Twenty million!
And he couldn't touch a single cent belonging to Xia Yao or Kachi!
Chu He's mind raced.
Three months. Ninety days. Twenty million in net profit.
That meant he'd have to earn at least 220,000 ghost coins a day!
And that didn't even include the daily expenses for himself and the two SSS-Class Gold Swallowers by his side!
This was no simple attempt to target him.
It was an Open Scheme.
A Rule Kill Game, laid out in plain sight, just waiting for him to become a laughingstock—and die without a place to bury him!
Wasn't he supposed to have the Chosen One's script?
"Hey, Little He He."
A soft, cool hand suddenly caught his sleeve.
Kachi gazed up at him with her exquisitely beautiful face. Her star-bright eyes showed not the slightest hint of panic. Instead, they sparkled with a nearly manic excitement.
"The game hasn't even officially started yet. Why do you look like the sky's about to fall?"
Xia Yao silently stepped forward.
Her icy, emotionless gaze swept across the crowd like a ruler surveying her domain.
The elites from various countries, who had just been gloating, suddenly felt as if an invisible hand had clamped around their throats. Their breathing stopped. In unison, they lowered their heads, not daring to meet her eyes.
Only after that did she turn around.
Her dark, lifeless eyes fixed intently on Chu He.
"Your cooking."
"Is delicious."
Boom!
Those five simple words from Xia Yao struck through the chaos in Chu He's mind like a World-Creating Thunderclap, shattering the despair that had clouded it!
That was right!
Cooking!
He abruptly lifted his head. The eyes that had nearly lost all their light now blazed with a fresh fire!
Wasn't cooking his greatest hobby and talent?
The Culinary Skills enhanced by the system—even SSS-Class Ghost Chef Xia Yan had praised them!
"How could I forget that!"
Chu He slapped his thigh hard. It was as if a soul had just been poured back into him. His bearing changed in an instant, and he stood up straight!
Kachi blinked curiously, her long lashes fluttering like two little fans.
"You... can actually cook?"
"Of course!"
Chu He lifted his chin proudly. His confidence, returned at last, made him seem sharp and bold.
"It's just a personal hobby, but I've really thought about opening a Small Eatery of my own someday!"
Beside him, Xia Yao offered the most crucial testimony in her cool, clear voice.
"Yes."
"Uncle praised him, too. He said Chu He knew how to get inside diners' heads and cater to their tastes."
"Then we're all set!"
Kachi planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her utterly unremarkable chest, looking like a little strategist who had everything under control. Her eyes gleamed with wisdom.
"With two SSS-Class queens like us backing you and promoting your food, if we say it's good, won't those ghosts come running to get a taste?"
"Then the money will come pouring in!"
"Excellent!"
Chu He looked at the two beauties standing on either side of him.
One was clever and resourceful.
The other was powerful and loyal.
A surge of ambition rose in his chest, sweeping away all his earlier dejection.
So what if it was twenty million?
He'd do it!
And so, the three of them ignored the stunned survivors on the field, who were little more than background props, and strode boldly out of the school gates, officially entering this dazzling, bizarre city.
"Market research"... began!
The moment Chu He truly stepped into Myriad Phenomena City, he was stunned by the sight before him.
This place...
Was damn prosperous!
On the absurdly wide streets, silent hovercars skimmed just above the ground, while vintage cars burned some unknown black fuel and belched thick smoke.
The streets teemed with people, ghosts and... "Ghost People" living side by side.
Restaurants, casinos, clothing shops, banks, huge malls... Almost everything that existed on Blue Star could be found here—and it was even more Cyberpunk, even more bizarre and dazzling.
"Surprised?"
Kachi walked ahead with her hands behind her back, like a little lord inspecting her domain. A hint of pride crept into her voice.
"Myriad Phenomena City was originally built to imitate and learn from human society. I never thought it would work so well in just over a decade. Now the ghosts know they have to work hard and earn money if they want a stable, happy life!"
She paused, then added, "And most of the city's systems were taken directly from Dragon Country. I have to admit, Dragon Country really is the safest and happiest country on Blue Star these days."
"So that's how it is." Chu He clicked his tongue in amazement. "You know a lot!"
"Of course!"
Kachi raised her chin even higher, like a peacock showing off its feathers.
"I read all the time. Ancient and modern, East and West, heaven and earth—what don't I know? I'm nothing like a certain Yao Yao, who stares at the sky all day with an empty head!"
"Who are you calling empty-headed?"
Xia Yao arched an eyebrow and reached out as fast as lightning to pinch Kachi's smooth, delicate cheek.
"I think you're just asking for trouble. Is that it?"
"Hey, don't pinch my face! Little He He, look! She's picking on me again!"
Seeing the two girls about to start fighting, Chu He hurriedly grabbed one with each hand and pulled them to his sides like a pair of kittens.
He cleared his throat and put on a stern expression.
"All right, stop arguing."
"From now on, you're both my capable assistants. You need to get along and support each other, not tear each other down."
"You're both great in my eyes!"
His words instantly quieted the two girls.
Xia Yao felt a warm sweetness inside. Though she still wasn't entirely convinced, hearing him call her a "capable assistant" and say she was great made her secretly resolve to read more from then on. She absolutely wouldn't let Kachi outdo her again!
Kachi, meanwhile, smugly stuck her tongue out at Xia Yao, then hugged Chu He's arm affectionately like a koala, rubbing her little head against it.
The three of them wandered about, beginning their real "tasting tour."
Before long, Chu He discovered that although Myriad Phenomena City had plenty of restaurants, the food on offer was appallingly limited.
They entered a lavishly decorated barbecue restaurant. Its signature dish was Fried Eyeball Skewers.
Approaching it with the spirit of research, Chu He took a bite. His teeth pierced the crisp outer film, and a warm, fishy-sweet liquid burst into his mouth, coating it in slime.
It felt like biting into a cheap jelly filled with fishy juice.
They stepped into a quaint, old-fashioned soup shop whose specialty was Slime Gelatin Soup.
The slippery, icy texture, like the mucus of someone with a bad cold, slid down Chu He's throat. He nearly threw up everything he'd eaten the night before.
The Cold Tossed Tentacle Tendrils were even worse, tough as a rubber tire that had been soaking for three days.
Most outrageous of all, the ghosts dining around them were eating with relish, their faces beaming with happiness.
It seemed that while the ghosts had copied human food culture, they'd only copied the surface idea of "cooking things." They knew nothing about what made food "delicious"!
"Looks like you haven't learned a thing about Blue Star cuisine!" Chu He remarked.
"Of course, we'll have to make an exception for that old Xia Yan!"
Xia Yao nodded. "You're right. As far as I know, Uncle's the only one who can make cooked food taste good!"
They visited the city's busiest commercial district and wandered through its liveliest street of food stalls.
Yet Chu He's brow furrowed more and more.
He abruptly stopped, his eyes filled with bewilderment and confusion.
"What's wrong?" Xia Yao asked with concern.
Chu He drew a deep breath and asked in a tone of utter disbelief, as if he'd just discovered a new continent:
"Here in your city..."
"There isn't a single Hot Pot Restaurant?"
That was right!
He'd searched the whole city, and there wasn't one!
Kachi froze, too. She put her supercomputer-like brain to work, searching through its databases at top speed. A moment later, she shook her head, at a loss. "It looks like... there really isn't one."
Xia Yao tilted her head. Her pure, flawless eyes were filled with genuine curiosity.
"What... is hot pot?"
Chu He looked at her sweet, innocent, curious expression and smiled.
A grand vision unfolded in his mind.
The bubbling, rolling red-oil broth, with bubbles giving off a dangerously enticing aroma.
Tender tripe swished through it, crisp beef throat snapped between the teeth, and marbled Snowflake Beef needed only a few seconds in the broth before it was ready to dip into a sauce he'd made himself...
Just imagining it made his mouth water!
He'd stake his life on it: this ultimate cuisine, combining social dining, deliciousness, and excitement, would conquer every palate in the city in an instant!
Besides, it was easy to make—and, more importantly, it could help him fleece the ghosts...
"Hot pot..."
The corner of Chu He's mouth slowly curled into a confident, almost arrogant smile.
"It isn't just a kind of food."
"It'll be our first step toward conquering this city!"
Before you continue