Chapter 14 - 13: Stunning

Chapter 14: Chapter 13: Stunning

Five portions of meat sauce noodles.

Each strand of noodle was distinct, topped with a large scoop of thick, bright red sauce. The rich minced meat and soft-boiled diced vegetables inside were clearly visible.

The most impossible thing to ignore and resist was the tangy, savory aroma that assaulted the senses.

The moment the aroma permeated their nasal cavities, the stifling heat brought by the high temperatures was instantly pushed back. Their intense appetites were stimulated, and their mouths immediately filled with saliva.

Almost in unison, the five people picked up their chopsticks.

They coated every noodle strand with the rich sauce. As their chopsticks tossed the food, the aroma spread even faster, causing uncontrollable salivation. Swallowing while stirring, they finally couldn’t wait any longer and grabbed large mouthfuls to stuff into their mouths.

Delicious...

Satisfying...

Their bodies, exhausted from a long day, were soothed by the sweet and sour fruity fragrance of the tomatoes. Their hungry stomachs let out sighs of satisfaction under the comfort of the meaty aroma and carbohydrates.

The sauce was thick and silky, employing every means to tease their taste buds. The small granules of minced meat made chewing a fun experience.

After swallowing a bite, a slightly sour, sweet, and mellow umami flavor lingered on their lips and teeth, along with a hint of a refreshing lemon aftertaste.

The five pairs of chopsticks shifted into automatic gear.

Bite after bite, they couldn’t stop.

In almost the blink of an eye, their bowls were empty.

Then they carefully picked out the remaining sauce and minced meat at the bottom until the bowls looked as clean as if they had been washed.

They still hadn’t had enough.

’I really want another bowl!’

The dark, thin young man referred to as the captain thought of something, raised his hand, and waved in Connie’s direction.

"Boss, can we get another portion of both items to go?"

"Of course."

Connie quickly dug out two takeout containers and packed up the remaining salad and meat sauce noodles.

"How much is it in total?"

The dark, thin young man glanced at the menu but couldn’t find the corresponding prices.

"Both are our new items. The salad is forty original coins, and the meat sauce noodles are fifty original coins a portion. The total is three hundred and eighty, but I’ll give you a discount and make it three hundred and fifty."

This price was decided just now after Connie discussed it with Ah Huai.

The salad portions were large and included egg whites, plus the cost of mayonnaise wasn’t low either. A gross profit of about forty percent on forty original coins met the industry regulations for a third-level restaurant. The meat sauce noodles were the same. Generous amounts of meat and sauce were given, so the profit on fifty original coins wasn’t even as high as the salad’s.

However, for a restaurant in the Fourth Ring, a fifty-coin dish was already at the absolute limit. Any higher, and there would be no market for it.

Clearly, the dark, thin young man didn’t find the price to be a problem. In fact, such a dinner—complete with vegetables, meat, and eggs, rich in nutrition, and possessing top-tier flavor—was simply an unexpected surprise.

Compared to the restaurants in the Third Ring, it was much more affordable.

Paying readily, the dark, thin young man took the takeout bags and left with his several companions, completely satisfied.

"They’re so rich, dropping three or four hundred coins just like that on a meal. Meanwhile, I can’t even bear to buy an egg. I feel a bit resentful, what should I do?"

Connie, who was clearing the tables, glanced at Ning He. Seeing her utterly envious expression, she chuckled.

"They are elites of the Mecha Academy, carrying out extremely dangerous missions. The safety of the entire Beiluo City relies on them, so how could they be poor? If they couldn’t even afford food worth a few dozen coins, word would get out and people would laugh at our city for not being able to feed its own soldiers."

’So that’s how it is. It seems the students of the Mecha Academy have boundless prospects. No wonder the original owner insisted on clinging to her ex. At least she had some decent taste.’

’In the future, when I go to the Academy cafeteria, I’ll definitely have to build good relationships with a few people. Completing the system’s illustrated handbook missions might just depend on a little nepotism.’

"Don’t just stand there, come help clean up! We have to wake up early tomorrow to simmer the sauce!"

At Connie’s urging, Ning He quickly reigned in her thoughts.

"Alright, coming!"

＊＊＊＊

It was already ten o’clock at night, and the control room at the very center of the command post was still brightly lit.

The staff responsible for the shelter operations and material dispatch worked in three shifts, ensuring the normal functioning of the entire city’s underground life.

On the other side of the control room was the wartime conference room. Under a state of emergency, all important decisions were made in this room.

At this moment, Leo was still in the conference room.

Projected on the screen was a city defense map of Beiluo City, which bore some special markings.

Today, the surface temperature inside the city had exceeded the threshold, triggering over a dozen fires. Fortunately, the city’s early warning system reacted fast enough, and the ground troops arrived in time to control the blazes; otherwise, the losses would have inevitably been massive.

However, the extreme temperatures were still persisting, and tomorrow’s situation would be even more critical. He needed to ensure all preparations were complete without any omissions.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK."

A knock came from the door.

"Come in."

Leo withdrew his gaze and looked toward the door.

The command post had a strict security system. Aside from the staff, only a few VIPs had clearance to enter the control room area.

’I wonder who is coming over at this hour.’

"I knew you’d be working overtime again, kid."

An old man with a full white beard pushed the door open and entered, lifting the items in his hand toward Leo.

"Jack bought some good food and wanted to give it to you. He couldn’t find anyone in the break room, and I just happened to run into him, so I delivered it for him."

Leo’s gaze landed on the food containers in the bag, and he smiled faintly.

"That kid is quite thoughtful."

The old man let out a huff. "Do you think everyone is like you, with nothing but work on their minds? From the looks of it, you haven’t eaten much today again, have you? Hurry up and fill your stomach first."

The old man beckoned, pulled up a chair, sat down, and took the items out to arrange them on the table. Leo turned off the projector, sat opposite him, and took the chopsticks.

"This silly kid, why did he buy a salad? Since when does he like munching on veggies?"

The old man opened the first container. Seeing a patch of glossy green, he couldn’t help but blow on his beard in disgust and pushed the container to the side.

When the second container was opened, the sight of plain, bare noodles almost made the old man’s eyes pop out of his head.

"Did the kid buy the wrong thing? Which restaurant has such terrible standards? They actually dare to sell this kind of boiled noodles?"

"It’s right here."

Leo pulled out a container of sauce that had been pushed aside into the corner of the bag and casually opened it.

Both of them froze at the same time.

It was a striking, dark red, thick sauce. Its texture was very dense, and on top floated an enticing layer of red oil.

Following that was an impossible-to-ignore savory aroma.

"This smell... it’s a lot like a type of meat sauce noodles I used to eat in Central City." The old man stroked his beard, took a deep breath, and reminisced. "It definitely can’t compare to that place, but it doesn’t look bad. Hurry up and eat."

Stimulated by the tangy, savory aroma of the sauce, the forgotten sense of hunger within Leo’s body suddenly swept over him violently. He poured the sauce into the noodles, mixed it a few times, and swallowed a large mouthful.

Leo had always been very casual about his appetite; he was the type of person who wouldn’t mind eating nutritional paste all day long.

But this single bite of noodles caused his expression to undergo a few changes.

A bit of surprise, a bit of approval.

"Oh, it seems it suits your taste. That kid Jack does have some good judgment."

Seeing Leo’s satisfaction, the old man spoke with a chuckle.

Leo didn’t speak, just eating the noodles in large bites.

The old man, watching him, actually felt a bit hungry himself. Only then did he notice there was another container of sauce in the bag, which must be meant for the salad.

’Forget it, I’m getting older, eating some greens is fine too.’

Opening the container, the old man grabbed a small celery stick, dipped it in the sauce, and took a bite.

In the next second, his gray-blue eyes lit up.

Leo ate very fast, finishing a bowl of noodles in just a few minutes. Looking up, he was slightly taken aback.

Sitting opposite him, the esteemed former dean of the Mecha Academy was currently munching on the salad at an astonishing speed.

This surprised Leo greatly.

In his memory, this prominent figure had been a picky eater who loved meat his entire life. When he was young, he only decided to stay at the Academy because the food there was good.

’Why is he actively eating vegetables right now, and doing so with such relish?’

Having satisfied his cravings, Leitel contentedly swallowed the last bite of egg white. Looking at the now-empty sauce container, he felt a rare wave of embarrassment.

"Well, you know, I had a medical checkup a few days ago, and the doctor said I needed to eat more vegetables. Sigh, you know my wife’s temper. I’m just doing this to fulfill my mission."

"Alright, I won’t bother you anymore. You keep working. The safety of Beiluo City depends on you!"

Leitel patted Leo’s shoulder, casually gathered up the empty food containers on the table, and swaggered out of the office.

After walking out of the command post, Leitel went to a trash can. Seeing that no one was around, he dug out the food containers from the bag and memorized the name on them:

Jinji Meat Sauce Noodle House

’Hmm, I’ll go check it out tomorrow.’