The vibrations from the submersible approaching the docking port had barely stopped when Chen Hao unbuckled his seatbelt, his action even faster than the system depressurization. He turned to look at the sampling chamber, where the small, silvery-white creature was still swimming, its tail gently swaying as if shaking off water droplets.

“It didn’t die,” he said. “That means there was nothing wrong with the transportation process.”

Nana is turning off the external power. "Heart rate is stable, no stress response on the skin. You can move her now."

Susan picked up the whiteboard: "Don't rush to open the hatch. Wait until the lab is ready before transferring the samples."

"I'm just taking a look." Chen Hao pressed himself against the glass. "Look at its shape, so well-proportioned. It doesn't look like it could grow poisonous plants."

Carl stood up from the back seat and stretched his shoulders. "If you're really that sure, why don't you let it bite you first?"

“That won’t do.” Chen Hao took a half step back. “I’m a chef candidate, I can’t get injured.”

The group changed into base uniforms and pushed a sealed container into the biological laboratory. The container had an added shockproof layer and a constant temperature circulation system inside, where the S-749 floated quietly.

Nana brought up the data interface. "Based on the results of the last scan, set the transport parameters: temperature 4 degrees, light intensity 0, water flow speed 0.3 centimeters per second."

“It sounds like putting a baby to sleep,” Carl said.

“It’s in its infant state right now.” Susan put on her gloves. “Any stimulus could trigger an unknown metabolic response.”

They transferred the sample to the observation tank. The lights came on, and the creature shrank into a corner, its body glowing faintly, as if reflecting something.

"This light... is it natural?" Chen Hao leaned closer.

“It could be a deep-sea adaptation,” Nana said. “Some species release bioluminescence when pressure changes.”

“That’s a natural lantern,” Chen Hao laughed. “You won’t even need to turn on the lights when you’re having hot pot at night.”

The testing began. Blood extraction, tissue sectioning, and enzyme activity testing proceeded step by step. The most troublesome was the unknown enzyme, with a complex structure and no complete match in the database.

"Could it be toxins?" Karl stared at the waveform on the screen.

“It cannot be ruled out at the moment.” Susan frowned.

Nana swiped her finger across the interface, bringing up the comparison results of millions of samples. "Inactivated after high-temperature treatment, no harmful byproducts were produced in the simulated digestive environment. Cooking test is recommended."

"Then let's cook!" Chen Hao immediately raised his hand. "I'll try it!"

"No." The three of them said at the same time.

"Why?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"Because you said last time that compressed biscuits could detoxify, and you ended up having diarrhea all day," Susan said.

"That was an accident."

"You're the only one in the base who gets diarrhea," Karl added.

Finally, we decided to run a nutritional metabolism simulator test first. After two hours of operation, the results showed a high content of absorbable protein, a reasonable fat ratio, and trace metals within safe limits.

"It's edible." Susan breathed a sigh of relief.

"I knew it." Chen Hao rubbed his hands together. "Shall we go into the kitchen now?"

“I’ll only worry if you go into the kitchen,” Susan shook her head. “Leave it to me.”

The kitchen is located on the east side of the living area. It is fully equipped but old. The edges of the induction cooker are a bit blackened, and there is a handwritten label on the refrigerator door: "Last bottle of soy sauce, use it sparingly."

Susan put on an apron and took out her tools. The fish slices had a slightly metallic sheen, and the blade made a soft sound as it sliced ​​through the flesh.

"It smells fishy." She took a sniff.

"Add cooking wine." Chen Hao stood beside him as his assistant.

"I've tried it, but it didn't work."

"Where's the vinegar?"

"Too sour."

She suddenly stopped. "Wait. It lives in a high-pressure mineral vein area, and its body is rich in minerals... Perhaps it should be pretreated with a weak acid."

She found a packet of lemon juice, diluted it with water, and soaked the fish fillets in it. After fifteen minutes, she rinsed them clean, and the fishy smell was significantly reduced.

"Okay," Chen Hao nodded. "Your brain is even better at calculations than Nana's."

“Nana relies on databases,” Susan sneered. “I rely on experience.”

The first dish I tried was steaming. I laid the fish fillets on the bottom of a plate, sprinkled them with salt and herbs, and steamed them for eight minutes. When they came out of the steamer, they had turned white and looked tender.

The four of them sat around the table. Chen Hao was the first to pick up a piece of food and put it in his mouth. He chewed it a couple of times, and his face slowly scrunched up.

"How is it?" Carl asked.

"...It's alright." He swallowed, "It's like chewing a wet tissue."

“Just say it’s bad.” Susan took a bite and frowned. “The fibers are too tight; steaming it directly won’t lock in the moisture.”

Nana stood at the door. "Based on similar structural biological analysis, I recommend quick blanching followed by slow grilling at a low temperature. Muscle tissue contains a lot of collagen, making it suitable for staged heating."

“Listen to the machine,” Carl said. “It’s never eaten, so it won’t lie.”

The second trial involved a modified process. The fish fillets were blanched for ten seconds, then placed in a low-temperature oven at 60 degrees Celsius for forty minutes. Halfway through baking, a layer of mixed sauce—a mixture of soy sauce, honey, and lemon juice—was brushed on.

The aroma was noticeable when it came out of the oven this time. The surface was slightly charred, and the inside had an oily sheen.

“This one’s fine.” Chen Hao eagerly tried it again.

He chewed a few times, his eyes widening. "Holy crap, this time it's right! Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and even a little sweet!"

Susan ate a piece herself, a slight smile playing on her lips. "We could name it 'Silver Flame Steamed Slices'."

The third dish is a stew. Fish bones are simmered in water to make a broth, which is then strained and topped with small pieces of fish and seaweed. The broth is milky white and has a smooth, non-greasy texture.

“It’s called ‘Crystal Dew Stew’,” she said. “Even though it doesn’t contain crystals, it sounds fancy.”

The last dish was fried. The fish fins were coated in batter and deep-fried until golden and crispy. Chen Hao named it "Crispy Fried Star Fins" because it "looks like stars."

At dinner time, the four of them sat around a small table in the cafeteria. Three dishes were placed in the middle, and steam rose slowly from them.

Carl stared at the bowl of stew, hesitating to pick up his chopsticks.

"Afraid it's poisonous?" Chen Hao had already eaten half a plate of steamed slices.

“I’m afraid that if I eat it, I’ll dream about that big guy,” Carl said. “It was driven out by that giant beast.”

“What you’re eating now isn’t prey,” Susan said. “It’s food.”

“The psychological effect is hard to shake off,” Nana said calmly. “I suggest starting with the smallest serving size.”

Carl scooped up a spoonful and slowly drank it. A few seconds later, he nodded. "It's really good."

The atmosphere immediately relaxed. Chen Hao ate two large bowls of rice, his mouth full of food as he kept talking.

"Shall we go again tomorrow? Let's catch a few more, I can develop ten dishes with them!"

“The assignment hasn’t been approved yet,” Susan said.

"Whether it's approved or not is up to me." He slammed his fist on the table. "I'm in charge of food safety!"

“Nobody appointed you.” Carl took the last piece of the Starburst Fin.

"I declared it myself."

Nana opened the terminal and uploaded the report. The title was "S-749 Food Safety Assessment and Preliminary Cooking Recommendations." The file was simultaneously saved to the main database, and the kitchen management module automatically updated the recommended recipes.

Susan organized her notes and wrote down the complete process: pre-treatment methods, heat control, and seasoning ratios. She concluded with a note: "This can be extended to long-term host units to improve food quality."

After the meal, they cleared the table. Chen Hao volunteered to wash the dishes, saying it was "to contribute to the culinary cause."

“You never used to wash.” Carl stood against the wall, watching.

“I didn’t have the motivation before,” he said, washing the dishes. “It’s different now. I need to be well-fed to have the energy to work.”

Susan wiped the table. "Are you already thinking about what to cook for the next meal?"

“Of course,” he grinned. “I was wondering if we could can it. It would be convenient to take on business trips.”

"Let's solve the problem of where to get ingredients for tomorrow first," she said.

"Don't worry." Chen Hao put the last bowl into the sterilizer. "I've already planned it out. Next time, I'll bring a net bag."

Nana closed her laptop, a blue light flashing from the interface. She turned and walked towards the lab, her steps light and steady.

Carl took off his headphones and hung them around his neck. "Have you guys noticed..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Chen Hao was picking his teeth with a toothpick when he looked up at him.

Susan put down her pen and looked up.

“Just now during dinner,” Carl said slowly, “that creature in the sampling pool… turned around.”