Canghai City, Jing’an District.
A hovering motorcycle streaks across the sky.
Stars twinkle in the night, yet the air is far from peaceful.
Zhao Bai is busy delivering takeout, riding the latest technology from Schicksal’s Far East branch; he crosses the deep sea in just over ten minutes.
From the back kitchen of a certain restaurant in Saint Freya to the bustling Canghai City, the motorcycle swerves sharply in the air before coming to a stop.
Zhao Bai dismounts, takes out the food container, and finds himself in front of an unremarkable residential building, looking quite out of place amidst the towering skyscrapers of Canghai City.
The door is ajar.
Zhao Bai pushes it open without hesitation.
Beyond the entrance hall is a smoky dark corridor, filled with faintly glowing, pale purple crystals blooming on the walls.
Zhao Bai is a little late.
After pushing open the door, the Honkai Energy counter in his arms starts to go off wildly, leaping past the yellow warning zone and into the unyielding crimson.
The pale purple crystals, as if alive, begin to spread towards Zhao Bai, ambitiously trying to engulf him, until Zhao Bai raises the food container, at which point the crystals gradually recede.
A pale, slender hand emerges from the crystals.
“Save… save me…” “It hurts… my whole body… is burning…” “I’m here to save you.” Zhao Bai places the food container in front of him, gently kneels down, takes the slender hand, and slowly presses it against the container.
Something magical happens.
The ghastly pallor that fills the arm recedes like corpse spots, revealing the normal pale pink of human skin.
As Zhao Bai opens the container, a rich aroma fills the air.
Underneath the aluminum foil is a bone-in Wagyu ribeye, its aroma a complex blend of thyme, garlic powder, sweet paprika, and Himalayan pink salt, carefully roasted by Judgment of Shamash.
The surface is slightly browned, with juices flowing.
Zhao Bai calmly takes out a carving knife, three feet long, slender and elegant, with lightning arcing along its blade.
It is said to be the famous sword that can cut Raiden, hence the name Raikiri, but Zhao Bai uses it to cut meat with equal ruthlessness.
This steak is so tender and juicy that only the restless Raiden can lock all the juices inside the meat in a single cut.
Such is the respect due to ingredients.
Zhao Bai, like a devout executioner, gently wields the knife.
Lightning flashes across the uneven surface of the steak, the pale pink fibers blooming like flowers, dotted with creamy white fat, the rich aroma of fat bursting forth, only to be sealed by Raiden, the three-finger-thick steak trembling like tofu.
“So hot… so painful…” “Save… save me…” The slender hand trembles slightly, the pale body, the pained face, contorted, bewildered, gradually becoming ferocious.
Zhao Bai uses his fingers to pick up a piece of steak: “Your mind is about to be consumed by the Will of Honkai, turning you into a killing Zombie.
Eat a bite of my cooking, and you’ll be back to normal.” “Tha… thank you…” “Don’t thank me yet, eat the steak first and save your life.
This is top-grade Wagyu, the meat is like snowflakes, and it costs money.” Zhao Bai tries to keep his voice calm and reassuring.
The girl is on the verge of collapse, and any slight movement could push her further over the edge of despair, a point from which even a god couldn’t save her.
The cut beef is just the right size for the girl’s cherry-like mouth.
Zhao Bai sprinkles the last of the rosemary on the beef.
With the sudden burst of aroma, he quickly picks up a piece and puts it in her mouth.
Good food conquers all, Honkai be gone.
The pale purple crystals melt away, revealing the naked girl.
She doesn’t feel ashamed, but her eyes gleam as she grabs another piece of beef.
The second bite pulls her back from the corruption.
The third bite, and her body is completely restored.
The fourth bite, the last bite, and the girl’s Honkai Energy tolerance is now comparable to that of the Valkyries of Schicksal.
Zhao Bai’s eyes are calm as he helps the shocked girl to her feet, extending his right hand, palm open, met with her bewildered expression.
“What are you standing there for?
Pay up.” Zhao Bai’s tone is arrogant; after all, he just saved someone’s life, so asking for money is only natural.
The top-grade Wagyu ribeye goes without saying, but the Judgment of Shamash used for kebabs and the Raikiri used for cutting meat are both rare and precious kitchen tools that ordinary people wouldn’t use for cooking.
“Ribeye 1068 yuan, delivery fee 50 yuan, please settle the bill promptly.” Zhao Bai clasps his hands together and says sincerely.
The girl puts on her clothes, blushing as she pays.
She snaps out of the delicious aroma, suddenly realizing she’s naked in front of a male deliveryman.
No matter how you look at it, the situation is terrible.
Zhao Bai calmly takes the money, carefully counts it, and nods after confirming it’s correct.
“Miss Chen, thank you for your patronage.” “No… nothing.” Miss Chen is studying abroad alone.
Lately, for some reason, she’s been feeling down, with bad things happening one after another.
Her negative emotions finally reached their threshold, triggering this terrifying sight.
Girls, being emotional, are indeed Honkai’s favorite prey.
Thankfully, Zhao Bai arrived in time, otherwise, she would have been left to the cleanup crew.
Miss Chen would have been erased without a trace.
She sighs, finishes the last bite of beef, and sits down, sighing to Zhao Bai.
“Until just now, I felt completely alone in this world, about to die alone.
Until you came, I realized there’s still so much beauty in the world.” “My classmates bullied me, my coworkers isolated me, even my parents didn’t understand me, but it doesn’t seem to matter anymore.” “I’m… very happy now.” Zhao Bai frowns, unsure how to respond.
He’s not good with words, and after racking his brains, he manages to come up with a comforting phrase.
“Only food and love are not to be wasted.” Miss Chen is taken aback.
It’s exactly what a chef should say, impactful and heartwarming, making her want to enroll in culinary school.
She nodded and said, “Indeed, good food should not be taken for granted.” Zhao Bai didn’t care what Miss Chen thought; he clutched the over a thousand yuan he had just earned, pondering what new ingredients to buy, then hopped on his motorcycle and sped away, disappearing into the night.
He had been in this world for two years.
From the initial ecstasy of discovering he possessed the entire Honkai three weapon arsenal, to the shock of realizing it could only be used on ingredients, Zhao Bai had navigated the ups and downs and had emerged focused and dedicated to being a chef.
Of course, Zhao Bai participated in the Saint Freya Academy entrance exam, studying as a reserve male Valkyrie at the Eastern Branch.
While juggling work and study, he also opened a restaurant within Saint Freya Academy.
As for discovering that the dishes he made could repel Honkai and heal Zombies, that was a delightful surprise.