Chapter 358: Soft-shelled Turtle and Chicken Stew

Chapter 358: Chapter 358: Soft-shelled Turtle and Chicken Stew

Seeing this, the onlookers immediately spoke up for Boss Hart. The two sides even started arguing, and Lily Hart used the opportunity to slip into the kitchen.

She let out a sigh of relief. Donnie had silently come up behind her.

"Boss Hart, how about you try this dish?" Donnie said.

Lily Hart’s attention was mostly captured by the food, but she was still keeping an ear on what was happening outside.

’They’re clearly beneficiaries too, so why are they so eager to attack the other side without understanding the full picture?’

’These people are so strange...’

"Boss Hart?" Donnie called out again, seeing her spacing out.

"Huh? Oh, right." Lily Hart snapped back to reality and looked at the large pot he was holding. It had a rich, savory, soy-sauce-like aroma.

’There’s chicken, winter melon, and... soft-shelled turtle?’

’Is this a turtle and chicken hot pot? There were soft-shelled turtles in the fridge?! Incredible!’

Seeming to notice Lily Hart’s confusion, Donnie explained, "I bought the turtle from that app."

"Ohh~" Lily Hart nodded, completely understanding.

Donnie placed the pot on the island counter and got a bowl and chopsticks for Lily Hart. "Quick, try some. I’m working on a menu. I want to have a dozen or so home-style dishes so people have options."

"But if people want something custom, that’s fine too. If there’s a specific dish they’re craving, they can just ask, and if I know how to make it, I will!" Once Donnie started talking, he couldn’t stop.

Lily Hart nodded, pulled up a stool to sit, and picked up a tender piece of chicken.

It was perfectly seasoned and full of a rich, savory flavor.

Then she tried a piece of winter melon that had been stewed until it was perfectly soft. Wow, now *this* was true flavor. It melted in her mouth, carrying the delicate, fresh taste of the melon.

She gave Donnie a thumbs-up. "This is really good. How did you make it?"

"It’s simple! You just chop the chicken and the turtle, then put the turtle in a pot of cold water, bring it to a boil, take it out..." His explanation seemed to go on for a very, very long time.

As soon as Lily Hart heard this, her head started to spin. "Okay, okay, it’s fine. I’ll just look up a recipe online later."

Donnie’s eyebrows shot up. "How could that do? I already know how to make it! Boss Hart, if you want to eat it, I’ll just make it and deliver it to you!"

"No need, I have several great chefs at home," Lily Hart politely declined.

But Donnie didn’t get the hint and kept insisting, "I’m a fast cook! Anytime you want to eat, just give me a shout. I’ll whip it up and send it over right away. It’ll be super quick, no trouble at all!"

Lily Hart just smiled and agreed, deciding it was best to change the subject.

"So, what’s the status of your private chef idea? How come you’re not open for business today?"

Donnie waved his hand and chuckled. "Ah, I just want to get a little more practice in. I don’t want to make something that tastes bad and ruin both our reputations~"

That made sense. Lily Hart fell silent for a moment, her gaze shifting from his face and unconsciously drifting toward the scene outside.

One look and she jumped in surprise—a fight had broken out at some point!

The soundproofing on the glass room was too good; she hadn’t heard a single thing. A moment ago, her view had also been mostly blocked by Donnie and the refrigerator.

She shot to her feet, strode forward, and opened the door to go outside.

They were fighting with considerable energy, but it was also a bit childish. It didn’t look like anyone was trying to land a killing blow.

She stood in the doorway, watching for a moment, and could faintly make out what they were yelling.

"I won’t let you talk about Boss Hart like that! She’s a good person!"

"Good person, my ass! Her ambition is bigger than the sky! She wants a piece of every pie!"

"It’s not hurting you, so why are you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong? I think you’re just jealous!"

"Do you have any idea what will happen to those remote regions, the bases Boss Hart hasn’t visited? What are they supposed to do without a resource exchange depot?!"

"I’ve never seen you act so charitable! What a bleeding heart!"

Hearing this, Lily Hart felt a jolt. ’He’s right. There are so many Cathaya Bases—hundreds, even thousands, that I’ve never been to.’

’If The Mysterious Clan is really ruthless enough to pull the resource exchange depots from all the bases, what will those people do?’

In some remote areas, only a minority of people had a Light Brain; they relied entirely on those expensive supplies to survive.

Every day, they had to fight desperately, killing zombies just to exchange for a small amount of supplies to fill their stomachs.

She looked down and sent a message to Elder Shaw: [Do you have the contact information for all the Base Commanders? Send me a copy. Or at least the bases where the resource exchange depots have been removed.]

Elder Shaw replied quickly, sending over several spreadsheets.

One was a list of all currently registered official bases.

One was a list of bases from which The Mysterious Clan had already removed their resource exchange depots.

And one was a file detailing the faction alignments of all official bases.

Right now, they were broadly divided into five factions: Elder Shaw, the White Family, the Rivers Family, the Shaw Family, and the O’Malley Family.

Publicly, however, there were only two major powers: Elder Shaw and The Mysterious Clan.

The spreadsheets also contained the contact information for each Base Commander, a brief personal profile, and so on...

While many survivors might not have a Light Brain, the Base Commanders certainly did, for ease of communication.

She gave the files a quick scan. By the time she looked up again, the fight had stopped, and pairs of eyes were all fixed on her.

Lily Hart blinked a couple of times. ’It would be pointless to say anything more. They’ll just think I’m making empty promises.’

’Once everything is arranged, they’ll see for themselves.’

"It’s getting late, everyone should head home," Lily Hart said politely. "Or you could buy a few more scratch-off tickets, that’s an option too."

Some people laughed, others pursed their lips grimly, and a few gave her scrutinizing looks. Lily Hart pretended not to notice, holding her head high as she walked toward her RV.

They would be closing up soon, and she needed to study this list carefully.

First, she would add the contact info for all the Base Commanders who had clearly sided with Elder Shaw. That would make it easier to contact them all at once later.

This step alone was exhausting—there were three hundred and sixty-five of them in total.

There were also some bases that remained neutral, not clearly siding with either Central Command or Elder Shaw.

But there weren’t many of these, only ten or twenty.

Then there were the fence-sitters. One year they’d see Elder Shaw gaining momentum and eagerly show their support, and the next they’d decide The Mysterious Clan looked better and immediately switch allegiances.

The ones she was adding were all confirmed allies of Elder Shaw.

After adding all three hundred and sixty-five, Lily Hart put down her Light Brain and went to take a shower.

When she came out toweling her hair dry, she saw her Light Brain vibrating nonstop. It had already shaken its way from her pillow to the edge of the bed.

She wrapped her wet hair in a dry cap and plopped down on the bed.

She picked up her Light Brain, unlocked it with a smooth swipe, and—wow. Most of the people she had just added had already accepted her friend request.

Her display name was simply "Lily Hart," so it was very conspicuous. It would have been hard for them not to know who it was.

Or perhaps Elder Shaw had already told them something. She casually scrolled through the messages.

They were either respectful greetings, invitations for her to visit their bases, or inquiries about procuring supplies.

’I miscalculated,’ she thought. ’I added way too many at once. I can’t possibly reply to all of them.’

There was no other way; she would just have to reply one by one. Lily Hart leaned back against her headboard, scrolled to the very bottom of the list, and forced herself to focus.

’Time to socialize!’

After replying to a dozen or so, the ones she had already answered started messaging her again, leaving her completely bewildered. Luckily, their usernames were all in the format of "Base Name + Personal Name."

Otherwise, she would have had to add a custom note for each one, and she was worried she would get them all mixed up.

’I can’t keep going on like this!’