Warning: This chapter has delicious food descriptions that may induce hunger. Have a snack before reading. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by cravings for Chinese takeout. The translator is not responsible for empty wallets or full bellies. Please read with care.
"What's the use of points?" Wen Qing knowingly asked.
[Points can be used to redeem items in the system's store, such as gene modification liquid that can improve your physical fitness, spirit-enhancing pills that can repair and enhance your mental strength, various interstellar body forging techniques, and the most scarce food in the apocalypse, all of which are currently the things you need most.]
Albalo deliberately said this to tempt Wen Qing to take the bait. He didn't believe that she wouldn't be moved!
"Oh." Wen Qing's response was flat, showing no interest.
Oh? Is that it? Albalo was bewildered. [But that is a gene modification liquid! Do you know what gene modification liquid is? With it, your physical fitness will definitely be greatly enhanced, which means your chances of surviving in the apocalypse will be greatly improved! Interstellar body forging techniques are even more precious than gene modification liquids. You will know how amazing it is after you practice it! And food, the scarcest thing in the apocalypse. A single ordinary nutritional supplement from the system store can make you feel no hunger for 48 hours! This means you don't have to compete with others for food...]
Albalo thought that Wen Qing didn't know the value of these things, so she wasn't interested in doing tasks at all. Therefore, he patiently explained it to her.
However, Wen Qing still had that indifferent look on her face, and even seemed a little disappointed. "Is that all? Isn't there a marrow cleansing pill that can transform me completely?"
Albalo was taken aback. What was that?
"And what about a beauty pill that whitens the skin, removes all acne, and slims and shapes the body with just one pill?"
??
"No one-click elemental skill books? Wind blades, fireballs, ice swords?"
[...]
"Nothing that provides infinite farm space for planting crops and raising small animals?"
[...]
"There are no snacks in the four major flavors of the eight major cuisines of Greater China?"
[...]
...
"So, what's the use of your system if you don't have anything?"
If you want...you...why...use...
Albalo felt ashamed. After being questioned like this, he seemed really useless!
Wait a minute, he was a disguised system, his purpose was to play games! Albalo suddenly realized this and became angry. [Even if this system has nothing, you still have to complete the missions. I don't think you would want to bear the punishment for failing the missions!]
Wen Qing neither agreed nor disagreed. Both temptation and threat were tricks of the trade.
"You can try."
[What do you mean?]
Wen Qing ignored him and walked into the kitchen. She checked and found that the water and electricity were out, but the natural gas was still working, which was good news. Wen Qing used the only bucket of pure water in the kitchen to clean the pots and pans, then took out two pork ribs from the space, cut them into pieces, washed them, and blanched them... she was going to make sweet and sour pork ribs.
Of course, it wasn't for her own consumption, but...
– She wanted to do a live cooking show in the end times!
It may sound unbelievable, but it was a desperate measure. The apocalypse had come, irreversible and unstoppable. Perhaps humanity could have overcome this crisis if they united, but even without the intervention of the Interstellar Alliance, unity was a daunting task. In the face of disaster, the worst of human nature would magnify infinitely, order would collapse, morality would be lost, and the emergence of supernatural powers would render the existing legal system obsolete. At this time, any external factor could become the last straw that crushes humanity.
That's how it was in the original story. Seven "lucky" ones were selected and pushed by a hidden hand to kill each other, resulting in another sharp decline in the human population after the disaster until only one person was left standing: the protagonist, Ye Qiong.
Ye Qiong was originally a special forces soldier who, after the apocalypse, led his brothers to establish a base. Like Lin Wenqing, he did not overly rely on the system and remained skeptical of its appearance, eventually discovering its conspiracy. He wanted to stop this plot, but the others had already been enchanted by various items within the system, leaving him powerless and forced to fight. After the other six bases were destroyed, Ye Qiong was in agony and eventually chose to commit suicide as a way of apologizing.
Therefore, this was a tragic story, not only for the protagonist but also for all of humanity.
Throughout the novel, the seven intelligent systems and their masters behind them were the last straw that crushed the earth. The easiest way to relieve this pressure would be to kill the other six people. To begin with, the other five could be dismissed, but Ye Qiong was beyond Wen Qing's hands. Furthermore, who could guarantee that even if these six were eliminated, they wouldn't simply choose another six in their place?
Therefore, it was necessary to start at the root to completely eliminate this hidden danger.
However, it was impossible for Wen Qing to cross the universe to find them from the source, and Earth's technology could not produce such a spaceship. Thus, the only option was to lure them over…
– And what could be more tempting than the great Chinese cuisine?
That's the true purpose behind Wen Qing's opening of the food broadcast.
Albalo hit a snag with Wen Qing and felt frustrated. He used the system to locate Wen Qing's coordinates and found the live broadcaster there by following the coordinates. Fortunately, the camera was pointed directly at her. Albalo cut to this view on his smart screen.
"She's quite pretty," Albalo praised silently in his heart, then focused intently on the person on the screen. He watched her calmly and leisurely wash some discs, moving with a slow and steady pace that was even more meticulous than a mecha repair worker. Albalo was perplexed for a second, then he exited the screen and saw that the other live broadcasts were still showing scenes of people escaping the apocalypse. He then opened the live broadcast again.
What are you doing? He almost thought that her place was not the apocalypse! Everyone else was busy running for their lives and hiding. Only Wen Qing remained motionless!
Albalo couldn't help feeling anxious for her. Just as he was about to log in to the system to complain about her, he suddenly saw the person on the screen take out two bones out of thin air!
"This is...a space portal?"
Albalo was extremely shocked. Space portals were very expensive and rare things even in the interstellar world, let alone on an F-class planet like this one.
Now Albalo was no longer calm. He immediately sent an email to report this discovery and then continued to watch the person on the screen.
He saw her cut the two bones into pieces, wash them, put them in water, take them out, change the water, and put them back in... He roughly knew she was processing food using an ancient method recorded in the history of the Alliance, but unfortunately, it had long been lost in the Interstellar Alliance.
On the screen, Wen Qing took out the golden fried pork ribs and set them aside, then started preparing the sauce. Sugar, cooking wine, soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, and water were added in the sauce, creating a tantalizingly bright and translucent color. After heating the wok and stir-frying the scallions and ginger until fragrant, she poured the sauce and the pork ribs into the wok.
Wen Qing deliberately chose a white plate to serve the dish. The neatly arranged and brightly colored pieces were topped with the crystal-clear and shiny sauce, making it exceptionally appealing to the eye. Of course, the taste was also delicious, but for the interstellar people, they couldn't taste or smell the aroma, so the color had to be visually pleasing.
Wen Qing picked up a piece, sniffed it, and then closed her eyes, enjoying the aroma with a slightly exaggerated tone. "This smell, sweet and sour, is like the smell of love." Then she took a bite and exclaimed with an even more exaggerated tone, "Oh my god! It's so delicious! It's so good that I want to swallow my tongue!"
Albalo in front of the screen couldn't help but swallow his saliva, watching her devouring one piece after another. Finally, he couldn't resist asking her through the system, [Is it really that delicious?]
"Huh? How do you know I'm eating?"
Albalo was shocked and quickly replied, [I can scan your body data, of course, I know what you are doing!]
"Oh, okay." Yeah right, as if I believe you!
Albalo breathed a sigh of relief, that was close. He almost exposed himself!
[What are you eating?]
"This dish is like a symphony of flavors in every bite. The sweet and sour pork ribs are a classic of Chinese cuisine. It's a delightful balance of sourness and sweetness that dances on your palate, leaving behind a trail of mouthwatering aroma. And fear not, this dish is not at all oily or greasy, but rather boasts tender and juicy meat that's bursting with flavor. When you take a bite, the delicious flavor explodes on your tongue. You'll first taste the sweetness of the sugar sauce that hits you like a first love, followed by the meat's savory flavor..."
Albalo's throat rolled again, trying hard to control his salivation, [Stop talking about it!]
Why describe it in such detail? What if it makes one even more hungry?
Not only him, but when Albalo reported to the Space Station that Wen Qing might have a space portal, someone else also noticed Wen Qing's live broadcast. The Space Station hadn't discovered it yet, but they were first drawn in by Wen Qing's delicious-looking food.
"What is this?"
"Food from the Middle Ages?"
"It looks so good!"
"Do all Blue Star people eat this?"
"I don't know, but it could be a topic worth studying."
...
Apart from them, there were other citizens of the Alliance who also noticed this live stream, but it was only one among the 100,000 live broadcasts, so it didn't stand out much and not many people followed. However, most of those who did follow were attracted by Wen Qing's descriptions of the food, and it really looked so tempting!
Albalo was the most deeply affected by this. He watched helplessly as Wen Qing finished a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs, wishing he could lick the plate clean of all the sugar sauce. He wanted to lick his screen.