuffed them into his mouth by the handful.
"You eat this stuff at the zoo?" Song He glanced over the meal.
"Yes. We ate this most of the time and got used to it." Otter's mouth worked as he chewed.
"Did the staff watching over you eat this too?"
"Yes, it was a communal cafeteria. A few staff members had private kitchens. But honestly, your fried fish is mediocre. The main problem is that you used the wrong kind of fish. As a prisoner, I'll make do."
Song He and Xiang Xiaotong exchanged a glance. Teacher and student understood each other without words.
The meal was a dead giveaway. Eating vinegar with fries instead of Tomato Sauce, fried fish with all kinds of sauces—anyone could tell what country's food it was.
"You mentioned earlier that when you were young, there were four or five thousand people at the zoo, but by the time you left at twenty-two, only one or two thousand remained." Xiang Xiaotong glanced at the blank paper in front of her and suddenly asked, "Where did the missing people go?"
"Most of them died. A very small number were sent away." Otter answered without hesitation.
"Died? That was one or two thousand people. How did they