Obscure Dishes, Ambitious Schemes

Over the course of the night, the sky outside the window changed from a torrential downpour to a gentle patter of rain.

Chu Tianshu and his group rested at the South Wind Building for one night.

The top floors of this building appear to be specially furnished as leisure suites.

The soundproofing is excellent, and the temperature is slightly cool, making it very comfortable to live in.

When I get up in the morning, I just look at the menu, call and give them the number, and someone will bring me breakfast.

Chu Tianshu's hometown is not far from Jinling, so he should be quite familiar with the local flavors and famous dishes.

But that was before the disaster.

More than twenty years after the great disaster, the current menu contains many things that Chu Tianshu has never seen before.

Those rare characters that weren't simplified during the simplification process have once again found unexpected uses, being used to describe strange species that the creators of the characters had never even seen.

Chu Tianshu flipped through the menu and saw at least twenty unfamiliar characters—though it could also be because the menu was too thick.

As a witch doctor who had once been troubled by the official and common names of medicines, he had reason to believe that many of the ingredients on this menu had another common name among the people living in the wasteland.

These uncommon characters are simply formal names that are not commonly used.

"Ruoruo Bird, just because of the name, I have to try it and see what it tastes like."

Chu Tianshu glanced at the brief annotations below the dish names.

After removing any dishes from the menu that appeared to contain human creatures, we ordered a total of about a dozen dishes.

The Borderland Species are incredibly diverse, and most of them are quite destructive to humans who like to live in groups. Of these, only about half are specifically cannibalistic, but more than 90% habitually attack humans.

They fly in, sneak in, and slip into the city. After being killed in the counterattack, residents are often reluctant to eat them themselves, but instead sell them to the recycling points of those powerful groups.

When these materials flow from the various departments under South Wind to South Wind Building, it can be said that South Wind Building has fresh ingredients every day.

Unfortunately, their tastes weren't all as surprising as their names suggested.

The food cart displayed a variety of exquisitely plated dishes: golden-brown poultry, black pepper steaks, and ribs with a rich, flavorful sauce...

They were all quickly tasted with a chopstick.

"Hmm, uh, this!"

After eating these dozen or so dishes, Chu Tianshu looked uncomfortable.

He felt that most of the dishes could be described as "tougher beef" and "fatter chicken".

The nutritional benefits are good, but the food doesn't offer any particularly refreshing or delicious flavors.

Oh well, I ordered it myself, so I can't waste it.

Chu Tianshu adjusted his digestive efficiency, putting the food into his mouth one bite at a time. With a purse of his lips, the pressure inside his mouth crushed the food into powder, allowing him to absorb it.

The food was so smooth that it didn't feel like a fancy meal; it felt more like a smoothie.

He quickly finished the main courses of more than a dozen dishes, drank half a cup of tea, and then left the room.

Yannian and Tan Xiaoying were already waiting in the large living room outside.

Pan Ting took the list and asked Yannian to select the proportion of each weapon in the first batch of munitions.

"Tianshu."

Pan Ting looked over with a smile in her eyes and said, "We don't keep many kinds of the essence blood of Borderland Species on hand. According to your request, it will probably be delivered around noon."

"Wanzhuo is sleeping soundly. If there are no problems, we plan to let him sleep until the afternoon. What do you think?"

"It will be all right."

Chu Tianshu said, "Then let's go back first, and you can bring the things over at noon."

Pan Ting asked with slight surprise, "Tianshu, don't you usually reside in the South Wind Building?"

Chu Tianshu laughed and said, "I'm not from South Wind, what would I be doing living here?"

The situation in Jinling seems quite complicated. Chu Tianshu has his own purposes, and staying here directly is not convenient.

Pan Ting didn't say much after hearing what he said.

Yannian Nian was quite pleased and stood up, saying, "Hou Jian called this morning, saying that South Wind has sent people over to take everyone to a suitable plot of land."

"They really put a lot of thought into it. The location they chose not only had a solid foundation, but also a riverbank nearby, perfect for setting up tents. Everyone can stay there temporarily while the construction is underway."

The relocation team had many tents, but when they first entered the neighborhood, it wasn't suitable to pitch tents there because of the heavy rain, so they set up some simple rain shelters first.

Yannian joked, "This place is set up like a presidential residence. You're really not going to sleep here, but instead going to sleep in a tent?"

"I'm a master, so of course I have to appear a bit unconventional."

Chu Tianshu smiled, saying this aloud, but in his heart he thought that if the food here was delicious, he wouldn't mind staying for a few days to try the whole menu.

For now, let's forget about it.

Amidst their laughter and conversation, the group had already set off and entered the elevator.

After going downstairs, Chu Tianshu saw that a longer sedan had been installed outside, but it was clearly still modified to be bulletproof.

"The car is in good condition. If that sniper from yesterday came again, he probably wouldn't even be able to break the glass with a single shot."

Chu Tianshu asked, "Have you found out who those two people were yesterday?"

Pan Ting replied, "So far, it has been determined that they are from the Beast Arena."

Chu Tianshu frowned. "The Beast Arena?"

Pan Ting offered an explanation.

Jinling, this megacity built after the disaster, was not formed overnight; of course, it has many historical issues.

Moreover, people who have moved to the city in recent years cannot escape the convenience it brings, but they also retain their habits from the wilderness. They also need some places to vent their frustrations in order to prevent them from causing trouble in the city.

The Beast Arena is a barbaric area that has been preserved for various reasons.

Thanks to the combined efforts of several major powers in the city to clean up and suppress the situation, the rules of the Beast Arena are now quite strict.

Most of the time, what the audience sees is a true battle between ferocious beasts.

However, there are also gladiators who participate in the arena for high salaries and preferential treatment.

Those two people from yesterday were both beast fighters.

"So, the Beast Arena owner wants to kill Brother Yannian."

Chu Tianshu's eyes flickered slightly, and he sighed, "As soon as I arrived in Jinling, I killed the people from the Beast Arena. They'll come looking for revenge sooner or later, won't they?"

Pan Ting shook her head.

"The current manager of the Beast Arena is Master Mao, someone we retained after discussions among the parties. He's quite capable in running it, but his actual abilities are limited."

Pan Ting said, "If he had the ability to make those gladiators his loyal followers, he wouldn't just be a Beast Arena manager."

Chu Tianshu understood. "So, you actually didn't find out the real power behind those two people?"

Pan Ting suddenly realized that Tianshu was quite straightforward in his speech.

At this moment, she realized that this Tianshu not only looked young, but his age might actually be about the same as his appearance.

That's right.

Pan Ting had no choice but to admit that they hadn't found anything useful, "However, the fact that the assassin targeted Mr. Yannian is most likely related to us."

"But when we invited renowned doctors from all over Jinling City, no assassins attacked them."

"This shows that the conspirators knew perfectly well that the locals were completely incapable of healing Wanzhuo's injuries, which means that the conspirators must be a deeply entrenched force in Jinling."

This may sound like obvious, but it's actually very important.

Jinling is the premier city in the south, and South Wind's business extends throughout the north and south. There are certainly many who might try to undermine South Wind.

Now that the mastermind has been pinpointed to the local area, South Wind's options for Zongheng have become much greater.

South Wind has now been able to transfer personnel from other areas to strengthen security for important local figures.

This also includes protection against Yannian.

Chu Tianshu pondered, "Yu Wanzhuo already has quite a few security guards, so if he were to stay by Boss Yu's side, it would be equivalent to having the top expert in South Wind protecting him."

How did he get injured like that?

Pan Ting's expression turned slightly unpleasant.

"Because he managed to distract and shake off those guards himself."

Pan Ting thought about Chu Tianshu's strength; now that he had arrived in Jinling, he would surely attract attention.

Even if he has no desires or wants, there will naturally be people trying to seduce him, especially since he doesn't seem to be someone who has no desires or wants.

Since that's the case, why not present some facts to give him a first impression of the other forces in Jinling?

"Food Is Heaven. They control the largest meat farming, grain processing, and food wholesale industry in Jinling, which means they control a part of Jinling's lifeline. Among their senior management, there is a manager with a similar position to me named Xia Ningning."

Pan Ting said, "Manager Xia was born with stunning beauty. Although she was only fourteen or fifteen years old before the disaster, her beauty was already quite remarkable."

"However, during the disaster, her beauty became a curse, and she suffered a rather tragic fate until she was rescued by Zhang Tao, the leader of the Food Is Heaven. Within a few years, she distinguished herself from Zhang Tao's many disciples."

Pan Ting's tone was somewhat complicated.

"Back then, there were always some rumors about her among unreliable people, but I actually admired her quite a bit. Boss Yu also appreciated her abilities. On several occasions when we were working together, Boss Yu even specifically requested that Manager Xia be in charge of the projects..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Tianshu pinched the bridge of his nose.

He understood. He could already guess the twist that would follow: with more interaction between the two sides, Yu Wanzhuo would fall in love with this Miss Xia.

Boss Yu, who had previously shown great admiration for this Miss Xia, could no longer tolerate this matter.

Pan Ting saw through Chu Tianshu's thoughts.

"Boss Yu was simply unhappy about their marriage; he didn't intend to interfere too much. However, after Boss Yu made his stance clear, Food Is Heaven seemed to panic."

A hint of coldness flashed in Pan Ting's eyes.

"After that, we found many clues and events that showed that Food Is Heaven deliberately made this move in order to take over South Wind. They had been making a lot of moves behind the scenes."

"If they succeed, using South Wind as their pawn, the entire Jinling will fall under their control, and even the entire south will be affected by their every move."

"It's not surprising that they have ambition, but for a family that relies on Food Is Heaven to resort to so many despicable means."

As Pan Ting spoke, her resentment became increasingly apparent.

"I originally thought Xia Ningning was an independent, confident, and self-reliant person, but she actually used this kind of thing as a means to an end, belittling herself... Humph!"

Can one side's story be entirely believed?

Chu Tianshu wasn't particularly interested in their entanglement for the time being.

Food Is Heaven...

Chu Tianshu thought to himself that people who run a breeding business probably have even less interest in studying history.

This top-tier power probably doesn't have much information about the catastrophe either.

But if you have the chance, you might as well ask.

(End of this chapter)