Chapter 43 - 39: Gourmet Group

Chapter 43: Chapter 39: Gourmet Group

Ning He walked out of the private booth, clutching her bank card with its sharply depleted balance. The red-haired young man was still there.

Ning He was truly curious, so she asked the blonde girl next to her.

"Is this guy going out of the city too? It looked like you rejected him."

Annie looked helpless and explained softly.

"Yes. He previously went out of the city and ran off on his own, almost getting lost. He was put on the blacklist of the First Ring security companies, so we don’t dare take him either. But he’s dead set on going and has already come here several times."

’So that’s how it is.’

Going out of the city was already full of risks; a dangerous liability who ran around recklessly would indeed give anyone a headache.

It was none of her business anyway, so Ning He didn’t ask further. She confirmed her contact information and departure time with Annie before leaving.

Upon returning home, Ning He’s first order of business was to open the system and check the two newly detected species.

Like the mutated goat from before, the collection progress wasn’t at 100%, so the compendium photo was incomplete. However, its basic shape was discernible, and it was vastly different from the pigs Ning He knew. Ning He carefully read the text information below.

"Mutated Mountain Boar. Formed by a mixed mutation of wild boars and porcupines. Medium build, adult body weighing about two hundred kilograms. Adept at digging. Its body is covered in a layer of fine scales. High-temperature resistant. Omnivorous. Mainly lives in wetlands and valley regions. When attacked, its scales transform into spikes capable of piercing steel. Maximum running speed reaches 80 km/h. Highly aggressive. Husbandry Difficulty: Lv. 4."

"The meat is plump, tender, and rich in nutrients. Protein content is about 20%, fat content is about 15%. Rich in saturated fats and beneficial heme iron, zinc, selenium, B vitamins, and a small amount of vitamin D. Its bodily tissues contain mutated toxins and must be processed before consumption. Processing Method: Universal Type, requires 1,000 experience points to unlock. Recommended Cooking Methods: Stewing, boiling, hot pot, stir-frying, roasting, and pan-frying are all suitable."

Ning He understood; this meant the mountain boar meat would be delicious no matter how it was cooked!

’But it has toxins. No matter how good it smells, it’ll be hard to convince myself to take a bite.’

Thinking about the extra thousand original coins she had spent, it would be a huge loss if she really didn’t take a single bite when the time came.

Ning He stared at the system page for a moment. Finally, gritting her teeth, she clicked the "Unlock" button.

So far, she had accumulated a total of 1,360 experience points through collecting entries for the compendium and her daily routine of planting and harvesting vegetables in the black mud. The screen flashed, and now only 360 points remained.

Meanwhile, under the mountain boar’s introduction, an extra row of red text appeared in the processing method line.

After Ning He finished reading it carefully, her expression became a little strange.

She opened the mutated goat’s text description again, and the processing method was exactly the same.

’Fine, although it looks a bit gross, it’s still better than being poisonous.’

Ning He flipped to the information on the other mutated flying bird. When she saw the line, "The meat in the middle wings is of superb quality," she swallowed a large gulp of saliva.

’Hopefully, I can run into it on this trip out so I can gorge myself on it.’

’One thousand original coins! I need to eat at least 999 worth back!’

Afterward, Ning He went upstairs to check on the vegetable garden’s growth.

Looking at how well they were growing, she estimated they would be ready to harvest and make into sauce in three days. By then, her bank account would recover some funds.

Connie’s Noodle House had been shut down, so her street vending permit had to be reapplied for. It should be approved in the next few days, which would bring in another source of income.

Coupled with the monthly income from the cafeteria stall, she figured earning three or four thousand a month wouldn’t be a problem.

Once that happened, she could schedule regular out-of-city excursions to collect species for the compendium.

’However, I have no idea what the situation is like outside the city, or if this security company is reliable. If the risk is too high, it still can’t be a permanent option.’

Having mentally tallied up her tasks for the next few days, Ning He’s stomach started to feel a bit hungry. She got up, grabbed a potato from the fridge, scooped out a bowl of flour, and quickly pan-fried a plate of shredded potato pancakes. Served with a glass of lemonade and a bowl of vanilla-flavored nutrient powder, it made for quite a delicious meal.

The TV was tuned to the news channel. The female anchor was reporting on the incoming thunderstorm.

"...The Security Defense Agency has, according to protocol, erected lightning rods in designated areas inside and outside the city. The deployment was uniformly completed by the Mecha forces and has now entered the testing phase..."

The footage cut to a location outside the city, showing a massive armored vehicle and a thirty-meter-tall iron tower. No, to be precise, it looked more like an iron pillar with a tapered tip, pointing straight into the sky.

"Regarding the preparations for the thunderstorm, we interviewed Lieutenant Colonel Jean Leo and asked him to give us a detailed introduction."

A familiar, resolute face appeared on the television, and Ning He couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

’This guy is never absent at times like this.’

’No wonder everyone is so enthusiastic about him.’

Ning He didn’t feel sour about it anymore; he had earned this preferential treatment with his own abilities.

She was thoroughly convinced.

Ning He listened for a while as she ate. After confirming that the intensity of this thunderstorm wasn’t too great and the danger level wasn’t high, she changed the channel with peace of mind.

"...In the new election, Councilor Jin Carolin won by a unanimous, overwhelming landslide to be elected as the new Director of the Biological Safety Bureau, becoming the youngest person in history to hold this position..."

"Huh, I feel like I’ve seen this woman somewhere before."

Ning He looked at the sharp woman on the screen with short brown hair, who appeared to be in her early thirties. She searched her memory carefully and finally remembered.

’Isn’t this the woman who was sitting in the military pickup truck the day we came out of the shelter?’

’To think she was a big shot.’

Recalling the scene of her raising a hand to comfort the little girl, Ning He narrowed her eyes.

’Holding such a high position at such a young age, she must be quite formidable. She looks serious and unsmiling, but she’s actually quite approachable.’

Ning He listened to the female executive’s achievements for a while, then switched to the music channel. She washed the dishes and took a shower while listening to songs, drawing the curtains and going to bed before six o’clock.

At 1:30 AM, Ning He left the house on time.

Business at the cafeteria was very stable. The cadets’ enthusiasm also drew the curiosity of some instructors and professors. Every day, people would come to the window to buy a little something to taste, and some even packed food to take back to their families.

Once the menu items were finalized, sales gradually stabilized. Fried dough sticks sold the most, followed by the fermented rice wine with sweet dumplings. The lowest-selling item was the plain rice cake. Those who liked rice cakes were willing to spend a little extra for the rice wine and red bean paste flavors, so Ning He simply canceled the plain version, saving herself some prep time.

Before getting off work, Uncle Wood approached Ning He, wanting to buy some rice wine separately from her. Because selling alcohol required a special permit, Uncle Wood pulled her aside privately and spoke in a whisper.

"...Two bottles will do. Next month is my thirtieth wedding anniversary with your aunt, and we plan to celebrate at home. Just charge me the normal price; your uncle can still afford this much."

This served as a wake-up call for Ning He. She cursed herself for being stupid and forgetting about such a great business opportunity. After agreeing to Uncle Wood’s request, Ning He went straight from the cafeteria to buy several airtight buckets, a secondhand temperature-control box, and 15kg of rice.

’Why buy only 15kg?’

Because she was broke again.

After finishing buying rice at about forty a kilogram, her card only had 130 original coins left.

Fortunately, there were vegetables in the fridge, she still had two boxes of nutrient powder in stock, and she didn’t have to pay rent for the time being. She could get by.

Ning He had just set the rice to soak when a piercing alarm tore through the roof and walls, drilling into her ears.

The thunderstorm was here!

Ning He quickly shut off the main power switch in the house, just as she had been taught on TV, and moved closer to the window to check the situation outside.

At some unknown point, it had already turned pitch black outside.

Not far away, a massive, endless expanse of black storm clouds was rolling toward Beiluo City.

The billowing clouds churned, approaching at an extreme speed that was almost visible to the naked eye.

Streaks of lightning, winding like earthworms, flashed one after another.

Gradually, the distinct rumble of muffled thunder could be heard in her ears.

The black clouds bore down upon the city, threatening to crush it.

This was the oppressive threat of death from nature itself.

Ning He couldn’t help but feel tense, swallowing hard through her dry throat.

Fortunately, the lightning rods everywhere were already in place. The community where Ning He lived also had one, which offered a sliver of reassurance.

A blinding flash of light swept past Ning He’s eyes.

Beiluo City was now completely enveloped by the thunderstorm clouds.

In an instant, countless bolts of lightning poked their heads out from the clouds. Some were as thick as bowls, while others were as thin as gossamer threads, all crashing down toward the ground with thousands of tons of force.

Countless claps of terrifying thunder exploded in her ears.

Terrified, Ning He instantly yanked her head back, scrambled onto her bed, and burrowed beneath the covers.

’Mom, it’s so scary! I want to go home!’