Chapter 163
Yun Wen slept in the snow for a full eight hours—from night to day, then from day back to night. The swirling snow piled layer upon layer over him, burying his half-pollutant, half-human body completely.
Eight hours later, when his eyes opened again, the soul beneath the skin had changed.
Mu Dongsheng was awakened by a familiar aroma of porridge.
…Even buried beneath thick layers of snow, that rich, warm fragrance, carrying a hint of honey-like sweetness, somehow seeped through the frost and into Mu Dongsheng’s nose.
To say that Mu Dongsheng—the savior of the Eastern Base, the top-tier mercenary—was a glutton? No one would believe it. In fact, they’d laugh at the absurdity of the claim. Anyone who had interacted with Mu Dongsheng in the Eastern Base knew he was aloof, seemingly gentle but emotionally distant, detached from worldly desires—practically a transcendent being.
But the truth was exactly that.
Buried under the icy snow, breathing in the faint but unmistakable scent of rice, porridge, and that subtly different sweetness compared to yesterday, Mu Dongsheng’s eyelashes fluttered.
So fragrant…
Wait, did this mean… Boss Jian had set up his stall?!!!
A sudden surge of willpower and conviction seized his entire body.
The powerful pollutant soul sharing his body also stirred violently, thrashing as if trying to break free.
But the gnawing hunger in his stomach and the tantalizing aroma of hot porridge so close by ignited an extraordinary decisiveness and ferocity in Mu Dongsheng. The moment Yun Wen’s guard slipped, Mu Dongsheng ruthlessly seized control of the body—and then—
Rustle—!
He burst out of the snow like a corpse rising from its coffin!
Mu Dongsheng emerged from the snow, shaking off the accumulated frost without a care, his eyes gleaming as he smiled tenderly at Boss Jian:
“Boss Jian, what kind of porridge is it today? It smells so sweet…
“Ah, ah! Two whole buckets?! Are they all for me? You’re too kind! There’s no way I could finish all this by myself!”
His words said I can’t finish it, but his body was brutally honest.
—The moment he saw the two tightly sealed porridge buckets, Mu Dongsheng dropped to his knees with a thud, wrapping both arms around one of the buckets as if immune to the heat.
Not only did he hug it, he even let out a heh heh chuckle, wearing the blissfully foolish grin of a miser clinging to his gold. No matter how hard anyone tried to pull him away, he refused to let go.
Jian Yunlan: “……”
Taotie: “…………”
The majestic silver dog’s fluffy ears twitched as he solemnly stepped forward, extending a paw to pry Mu Dongsheng off—as the security guard of Jian’s Porridge Stall, Taotie couldn’t possibly allow such rudeness under his watch.
But no matter how hard he tugged, yanked, or pulled… Mu Dongsheng wouldn’t budge. In fact, his grip only tightened.
The dog stared down at his own paws in shock.
Even in his canine form, Taotie’s monstrous strength should’ve remained intact. Just how deep was this man’s obsession with porridge? …Though, to be fair, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.
Thinking back to the seafood porridge he’d tasted not long ago, Taotie couldn’t help but swallow hard.
After a moment of serious contemplation, the dog slowly and cautiously padded over to the other porridge bucket, wrapped both paws around it, and hugged it tightly.
Jian Yunlan: “…………”
He looked at Taotie, then at Mu Dongsheng.
Most of Mu Dongsheng’s face was hidden beneath the cloak, but the pale chin that peeked out was gaunt to the extreme, his entire frame so frail it looked like a gust of wind could blow him away.
Look at what this apocalyptic world has done to people—starving them to such a state!
Overcome with emotion, Jian Yunlan bent down to help the cloaked guest up, saying gently:
“Sir, please stand up first, I’ll serve you—”
But before he could finish, the sound of distant commotion cut him off.
The sound wasn’t loud.
But for those present with extraordinarily sharp senses, even the slightest anomaly wouldn’t go unnoticed.
Jian Yunlan, Mu Dongsheng, and even Taotie all froze for a moment before turning their gazes toward the distance—
On the vast white horizon, a black dot appeared.
The dot soon stretched into a line.
That dark line advanced rapidly, accompanied by the chaotic sounds of running footsteps, chatter, and excited exclamations. The noise grew louder and clearer, shifting from faint murmurs to unmistakable shouts:
“…Look…!”
“…Look over there…!”
—”It’s Jian’s Simple Porridge Stall!!!”
“Ahhh, the rumors were true! Boss Jian really set up shop in the Death Desert!!!”
A dense crowd surged forward like a hurricane, sweeping toward the tiny porridge stall that had just opened for business.
The mob drew closer with every second, each person bundled in thick coats and armor, their faces half-hidden under cloaks or scarves. Among them were many familiar faces Jian Yunlan had seen days earlier, like Wang Peng, but there were also plenty of newcomers. Strangely, Jian Yunlan didn’t spot any members of Squad 11 in the crowd.
Many had their cheeks flushed red from the wind and snow, but their eyes burned with anticipation and longing.
Longing for food.
Like a horde of starving ghosts reincarnated.
…At this point, even Mu Dongsheng paled in shock, his fingers curling slightly as he discreetly scanned the crowd.
Jian Yunlan, meanwhile, was so overwhelmed by the sheer spectacle that he nearly toppled backward into the snow.
Sure, business had been booming during his past ventures in other dimensions, but this scene surpassed anything he’d ever experienced. Against the desolate white landscape and blood-red sky, the sudden appearance of a massive, jubilant crowd was visually staggering…
Jian Yunlan rubbed his eyes, glanced at his tiny two-seat porridge stall, then back at the sea of people before him. His mind went blank, a dizzying sense of?? (oxygen deprivation) washing over him.
His lips trembled as he muttered to himself:
“Our little stall can’t possibly seat this many people!!”
“……”
But Jian Yunlan was, after all, a professional.
What kind of food stall owner would let a minor logistical challenge shake their resolve?
Shaken or not, business was business. After taking a deep breath to steady himself, Jian Yunlan cleared his mind and greeted the stampeding customers with a radiant smile.
The crowd had already begun jostling into a line in front of the stall, every pair of eyes gleaming. If not for the makeshift barrier, they might’ve rushed forward to tearfully clutch Jian Yunlan’s hands:
“Boss Jian, ahhh, Boss Jian! We thought you’d stopped selling porridge—it’s all that bastard Li Zhou’s fault…”
“So it’s true! Jian’s Simple Porridge Stall really moved to the Death Desert! All that desperate trekking through the snow wasn’t for nothing!”
“What’s today’s porridge? That century egg and pork one from last time had me in a daze!”
“Boss Jian, remember me? I was your first customer~”
“…Get lost, who are you to act so familiar? I was Boss Jian’s first customer—I even kept the takeout container he handed me. Hey, you! No cutting in line! First come, first served—where are your manners?!”
“Ha! You’re the one with no manners!”
Some even started shoving their fellow travelers to secure a better spot, while others tried chatting up Jian Yunlan or—more audaciously—reached for the porridge buckets, only to be thwarted by Taotie’s merciless vigilance.
The once quiet little porridge stall suddenly became lively, with warm yellow light shining over the bustling crowd in the snow.
Jian Yunlan’s gaze swept over the familiar faces, utterly bewildered, until he spotted Wang Rong and Wang Tao, the siblings, standing in a corner not far away.
The siblings gave Jian Yunlan a somewhat sheepish smile: “…Uh, Boss Jian, we promised to help bring in customers for you. See? We kept our word.”
Jian Yunlan: “…..” So it’s because of you two!
But now that everyone was here, he had to welcome them with the best attitude and the most delicious porridge.
What kind of food stall owner would complain about too many customers?!
Seeing the chaos escalating due to the crowd, Jian Yunlan immediately decided to restore order.
He initially planned to speak directly, but after staring at the endless line, he fell silent for a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out—somehow—a loudspeaker, switching it on.
After clearing his throat, Jian Yunlan confidently announced:
“Welcome to Jian’s Simple Porridge Stall! Today, we have two types of porridge: savory and sweet—seafood porridge and pumpkin porridge, both priced at three credits per bowl.”
“Which one would you like?”
The journey from the Eastern Base to the current location of Jian’s Simple Porridge Stall would take even speed-enhanced mercenaries at least six to seven hours at full sprint.
Thus, despite setting out as quickly as possible, the massive crowd of customers arrived slightly later than Jian Yunlan.
As the leaders of the group, Squad 11 should have been the first to arrive, guiding the way at the front of the procession.
However, they had encountered scattered waves of mutated creatures along the road—fortunately, most were mid- to low-level, with only one troublesome high-level variant. Still, it was enough to set off alarm bells among the mercenaries.
Yicun Qing tightened his grip on his cane and declared, “Squad 11 will stay behind to handle the mutants. The rest of you, go ahead.”
After all, they were the ones who had led everyone here. If danger arose, Squad 11 had to take responsibility to the end. They were Captain Mu’s squad.
They couldn’t afford to disgrace him.
“Once this battle is over, we have to get ourselves a bowl of Boss Jian’s hot porridge!” Murong Miao readied her sniper rifle, and the rest of Squad 11 exchanged determined smiles as they prepared for combat.
“…” The others shuddered at their words. “Don’t say such ominous things!”
Fortunately, no accidents occurred.
After dealing with the mutant waves, Squad 11 hurried over, arriving just a little later than the others.
Hearing the loudspeaker in the distance and spotting the cozy little stall under the warm lights, Squad 11 perked up: “It really is Boss Jian…!”
The crowd also breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Squad 11 arrive unharmed:
“You made it just in time!”
“Thank goodness you’re safe.”
“Quick, everyone, make way! Let Squad 11 through!”
People eagerly cleared a path, allowing Squad 11 to move to the front of the line.
