Heh, Capital, You Win

"Rat pulls the hair on the left, and he tosses the wok; Rat pulls the hair in the middle, and he controls the fire with precision!"

"This isn't some dirty deal! It's a cross-species Martial Soul Fusion Skill!"

Before he could finish speaking.

The Rat on the Chef's head seemed to hear someone praising him. Excitedly, he squeaked and yanked hard on a tuft of the Chef's unruly hair with both little paws.

"Argh!!"

The Chef cried out in pain, but his body reacted beyond the limits of human ability. With a backhanded Dragon's Tail Sweep, he arranged the food on the plate into a perfect presentation.

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

"Look! What perfect teamwork! What a touching bond!"

The Sheriff: "..."

The Sheriff turned away expressionlessly and spoke to the colleagues behind him.

"Write it down."

"Suspected employee abuse, keeping Soul Beasts that pollute the environment, and severe mental pollution."

"Add another charge. Put up two more seals."

There was no room for negotiation.

Two enormous white seals were slapped directly in an X across the carved front doors of the Flavor Gathering Pavilion.

Ruling: Extremely poor conditions. Suspected of keeping rat-type Soul Beasts to participate in cooking. Ordered to suspend operations indefinitely for rectification!

Dusk.

The sun sank in the west, the fading light red as blood.

Luo Wanjin stood before the sealed doors, staring at the two glaring notices. In a single instant, he seemed to have aged ten years.

The restaurant empire he had been so proud of had collapsed in a single day.

Yet he still didn't suspect his son.

In his conspiracy-filled mind, there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for everything.

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

Luo Bu cowered behind his father, his chubby face deathly pale, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

This was too big a mess. If his old man found out he was the one who'd reported them, tonight's dinner would probably be his own pot rice.

Luo Wanjin paid no heed to his son's sobbing. His trembling hand reached out to touch the seal.

Just then, a little black shadow squeezed through a corner of the doorway.

It was the very Rat who had been holding court on the Chef's head earlier, leading to the restaurant being sealed.

It seemed to know it was out of work. It hung its head and squeaked twice.

Luo Wanjin's eyes reddened. He slowly crouched down and, with great tenderness, picked up the sleek, shiny Rat in his palm.

"Old friend... I'm sorry you had to go through this."

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

Rat seemed to understand him, too. He stood upright and wiped the tears from the corners of Luo Wanjin's eyes with his front paws, then squeaked, as if to say, "Boss, it's all my fault."

"Silly boy, it's not your fault, and it's not the Chef's fault either."

Luo Wanjin stroked the Rat's back and sighed deeply, his voice full of sorrow.

"They were ruthless... truly ruthless..."

"I heard they made their employees drink toilet water just to bring me down... What kind of spirit is that? That's a cutthroat, no-holds-barred corporate culture that doesn't care if you live or die!!"

Luo Wanjin raised the Rat in his hand and pointed toward the burger shop across the street. Tears streamed down his face, and his voice rang out like a cuckoo crying blood.

"Is this the power of capital?!"

"To win, they don't even care about human dignity! To pass inspection, they scrubbed their toilets until they were cleaner than my face! This kind of extreme rat race is practically inhuman!"

At this, sorrow welled up in Luo Wanjin, and he pulled Rat tightly into his arms.

Rat played along, burying his head in Luo Wanjin's suit collar. Man and rat clung to each other and wept.

"Waaah... And what about us? We were still upholding tradition, striving for harmony between humans and nature, and clinging to the culinary art of cross-species soul bonds..."

"We lost because we weren't ruthless enough! We didn't have that killer instinct!"

"What a vicious move! To bring this kind of twisted competition to Notting City!"

Luo Wanjin clutched his chest, holding the Rat he regarded as an artistic treasure. He let out a defeated howl at the sky.

"Is this what happens when you touch capital's pie?!"

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

"Squeak—!!! (Capital is so awful!!)"

In the setting sun, the shadows of man and rat stretched long, both tragic and heroic.

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

Watching his old man act as though the whole world were corrupt and he alone was pure, he could only bury his head in his crotch again, trembling...

Back in the present, in a tiered classroom at Notting College.

Luo Bu jolted awake from that nightmare of a memory he couldn't bear to revisit.

He sat in a back corner of the classroom, drenched in cold sweat.

Without thinking, he slipped a hand into his roomy school uniform pocket and gently stroked a furry little thing inside.

It was the real Chef from his family's restaurant.

Now, Rat was the last vestige of pride for the Luo family, the spark of hope for the family's revival.

Inside the pocket, Rat seemed to sense his master's mood. He poked out a shifty little head and gave Luo Bu a soft squeak.

Luo Bu sniffed, pushed Rat back into his pocket, and let his gaze grow increasingly venomous and crazed.

He didn't dare hate the Sheriff, much less provoke the Food System Soul Douluo said to stand behind the Nezha Burger shop, a man who could unleash a food storm with a wave of his hand.

As if! That was a Capital Crocodile even his dad could only kneel before and concede defeat to. Was a mere Soul Scholar like him supposed to go looking for death?

But!

Luo Bu's beady eyes locked onto the swaggering figure in the row ahead.

"I can't afford to mess with that terrifying big shot, but who the hell is Su Yun?"

"According to my investigation, you're just a puppet pushed to the forefront by that big shot! Nothing but one of capital's White Gloves!"

"I can't beat a god, but surely I can crush... one of a god's dogs?!"

He patted his pocket reassuringly. A malicious smile curled his lips, and he muttered under his breath.

"Rat, watch closely."

"In the business world, Dad lost to the master behind him. But in the world of Soul Masters, in this classroom where strength is everything..."

A cruel light gleamed in Luo Bu's eyes.

"Today, in front of the whole school, I'll rip the skin off this White Glove and ruin him!"

Inside the pocket, Rat seemed to understand his grand declaration and let out a sharp cry in support.

"Squeak—!! (Take him down!!)"