this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
The aroma of the food filled his nostrils, and his mouth watered incessantly. The potatoes in the pot had softened, and he fished out a slice, placing it in his bowl. Though soft, the flavor was still exceptional, soothing his hungry stomach.
In that moment, a warm current seemed to flow into the boy’s numb heart. He felt tears welling up in his eyes.
On the other side, Jiang Ci was facing a corpse and another survivor who was barely clinging to life, feeling a headache coming on. How was she supposed to get them out of here?
[Host, I remember there’s a cargo cart outside the cabin that can be used to transport the body,] the system reminded Jiang Ci in her mind.
Jiang Ci pushed the door open and looked outside. Sure enough, there was a dark blue, foldable cart by the entrance. Due to the recent rain, it was covered in a layer of dust.Jiang Ci finished cleaning the trolley and was about to drag it inside when a puzzled voice came from outside.
“Boss, what are you doing here?” A familiar female voice sounded from behind Jiang Ci.
Turning around, Jiang Ci saw Xu Ling, Fang Qing, and a few others who had visited the shop standing behind her.
Jiang Ci’s eyes lit up. “You came at the perfect time, come and give me a hand.”
“What kind of help? I’ll do it.” Out of trust in Jiang Ci, Captain Chen Cheng rolled up his sleeves without hesitation, ready to assist.
A few minutes later, everyone froze in place. It turned out that the help the boss was referring to was having them deal with a corpse.
The scene was undeniably horrifying, yet Jiang Ci blinked her big eyes, looking at them with anticipation.
“They came to the shop to cause trouble, not only trying to harass me but also to take over my restaurant. Naturally, I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.” Perhaps noticing the stiff expressions on everyone’s faces, Jiang Ci explained.
“I know this guy!” Er Niu, who was walking at the back of the group, suddenly said, “It’s Xu Feng from the Shadow Base. He was later expelled from the base for targeting the children there. This guy is disgusting.”
Er Niu, with his muscular build, frowned in disgust, creating quite a contrast.
“Good riddance then.” Xu Ling detested such people the most in the post-apocalyptic world, thinking that without the constraints of law, they could do as they pleased.
Yes, both of them were dead. Jiang Ci only discovered upon her return that the bald man, who had been barely alive, now had a dagger plunged into his chest, completely cutting off his breath. The boy who had been eating earlier had now hidden in the shadows of a corner upon hearing the noise.
After discovering the bald man’s death, Jiang Ci glanced at the boy, who was looking down, lost in thought. She didn’t expose him.
“So now, I’ll trouble you to lend a hand and help carry them out and throw them far away, or it’ll disrupt my business.”
Carrying two people was a breeze for Chen Cheng and his group, and without a second thought, they helped lift the bodies.
“No need for the trolley, we’ll just throw them out for you.” Er Niu and Chen Cheng each carried one, walking out without even using the trolley.
“Thanks.” Jiang Ci exhaled in relief, finally resolving the issue. She turned and went into the kitchen to fetch a mop to clean the bloodstains on the floor.
The cleaning agent in the hotpot restaurant was very strong. Spraying just a bit of it not only thoroughly cleaned the floor but also left no trace of any smell, only a faint fragrance.
“Take a seat first. You can decide what you want to eat first, then write it down in this notebook. I’ll go prepare it once I finish here.”
After the floor was cleaned, Chen Cheng and Er Niu came back in from outside.
“Threw them into the crack over there,” Er Niu said, “so as not to benefit those zombies and mutated beasts.”
The crack that still remained was from the last time the giant tortoise had appeared. Since the restaurant hadn’t been upgraded to the extent of repairing its surroundings yet, it remained exposed.
Jiang Ci nodded and handed each of them a bottle of mineral water as a token of gratitude.
The survivors were currently reconstructing their prior assumptions of Jiang Ci. She appeared to be a delicate woman with strength not even sufficient to truss up a chicken, yet she had directly killed two men whose combined weight was three to four times of hers, and they had both clearly been armed as well.
Chen Cheng and Er Niu, who were carrying the two corpses out to dispose of them, were the ones who saw the situation the most clearly. The man with the crew cut only had one fatal wound, caused by a bullet. Judging by the extent of the wound’s explosion, it was clearly a bullet fired from his own gun.
How the bullet that had been fired had ended up back in his own body was something Chen Cheng still couldn’t figure out.
The other bald man seemed to have a fatal knife wound in his chest, but before he had been stabbed, he had already suffered severe injuries.
Chen Cheng also caught a whiff of a burnt smell, as if from a powerful electric shock.
Their base also had a lightning ability user, and since they had fought together before, they were somewhat familiar with this smell.
In contrast, Jiang Ci, after severely injuring two burly men, was not only unharmed but didn’t even have a drop of blood on her.
At this moment, Jiang Ci’s image in their minds instantly soared to two meters tall. Previously, she was a mysterious person of uncertain strength; now, she was a boss whose strength they weren’t sure extended to what level.
“Finally, we have meat!” Xu Ling’s cheerful voice interrupted the survivors’ various thoughts.
“Meat? What kind of meat?” Er Niu’s eyes lit up as he strode over.
“Fatty beef! Pork belly! Both are my favorites!” Er Niu was instantly delighted and quickly asked Xu Ling, who was in charge of ordering, to add a bit more to the quantities they had already jotted down.
In the end, they ordered thirty plates of fatty beef, thirty plates of pork belly, ten plates of potato slices, and rice for five people.
Jiang Ci charged them one fourth-level crystal core, three third-level crystal cores, and five second-level crystal cores, totaling thirteen thousand five hundred points.
When Jiang Ci went in to prepare the food, Chen Cheng and the others also noticed the boy hiding in the corner.
The pot on the other table was still simmering on low heat, but the table was empty, which was quite puzzling. It seemed this boy was the customer from that table.
After Jiang Ci brought out all the food, she noticed Chen Cheng and the others’ gazes still fixed on the little boy in the corner.
“By the way, is your base still accepting people?” Jiang Ci asked after some thought.
“Boss, are you planning to open a shop at our base?” Fang Qing looked at Jiang Ci with surprise.
Under the expectant gazes of several people, Jiang Ci shook her head. “Not me, but this child. He was kidnapped by those two men just now, has no relatives left, and nowhere to go. I was wondering if you could take him back and give him a place to stay.”
Chen Cheng glanced at the boy, who looked about fifteen or sixteen years old, with various wounds on his body. Even if Jiang Ci hadn’t mentioned it, they could roughly guess what had happened to him.
“We can, but we need to make a trip to City E. We’ll be back in three days at the earliest, so we’ll come to pick him up then,” Chen Cheng said.
“Alright, let him stay with me for a couple of days first then.” After resolving this matter, Jiang Ci felt a bit more at ease.
The secret of the shop was quite significant, and given her current limited capabilities, it was best not to expose it to others. Therefore, it was temporarily unsuitable for her to live with anyone else.
As if he heard everyone talking about him, the boy silently walked behind Jiang Ci and tugged at the corner of her clothes, looking at her with dependence and trust in his eyes.
Jiang Ci had rescued him from the abyss, becoming his light in the darkness. For the extremely anxious boy, tightly holding onto this light was the only way to make him feel somewhat at ease.
“They are all good people. When the time comes, you can follow them back to the base. Living with other people will also be beneficial for you,” Jiang Ci reassured him. “My place is too small, with only one habitable room, so I can’t take you in.”
The boy remained silent for a while before finally nodding.
“Alright, go eat now. Quickly finish the rest of your food; it’s been overcooked now,” Jiang Ci patted his hand.
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
The boy silently sat back down and began eating voraciously.
No matter how disappointed Chen Cheng and his companions were inwardly, they didn’t show it on their faces. Once the meat was served, they called everyone to start the meal.
As the fatty beef and pork belly entered their mouths, Chen Cheng and the others couldn’t help but stop talking. The potato slices already tasted great, but with the two types of meat, once it was cooked, it was even more delicious.
It was so fragrant that it could make one swallow their tongue. No wonder humans were often referred to as carnivores.
After so many years of not encountering meat, the deepest memories on their tongues were instantly awakened.
After finishing the hotpot, Chen Cheng and the others felt a surge of warmth in their bodies, as if they now had endless energy.
Jiang Ci still asked for feedback, and as expected, all were positive. Including the boy’s hesitant ‘delicious,’ Jiang Ci received a total of six compliments, and the task progress became (28/50).
After Chen Cheng and the others left, the boy helped Jiang Ci clean the table. After a long silence, he finally spoke, “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?” Jiang Ci raised an eyebrow slightly upon hearing his words as she came out of the kitchen.
“That person…” the boy paused, “I killed him.”
Jiang Ci showed no surprise on her face. “If you killed him then you killed him. They harmed your family; isn’t it only right for you to seek revenge?”
“I thought…” the boy continued, “I thought you would think I’m despicable and cowardly, only daring to deal with someone who had already lost the ability to retaliate.”
Jiang Ci wiped the water droplets from her hands. She noticed that the boy seemed to have some psychological issues now.
“You’re not cowardly at all; in fact, you’re quite remarkable,” Jiang Ci’s tone carried a hint of surprise, as if she was puzzled why he would say such things about himself. “I can’t even imagine how powerless I would feel facing two people who killed my family all by myself. Not only have you endured until now, but you also found an opportunity to fight back and avenge your family.”
Listening to Jiang Ci’s praise, the boy felt the weight in his heart slowly lifting.
Just as the two were talking, more people arrived at the shop. This time, it was still familiar faces: Zhou Lin, Xu Yan, and Gu Qi.
But this time, they weren’t alone. There were two unfamiliar faces as well, a man and a woman. They had arrived in a vehicle—a long, reinforced van.
“Boss, we’re back again,” Zhou Lin waved at Jiang Ci.
i’m craving haidilao so bad rn it’s not even funny
Old customers is always the best