Apocalypse Forecast

The Chef Demons in the stands began to look sympathetic.

This motherfucker was all too familiar with this sort of thing, quite adept at skirting the edge of the rules and messing with the minds of countless opponents. There were even despicable records of him displaying photos of his opponent’s partner cheating during a duel. To win, such a person would stop at nothing.

Unfortunately for him, these methods might have worked on other female contestants... but what does that have to do with me, Huaihai Road Little Peppa? Is a bra really that inconvenient a thing?

”With that weak tone of voice, you must be a virgin, right?” Miss Huaizhi Sushi looked at him disdainfully and sighed with contempt. ”Have some shame, you hear? Some shame! Apart from nursing, have you ever had any physical contact with another woman? If I were you, I would cherish every moment of this competition because, after all, this is the only place you can talk to other women.”

Enrico’s expression remained unchanged, as if nothing could shake him. He just smiled. ”Ah, I’ve heard something similar before... The outcome was so interesting last time, I’m starting to look forward to this.”

That sticky, mucus-like laugh was particularly uncomfortable. He reached out, twisted the gas valve under the huge pot, and ignited the flame. The firelight illuminated his increasingly sinister smile as he said, ”I have a feeling that we’re going to get along just fine, very fine...”

”That’s it for the chat?” Huai Shi asked curiously. ”I was planning to discuss your love life with you. Tell me, are you married? Do you have a girlfriend? A boyfriend is fine too; I’m not discriminating against people like you...

”We could share our love stories. Really, don’t be sad; I might even be worse off than you. Look, I still don’t have a girlfriend, but from elementary school to university, people have confessed to me... Honestly, though they were all pretty, I didn’t think they were right for me.”

Enrico kept moving. His face behind the pot stiffened for a moment but then quickly returned to normal. But Pandora’s box had been opened; it wasn’t something he could close just because he wanted to.

”Hey, by the way, did you see my employer?” Miss Huaizhi leaned on her cooking station, turned back, and pointed to the confused Zhenxi, ”Isn’t she super cute? When she’s sleepy and fuzzy, she looks like a hamster, and I always want to poke her face... Jealous? She is my employer, mine, mine, has nothing to do with you. Feeling jealous and envious now?

”What about your employer? Are they good-looking? Or could it be a man? In their thirties? Forties? You have quite the taste. Speaking of which, Yingzhou should be a good place for you. The level of perversion among corporate slaves here tends to be rather high. You should find plenty of people who share your tastes, right, Mr. Enrico? Mr. Enrico, why aren’t you talking... I still have a secret to tell you.”

”Later, shall we find a place to compare sizes?” Saying so, the woman tied up her hair, revealing a beautiful and seductive smile. Then, with a deep and husky male voice, she said, ”Actually, I’m transgender!”

CLANG! A sharp noise rang out.

Enrico’s movements were interrupted, his toolbox nearly dropping onto the table, as he looked up at Huai Shi in astonishment, his eyes wide and mouth agape. His face twitched, too marvelous for words.

Not just him; at that moment, everyone in the stands, the audience seats, the referees, Chef Demons, and even Zhenxi stared with wide-eyed disbelief. Especially Zhenxi, who almost jumped out of her chair, screaming out loud.

”Just kidding, don’t get excited! Normal procedure. Sit down, everyone sit down.” Miss Huaizhi grinned, laughing happily, as her voice returned to a female tone. With such mockery, she gazed at Enrico and asked, ”But I have even more explosive news to tell you. Do you want to hear it?”

I don’t want to hear a damn thing! Enrico’s face turned from green to purple, and the wariness inside him rapidly increased. This woman is a formidable enemy! It’s the first time I’ve met someone who could turn the tables and mess with my own mindset... And she nearly succeeded. And it seems she’s about to increase her efforts.

In front of him, right before his eyes, Miss Huaizhi Sushi leaned against the railings and greeted the female audience members in the stands. With a brilliant smile, a few words were enough to make those older female spectators laugh uncontrollably. Despite being a fellow woman, and beautiful enough to inspire jealousy and animosity, she possessed an incredible charm. In just a few words, everyone had become thoroughly acquainted and even harmoniously made plans to go to the amusement park over the weekend. When a young lady from the Hua Clan watching the competition passed her business card, she boldly insinuated that she didn’t mind that Miss Huaizhi was a woman, winking seductively at her.

Bursts of laughter cut through the air like knives, landing on Enrico’s heart, nearly causing it to split open. Yet, after the conversation, Miss Huaizhi turned back, looking at him earnestly, as if asking him: How about that? I demonstrated a simple operation. Did you learn anything?

His face twitched. He averted his gaze and did not speak.

Huai Shi’s smile grew increasingly mocking. You’re dumbstruck, aren’t you, little brother? Of all things to compete with me over, you chose this... Did you really think my ability to confront opponents in the black zone of *Silent Crown* was for nothing?

Meanwhile, the water in Enrico’s pot had begun to boil.

It should be noted that despite his low-down dirty tactics, the guy had clearly put a lot of effort into his basics. He quickly and proficiently finished making a large batch of colorful macaroni. When they fell into the pot, the boiling water made the macaroni squirm and roll as if alive, with a lively, snake-like texture. The malice and Disaster hidden within seeped out bit by bit, making Huai Shi’s taste buds tingle with anticipation.

Up until now, he hadn’t even started the fire yet. He had made up his mind to freeload and enjoy a few extra meals first. But then he suddenly had an uneasy premonition because just after the macaroni went into the pot, Enrico’s smile became even more sinister. He raised both hands, lifting from his huge toolbox what appeared to be a block of cheese as large as a traditional Dongxia drum. A strange smell filled the air, and Huai Shi started to feel that something was off. Inside that cheese brick, larger than the pot, there seemed to be bursts of life-like breath, something alive wriggling within... and then, hitting him in the face was an indescribable, horrendous stench!

”Heh heh, this is my secret treasure!” Enrico laughed heartily. ”Miss Huaizhi, specially presented for you, Sardinia’s special cheese penne!”

Accompanied by the fall of the kitchen knife, the outer shell of the cheese brick shattered. What crawled out from it was a horde of chubby worms, as thick as a pinky finger, causing one’s scalp to tingle...

Maggots. They were all disgustingly repulsive maggots!

”Sardinia’s Live Maggot Cheese? It’s really rare to see one preserved this long,” Flamikir remarked, deliberately raising his voice as a reminder. ”So you’re making this dish of penne? But this dish that causes internal organ mutation is also stolen from someone else, isn’t it...?”

This was a Chef Demon dish from the Rome Region, the dark art of culinary in its purest form. It bestowed unmatched vitality and life force onto the penne, and those who ate it would undergo organ mutation and solidification amidst the disgusting but delicious stench. It was utterly terrifying.

But it didn’t have the slightest killing power against Huai Shi... Why would Soloist care about that? However, Miss Huaizhi Sushi’s face had already started to turn green.

Disgusting! This is too damn much! I didn’t come here to eat live maggots. It’s as if I can see a glaring, crimson ’Danger’ sign flashing above my head! How can I endure this? Perhaps Chef Demons wouldn’t care about the ingredients of their dishes, but other than certain rugged, survivalist types who venture deep into the wild, what normal person could stomach this! If my standards for meals were any lower, I wouldn’t have spent my days determining what bizarre Abyss plants were edible... Never mind this, I can’t even stand snail rice noodles or Houttuynia!

Now, Huai Shi truly experienced literal fear. He trembled uncontrollably. Even Enrico hadn’t expected the appetizer he prepared to wield such devastating power. Huaizhi Sushi’s expression twitched, filled with resistance...

That’s something I truly dare not eat! But this is a Chef Demon duel, and not eating is tantamount to admitting defeat! The only option left is...

Huai Shi made the only correct decision.

That is to finish my own dish before his is ready! According to the rules, the Chef Demon who finishes first can make their opponent eat their creation first... In other words, as long as I take out Enrico first, I won’t have to deal with the live maggots later!

Luckily, he had done some preparation before coming—he had specifically gone to Ryuzanbo to learn some quick cooking techniques. He hastily pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket and opened the still fresh and hot recipe on it.

A secret recipe from Tengu Mountain. He flipped rapidly downward... and then—stopped abruptly. That’s the one!

Starting the fire with terrifying speed, he placed the pot on the stove, and Huai Shi placed his hand on the lid.

Forge began!

The light of Alchemy Fire instantly spread, infiltrating inward, engulfing the cold water within, causing it to boil at a pace thousands of times faster than normal. In just over a dozen seconds, the water had come to a full boil.

Right before the eyes of all present, Huai Shi pulled out… a bundle of dried noodles from his shoulder bag.

That’s right, dried noodles! These are the kind you commonly find in a Dongxia convenience store, where ten yuan could buy a large pile, even lacking production and expiration dates—a standard product with no guarantees. At the same time, they were the epitome of bad taste and culinary challenge. For a Chef Demon, they were almost synonymous with garbage, a useless material.

But now, right in front of everyone, Huai Shi tossed the bundle of noodles, practically considered trash, into the pot and rapidly stirred them with his chopsticks. Under the blessing of Alchemy Fire and the Forge Furnace, the noodles quickly softened and dispersed, tumbling in the splashing water. In less than ten seconds, they were thoroughly cooked. He scooped up the noodles deftly with his chopsticks, chilled them with ice and cold water, drained them, and casually arranged them on a bamboo platter, which looked quite neat.

Blade of Resent snapped open. Huai Shi’s knife work was like the wind as he swiftly chopped green onions, ginger, and wasabi. Then he grabbed a bottle from the nearby condiment plate, poured soy sauce chaotically into a dish, finally adding seasoning, mixing well, and squeezing a blob of mustard at the side. The dipping sauce was complete.

Huai Shi, with time to spare, even carved a haphazard, ramshackle little house from radish and nestled it in the middle of the noodles.

Done!

At this point, Enrico’s penne hadn’t even left the pot, and he hadn’t had the chance to stir the Live Maggot Cheese into the mix before Huai Shi pressed the Service Bell.

Done already? Inside and out, everyone stared dumbfounded at the dish next to Huai Shi, incredulous. What is this? Boiled and chilled dried noodles?

Huai Shi tilted his head, lit the cigarette hanging from his lips, took a deep breath to calm himself, casually flicked the ashes, and nodded toward Enrico.

”—Exclusive Yingzhou-style chilled buckwheat noodles, please enjoy.”