Chapter 1039: Grand Cooking Contest! Bee Queen Ambush!

……

Fifteen minutes later, the group conducted a search.

They scouted a large supermarket named 'Jingxiang' as a base.

Due to the unrest, the security in Zhongxia City District and all public safety departments were completely paralyzed.

And Sunset District was the area most affected by the unrest.

The civilians had long fled, and the remaining population was less than one ten‑thousandth of its original size.

It was precisely for this reason that Cai Xu could move unimpeded, without any supervision, from Luoshui Street to Central City District.

The street lamps on both sides flickered intermittently, and the once bustling thoroughfare that emptied ten thousand people now left only a mess of chicken feathers.

The dilapidated scene resembled wasteland; many people's half‑life of hard work was wasted, all surrendered back to the earth.

"Quick, lend a hand!"

"Can't even lift a person, and you're all Muscle for decoration?"

"It's a bee queen! Not a human!!"

"Whoa, that heavy?"

"Makes it seem like I'm deceiving you, hurry!"

Zhang Tiancheng and Zhuang Wu together lifted the cage containing the bee queen up to the Second Floor of the supermarket.

To conserve the generator's power, the group only turned on the lighting system and the kitchen equipment.

Without an escalator, the two struggled to carry it for a full ten minutes.

"Bang!"

The cage hit the ground; Zhang Tiancheng gasped heavily, his arms already sore and numb.

"I'm exhausted, give me some saliva."

Luo Qing thoughtfully brought a bottle of electrolyte drink, unscrewed the cap and handed it to the Mouth.

Zhang Tiancheng gulped half a bottle with a "ton ton ton" sound, then held the drink in his hand and smiled toward Luo Qing.

Seeing the two snuggled together, Zhuang Wu suddenly felt as if someone had stabbed a knife into his heart.

"Hum!"

He turned his head away, tugged his soaked clothes to cool down, choosing not to see.

He was already not pleased with Zhang Tiancheng.

Now having eaten Mouth dog food, he felt even more displeased.

"Damn, this kind of dumb bird can still find a girlfriend, how unlucky," Zhuang Wu muttered to himself.

He thought of his dignified bearing, a true talent, yet no one appreciated him.

Truly, the heavens are blind.

"Here!"

At that moment, a bottle of water was handed to his eyes.

Zhuang Wu was stunned, looked up and saw a beautiful face with a smiling expression.

"Th…Thank you."

Zhuang Wu reached out to take it, his eyes full of astonishment.

"You're welcome, that was hard work," Luo Qing said.

Zhuang Wu watched her slender back as she left, then lowered his head to glance at the drink in his hand.

For some reason, the bitterness in his heart deepened a few points.

"You really should die!"

He forcefully unscrewed the cap and gulped down a mouthful.

But because he drank too quickly, he accidentally choked his Throat.

"Cough cough cough!"

Zhang Tiancheng, seeing this, laughed loudly without reservation, "Hahaha!"

"Laughing at your mother!"

……

In the kitchen, Su Yang stood with hands on his hips, watching Wen Ran and Wang Defa demonstrate their cooking skills.

It must be said, their techniques in this area were superb; the basic maneuvers need not be mentioned.

Mainly, the timing of Fire was handled quite precisely.

Watching the red‑brown garlic ribs coming out of the wok, Su Yang licked his lips several times and involuntarily swallowed saliva.

"The supermarket's advantage is that it has everything—firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea; if it's not enough, just take it," Wang Defa said.

Wen Ran smiled, "Those are also other people's goods; before leaving we must leave some money for buying vegetables, we can't shortchange them."

"That statement is inaccurate," Wang Defa disagreed, "Our settlement in the supermarket may seem like free riding, but in fact we protect their goods."

"Think about it, in chaotic times, besides enemies, what else should we guard against?"

Wen Ran thought for a moment and replied, "Our own people?"

"Exactly!" Wang Defa scooped a large ladle, plated a dish of garlic‑scented hollow vegetables, picked up chopsticks, grabbed some and shoved it into his Mouth.

After chewing for a moment, he nodded repeatedly, praising, "Indeed, old ginger is still spicy!"

After speaking, he set the big pot aside to wash, and said, "In chaotic times, there is never a shortage of villains."

"Even good people can easily turn wicked; otherwise, why dispatch troops immediately after an Earthquake or similar incidents?"

"Rescue is one aspect; more importantly, maintaining order."

"So, confiscating the Protection Fee is fine, but returning the money?"

When she heard his "fallacious reasoning", Wen Ran just smiled lightly and did not argue.

In her view, living and acting only requires a clear conscience.

As for the so‑called gains and losses…

That is not something she should consider.

"The rice is almost done, Boss, could you help wash the bowls and chopsticks?" Wang Defa said, turning his head while adding ingredients.

"Sure!"

Su Yang swiftly prepared everything, and immediately brought the cleaned bowls and chopsticks to the makeshift table set up outside.

The others, seeing this, immediately came up to help.

"So fragrant!" Zhang Tiancheng's craving bug was instantly aroused.

"Wen Ran's cooking is excellent, haven't tried Wang Defa's yet, today all the big folks are here, shall we taste together?" Su Yang said with a smile.

"No problem, my Mouth is famously picky," Zhang Tiancheng patted his Chest.

Luo Qing was amused by his action, said nothing more, and silently arranged the bowls and chopsticks properly.

After a few minutes, people gradually brought the dishes up.

Looking at the seven dishes and a soup before them, Saliva involuntarily surged Crazy.

"Gulu~"

Zhuang Wu swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his palm instinctively feeling for the chopsticks.

But seeing that those cooking hadn't picked up their chopsticks yet, he couldn't just start himself.

Wang Defa used a towel to wipe his Sweat, noticed his small movement, lifted his chin and signaled: "What are you all just standing there for? Start eating!"

Wen Ran also said, "Everyone's hungry, let's dig in."

Once the two chefs spoke, the people immediately scrambled forward, eager to grab.

Su Yang, having gone through a fierce battle, was in a state of Weakness.

Now he was starving, his appetite so huge it could fill a whole cow in his Stomach.

So he directly grabbed the chopsticks and reached for the ribs.

He placed it in his mouth and bit—

A strong garlicky aroma surged straight to his Heavenly Spirit Cover.

The crispy skin together with the juicy meat gave him immense enjoyment.

Especially the crunchy bone inside, its crackling was extremely satisfying.

He ate a mouthful of rice and couldn't help but give the two chefs a thumbs‑up.

"How about it, who's better, me or Lin Yang?" Wang Defa asked while eating.

"Each has its merits; it's hard to decide a winner," Su Yang evaluated.

"Ho, the Boss can serve water; hearing that really makes one feel refreshed," Wang Defa chuckled.

Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, the cage behind them silently opened.

A Silhouette silently crept up along the scent.

Soundless and unseen, like a phantom.

The big folks were immersed in eating, completely unaware.

Even Yue Lan didn't notice the movement.

Everyone raised cups and exchanged drinks, the joy mingling.

But at that moment, the Bee King suddenly latched onto Su Yang.

"Hmm?"

He instinctively smelled something off, and with a reverse hand grabbed the Bee King's Neck.

"Wait, she means no harm!" Wen Ran hurriedly said.

Su Yang's movement paused, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Yet, it was just this moment of stunnedness.

The Bee King suddenly opened its mouth and bit Su Yang's neck hard.

"Sss~!"