Chapter 70: Hot Pot Must Be Paired with Cola

Chapter 70: Hot Pot Demands a Cola Pairing

It had to be bold in flavor, mouthwateringly fragrant, and downright tasty.

What could be more fitting than hot pot?

After hearing Sheng Qingquan’s full analysis, the lead official immediately thought of this.

Hot pot perfectly met all the above conditions.

The official gave the green light immediately.

The location was something Sheng Qingquan had painstakingly deduced.

Pinpointing the timing was almost too easy—especially after authorities questioned Xiao Tang and confirmed his habit of buying fried chicken from White Beard’s on Thursdays. This made the deduction that the Trash would appear on Thursday even more credible.

As a result, the author had set a challenge regarding the location.

Sheng Qingquan searched for a long time before identifying the suspicious destination.

Since the plot used the grandfather-grandson duo Tang Jinguo as an example, Sheng Qingquan initially suspected they would appear near Baojing Neighborhood or, at the very least, somewhere within Yunteng City.

But in reality, they appeared way outside it—clearly, distance was no obstacle for the trash beings.

They could observe everything from afar.

“‘Lance looked up, satisfied with the vast openness around him. Miles of open grassland, dotted with tiny buildings. Lance initially considered destroying those buildings to give Ian more space to play. After all, after disciplining a child, a little reward for behaving well was in order.’”

“‘Now that’s how you make learning fun!’”

“‘It keeps from triggering the child’s rebellious instincts. The next time discipline is needed, the child will be more receptive.’”

“‘With this in mind, Lance prepared to act. But just before he did, he noticed something unexpected—Ian was fascinated by the twirling, wind-tossed blades atop those tiny buildings.’”

“‘Seeing Ian’s attention captured by the blades, as a good parent, Lance naturally held off and changed his mind, leaving the buildings intact.’”

“Tiny buildings with rotating blades on top?”

Sheng Qingquan immediately thought of wind turbines. Though wind turbines could hardly be considered small, if the trash beings were large in size, then from their perspective, wind turbines might indeed seem like tiny buildings.

At the very least, aside from size, all other features matched wind turbines.

But even so, the location remained unclear.

“If they really were wind turbines—despite the unreliable output, mockingly called ‘garbage power’ because of its instability—wind energy was still a crucial source of power across Tianlan-Xing due to its clean energy benefits and the suitability of many regions for wind farms. Wind turbines were everywhere on the planet.”

“Even with the explicit mention of ‘grassland’ in the plot, which ruled out offshore or desert wind farms, there were still countless possible locations.”

Further elimination was necessary.

Even if the exact location couldn’t be pinpointed, the possibilities had to be whittled down to a handful. Otherwise, the authorities wouldn’t be able to prepare adequately. Supplies—especially fresh ingredients—were tight.

So, the fewer suspicious locations, the better. Ideally, the exact spot could be locked in.

This was difficult, and Sheng Qingquan hadn’t yet found any relevant clues.

Until he scoured the text again and noticed a small detail.

"The moment they touched down, a clueless bug hopped right up. Lance squished it without a second thought—it had the letters 'SB' on its back."

"An insect with the letters 'SB' on its back."

Sheng Qingquan had glossed over this detail when skimming through earlier.

At first glance, he’d assumed the author was using it as a metaphor—how humans could be easily crushed like insects in their hands.

But upon revisiting, Sheng realized the key might not just be the ease of crushing but the unique pattern on the insect's back.

"This insect is a new species of grasshopper discovered after the world merger."

"Because its back bears markings resembling the letters 'SB,' entomologists directly named it the 'SB Locust.' It even trended online, with netizens affectionately calling it the 'SB Grasshopper' or 'Dumbfuck Grasshopper,' turning it into a go-to meme for roasting people."

"So, those two losers got insulted the moment they arrived?"

Despite the grim mood, Sheng couldn’t help but smirk.

"More importantly, if I recall correctly..."

"This type of grasshopper has only been found in Xiaohe City."

Sheng wasn’t mistaken. With his current memory, it was hard to misremember.

After relaying this information to the authorities, a quick search confirmed that Xiaohe City indeed had a wind farm built on a plain.

"No question—this is the spot!"

The authorities moved fast to get things ready there.

Since the site was spacious enough and didn’t require extensive clearing, time was saved. Loads of ingredients were transported, and numerous chefs and kitchen assistants were mobilized.

With everyone’s cooperation, they barely managed to whip up enough hotpot broth before Thursday arrived.

Unlike ordinary hotpot bases, this batch was packed with flavor, way more intense.

It ensured the broth was loaded with salt, oil, and heat while enhancing the taste—making it even more delicious.

Moreover, the broth was a rich, savory bone broth. Besides the hotpot, they also prepared sugary drinks—like cola.

Thanks to everyone’s joint efforts, the results were a total success.

Faced with pots of heavenly-smelling broth,

Lance, completely drunk on the aroma, completely forgot why he had brought his child to this planet in the first place.

His original plan was out the window in a heartbeat. His eyes were fixed solely on the large pots and the food inside.

What were those plain-looking reddish-brown chunks? And those translucent, jade-green slices—what were they?

How could any ingredient remain snow-white after boiling in the spicy broth for so long, as pure as clouds—straight-up delicious?

Then there were those holey little things, slightly less bright but riddled with holes. Though he didn’t know what they were, their appearance alone suggested they’d soaked up the broth. One bite, and the savory broth would explode in his mouth.

His mouth was watering just thinking about it.

But wait, there’s more. There were other ingredients—some with squiggly tentacles, creepy but weirdly tempting. Others resembled a crescent moon, soft pink and cute as hell. Bet they tasted just as good...

Lance found himself on the ground. As a full-grown beast, even he couldn’t hold back, let alone the cub.

Ian had already lunged forward, devouring the food ravenously.

Food appearing out of nowhere might’ve been a trap.

Could it be poisonous? Shouldn’t they inspect it first?

At this moment, none of these thoughts crossed their minds.

Instinct took the wheel, shoving reason aside. Lance lasted only a heartbeat longer than the little one before completely surrendering to his desires.

Before long, another figure crowded around the pot.

They didn’t feel the heat at all.

Their eyes were fixed only on the food soaked in the broth. Their mouths stretched wide, packed to the brim.

Why was this so good?!

The second the food hit their tongues, both the big and the small were stunned.

They’d never dreamed it’d be this good.

Fiery and rich.

Some were crisp, some soft and sticky, some tender, some rich and thick, some stuffed with fillings, some bursting with juices...

Each bite brought a new texture.

The only thing they shared was how downright addictive they were.

After a brief daze, they dug in even faster, wilder now.

They figured out hotpot etiquette on their own.

Without needing guidance, they knew to skip slurping the broth directly.

They grabbed fresh ingredients and dumped them into the broth-filled pots—only broth remained—to continue cooking.

Meanwhile, they moved on to other pots.

Pot after pot. Eventually, they noticed the dark brown, bubbling liquid nearby.

This stuff looked so plain, especially compared to the vibrant red pots, that they’d blown right past it before.

Only when they got close and got a whiff of something sweet did they take a big gulp.

Why was this so damn refreshing?!

Their faces filled with disbelief. No bold spices, no chunks of meat, no fiery red hue like the pots—but this fizzy nothing...

Yet when the fizz exploded on their tongues, they realized just how crisp and exhilarating it was!

Now, it wasn’t just the pots—this drink had also caught their attention.

Every so often, they would polish off a whole vat before attacking the food again.

As pots emptied across the hills, and the cola dwindled significantly, their bellies began to bulge.

If they'd had any sense left, they would have stopped in time.

But with so many delicious treats laid out before them—especially after tasting how amazing it was—any notion of self-control, light eating, or heeding past lessons to avoid repeating mistakes was completely forgotten.

They didn't even wait for the food to finish cooking before diving into the second helping.

After devouring the second helping, they immediately started on the third, then the fourth...

They failed to notice that no matter how much they ate, the ingredients kept coming. The water was also constantly refilled.

Nor did they notice the drones flying overhead, occasionally dropping something into the pots.

Or perhaps they did notice—but they were too preoccupied to care.

Especially since every time the drones appeared, the broth, which had started to taste bland, regained its rich flavor. This made them completely uninterested in swatting away those annoying little things.

The officials weren't there in person, but they monitored the situation closely.

At first they'd worried: if the hotpot started cooking and the creatures arrived too late, the ingredients might overcook. Would they have time to start over? Would they be caught in the act, jeopardizing the plan?

After all, even if Thursday was confirmed, they could arrive at noon or evening—not necessarily early.

Unexpectedly, the plan went smoothly from the start.

When the hotpot first started, though the creatures arrived only after the ingredients had cooked a bit too long, they weren't complete mush yet.

Thus, there was no need to replace the broth, scoop out ingredients, or add new ones.

Nothing was required—in fact, some ingredients suited for prolonged cooking had absorbed even more flavor.

This good start made the rest go smoothly.

Since space was limited, ingredients, broth, and drinks had to be constantly replenished.

They'd all prepared for the possibility of drones or conveyor belts being attacked and destroyed. Yet, aside from a few damaged belts, the rest remained intact. Not a single drone was lost.

The backup equipment went unused.

Watching them, it was clear they only went crazy for the food.

Even knowing their kind's famous greed, witnessing their complete loss of reason—acting worse than animals, consumed by insatiable hunger—was unsettling.

Even if this was the intended outcome, it freaked everyone out.

"It’s scarier than a dieter finally breaking at the sight of good food and binge-eating until they regain all the weight," muttered a stunned staff member. "This is like some starving demon."

Whether it was the heavy seasoning, the deadly amount of veggies, or sheer overeating—or perhaps all of the above—the result was inevitable.

With a loud thud, the smaller creature collapsed.

Despite its immature size, the creature was as big as the specially made giant pot. Nobody could figure how it had managed to consume so much.

After the smaller one collapsed, everyone heightened their vigilance, with some even gripping their weapons nervously.

The child had fallen—clearly, there was something wrong with the food. Even if there wasn’t, the big one sure as hell wasn’t gonna keep eating now.

Could eating really be more important than a child’s life?

Just as everyone thought so, the big one didn’t even bother to glance in the direction of the commotion.

Like it hadn’t been the one preaching about self-control earlier.

The big trash continued stuffing its face.

But it didn’t last much longer. Within three seconds, the big trash also collapsed.

Given its size, it should have taken longer to fall than the small one under similar conditions. Yet, though they fell just seconds apart, the two hadn’t collapsed at the exact same moment.

Sheng Qingquan was initially puzzled but soon realized the reason.

"The big trash has a bigger mouth, so it eats faster. In the same amount of time, it consumes several times more food than the small one."

"If it hadn’t resisted for a few seconds before giving in and starting to eat,"

"the two might have collapsed simultaneously."

Though their goal seemed accomplished, nobody rushed in.

Given their frenzy around food, faking death seemed impossible—but what if?

Only after waiting a long time, with no movement from them,

and only after Sheng Qingquan opened the novel,

did everyone finally believe the two monsters had truly eaten themselves to death. His Qiankun Coin balance had increased by 8,888 points, and the merchandise gifts appeared.

Staff members hauled off the corpses while others began cleaning up.

Sheng Qingquan, meanwhile, focused on the glow marking the merchandise gifts.

It didn’t appear to be a physical object.

For a second, he worried the ‘gift’ might be that uncontrollable hunger.

After witnessing the two trash creatures gorging themselves mindlessly, their eyes devoid of anything but hunger, Sheng Qingquan finally understood why the story’s author had compared them to Taotie, the ravenous glutton.

Legend described Taotie as creatures so ruled by hunger they’d devour their own flesh.

No wonder the big trash had lectured the small one on self-control—if only they hadn’t used humans as examples.

Sheng Qingquan genuinely believed those lectures were downright vital for them.

Though he couldn’t fathom how the big trash, with its lousy self-control, dared to lecture the small one.

No wonder they hadn’t dared to season their sun-cooked barbecue. Facing bland food, they could barely restrain themselves. But with delicious fare before them, their willpower went out the window.

Moreover, from his observations, they went crazier for greens than meat.

This might also explain why the story never showed people turning into produce.

Fortunately, the cheat system had some mercy and didn’t reward him with that bottomless hunger. The light floated to Sheng Qingquan and sank into his brow, disappearing.

Sheng Qingquan discovered that what he obtained was an unconventional transformation ability—the very skill the big villain had used to turn humans into food in the plot.

Sheng Qingquan glanced at a mosquito flying past him.

The next moment, the mosquito was gone, and a drop of blood fell to the ground.

This mosquito’s favorite meal was blood.

"Guess I’ve got the hang of it?"

"Maybe I can go home and do some deep cleaning—zap pests painlessly from a distance, like mosquitoes, cockroaches, spiders, and all sorts of bugs. No more dealing with the ick of cleaning up their remains."

Sheng Qingquan’s thoughts drifted for a second before he refocused on the matter at hand.

Looking at the drop of blood on the ground, a kid could wipe it up no problem.

Not like mosquitoes—where regular folks swing and miss without ever hitting, or where mosquito coils might prove useless. You could burn a dozen coils, gas yourself out, while the mosquitoes still buzz around.

"So, next time an enemy comes, can I do the same?"

"Turn some tough enemy into just a grain of rice, a piece of meat, a shrimp, or something similar."

He pondered—seemed totally doable.