Post-Disaster Revelry (Please Bookmark, Please Recommend)

Zhong Hao rode Genghu to the front of the crowd. Standing three stories tall, Genghu forced the townspeople to crane their necks just to see him. Without lingering, Zhong Hao jumped down after Genghu stopped, carrying a wooden bucket, and set it on the ground.

Led by the mayor, the townspeople came forward. A buzzing wave of praise and gratitude followed, and it took a full ten minutes before Zhong Hao finally stopped them.

After introducing themselves to each other, Zhong Hao was just about to speak when a townsman spotted the bucket. Upon realizing that the pirate leader was inside, he let out a scream that drew everyone's attention. They naturally recognized Rudifen as well and immediately grabbed their weapons, ready to kill him to vent their hatred.

Zhong Hao hurriedly stopped them. "Don't kill him. He still has some use."

Though the townspeople struggled to contain their rage, they trusted Zhong Hao deeply. At his words, they stopped.

Zhong Hao continued, "I seized their pirate ship. There are some valuables aboard, so go retrieve them and use them to compensate the families who lost loved ones. On my way back, I also killed a sea beast. It and the ship are both at the docks. Divide up the meat, bring it back, cook it into dishes, and have a proper feast."

After hearing Zhong Hao's words, Regan stepped forward and shouted to the townspeople, "Did you all hear our benefactor? Anyone who thinks they've got the strength, come with me!"

"Awoo—" A group of brawny adult men loudly answered Regan's call and stepped out one after another. More than a dozen sturdy women, built like men, also refused to be outdone. They emerged from the crowd and flexed their arm muscles at the men.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Zhong Hao patted Genghu's paw. "You go help too. Tonight's dinner is all over there. Bring everything back."

A strong townsman heard Zhong Hao's words and cautiously edged up to Genghu. "Hehe! We're all headed to the docks anyway. Give me a ride on your back!"

Genghu lowered his head and glanced at him, then looked to Zhong Hao. After receiving Zhong Hao's approval, he proudly raised his head. He did not respond to the townsman, but neither did he object.

The townsman gathered his courage and grabbed Genghu's fur, climbing upward. Once he reached Genghu's back, he first gave the people below a smug look, then gazed into the distance. The scenery from this angle was completely different from what he usually saw. This was a tiger ten meters tall! With the breeze blowing against him, he planted his left hand on his waist and pointed forward with his right, striking the pose of a commander leading a charge. He looked utterly high-spirited.

Zhong Hao's expression stiffened when he saw it. No matter how he looked at it, that pose was unbearably embarrassing.

He sat on Genghu's enormous head every day, so he was already used to it and did not find it particularly surprising. But ordinary people had never even seen a sea beast this large, let alone ridden one. It was like horses in his previous life: people could see them on television, but the first time they actually rode one, it was hard to suppress their excitement. It was no wonder this townsman was acting so chuunibyou.

The rest of the people headed for the docks swallowed enviously at the sight. Then, under Regan's lead, they began climbing onto Genghu's back one after another. Ever since following Zhong Hao, Genghu's temperament had become gentler. He did not get angry this time and simply stood still, allowing them to climb aboard.

Once everyone was on, Genghu spread his powerful limbs and began running at full speed. Buffeted by the fierce wind, the people on his back cheered and howled.

Watching their retreating figures, the town's children stood with their mouths hanging open, drool dripping onto the ground.

Under the mayor's direction, the remaining women, elderly, and weak brought the cookware and dining tables from every household to the square. They also gathered plenty of alcohol and all kinds of vegetables, preparing for a grand feast.

Although some families had lost relatives, the living still had to live well. They had to look forward and could not remain immersed in grief forever. The town had just survived a life-and-death calamity, and this was precisely the time for a grand celebration to wash away their sorrow.

That night, the town square was brightly illuminated. Tables of all shapes, colors, and ages had been put together to form a huge platform, covered in all kinds of delicacies.

The men gathered together and competed in drinking, while the women sang and danced. All the old nastiness and conflicts silently faded away in the wake of this disaster. Through fighting side by side, everyone's hearts had become united.

More than thirty of the town's best cooks gathered in a temporary kitchen, busily preparing food. Some dishes were sent to the dining platform for the townspeople, while the rest were fed into Genghu's mouth.

Genghu lay sprawled on the main road, happily tearing into the meat the townspeople brought to his mouth, eating until he could not swallow another bite.

Zhong Hao sat at the highest spot on the dining platform, sipping fruit juice. It was not that he did not want to drink alcohol; the townspeople simply saw how young he was and had not served him any. He did not feel right pouring himself a drink, either.

Just then, Mishan ran over with his parents behind him. The middle-aged man, both of whose arms had been severed, struggled to kneel with his wife's support. His wife and Mishan knelt at his sides and respectfully bowed down.

Zhong Hao did not help them up, nor did he dodge aside. He merely turned to face them and accepted the salute calmly.

What happened here was quickly noticed by everyone. Those drinking, singing, and dancing in the square all stopped and watched silently, their eyes filled with wordless gratitude.

Only after the three of them bowed three times did Zhong Hao stand and help them up, signaling for them to sit. Mishan thoughtfully brought over a stool, placed it behind his father, and helped him sit down.

"Benefactor, I..." The middle-aged man choked up, about to say something.

Zhong Hao raised a hand and did not let him continue. With injuries like his, excessive emotional turmoil might harm his body. In more serious cases, it could drastically shorten his lifespan.

He turned to Mishan instead. "Mishan, do you remember what I told you back then?"

Mishan nodded forcefully and shouted, "I remember everything Benefactor Brother said!"

Zhong Hao nodded and rubbed his head. "Your father lost both his hands protecting you. In the future, he may no longer be able to protect you and your mother. Instead, you will need to protect them. The days ahead may be difficult, but you must endure. Eat more and train more. Whenever you feel like you can't hold on any longer, think of that slash from back then. Remember how it felt."

Mishan looked somewhat lost and did not really understand what those words meant. But he admired Zhong Hao more than anyone, so he firmly engraved those words in his mind and shouted, "Mm! I'll remember them!"

Zhong Hao nodded and smiled in satisfaction. "Take your father home. His injuries are too severe. Staying in a place like this is bad for his health."

Mishan obediently took his sobbing parents home.

A glint flashed through the mayor's eyes, the gleam of wisdom accumulated through the years. He sighed. "Our benefactor is powerful and mature beyond his years, yet the emotion in his eyes just now was sympathy for someone in the same plight."

Regan asked in confusion, "Sympathy for someone in the same plight?"

The mayor nodded. "Yes. I suspect our benefactor must have had a very difficult life in the past. That may be why he has become so mature at such a young age."

Regan scratched his head, half understanding and half not. He had no trouble taking the lead in battle or commanding a group of people to fight, but asking him to think deeply and see through people's hearts was truly asking too much.

Seeing the feast grow somewhat subdued, Zhong Hao chuckled and said, "With so much delicious food, even I'm getting hungry. Haha! Time to eat."

Yet inwardly, he was snickering. Chefs, you'll have to work hard. I hope you won't be scared, and that you won't blacklist me like those Navy cooks did.

He picked up a huge meaty bone with his left hand and a small dining knife with his right. His fingers moved slightly, and the knife danced between them like a butterfly among flowers. In less than half a second, all the meat had been sliced from the bone and piled onto a plate in thin pieces, leaving behind a bone without the slightest scrap of meat.

The scene seemed like magic and made everyone's eyes widen.

A fat chef flexed his radish-like fingers and muttered, "If I had knife skills like that, I could definitely make even tastier dishes."

A young man secretly glanced at a beautiful young woman beside him whose eyes were filled with hearts, thinking, If I had moves that cool, Lisa would definitely fall for me!

A thin youth holding a bamboo sword had stars in his eyes. "This is swordsmanship! This is definitely swordsmanship! It would be amazing if he could teach me!"

But very quickly, every gaze of longing and admiration changed.

The entire plate of meat vanished into Zhong Hao's stomach in ten seconds. He set the empty plate aside, then picked up another plate of ribs and finished it in three seconds...

His chewing appeared perfectly normal, even somewhat refined, so why was he eating so fast? The food on the plates disappeared at such speed that the townspeople were dazzled, utterly unable to understand what was happening.

Right before everyone's eyes, the stacks of empty plates grew taller and taller, more and more numerous.

At first, their expressions were blank. Then their mouths fell open. Finally, their jaws nearly hit the floor.

Suddenly, one chef snapped out of his daze. Seeing that half the food on the platform was already gone, he shuddered and hurriedly called for all the chefs to start cooking at once. They could not let their benefactor go hungry. Besides, for cooks, what could be more gratifying than seeing the food they made eaten clean?

For a time, the clatter of woks and spatulas rang out without end.

After eating and drinking his fill, Genghu lazily sprawled on the ground. He opened one eye to look at the energetic chefs and sneered. You're happy too soon. With Master's bottomless stomach, you'll have plenty of time to despair.

He then glanced at Rudifen nearby, who was so hungry that he kept swallowing saliva, and thought disdainfully, Hungry, aren't you? Serves you right if you starve to death. If Master hadn't forbidden me from eating people, I would've swallowed you whole. Still, what does human flesh taste like? I really want to try it!

Seeing Genghu's gaze, Rudifen shuddered from head to toe, his heart trembling.