Chapter 52: Brawl in the Cafeteria

Chapter 52: The Egg Dilemma

Aunt Chen stared at the four eggs in front of her, swallowing hard in disbelief. "These... these eggs, where did you get them?"

Jian Suiyu replied, "Wu Yue brought back hundreds of decontaminated mutant beast carcasses from her trip. These four eggs were extracted from them."

Aunt Chen examined them as carefully as if she were handling rare treasures. When she saw the "boosts strength by 1%" effect, she nearly gasped in shock.

She asked cautiously, "All four eggs *at once*? Isn’t that a bit wasteful?

Maybe... just half an egg *per meal*? Save the other half for the next meal?"

Wu Yue thought about the Mutant Chicken's daily egg production. If they only ate half an egg per day, they'd *never* finish them all.

And if they spoiled before being eaten, wouldn’t that be even more wasteful?

Wu Yue shook her head. "No, all four. We’re eating them all."

Aunt Chen lovingly stroked one egg, then hugged another, as if eating them would feel like parting with a limb.

Jian Suiyu said, "Mom, these are just a *few* of the eggs we collected.

There are more left. If you can’t bear to eat them and they go bad, wouldn’t that be a waste?"

Though his words made sense, folks from her generation knew *real* eggs when they tasted them. Seeing these *perfect* free-range eggs now,

she couldn’t help but want to *cling to them* like priceless heirlooms. How could she bear to eat so many at once?

Gritting her teeth, common sense finally won out. Aunt Chen rolled up her sleeves.

"Alright! Watch me show off my skills today!"

Tomato and egg stir-fry—this legendary dish is the perfect dish to go with rice!

Even in peaceful times, it was a beloved home-cooked meal no one could resist, let alone in this post-apocalyptic world swimming with watered-down nutrient packs!

Wu Yue's haul of about 100 tomatoes, paired with those four enormous eggs, was just enough to make 100 servings of tomato and egg stir-fry.

The tanginess of the tomatoes mingling with the fragrance of the eggs, seasoned with just a pinch of salt and sugar—no other condiments needed—created the most amazing flavor imaginable.

Long before mealtime, the aroma wafting from the cafeteria had already had people going crazy.

"What's cooking in the cafeteria today? I feel like my legs are moving on their own!"

"Probably some Heartbreak Powder or Laughing Half-Step Madness.

I'm already waiting at the cafeteria door. Even if it's arsenic, I'll be the first to drink it today."

"Look at you all, such losers. Let me check it out first. I want to see what the fuss is—"

"Hey, bro upstairs, you gone quiet?"

"He went crazy from the smell and tried to climb in through the cafeteria chimney. Jie Chen booted him off the roof."

"Is he still alive?"

"I checked—he's alive. But no one has time to take him to the treatment pod.

Judging by the crowd gathering, he’s gonna get trampled any minute now."

"Then we can't just let someone die, can we?"

"After the meal, maybe. No time for that now. What's more important than eating?"

From her SVVVIP seat, Wu Yue took a deep breath, branding the aroma of the scrambled eggs with tomatoes into her heart and searing it into her lungs.

Even the usually aloof Jian Suiyu, standing nearby, was panting uncontrollably.

Aunt Chen, seeing the two youngsters looking so desperate, immediately served them each a bowl straight from the pot and instructed,

"Go eat in the corner. When the stampede starts, you might get knocked over."

Wu Yue blinked. "Is it really that scary?"

Aunt Chen sneered. "More than that. You don’t know—on the first day we served bok choy, the cafeteria turned into a warzone over veggies.

Those brothers who would take bullets for each other—

just for two cabbages, they were eye-gouging, nose-twisting, some even had their clothes torn off in the fight.

If I hadn’t held the line like a one-woman army, who knows how bad it could’ve gotten."

Wu Yue gasped in admiration. "Aunt Chen, you’re amazing!"

Aunt Chen waved her hand dismissively. "Heh, your Aunt Chen here has seen it all.

Alright, you two get going. If you stay, I’ll just worry about you and won’t be able to focus.

Especially you, Wu Yue—like a little potato landmine, you’ll disappear in the crowd and get trampled."

Wu Yue, "..."

Jian Suiyu bit his lip to suppress a smile.

Wu Yue immediately glared at him. "What are you laughing at?"

Jian Suiyu maintained his deadpan expression and shook his head. "Nothing."

"Little potato landmine."

!!!

Wu Yue she leaped up and aimed a flying kick at Jian Suiyu’s knee. He dodged, running away while managing not to spill a drop from his bowl.

Aunt Chen watched the two tussle their way out with a fond smile, then brandished her ladle and commanded with authority,

"Jie Chen!! Open the doors!!"

WHOOSH—CRASH—the cafeteria became a riot zone, all hell broke loose. The air filled with flying elbows and makeshift weapons.

"Aunt Chen!! I want a small—NO F***ING WAY!! Today’s dish is actually the super invincible Pro Max purified-egg scramble!!"

"What?! You mean the super invincible Pro Max purified-egg scramble made from purified tomatoes and purified eggs?!"

"Yes!! The very same dish that permanently increases STR by 1% and purges 3% toxin buildup!!"

"Don’t any of you dare cut in line! I will literally die for this meal!!"

"You motherf***er, how dare you cut in line?! I’ll kill you!!"

Wu Yue stopped chasing and stood frozen, jaw dropping at the scene before her.

"Vice Captain, is it really necessary for them to be this exaggerated?"

No sooner had she spoken than Aunt Chen whipped out a sign:

"Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes—Only 100 plates available!!"

In an instant, Wu Yue saw someone whip out a laser gun—and even a freaking rocket launcher!!

Why on earth would someone bring a rocket launcher to the cafeteria??!!

Wu Yue went pale with horror. "They wouldn’t actually start fighting, would they? It’s too dangerous!!

Vice Captain!! You're not gonna intervene?!"

Jian Suiyu calmly took a bite of the eggs. The savory aroma of the eggs, paired with the tangy tomatoes, instantly whetted his appetite, giving his taste buds pure bliss.

He savored each bite, chewing slowly and deliberately until the last morsel was gone.

Finally, Jian Suiyu looked over at the now-chaotic cafeteria. "It’s fine. With my mom and Jie Chen here, these guys are all bark and no bite.

They know the difference between one good meal versus eating well long-term."

Sure enough, Wu Yue watched as Jie Chen strode into the cafeteria, Zen staff in hand, cracking his knuckles.

The moment Jie Chen appeared, the previously rowdy squad members instantly quieted down, meek as quails.

As Jie Chen passed Wu Yue, she cheerfully waved at him. "Jie Chen!!"

But to her surprise, the man everyone feared recoiled like she was radioactive, turning his head away as if she were cursed.

Wu Yue froze mid-wave, baffled. She turned to Jian Suiyu.

"Why does Jie Chen seem like he doesn’t want to see me?"

Probably having heard about yesterday’s incident between Wu Yue and Jie Chen at the training grounds, Jian Suiyu's face went blank.

Observing the tomato-and-egg-obsessed squad members, Jie Chen’s twitching eye, and the way he avoided Wu Yue like the plague, Jian Suiyu sighed.

"Wu Yue, you've really got a gift."

Wu Yue blinked in confusion, tilting her head.

Huh?

Meow meow meow?