The wasteland’s early morning always carried a suffocating silence.
Thick red mist rolled slowly across the street, swallowing the faint sunlight.
Inside Wanwei Chinese Restaurant, however, was a scene of entirely different tranquility.
Li Jin snapped his eyes open, an extremely dangerous, lethal aura bursting from his deep black pupils.
Driven almost entirely by years of special operations instinct, his body reacted ahead of his brain. Rather than sitting up immediately, he tensed his muscles on the dining chairs like a panther poised to strike, his right hand slipping toward the outer side of his thigh at a highly covert angle, trying to feel for his usual military combat knife.
He found nothing—his weapon had long been lost in the core zone of the red mist.
Li Jin’s breathing hitched slightly, his vigilant gaze sweeping across his surroundings like a razor-sharp blade.
There was no hellish sight of snarling zombies as expected, nor the ugly mug of the subordinate who had betrayed him.
What greeted his eyes was an impossibly clean floor and a chandelier overhead shedding soft, gentle light.
Over his body lay a soft blanket wafting a faint scent of soap.
Just then, Li Jin’s pupils contracted sharply.
He felt something wrong—with his body.
Yanking off the blanket, he looked down at his chest in disbelief.
The fatal wound inflicted yesterday in the red mist core zone by the Tier-3 zombie—deep enough to expose bone and oozing venom—was now completely scabbed over. Not a single trace of the dark purple toxin remained.
This defied every piece of medical common sense since the outbreak of the apocalypse. This was the corpse poison of a Tier-3 mutated zombie; even the base’s top-tier healing ability users could only delay its spread slightly.
Li Jin closed his eyes, meticulously feeling the energy within his body that had previously been thoroughly drained.
The core of his dual ice and spiritual abilities had not shattered from overexertion. Instead, as if nourished by some extremely pure energy, it was recovering slowly yet steadily.
He recalled the unbelievable, hallucination-like memory from last night before he nearly died.
The woman with the cool, striking eyes and the powerful aura.
And that bowl of noodles exuding a intoxicating aroma, which she called “enhanced with purifying herbs.”
One hundred points for his life.
Along with the verbal contract exchanging his military protection for her saving him.
All of it was actually real.
“Now that you’re awake, stop playing dead on the chairs. I don’t like people treating my restaurant as a free hotel.”
A voice cool as frost suddenly drifted over from the nearby kitchen.
Li Jin’s heart jolted.
With his keen perception as an SS-rank spiritual ability user, he hadn’t noticed anyone in the kitchen just now.
This woman was either an ordinary person with no abilities whatsoever, or a monster whose terrifying strength was beyond even his ability to probe.
Considering the miraculous food and her means of running a shop on a wasteland crawling with zombies, Li Jin leaned decisively toward the latter.
Suppressing the lethal aura in his eyes, Li Jin stood up. Though his tall, lean frame was still somewhat weak, he was largely unhindered.
Following the sound, he walked to the kitchen doorway, his towering figure blocking much of the light. He looked quietly at the slender back wearing a clean apron, bent over the sink washing vegetables.
“Who on earth are you?”
Li Jin’s voice sounded low and raspy from lack of water, carrying the distinct authority of a soldier.
“The old guys in the military labs spent three months without coming up with a drug that could completely purge the corpse poison. You did it with a single bowl of noodles.”
Li Jin’s deep, pool-like eyes stared fixedly at Su Wan’s profile, attempting to catch any trace of panic.
Su Wan placed the washed potatoes into a drain basket, pulled a paper towel from the side, and wiped her hands unhurriedly. She didn’t even turn her head, her tone as nonchalant as if listening to a thoroughly boring joke.
“Captain Li, drop your prisoner interrogation tricks.”
“Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that your life belongs to me now.”
Su Wan turned around and casually tossed a clean mop to Li Jin’s feet, the wooden handle landing on the floor with a crisp clatter.
“Since you’re alive, go mop the dining hall floor and wipe down the Universal Exchange Box outside.”
“I don’t keep freeloaders. Even if you’re the number one God of War of the apocalypse, you follow employee rules in my shop.”
Li Jin looked down at the mop by his feet, then back at the cold, proud woman in front of him.
He was the grand captain of the former military special forces, a top-tier powerhouse who had awakened dual abilities. Wherever he went, people catered to and respected him like a living ancestor.
Now, he was being ordered around by a young woman to mop the floor as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
That sharp contrast caused the corner of Li Jin’s eye to twitch uncontrollably.
Under normal circumstances, if anyone dared speak to him like this, they would already be a frozen corpse.
Yet not only was Li Jin unangered, but a look of profound complexity surfaced on his cold face instead.
She had saved him; that was an indisputable fact. Moreover, her absolute composure—holding every turn of events firmly in her hands—gave him a long-lost sense of security.
In these three months of the apocalypse, he had seen through the ugliness and betrayal of human nature. Instead, this pure exchange of interests, devoid of any hypocritical sentiment, made him feel extraordinarily grounded.
Li Jin looked deeply at Su Wan, bent down, and grasped the handle of the mop in a firm grip.
“Alright, Boss.”
Li Jin’s voice was deep and resolute, carrying a ironclad promise.
He turned to fetch water, his movements brisk and decisive, without a shred of a powerhouse’s pride or complaint.
His life was given by her; from now on, he was the sharpest blade loyal to this shop. Even if it meant sweeping floors and washing dishes here every day, he would do so willingly.
Watching Li Jin obediently go to work, a flash of satisfaction glinted deep in Su Wan’s eyes.
When dealing with a proud warrior king like him, one could never use debts of gratitude to moral-bind them, nor make the slightest concession. Only absolute dominance and mutual benefit could bring him into complete submission.
Su Wan pulled up the system panel visible only to her in her mind to check yesterday’s final earnings.
From the frantic exchanges of scrap materials by survivors before closing last night, plus the hidden points earned from saving Li Jin:
*Ding! Congratulations, Host! Points have passed the 500 mark, achieving the initial management milestone.*
*System Advanced Ingredient Reserve unlocked automatically.*
*Congratulations, Host! Successfully unlocked the first advanced side dish: Shredded Hot and Sour Potatoes.*
*Special dish effect: Consuming this dish mildly restores physical strength and temporarily boosts agility by 10%.*
Hearing the cold system announcement, Su Wan’s eyes lit up slightly.
Finally, a new dish—and one with an agility-boosting attribute!
In a peril-laden wasteland where one might need to flee for their life at any moment, boosting agility was undoubtedly the attribute survivors lusted after most. Once this dish was launched, it would certainly propel the restaurant’s reputation to a whole new level.
As the system’s voice faded, a large basket of fresh, plump potatoes materialized inside the back kitchen’s climate-controlled storage locker. Beside it sat neatly arranged dry red chili peppers, pure aromatic vinegar, scallions, ginger, garlic, and all other necessary condiments.
Su Wan washed her hands, selected several evenly sized large potatoes, and quickly peeled them.
Drawing her gleaming signature chef’s knife, she took a deep breath, her eyes instantly becoming focused to the extreme.
The top-tier knifework that had swept national gold awards in her past life was put on full display.
A dense, rapid tapping sound—like driving rain—echoed on the solid wood cutting board. The chef’s knife turned into a blur of silver light in her hands, moving too fast for the eye to follow.
In less than a minute, several large potatoes transformed into fine shreds of uniform thickness. Every single potato thread looked as standard as if measured with calipers, gleaming with a translucent luster.
She soaked and rinsed the potato shreds repeatedly in clear water to remove excess starch and maintain crispness.
Heating the wok with oil until it reached medium-high heat, she tossed in dry chilies and Sichuan peppercorns to burst with fragrance. The pungent yet enticingly spicy aroma exploded into the kitchen air.
Next, she poured in the drained potato shreds and tossed them over high heat.
Bright yellow flames licked the bottom of the wok as Su Wan tossed the contents smoothly and effortlessly. Splashing aromatic vinegar along the searing edge of the wok, the released sour and spicy aroma surged straight to the senses.
Finally, sprinkling a handful of vibrant green scallion segments and tossing them evenly, Su Wan turned off the heat with practiced ease and plated the dish swiftly.
In the dining hall, Li Jin, who was diligently wiping tables, twitched his nose sharply.
The direct wave of hot, sour, and spicy aroma made even this God of War—who had endured months of harsh conditions—swallow his saliva. His empty stomach let out an embarrassing rumble beyond his control.
Su Wan walked out carrying a plate of golden, glistening hot and sour shredded potatoes along with two bowls of steaming plain porridge.
“Come eat. You need strength to work.”
She placed the plate firmly on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down gracefully.
Li Jin immediately set down his rag, strode to the table, and sat.
Looking at the potato shreds emitting tempting steam and a zesty aroma on the plate, he picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a large mouthful, and placed it into his mouth without hesitation.
The potato shreds were extraordinarily crisp, sour, and spicy, the appetizing flavor dancing wildly on his taste buds. Compared to the gentle redemption of last night’s clear broth noodles, this dish packed a soul-striking kick.
Yet the mind-boggling shock that followed was even greater.
As he swallowed a bite of shredded potatoes, Li Jin clearly felt a strange warm current surge through every limb and bone. His body, which had been somewhat heavy and sluggish from his recent ordeal, instantly became light as a feather.
His neural reaction speed and muscle agility experienced a remarkably significant boost in a short span.
Li Jin clutched his fist abruptly, a violent storm brewing once more deep in his dark eyes.
He whipped his head up to look at Su Wan, who was quietly sipping porridge across from him.
If the poison-clearing noodles from last night were a medical miracle, then today’s dish that directly buffed an ability user’s attributes was beyond the realm of human understanding.
“This dish can actually boost an ability user’s agility attribute directly…”
Su Wan didn’t even raise her head, merely taking another sip of porridge before cutting him off calmly:
“This is core confidential information of Wanwei Chinese Restaurant.”
“As a low-level employee, you don’t need to ask so much. You only need to remember one thing.”
“As long as you behave and fulfill your contract, you’ll have an endless supply of these miraculous meals in the future.”
Li Jin looked deeply at her and intelligently closed his mouth.
He lowered his head and devoured the remaining shredded potatoes and a large bowl of plain porridge like a whirlwind clearing away scattered clouds.
At this very moment, this future strongest God of War of the apocalypse felt his awe for this mysterious woman reach its absolute peak.