My Restaurant in Honkai

"Zhao Bai, what happened between you and her?"

Kiana also asked curiously.

Zhao Bai took the opportunity to recount the events of that day, though he omitted the more fantastical details. He simply said he had come to Canghai City to deliver takeout and encountered Miss Chen on the road, who was overwhelmed by extreme negative emotions and on the verge of losing herself. That's when he intervened to help.

"So, you're saying you performed a heroic rescue?"

Kiana sounded a bit disappointed. "Your Zhao Family Restaurant even does takeout? How come I never knew?"

"The delivery distance starts at fifty kilometers. I'm too lazy to deliver anything shorter."

Seeing the conversation drifting again, Zhao Bai quickly cleared his throat to steer it back. Both he and Kiana turned their serious gazes towards Miss Chen, flashing their official identification.

"To be frank, we're an organization that specializes in dealing with supernatural phenomena."

"Please tell us truthfully what happened that night."

Miss Chen naturally believed them, especially since Zhao Bai was her savior. She invited them inside to sit down, and the atmosphere was relatively calm, with no sense of interrogation.

"The situation you encountered last night was not a coincidence,"

Zhao Bai said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip. It was just loose-leaf tea, the kind you find everywhere in supermarkets. He hadn't even scalded the cup before brewing, and the bitterness was quite strong. He subtly frowned and placed the cup down, not touching it again.

Zhao Bai explained in simple terms: "There's something lurking in the shadows that sensed your negative emotions. It's like a fisherman, patiently luring you to fall, but just like any fishing expedition, when the fish bites the bait, a connection is formed between the angler and the fish. Try to recall carefully, on that night, amidst the pain, did you see any fleeting images?"

That night...

At that time, Miss Chen was undergoing her final transformation. If Zhao Bai hadn't intervened, she would have turned into the lowest form of suicide soldier.

By normal logic, if there were lower-level beings, there must be higher-level ones, and a great mystery must lie behind it all.

It would be even better if Miss Chen could remember something.

They say taste and smell are the ancestors of all senses. Zhao Bai turned and went into the kitchen, locking the door. He took out his own ingredients, planning to make the exact same snowflake beef ribs as that day.

Heavenly Fire Judgment spewed a six-meter pillar of fire, but it didn't ignite the kitchen, nor did it produce any smoke.

All the heat was concentrated on the beef ribs.

Before long, the dish was served, and the aroma of the roasted meat filled the air, accompanied by the faint popping sound of sizzling oil. Looking at the deep brown surface, Miss Chen seemed to recall something.

The scent of the beef ribs pulled her back to that day.

She closed her eyes and whispered softly, "It was so hot... so painful... every internal organ was burning..."

"Did you see anything?"

"I saw... a ruined classroom... and vines."

Her memory cut off there. Even recalling that tragic memory now was unbearable. Miss Chen sat down, clutching her forehead. After a moment, she picked up her knife and fork, intending to eat the meat. At the same time, Kiana fell into deep thought.

In Canghai City, a dilapidated school...

Could it be Senba Academy?

Before Kiana entered St. Freya Academy, she was a survivor of the Great Honkai. At that time, she was still a junior high school student attending Senba Academy, which was completely destroyed during the Great Honkai.

It was also during that Honkai that the Herrscher of Thunder awakened.