Someone is following?
Lin Yuan looked around, saw no one special, and felt relieved. It must be agents from the intelligence department, disguised as ordinary citizens of the safe zone, mixed in the night market to monitor her.
"Come sit, sit between me and Wu Tian." Lin Yuan was very happy to meet so soon and gave up the middle seat.
It was only after Jiang Ziqi sat down that Lin Yuan realized where the girl's tentacles had gone.
There was only a left hand, and the right sleeve was empty. Even in a thick cotton coat, it was not visible. Could it have been cut off?
He immediately thought it impossible. Jiang Ziqi's body was half mutated, so cutting off her tentacles alone was unrealistic. She must have hidden them. Anyway, since tentacles could change, Lin Yuan was not worried.
"Boss, come 100 skewers of grilled mice, 20 skewers of grilled potatoes, 60 skewers of grilled mushrooms, two big bowls of black pepper mashed potatoes, then a basin of spicy scrambled protein cubes, remember to stir-fry them well, and then 6 bowls of ice jelly." Lin Yuan's table only had 6 people: Lin Yuan, Wu Tian, Jiang Ziqi, Cao Xueqin, Zeng Yilong, and Wang Xiaoxin.
Everyone else went to buy what they wanted. Even Lin Yuan's parents sat with other middle-aged and elderly people like Lin Qingshan in other shops. Zeng Yilong and Cao Xueqin came over for some reason, but Lin Yuan didn't mind, as they were a feast for the eyes.
It was comfortable to look at.
"This meal is my treat. Tell me what you want to eat. Don't be polite."
Since they were ordering common dishes, he was about to ask Jiang Ziqi what she liked to eat when he noticed she was looking at Wang Xiaoxin. Then he slapped his forehead and said, "I just forgot to introduce you. Old Wang, this is the pampered member of our team, very smart, formerly a top student in a key class at Huaxia High-Tech. She was selected upon arrival at the safe zone and will be a consultant for military equipment development in Luzhou Safe Zone."
To prevent Jiang Ziqi's identity from being exposed, Lin Yuan's lies came out readily, and the others, not being fools, immediately cooperated.
After all, they had signed a non-disclosure agreement on the plane, so it was better to be cautious.
"Ziqi, this is my childhood friend and good buddy. You don't need to be nervous, just treat him as family."
Jiang Ziqi then withdrew her gaze and nodded blankly: "Okay~"
Although she said that, Jiang Ziqi felt a little strange. When she met Wang Xiaoxin's eyes just now, her tentacles reacted, but the reaction was very weak and disappeared quickly, as if she had imagined it.
Seeing Lin Yuan and the others so happy, Jiang Ziqi didn't voice her doubts.
"Here's your ice jelly, placing it here for you. Brothers and sisters, please don't hesitate to ask me if you need anything." There were only 3 people in the shop, presumably a family of three. The little boy was younger than Wu Mengyao, and he was working as a waiter with his mother, speaking very cautiously.
This was unavoidable. This was the first time they had encountered a customer who ordered so much at once, and they dared not offend them.
However, the little boy kept looking at Cao Xueqin, and when he was discovered, he kept saying sorry, blushing, which was quite cute.
"I told you our Xueqin's beauty appeals to all ages and genders. Brother Zeng, you better watch her closely, hahaha."
This ice jelly was different from the ice jelly they usually ate. It was not transparent but brown. It didn't have much flavor, but the toppings were generous, including brown sugar, raisins, and hawthorn slices.
After mixing it and tasting it, it was cool and sweet. The texture was no different from ice jelly, just more prone to breaking: "No wonder a bowl costs more than a skewer of grilled mice, and it's also topped with brown sugar. Isn't sugar supposed to be a scarce commodity? How can it be bought?"
"Maybe they took over the sugar factory," Wang Xiaoxin took a bite and her eyes squinted with enjoyment. "I've only eaten this once since coming to the safe zone. It's too expensive usually, so I don't dare to buy it. This taste is still very good."
"By the way, Old Wang, you haven't told us how you got to the safe zone yet. Yuzhou is at least 700 kilometers away from here, right?"
Wang Xiaoxin did not answer immediately. She ate a few bites of ice jelly and then started crying.
??
What's going on? Why is she crying?
Lin Yuan was at a loss. After comforting her for a while, he managed to stop her tears. "Wuwuwu, Old Lin, you have no idea..."
After listening to Wang Xiaoxin's explanation, Lin Yuan understood how she had gotten here. Because of the safe zone's plan to bomb "nest" mutants, Yuzhou was also a bombing area. She took advantage of the bombing to attract most of the zombies near her residential area, took a motorcycle, and set off to find a safe zone.
Since the civil defense base in Yuzhou was far away and separated by the bombing zone, she set off for Tianfu Safe Zone.
She went back to her hometown on the way and found that her family had been killed. She then continued on her journey alone. However, she encountered a zombie cluster in transit and wandered for a long time before finally arriving at Tianfu Safe Zone.
"That's not right? Old Wang, I remember you have a phobia of roads and can't ride a motorcycle!"
"Didn't you only know how to use a whip kick and a straight punch before? In the apocalypse, what's the point of being so particular?"
Lin Yuan thought about it and agreed. At this point, what else could they be particular about? Any difficult or complicated problems would be cured.
"Indeed, you're not wrong. If you feel lonely living alone now, I can give you a cat as a companion."
Peiqi and the others were still undergoing testing and should be sent back soon.
"Kitty!! Okay, okay, thank you, Old Lin!!!"
"Grilled rat meat is here!!" The proprietress brought the food cart with her son. All three layers were piled high with grilled mice.
"It smells so good!" Before they even arrived, Lin Yuan and the others could smell the rich barbecue aroma.
Their mouths were watering.
The grilled mice were grilled whole. The skin was crispy and the meat was tender. It seemed they had also brushed it with sugar water, and the seasoning was very generous, but it didn't mask the flavor of the meat itself. It seemed the frozen rat meat from the official market was very fresh.
"Holy crap, this cooking skill is on par with Lin Yuan Ge," Jiang Ziqi felt the shop owner's skills were superb after the first bite and couldn't help but praise.
Lin Yuan was speechless at the moment. He just wanted to eat meat. It was too fragrant, not dry at all, rich and flavorful with juice, and the skin was golden and crispy. It was truly delicious.
He took a moment to say, "They specialize in this, so of course, it's delicious."
He glanced at Zeng Yilong from the corner of his eye. He was eating one bite at a time and Lin Yuan immediately became unhappy.
What's wrong? Is this skill not delicious?
"What's wrong, Brother Zeng? Why aren't you actively eating? Are you perhaps infatuated with some girl? You look so dejected?"
"Alas, Brother Lin Yuan, it's not that. I'm worried about Xueqin's work." Zeng Yilong sighed, and lost interest in eating the meat skewers.
"What's going on? Xueqin is of an age where she should be going to school. There should be a notice coming down tomorrow. Why are you so anxious?"
Cao Xueqin hadn't reached adulthood yet. There were still two years of courses waiting for her at school. Moreover, the school provided lunch and dinner, which were top-notch.
"I know that too, but Xueqin doesn't want to go to school anymore. She said she wants to go kill zombies with Miss Qingtian! No matter how I persuade her, it's useless. That's why I came to ask for your help to get the special forces to accept Xueqin exceptionally.
Brother Lin Yuan, can you help? Xueqin said that if you help, she'll give you all the military merits she earns in the special police team this year to buy milk powder for your baby!"
"Hahahaha, no need, no need." Lin Yuan was amused and speechless. This girl was quite peculiar, even trying to "bribe" him.
Knowing her determination, Lin Yuan could not persuade her any further, so he said seriously, "I will try my best to help with this. Because Mu Qingtian is also going to register for the special forces, and Xueqin's combat strength is not bad, I think two snipers will be highly sought after now. I'll also put in a good word with Ying Tianlong.
But I can't guarantee it will work. If it doesn't, you must obediently go back to school, understand?"
Cao Xueqin ate the meat and nodded, as if agreeing.
"Thank you, Brother Lin Yuan~"
(๑˙ー˙๑)
Enduring the immense force on his waist, Lin Yuan said expressionlessly, "Mengyue, don't look at me. Eat your meat quickly, eat your meat."
Alright, she's jealous.