"There was only one slice of pizza left, but you were a guest from afar, so you should have it." Schiller turned on the kitchen valve, heated the pan, warmed up the pizza, poured two glasses of water, and carried them to the table.
Bruce sat at one end of the dining table, staring at the steaming pizza without the slightest appetite. He was far more concerned about the chair that had lost both its legs; it seemed more important than any food.
But physical needs could not be overcome by sheer willpower. Bruce really was hungry. Over the past two days, he had eaten only a little conch and kelp. He could not resist the tempting aroma of modern industrial food, and so, with trembling hands, he picked up a slice of pizza and put it into his mouth.
Every standard apartment in Hell's Kitchen had a refrigerator. The reason this was possible was Dense Ice. Refrigeration technology had changed dramatically, lowering costs while improving preservation.
The pizza therefore tasted excellent, as though it had just come out of the oven. Schiller sat across from him and watched him eat. Bruce mechanically stuffed the pizza into his mouth. After finishing half of it, he asked, "Aren't you eating?"
"No," Schiller answered.
"Aren't you hungry?" Bruce asked again.
"If I'm hungry, I'll find something to eat myself." Schiller took a sip of water, glanced aside, and held the cup in front of his mouth.
Bruce thought of some unpleasant possibilities and immediately lost his appetite. But at that moment, Schiller coughed twice and spat out the water in his mouth.
"God! Why does this water taste so awful?" Schiller frowned at the water in his cup. "Wasn't a water purifier installed here already???"
Bruce drained the glass of water in