Chapter 30: The Deliciousness That Can't Be Stopped~

It is now 7:55 PM in the Culinary Capital.

The tuxedo-clad chef watched the golden second hand making its rounds, his smile growing with each tick.

Only the last 5 minutes remain.

It's the final struggle for the exiles.

Once this final deadline passes, all exiles who haven't completed their survival tasks will be directly consumed by the world, turned into its energy and flesh.

And those few dozen who did complete their tasks are of little concern; their minds are already dominated by the irresistible human delicacies. Even if they leave this devouring world, their craving for human flesh will never cease.

Their human path has forked, veering towards the endpoint of "monsters."

And monsters should indeed be the rulers of the exile lands.

The golden second hand completes another circle.

4 minutes left until the deadline at 8 PM.

The tuxedo-clad chef suddenly thought of that innocuous-looking young man whose demeanor and appearance did not match.

That young man always gave him an oddly dangerous feeling, as if he were a tough nut to crack. He paid him a bit more attention.

Initially, he thought the young man would have some special solution or would do something disastrous.

But now it seems he was just an incapable fool after all.

He was worried over nothing.

"The highest number of survival tasks completed" was his grand claim.

The hotel gold card and the willingness to play the underling were also fabrications by that lad.

Only 3 minutes remain.

The tuxedo-clad chef has begun to hum, waiting for the end of this world.

Those dozens who feast on their kind won't have the courage to initiate the world task, so with the survival tasks concluded, everything will also come to an end.

This time, 1444 individuals were devoured.

He should be able to rest for many days to come.

Only the final round remains for the golden second hand.

The tuxedo-clad chef took off his royal chef's hat, then, he heard the world's voice coming from the sky above—

[Exile Chen Xiaomo has completed the survival task with a perfect score and requests to initiate the world task.]

The tuxedo-clad chef crushed his chef's hat in an instant, his previously upturned lips instantly stiffening.

[Exile Bai Ling has completed the survival task with a perfect score and requests to initiate the world task.]

[Exile Hu Ge has completed the survival task with a perfect score and requests to initiate the world task.]

[Exile Yun Xia has completed the survival task and requests to initiate the world task.]

……

One after another, the world announcements pierced the tuxedo-clad chef's heart like a series of small throwing knives, totaling 301 in all.

Were it not for the lengthy duration and loud volume of the world announcements, the tuxedo-clad chef would truly question if his ears were deceiving him.

He stiffly curved his lips upwards as he put his royal chef's hat back on.

Very well.

It indeed was the survival task with the highest number of completions in history.

So what exactly did that damned round-eyed lad do to suddenly start a frenzy of task completions in the last minute?!

Oh, that cursed final minute.

This feels eerily familiar, doesn't it?

[The Culinary Capital's survival task has concluded. The world task now commences.]

The world announcement echoed through the sky once more, but this time the voice of the world was ominous and frightening, as if angered by a provocation.

[Ingredient Supermarket stocks are fully replenished. The 301 exiles tasked with providing a feast for the Gluttonous King must complete a meal that suits the King's taste by 10 AM tomorrow.

Failure to meet the Gluttonous King's taste will trigger a frenzied binge, at which point, he will devour the entire Culinary Capital!]

[The Gluttonous King awaits your offerings to his mouth.]

The tuxedo-clad chef turned and headed to the neighboring ingredient supermarket, intent on waiting for that damned Chen Xiaomo to show up. He wanted to see firsthand what good deed he was going to do next.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiaomo, adorned in the golden fish head, was politely ensuring that the 168 overfed citizens of the Culinary Capital were sent home.

"Thank you for your assistance, and remember to eat well when you get back."

"Eating a variety ensures balanced nutrition. Being picky about food is neither good for your body nor your stomach."

The 168 citizens, starved for nearly a day and night and whose hunger was exacerbated by the exiles' special abilities, only to overindulge to the point of stomachache at the end: "Heh."

It's not just unfriendly to our bodies and stomachs; damn it, it's been a huge mental torment as well!

If it weren't for your overwhelming numbers and surprise attack, we couldn't beat you; otherwise, we'd have minced you all up and made dumplings out of you!

But now, feeling uncomfortably full and mentally exhausted, all they wanted was to go home and lie down.

The citizens were sent home one by one, and just as the last stubbornly defiant youth was about to be sent off, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the young man wearing the golden fish head.

At that moment, his face lacked its previous stubborn arrogance, instead wearing an indescribable complexity: "Apart from consuming humans, the Gluttonous King finds no satisfaction in other foods. Your struggles are all in vain."

Having said that, he turned and left.

This Culinary Capital is nothing more than the Gluttonous King's food market.

The words of the stubborn youth dampened the spirits of the three hundred exiles who were initially joyous for having completed the survival task.

The motorcyclist youth sighed, "Well, you can't say it like that. We are three hundred warriors! Surely, we can put up a fight?"

Then Yun Xia, the leader of the Natural Group, threw cold water on his optimism: "In fact, what this citizen said is quite accurate.

By initiating these tasks, we're directly confronting this world, and even if the world announcement provided a way to complete the world task, it's an impossible task to accomplish."

"For the Gluttonous King to set a task for us is essentially handing over its core on a platter. Would you be so foolish to do that?"

The motorcyclist youth fell silent.

"Moreover, the Culinary Capital ranks among the top hundred in the advanced devouring worlds list. Without three Level 4 hunters among us, it's absolutely impossible for us to counter-kill successfully."

The leader of the Thundering Group, Lei Hu, chuckled, "If our gathering place had a Level 4 hunter, this guy wouldn’t dare to come and swallow us all."

Devourers are never mindless fools; on the contrary, the more advanced they are, the more cunning and cautious, always seeking to benefit themselves and targeting only the weaker.

Silence enveloped the group.

However, a few individuals had a different look in their eyes.

They sneaked glances at the person wearing the golden fish head mask from various angles, with Lv Jun's gaze being the most fervent.

Soon, those staring at the golden fish head boss grew from a few to dozens, and then from dozens to everyone.

All three hundred warriors eagerly watched the golden fish head boss who had led them to complete the survival task, and at that moment, these three hundred even collectively heard a piercing boom echoing in their ears.

[Go and remove his mask!!]

[Go see his face! Ask for his name!!]

[Ahhhh! Why doesn't he have a guide? Who is he? He initiated the world task! Is he Chen Shijin? Is he? Chen, Shi, Jin!!!]

[Whoever lifts his mask will be rewarded with 100 energy points!]

Instantly, quite a few of the three hundred warriors were tempted.

But due to the imposing aura of the golden fish head boss, no one dared to make a move.

[Lift his mask! I’ll reward 1000 energy points!!!]

The atmosphere suddenly tensed, and someone took a step forward.

But a voice was quicker than the step: "Cousin, run! The guide is targeting you by getting others to lift your mask!"

Then, Lv Jun's face went pale, as if he had been struck by a mental assault.

Upon hearing the shout, Chen Shijin's mouth twitched in response, as if to say, your warning is just short of naming me directly. Might as well have not bothered.

But he was fearless.

Standing there, he addressed the restless crowd: "Come on, I can fit twelve people around me. You all can try to lift my mask together, I won’t resist, and then we can split the energy points—30% for me, 70% for you. How's that?"

"Afterwards, I can put the mask back on for a second round."

Everyone: "..." Not even Liu Xiu was as showy as you.

They heard the guide's sharp and angry roar once again.

[Lift it! Lift it! Lift it! He must be Chen Shijin! That damned Chen Shijin!]

Only this guy could infuriate it so much!

[Kill him—reward one million energy points!!!]

But this time, not one of the three hundred warriors moved.

Their thoughts were collectively sensed by the guide—Do I look like I have a death wish, to go after a big shot with a bounty of a million when I don’t even have ten thousand energy points?

This isn't called a bounty. It's called suicide.

However, the guide's angry screams did not last long.

Because the youth wearing the golden fish head mask lifted it off himself, revealing his true face beneath.

Amid the tense silence of the crowd, beneath the mask was revealed a face with a slightly rounded nose, a gentle expression, innocent eyes, and even a hint of grievance, looking utterly harmless.

Completely different from Chen Jin’s distinctively contoured face with slightly upturned phoenix eyes, the difference in aura was night and day.

This was definitely not a face that would flip the bird at the Omniscient Eye!

Impossible!

"Wha-, huh?!" Lv Jun's initially prepared pouncing action halted.

The expression of devout worship on his face instantly shifted from surprise to disdain and finally to mockery, as he unleashed his full range of expressions.

"Who are you, looking all innocent and pitiful? How dare you pretend to be my brilliant and heroic cousin?!"

Chen Jin: ...

"Good, the familiar aroma of tea is as fragrant as ever."

"You've mistaken me for someone else. I never said I was Chen Jin. I am Chen Xiaomo."

Turning, he headed towards the exterior of the villa.

"After a long day and night, it's time to get a good night's sleep."

"Meow-wow~" Don't forget to bring the cat along for sleep!

The crowd exchanged glances, somewhat disappointed, but they followed him out.

They still had to check out the newly restocked ingredients at the grocery market.

Who knows? They might come up with a special dish delicious enough to satisfy a big eater.

The moment Chen Jin stepped out of the villa and set foot on the ground, he suddenly looked up at the pale moon in the sky.

Under his gaze, the white moon gradually turned red, bit by bit, eventually becoming a crimson giant eye.

"Ah! The Omniscient Eye!!"

The refugees who followed cried out in alarm, their voices filled with indescribable fear and tension.

"A world quest has begun," Bai Ling of the mutual aid society spoke with some concern: "The Omniscient Eye will track every world that initiates a world quest."

"…Now, probably all the refugees at the gathering points can see us."

Chen Jin looked at the enormous eye, restraining his restless hands.

"At least not now, it’s not time to compete."

*

One of the three major human settlements, White Moon City Square.

Tens of thousands of people were trading in the square when suddenly someone exclaimed:

"The Omniscient Eye’s main eye has opened! Someone has initiated a world quest!"

On this vast square, one large and four smaller Omniscient Eyes were stationed.

Previously, the four smaller eyes were alternatingly displaying scenes of human refugees fleeing in terror and dying tragically in various devoured worlds.

But at this moment, all four smaller eyes simultaneously changed their display, and the huge main eye in the center of the square slowly rose and opened, casting a moonscape over a city of gastronomy.

The first thing the refugees saw was the young man looking up at the moon with a gentle and harmless demeanor... and three hundred people in black masks.

The refugees: "???"

The refugees: "!!!"

"What is this all about?"

"What’s going on with them all wearing black masks?!"

"Damn, which world is this? Could it be the world quest involves breaking and entering?"

"But this young man is quite handsome, huh."

Among a group of black masks, he truly stands out as a bright moonlight.

Moreover, this moonlight hasn't flipped the bird.

"This is the City of Gastronomy."

Finally, someone pointed out the crux, albeit with a surprised tone: "They actually completed the survival task of the City of Gastronomy?"

The survival task of the City of Gastronomy isn't an absolute dead end, but every refugee who has survived from there ended up, without exception, becoming a cannibal.

However, the people in the Omniscient Eye, despite wearing black masks, all had clear eyes, showing no sign of the madness that comes with indulging in human flesh.

"Hey, this is quite interesting. I want to see how they complete the world quest."

"Is Chen Jin among them? If Chen Jin leads a prayer, with so many people together, they might actually succeed."

"No. If he were, the Omniscient Eye would have locked onto him by now."

After all, daring to flip off the Omniscient Eye, half of that one million energy value bounty must be from the Omniscient Eye itself.

It's just unknown which other devourer of a ruling class or higher makes up the other half.

At this moment, the refugees looked relaxed yet expectant, completely unaware that what was to come could veer off course so dramatically that not even eight horses could pull it back.

*

Chen Jin led the group of black masks back to the entrance of the Royal Restaurant.

And next to the entrance of the grocery supermarket, they saw the waiting tailcoat chef.

The polite smile on the tailcoat chef’s face couldn’t hold when he saw the sea of black masks following behind Chen Jin.

And then, in a flash of insight as quick as lightning, he even figured out how these people had completed the survival task.

Tailcoat Chef: ...

"Very well, if there's a next time, I will not allow the refugees to go out and cause mischief in the middle of the night!"

"Welcome back. Sir, you truly are a surprise."

Chen Jin looked at him with a smile. Yes, your colleague in the tailcoat said the same thing.

The tailcoat chef found the smile piercing, and retorted: "You have fourteen hours until 10 a.m. tomorrow, you can enter the grocery supermarket to contemplate new dishes."

"Ah, because many outstanding gourmets completed the survival task this time, the grocery supermarket has prepared special ingredients as sincere assistance to you all."

"Everyone is welcome to come in and take a look."

Though the tailcoat chef's expression was smiling, those listening behind detected a certain strong malice.

Hesitating for a moment, the people finally gritted their teeth and stepped into the grocery supermarket, only to be shocked and then filled with fear and anger upon seeing the refugees, who were almost occupying half of the supermarket, still hanging and struggling in terror.

"You must be joking! Are you saying these, you’re saying they are ingredients?!" A sharp voice rang out.

The tailcoat chef smiled and nodded: "Of course. They are all failures who did not complete their tasks. They have already become the food of the City of Gastronomy."

"However, the world quest initiated by you all has delayed their execution. Perhaps... if the world quest is completed, they might continue to scrape by."

At this moment, the bound and hanging refugees simultaneously showed an incredibly eager and hopeful look, making the three hundred successful participants suddenly feel the heavy burden of other lives, making even breathing somewhat difficult.

"So, you may now start thinking about what gourmet dishes to prepare. The kitchens of various restaurants are open to you."

The tailcoat chef, seeing their expressions, became pleased.

Then he saw that particularly uncomfortable guy named Chen Xiaomo turn and walk away.

Without choosing any ingredients.

Tailcoat Chef: ...Heh. Just as I said, this guy is annoying!

"Mr. Chen Xiaomo, won’t you make preparations?"

Chen Jin didn’t stop walking: "No, I am already prepared. So now, I’m going to rest."

The tailcoat chef raised an eyebrow: "Oh, then may I know what exquisite dish you have prepared?"

"Of course."

"It's a dish that's too big for it to handle."

The tailcoat chef and various eavesdropping monsters: ...?

What dish is too big? So big that even a glutton can't finish it?

The expressions of a great majority of refugees, both seen and unseen, are subtly complex: .

Goodness. This truly is a grand feast only understood by refugees from China.

"Hiss, is he really my cousin?" Green Tea frowned, this entirely mocking demeanor and language, so familiar it gave him goosebumps.

Chen Jin laid down on the lounge chair with a serene expression.

What dish to make.

Completing the survival task was all about finding the core that is the glutton.

Otherwise, he would have forcefully initiated the world quest on the first day he entered this place.

The million energy points he still has will all turn into a hefty dish and be fed to the glutton tomorrow.

Why fuss about it. Just confront it head-on.

*

Thus, on the morning of the fourth day, a refreshed Chen Jin, along with a sleep-deprived tailcoat chef sporting dark circles and three hundred equally weary refugee warriors, advanced towards the dwelling of the glutton.

The tailcoat chef kept glancing at Chen Jin, asking for the third time:

"Are you truly prepared, the grand feast?"

An impatient flicker crossed Chen Jin's harmless face: "Yes, yes. A grand hefty dish."

Tailcoat Chef: "...But I've never heard of any delicacy called a 'hefty dish'?"

"Don't worry, you'll see it in a moment."

Finally ceasing his inquiries, the tailcoat chef led Chen Jin and the others to a magnificent square filled with the aroma of delicacies and buildings shaped like gourmet dishes.

In the center of the square was the core of the City of Gastronomy, the glutton, whom Chen Jin had not been able to find no matter how hard he tried.

Chen Jin looked at the super-sized three-headed toad, as big as a hill and covered in terrifying tumors, and twitched the corners of his mouth.

This super-sized creature, a single hefty dish might not be enough to handle it.

He would need to attack from three sides.

"My God!"

"Help, how terrifying."

The tailcoat chef, seeing the collective change of color on the refugees' faces, once again revealed a smile: "Ladies and gentlemen, this is the esteemed and powerful Glutton King of our City of Gastronomy!"

"Now, you may present your delicacies."

"Or, be devoured by it."

The tailcoat chef's sinister gaze turned towards Chen Jin.

As Chen Jin took a step forward with a slight bow, suddenly, a shadow faster than the wind descended from the sky, and a blazing fireball instantly smashed onto the head of the Glutton King, as big as a hill!

Boom——

"Squeal——Who dares——ambush me!"

The Glutton King let out an angry roar, its two other heads rising, one lashing out with a venomous tongue towards the attacker, and the other spewing poison to extinguish the flames on the central head.

Then, all three heads began to wildly attack with their venomous tongues.

The assailant, primarily wielding fire, found his ability countered, unable to fully dodge the three excessively agile venomous tongues; his legs and body soon bore corrosive marks.

But he was also powerful enough to repeatedly leave burn marks on the body of the Glutton King.

"My God, he is, he is!"

"The fire of vengeance—Heavenly Fire!"

"It's the Mad God!!"

As the refugees cried out his identity in astonishment and excitement, the one known as the Mad God also shouted out the name of Chen Jin.

"Chen Jin!!!"

"Come out!"

"Help me take it down!"

"Chen Jin! Stop hiding! I know you're here. Blending into the crowd!"

Chen Jin: ...

"We must seize the core of the City of Gastronomy! It cannot be damaged or devoured by any other monster! Chen Jin! Come out! Don’t hide and be a coward!"

Chen Jin: ?!?!?!

What in the world!

"Who are you, and are you out of your mind?!"

"Do I even know you to be yelling like this?!"

The black cat on Chen Jin’s shoulder rolled its eyes in disdain, just as exasperated as gold.

Watching the Mad God completely restrained by three venomous tongues, about to be sprayed with venom by three gaping mouths, still laughing wildly as flames engulfed him, ready to perish together with his foe, the young man who had been gentle and harmless all along finally sighed in resignation and took another step forward under the incredulous gaze of everyone.

He casually stretched out his hands and clapped them in front of his chest.

"I pray. Give them three hefty dishes!"

In an instant, everyone saw the three gaping toad heads as if struck by three invisible giant hands from left to right, causing all three heads to tilt to the right simultaneously!

The dreadful venom was then sprayed by the two heads on the left onto the two on the right, leaving the far-right one spraying in vain.

"Croak! Croak! Croak—?!"

"Hahaha, Chen Jin! You really did speak up!"

Chen Jin: ...

Back off.

I don’t talk to lunatics.