The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 208 - 207, I’ll break off the head for you, that should be enough, right?

Chapter 208: Chapter 207, I’ll break off the head for you, that should be enough, right?

"Delicious."

Red Dragonfly took a sip of the soup and didn’t speak until a full half minute had passed.

Liu Zheng nodded and waited for him to continue.

Then, silence fell in the air.

"And then?"

A minute later, Liu Zheng couldn’t help but ask.

"What do you mean ’and then’?"

Red Dragonfly was genuinely puzzled.

"Your critique."

Liu Zheng was even more baffled than him.

"I’ve finished my critique."

"Just two words?"

He said speechlessly.

Just a two-word review, and there he was, posing it out for half a day.

"Truly delicious soups only need a two-word review. However..."

Red Dragonfly suddenly changed the subject.

"A soup of this caliber can’t possibly be made from just the ingredients listed, can it?"

He looked at Guo Koutangzi.

"I didn’t use any ingredients beyond those listed."

Guo Koutangzi said with pursed lips.

"Indeed, you didn’t, but you must have used cooking skills that go beyond normal limits, right? Is it this pot?"

Red Dragonfly eyed the soup pot in front of him.

"Yes, but the agreed-upon competition rules didn’t specify that I couldn’t use this pot’s abilities."

Guo Koutangzi admitted frankly.

"True. However, the wager for the competition was for a complete soup pot legacy from the Ultimate Taste group."

"Unless I’m mistaken, this pot is no longer complete, is it?"

Red Dragonfly’s tone became increasingly unfriendly.

"If I lose, I’ll use my ’flesh’ to complete this pot."

Guo Koutangzi said through gritted teeth.

"You’d say that because you believe you’re certain to win. Since you’ve won, there’s no need for you to pay the price to complete it."

Red Dragonfly shook his head, casting a covert glance at Liu Zheng.

"Considering there indeed was no prior agreement against using the special abilities of the cookware, I’ll still declare you the victor of this match."

"But before I announce the results, you must repair this soup pot first."

"Otherwise, I’ll declare the match null and void," he added after thinking.

"..."

Guo Koutangzi was silent for a long time, and just when Liu Zheng thought she was going to give up, she finally spoke.

"Alright."

She picked up the ladle and tapped the pot.

"Clang clang clang!!!"

The crisp, resounding knocks echoed in the soup pool, sounding like the bell before a meal.

"Big Sister, we’re here!"

Soon, the quartet of scallion, ginger, garlic, and chili rushed in, shouting.

They had initially charged in ready for battle, but upon observing the situation, they hesitated and slowed down.

"Big Sister, are you alright?"

Chili Head asked cautiously.

"I’m fine. Chili Head, kneel down,"

Guo Koutangzi instructed.

"This..."

Chili Head hesitated.

He had no intention of rebelling; it was just that there were two outsiders present.

"Hmm?"

Guo Koutangzi raised her ladle.

Chili Head kneeled at lightning speed.

"From now on, you are the fifth leader of the Ultimate Taste group."

Guo Koutangzi declared.

"What?!"

The scallion, ginger, garlic, and chili quartet were shocked, their eyes wide.

"Big Sister, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Is it because these two people threatened you? I’ll slice them into sashimi right now!"

Chili Head rose abruptly, pulling out the sashimi knife from his waist and charging at Red Dragonfly.

Scallion, ginger, and garlic followed suit, also wielding sashimi knives.

"Stand down, all of you!"

Guo Koutangzi, ladle in hand, struck them on their heads like lightning.

She hit them hard, and the four of them were knocked to the ground.

"Ouch, Big Sister, you almost knocked me dead,"

Chili Head complained after recovering from his daze.

"You deserve it. You’re not the leader yet, who gave you the right to call the shots?"

Guo Koutangzi retorted fiercely.

"I was just worried about you,"

Chili Head said, feeling wronged.

"Do I look like I need your concern? Come on, stretch out your hand,"

Guo Koutangzi commanded.

"I won’t extend it,"

Chili Head refused, shaking his head.

He had seen the succession ceremony before. If he stretched out his hand, Guo Koutangzi would hand over the legacy of the soup pot to him.

"You won’t, huh? Fine then, I hereby resign as the fourth leader of the Ultimate Taste group, and whether you take the position or not is your choice."

Guo Koutangzi scoffed.

"Sister, don’t be a screw!"

The quartet of seasoning ingredients shouted in panic together.

A disrupted succession ceremony would be a great disgrace for the Ultimate Taste group.

"Then extend your hand properly,"

Guo Koutangzi smirked triumphantly.

Kids, after so many years as the leader, do you really think I can’t handle a few onions, gingers, and chilis?

"At least tell us why,"

Chili Head said, resigned.

"Your leader damaged the soup pot in the quest to win the match. Now she has to use her own ’flesh’ to repair the pot, or else the match will be canceled, and all her efforts will have been wasted."

"So she wants to ensure a smooth transition of leadership before her sacrifice,"

Liu Zheng explained succinctly.

"Do we need your two cents in our group’s affairs?"

Guo Koutangzi said with a stern expression.

"If you keep dawdling, I’ll be late for my delivery. It’s just a bit of cutting, hurry up,"

He said nonchalantly.

"That’s easy for you to say; you’re not the one cutting,"

Guo Koutangzi said irritably.

"I’ve cut before. Have you heard of the Heavenly Butcher? It cut itself, and completely,"

"Then how did you survive?"

Guo Koutangzi asked.

"A friend gave me a life-saving artifact, which saved my life."

Liu Zheng replied.

"Do you still have that artifact?"

Guo Koutangzi couldn’t help asking.

"Gone."

He shrugged.

"...then you’re talking crap."

Guo Koutangzi glanced at the soup pot, then at the seasoning quartet, her gaze growing resolute.

"Chili Head, stretch out your hand."

This time, her tone was as calm as water, yet as heavy as a mountain.

Chili Head knew it couldn’t stop Guo Koutangzi in this state.

"Big sis, may you have a safe journey."

Spicy tears streamed from the corners of its eyes.

The trio of scallion, ginger, and garlic also couldn’t help but silently shed tears.

For a moment, the soup pool was filled with an appetizing aroma.

"When you stew me later, don’t you dare add pepper."

Guo Koutangzi said earnestly.

Her "meat" was gone, but her body was still there.

Each new leader of the Extreme Flavor Group, upon assuming the position, had to stew the previous leader into a soup and drink it to inherit the power and the culinary skills.

"Yes."

Chili Head cried even spicier tears.

"Alright."

Guo Koutangzi said nothing more, holding the soup pot out towards Chili Head.

As soon as Chili Head took the handle of the soup pot, the succession ceremony would be complete.

"Hold on."

Just as Chili Head reached out with tearful eyes, Liu Zheng stopped them.

"Referee, there’s no time limit to this competition, right?"

He looked at Red Dragonfly.

"There was no time limit set beforehand, but I can’t let the competition drag on indefinitely either,"

Red Dragonfly said after some thought.

"What about half an hour?"

Liu Zheng asked, glancing at his phone.

"Half an hour is still acceptable."

Red Dragonfly nodded.

"Then we don’t need these two pots of soup either, right?"

He said.

"The competition results are already out, so the entries can be dealt with as you wish."

Feeling assured, Liu Zheng said to Guo Koutangzi, "Hey, do you trust me?"

"What are you going to do?"

Guo Koutangzi asked.

"Find you a way out. But, you have to let me take the soup pot."

He said.

"No way!"

Guo Koutangzi decisively refused.

The soup pot was the heirloom of the Extreme Flavor Group, far more important than she was as the leader. How could she possibly let an outsider take it away?

"Alright."

However, Chili Head, who previously forbade Guo Koutangzi from using the soup pot as a gambling stake, agreed without hesitation this time.

"Have you gone mad?"

Guo Koutangzi glared at it.

"Big sis, if it weren’t for you, we four would have become kitchen waste long ago, and the Extreme Flavor Group would have ceased to exist."

Chili Head said as it met her gaze.

"An Extreme Flavor Group without big sis, we don’t want."

"Right, an Extreme Flavor Group without big sis, we don’t want."

The trio of scallion, ginger, and garlic echoed in unison.

"You four little stinkers..."

Guo Koutangzi couldn’t help her eyes reddening.

"That’s enough."

Liu Zheng’s voice abruptly interrupted, breaking the harmonious atmosphere.

"Here I am offering to help, and you’re putting on some kind of brotherhood melodrama."

His tone was somewhat mocking.

If he felt a bit moved at the beginning, by the end, he realized something was off.

As residents of Metropolis known for their strangeness, their performance was a bit too over-the-top.

"Humph, humans just eat this stuff up, don’t they?"

Guo Koutangzi’s tears stopped as quickly as they came.

"So, you’re not human?"

Liu Zheng spoke with deadpan sarcasm.

"I used to be, but now..."

Guo Koutangzi touched the scar on her neck but didn’t continue the topic.

"You can take the soup pot, but you have to give me something of equal value as security."

She said.

"Then go to hell."

Liu Zheng immediately retorted.

He’s trying to find her a way to live, and she’s asking for collateral as if he’s a sucker.

"If I die, the job you want me to wreck won’t get done."

Guo Koutangzi threatened.

"Don’t worry, you’re not as important as you think. It’s hard to find a chef with three eyes, but is it hard to find a thug with two legs?"

He remained unmoved.

If pushed too hard, he’d just rent a tank again, which would be way stronger than a few spices.

"Fine, then you take it."

Seeing Liu Zheng’s resolute attitude, Guo Koutangzi had no choice but to agree.

"Payment."

He extended a tentacle.

"What payment?"

"Payment for running an errand for you."

Liu Zheng stated.

"Aren’t we allies? What do we need payment for?"

Guo Koutangzi feigned ignorance.

"Alliance is built on mutual trust. Since you don’t trust me, I won’t trust you either. Hurry up, or I’ll just set down the delivery and leave."

He said impatiently.

Guo Koutangzi glared at him, puffing up her cheeks.

Liu Zheng glared back unyieldingly, his cheeks puffed up even more than hers.

After a standoff, Guo Koutangzi suddenly leaned back, her head breaking off completely at the scar on her neck and sticking to her back, held on by just a thin layer of skin.

She lifted her hand and thrust it into her own neck, fishing out a piece of metallic fragment.

"Here, this should be enough."

Guo Koutangzi handed over the metallic fragments to Liu Zheng while straightening her head back into place.