“Look, you can buy so many things.” Li Qiusheng patted the vending machine.

On the vending machine's interface, the goods are sorted from low to high price.

At the very front was a food gift pack worth 1 energy point, with a volume of one cubic meter, more than Zhao Huan's salary.

“Even if we only complete one order tonight, we’ll still make a profit,” Li Qiusheng said.

A single order is worth ten energy points, and the items it can buy are more valuable than the combined wages of six people in the nursing home.

But Li Qiusheng's "great value" clearly meant more than just that.

There are still many goods in the vending machine—

Combat suit with 2 energy points

3-energy weapon set

Small energy source with 4 energy values

...

A pistol with 9 energy points

A 10-energy seismic device (disposable).

...

From 10 energy points upwards, they are all one-time use special items.

Xia Chuhe even saw a familiar copy-paste keycap bracelet, worth 70 energy points.

"I really want to move it away," Xia Chuhe murmured.

“Me too,” Li Qiusheng echoed.

Lu Dangui whispered, "Is it possible that the vending machine is the core of the instance?"

Her idea was inspired by the experiences of Taoyuan Village.

Li Qiusheng pointed to the flashing lights not far away: "No way, there's another one over there, and another one on the left..."

Compared to a carousel, a vending machine lacks uniqueness. Its sole purpose here is to sell goods.

Wang Yan rubbed his hands together, eager to get started: "Let's go all out!"

Li Yue couldn't help but smile. It was as if she had returned to the time at the Raptor Academy and Peach Blossom Village. Although it was a bit dangerous and tiring, it was also very free and...happy. She didn't have to wait anxiously for orders from above, nor did she have to endure the torment of conscience, betrayal, or betrayal of friends.

A tiny tug at the hem of her trousers pulled Li Yue back to reality.

A dirty duck was nudging Li Yue with its wings; its webbed feet and belly were covered in filth, but its wingtips were clean.

"Boss, do you buy ingredients?" The duck used its other wing to pull the little hen hiding behind it. "This is my sister, do you think she'll do?"

Li Yue was astonished. Wasn't the duck's behavior sending its own sister to her death?

Xia Chuhe picked up the hen by its wing and carefully examined its slightly cloudy, flat eyes and its calloused feet.

Xia Chuhe said firmly, "You're lying."

"W-what?" Duck looked at Li Yue for help. "Manager, please."

Li Yue shook her head and refused the duck's request.

“Okay, I admit it, she’s my sister. But we’re not that far apart in age, she’s not that old,” the duck said. “She’s fine.”

Xia Chuhe pinched the duck's long neck in frustration: "I don't need chickens, I need a duck. Why don't you sell yourself!"

The duck nodded with difficulty: "Sell, if you can help me find one."

The duck's answer surprised Xia Chuhe. She loosened her grip slightly, giving the duck enough space to breathe and speak.

“Isn’t your shop a place that makes delicious chicken? If you can sell me to a shop that makes delicious duck, my sister, my whole family and I will thank you for eight generations of our ancestors.”

Xia Chuhe: "...No need."

Xia Chuhe pointed out two back doors to the ducks according to the locations he remembered: "Go to those two shops and wait there. We don't lack ingredients."

Hearing the clear rejection, the brother and sister chickens retreated to the wall, keeping a close eye on other shops. The other chicks at the end of the street, who were also itching to join the fun, also stopped approaching.

The group returned to the shop.

Li Yue asked with lingering fear, "Are our ingredients... really okay?"

The animals in the backstreet are clearly different from those on the farm; they are like people, they can talk, and they have thoughts.

Xia Chuhe didn't dare give Li Yue a definite answer. She could only take out a few chickens and hand them to Wang Yan and Bu Yi, asking them to clean the chickens according to the instructions in the food processing manual.

After discussing it with Li Yue, Xia Chuhe reopened the back door, and the pair of chickens and ducks were still there.

Xia Chuhe asked in a low voice, "How much for the chicken?"

She originally wanted to ask, "How much would it cost to buy your sister?", but that sounded like something a human trafficker would say, so Xia Chuhe changed her approach and asked the question.

The chick cowered: "Eat once, 2 energy points."

once?

Can food be resurrected after being eaten?

Xia Chuhe decided to observe first, so she led the chick into the store and into the kitchen.

The little chick wisely hopped into the large pot of water used for washing chickens; it was filled with warm water. It glanced at the farm-grown chicks in the pot with it, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping itself.

Ultimately, no word was uttered.

Four hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was eight o'clock.

"Dong dong dong," a drumbeat awakens the entire front street.

The once silent street suddenly became noisy and bustling, with countless shouts of "Come and enjoy delicious food!", "Welcome!", "Two distinguished guests!" and so on rising and falling.

A crisp bell rang at the door of the Flesh and Blood Restaurant, and the door opened automatically, allowing a customer to enter.

The diner was round and chubby, looking at first glance like a mascot come to life. Its most distinctive feature was its large, thick ears, which drooped down beside its face, making it look rather unhappy.

Waiter Xia Chuhe immediately stepped forward: "Welcome! We have a distinguished guest! Please take a seat!"

"Thank you, I've made a reservation. I'd like a slightly undercooked chicken." The diner's voice was solemn and dignified, as if he were participating in a major event to maintain world peace.

Xia Chuhe suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and shouted to the kitchen: "One raw chicken."

Before opening time, they studied the orders repeatedly. For "unripe chickens", the result of the study was that everything from eggs to unripe chicks was served to the diners so that they could choose for themselves.

Bu Yi arranged the pre-prepared eggs and chicks on a plate and handed them out the window, while Lu Dangui was in charge of serving the food.

The diners stared silently at the row of chicks of different sizes walking around on the table and the motionless eggs.

Are you kidding me?

"No, no, no, we absolutely didn't mean to mess with you. I'll have them bring out other dishes right away, please wait a moment," Xia Chuhe explained. "I'm sorry, we're a new store, and we're not quite sure what your tastes are yet."

Chickens in other stages of growth were served one after another. The diners' round heads showed no expression, but their ears drooped more and more.

The last one was a chicken bought from the back street.

The diner tucked his ears behind his head and said, "I don't want this. You didn't keep your promise. I'm going to file a complaint against you."

Xia Chuhe didn't want to face the consequences of a complaint, so he immediately tried to salvage the situation, saying, "How about this, you can choose whichever one you like, and we'll refund your deposit, okay?"

The diner grinned, revealing a row of sharp, white teeth: "I don't want a refund, I want to file a complaint! A complaint! Food safety regulations! A complaint!"

As the diners shouted, a gleaming golden book appeared in the air.

"The dining contract has been detected, and the restaurant has been found to have violated the contract. Trial begins—the restaurant is ordered to pay one-third of the shop's value as compensation, effective immediately."

Before the words were even finished, the books vanished, and the walls shook.

The dining space of the Flesh and Blood Restaurant was instantly reduced by half, leaving only two-thirds of the original area of ​​the entire store.