Heh, Capital, You Win

"Rat pulls the hair on the left, he flips the pan with his left hand; Rat pulls the hair in the middle, he controls the fire with precision!"

"This isn't some dirty deal at all! This is a cross-species Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

Before the words faded.

The rat on top of the head seemed to hear someone praising it, squeaked excitedly, and its two little claws yanked hard at a tuft of Chef Wang's cowlick.

"Ow!!"

Chef Wang yelped in pain, but his body reacted beyond human limits, spinning back with a divine dragon's tail swipe to arrange the dish on the plate into a perfect shape.

Luo Bu spread his hands, wearing an expression that said, "See? I told you so":

"Look! What perfect coordination! What touching bonds!"

Sheriff: "..."

The Sheriff turned expressionlessly to his colleague behind him and said:

"Write this down."

"Suspected employee abuse, raising soul beasts causing environmental pollution, and severe mental contamination."

"Add another charge, slap on two more seals."

No room for negotiation.

Two massive white seals were plastered directly in an X-shape across the carved wooden doors of the Flavor Gathering Pavilion.

Verdict: Extremely poor environment, suspected use of rat-type soul beasts in cooking, ordered indefinite suspension for rectification!

Dusk.

The setting sun dipped westward, the afterglow like blood.

Luo Wanjin stood before the sealed doors, staring at the two glaring seals, his entire being seeming to age ten years in an instant.

His proud culinary empire had crumbled in a single day.

Yet he still didn't suspect his son.

In his mind, filled with conspiracy theories, everything now had the most logical explanation.

"Dad... I'm sorry..."

Luo Bu cowered behind his father, his fat face pale, all the flesh on his body trembling uncontrollably.

This pot was too big; if his old man found out he was the one who reported it, tonight's dinner might just be clay pot rice—with him as the main ingredient.

Luo Wanjin ignored his son's sobbing. With trembling hands, he touched the seals.

Just then, a small, dark shadow scurried out from a corner of the door crack.

It was the very rat that had been directing Chef Wang from atop his head, leading to the shop's closure.

It seemed to know it was out of a job too, drooping its head and squeaking twice in dejection.

Luo Wanjin's eyes reddened. He slowly crouched down, and with immense tenderness, cupped the sleek, shiny rat in his palms.

"Old friend... you've been wronged."

Luo Wanjin rubbed his cheek against the rat's head, his voice choked with emotion.

The rat, as if understanding human nature, stood upright and used its front paws to wipe the tears from Luo Wanjin's eyes, then squeaked, as if saying: Boss, it's all my fault.

"Silly child, it's not your fault, nor Chef Wang's."

Luo Wanjin stroked the rat's back as he let out a long sigh, his tone filled with sorrow:

"Too ruthless... truly too ruthless..."

"I heard that to bring me down, they trained their employees to drink toilet water... What kind of spirit is that? It's a wolf culture that doesn't care about life!!"

Luo Wanjin raised the rat in his hand, pointing at the burger shop across the street, tears streaming down his aged face, his voice as piercing as a cuckoo's cry of blood:

"Is this the power of capital?!"

"To win, they can throw away human dignity! To pass inspections, they even scrub the toilet cleaner than my face! This extreme rat race is downright inhumane!"

At this point, Luo Wanjin's grief overwhelmed him, and he hugged the rat tightly to his chest.

The rat cooperated, burying its head in the lapel of Luo Wanjin's suit. Man and rat wept together in each other's arms.

"Wuwuwu... And us? We're still sticking to tradition, to harmony between man and nature, to the culinary art of cross-species soul bonds..."

"We lost because we weren't ruthless enough! Because we didn't have that edge!"

"Such a venomous tactic! Bringing this twisted competition to Notting City!"

Luo Wanjin clutched his chest, holding the rat he regarded as an artistic treasure, and let out a defeated howl at the sky:

"Touch the capital's cake, and this is the result?!"

"Heh, I, Luo Wanjin, admit defeat! Capital, you win!!!"

"Squeak—!!! (Capital is so evil!!)"

Under the setting sun, the silhouettes of one man and one rat stretched long, appearing both desolate and tragic.

Listening to his father and Rat's heart-wrenching cries, Luo Bu shrank into the shadows.

Watching his old man put on that air of "the world is filthy, and I alone am pure," he could only bury his head between his knees again, trembling in fear...

Time returns to the present, in the tiered classroom of Notting College.

Luo Bu jolted awake from that nightmare of unbearable memories.

He sat in the back corner of the classroom, cold sweat pouring down his body.

Instinctively, he reached into the pocket of his loose school uniform, gently stroking a small, furry thing inside.

That was once the true head chef of his family's restaurant.

Now, this rat was the last shred of the Luo family's pride, the spark of hope for the clan's revival.

In his pocket, the rat seemed to sense its owner's emotions, poking out a shifty-eyed little head and letting out a soft "squeak" at Luo Bu.

Luo Bu sniffled, pushed the rat back into his pocket, and his gaze gradually turned venomous and unhinged.

He dared not hate that Sheriff, nor did he dare provoke the legendary Food System Soul Douluo, who stood behind the Nezha Burger shop and could conjure a food storm with a wave of his hand.

No joke—that was a Capital Crocodile even his father could only kneel and surrender to. Was he, a mere Soul Scholar, supposed to go seek death?

But!

Luo Bu's beady eyes locked onto the arrogant figure in the front row.

"That terrifying powerhouse I can't touch, but who the hell do you think you are, Su Yun?"

"From what I've dug up, you're just a puppet pushed to the front by that big shot! A White Glove for capital!"

"I can't beat a god, but can't I crush... a god's dog?!"

He patted his pocket reassuringly, a vicious curve tugging at the corner of his mouth as he murmured lowly:

"Rat, watch closely."

"In the business world, Dad lost to his master behind the scenes. But in the world of soul masters, in this classroom where strength rules..."

Luo Bu's eyes gleamed with cruel light:

"Today, in front of the whole school, I'm going to tear off this White Glove's skin and ruin him!"

In his pocket, the rat seemed to understand this bold declaration and let out a sharp cry in response:

"Squeak—!! (Kill him!!)"