White-Feather Chicken and Calico Cat

It was rather different from what Liu Zheng had imagined.

The Kitchen of Bloodstained Restaurant was not bloody at all. Instead, it was clean and bright.

It was even a little too clean, as if it had just been renovated.

More than a dozen chefs of varying shapes busied themselves with their own tasks. No one spoke; they communicated only through gestures and glances.

Compared to the Kitchen, this place looked more like an assembly line in a factory.

"Napoleon, we're here."

Cow-Horse called out.

The White-Feather Chicken stirring soup looked up, then handed its long-handled ladle to the horse-faced man beside it.

Dressed in a black tailcoat and a chef's hat, the White-Feather Chicken hopped down from its tall stool and strode toward them with its head held high.

"This is the newcomer?"

It looked at Liu Zheng.

Its voice was low, deep, and powerful.

"So? He's better than that bunch under you, right?"

Cow-Horse said smugly.

"He does have plenty of meat, but unfortunately, it's all fat."

The White-Feather Chicken sized Liu Zheng up with a critical gaze.

"Can't be helped. He's only human, after all."

Cow-Horse shrugged.

"He won't be for much longer."

The White-Feather Chicken's gaze seemed capable of seeing through Liu Zheng's soul.

"Perform well, human. If you satisfy me, I may consider letting you work in the Kitchen."

It spoke arrogantly.

"Thanks, but I'm doing pretty well as a deliveryman."

Liu Zheng politely declined.

He had finally gotten two pieces of the Legendary Deliveryman Set. Unless his brain had truly broken, why would he quit deliveries to work in the Kitchen?

"Cow-Horse didn't tell you that Black Goat's Young has no citizen status?"

The White-Feather Chicken sneered.

"Hm?"

Liu Zheng looked at Cow-Horse.

"That's a thing?"

Cow-Horse looked even more surprised than he was.

"After citizens like you are transformed, they directly become floating residents."

"While City Hall naturally won't send people to arrest you, others attacking you won't violate any rules either, and your status as a restaurant employee will also become invalid."

The White-Feather Chicken said.

"But in the Kitchen, it doesn't matter what you are. I am the rules."

It spread its wings and swept its gaze around the Kitchen like a fighting cock.

Every kitchen assistant caught in its gaze lowered their heads.

"Look how imposing he is."

Liu Zheng poked Cow-Horse.

"If I fucking had that many underlings, I'd be even more imposing than him."

Cow-Horse grumbled.

"Shh."

He rolled his eyes.

The Kitchen clearly held a higher status than delivery workers. Otherwise, why would they be helping out in the Kitchen?

"You brat, just wait. I'll deal with you when we get back."

In front of the White-Feather Chicken, Cow-Horse did not continue bickering with Liu Zheng, but the threat in his eyes was impossible to miss.

"Enough. Stop putting on this brotherly act in front of me and get to work. The service department has practically blown up my phone."

The White-Feather Chicken said disdainfully.

"Who's acting brotherly with him? We're clearly a loving father and dutiful son."

Cow-Horse snapped.

"That's right, I'm the—"

Under Cow-Horse's death glare, Liu Zheng swallowed the last three words.

"Same as usual, you go make pastries. As for you, what can you do?"

The White-Feather Chicken asked Liu Zheng.

"I can cook home-style dishes."

"Then go wash vegetables."

The White-Feather Chicken said dismissively.

Bloodstained Restaurant did not have home-style dishes.

"Sure."

Liu Zheng was rather pleased.

He had come here to slack off in the first place. Was he really supposed to learn a craft?

Following the direction indicated by the White-Feather Chicken's wingtip, he came to a sink.

A Calico Cat in an apron was washing a bucket of vegetables that looked like cauliflower.

Seeing its slightly twitching ears, Liu Zheng swallowed.

They look so soft to pet.

Perhaps sensing his gaze, the Calico Cat turned around.

A pink nose, mismatched blue-green eyes, and a round little face.

Whether by human or feline standards, it was exceptionally cute.

"Are you here to help?"

It spoke.

"Yeah."

Liu Zheng nodded.

"What's your name?"

The Calico Cat asked.

"My name is Liu Zheng. What about you?"

He was a little surprised.

Since entering the instance, this was the first time anyone had asked his name.

"My name is Salmon."

The Calico Cat replied.

"That's a nice name."

"Thank you. My owner gave it to me."

The Calico Cat twitched its whiskers, looking very happy.

"Your owner must have liked you a lot."

Liu Zheng said with a smile.

"Of course."

A voice suddenly rang out.

The Calico Cat turned around, and the fur on its back twisted into a man's face.

He stared expressionlessly at Liu Zheng, then spoke again.

"Don't get any ideas about my cat, or I'll kill you."

"Uh, don't worry. I'm a dog person."

Liu Zheng replied.

"You tasteless fellow."

The man gave him a contemptuous glance before reverting to fur.

"Hey, say that again if you've got the guts."

Liu Zheng was thoroughly annoyed.

He had actually been looked down on by a clump of fur.

"Don't be angry with my owner."

"He's a very nice person. His temper only got a little worse after I ate him."

It said earnestly.

Looking at the Calico Cat's innocent and adorable expression, Liu Zheng felt chills rising from the soles of his feet.

"Why did you eat him?"

"Because that's the only way I could be with my owner forever."

The Calico Cat said as if it were only natural.

"Otherwise, he'd start to stink, and I don't like licking stinky fur. Was that wrong?"

It asked, sounding a little aggrieved.

"You did the right thing."

What else could Liu Zheng say? He could only nod.

"Are you two done with your work?"

A voice filled with pressure came from behind them.

The man and cat turned around. The White-Feather Chicken was staring at them.

"The head chef is angry. Let's get back to work."

The Calico Cat guiltily licked its paw and continued washing vegetables.

"Oh."

Liu Zheng prepared to scoop vegetables from the basket.

"You won't be able to wash these properly. Go wash that basket instead."

The Calico Cat stopped him.

"Fine."

He looked at the basket the cat paw pointed toward. It was filled with mushrooms with pink caps.

"Be careful. If you rub them too hard, they can't be used anymore."

The Calico Cat reminded him.

"Got it."

Liu Zheng used a tentacle to curl around a mushroom and held it beneath the tap to rinse it.

This was where tentacles showed their advantages. They were softer than fingers.

The stream washed away the dirt on the surface while he carefully wiped it with another tentacle.

Then he saw his tentacles gradually turn blue.

"What the hell???"

He quickly put down the mushroom.

"That's normal. This is Hand-Blue Mushroom."

The Calico Cat glanced over and said.

Hand-Blue Mushroom my ass. Your hands turn blue when you touch a mushroom, is that it?

"This isn't poisonous, is it?"

Liu Zheng asked nervously.

Hand-Blue Mushroom's toxin seemed to be a neurotoxin. It was hard to say whether Flesh Rebirth would even work.

"Of course it is, and you'll die terribly."

The Calico Cat blinked its big eyes as it spoke.

"..."

If you weren't so cute, I'd shave all the fur off your head right now.

"It's okay. It's really easy to treat."

The Calico Cat took an eraser from its apron pocket and handed it to him.

"Just erase it with this."

With the feeling that the cat had to be fucking messing with him, Liu Zheng rubbed the blue part of his tentacle.

Something both expected and utterly unreasonable happened.

The blue color really rubbed off.

"Heh."

He knew this world was absurd, but he had not expected it to be this absurd.

He shook his head and focused on his work.

Soon, he had washed an entire basket of Hand-Blue Mushroom.

"I'm done. Is there anything else?"

Liu Zheng asked.

"Wow, you're amazing."

The Calico Cat looked at him with worshipful eyes.

"Nothing special. I just have more tentacles than most."

Liu Zheng said inwardly, secretly pleased.

"Then go take out the frozen meat to thaw. Get the top bag."

The Calico Cat pointed at the freezer.

"No problem."

He walked over to the freezer and opened the door.

Then he raised his tentacles and reached down the bag on the top shelf.

When Liu Zheng saw what was inside the bag, his expression gradually froze.