The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 207 - 206: Making Soup With Heart? Whose Heart?

Chapter 207: Chapter 206: Making Soup With Heart? Whose Heart?

"This holiday season, don’t accept gifts. If you must, only accept authentic ’Wa Ha Ha Brain Essence’."

Red Dragonfly extended the Referee Stick, and a holographic image of a beautifully packaged gift box was projected from the microphone.

"’Wa Ha Ha Authentic Brain Essence,’ made with pure mother’s milk fed baby brain tissue and the sperm of the Deep Sea Laughing Clam, is a natural and pollution-free powerful product."

"One bottle for a stronger, healthier body, two bottles for nourishing yin and strengthening yang, three bottles and you’ll rejuvenate, laughing all the time!"

"Order now and you’ll also receive a baby skin sofa and a clam shell safe—limited quantity, first come first served!"

"Ordering hotline, 8383838438!"

After delivering the advertisement with fiery enthusiasm, Red Dragonfly expressionlessly retracted the projection.

"Do you, such a big shot, still need to advertise?"

Liu Zheng asked curiously.

"I’m no big shot, just a referee."

Red Dragonfly shook its head.

"Besides, the main body only provides basic equipment; we have to pay for anything extra ourselves."

"There’s no way I’m going to work a job, so I have to take on some ads to get by," it sighed.

"Oh... Captain, is that something you dropped on the ground?"

Liu Zheng suddenly pointed to the ground and asked.

A stack of thick banknotes lay peacefully on the plain wooden floor.

"No, it’s yours."

Red Dragonfly shook its head.

"Don’t try it again. As a referee, I can’t do anything that would affect fairness and impartiality," it said.

"I’m not a contestant right now."

"It’s the same thing,"

Red Dragonfly insisted.

"So taking money to advertise for someone should also affect fairness and impartiality, right?"

Liu Zheng pointed out.

"I won’t be officiating corporate competitions."

"What if it’s a corporate executive or a relative of an executive?"

He pointed out the loophole in Red Dragonfly’s words.

"...I would still ensure the fairness and impartiality of the competition."

Red Dragonfly hesitated before replying.

"Then you can maintain the same attitude toward me as well."

Liu Zheng smiled.

"...Thank goodness the one who created our thinking cores wasn’t you, or we would have turned into something strange by now. You humans are really terrifying,"

Red Dragonfly said earnestly after a moment’s silence.

"Making rules and finding loopholes are both human nature."

"But by finding loopholes, you also weaken the rules that protect you. So, I won’t take your money, and I am not doing ads anymore."

Many holographic adverts suddenly sprang from the Referee Stick and then shattered into nothingness.

On its two pairs of wings, a golden edge appeared on each.

Red Dragonfly sensed something, looked back, and a hint of joy appeared on its face.

"Congratulations."

Liu Zheng didn’t know what had happened, but it must be something good.

"I have to thank you for that, young man. It’s a pity I don’t have anything to give you in return,"

Red Dragonfly said with some frustration.

"Having someone like you in Metropolis is the greatest repayment I could receive,"

He said with a smile.

After all, dealing with all those demons and monsters was exhausting.

Although Red Dragonfly wasn’t exactly a "good person," it was relatively anthropomorphized compared to others in Metropolis.

"Can we start the contest now?"

Guo Koutangzi grew impatient waiting on the side.

"Very well, let’s return to the contest scene. On my left is the former head of Extreme Flavour Restaurant and her entry,"

Red Dragonfly quickly switched back to its role, but emphasized the word "former."

"Tsk."

Guo Koutangzi pursed her lips.

"So, Contestant Guo Koutangzi, what is the name of your entry?"

Red Dragonfly extended the microphone to her.

"The name of my soup is Amaterasu Ōmi-tang,"

Guo Koutangzi declared.

"A very domineering and culturally distinctive name. How would you rate your own entry?"

Red Dragonfly continued to ask.

"Flavorful, no need for extra salt,"

Guo Koutangzi said with a smug look.

"Quite confident, makes my Referee Stick spin, let’s hear the applause from the audience,"

Both looked at Liu Zheng.

"Ah? Oh."

He quickly started clapping enthusiastically with his tentacles.

Fortunately, he had four tentacles, so the clapping did make a significant noise.

"Since the other contestant is not good with words, we’ve invited its colleague to speak on its behalf,"

Red Dragonfly then extended the microphone to Liu Zheng.

"May I ask, what is the name of its entry?"

It asked.

"How would I know what it’s called?"

Liu Zheng replied, speechless.

He hadn’t even lifted the lid to see what was inside, so he had no idea what was in it.

"An entry without a name is incomplete. You might as well come up with one for it."

Red Dragonfly insisted.

"Then... let’s call it ’Soup Served in a Million-Dollar Pot’."

Liu Zheng pondered before responding.

"Excellent! A very simple yet bold name; this is probably the corporate culture of the Bloody Restaurant. Let’s give a warm round of applause for the creativity represented by this contestant."

Red Dragonfly exclaimed loudly.

"Ugh..."

Seeing its serious expression, he could only clap his tentacles together with more vigor.

But thinking about the takeaway section’s rest area, which was even worse than a money soup changing room, and then considering Niu Ma’s and his own way of doing things, Red Dragonfly’s words seemed about right.

"Very well then, the introduction of both contestants and their entries for this competition have been completed."

"Now, the competition officially starts! Following the principle of proximity, let us first taste Napoleon contestant’s entry."

Red Dragonfly gestured for Liu Zheng to put down the soup pot.

"Bloody Restaurant is the most renowned restaurant in Metropolis, holding a position in the culinary world that no one has ever managed to shake."

"As the head chef of the Bloody Restaurant, contestant Napoleon must have reached the pinnacle in the art of soup brewing."

"All right, let’s taste this masterpiece."

Red Dragonfly lifted the lid.

A cloud of red smoke rose from the pot, then exploded, assaulting the faces of everyone present.

All of them immediately changed complexion as the intensely spicy aroma hit them like Red Dragonfly’s Referee Stick, ramming straight into their nostrils.

Their faces turned bright red in an instant, as if they had been soaked in a 180-degree Celsius soup pool for three days and nights.

But very quickly, a cloud of green smoke rose and spread.

The refreshing scent of herbs wafted into their nostrils, gently soothing their nerves, irritated by the spiciness.

The intense redness on their faces soon subsided, leaving behind a blissful look of intoxication.

"Worthy of being a work by the head chef of the Bloody Restaurant, the prelude alone has already captivated me without even tasting the soup. Just an overture has thoroughly engaged my sense of taste, smell and vision, surpassing even the most extravagant perfumes."

"I feel my appetite has been fully stimulated. I could enjoy even a glass of plain water with pleasure, let alone a delicious pot of stew."

"Guo Koutangzi contestant, facing such a formidable opponent, do you feel nervous at this moment?"

Red Dragonfly passed the microphone to Guo Koutangzi.

"Not at all."

Guo Koutangzi stated calmly, with a cold demeanor.

"Oh? Why is that? I saw that you too were affected by the prelude just now."

Red Dragonfly asked curiously.

"A chef doesn’t make soup with flavors."

Guo Koutangzi shook her head.

"Then with what?"

"With heart," she said.

"Heart? There’s no heart on the list of ingredients for this competition."

Red Dragonfly seemed confused.

"...I was talking about the heart in the spiritual sense," Guo Koutangzi said speechlessly.

"Hahaha, of course I knew that. Just a bit of humor, that’s all," Red Dragonfly laughed heartily.

Guo Koutangzi frowned and gave Liu Zheng a questioning look.

"Where on earth did you find this incorrigible character?"

He shrugged his shoulders, indicating innocence.

Red Dragonfly hadn’t put on such a show when they’d met before.

That being said, it’s hard to tell if this was the same Red Dragonfly he first encountered.

But anyhow, as long as it functioned the same, it was fine.

"It seems that contestant Guo Koutangzi lacks a bit of a sense of humor. However, that’s okay, for a chef, the quality of their culinary skills is the foundation of their personhood."

"Now, let’s officially taste the ’Soup Served in a Million-Dollar Pot’."

Red Dragonfly took a soup ladle from the pot, lightly scooping up a bit of the broth.

The pure white, creamy appearance of the soup indicated the addition of cream, a standard western-style chowder technique.

Beyond that, Liu Zheng couldn’t discern much, being that he wasn’t a professional chef.

"Delicious!"

Red Dragonfly took a sip and immediately his eyes lit up.

"Perfectly seasoned, with clear layers of flavors, and at least a hundred kinds of taste components. Each flavor clashes while also blending together, ultimately converging into a soup dominated by a sweet and savory taste."

"The painfully spicy scent that was present when the lid was first removed has completely disappeared in the soup, truly a display of exquisite skill," it marveled.

The Bloody Restaurant certainly lived up to its reputation; just this pot of soup made the entire competition worth hosting for him.

"Guo Koutangzi contestant, would you like to have a taste?"

Red Dragonfly inquired.

While the outcome of the contest would ultimately be decided by his proclamation, ensuring that the contestants were convinced was also part of a referee’s job.

"Sure," Guo Koutangzi said as she came forward and scooped a spoonful with her own ladle.

"Not bad, but that’s about it," she nodded her head, her expression calm.

"It seems that contestant Guo Koutangzi has great confidence in her own entry. Now, let’s see if her dish lives up to that confidence," Red Dragonfly strode over to Guo Koutangzi’s soup pot, then opened the lid.

There was no strange phenomenon, only a bit of steam wafted out.

The soup in the pot was as clear as water, with some green onions floating on the surface.

At the bottom, which was visible at a glance, there were only some tofu cut into small pieces and seaweed.

"Extreme Flavour Restaurant, once a rising culinary organization in Metropolis, had in just one year made its way into the top ten of the most popular restaurants of Metropolis."

"Unfortunately, due to the use of banned substances in a major cooking competition, it lost its eligibility and the Extreme Flavour Restaurant was ordered to close, leading to its downfall."

"However, the current head of Jile Hall, contestant Guo Koutangzi, has shown immense confidence."

"Is this bluffing or does she truly hold cards up her sleeve? Can the Extreme Flavour group seize the opportunity to be reborn from the ashes?"

"Stay tuned, as I reveal the answer shortly," Red Dragonfly said.

Red Dragonfly scooped up a spoonful of soup and brought it to his mouth.