Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 424 - 423: Gathering of Forces in Hokkaido

Chapter 424: Chapter 423: Gathering of Forces in Hokkaido

Exiting the shopping street.

Shinohara Shigetaro was personally in the driver’s seat, serving as Indira’s chauffeur.

"Lady Indira, where would you like to go next?"

Indira, seated in the back of the car and holding a recipe note, looked up and said, "Take me straight to Narita Airport."

"The airport?"

Glancing at the rearview mirror inside the car, Shinohara Shigetaro asked, "Are you in a hurry to return to South Asia?"

"No, I’m taking a flight to Hokkaido!"

"Going to Sapporo!"

Pausing a moment, Indira’s eyes gleamed with deep intent as she said, "Minister Shinohara, actually, this time I came to Japan with a mission from headquarters. You should know what I’m talking about."

Taking a breath.

"Hokkaido, too, is where the storm converges!"

Shinohara Shigetaro sighed, "One week ago, Qiushan Hong-sama hurried back to Japan, and now you’re here, too. It seems that headquarters is determined to retrieve the culinary artifact lost in Hokkaido."

"That kitchen utensil, lost in Japan after World War II, has always been sought by the Chinese Chef Association."

"Moreover, we have reliable intelligence indicating that Mars of ’Gourmet Society’ probably knows the location of that utensil. We must beat ’Gourmet Society’ to it and seize the utensil first!"

Saying this, a fierce look crossed Indira’s face.

Mars?

Thinking of the head of Gourmet Society, who had been staying in Japan from April onwards, Shinohara Shigetaro’s face darkened abruptly, as the doubts pressing in his mind were finally explained.

Involuntarily, he stopped the car at the roadside.

Stepping out, Shinohara Shigetaro looked back at the old shopping street, his face turning red and then pale in turn.

I’ve been played!

From spring to summer, almost reaching autumn, time had cycled thus, and only upon reflection did Shinohara Shigetaro suddenly realize the true intent behind Mars’s prolonged stay in Japan.

And...

Mars must have obtained something in the shopping street.

"Go back and check the archives for this street! Or go directly to ask Master Yizhen!" Shinohara Shigetaro resolved silently.

...

Hokkaido, Sapporo City.

Situated at the northern end of Japan, Hokkaido is sparsely populated, covering one-fifth of Japan’s land but with less than half the population of Tokyo.

Sapporo is undoubtedly a city rich in Northern character.

But now it was summer, and the summer in Sapporo was not hot, with an average temperature in the mid-20s Celsius, nice and cool.

A commercial plane from Tokyo landed at Sapporo Chitose Airport.

Guan Xingchen, carrying his daughter and foster son and accompanied by a middle-aged man wearing sunglasses, dressed as tourists, quietly left the terminal and hailed a taxi straight for the Chinese Chef Association’s office established in Sapporo.

Arriving at their lodging,

Guan He, having changed into her autumn wear in advance, swept the window open with a whoosh, her gaze shining as she looked out at the nearby Sapporo TV Tower, delightedly saying, "It’s a shame it’s not winter. I’ve heard that the Sapporo Winter Festival is grand, along with a major food competition..."

Guan Yi, leaning against the wall next to her, snorted, "We’re not here for a vacation!"

"What’s wrong with sightseeing while we’re at it?"

Guan He glared dissatisfiedly.

"Alright, alright, sightseeing while we’re at it!" Guan Yi raised his hands in surrender.

In the living room, Guan Xingchen and Qin Zhengda were meeting with a Chinese-speaking chef.

"Are you saying that Mars arrived in Sapporo a week ago and hired two Food Mercenary Corps, forming a convoy to head straight into the deep mountains?" Guan Xingchen furrowed his brows, his face somber.

"Yes."

The chef with the square-shaped face managed a bitter smile.

The Chinese Chef Association’s office in Sapporo had been established for quite some time now. Being assigned there was basically akin to exile, so one could imagine the chef’s current state of anxiety and unease.

"The gourmet organization, indeed harboring wild ambitions!"

Slap!

Qin Zhengda slammed down hard on the arm of his chair and said angrily, "Even the legendary utensils of our China they strive to seize, it seems the temptation of immortality is indeed too great... to collect all eight legendary culinary utensils..."

At this point, he abruptly stopped speaking.

"Brother Qin, as far as I know, the tycoons of the gourmet organization form factions, and they’re not necessarily of one mind," Guan Xingchen maintained his composure. "Mars believes he’s acting unnoticed, but in reality, the entire global culinary world has quietly been stirred up. That legendary utensil has been lost in Japan for too long, it should return to the Chinese land, to thoroughly cleanse the shame that the past wars have brought to the culinary world."

"So we should..."

"Watch and wait!"

Guan Xingchen said, "This time, the Chinese Chef Association has sent the two of us, both Lin Chefs, which is a rarely seen strong lineup. Even if they do find the legendary utensil, they’ll still need to figure out a way to transport it, and the IGO organization is more anxious than us!"

"To open the gateway to Chinese Land, the IGO organization will have to offer sufficient chips to make demands on the leading figure. In any case, no matter what, we keep a close watch on the group from the gourmet organization, IGO need not be concerned about."

"It should be so," Qin Zhengda nodded.

...

To the northeast of Sapporo City, past Mikasa City, somewhere on the Yubari National Highway’s northern line.

A massive convoy was squeezed into a certain farm.

Sunset.

Dressed for a long journey and mountaineering, Mars returned from nearby Morioka, surrounded by numerous international food mercenaries.

Leaders of two international Food Mercenary Corps were present, one a burly and strong male known as Viper, the other a statuesque blonde beauty, codenamed Lily.

"Mr. Mars, we’ve searched this area and haven’t found any suitable terrain," declared Viper in a deep voice. He sported the standard food mercenary attire: a bulletproof vest, camouflaged uniform, plus a large backpack, and heavy firearms in hand.

Despite having trekked through the mountains and forests all day, he showed little sign of fatigue, revealing his terrifying physical condition.

"Continuing east leads to Furano, and I recommend we head to the city first to regroup and rest for a couple of days."

Lily adjusted her blonde hair and looked back at the dozen or so team members who showed signs of weariness, letting out a small sigh.

What lousy luck.

Two days prior, the Food Mercenary Corps had ventured deep into the mountains, only to encounter a ferocious wild beast.

If it had been an ordinary beast, it would’ve been nothing; a gunshot would’ve killed it. But the creature they came across was a species far more brutal than the average wild animal, a gigantic male saber-toothed tiger. Ordinary bullets were nothing more than flesh wounds to an invasive beast like that; one would need armor-piercing bullets to cause real damage.

In fact, in the vast, sparsely populated lands of Hokkaido, food mercenary corps like Viper and Lily, with official operating licenses, had quietly spread throughout major cities over the past decade or so.

Perhaps the ordinary citizens hadn’t noticed.

But the food mercenaries, often commissioned by governments and private organizations to shoot down invasive wild animals in the wilderness or search for Fantasy Ingredients, had long since noticed the increasingly dangerous living conditions.

Outside the bustling cities, the environment grew more perilous.

Perhaps one day, when a major outbreak happens, humanity will once again return to the prehistoric age where they fought wild beasts for survival.

Luckily,

there were no casualties among the mercenary squad members. In the midst of misfortune, this was a stroke of luck; other losses of materials weren’t much of a concern.

"Hmm, let’s head to Furano City to regroup and rest for two days," Mars nodded.

By his side was Elizabeth, who stood with her head bowed, silent.

Beiyexiu, the newly promoted special chef, had also arrived, and he did not look good. He had been bitten by a poisonous insect in the jungle yesterday, and although the mercenaries carried antidotes, he had been running a high fever all day, and his body was severely weakened, making it obvious he wouldn’t be in good spirits.

"If I find the legendary utensil, I will have the credentials to negotiate terms with the throne!" Mars thought to himself, his heart ablaze.