Inside the sanctuary, along the passage leading from Area 27 where the Ring 3 residents lived to the No. 8 Dining Area, a crowd of people was hurrying along.
“Let’s walk faster so it doesn’t sell out! The video said it’s just a small stall with limited stock.”
“Got it, got it. It’s just so hot, I really can’t run.”
“I told you we should have gone together at noon, but you insisted on waiting. If I don’t get to eat it, you’re buying me a meal to compensate!”
“Alright, alright, it was my miscalculation this time. If we really miss it, I’ll take you all out for a feast when we go outside later.”
Traveling in groups of three to five, companions accompanied one another. Some were members of a food-sharing group, while others had seen videos shared by people online.
At first, there was still a wait-and-see attitude, but after discovering that everyone who had tried the food gave it exceptionally high reviews, they finally chose to act.
Though they couldn’t tell if it was just an illusion, their walking pace grew faster and faster, almost as if they were racing one another, terrified of being slower than the rest.
If it weren’t for the excessively high ambient temperature, everyone would likely have broken into a full sprint.
At the same time, back in Ring 1, Lightel felt the craving in his stomach flare up again.
He had eaten early at noon, and by now, it was almost completely digested. His mind was filled with thoughts of that bowl of meat sauce noodles.
However, going from Ring 1 to Ring 3 required taking a special shuttle. Since he was retired after all, making up excuses to ride a military shuttle twice in a single day felt somewhat inappropriate no matter how he looked at it.
What should he do?
Aha, got it!
Lightel’s eyes lit up, and he quickly pulled up a number to dial.
At the No. 8 Dining Area.
After preparing all their ingredients, the Ring 3 restaurants stood ready in full array. The moment footsteps echoed from the adjacent passage, waitstaff in uniform rushed forward to greet them.
“New special salads on discount! Come and try them!”
Hearing the voice, the crowd emerging from the passage asked joyfully:
“Are you the ones selling tomato meat sauce noodles?”
“Is this Jin’s Meat Sauce Noodle Shop?”
“Are you the ones with the special salad dressing?”
“What? No? Then what are you yelling for? We’re not going!”
Amidst the cracking smiles of the Ring 3 restaurant head chefs and waitstaff, everyone continued forward without looking back, soon discovering their true target.
Although Ning He had mentally prepared herself, seeing such a massive, dark mass of people surge over still shocked her a little.
Fortunately, she quickly snapped back to reality. With the help of the skewer uncle, she organized everyone into a line to take orders one by one.
This time, not everyone ordered both items. Quite a few selected only the noodles or the salad, so the stock they had prepared should be sufficient.
Because there were so many salad side ingredients, the pricing had been adjusted slightly.
A twenty raw coin portion of salad included a choice of five vegetables (including toasted bread croutons), a portion of thick egg white roll, or a small portion of chicken, along with one portion of dressing. Those who wanted more could purchase additional items separately.
Connie was in charge of collecting money, the woman and Ning He handled serving the salads, and the meat sauce noodles were left to Ah Huai and the steamed bun shop owner.
The rest actively acted as waitstaff, helping to serve water and dishes.
After preparing seven or eight consecutive portions of mayonnaise salad, someone finally showed interest in the burned chili sauce on the side.
Ning He quickly started her pitch.
“This sauce is perfect for those who love spicy food! Wrap a piece of toasted bread, a few shreds of celery, and a bite of shredded chicken inside a lettuce leaf, spread a layer of sauce over it, roll it up, and take a bite—tsk, I guarantee you won’t be able to stop eating!”
The customer asking happened to be a lover of spicy food. After hearing this description and imagining it in his mind, his mouth instantly filled with saliva.
“Alright, give me one!”
“Coming right up!”
Soon, the salad was prepared. Taking the box, the customer found a spot to squeeze into a seat. Following what Ning He had described, he first held a piece of lettuce in his hand, then spread a small piece of crispy, fragrant toasted bread over it, followed by a bite of crunchy, refreshing celery shreds, and finally a small piece of chicken, topped off with a thick layer of burned chili sauce.
Rolling it up, he took a bite.
His teeth sliced through ingredients of varying textures, the rich mouthfeel bringing the first wave of delight.
Next, his tongue met the sauce.
Hiss—
So spicy!
After the first intense shock of flavor passed, even more tastes bloomed across his taste buds.
The roasted chili peppers carried a unique charcoal aroma. A subtle trace of char was far from off-putting; mixed with the fresh fragrance of the peppers, it created a distinctive, alluring flavor instead.
After being roasted, the flesh of the fresh peppers was soft yet pliable, wrapped in the bold aromas of green onion, ginger, and garlic. Every chew was a intense explosion of taste.
Such a fierce, wild flavor!
The originally bland vegetables, bread, and chicken were catalyzed by such a rich sauce, making each element burst with its own distinct taste.
This single bite contained textures that were refreshing, crispy, crunchy, soft, chewy, and smooth, combining flavors that were spicy, salty, savory, sweet, and fragrant.
Sure enough, coming here was no mistake—it was delicious!
“If you like spicy food, you’ve got to try the green sauce—it’s absolute perfection!”
He raised his head and shouted to the crowd, then lowered his head again to continue enjoying the sensory impact on his palate.
Influenced by his shout, a good number of people indeed chose to try the burned chili sauce.
Business at the noodle stall was roaring. Because too many customers had arrived and the arranged tables and chairs were not enough to seat everyone, a portion of the customers took their meals and sat directly on the territory of the Ring 3 restaurants across the way.
Although the head chef of that restaurant was furious, he didn’t dare to speak up and chase them away.
Many among these people were their regular customers who fared quite well in Ring 3 and had deep pockets, making them people he could not easily afford to offend.
Thus, they could only watch helplessly as the noodle stall across from them earned a full profit, while even having to donate their own tables and chairs to the cause.
It was truly… infuriating!
“This spicy sauce is so unique! I was covered in sweat from running earlier and had no appetite at all, but after a bite of this spicy sauce, it feels like I’m hungry again. Eating a whole bowl right now only filled me up to thirty percent. It’s way too appetite-stimulating!”
A table of customers sitting in front of Golden Pomelo Restaurant began exchanging reviews after enjoying their delicious food.
“Yeah, did you guys notice that this spicy sauce pairs exceptionally well with meat? I ran an experiment just now, pairing the spicy sauce individually with each ingredient. The chicken dipped in this sauce tasted amazing, but it’s a pity the portion was too small to be satisfying.”
“Indeed, the flavor of this salad is incredible, but there’s just too little meat to fill you up. It would be great if there were more meat options.”
“Hey, isn’t there some right here? Chicken, pork, fish, and even on discount!”
Everyone turned to look together at the banner in front of the restaurant entrance.
Very soon, the Ring 3 restaurant welcomed its first major order of the day.
Ning He didn’t notice this small development, as she was simply overwhelmed with work.
After the first wave of customers arrived, several smaller groups arrived in succession. By the time they finally finished taking orders, the salad ingredients that were once packed to the brim were suddenly mostly depleted, with several basins completely emptied.
The same was true for the meat sauce noodles—less than half the sauce remained, and the noodles were running low as well.
It was even faster than imagined.
“Hello, do you still have salads left?” Another young man came up to the noodle stall.
“We do, but the variety isn’t complete anymore. Take a look and see if there’s anything you like?” Ning He said apologetically.
“It’s fine, these few items are enough. But can I buy an extra portion of this sauce?” The young man pointed to the burned chili sauce on the side.
Ning He was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, “Of course.”
Quickly packing it up and handing it over, Ning He watched as the young man happily carried the box over to Golden Pomelo Restaurant across the way. He then bought a dish that looked like fish, sat down on a chair nearby, and began enjoying his meal blissfully.
What kind of operation was this?
Ning He’s eyes widened. Taking a closer look, she realized it wasn’t just the young man—in front of many customers, besides their own food boxes, there were utensils from other restaurants holding various meat dishes.
They spread out lettuce leaves in their hands, placed several kinds of vegetables inside, and finally added a large piece of meat, slathered on the burned chili sauce, rolled it up, and took a bite.
Without even guessing, it was guaranteed to be delicious!
Which genius discovered this way of eating?
What great food intelligence!
But wouldn’t this end up benefiting the restaurant across the street?
A plate of meat like that must sell for a hundred coins, right? That was way higher than their own selling price!
Ning He’s gaze landed on the head chef of Golden Pomelo Restaurant among the crowd, feeling a bit displeased.
Tsk, laughing so loudly—what an eyesore.
The head chef turned his head and happened to make eye contact with Ning He. His face froze, and he immediately averted his gaze, pretending as if nothing had happened.
Ning He snorted. Just as she was about to tattle to Connie, she saw a familiar face approaching.
Wasn’t this the dark-skinned, lean sergeant who came to eat yesterday?