Chapter 19: Wild Boar

The salty‑fresh flavor carries just the right amount of spiciness; the dried tofu has soaked up the broth yet remains chewy, and the sharp aroma of the chilies shoots straight into the nostrils.

It's even better than what I ate at some restaurants in my past life!

The fresh fragrance exploding on her tongue makes her eyes water, and although only four days have passed, the last time she ate freshly stir‑fried dishes feels as far away as a past life.

It really is.

An excited heart, trembling hands.

Cheng Shuili doesn't even have a pair of chopsticks.

She furrows her brows, opens a self‑heating hot‑pot pack, and pulls out the utensils inside to enjoy the feast.

The sweet scent of the rice grains, mixed with steam, rises to her eyes; Cheng Shuili blinks her slightly sour eyes, picks up a chopstickful of dried tofu with chilies and places it atop the rice. The sauce‑colored thickened gravy permeates the snow‑white grains; she carefully gathers them into a tiny mound with the tip of her chopsticks and then swallows it whole.

She covers her mouth as the warm food rolls on her tongue.

The richness of soy sauce, the silky starch‑thickened glaze, and the slight heat of the chilies explode on her palate!

So refreshing, utterly blissful.

This is what life is all about!

After a few bites, Cheng Shuili finishes half a bowl of rice and suddenly stops. She stares at the remaining half of the dish, and on a whim opens the system panel to pull up the camera function.

Wouldn't it be a shame not to show off a bit?

And the officials are surely watching the screen; feeding them false info could let me snag the remaining 50 Vehicle Upgrade Material Fragments!

Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji: 【image】 Tonight's dinner—dried tofu with chilies over rice.

Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji: Some people are still sipping mineral water while compressing biscuits? Tsk.

After sending the message, she deliberately turns the channel notification sound to max and continues to eat the rice with satisfaction.

The first wave of replies arrives faster than expected.

Xu Lingqi:??? My eyes are playing tricks? That plate... is it... stir‑fried?! Give me a bite, big brother, let me have one! I just want a bite!

Xiao Xiongmao: Damn, this rice! Damn, this shine! Is this freshly made?! Wuya Dalao, look at me! I can trade something for it!

Chi Bu Chi Youzi: @Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji big brother, are you missing a leg accessory? I'm a college graduate who can code!

Cheng Shuili bites the tip of a chopstick and laughs out loud, scooping the last spoonful of broth‑soaked rice.

The regional channel's instant‑boom notification rings, and she outright ignores the constantly flashing friend‑request list.

She only checks messages from acquaintances.

Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Lai: Big brother, give me a bite; whatever you lack, I'll send!

Wan Yi: Is it tasty?

Cheng Shuili first replies to Wan Yi.

Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji: Amazing, this skill—you could open a restaurant.

Wan Yi: Before the transmigration, I really was a head chef.

Got a treasure.

Cheng Shuili smiles, then finally replies to Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Lai's message.

Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji: Bring a container.

"You have received a gift from player Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Lai: half a paper cup ×1."

The cup is only half.

Cheng Shuili laughs at the person's sense of proportion, stuffs half the paper cup with dried tofu and chilies, fills the other half with rice, and sends it back.

Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Lai: Wu Ya! Your great kindness is beyond repayment! Whatever you need in the future, just say, and if I have it, I'll give it!

"You have received a gift from player Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Lai: Vehicle Upgrade Material Fragments ×3."

Liang Shan Bo Yu Zhu Ying Lai: I see you've been collecting this, take it.

Cheng Shuili silently accepts it, feeling a bit warmer inside.

She picks up the last grain of rice, stuffs it into her mouth, and sighs with satisfaction. The upgraded vehicle rests quietly in the night, its cabin LED lights casting a warm glow.

Cheng Shuili tidies up, leans back on the sofa, and soon falls into a deep sleep.

The next morning, the system again posts today's mileage target.

【Day 5 Journey Requirement: 90 km.】

【Survivors, keep it up.】

Cheng Shuili rubs her eyes, then washes her face at the water basin.

After eating the porridge cooked by Wan Yi, she steps on the accelerator and sets off.

The morning goes fairly smoothly, except she didn't encounter many treasure chests; Cheng Shuili silently prays for better luck this afternoon.

Perhaps the heavens heard her wish; not long after the shopping cart set off in the afternoon, she spotted a green‑glowing treasure chest by the roadside.

Bronze chest!

"Luck's on my side."

Cheng Shuili slams the brakes, then, holding a baseball bat in one hand and a refined steel dagger in the other, she steps out of the vehicle and carefully pries the chest open with the bat…

Next moment!

A dark silhouette bursts out of the chest!

Instinctively, Cheng Shuili rolls backward as a deafening roar fills her ears.

A wild boar over a meter long materializes out of thin air, its tusks flashing a cold, forest‑white sheen in the sunlight. Its hind hooves dig into the ground, sending sand and stones that strike Cheng Shuili's face, burning hot.

Cheng Shuili has no time to tend the wound on her face; the boar is already charging at her!

She rolls along the ground toward the shopping cart, the boar's tusks grazing her calf and tearing a slit in her pant leg.

She claws desperately at the car door handle as the boar pivots and charges again.

"Bang!"

Cheng Shuili fell into the cockpit, before she could secure herself, the wild boar's tusk pierced the car door.

The sound of metal tearing made one's teeth ache, and the whole vehicle shook violently.

She smelled a putrid stench mixed with blood, the wild boar exhaled white vapor from its nostrils, its yellowish, murky eyes were full of madness, its tusk was stuck in the car door, and it could not move for a moment.

Cheng Shuili's heart pounded; the chance was rare!

She immediately rolled down the window, gripped the dagger tightly, used all her strength, thrust the dagger into the wild boar's body and pulled it out!

Cheng Shuili didn't think much; her arm was stretched to the limit, and she instinctively made an attacking motion.

The wild boar let out a wail, and when the dagger was pulled out, scarlet blood sprayed into the car.

Cheng Shuili knit her brows, her facial features twisted into a snarl, the dagger was withdrawn and thrust again, and the wild boar gradually ceased breathing.

Cheng Shuili stopped the action, the hand holding the dagger cramped a bit, the splattered blood was everywhere, and a foul smell surged into her nostrils.

She took a few deep breaths sharply, controlling her trembling arm to stay steady.

She pulled out a piece of tissue paper, carefully pressed it onto the dagger, and the white paper quickly turned red.

If it hadn't gotten stuck, Cheng Shuili would have been thrown upward.

She certainly didn't want to taste that feeling.

Only then did Cheng Shuili come to her senses.

She killed a wild boar!

Wild boar! Meat! So much meat!

Cheng Shuili felt revitalized, she took a photo of the wild boar carcass, and opened the private chat page with Wan Yi.

【Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji】: Chef, can you handle it?

【Wan Yi】:!!!!

【Wan Yi】: So mighty, boss! Wu Ya! I want to cook for you for a lifetime! Can I take this pork to handle? Also, if possible, could you give me some water for daily use?

【Wan Yi】: Leave it to me; I won't waste it! Do you know the story of the butcher dissecting an ox? Today you'll see Wan Yi dissect a pig!

Cheng Shuili wiped the blood from her face, pulled a smile from the corner of her mouth, and finally felt she was truly alive again.