Chapter 23: Can’t Stop Eating the Deliciousness~

Chapter 23: Can't Stop Eating the Deliciousness~

Taking a deep breath of the fragrant air, Chen Jin snapped back to reality, finding himself standing next to a long stainless steel table, clad in a white chef's uniform and donning a tall chef's hat.

Around him were other exiles whose expressions first became intoxicated then suddenly snapped back to reality, becoming tense. Like him, they had all automatically donned chef's uniforms and tall chef's hats.

Chen Qiang slightly raised his eyebrows; this wasn't quite what he had expected. Weren't they supposed to order food? How did it turn into them being the chefs who had to cook?

While pondering, he slightly bowed his head and adjusted his chef's hat, covering his face in the process.

After whispering softly, the hand that was raised dropped, and his originally upturned phoenix eyes had turned into slightly drooping innocent puppy eyes, and his entire appearance and demeanor became innocently harmless.

Who would think such a person would give the middle finger to the camera?~

Of course, he wasn't Chen Qiang now; he was Chen Xiaomo.

Then, Chen Qiang surveyed his surroundings, ensuring that exactly thirty people were neatly standing around the chef's long table.

The number of people here far exceeds those swallowed by the City of Phones. But compared to the entire population of exiles in the gathering area, it's significantly less.

The high-level Devourer should have covered the entire area of the gathering place; it's impossible that only thirty unlucky ones were swallowed. So, where are the others?

Uncertain, let's observe further.

"Alright, everyone, stop daydreaming. The sooner you order, the sooner you can prepare delicious dishes within three days!

You don't have much time. The neighboring grocery supermarket will open soon. If you miss the rush hour in the morning, it'll be hard to find fresh ingredients later.

If you can't prepare even one dish on the first day, the City of Gourmet won't recognize you."

The speaker was a chef dressed in a chef's robe, but unlike the others, this chef's hat and the front of the robe bore a lavish crown symbol.

Upon seeing this crown symbol, Chen Qiang's mouth twitched. He wondered why this chef looked oddly familiar; that standard fake smile curve and insincere tone were indeed identical to someone from a royal hotel.

Moreover, the chef's robe even had a tailcoat-like split at the back.

Chen Jin: .

Is this restaurant by any chance called the Royal Restaurant?

As Chen Jin silently critiqued, he suddenly felt his Golden Gemstone Phone vibrate in his pocket. Noticing the exiles around him seemingly receiving a message, he speculated and took out his phone to check.

As expected, it was a world task.

[Welcome to the Devouring World - Gourmet City!]

[World task message automatically retrieved and identified as critical information, the Golden Gemstone Phone has powered on automatically!]

[The Golden Gemstone Phone sincerely serves you! Thank you for resolving the Phone Devourer.

This phone has the capability to automatically receive, collect, and gather surrounding speech, images, and motion messages, fully capable of replacing a guide to serve you!

And as long as sufficient energy is provided, this phone can forcibly connect to any guide's avatar for internet access, stealthily acquiring messages from the guide and other exiles for your use!

Defeating the guide, it's the phone's duty!

Note: This phone requires 10 energy points for 24-hour charging. Please do not forget.]

[Below is the received world task.]

[Survival Task: Within three days, prepare a dish that is your favorite.

After passing your own taste test, the dish must obtain ordinary approval from at least three citizens of Gourmet City or extreme approval from one Gourmet City citizen to be considered successful. (Note, a score of 8 is considered ordinary approval, 10 is extreme approval.)]

Task Reward:

Obtain the approval of Gourmet City, successfully surviving.

Culinary skills +1; upon task completion, learn the energy conversion for the dish, with energy consumption not exceeding 5, applicable across the Exile Lands.]

[World Task: A picky glutton has arrived in Gourmet City. Not only does it binge eat with fussy tastes and unpredictable moods, but it also demands the citizens of Gourmet City to provide an impeccable dish every three days, or it will start devouring people!

Gourmet City is in panic, and meals have lost their flavor. Please, exiles, create a dish that will forever satisfy the glutton, restoring peace and quiet to the world.

Task Reward: Gratitude from the citizens of Gourmet City. Devourer Core ×1.]

[All exiles are urged to act swiftly. May you not become the devoured delicacy.]

So that's how it is, no wonder they were asked to order. It turns out they must first be satisfied with their own creation before serving it to others. This surely adds a layer of difficulty.

And the task requires them to make their "favorite" dish, which might conceal a significant challenge.

Having read the task, Chen Jin put away his phone. By now, everyone had listened to the guide's announcement of the world task, and after exchanging looks, a spirited young man was the first to speak up.

"I, uh, think the tastiest dish is 'Peking Duck'. Whether it's the melt-in-your-mouth crispy skin or the combination of flavors from the meat rolled with spring onions, cucumber, and sweet sauce, it's absolutely fantastic. It's a dish I can never tire of!"

The spirited young man seemed to truly love Peking Duck, inhaling deeply and swallowing saliva by the time he finished describing it.

His enthusiasm seemed to influence those around him, prompting several others to name some famous signature dishes in succession.

"The most delicious has to be Buddha Jumps Over the Wall! Just the name itself tells you how tasty it is, right? Combining so many exquisite ingredients like abalone, sea cucumber, and shark's fin, simmered for hours – just one sip of the soup could make your taste buds sing!"

"For deliciousness, it's definitely braised pork belly. A classic! One bite, and you experience the fat melting in your mouth without being greasy, and the lean meat tender without being dry! The blend of savory, sweet, and rich flavors, especially with a bite of rice, nothing could be more satisfying!"

"I still think spicy boiled fish is the best. Spicy, numbing, fragrant, and with silky smooth fish meat – one bite kickstarts your appetite, and by the second, you just can't stop!"

As these individuals spoke about their favorite dishes, they ended up just like the young man talking about the duck, unable to resist sniffing and swallowing saliva, filling the entire hall with an atmosphere of craving.

Until a cautious-looking woman with her hair up carefully spoke up.

"I don't much like meat dishes, I prefer vegetarian. I think smashed cucumbers are pretty good. The natural sweet and crisp taste of cucumbers, mixed with a dressing of vinegar, garlic, chili, and sugar, makes for a delicious dish."

She mentioned a vegetarian dish that was simple in both preparation and ingredients. Compared to the lavish dishes mentioned earlier, her smashed cucumbers seemed refreshingly straightforward.

Those who hadn't yet spoken immediately showed expressions of realization or contemplation, while those who had already shared their favorites displayed regret and frustration on their faces.

They shouldn't have just focused on what's the tastiest!

They were wearing chef uniforms to cook themselves, but lacking the skills of a master chef, it was nearly impossible for them to create the dishes they mentioned. It would have been better to choose the simplest dish to pass the challenge!

Damn, why didn't they think it through at the time? They were truly blinded by the aroma!

Especially the uncle who mentioned Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, his face was now slightly pale.

However, soon a voice diverted everyone's attention away from further thought.

"Smashed cucumbers won't count."

"Our requirement is to make 'your favorite dish,' under the premise that you genuinely love this dish.

But I didn't sense any affection from you for the smashed cucumbers you mentioned. How could you possibly create a taste that everyone recognizes, let alone offer it to the big eater, if you don’t even love the food yourself?"

"You would make the big eater furiously kill in anger."

The chef with the crown emblem on his tailcoat showed a cold and grim expression: "We in the Gourmet City do not welcome anyone who is insincere and does not love food, you should be punished."

The cautious lady's face showed panic and regret as soon as the chef in the tailcoat spoke the first sentence.

By the time the chef mentioned punishment, her complexion had turned pale, wanting to retract her words, but her voice was replaced by a shrill scream before she could speak.

"Ah! Ahhh! My hand, my hand, my hand!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, they all saw the cautious lady's left hand suddenly fly off from her wrist, blood spurting from her left wrist as if severed by an invisible cleaver.

The blood spray instantly stained her white chef's coat, and the severed hand twitched slightly on the stainless steel table, sending shivers down everyone's spine.

The incident happened so quickly that everyone was caught off guard, including Chen Jin, who gasped. If that invisible blade had struck his neck, he doubted he'd even have time to speak. Remembering that even faster beast, Chen Jin covered his nose and mouth with the back of his hand and whispered,

"Golden Bell Shield." N-999.

This was one of the phrases he used most frequently when playing mute.

It was to make those thugs who thought he couldn't speak or tattle and thus wanted to bully him feel the futility of hitting him and experience their own bones breaking due to the rebound of righteousness.

What fault could a mute have? Not having them explode on the spot with a tenfold rebound was merely his love for life.

Yet, in the Exile Lands, he somehow forgot to shield himself.

Time to remedy that quickly.

After enjoying the crowd's terror, the tailcoat-clad chef resumed his standard service smile and waved towards the screaming cautious lady.

Instantly, the blood flow from her gushing left wrist ceased, and the ghastly wound on her wrist healed at an incredibly fast rate.

However, that skilled hand was gone forever.

"Alright, now, please tell us your favorite dish, madam."

"Remember, the City of Gastronomy does not welcome those who do not love food, especially despising those who deceive under the guise of food."

The cautious lady, holding her now one-handed wrist, trembled slightly and said with a pale face her favorite dish.

"I, I think raw marinated butter crab is the best, the delicious crab roe of butter crab mixed with the raw marinade sauce tastes fresh to the bone, and the crab's cream has a jelly-like texture, extremely delicious."

Gulp.

This time, at the end of her speech, the lady with the severed hand couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

Obviously, whether or not someone truly loves a dish, the body is very honest.

And this time, the tailcoat-clad chef also nodded with a full smile, not mentioning any falsehood or punishment.

With the terrible lesson of the cautious lady before them, those who named dishes afterward didn't dare to play any tricks, honestly stating their favorite and most delicious dishes.

Thus, Chen Jin heard names of extremely tempting dishes like "fried chicken legs," "big plate chicken," "crystal shrimp dumplings," "sliced raw salmon," "spicy oil hotpot," especially the young man with a greasy face who described the spicy oil hotpot with excessive deliciousness—

"Hotpot is truly unparalleled! A pot containing the essence of mountains and seas! Whether it's vegetables or meats, everything tastes incredibly delicious!

Tender beef, crispy tripe! Bouncy shrimp paste, fatty pork belly! And lotus slices, tofu, duck blood vermicelli, kelp! Fresh ingredients combined with spicy and aromatic oil, every bite is a spicy delight that's irresistibly delicious! What in the world is tastier than hotpot?

Nothing! Hotpot is the tastiest! Ah, I'm craving hotpot so much!"

This time, not only did the young man who spoke keep swallowing his saliva, but most of the people standing by the table also involuntarily moved their throats.

Seeing their reaction, the tailcoat-clad chef couldn't help but softly clap his hands:

"Fantastic, it's evident you truly love and cherish food. With such passion, you're bound to create the most delicious dishes!"

"Now, please continue. The next few participants, please hurry up a bit, as we still need to go buy ingredients."

Coincidentally, Chen Jin was next in line.

He pondered over various dishes in his mind and gave an honest answer: "I also love sliced raw salmon for its delicate and sweet taste. I can eat a lot of it by myself."

By the end of his statement, his puppy-dog eyes blinked rapidly, exuding a cute sense of unease. Quite endearing.

But no one knew that beneath those puppy-dog eyes, the handsome young man was as cold as ice, thinking about how skilled and quick he was at filleting fish.

The tailcoat-clad chef scrutinized him for two seconds, then nodded in approval.

The menu selections sped up considerably after that.

Since Chen Jin's choice of sliced raw salmon was a repeat of someone else's but wasn't called out by the tailcoat-clad chef for being problematic, two more participants chose sliced raw salmon among their favorite dishes.

Several others also chose previously mentioned dishes like hotpot, roast duck, marinated dish, and fried chicken. It's natural for different people to like the same dish; repetition wasn't an issue.

Soon, all thirty participants had declared their favorite dishes.

The tailcoat-clad chef nodded in satisfaction, showing everyone the menu he'd compiled: "I've recorded everyone's selections. Once chosen, they cannot be changed.

Please remember the dish you're tasked with making. Do not forget or make the wrong dish, as that would directly result in disqualification."

"The cooking stations in front of you and the stoves, roasters, and steamers behind you are high-end automated cooking tools specially prepared for you by the Royal Restaurant. Even if you're not skilled in cooking, you can follow the instructions and use these tools to create perfect dishes."

"So, there's no need to worry about your cooking skills."

Many breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this; with high-tech assistance, the survival task didn't seem too hard, did it?

"However, even the most perfect dishes require ingredients and seasonings for preparation and flavoring, so next, you'll need to start gathering your ingredients."

At this point, the smile on the tailcoat chef's face deepened, and his gaze at everyone carried a tingling significance.

"Since everyone is here to share their love for food, our Gourmet City won't make you spend a penny. Picking ingredients from the neighboring supermarket won't cost any energy points."

"Just make sure to select your ingredients carefully; do not use anything that isn't fresh for your dishes."

"Remember, the finest tastes are often produced through the simplest cooking methods, with the key being the freshness and deliciousness of the ingredients."

"Well, what are you waiting for? The supermarket opens at 7:00 AM, and it's already 7:03 AM."

After the tailcoat chef finished speaking, the people in the kitchen hall glanced at each other, and some quickly headed towards the neighboring supermarket.

Initially, everyone walked, but soon, some started to run in urgency—

Because once they left the Royal Restaurant, they realized not only the thirty of them were rushing to the supermarket, but also at least a hundred people from other restaurants.

Among the rushing crowd, Chen Jin spotted a familiar figure.

"Tiger, I'll rush ahead to scout! I'll make sure to grab the freshest ingredients for us!"

Chen Jin's eyebrows lifted; he knew this devourer couldn't have only swallowed thirty people.

Therefore, this creature's energy level must be significantly higher than that of the smartphone devourer, daring to swallow so many exiles without fearing a collective counterattack.

Tsk.

Too bad it swallowed me.

Chen Qiang didn't catch up with Afai but followed the crowd into the grocery supermarket, and just a second before entering, his phone vibrated.

He looked down and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

[Ding, supermarket update: Old Wang from the grocery supermarket complains that a third of the pigs, sheep, cattle, fish, and shrimp that came in today are not very lively. He wonders which unlucky ones will end up buying this subpar meat.]

He wanted to buy salmon, so how can one ensure the salmon is particularly fresh?

Wait, is there something off about this message?

Suddenly, a series of exclaims erupted within the supermarket, including the familiar voice of Afai.

"What the hell, what the hell, what the hell! You call these ingredients?!"

Following the noise, Chen Qiang saw various vegetables and fruits rolling and hopping around the supermarket shelves, spitting fire and squirting water.

They seemed to lie there quietly, but whenever someone reached out to pick them up, these vegetables and fruits would suddenly split open with a mouth-like gash and viciously bite down!

"Young man, what are you shouting about? If these aren't ingredients, what are they? Look at this cabbage, jumping around and squirting water, doesn't that prove it's especially fresh?" An old lady selling vegetables grabbed the biting cabbage, shook it, and then put it back on the shelf.

"If you want vegetables that don't bite, there are some over there, piled up together."

Looking over, they indeed saw a pile of vegetables and fruits. Someone tentatively reached out to these, and they remained as unresponsive as if they were dead.

Everyone: ...

Damn, these are supposed to be the kind of vegetables and fruits they usually buy, so why do they feel like they're not fresh?

But these jumping, shouting, biting, and fire-spitting vegetables and fruits are just too troublesome, easily causing injury if one is not careful.

However, compared to these relatively minor fruits and vegetables, the exiles trying to purchase ingredients in the neighboring fresh produce area were even more troubled.

"My God, what am I seeing? Is that a... pig? Is this pig alive? If it's alive, why does it look like it's assembled from blocks of meat like a dead pig! If it's dead, why would it move with its meat and pig trotters?!!"

"Help, I just wanted some ribs! How do we deal with this? Do we kill these chunks of meat again?!"

"...Luckily, I prefer fried chicken. But looking at these featherless dead chickens still able to stand up and flap their wings at me, I feel like my entire worldview is shattered. Also, how can there be chickens with six wings and eight legs?!"

"Stop talking, why do I love tomato beef stew so much! Tomato beef stew!!! Help, who else loves beef the most? The cow still has its horns! Even if it's just chunks of meat put together, I feel like I can't beat it!"

Cries of shattered worldviews filled the ingredient supermarket one after another.

Meanwhile, Chen Shijin and three other exiles, who had chosen to slice salmon alive, silently stared at the huge aquarium occupying an entire wall.

Compared to the unseemly sight of live pigs, cows, and chickens assembled from moving meat chunks on the other side, the fish, shrimp, and other seafood here seemed relatively normal.

Yet, a group of seafood lovers stood motionless in front of the aquarium, hesitant to make a move.

Chen Shijin thought he probably didn't need to worry about how to get the freshest salmon meat anymore.

Watching the Atlantic salmon vigorously bumping against the glass, catching one would guarantee its freshness!

But now the question was, how to catch the fish?

"Oh my, do we have to go directly into the aquarium? These fish and shrimp look way too fierce."

The first person who suggested slicing the salmon live turned pale. The aquarium looked far more dangerous than those fruits, vegetables, and even the resurrected chunks of meat from pigs and cows outside, as it seemed bottomless with countless fish, shrimp, crabs, and occasionally, massive creatures darting by.

"But we can't just sit around doing nothing!"

Someone grew anxious.

Then a voice rang out, "I'm quite good in the water, and my special ability relates to water, so I can help everyone catch fish. But shouldn't there be some kind of token of appreciation?"

The speaker was a young man wearing a look of proud satisfaction, surrounded by several equally smug men and women, likely his companions.

"Exactly! My brother is skilled in the water and has formidable abilities. He's sure to catch fish, shrimp, and crabs, providing everyone with ingredients.

However, catching a fish will cost 10 energy points, a shrimp 3 points, and since crabs are more aggressive, 20 points each! It's only fair for my brother's risk in helping everyone."

"Is anyone willing to make a trade?"

The surrounding crowd exchanged looks, and a middle-aged woman couldn't help but haggle, "Big brother, isn't that a bit too expensive? I'm just a Level 1 exile; I don't have that many energy points!"

"If you don't have energy points, step aside! Our deal is non-negotiable! If you want fish, speak up now. Once my brother enters the aquarium, we'll start fishing together, or you'll miss out on this opportunity!"

Immediately, everyone became anxious, and in the end, a majority willingly handed over their energy points to trade with the proud young man and his group.

However, Chen Qiang remained unmoved.

Pay what? Why should he pay?

Only others pay him; he never pays others.

He adheres to the principle of self-reliance for a fulfilling life. Or, pies falling from the sky directly into his lap are also acceptable.

Oh, except for freebie gift packs from Dog East (JD.com).

However, this innocent-looking and seemingly naive young man with puppy dog eyes caught the attention of the man collecting money.

"Young man, you seem frail and not very strong. Are you sure you don't want to buy a fish?"

Chen Xiaomo blinked and shook his head: "No, thanks. I, I don't have that many energy points."

"Heh, no energy points is no issue. I like the look of you. If you come over and sweet talk me, call me 'bro', I can have my brother give you a 50% discount on catching a fish for you!"

Chen Qiang rolled his eyes sky-high inwardly at that moment.

Sweet talk you and still only get a 50% discount.

Such a miserly and scheming man! Crawl away.

But on the surface, Chen Xiaomo's face turned slightly red as he shook his head: "No, no thank you. I'm not good at flattering. Plus, I, I naturally have a good affinity."

"Maybe, all these fish, shrimp, and crabs like me a lot. They might just jump out of the tank by themselves, and then I'll have fish to eat."

The muscular man: ????

Everyone around: ??????

There was a moment of silence, followed by uproarious laughter.

"Hahaha! Oh my god, come listen to this joke! High affinity, making fish and shrimp jump out by themselves?"

"How come you don't just say pies fall from the sky right onto your face?"

"Young man, don't be too vain! Even if your face is quite likable, you can't just dream during the day, huh?!"

Before these mocking words were finished, they saw the puppy-eyed young underdog pointing at a ferocious Atlantic salmon through the glass of the aquarium.

"You're so cute, could you jump out for me to eat?"

Then!

In front of all eyes!

The vicious Atlantic salmon automatically leaped in the most perfect arc through the water, over the glass wall of the aquarium.

It landed precisely into the young man's arms.

After being firmly caught by the young man, it even spiritedly shook its head and wagged its tail as if to say the fish tastes great! The fish is super fresh!

The proud young man about to enter the water: ...

All the onlookers with their mouths agape: !!!!!

No way! This defies science!

How could there be such a suicidal fish?!