The Middle-Aged Man's Bankruptcy Starter Kit

"If you do a good job, you'll be a national hero."

Brother Yong blinked.

His brain's CPU ran at full speed for three seconds.

A national hero?

Another world?

Street vending?

"Ha!!!"

Brother Yong slapped his thigh. His voice shot up eight octaves, and that familiar, swaggering confidence instantly returned.

"You scared the life out of me! You should've said so earlier! Running a food business? I know all about that! This is right up my alley!"

Brother Yong sat bolt upright, crossed his legs with practiced ease, and took a sip of tea. His eyes immediately sharpened, as if the person sitting across from him weren't a general, but a student he was about to bring on for a livestream call.

"As long as it's carbon-based, it can't escape my business model! Come on, hand me the mic! Let's see which world's suckers are waiting to be harvested!"

"Um... Su, if you're going into the food business, take it from me: location makes or breaks you."

Brother Yong cleared his throat. His air of an all-knowing mentor completely overwhelmed his fear of the generals around him.

"Now, do a 360-degree turn. Slowly and steadily. Let me see what kind of commercial district we're dealing with."

On a street in Notting City.

Su Yun parked his pink electric scooter at an intersection and put one foot down.

He tapped the arm of his Tactical Sunglasses, then he and his scooter began to rotate in place at an extremely slow speed.

The footage was transmitted live back to Earth.

Brother Yong stared at the screen, furiously tapping it with his pointer.

"Stop! That shop on the left is absolutely no good! There are three steps at the entrance. They're a barrier blocking the flow of money—that's a dead-end location! Whoever rents it will go bankrupt!"

"Keep turning... Hey, that corner's no good either! It's right next to a blacksmith's shop. The clanging noise would drive customers crazy. How are they supposed to enjoy their meal? Besides, blacksmiths are price-sensitive customers. There's no money in it. They'd only come to listen to the noise!"

"Keep going... Good! Stop! Right there!"

Brother Yong jabbed his pointer at the screen, indicating a big banyan tree with a crooked trunk at Su Yun's four o'clock.

"See that tree? Backed by a big tree, you can enjoy the shade—that's a literal source of support! It's also beside the main road leading to the academy. That's what you call a prime location! And there's plenty of shade beneath the tree, plus a big stone slab. It's a natural dining table, full of that down-to-earth atmosphere!"

"And most importantly—"

Brother Yong narrowed his eyes, a sly grin appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"It's upwind! As soon as we start cooking, the smell will ride the wind straight into those otherworlders' noses! Take my word for it. Set up beneath that tree!"

Su Yun nodded, twisted the throttle, and rode the little scooter over with a buzzing sound.

The location was settled. Now came the key question.

What should he sell?

Brother Yong leaned back, already knowing the answer. He blurted it out without a second thought.

"Obviously, semi-self-service Longjiang pork trotter rice! One bowl of Longjiang pork trotter rice, and every man can taste romance! Get a big iron pot, simmer the old marinade, and stew the pork hocks until they're tender and falling off the bone, springy and glossy red. Then pile them on top of rice... Tsk, that flavor hits you right in the soul. Who could resist? It'd have them completely under control!"

Su Yun parked the scooter and glanced at the passersby, who were holding hard, black bread. He fell silent for two seconds.

"Brother Yong, there's a technical problem. The people here... don't grow rice or eat it. Their staple foods are wheat cakes and roasted meat, and their eating habits are more Western."

"What? They don't eat rice?"

Brother Yong's eyes widened as if he'd heard something outrageous. His face was full of exasperation.

"These otherworldly natives have no taste! They're like wild boars that can't appreciate fine grain!"

Brother Yong furrowed his brows, took a sip of water from his thermos, and fell into deep thought.

The command hall was silent. All the generals and experts stared at the fat man, waiting for his decision on the fate of the other world's economy.

A few seconds later, Brother Yong's eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh with a sharp smack.

"If the local tastes lean Western, then we'll go with the flow! We have no choice but to play the food industry's ultimate trump card—the Middle-Aged Man's Bankruptcy Starter Kit!"

As Su Yun took equipment out of his backpack, he asked,

"What's that?"

"Burgers and milk tea!"

Brother Yong swept a hand through the air, as if directing a battle.

"Low startup costs, high profits, fast service! It's a craving for high fat, high sugar, and high calories that's hardwired into the human genome! Don't bother with all that fancy health food. The natives here are already sick of eating nothing but natural foods every day."

As he spoke, Brother Yong wore an expression that said, Now that's what I call professional.

"We'll give them a taste of technology and additives! Add more creamer, more saccharin, more industrial flavoring! Let them experience the sweet shock of industrial civilization!"

Beneath the banyan tree on Academy Street, Notting City.

With two days to go before Notting Junior Soul Master Academy opened, the city was already packed with students and parents who had arrived early to register.

At that very moment, everyone passing the Banyan Crossroads had to stop in their tracks.

The air was filled with a domineering aroma unlike anything they had ever smelled in their lives.

It was a bizarre scent, blending the rich, savory smell of sizzling fat with complex spices and an overwhelmingly sweet, creamy fragrance that made their souls tremble.

The source of the aroma was a strange little street stall.

A handwritten wooden sign hung in front of it. The writing was crooked, yet carried an inexplicable confidence.

[Blue Star Catering - Notting City Limited Store]

Recommended by the owner

Secret Recipe Mini Burger

Snow King Happy Water

Opening Special: 5 Silver Soul Coins!

Behind the stall, six-year-old owner Su Yun wore Sunglasses and stood on a little stool, expertly working two portable gas burners in front of him.

"Sizzle—!"

The moment the frozen patties touched the hot oil, the Maillard reaction burst into life.

"001, take it from me. Don't skimp on the oil! More oil means more flavor!"

In his earpiece, the influencer mentor Brother Yong was giving him an impassioned play-by-play from back on Earth.

"Sprinkle on some more onion powder and black pepper! That's it! We want that industrial blend of flavors to hit them right between the eyes! Make them choke on it!"

Su Yun sprinkled on a handful of seasoning without changing expression, then turned to work on another container.

It was a large plastic bucket filled with ice water. Su Yun tore open a big bag of powder labeled "commercial non-dairy creamer" and dumped the whole thing in.

The moment he began stirring furiously with a big ladle, the aroma of creamer—ten times richer than fresh milk and overwhelmingly sweet—rose into the air.

Just as Brother Yong had predicted, this cutting-edge concoction, refined through countless advances in modern food manufacturing, was an overwhelming advantage against the people of Douluo Continent, whose food culture was still at a medieval level.

In just ten minutes, a crowd had gathered around Su Yun's stall, packed so tightly there was barely room to move.

"What kind of meat is that? Why does it smell even better than the century-old dire boar I ate last time?"

A burly man in leather armor sniffed desperately.

"What's that white drink? It smells so sweet, like it's been steeped in a jar of honey!"

Several women with children stared, transfixed.

Although five Silver Soul Coins was a little steep for an ordinary family, the unprecedented assault on their senses still prompted plenty of people to reach for their purses.

"Don't push! Line up! I'm the owner, and I make the rules here!"

Su Yun banged on the pan with his spatula, trying to keep the disorderly crowd in check.