Chapter 58: Is this Compensation or a Trap?
Lin Jiu pleaded with the system: ‘System, help me out. I absolutely must draw a mid-level gene enhancer. This is for the sake of your father, so you better come through.’
[Instead of asking me, you should hope you aren’t unlucky. If I could control the blind box results, why would I need you to draw? I’d have sent it to my founder already.]
Lin Jiu: …
Taking a deep breath, Lin Jiu said, ‘Today is an auspicious day. I’m sure I’ll draw something good!’
The 9-grid blind box appeared, and Lin Jiu blew into his palm before clicking on the chest in the center.
[Congratulations, host, you’ve received 3 basic healing serums.]
Lin Jiu: …
Feeling nervous now, Lin Jiu had two more chances.
The 9-grid blind box reappeared, and without changing positions, Lin Jiu resolutely chose the chest in the center again.
[Congratulations, host, you’ve received a set of smart kitchenware.]
Lin Jiu: …
It’s over, it’s over—just one last chance left. Could he really be this unlucky?!
Lin Jiu dashed to the bathroom, washed his face and hands three times, and then returned.
Determined, he stuck to the center chest. He didn’t believe he wouldn’t get anything good…
[Congratulations, host, you’ve received a Magic Element Gun.]
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu took a deep breath and almost didn’t recover.
It turns out he really was unlucky. Three chances, and not only did he not get the mid-level gene enhancer, he didn’t even get the bloodline purifier!
The system, as if it had foreseen this outcome, commented:
[You should count yourself lucky you didn’t get a bunch of useless Coral Green Lettuce.]
Lin Jiu: …
Compared to the Coral Green Lettuce, which could be bought for 1 magic point per bundle, the three items he received today were actually pretty good. Each one was worth more than 1 magic point.
Lin Jiu didn’t get discouraged. He was sure he’d eventually draw the mid-level gene enhancer!
Of the three items he got this time, Lin Jiu was most curious about the Magic Element Gun. He retrieved it from his inventory, and his hands sank under the weight—he almost dropped it on his foot.
Lin Jiu was a bit dumbfounded. He wasn’t sure what he was holding. Wasn’t it supposed to be a gun? Its design completely defied his expectations. Indeed, in different dimensions, their interpretations of things can be wildly different.
The Magic Element Gun was entirely silver-white and had a high-tech appearance. Its body was relatively short, a bit longer than an ordinary pistol but taller. The whole thing looked like a rectangular box, but the two handgrips were very clear, and the structure was detailed and precise, giving it a very advanced look.”
Lin Jiu fiddled with the gun for a while but couldn’t find where the firearm was supposed to go, so he asked the system directly if it even had bullets.
The system wanted to roll its eyes at the host.
[The Magic Energy Gun uses magic energy crystals, not bullets.]
Lin Jiu: I have one magic energy crystal.
[That crystal is not the special ammo for the Magic Energy Gun, so it’s incompatible.]
Lin Jiu: So I have a gun without any bullets—what good is it?
[The Magic Energy Gun has two power sources: one is the magic energy ammo, and the other is the user’s own magic energy.]
Lin Jiu’s eyes lit up—he had magic energy!
[Friendly reminder: The Magic Energy Gun consumes a lot of magic energy. With just a few shots, you’ll drain all your magic energy.]
Lin Jiu: …
Forget it. This thing is too dangerous. Better to let it sit in the inventory and collect dust.
Lin Jiu finished organizing everything and was about to head to the shop early to set up the new set of smart kitchen appliances he had just won—it would make things much more convenient in daily use.
He brought the ingredients for the day’s meals to the shop. Thinking he’d arrived early, he was startled by the scene at the entrance. There were so many people that they couldn’t even stand at the shop’s door and had already spilled over to the store across the street. Cars passing through the old street couldn’t get through and had to turn around and take a detour.
Lin Jiu started to wonder if the higher-ups were compensating him or digging a pit for him. There were just too many people—he couldn’t possibly serve all these customers on his own without collapsing from exhaustion.
The people waiting at the door were anxious, as the panic from online was unfolding in front of him. Everyone was terrified of getting radiation sickness and was desperate to be the first to eat the mutated seafood. Some even started making cash deals in the crowd, trying to buy spots closer to the front. They were worried that there wouldn’t be enough tables at Demon Fish and they wouldn’t get a turn.
The staff from the Special Security Department had arrived. These were the familiar faces from the past few days. The part-time servers seemed to change every day—sometimes even switching twice in one day. Lin Jiu suspected that there was competition among them to work as servers.
Lin Jiu had laid down the rule that part-time servers had to complete a full day of work unless there were special circumstances. It wasn’t acceptable for one group to work lunch and another to work dinner—it would make calculating wages difficult.
Today’s servers were Wen Cheng and Zhou Mu. They wore casual clothes and masks, and as they stood at the shop’s entrance, they looked like bouncers, intimidating the anxious crowd into behaving.
Lin Jiu addressed the crowded group, “The shop can serve 16 tables and 4 private rooms, same as always—just one round of service. You should calculate how many people are here, and those who won’t get a seat, please don’t wait around.”
The crowd grew restless, and someone even shouted out for help. They weren’t just here to eat—they were here to save their lives!
Zhou Mu shouted, “Quiet down! Form an orderly line! If you don’t get a spot, don’t crowd around—wait for the next opportunity!”
Lin Jiu: …
Lin Jiu gave Zhou Mu a glance.
Zhou Mu looked confused, “What’s wrong?”
Lin Jiu shook his head, “Nothing.”
It seemed that the people he had hired weren’t servers—they were bodyguards.
Lin Jiu paused for a moment and glanced at them again. Maybe their real purpose ‘was’ to act as bodyguards rather than just serving food.
Lin Jiu parked his bike, and Wen Cheng came over to help unload the boxes, carrying them into the shop. Zhou Mu remained standing at the door, still and imposing, intimidating the crowd.
Before Lin Jiu entered the shop, he noticed an elderly woman in a wheelchair. The man pushing her was well-dressed. Lin Jiu looked around the crowd but didn’t see Boss Sun. However, he did spot quite a few residents of the old street. They must have seen the news and come to get a meal, too.
When the residents caught Lin Jiu’s gaze, no matter what they were thinking, they had to smile back. Otherwise, if Lin Jiu didn’t let them in, they’d be in trouble.
Lin Jiu originally wanted to ask Boss Sun if this elderly lady was the one who had the incident at Chen’s Noodle Shop. If she was, he would make special arrangements for her, even if they couldn’t get a spot.
Since he couldn’t find Sun, Lin Jiu called Wen Cheng over and asked him to inquire about the old woman’s situation.
After giving his instructions, Lin Jiu entered the shop.
Demon Fish still had the same décor as before, just with more space. The overall style hadn’t changed, but the kitchen had been moved to the far back and was now fully open. The available space had expanded, and the cash register was positioned near the kitchen, facing the entrance.
Jiang Xiwen was checking the placement of the tables and chairs. Lin Jiu greeted her and headed straight to the kitchen, while mentally communicating with the Chef God system. He asked the system to quietly swap all the current kitchen equipment with the smart kitchen appliances. With smart appliances, his workload would be greatly reduced, especially in tasks like washing and cutting.
The system indeed made the swap silently—even Jiang Xiwen didn’t notice the changes happening in the kitchen. Lin Jiu watched as the kitchen transformed before his eyes, with no noise at all. Even the colors stayed the same, but everything inside had become different.
The new kitchen had a wall of refrigerators—real refrigerators this time, without time-freeze or time-acceleration functions. Otherwise, Lin Jiu wouldn’t dare leave them in the shop. Although these didn’t have the advanced capabilities of the smart kitchen refrigerators, they were still pretty smart—or rather, the appliances themselves were intelligent. They recognized their owner, meaning only Lin Jiu could use them. Anyone else wouldn’t even be able to open the doors.
Lin Jiu opened the insulated box and placed the seafood inside the fridge. Now the shop could store more seafood, and he wouldn’t have to bring it over every day—much less hassle.
Lin Jiu started by cooking the jade marrow rice and then moved on to prepping the seafood.
Tasks like cleaning, shelling, deboning, and slicing could all be handled by the smart kitchen appliances. All Lin Jiu had to do was plate and season the ingredients. Since these weren’t magical dishes, he didn’t need to handle every step himself. What he really needed to focus on was how to sell more of his magical cuisine, not just these ordinary meals.
After the shop’s expansion, the first floor could now accommodate 88 people, almost triple the previous capacity. Thanks to the smart appliances, Lin Jiu didn’t spend much more time than he used to, despite the increased number of diners.
As soon as it was time, Mo Fish opened for business. Zhou Mu maintained order at the door while Jiang Xiwen and Wen Cheng helped serve the food.
The elderly woman in the wheelchair was indeed the one who had the incident at Chen’s Noodle Shop. Lin Jiu asked Wen Cheng to keep an eye on her. Fortunately, they had arrived early enough to get a spot; otherwise, Lin Jiu would have had to make special arrangements.
As the customers entered the shop, their first priority was to check if Demon Fish had a license to sell mutated seafood. Of course, the shop had one, delivered personally by the authorities. The license, along with other certificates, was displayed right at the entrance, clearly visible.
Seeing the license with their own eyes, the customers felt relieved, grateful they had come early. They knew that more people would be coming tomorrow, and getting a spot would be even harder. Compared to those who hadn’t eaten yet, they were already feeling safer, having secured a meal.
Plates of set meals were brought to each table. After finishing his tasks, Lin Jiu took the time to specially prepare a plate of pan-seared lobster meat and asked Wen Cheng to deliver it to the elderly woman in the wheelchair.
There was no lobster meat in the set meals, but the elderly woman could benefit from it for her health, and Lin Jiu believed that after a few meals, she might even be able to walk again.
Lin Jiu instructed Wen Cheng on what to say, and Wen Cheng carried the plate over. Since it was pan-seared, the aroma spread through the air, causing many to crane their necks and look over. Wen Cheng himself was almost driven to tears by the delicious smell—it was too tempting!
“Excuse me, as it’s the shop’s first day, the boss has sent a plate of pan-seared dragonfish meat for the elderly lady. Please enjoy.”
Wen Cheng placed the plate in front of the elderly woman. She looked at him and tried to smile, but only half her face responded; the other side remained unmoving. She mumbled a thank you.
The well-dressed man was her son, and he thanked Lin Jiu on her behalf.
The elderly woman couldn’t feed herself, as half of her body was paralyzed, and her one functional hand trembled severely. Her son was feeding her.
Two people sitting opposite them were unsettled by the elderly woman’s odd smile. They hadn’t been lucky enough to get good seats and were on the verge of missing the meal. Noticing the pair was sitting alone, the son asked them to share the table.
At first, the son didn’t agree, fearing they’d judge his mother. But the elderly woman didn’t mind—this was a matter of life and death, and she was willing to help. Sharing the table wouldn’t be an issue.
The two who joined were captivated by the aroma of the dragonfish meat in front of the elderly woman. The white, glistening meat was seared golden on both sides, tender and juicy, with a mouth-watering fragrance.
Just as Wen Cheng was about to leave, one of the two men called out to him.
“Uh… how’s this being handed out? Does everyone get a portion, or is there some condition for it?”
Wen Cheng glanced at him, “The boss is only giving out one portion.”
The two were disappointed, their eyes fixed on the lobster meat, making it clear they wanted to taste it.
Wen Cheng frowned and reminded them, “The elderly woman has limited mobility. The pan-seared lobster is beneficial for her health. The boss said that to fully recover, she may need to eat it a few more times.”
The son’s hand shook, almost dropping the seafood rice.
“Can… can she really fully recover?” The son looked at Wen Cheng in disbelief.
As Lin Jiu’s most loyal fan, Wen Cheng firmly believed whatever Lin Jiu said was true.
“Of course! Boss Lin never lies. The set meal didn’t include lobster, so he specially prepared a portion for your mother.”
The son stood up, bowing repeatedly in gratitude, his emotions evident.
Others noticed this scene and began whispering amongst themselves.
They had already heard rumors that the ingredients at Demon Fish were beneficial for health. Outside rumors about treating menstrual pain, increasing milk production, and enhancing beauty—could it be true?
Whether it was true or not, they would soon find out. Someone discreetly took a picture of the elderly woman in her wheelchair, saving it as evidence.
Lin Jiu, standing in the kitchen, stared at the wheelchair, lost in thought. It reminded him of Si Xu’s mother’s wheelchair.
In his mind, he asked the system: *Does the basic healing potion work for people who’ve been in a wheelchair for a long time?*
[The healing potion only works for people with physical injuries.]
Lin Jiu: ‘But if their legs can’t walk, isn’t that a physical injury?’
[Psychological traumas can also cause a person to lose the ability to walk.]
Lin Jiu: …
So the healing potion could only treat physical injuries, not psychological ones.
Lin Jiu was still pondering whether Si Xu’s mother’s condition was physical or psychological when he saw a large truck pull up in front of the shop, followed by two private cars. The cars screeched to a halt as if they had just been racing, causing the people waiting for dinner to scatter in fear.
A man got out of one of the private cars and rushed over to the truck’s driver’s door. It wasn’t anyone else—it was Jiang Ge.
When Lin Jiu saw the person coming around the other side of the truck, he froze—it was Si Xu!
Wasn’t he out at sea? When had he returned?
Lin Jiu left the kitchen and quickly walked to the door. Jiang Ge was blocking Si Xu, saying something, clearly anxious.
Just as the door opened, Lin Jiu heard Jiang Ge’s complaint.
“You have no heart. Our friendship since childhood means less to you than mutated seafood? Lin Jiu’s shop has plenty of ingredients, but my Bai Ge Wan is on the verge of being torn apart by customers! They saw the news and came to my shop, but we don’t have any mutated seafood today. They don’t believe me and are crowding the entrance, on the verge of rioting. My security guards are terrified… I don’t need much, just give me a little so I can get through today… If you don’t, at least give me a leg. I’m not asking for much…”
