That same night in Rock City,
a few hours before dawn…
Sifu sits on a hill high above Rock City, engaged in his nightly meditation.
His staff stands upright, and Sifu balances upon it—one foot resting firmly, the other bent backward.
Both arms are spread wide, as if he were about to take flight,
and his eyes remain closed.
As Sifu meditates, he suddenly opens his eyes wide.
In the darkness of the city below, he spots shadowy figures rushing through the night—carrying an unconscious body in their arms.
He steps down from his staff and begins his descent toward the city, making his way down the hillside.
Hidden deep within the shadows, he watches intently as Grov steps out of a dimly lit infirmary, flanked by two guards.
The torchlight flickers across their armor, casting long, distorted shapes against the walls.
Grov's face is tense, his words hurried as he leans toward the guards—his tone sharp, yet too quiet to make out from a distance.
After a brief exchange, the trio splits apart.
Grov turns quickly, disappearing into a narrow alley where the lantern light barely reaches, his figure swallowed by the twisting stone passage.
The two guards, meanwhile, move off in the opposite direction, their silhouettes melting into the heavy darkness of Rock City's night.
As Grov walks, he suddenly notices two green eyes staring at him from within the shadows.
At once, he realizes—it can only be Sifu.
Grov:
"I can't hide anywhere from you… wherever I go, you always find me."
Sifu steps out of the darkness, his gaze sharp, his expression heavy with anger.
Sifu:
"Who was the one you took into the infirmary?"
Grov, shifting uneasily, replies with an awkward tone:
"I don't understand what you mean… I just stepped outside for some fresh air."
Sifu:
"At six in the morning? For fresh air? Do you take me for a fool, old owl?"
Grov lowers his head, his voice heavy as he speaks to Sifu.
Grov (quiet, strained):
"There's… something serious I need to tell you."
Suddenly—
the scene cuts to black.
INTERIOR – INFIRMARY, 6:00 AM
Grov and Sifu step inside the infirmary, descending the narrow staircase into an underground surgical chamber.
The moment Sifu lays eyes on the figure lying there—his breath catches. His expression hardens in shock.
On the surgical bed rests a massive eagle—muscular, towering over three meters tall, completely unconscious.
Around him, two feline doctors in blood-stained medical garments scramble desperately, their gloved hands drenched as they fight to stop the bleeding.
Doctor 1 (voice trembling with panic):
"Hold him steady! If he moves, his wounds will tear open again and he'll start bleeding out!"
Doctor 2 (struggling):
"He's enormous—I can't hold him down! He thrashes too violently!"
Doctor 1 (snapping):
"Inject the sedative—now! In his arm!"
The second doctor immediately plunges the needle beneath the golden feathers of his skin.
The eagle's appearance is breathtaking even in his broken state—
a white body streaked with crimson plumage, his colossal wings spanning over two meters, glimmering with golden speckles under the lantern light.
He is so vast in size that three surgical tables had to be joined together just to support his weight.
The eagle seems to calm, though he remains unconscious.
The doctors wipe the sweat from their brows.
Doctor 1 (panting):
"Damn it… that was a brutal challenge."
Doctor 2 (hurriedly):
"His wing is broken—we need to bind it quickly."
As the doctors work feverishly over the massive eagle, tending to his wounds,
Sifu turns his gaze toward Grov.
His eyes burn with anger.
Sifu (stern, demanding):
"Explain to me… what is happening here?"