Chapter 68: DIY Barbecue

Chapter 68: Self-Service BBQ

Fish, shrimp, eggs, and giant sugar cubes? What the heck is going on?

Everyone who heard this was completely baffled.

Could it really be what they were imagining?

"Fish, shrimp, eggs, and big sugar cubes are not adjectives. Humans have actually been transformed into these ingredients."

It really is like this?!

Sheng Qingquan's thoughts dashed any remaining hope in everyone's hearts.

"You turn into whatever you like to eat? That's insane!"

"Even though it's still hot, the autumn breeze is picking up, and temperatures in many northern areas have started to drop. But that huge figure somehow made the sunlight even more intense. The temperature suddenly became much higher than the hottest days of summer."

"In that moment, everyone caught in the sunlight transformed."

"A few lucky ones were indoors. Or, even if they were outside, they were fortunate enough to be in the shade. They could only watch as those in the sunlight 'plopped' into some kind of food and hit the ground."

"Old Man Tang and Little Tang were inside, but unfortunately, they were standing right by the window. The Tang family had set up the old man's room for comfort, so it had the best layout. Not only were the windows large and bright, but they also faced the sun."

"Neither of them got away."

"One turned into a ten-centimeter human-shaped sugar cube, and the other into a tender piece of chicken."

"The milk tea and fried chicken they were holding spilled everywhere. When Da Tang walked in to catch them in the act, he saw this and nearly lost his mind."

"For a second, he thought he was losing his mind."

"How else could something so crazy happen?"

Tang Jinyuan and Tang Haocheng exchanged glances. While they both loved fried skewers, BBQ, spicy hot pot, braised dishes, ice cream, and cola, their absolute favorites were fried chicken and milk tea.

After eating together for so long, they knew one had a sweet tooth, while the other was all about fried chicken.

So if turning into your favorite food was the rule, them becoming a sugar cube and chicken made total sense.

Facing their son's (father's) fierce glare, they couldn't even pretend the characters in the novel were just coincidentally named the same. There was no way to pass the buck.

"It's not our fault for having a sweet tooth, right?" Tang Haocheng whispered.

"No matter what Da Tang thought, even if it was a hallucination, seeing a human-shaped sugar cube and a piece of chicken start to change under the blazing sun, he couldn't just stand there."

"Watching the sugar cube start to melt and the chicken begin to smoke, its surface visibly changing color, it was clear that if left alone, a perfectly roasted piece of chicken, seasoned with sugar water and milk tea, would soon be ready."

"Realizing this, Da Tang didn't hesitate. He rushed over, trying to move the sugar cube and chicken to the shade to save them. But as soon as he got close, he was fully exposed to the sunlight, and his perspective instantly changed. He saw the same scene his father and son were witnessing."

"On the ground, there was now a large shrimp."

"Tang Yuejin struggled to move his eyes. He could still see his surroundings, but he couldn't actually move. He could only watch as everything unfolded."

"Holy crap, he's still conscious?!"

As Sheng Qingquan read this, his anger grew even more intense. Although he had known earlier on that these beings were not benevolent when they turned people into ingredients, he hadn't expected them to be so ruthless.

To destroy an entire planet for such a reason—could one really expect such beings to show any mercy?

The survivors weren't spared because these beings had any kindness or sense of morality. Clearly, they either couldn't do more at the moment or weren't willing to pay a greater price to do so.

Using sunlight as a medium, those who were not exposed to it could barely survive through sheer luck.

Still, Sheng Qingquan hadn't anticipated that they could be so cruel.

"Even in death, can't they grant a quick death?"

"Absolutely horrifying!"

"To make people watch themselves being roasted alive, unable to struggle or escape—how excruciating and hopeless must that be?"

Sheng Qingquan was now invulnerable, but he clearly remembered a childhood memory. His family was cooking pork rib soup, and the aroma was so enticing. Hungry, he rushed to the kitchen, eager to snatch a few pieces of the already cooked ribs to satisfy his hunger.

But before he could even fully lift the lid, steam burst through the gap, scalding his hand.

The burn was severe, and it took months of on-and-off pain to fully heal.

Since then, he had always been cautious, never getting burned again.

If steam could cause such pain, how much more painful would it be to be roasted like this?

Sheng Qingquan suddenly recalled how, during hot summer days, people would crack eggs on the ground to show how hot the ground was by cooking the eggs.

Back then, it was eggs; now, it's people.

The déjà vu was overwhelming. But eggs don't possess consciousness.

The nature of this is entirely different!

The staff, too, were horrified by the beings' actions, which were more torturous than any form of torture. They couldn't help but solidify their resolve.

They absolutely must not let what happened in the story happen in real life!

As for the Tang family—whether it was Old Tang, Big Tang, or Little Tang—they were all completely terrified.

Overwhelmed by fear, regret, and anger.

Even Old Tang, who had always been resigned to death, had never imagined dying like this.

Tang Jinguo had always thought that at his age, there was little he couldn't accept.

But now, he simply couldn't accept this—he truly couldn't.

"I thought I could pass away peacefully in my sleep," Tang Jinguo murmured to himself.

"Even if I wasn't that fortunate, it should have been a fall, followed by a few days of weakness, and then dying despite medical intervention. Unpleasant, but not prolonged suffering." Many elderly people pass away after a fall, and he had mentally prepared for that.

But this kind of death—he just couldn't accept it. It was too painful.

What he found most unbearable was that it wasn't just him dying. He had to watch his children and grandchildren die alongside him, even dying while trying to save him.

And it wasn't just their family. This was the fate of most of the people on the entire planet of Tianlan.

The annihilation of their race was imminent.

"Is this a solar-powered self-service barbecue?"

"They really don’t care if humans suffer agonizing deaths, leaving behind deep resentment!"

"At times like this, I wish ghosts were real!"

"Indeed, it's a self-service barbecue. After humans were roasted, they turned back into human form. But the trash creatures didn’t let everyone go."

["'Still fresh, don’t waste it. We can’t overindulge—we must eat in moderation—but wasting is also unacceptable.'" The big trash creature actually had the nerve to lecture the little one like this.]

"After making such a grand statement, the big trash creature collected all the roasted humans. Clearly, it was saving them as reserve food."

"Before leaving, it also restored the sunlight to normal temperature and then signaled the little trash creature to look at the survivors."

["'After this lesson, they probably won’t dare to indulge so recklessly in the future.' As it spoke, it looked at the little one and said earnestly, 'You too—if you don’t want to end up in a tragic situation, remember this. When you feel like indulging, think of this scene. Won’t that help you restrain yourself?'"]

"Damn, what a caring heart!"

Sheng Qingquan even laughed in anger, wishing he could applaud them.

"Do I have to thank you for not wiping us out and for restoring the sunlight temperature before leaving?"

"Should I also be moved by your thoughtful effort to teach your child while also trying to educate humans?"

"Anyone with half a brain knows survivors won’t have much appetite in the future. It’ll be a miracle if they don’t develop anorexia. I even suspect that in the future, even if they don’t become cave dwellers, they won’t include windows in their houses."

"They’ll be terrified of sunlight. In the future, going out fully armed won’t be about sun protection or UV allergies. The simplest winter joy will be gone. Who’d dare to go out and sunbathe?"

The more Sheng Qingquan thought about it, the angrier he got. He suppressed his rage and continued reading.

"I’ve got to find out what kind of creatures these two culprits are!"

"Although in my heart, they’re undoubtedly non-recyclable trash creatures."

Hearing this, the already furious Tang family quickly paid close attention, afraid to miss their enemies’ true faces.

The staff also perked up.

"No wonder the big trash creature was teaching the little one to be careful about indulging in gluttony."

Sheng Qingquan suddenly understood.

"Turns out their species loves to eat and enjoys food immensely. But unlike gluttons, they don’t have a huge appetite or the ability to digest anything. They can’t eat endlessly without consequences."

"Many in their species get into trouble every year because of their gluttony. There are even cases where they’ve died from overeating."

"So, while taking their child out for training, they passed by Tianlan Star and found it to be a gourmet planet. Humans here love food, are good at eating, and enjoy it. So they decided to stay and use the humans on Tianlan Star to teach their child a lesson."

"And to replenish their food reserves."

After reading this long segment, Sheng Qingquan's gaze fixed on one point.

"There are even cases where they’ve died from overeating?" "How did they die? Can Tianlan Star replicate that?"