Chapter 29: The Irresistible Delights

The night here is quietly silent.

Gangs moving together in the night are industrious—

"Has Six clarified the details? How many people are in this house? And where exactly are they?"

"Boss, rest assured, I've scouted it out. Despite this small villa looking quite spacious, there are only thirteen people inside.

Eight are sleeping in the bedrooms, two are sneaking snacks in the kitchen, and three... cough, two men and a woman seem to be fooling around in the study."

The confident voice became quieter as it went on, implying something that those in the know would understand.

This elicited silent stares from the many in black hoods and the leader in the golden fish head hood.

Named Old Six, this exile with the ability to scout through earth and stone felt somewhat uncomfortable under these gazes, quickly defending himself, "I'm a decent person! I would never peek at people doing their business when I'm alone!"

All in black hoods and the golden fish head: .

"Shut up! Mark the locations; let's divide into three teams for the bedrooms, kitchen, and study, one large and two small, to deal with them."

A muscular individual in a black hood silenced Old Six, then turned respectfully, yet politely, to the golden fish head hood, "Sir, anything else to add?"

The golden fish head hood, with its dead fish eyes atop, watched the villa quietly in the night, speaking softly,

"Please remember, even if they resist fiercely, do not kill them. Keeping them alive and physically unharmed is the minimum requirement. Ideally, be as friendly and gentle as possible, leaving them with some hope towards us.

And don't speak a word to them throughout, maintain a quiet yet terrifying atmosphere, it's in our best interest, okay?"

All in black hoods took a deep breath, nodded, and raised their middle fingers high.

"Then, the Nighttime Stealth Operation officially begins! Everyone, go!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Three hundred masked figures in black hoods stormed the villa from all directions in various ways, quickly ending the confrontation within five minutes with their overwhelming numbers and the element of surprise.

Five minutes later, whether they were sleeping, snacking, or sneaking around, everyone was shockingly and confusedly bound in the living room by special ropes, staring at the sea of black hoods and the central golden fish head, almost fainting from the shock.

"Mmmph?!"

"Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm!!"

"Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm, ahhh—"

The male head of the household, caught in the midst of activities in the study with another man and a woman, wearing only underwear, was both shocked and furious. Despite his mouth being gagged, his eyes were wide open, continuously mumbling in what seemed like interrogation.

But the golden fish hood, surrounded by all the black hoods, completely ignored him.

He instructed a particularly tall black hood: "Number these thirteen, knock them out, and place them in a corner."

"Leave five with skills in masking presence, creating special spaces, or defense, and five with earth or natural abilities, to dig a large pit under the villa, shield it, and stuff them all in."

"Leave twenty to guard the villa. The rest, follow me to steal from another house."

"Right on, Fish Head Boss! No problem, Fish Head Boss!"

Eyes gleaming from within the multitude of black hoods, though not entirely clear on what the Golden Fish Head Boss was planning, they had a sense that this big move could win.

So, under the cover of night, having successfully burgled one house, the black hoods led by the Golden Fish Head swiftly moved on to the second, third, fourth... up to the Nth house.

N=an entire street.

A total of 168 citizens of the City of Gourmet.

These 168 citizens were silently bundled up from their homes by those in black hoods and taken to a villa, then from the villa's living room, they were transported to an underground cavern beneath it, even larger than the living room itself.

Any attempts at resistance by the citizens were futile—the group in black hoods was inhumanly efficient, nearly identical to the mummies in the pyramids, if not for the lack of heads.

Moreover, their mouths were securely sealed with duct tape.

The 168 citizens watched in horror as they were brought into this dark, nearly lightless cavern, seeing their neighbors and friends bound just like them, their initial anger turning into a collective, unspeakable terror.

Whimpering sounds filled the air.

Where did this group in black hoods come from?!

How dare someone rob the citizens of the City of Gourmet at night!

It's despicable to engage in such shady acts as kidnapping people in the dead of night! This group in black hoods must be plotting some earth-shattering conspiracy or horrific deed against them!

"Mmmph!"

"Whimper, whimper!"

"Muffled groans!"

"Mmm, mmm, whine!"

The more everyone thought, the more frightened and upset they became, uncontrollably starting to hum and haw collectively.

Some even writhed and scrambled in an attempt to break free from the ropes or the duct tape over their mouths, but before any of them could succeed, they heard that detestable Golden Fish Head speak.

"Get a few people to bury them all like potatoes. Just leave their heads out."

The 168 abducted citizens: !!!

Whimper, whimper! Help! These black hoods are really going to perform horrific experiments on us!

Are they planning to turn us into potato mummies, then into puppets?!

Yet, among those 300 black hoods, a few showed a nuanced and excited expression upon hearing "bury like potatoes."

Lv Jun strained his eyes inside his black hood to get a better look at that Golden Fish Head.

The more he looked, the brighter his eyes shone, and his gaze became more adoring and mesmerized—

Look at that perfect posture, that straight-backed elegance, and that unshakeable old dog's charisma!!

Beneath that Golden Fish Head must be his cousin's perfect and powerful face!

Wang Baojie and Zhou Mo also kept sizing up the Golden Fish Head, liking the digging and burying, and the idea of doing something big, truly in the style of Mouth Bro.

However, it's not certain yet. Let's observe further.

Soon, several earth-element ability users had all 168 citizens buried.

Then, all the black hoods turned to look at the Golden Fish Head.

Waiting for Fish Head Boss's next command.

Golden Fish Head Boss did not disappoint their expectations, waving his hand: "First, dig a tunnel from here for an exit. Then, half of you go out to purchase ingredients for everyone, and the other half stay here on guard."

"Those who go out to buy ingredients, take off your hoods and queue up at the supermarket to secure a spot. After the market opens, prepare the dishes you've ordered as quickly as possible, then bring the commissioned dishes here to gather.

There's a well-equipped kitchen in the villa for those who stay to cook."

"Don't worry about the freshness of the ingredients, but be sure to prepare the dishes you've ordered."

"When entering, make sure not to be discovered by any citizens. Then, tomorrow, we can complete the mission collectively."

The black hoods were somewhat confused, but the clever ones glanced at those buried like potatoes, then back at the Golden Fish Head, a thought on the verge of emergence.

A voice with a laugh came from underneath the Golden Fish Head Hood.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, my friends."

When people are extremely hungry, what can't they eat?

To make these citizens of the Culinary Capital eat their food and give them high scores, it's not necessary to add one's own flesh and blood to the ingredients.

All it takes is to starve the judges for two meals.

！！！！

At that moment, those 168 citizens swore they saw a wolf-like gleam in the eyes of those black-hooded figures!

"Fish Head Bro, you're my god!"

Who the hell could have thought of such a breakthrough method?!

The voice shouting was familiar; it was the impulsive courier boy, Ah Fei.

Underneath the Golden Fish Head, Chen Yijin slowly curled his lips upwards. In a life-and-death game, who talks about playing by the rules?

Wild and unrestrained miracles happen.

So, on the morning of the third day, the several hundred sober refugees who chose not to risk a big heist and went through another night of hunger and chaos saw a group of refugees whose spirits and appearances were utterly unlike theirs.

They thought these people would never return, assuming those who didn't follow the correct instructions would pay a heavy price. Yet, how come they all look so spirited?!

Not to mention their spirit, each of them wore expressions of anticipation and joy, as if, as if they truly could complete the survival mission!

"Hey, bro, what did you do last night?" A refugee who dared not commit a big heist grabbed a spirited guy and asked. "Found a way to break through?"

Brother Xiong chuckled twice.

"Of course, I went to steal people. That feeling was damn exhilarating!"

"Hehehehe! I stole four people by myself! Regardless of men or women, none of them could match me! All they could do was whine and beg for mercy at me! Hahahaha!"

Meanwhile, the refugees who didn't go, all ears: !!!!!!!

"Eh?!"

"Good heavens, this big brother looks tall and strong, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, how can he be so absurdly indifferent to the distinction between the proper and the improper?!!!"

"Four, four people?!" You were able to lay hands on these folks who may or may not be NPCs?!

Brother Xiong proudly claimed: "Of course, I never lie."

Just then, the supermarket doors opened, and Brother Xiong, pushing away the refugee clinging to him, dashed into the ingredient market first.

It was uncertain whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, but because some people could not resist the temptation of hunger and the exotic aroma of blood meals yesterday, the queue outside the supermarket today had diminished by a small fraction.

If the freshness of the ingredients was not considered, nearly every sober refugee could get the ingredients they wanted.

Naturally, Chen Yijin once again acquired a willingly offered Atlantic salmon.

But this salmon was not like the others, the noble fish ultimately was not the same.

It was sliced.

After Chen Yijin quickly prepared the sliced salmon, he turned to the tailcoat chef staring at him with a peculiar gaze and tilted his head with a smile: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

The tailcoat chef's expression stiffened a bit: "Today, Foodie Town's First Street seems unusually quiet. It's as if all the residents are collectively asleep, do you know why?"

Chen Yijin widened his eyes in surprise: "Is that so? Maybe today they all wanted to sleep in?"

Tailcoat chef: .

"No, today they were supposed to come out of their homes voluntarily, waiting for you all to deliver them gourmet food for judging."

Yet, that entire street was deserted.

Although he didn't know why, he felt this eerie silence had something to do with the young man in front of him.

He must have been up to no good last night in the quiet!

The young man flashed an innocent smile: "Then I'm not sure. Perhaps, they don't want to eat our food that's not tasty at all."

"Oh well, I won't say more. I'm going to take my sliced salmon to the citizens of Gourmet City for a fair judgment."

The tailcoat chef watched his plate of salmon, unenhanced by any blood or human flesh, and curled his lips into a mocking smile.

How could food devoid of any delicious aroma possibly receive a fair judgment?

This refugee, who felt somewhat special to him, was just ordinary after all.

When Chen Yijin walked out of the Royal Restaurant with his salmon, indeed, he saw many citizens of Gourmet City who hadn't appeared much in the past few days.

These citizens didn't have any abnormal or unsettling aspects like those from the City of Mobiles; they looked like ordinary, normal "people," except every one of them had an extremely picky and arrogant expression.

A refugee handed their gourmet dish to a citizen of Gourmet City.

The citizen haughtily pulled out his spoon and chopsticks from his sleeve, picked up a piece of the gourmet dish with his chopsticks, and put it in his mouth.

Then, he immediately spat the food out onto the ground.

"Disgusting! Absolutely disgusting! How dare you let me eat something so vile! 3 points! Only 3 points!"

After cursing, the citizen turned away and left, leaving behind a refugee with a pale face.

Such incidents were repeatedly occurring in Gourmet City.

Chen Yijin lowered his gaze.

He continued to walk forward.

He then saw another refugee in a frenzied state, offering a plate of unidentifiable meat to a citizen for tasting and judgment.

After taking a bite, the citizen's eyes lit up!

He continued to eat and eat and eat, as if the dish in front of him was irresistibly delicious, devouring the gourmet dish like a whirlwind. Then he chuckled with satisfaction.

"So delicious I can't stop eating! I give you 10 points!"

A delirious exile, upon hearing this perfect score, first paused and then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Hahahaha! I've cleared it! Did you hear? I got a 10! Hahahaha! 10 points! 10 points!"

"My cooking is so delicious it's irresistible! So delicious it's impossible to stop! So delicious it's impossible to stop!!"

"Ah, I'm hungry, I'm hungry, I need to make another dish. But there are no ingredients left, damn it, they all refuse to be my fresh ingredients, fresh ingredients, fresh ingredients... ah."

This deliriously ecstatic exile suddenly saw his own stomach and broke into a smile.

"Isn't this the freshest set of large and small intestines?"

Thus, he fervently, devoutly, sliced open his stomach and pulled out a section of his blood-drenched intestines.

"Hehe, braised large intestines."

"Truly fresh and delicious!"

Jin Chen took a deep breath and walked past him.

In a corner, his figure instantly vanished, then reappeared in the underground cavern of the villa on Street No. 1, wearing his golden fish head mask, alongside the black cat that appeared immediately upon seeing the fish head, licking away.

By this time, all the black hoods had assembled.

Half of the black hoods held their dishes with gleaming eyes, while the other half queued in the kitchen to cook.

Those holding their dishes looked expectantly at the Golden Fish Head, waiting for the boss to give them a demonstration.

The 168 citizens buried like potatoes watched in horror as this terrifying figure with a golden fish head mask approached them with a plate of something indiscernible in the dark.

The voice was incredibly gentle: "Everyone, it's time to eat."

168 citizens: QAQ!

Is he saying it's time for Dalang to take his medicine?!

All 168 people, regardless of gender or age, shook their heads in unison, refusing to eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat!

No one can make us eat this mess!

One person, overcome with excitement, even flung the gag from their mouth, finally able to breathe and speak freely. This obstinate, agitated teenager directly yelled at the golden fish head in front of him:

"I know you're outsiders! You just want us to eat this stuff and rate it highly!"

"But dream on! Even if I'm buried in this hole like a potato, dead and buried, I won't take a single bite of your dish!"

"I'll never give you more than a 3-star rating!"

The golden fish head boss: ...

All in black hoods: Heh heh!

The golden fish head boss slowly stood up.

He snapped his fingers under the watchful eyes of the 168 townspeople.

"Superb Restaurant Ambient Lighting."

Click.

The once pitch-dark cave suddenly lit up, bathed in a soothing light perfect for dining.

"Now, some music, preferably something conducive to dining."

The singing girl stepped forward and began to sing the melodious Hot Pot Song.

"On a night when the wind was high and the moon was dark, at half-past nine, I hadn't had my dinner~"

Thus, with ambient lighting and the Hot Pot Song, accompanied by the exquisite fragrance of the city's delicacies.

The golden fish head faced the stubborn, meal-refusing teenager with a final blow:

"Ladies and gentlemen, from last night till now, you've gone ten hours without eating. The delicious food is limited; won't you really take a bite?"

No response was needed; the loud rumbling sounds emanating from the ground spoke volumes.

These rumbles, one after another, originated from 168 sources.

The 168 townspeople: ...

Curse it! How could they resort to such tactics!

The representative of the melodramatic youths: "Don't fall for it, everyone! We won't eat! Just don't eat! Hold strong!"

An hour passed.

The sound of hunger roared deafeningly.

The melodramatic youth's representative: "...Everyone, stay strong. Don't think about hot pot, tripe, or salmon. We are not hungry at all!"

Three hours went by.

Hungry eyes gleamed with a desperate green light.

The melodramatic youth's representative: "Think, think about the evil they've done by tying us up here. We must not waver!"

Another six hours passed.

The hunger in their souls became unstoppable!

With the hunger intensified by the Hot Pot Song and the soft lighting, the starving representative of the melodramatic youths tearfully devoured salmon, braised ribs, and a big plate of chicken.

"Wuwuwu, so delicious!"

"All perfect scores! Perfect scores!"