No Woman Could Resist This Temptation
"Ms. Q, you wanted to see me?" Miranda, dressed casually, entered the office and asked the woman whose age was difficult to discern.
"Hmm, the Demon Chef has reappeared, and this time the target appeared in the same supermarket as you, even at the same time." Ms. Q picked up a file folder and handed it to Miranda, Miranda expression immediately became somewhat strange.
She took the file and found screenshots from the supermarket's security camera footage from yesterday. In several of the screenshots, the Asian youth in the expensive suit stood out.
However, neither she, the bait, nor the agent disguised as a supermarket employee noticed anything amiss.
Miranda wasn't too surprised by this. In fact, a month ago, they had already determined, by analyzing the various traces left by the Demon Chef, that he possessed a certain ability to remain undetected.
Turning over the photos that symbolized her failures, Miranda saw the target chosen yesterday—
Joan Horami, 36 years old, full-time Housewife, husband is a director of a listed company, and they have two children...
"As accurate as ever," Miranda muttered under her breath, looking at the woman's file. She didn't know if it was based on some mysterious power or simply her keen eye, but the Demon Chef always seemed to pick wealthy women from well-off families. However, as she turned the next page, her expression shifted slightly in surprise—
"Ms. Q, is this photo the wrong one? Or is it a photo from ten years ago?"
"No, these photos were taken at noon today," Ms. Q said seriously, and Miranda's expression immediately became quite interesting.
Because the woman in the photo, although you can still see Joan Horami's features in her face, looks at least ten years younger than in other photos... no, fifteen years younger!
In the previous photos, the forehead wrinkles and crow's feet, some sagging facial muscles, and deep-set eyes were already quite obvious signs of aging. But in this photo, her smooth and supple skin made Miranda a little jealous.
"Is this the power of the Demon Chef?" Miranda quickly realized the crux of the matter, and Ms. Q nodded in agreement.
"That's right. This Ms. Joan is a member of the Hillsdon Community Forum. After the legend of the Demon Chef became popular on the forum, she seemed to have developed some interest in Chinese Cuisine. According to her post on the forum this morning, she wanted to try some 'Beauty and Youth' foods in Chinese Cuisine yesterday, so she bought some ingredients and happened to run into the Demon Chef."
"And then that Demon Chef actually used the ingredients she bought to make a 'Beauty and Youth' dinner?" Miranda stared blankly at the radiant woman in the photo, momentarily hesitant.
If I actually manage to catch this Demon Chef, should I eat a meal with him first before arresting him?
Ms. Q, being a woman herself, naturally guessed Miranda's thoughts. She subtly shifted her chair before speaking:
"It's still uncertain whether this beauty effect will last, or if there are any costs involved. We'll need to observe it for a longer period. However, it's undeniable that as this matter unfolds, the Demon Chef's influence will likely surge again. We'd better catch him quickly."
Upon hearing the word "price," Miranda calmed down slightly, and the legendary story of demons granting human desires at the cost of lifespan and soul came to mind. However, as a woman, she was also very aware of just how destructive the deed of rejuvenation could be.
If it were possible to restore someone's appearance to that of a twenty-year-old, even if it meant selling their soul, there would probably be quite a few people willing to try.
Let alone anyone else, she wants to try it all, okay?
After thinking for a moment, she finally spoke:
"Ms. Q, is it possible to implement a news blackout?"
"It's useless," Ms. Q shook her head. "There are countless fans of the Demon Chef throughout Bekeland. This post has already been seen by countless people since it was published. Even if the post is deleted from the forum now, it's still circulating on MSN and through word of mouth. Ultimately, the Demon Chef targets women with a certain social standing. We can't possibly restrict their right to speak, otherwise those 'Wild Dog' human rights organizations would swarm in. In fact, even just regulating forum posts could attract the attention of a group of troublemakers using the banner of 'freedom of speech'..."
Just as Miranda and Ms. Q had predicted, the entire Housewife community in Bekeland was now in complete uproar.
No woman can resist the allure of regaining her youth, especially since Mrs. Horamy, who posted the message, is no stranger to the world. On the contrary, she is quite famous in Housewife' circles, and many people have met her in person. It is precisely because of this that her rejuvenation seems so undeniable.
Until this point, Housewife who had never encountered Demon Chef were filled with longing, while Housewife who had encountered Demon Chef were filled with regret, because they suddenly realized that the Mr. Demon could make dishes according to the ingredients. If you only prepared beef, you could only eat steak, but if you prepared ingredients with health benefits or Dietary Therapy effects, he could make magical food that could make people young again.
Suddenly, Bekeland's trending topics were dominated by Trait like "Chinese cuisine," "Medicinal Cuisine," and "Dietary Therapy." Housewife with a little money started researching Chinese cuisine, and Amazon Shopping Platform received a large number of orders for Yan Country Cookbooks from Bekeland.
The craze began to subside around the third day, as the woman who had been rejuvenated seemed to revert to her original appearance.
However, just when many people were worried that these three days of youth would come at a higher price, aging stopped.
Although Ms. Joan looked a bit older than after eating the "Magic Cuisine," she still appeared to be around thirty years old, undoubtedly much younger than before she ate it.
Some people continue to observe and wait for the outcome, wondering if they will age again in three days, five days, or even longer. Others, driven by a gambling spirit, persist with their original ideas, buying various ingredients supposedly for "Beauty and Youth" every day. Even without Gourmet Demon, they rely on cramming recipes to create all sorts of bizarre and Dark Cooking. Of course, for Victorians, the taste seems somewhat acceptable?
Feng Xue, who was already stirring up controversy online, was well aware of the buzz he had generated. However, he didn't do anything extra and maintained his regular lifestyle. Temporary popularity meant nothing to Urban Legend; only when the hype died down could the stories that survived truly evolve into genuine Weird Tale...
Whether the Weird Tale are true or false is not important; what matters is the legend and our understanding of them.
Take the example of AIDS Mary and AIDS Harry with AIDS that I used in my previous book. The original Weird Tale about a woman, but it later evolved into a man in the legend. If you, as a man, imitate AIDS Harry, you can still gain the [knowledge] pointing to Mary and share in the power of this Weird Tale.
Similarly, in the legend of Jack the Ripper, regardless of whether the name Jack was given by the media or claimed by himself, and regardless of whether Jack actually wrote letters in history, the legend calls him Jack the Ripper, and he did write letters—at least that's the widely accepted perception. So, if you write a letter and call yourself Jack, you can share in the Weird Tale. As for what actually happened in history, who cares?
Just like when people are discussing Weird Tale like the Kuchisake-onna, Hanako of the Toilet, Sadako, how many people really care whether these Weird Tale are actually true? If you went up to them and said, "These are all fake, made up," they would most likely roll their eyes at you.
Ultimately, people who discuss Weird Tale don't care about their authenticity; the core of a Weird Tale.
P. S.: Regarding censorship, it's not that it doesn't exist abroad, but when the target is someone with a certain social status, it becomes a joke. In the end, the so-called "isms" of those human rights organizations abroad are actually just "businesses." When dealing with ordinary people, the authorities can easily ban accounts and delete posts, but if the target is Rich Person, they will have to consider the trouble caused by human rights organizations and the media.