I’m No Longer Human After Being Blacklisted – CH57

Chapter 57: Praised by Name

Within three days, Lin Jiu provided 20,000 servings of seafood. The starless sea monsters he brought back were mostly used up, and Lin Jiu was unable to continue supplying them. He explained the situation to Lu Yu.

Lu Yu was very grateful for Lin Jiu’s help. There was no need to mention how many lives were saved with those 20,000 servings of seafood.

Two days later, the official allocation of 20 million yuan arrived, and Lin Jiu gained two opportunities to draw from the blind box.

Lin Jiu’s goal was the blind box draw. According to the rules of the Chef God System, only the amount counts, and every 10 million allows one draw. He could use the profits freely without affecting the number of draws.

So, before the 20 million even had a chance to warm his hands, Lin Jiu turned around and donated it to a disaster-stricken town in S City after receiving the blind box reminder from the Chef God System.

[Chef God System congratulates the host, reputation of the Demon Fish Shop +200. 100 points of reputation can be exchanged for one wooden treasure chest.]

Lin Jiu: …

Lin Jiu didn’t expect that treasure chests could be exchanged. He always thought they appeared randomly, but it turns out they don’t.

Doesn’t that mean he just got two wooden treasure chests at once?

These starless sea monsters were all casualties of Lin Jiu’s practice, so they were obtained effortlessly. He couldn’t finish eating them himself, and throwing them away would waste them, which would also deduct magic points. He had planned to sell them at a low price, and didn’t expect to sell them all within three days.

Whether the money for the products came from the government or the disaster-stricken people, Lin Jiu didn’t feel at ease using it. His goal wasn’t to make money, but to draw from the blind box. Now that he had the chance to do so, the money could be donated.

Unexpectedly, there was an extra bonus. It seemed doing good deeds could lead to more rewards. If he could stack up his reputation points, wouldn’t he have access to treasure chests of any quality he desired?

The only pity was that the 20 million wasn’t earned within the task time of the shop mission. Otherwise, Chef God System Task 1 would have been completed directly.

Lin Jiu had been busy preparing seafood for S City’s town in the past few days and hadn’t paid attention to online discussions. There was a lot of speculation, and even some influencers were deliberately stirring controversy.

#Who is the backer behind the Demon Fish Shop?#

This blogger wrote a lengthy analysis of the Demon Fish Shop. Starting with its authoritarian business practices, they claimed this wasn’t something a normal business would do. Lin Jiu was really laid-back, letting customers eat at their convenience. Was it because he had strong backing and was acting fearlessly?

Next, the blogger discussed the prices of the Demon Fish Shop’s seafood, which were the highest in the seafood market by far. The blogger didn’t believe no one had reported them, yet the shop remained stable and was even expanding. This proved that any reports were ineffective. Why? Why hadn’t anyone investigated?

Finally, they mentioned the complete sea ban and the increasingly strict requirements for seafood shops, with frequent inspections shutting down many due to incomplete documentation. Why was the Demon Fish Shop unaffected? Did they really have all the necessary permits?

Amid the sea ban, when the market was running low and there was no fresh seafood to be found, Lin Jiu claimed he could restock. Where was he getting his supply? Was he going out to sea illegally or trading with those who were? Was this against the rules? Had he been fined? Had the relevant departments investigated?

Many followed the trend, and everyone was discussing who was backing the Demon Fish Shop. Conspiracy theorists abounded, and opinions on Lin Jiu and the shop were mixed. Easily swayed netizens had turned into trolls, while more rational ones watched from the sidelines. Regardless of the drama, there would be an outcome eventually, and they were just waiting for it.

At this time, a user named ‘Shi Youyou Ya’ posted a blog.

Shi Youyou Ya: ‘S City experienced consecutive rainstorms in recent days, and unidentified creatures crawled ashore and attacked townspeople. Several people in town fell ill and died, causing panic among the residents. The rescue team sent from above delivered food from the Demon Fish Shop. We had only heard of it before and had never tasted it. We didn’t expect to eat Demon Fish Shop seafood at such a time. Just as rumored, it was delicious. Thanks to Boss Lin for lending a helping hand! [Pictures]’

The pictures showed a delicate packaging box, with a colorful, oddly-shaped big fish printed on it. The words ‘Demon Fish’ were in black on the fish. This big fish was the same one painted on the wall of Lin Jiu’s shop, and some customers had previously posted pictures of it on social media, which many netizens had seen.”

“There were three pictures in total. The first one was the logo of the Demon Fish Shop. The second showed neatly arranged sashimi inside the box, with layers of fish slices in different colors stacked beautifully. The third was an open large box filled with neatly packed smaller boxes, with several hands in the frame, as if distributing the boxed seafood.

An ordinary post on Weibo quickly gained attention from netizens.

The large boxes taken out from the Demon Fish Shop were not confiscated kitchenware but box after box of packaged seafood!

‘What the hell? Didn’t they say the Demon Fish Shop doesn’t do reservations, take-out, or anything other than dine-in? What’s this? Did Boss Lin contradict himself?’

‘Who exactly is backing Lin Jiu? Has anyone dug into it? How could the rescue team be distributing seafood from the Demon Fish Shop to disaster victims? Is this some kind of joke? Is this a rescue mission or an ad campaign? Everyone knows how expensive the seafood from the Demon Fish Shop is. Has Lin Jiu gone mad trying to make money, targeting disaster victims? Making money off a national crisis—does he have no conscience?’

‘I’m a fan of the Demon Fish Shop, but I admit that Boss Lin’s actions this time are questionable…’

‘I just have one question: How much does a box of sashimi like that cost at the Demon Fish Shop? Has anyone eaten there who can give us a price?’

‘I ate there once. A sashimi platter costs 8,998 yuan, and it didn’t have as much as that box.’

‘Oh my god, how much did he make off this? Is no one going to step in? Does he have such powerful backing that no one dares to do anything?’

‘Everyone’s so fixated on the Demon Fish Shop, what’s with that? Are you all just haters? Why has no one mentioned the unknown creatures and the fact that the townspeople are getting sick? The truth isn’t out yet, so don’t act like you’re on some moral high ground, accusing others. Why are you all assuming Lin Jiu is in it for the money? Couldn’t he have donated the food to them? And now he’s being scolded for giving food away—where’s your humanity?’

‘The blogger didn’t mention any donations!’

‘The blogger also didn’t say anything about purchasing it!’

The internet was already in an uproar. Meanwhile, Lin Jiu was tidying up the shop, getting ready for tomorrow’s grand opening of the new branch.

Jiang Xiwen came over and handed her phone to Lin Jiu. ‘Take a look.’

‘Look at what?’ Lin Jiu took the phone. It was the post from Shi Youyou Ya on Weibo.

Lin Jiu frowned. Weren’t they suppressing news? How come this post wasn’t suppressed and had become so popular?

Jiang Xiwen said, ‘Look at the comments below.’

Lin Jiu opened the comments and was bombarded with phrases like ‘gone crazy for money,’ ‘profiting off a national disaster,’ and ‘backed by powerful people.’

Lin Jiu returned the phone to Jiang Xiwen, then took out his own phone to call Lu Yu. The call couldn’t connect—he was likely at sea. Si Xu had also gone out to sea and had called Lin Jiu before leaving, telling him the signal at sea might be poor and not to worry.

Lin Jiu then called Shi Shuqing, who answered. Lin Jiu told him about the situation on Weibo and asked if the ‘Special Security Department’ had any plans.

Shi ShuQing replied, ‘There’s indeed a plan. The news about the unknown energy radiation can no longer be kept under wraps. This Weibo post is just a prelude, preparing the public mentally. The truth will be revealed by various countries soon.’

Lin Jiu said, ‘They may be mentally prepared, but I’m not. I feel like I’ve become the scapegoat for this prelude.’

Shi ShuQing replied, ‘It’s all going to be resolved in a couple of days, and you’ll be cleared of everything. Compensation will be provided.’

Lin Jiu was curious to see what kind of compensation would be offered, so he decided to endure for two more days.

Jiang Xiwen asked, ‘How did it go?’

Lin Jiu replied, ‘No problem. There’s a plan in place; the news wasn’t suppressed.’

Jiang Xiwen had signed a confidentiality agreement the next day. She now knew about the existence of enhanced individuals, the collaboration between the Demon Fish Shop and the ‘Special Security Department,’ and even that the ingredients contained unknown energy needed by enhanced people. After surviving life-threatening experiences, people tend to become more accepting. It didn’t take Jiang Xiwen long to process everything.

Things that had puzzled her before now made sense, and she had even found the reason for her sudden physical improvement. She didn’t express any thanks—there was no point in being fake. She would help Lin Jiu protect the Demon Fish Shop.

*

Around the world, incidents in coastal cities continued to occur, and the situation could no longer be concealed. Countries began issuing warnings about unknown energy radiation. This radiation originated from the ocean, and officials explained its effects on marine life and humans while assuring the public not to panic. They claimed to have found a method to block the radiation’s harm to humans.

As for why the radiation spread to the ocean, all countries had a unified statement: an ancient relic was discovered on the seabed, and when researchers approached it for study, it exploded, releasing a large amount of unknown energy radiation.

Currently, the highest levels of radiation are in the ocean, and there is a possibility that the radiation could spread into the atmosphere. The worst-case scenario is that the entire Earth’s ecosystem will be affected.

Shi ShuQing said it would be in a few days, but Lin Jiu didn’t expect it to hit the morning news the very next day!

And it was also the grand opening of the Demon Fish Shop’s expansion!

Lin Jiu wondered if today was some kind of auspicious day, with everything happening at once. He decided that today he would draw three blind boxes. Maybe he’d get lucky and draw a mid-level gene enhancement serum, or at the very least a bloodline purification serum. As long as there were good things, the more, the better.

Lin Jiu could already guess what was happening online without even looking.

Along with the revelation of the truth, the method to block radiation harm to humans was also announced.

Mutated seafood can block radiation from harming the human body.

Healthy people can eat it for prevention, and those who have already contracted radiation sickness can eat it to slow the progression of the disease.

The government also announced which seafood shops were authorized to sell mutated seafood. Only shops with the mutated seafood sales license could guarantee authentic products. The public was urged to be cautious of scams and check the sales license before purchasing mutated seafood.

The list of shops authorized to sell mutated seafood is as follows:”

Here is the translation of the text:

“Demon Fish Shop

Sea World

Bai Ge Wan

Gate No. 7

Little Fish Fresh…

In total, 17 seafood shops received official certification, confirming that the mutated seafood they sell is authentic. Among them, the Demon Fish Shop’s mutated seafood has the best blocking effect.

The government gave special recognition to Lin Jiu and the Demon Fish Shop for actively providing mutated seafood during the outbreak of radiation sickness in XX Town, S City, significantly reducing casualties. Lin Jiu donated 20 million yuan to support radiation prevention efforts in S City, and he was named and praised for his contributions.

The government also disclosed the current dangers of the ocean. The ban on going to sea remains in place, and ordinary people are prohibited from going out to sea. Only individuals or groups with a “fishing permit” can legally go to sea for mutated seafood fishing.

After watching the news, Lin Jiu thought hard—when did his shop ever receive a permit to sell mutated seafood? He didn’t have one!

Could this be the compensation Shi ShuQing mentioned?

Compensation in the form of a permit, along with the news coverage as an advertisement, and being publicly praised on national television—Lin Jiu felt like he had transcended.

This was something he wouldn’t have dared dream of when he was a celebrity. Who would’ve thought that after quitting the entertainment industry, he’d achieve this by selling fish!

Lin Jiu hadn’t yet gone to the shop, but Jiang Xiwen was likely already there. He called Jiang Xiwen, and before he could say anything, she informed him that someone from the ‘Special Security Department’ had just delivered a sales permit.

Lin Jiu was relieved. Feeling content, he opened Weibo to check if the people who had insulted him were now regretting their words.

The internet was in chaos, with some acting like the end of the world was near.

Many people vented their emotions wildly online, cursing the heavens, the government for inaction, and even bringing up ancient prophecies and doomsday theories. Some mocked the coastal cities, saying, ‘Weren’t they the most developed? Didn’t they look down on people from other regions? Well, good luck starting the apocalypse from there.’

Everywhere was filled with hysteria and negativity, so much that it felt like the internet was about to explode.

Yet under Lin Jiu’s Weibo, the atmosphere was peaceful. The comments were full of people queuing to buy mutated seafood.

Some fiery fans reminded Boss Lin to prepare extra blacklists and not let those who insulted him off the hook. ‘Weren’t they the ones jumping around, accusing him of being ‘money-hungry’ and ‘profiting off a national disaster’? Well, look now—what kind of person is the Boss Lin you were cursing?’

The so-called ‘righteous people,’ who were previously heartbroken over Lin Jiu’s ‘misdeeds,’ had now seemingly vanished into thin air. Influencers who had deliberately stirred controversy quietly deleted their posts, and many of the comments criticizing Lin Jiu had been erased, as if they were afraid he would remember them.

Lin Jiu snorted and posted on Weibo:

Lin Jiu: ‘My blacklist is almost full. Let me make it clear: anyone who insulted me or my Demon Fish Shop, don’t even think about coming to my shop. I’ll definitely recognize you. Let’s not waste each other’s time. May we all be well. :)’

The comments section was full of responses:

‘Boss Lin, you’re tough! We don’t need their money. So when are you going to take ours? You donated 20 million yuan, you must be dirt poor now, right? How about doing more business to make up for it?’

Lin Jiu: ‘The shop renovation is complete, and we’re officially open today. We still offer lunch and dinner. The space is bigger, with more seating available. Come and have a taste.’

Those still surfing the internet and hoping to get a spot were clearly too late—many had already rushed to the Demon Fish Shop after seeing the news. This time, those queuing up brought their entire families.

This wasn’t just a meal; it was for radiation sickness prevention!

At this moment, Boss Lin was at home, washing his hands over and over, preparing to open blind boxes.