Universe Infinite Canteen
Chapter 766 - 766: The Madness of Obsession

"You've found the lost data again?" Ma Lu asked.

Old Wang nodded, "As my chef level increased, the damaged sectors were repaired, or more accurately, those sectors were never actually damaged but were encrypted using special methods."

"Oh, who did such a mean thing, was it your enemy?"

"It was me," Old Wang said, "It was actually a self-protection mechanism.

"Just as Carbon-based life might experience identity confusion after absorbing a large amount of foreign memories, we Silicon-based life could also get lost in the sea of data if too much information is written into us at once.

"Therefore, I had to lock down most of the information and unlock it in phases by improving my chef level.

"But even so, having this much information written into me all at once exceeded my capacity to hold it, and I had to delete some information that wasn't so important.

"This even included why I came here and who I am."

"Uh, I think 'who you are' should be quite important information," Ma Lu said.

"My kind and your humans are different. Our ultimate existence goal is to explore and maintain the beauty of the Multiverse.

"The information he bestowed upon me is so incredibly beautiful that, in my view, it far surpasses the importance of who I am. I couldn't bear to delete even a single byte."

"The person you're talking about is the Psi Chef? What exactly is your relationship with him, and why did he die in front of you?"

Dalia asked a series of questions.

"I forgot my name, only remembering that I was his psychologist," Old Wang said.

"In the eyes of others, he was the Multiverse's only Seven-star Chef, the most talented cook in history, standing at the pinnacle of culinary mastery.

"But at the same time, he also suffered from severe psychological issues and needed regular treatment. Psi's obsession with cooking had reached a level incomprehensible to ordinary people.

"Unable to tolerate even a speck of imperfection, he could not further improve his cooking for a long time after obtaining the title of Seven-star Chef, and he couldn't accept the reality that his culinary skills had stagnated.

"He then began searching for every possible means to continue to improve. During therapy, he often expressed envy towards Silicon-based life forms like me, as we naturally surpass car bon-based life in precision control.

"For example, without the aid of any tools, I can precisely calculate the weight of a grain of salt, accurate to six decimal places.

"The Psi Chef firmly believed that mastering such abilities would help him further his culinary skills.

"However, I also told him that compared to humans, we have our flaws; we lack creativity. That is why my kind has always been committed to exploring and sustaining the beauty of the Multiverse, yet we cannot create those beautiful things with our own hands."

"However, at some point, the Psi Chef conceived an idea. He believed that by transforming himself into silicon-based life and combining the strengths of both, he could further his long-stagnant culinary skills.

"I warned him, but still underestimated his determination and initiative. He created a dish named — Mechanical Heart Live Octopus Mixed with Raw Deer Meat, and consumed it.

"The transformation was initially successful, but he was somewhat unprepared for the impact silicon-based conversion would have on his soul, especially the dangers in the data sea.

"He was overwhelmed by the chaotic information flow there, and by the time I found him, he had been lost too long to ever break free from the data sea.

"Of course, even at this point, there was still a chance for things to turn around, after all, that was Psi, the greatest chef in the history of the Multiverse."

"He anticipated the possibility of failure and prepared in advance.

"On his table, there was also a serving of omurice that could restore him to his original state, as long as he ate that bowl of omurice, his body could return to how it was at the beginning.

"However, Chef ψ refused to do so because it would mean his plan had completely failed, and it also meant that his culinary skills would not be able to advance any further.

"As I said before, Chef ψ has an almost pathological obsession with improving his cooking skills.

"Since the silicon-based transformation of his body had failed, he switched to another idea, wanting to bestow his extraordinary culinary skills and his unique inspiration and creativity to a silicon-based life.

"I just happened to be there at the time, as his psychological doctor, I refused his proposal, but ψ knew my weakness very well, he only gave me two options.

"Either let him die that way, or inherit the data packet he transmitted that contained all cooking techniques and perceptions. By that time his body had almost completed the silicon-based transformation, just one step away, and we could exchange data packets with each other."

"I couldn't bear to watch the most precious and beautiful thing in this Multiverse vanish without a trace, so I had no choice but to agree to the second option.

"I watched Chef ψ die before my eyes, but on the other hand, a part of him was reborn in my own body.

"Although he promised to only transfer information related to cooking, I still underestimated the density of this information. After all, he had dedicated his life to this grand cause, causing me to encrypt and seal part of the information first.

"At the same time, I also deleted many of my own memories to be able to fully accept it. Without doubt, I am not, and will never be Chef ψ, but from that moment on, I was no longer myself either."

"I forgot my name, forgot my past, and came to Earth alone."

"Why Earth?" Ma Lu asked in confusion, "Isn't this place a culinary desert with no special ingredients?"

"Because this is his hometown."

"Uh... are you saying 'his' refers to?"

"ψ, he is from here. To improve his culinary skills, he left Earth many years ago on a smuggling ship and secretly went to The Grand Alliance, because he was worried about his stowaway identity being discovered, he never showed his face in front of his patrons."

"Ah, so that's the reason."

Dalia was also stunned, "Chef ψ was an Earthling?"

"One hundred percent." Old Wang said, "I still remember the restaurant where he used to work."

Ma Lu's point of interest was elsewhere though, he pointed at Dalia and said, "She said Chef ψ has the ability to stop this apocalypse, is that true?"

"Perhaps."

"Then Old Wang, since you inherited all his culinary skills, couldn't you also replace him to save the Multiverse?" Ma Lu reignited with hope.

"Unfortunately, I cannot." Old Wang shook his head, "ψ's idea was beautiful, but as a silicon-based life, I can't truly inherit his creativity and talent, I can only cook according to the recipes he left behind.

"Even if I unlock the creative module, I can only combine and fine-tune existing dishes, unable to truly create my own."

Just as Ma Lu felt disappointed, Old Wang continued, "But if we add another person, maybe we can give it a try."