Chapter 37: Eating Hot Pot in Winter is Pure Enjoyment!

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Eating Hot Pot in Winter is Pure Enjoyment!

As soon as the weather turned cold, Liang He wanted to eat hot pot.

The twin-flavor pot and hot pot soup base she had ordered from Blue Star a while ago had just arrived. Liang He made the decision right then and there: they were having a hot pot feast!

"Interstellar Super Express is indeed fast. It truly lives up to being a product of our home."

Liang He looked with satisfaction at the tightly packaged pots, bowls, and ladles. Thanks to her family backing her up, she really wouldn’t be able to enjoy the fun of interstellar online shopping otherwise.

"Oh right, this Interstellar Super Express was apparently developed and founded by Blue Star."

Hearing that Liang He was about to make another delicacy they had never seen or eaten before, a crowd gathered once again in front of the monitors in the control room.

"Rumor has it that Blue Star’s online shopping industry is highly developed. People can buy whatever they want without leaving their homes, which leads to a massive demand for express delivery."

"Exactly. The predecessor of Interstellar Super Express was supposedly a merger of several large delivery companies. Many of the specialized delivery devices they developed were even requisitioned by the Federation Army!"

"That impressive? Really? Then the Blue Star people’s technology isn’t too backward after all. No wonder they became a member of the Federation shortly after joining the interstellar community."

As an ancient planet, Blue Star wasn’t discovered by the interstellar community at first. Even when its existence was finally noticed, it wasn’t given much attention. It wasn’t until barely half a year later, when Blue Star forcefully joined the Federation and even became a planet with a voice, that it became widely known to the public.

"Of course it’s true! I looked into Blue Star culture before and found out that Interstellar Super Express spent a massive amount of time and energy on research and development just to deliver packages to customers as fast as possible. But then their tech kept getting requisitioned. The Blue Star people felt it was a waste of talent and even made fun of them for it. It was hilarious."

As the people in the control room watched Liang He chop and prep the vegetables, they enthusiastically discussed Blue Star’s delivery industry. Some were already itching to give it a try, planning to download a shopping app on their Light Brains after work to experience Blue Star’s delivery culture for themselves.

"Huh? Isn’t that the district chief? Wow, he’s actually secretly hogging all the good food behind our backs!"

On the surveillance screen, Huo An opened the door to the drying room and let out three large beasts. He watched calmly as Hoder was "hunted down" before slowly making his way to find Liang He.

"ROAR!"

"AHHH! Huo An! You bastard! Liang He, save me!"

Watching his foolish nephew being chased all over the place, Huo An curled his lips in a good mood, completely unconcerned about Hoder’s life or death.

Attracted by Hoder’s heart-wrenching screams, Liang He tilted her head and peered out the door. Once she confirmed that Cedriel and the others’ fur was completely dry, she felt relieved.

"Hurry back after you play for a bit! Don’t catch a cold!"

Well, Liang He didn’t care much about Hoder’s life or death either; she was only afraid that the Beast Beasts would catch a cold.

Instantly abandoned by the two of them, Hoder wanted to cry but had no tears. He didn’t even have time to grieve. When he couldn’t run anymore, he was still ruthlessly herded along by the Mengji Snow Leopard.

"AWOO!"

"MEOW!"

"SCREECH!"

That was what he got for showing off while they were getting their fur dried! Taking a little punk like him down was a piece of cake.

"Do you need me to help with anything?" Huo An asked.

Huo An and Liang He returned to the kitchen. Since they were having hot pot, the main tasks were washing and chopping, followed by stir-frying the hot pot soup base and mixing a dipping sauce.

"Then I’ll have to trouble Brother Hao to help me chop the vegetables. I’m going to check on the clear broth."

"Alright."

Considering they couldn’t handle spicy food very well, Liang He prepared a twin-flavor pot. The clear broth simmered from bones could not only be used to cook the vegetables but also drunk directly. Now that the weather had turned cold, a bowl of hot soup in the stomach felt truly comforting.

By the time Liang He and Huo An had the hot pot all set up, the Canglan Hunting Eagle and the others had also had enough of playing with Hoder. They returned to the warm indoors and began enjoying the dinner Liang He had prepared for them.

"Wow, it’s so delicious! So this is what hot pot is!" Overloaded with physical exertion, Hoder forgave Liang He for leaving him for dead the moment his first bite of hot pot went down.

However, he still gritted his teeth in hatred toward Huo An, the instigator of it all. While gnawing on a large bone, he glared viciously at Huo An, imagining his uncle was the bone in his hands.

"The taste is indeed very special. It’s delicious."

Ever since Liang He arrived at the reserve, everyone had gradually been influenced by her and fallen in love with Blue Star delicacies. At everyone’s request, Huo An had even specially hired chefs from Blue Star and built a cafeteria. Now, every mealtime was bustling with activity, with no empty seats in sight.

"I’m glad you like it. Eat more, there are drinks too!"

A steaming hot pot paired with refreshing drinks—one gulp, and it felt absolutely amazing!

Liang He purposely taught them some tips for eating hot pot. She knew the control room was definitely watching and might ask the cafeteria to make hot pot later, so she treated it as a teaching session.

"Okay."

A meal of hot pot left the humans completely satisfied. Not far away, the Beast Beasts who had been eating meat and gnawing on bones were now lying on their backs, all four paws in the air, falling into a food coma.

"Liang He, there is something I need to talk to you about."

When Huo An spoke with a serious expression, Hoder consciously began clearing the dining table, saving Liang He the trouble so she could hurry up and take this "bad guy" away.

"Brother Hao, what is it that makes you so serious?"

Liang He followed Huo An to an open space outdoors. Although the surveillance cameras could still capture them, they couldn’t pick up what was being said.

"You should have realized by now that you yourself are different when it comes to animals, right?"

After a long period of observation and interaction, Huo An knew very well that Liang He was a smart person. Therefore, he chose a straightforward approach to be completely honest with her.

Just as Huo An expected, his generous directness made Liang He, who had originally wanted to find an excuse, raise her eyebrows slightly and nod with a soft smile.

"Yes, I have always known."

If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have been so reckless as to step forward without a shred of fear the moment she saw the Mojin King Tiger and the others.

"Then you should also know that we are a royal key reserve affiliated with the Federation. Every move made here gets reported upwards."

Liang He already had a rough idea of what Huo An was going to say next. "Are you trying to tell me that I have become a key target of the Federation’s attention?"

"Not only that. The Rebel Army is also keeping an eye on you."

As far as he knew, Kuang Ye being severely injured by the Rebel Army this time was a joint effort by two different rebel factions. One of their most important goals was to verify Liang He’s special influence on Evolutionary Beastmen. The Rebel Army had always wanted to overthrow the Federation. Not only had they created the Fierce Beast Army, but they were also trying to research methods to counter SSS-level Beastmen. Liang He’s appearance undoubtedly gave them a massive ray of hope.

Huo An kept his voice low, but his gaze remained fixed on Liang He, not missing a single expression on her face. "The three people who sneaked into the service area in the middle of the night previously, as well as the spaceship that attacked when you were heading to Star D139, were all sent by the Rebel Army."

According to the confessions of the three captured individuals, their main mission was to abduct Liang He. As for extracting the blood of an SSS-level Beastman, that was merely a side mission.

"And so?"

Liang He had long since made her own judgment regarding this matter, but she didn’t consider it a threat. At least to her, it didn’t pose one.

Her reaction was a bit beyond Huo An’s expectations. He pressed his lips tightly together, pondered for a long moment, and finally spoke.

"I want to ask the Federation Army to protect you, but you will need to pass the Federation’s vetting process."