Chapter 59: New World, New Plans
“Are you done with your business? Why didn’t you say you were coming back?” Lin Jiu asked as he walked over, giving them a curious look.
Si Xu’s gaze softened when he saw Lin Jiu. “I wanted to surprise you.”
Lin Jiu smiled under his mask, “It ‘is’ quite the surprise. What’s in the truck?”
“Lin Jiu, we’ve been friends for years—you’ve got to help me!” Before Si Xu could respond, Jiang Ge grabbed onto this lifeline, “You’ve got plenty of mutated seafood, I know you do. I desperately need some!”
Lin Jiu glanced at Jiang Ge, then looked at Si Xu. “What’s going on?”
“He caught a giant octopus. Apparently, it’s really, really big…”
Before Jiang Ge could finish, the truck driver swiftly pulled open the truck’s cargo door, and cold air poured out—colder than the outside temperature.
The customers who had gathered to watch the commotion gasped when they saw inside the truck.
Inside the large cargo space, there were only two things: a massive frozen octopus and an enormous bluefin tuna!
The truck’s cargo area could only fit these two creatures, and they were so huge, they looked like monsters. It was terrifying.
Jiang Ge’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “There’s even a bluefin tuna?! Such a big bluefin tuna?! You have a bluefin, and yet you can’t spare even one leg of the octopus for me? You’re heartless!”
Lin Jiu: “…”
Lin Jiu was also shocked, not by the size of the octopus or bluefin, but by the fact that although they had grown larger, their basic characteristics hadn’t changed. At least you could still tell what species they were at a glance, unlike the strange creatures from that night. Could this be the normal form of mutated seafood?
Si Xu noticed Lin Jiu’s wide eyes and said softly, “A gift for your new shop.”
Lin Jiu: “Thanks, it’s been a while since I’ve had octopus or bluefin.”
Braised octopus, stir-fried octopus with sauce, spicy octopus, octopus balls…
As for the bluefin tuna, it’s perfect for sashimi or pan-searing.
In short, with good ingredients, there are countless ways to cook them.
“Did you catch these?” Lin Jiu was thinking about the system’s remark, “Our system doesn’t measure up.”
Si Xu nodded. “We went out to sea, partly to protect those who venture out and partly to check the situation on the ocean. Whoever catches mutated seafood gets to keep it.”
Right now, the price of mutated seafood is very high, and the market can’t meet the demand. Catching mutated seafood is like catching money—no one would turn that down.
“This octopus attacked us, almost flipping our boat. We fought together, and I was the one who ultimately killed it.”
As he spoke, Si Xu looked steadily at Lin Jiu, his intention clear: he could also catch seafood. If he went with Lin Jiu to gather supplies, he could definitely help.
Lin Jiu seemed to understand his meaning but couldn’t respond at the moment.
The crowd was stunned. A giant octopus like this could easily kill a person! How did they manage to kill it?
People began to murmur among themselves. This was the first time they had seen such massive mutated seafood up close, and they finally understood why it was so expensive. It was a life-risking endeavor to catch it—of course, human life is precious!
Si Xu noticed Lin Jiu’s evasiveness and didn’t push further. Instead, he turned his attention to Jiang Ge, who was about to speak but was quickly interrupted by Si Xu.
“What’s your long-term plan? When you applied for the license, did you think about the source of mutated seafood? Are you planning to continue cobbling things together by buying from others?”
Those with licenses to sell mutated seafood aren’t ordinary people. Only 17 licenses have been issued, given the scarcity of mutated seafood. License holders are either strengthened individuals or closely connected to them. To sell mutated seafood, you must have a steady supply chain.
People or groups who hold legal permits to capture mutated seafood aren’t ordinary either. Venturing out to sea is dangerous, and authorities don’t allow unnecessary risk. Getting such a permit is no easy task.
This is only the beginning. There aren’t many people with enhanced bodies yet, but soon, the supply chain for mutated seafood will be perfected. The ocean, while dangerous, is a treasure trove, and big players will inevitably enter the scene. Si Xu was already considering getting involved.
His primary goal was to help Lin Jiu secure a steady supply, but something felt off. Even though he had caught this giant octopus, it was dark red, unlike the blue creatures Lin Jiu had shown him, nor had he ever heard of silver spinefish, invisible fish, or black star clams. Even when he asked experienced fishermen, they hadn’t heard of these types.
As sharp as Si Xu was, he couldn’t fathom the concept of another world or dimension, so he remained puzzled.
Jiang Ge looked at Si Xu and Lin Jiu eagerly. “I’m thinking of partnering with others to form a fishing crew. As long as we’re strong enough, we could dominate half the mutated seafood market. Controlling the supply chain is way better than buying from others. Would you two consider joining?”
Jiang Ge had this in mind when he applied for the sales license. His first choice for a partner was Lin Jiu, who frequently gathered his own supplies and had plenty of experience. The second was Si Xu, whose connections and background would easily allow him to form a fishing crew.
However, Si Xu wasn’t buying it. He knew Jiang Ge too well. He’d get bored after three minutes. Si Xu wasn’t convinced Jiang Ge had the focus to see this through.
Si Xu: “Go talk to your brother about this. If he’s serious, let him come to me directly. Don’t waste my time.”
Jiang Ge: “…”
Jiang Ge scratched his head, knowing full well what his reputation was. “So… can you spare me a bit of that octopus or bluefin tuna? Just to tide me over?”
Si Xu: “That’s up to Xiao Jiu. It’s his.”
Jiang Ge looked expectantly at Lin Jiu, not noticing that Si Xu had changed the way he addressed Lin Jiu.
Lin Jiu, meanwhile, was asking the Culinary God system if mutated seafood from Earth could be sold in his shop. The answer was no.
He could sell it, but the earnings wouldn’t count towards the shop’s profits, meaning he’d be working for nothing.
Lin Jiu increasingly felt like the Demon Fish Shop existed solely to consume sea monsters.
He looked at Si Xu. “This is too much for us to eat. Let’s sell it to him at market price for mutated seafood.”
Jiang Ge was overjoyed.
Si Xu raised an eyebrow, understanding from Lin Jiu’s words that he wasn’t planning to sell the seafood in the shop.
“Hurry, hurry, unload and cut it up!” Jiang Ge shouted. A few people got out of another car, grabbed tools from the trunk, and jumped onto the truck, ready to start dragging the giant octopus and bluefin tuna down. Lin Jiu quickly stopped them.
“Are you really going to cut this up in front of my shop?” Forget about whether the ground was clean or not—did they really need to be this brutal with the cutting?
Jiang Ge hesitated. “Uh… should we take it back to cut?”
Lin Jiu told them to wait a moment. He went back inside the shop, grabbed a cleaver and a bucket, then climbed into the truck. With a single chop, he cut off a tentacle and placed it in the bucket. He then plunged the cleaver into the thick back of the bluefin tuna. Luckily, it hadn’t frozen into a solid block, so he could cut through it. Gripping the knife with both hands, he sliced along the spine from head to tail with expert skill. Then, he made lateral cuts, severing both ends, and took out a piece of tuna belly, placing it in the bucket as well.
Lin Jiu jumped down from the truck, holding the knife and bucket. “This is our lunch.”
Lin Jiu agreed to give half of the giant octopus and bluefin to Jiang Ge, asking him to cut it up and send the portions back.
The onlookers came forward, eager to buy some of the seafood to take home. They were willing to pay a high price, but unfortunately, no amount of money could buy it. They didn’t sell ingredients, only finished dishes.
The large truck and the private car both drove away, while the crowd remained discussing what they’d seen. Lin Jiu and Si Xu headed back inside the shop.
Lin Jiu was in a great mood. “For lunch, we’ll have tuna sushi, stir-fried octopus, and takoyaki.”
The shop didn’t have a dedicated machine for making takoyaki, but there was a similar hotplate, and once heated, it should work just as well.
Lin Jiu felt like it had been ages since he’d eaten these dishes. He was starting to crave them.
Si Xu followed slowly behind him. “Sounds good.”
Lin Jiu headed to the kitchen, with Si Xu following. Lin Jiu rolled up his sleeves, ready to prepare the ingredients.
Si Xu took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves as well. “I’ll help you.”
Lin Jiu glanced at him and smiled. “You know how to cook?”
Si Xu: “You can just guide me; I’ll assist you.”
Lin Jiu casually placed the octopus tentacle in the smart kitchen appliance under the counter to defrost, then handed it to Si Xu.
“First, wash the tentacle and peel it.”
Si Xu paused for a moment, accepting the limp tentacle. He had to figure out how to peel it, so he placed it in the sink, which it immediately filled. When he turned on the water, it nearly overflowed.
Si Xu stared at the tentacle for a while. “Can I cut it into pieces?”
Lin Jiu: “Sure.”
Si Xu took a knife and started cutting the tentacle.
The octopus and the bluefin were very fresh, brought back from the sea and immediately stored in a refrigerated truck.
Zhou Mu and Weng Cheng, who saw the scene in the kitchen, were wide-eyed. Wasn’t that Si Xu? He could cook too?
The two edged closer to the kitchen and saw Si Xu attempting to slice the tentacle. But since it was so soft and slippery, it took him two tries to cut through, and he nearly sliced his finger in the process. The two couldn’t help but laugh.
“Captain Si, you may be the strongest, but this task might not be your strength,” Zhou Mu teased.
Si Xu looked up and saw them. “Did you guys win today?”
Even though Si Xu was far away in S City, he knew everything Lu Yu knew.
Zhou Mu: “…”
Weng Cheng: “…”
Lin Jiu turned to Si Xu. “Captain Si? Are you their captain now?”
Si Xu: “They want me to lead the second team. I’m still considering it.”
Ever since Si Xu had his medical exam at the base, the entire Special Security Division had been in a frenzy. Si Xu was undoubtedly the strongest since the department’s creation. The higher-ups were adamant about making him the captain of the first team, but Si Xu had said he needed to think about it. As a result, people in the division had started calling him “Captain Si” in the hopes of influencing his decision.
Lin Jiu: “Why are you still considering it?”
Si Xu finally managed to cut through the tentacle. “I don’t like being number two. I prefer ‘seven,’ but since there’s only one team right now, I’ll wait until there are second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth teams. Then, I’ll consider becoming the captain of the seventh team.”
Zhou Mu: “…”
Weng Cheng: “…”
This time, Lin Jiu couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. “Didn’t that make the higher-ups mad?”
Si Xu snorted with laughter. “Not too badly.”
Thinking about how his father had almost disowned him upon hearing that reasoning, telling him to “get as far away as possible,” Si Xu had then been sent to S City for disaster relief work.
Lin Jiu marinated the tuna belly with soy sauce to remove the acidity. He was almost done, while Si Xu was still wrestling with the tentacle.
Lin Jiu took over, telling Si Xu to wash his hands and wait for lunch.
Lin Jiu’s knife skills were swift. He planned to make the takoyaki first, followed by stir-fried octopus and boiled octopus. Since there were five of them, he prepared larger portions. These weren’t magical ingredients, so the Culinary God system wouldn’t care how much they ate for free.
When Jiang Xiwen saw Si Xu, she was momentarily stunned.
Lin Jiu introduced her as the newly appointed front-of-house manager of the Demon Fish Shop, Jiang Xiwen. She never had the chance to interact with someone as high-profile as Si Xu when she was an agent, and now that she no longer worked as an agent, she was surprised to meet him here.
Once the lunchtime customers left, Lin Jiu finally finished up, and it was time to eat.
Zhou Mu and Weng Cheng set up a private room, and they all brought the food in to eat together.
There were two large plates of tuna sushi, the marinated tuna belly having taken on a richer color. Each sushi piece had a generous slab of belly on top, looking incredibly tempting.
They also had two large portions of takoyaki, along with stir-fried octopus and boiled octopus, all served in large dishes. And there was plenty of jade essence rice for everyone.
This was exactly why the people in the Special Security Division preferred to work at the Demon Fish Shop even without pay.
Although employee benefits stated that managers got a 20% discount and servers a 10% discount, Lin Jiu clearly counted work meals separately. For the past few days, lunch and dinner had almost always been eaten at the shop, and Lin Jiu had never mentioned charging them for food. On top of that, he paid them daily wages, which they felt too guilty to accept. They were there purely to help and enjoy the food, without needing the salary at all.
A meal from the Demon Fish Shop is worth almost a month’s salary for them, and they get to eat two meals a day. How could they even ask for a salary?
Shi ShuQing had already brought this up with Lin Jiu, suggesting that if meals were provided, there was no need for a salary. The Special Security Department (SSD) was already benefiting, so they shouldn’t ask for more.
Originally, they applied for waiter positions just for the employee benefits, but once they got the job, they realized the benefits were just the tip of the iceberg. The real perk was the employee meals! They ate whatever Lin Jiu ate. If people knew about this, they’d be fighting to stay as waiters in the shop.
Luckily, Lin Jiu chose them.
Lin Jiu’s decision wasn’t just because there were no trustworthy candidates; he had a plan. His goal was to promote magical cuisine.
Magical cuisine couldn’t be served to ordinary people, so to sell it to ten people, he had to start with members of the SSD.
Now that Si Xu had returned, Lu Yu was probably back as well. It was time to arrange a group meal featuring magical cuisine.
That lunch was satisfying enough. The energy from the mutated seafood was limited, and it couldn’t compare to the creatures from the Demon Sea. But with Lin Jiu’s cooking, it was still quite delicious, even if the energy boost was minimal.
Out of the five people present, four could sense the unknown energy. Only Jiang Xiwen couldn’t, but she could still taste the difference. Despite being prepared by the same person, the flavor was noticeably different. The only explanation was the difference in ingredients.
“Hold on, let’s add another dish,” Lin Jiu said as he left the room.
He brought out marinated Liuxi fish, a long, thin fish that resembled Pacific saury from Earth. Liuxi fish were also magical creatures from the Demon Sea. Due to their small bones, they weren’t suitable for sashimi, so they had been set aside. But he didn’t want them to go to waste, so he had to find a way to cook them.
He grilled five of the Liuxi fish to replenish everyone’s energy.
“What smells so good?” Si Xu walked into the kitchen.
Wearing heat proof gloves, Lin Jiu took out the baking tray. “Liuxi fish. These are leftovers from the S-City supply. They’re small and bony, so they aren’t ideal for sashimi. I’ve been wondering how to use them up. Let’s give them a try.”
Si Xu chuckled, “Other people worry about not having enough to eat, and you worry about how to finish it all.”
Lin Jiu sighed, “After eating so many premium ingredients, fish with bones probably won’t be popular.”
Si Xu reassured him, “Don’t worry. You’ll sell them all.”
“Are there a lot of Liuxi fish left?”
Lin Jiu sighed again, “Plenty.”
He hadn’t realized how many there were at first. A sonic blast had swept through an entire school of Liuxi fish, each one only about 20 or 30 centimeters long. Imagine how many there were! He’d had to painstakingly scoop them up one by one with a net, and just thinking about it made him feel exhausted.
As soon as the door to the private dining room opened, the delicious aroma drew everyone in, and they quickly stood up to get their portions.
Weng Cheng took one bite and exclaimed, “What kind of fish is this? It’s so good—so tender, so flavorful!”
Lin Jiu warned him, “Watch out for the small bones.”
Weng Cheng’s eyes sparkled. “No problem, I’m not a kid. I won’t choke on a fish bone. This fish is amazing, and it’s packed with energy!”
The contrast with the mutated seafood made even the Liuxi fish seem “high energy” by comparison.
Si Xu nodded after tasting it. “It’s really good. The fat makes it extra rich.”
It turned out that grilling was the right choice for this fish. As the fat melted under the skin, it seeped into the meat, making it tender and flavorful.
Zhou Mu said, “We could definitely handle this kind of fish. I’ll have to suggest it to the captain—buy a few and grill them. One per person, and they’re easy to portion out.”
Lin Jiu replied, “Ingredients are scarce, so they might not be available. But you can always come to the shop to eat them.”
Si Xu: “…”
Lin Jiu winked at him mischievously, his eyes full of playfulness.
Si Xu thought of how Lin Jiu had regretted agreeing to sell ingredients to the SSD. He’d rather sell them red plum wine than part with his ingredients. And now, after just saying there were plenty of Liuxi fish, he was suddenly claiming the ingredients were scarce. Si Xu felt like he’d figured it out.
He chuckled lightly but didn’t expose Lin Jiu’s trick.
Weng Cheng took the bait. “I’ll tell Captain Lu when I get back. If we don’t hurry and eat, the naturally enhanced folks will surpass us.”
After finishing the Liuxi fish, the five of them helped clean up the table, putting all the dishes into the smart kitchenware for cleaning and sterilization.
Once the shop was tidied up, Zhou Mu and Weng Cheng were scheduled to return to the base in the afternoon, but they planned to come back for dinner.
Just after lunch, Jiang Ge delivered the pre-cut octopus and bluefin tuna.
Thank you for the chapter!!!