[Here we go! He's the first of this batch of newcomers to start a dungeon!]
[Whoa—there are so many people in a newcomer's livestream. Looks like this is going to blow up.]
[Did you just get here? Most of us are here to watch this prisoner die. I bet he won't survive the first day!]
[By the way, which one is the streamer? Why am I watching from a third-person perspective?]
Once the number of viewers in the livestream stopped rising, an announcement appeared at the top of the screen:
[This dungeon is in hidden mode. The prisoner has chosen to conceal his identity. Viewers may vote to guess his identity. After the dungeon ends, viewers who guessed correctly will share a reward equal to 5% of the points the prisoner earned in this dungeon.]
Once most of the viewers had seen the announcement, the comments flew by even faster.
[Holy crap, this newcomer's something else. How confident is he in his acting? Does he think we won't figure it out in seven days?]
[He's just an egomaniac. A newcomer has to survive seven days and play an NPC without giving himself away? If he pulls that off, I'll eat my housekeeper robot!]
[Having second thoughts, are you? At least eat something bigger. A housekeeper robot's no bigger than your palm. Got the guts to eat a companion robot instead?]
At some point, the comments had veered off topic.
After Xie Qi clicked confirm, his body in the outside world fell to the ground, landing face down.
Xie Qi had now entered the dungeon. Although it was a game, AI technology in this world had reached such an advanced level that the naked eye could not tell the difference between his body in the dungeon and his body outside. Even his senses and other sensations felt extremely real.
Besides filling his mind with information about his NPC identity and skills, the system also informed him that his livestream currently had a popularity value of 500, ranking him first among the newcomers.
The baffling notification caught Xie Qi off guard. He had watched livestreams before. Did this mean people were watching him right now?
[Main quest activated. Side quest 1 detected: prepare a perfect dinner for the guests (0/7)]
[Today's side quest rewards: points +10, Chef's Knife (fine quality) ×1]
[Prisoner, please put on a splendid performance and strive to earn tips from viewers for a chance to win a mysterious prize.]
While Xie Qi was still absorbed in the vast amount of information in his head, a hoarse, deep voice suddenly sounded beside him. "Head chef? What's wrong?"
He came to his senses and found himself in a spacious, tidy kitchen. A gaunt man in a white chef's uniform stood beside him, his cheeks sunken and his eyes bulging. The man gave off a sinister, eerie air as he stared straight at Xie Qi and asked the question.
Keeping his expression unchanged, Xie Qi replied that he was fine. He looked down, only to find both his hands covered in blood. Scattered pieces of meat lay on the worktable before him, their original shape still faintly discernible.
Could the task the system had just issued really be asking him to use this to make dinner?
As Xie Qi considered it, a low, raspy male voice sounded beside his ear:
"Head chef, are you scared?"
The man pressed close against Xie Qi, as though the moment he showed any sign of panic, the man would strangle him with those bony hands.
Was this the legendary up-close kill?
If he showed any sign that something was wrong now, this NPC would probably kill him on the spot, wouldn't he?
Immediately realizing the situation he was in, Xie Qi merely smiled.
He slowly raised his right hand and, under the man's gaze, opened his mouth and licked the fresh blood off his glove. Smiling, he said to the man:
"I was just doing my best not to waste such excellent ingredients. Don't you agree?"
Not only was the NPC across from him caught off guard by Xie Qi's actions, but even the well-seasoned viewers were dumbstruck.
[Holy fucking shit! This guy's such a freak! Mommy, help me, my eyes!]
[I was just wondering whether the streamer might be this chef. Well, we can rule one out!]
[I... barf!!!]
[The chance of drawing this head chef was low to begin with, and you could say he's the hardest role to play in this dungeon. There's no way it's him.]
The man hadn't expected Xie Qi to do that. With a complicated look in his eyes, he silently backed away a few steps and went to another cutting board to prepare ingredients.
Xie Qi saw that the man was handling vegetables and desserts, while he alone had meat. He realized he was the "head chef" specifically in charge of preparing the meat.
The fresh blood he had tasted hadn't brought the expected bloody tang. Instead, it was like licking flavorless water, leaving Xie Qi somewhat puzzled.
Then, under the watchful eyes of the commenters and the man, who was secretly watching him, he used a small knife to cut a piece of meat from the arm, put it in his mouth, and chewed.
Man: ...
[Comments: ...]
The viewers' san points were nearly depleted by him, yet Xie Qi remained perfectly calm.
There was no flavor in his mouth, as if he had eaten a piece of rubber.
Having tested and found that this body had no sense of taste, Xie Qi stopped doing anything unusual to scare them.
The man beside him watched his actions in silence for a long time before saying with difficulty, "The master saved these ingredients to serve the guests. Head chef, please don't eat them all."
Xie Qi was taken aback. He had only wanted to test the condition of his body. Had his performance been so perfect that the NPC actually thought he intended to eat all the meat?
Remembering his identity, Xie Qi smiled faintly, but his tone was stern and cold. "Nikalos, remember your place. Everything in this kitchen is done my way. Have you settled on the menu for your part? Bring it here and let me see."
The head chef held a high position here. As soon as Xie Qi spoke, the man hurriedly picked up the menu and handed it to him.
Seeing that it contained nothing but vegetable platters, snacks, and desserts, Xie Qi realized he would apparently have to handle all the main dishes himself.
Fortunately, after he drew the identity card, he had inherited all the skills the original body possessed. Preparing a French meal was no great difficulty.
He picked through the items on the cutting board as casually as if he were choosing chicken or pork, sending the viewers who could no longer bear it scrambling out of his perspective.
Livestreams generally played from the streamer's first-person perspective, though viewers could also switch to a god's-eye view or choose to watch from an NPC's perspective. However, once they chose a perspective, they could not switch to another for an hour. That was why the viewers who had just watched Xie Qi's every move couldn't bear it but hadn't left yet.
So as soon as the time was up, more than half the viewers left Xie Qi's livestream. Those who remained were either fans of the bizarre or people who wanted to see what other outrageous stunts the head chef would pull.
Xie Qi naturally had no idea what the viewers were thinking. Of course, even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. He was busy trying to recall a television drama he had watched before, hoping to imitate the dishes its male lead had made.
When he had watched it, he had wanted to taste those dishes. Although he could no longer taste them now, he had an opportunity to recreate them one by one.
For the appetizer, he would start with pan-seared foie gras, plated with blueberries and figs to whet the guests' appetites.
Next, he would serve broth to warm their stomachs.
For the main course, he would make pan-fried lamb, paired with red wine to balance its richness.
Then came a fruit platter and vegetable salad as intermediate courses.
Finally, he would serve dessert and coffee to bring the meal to a perfect close.
A gleaming chef's knife reflected Xie Qi's face in its blade, making it look somewhat distorted. With a thud, the nine-inch blade plunged into a blood-red chunk of meat.
Ignoring the somewhat frightened looks from the kitchen assistants around him, Xie Qi smiled in satisfaction.
"Dear guests, please enjoy this feast for the taste buds to your hearts' content!"