Chapter 119 The Kitchen

The food stall in front of me was bustling with activity, the shouts of the waiters and the laughter of the customers all blending together in a noisy and lively atmosphere.

But in the spacious courtyard, which was filled with tables and chairs, there were only two tables of guests.

Xin Que slowly stepped forward, her gaze falling on the sign outlined by red and green string lights on the row of documents.

After she killed the fake Cheng Zheng, the small stall in front of her was replaced by a road leading to a food stall.

Gripping the military knife tightly, Xin Que stepped into the courtyard.

"Excuse me, sir!" came a waiter's exclamation. "This dish is fresh out of the pot, be careful not to burn yourself!"

But there was no one beside Xin Que.

There was no sign of any waiters.

This time, the space was completely nonsensical, with no discernible pattern. It seemed as if someone behind it all wanted to drive Xin Que insane through these bizarre and unpredictable events.

Xin Que ignored the noise coming from the void beside her ears, her gaze sweeping across the entire courtyard, finally settling on the two tables of guests, one to the east and one to the south, near the fence.

To the east was Luo Huayi's figure, and to the south was Ji Mingchuan's figure.

The two men's expressions and postures were completely opposite.

Luo Huayi lay face down on the table, her hands either covering the back of her neck or her ears, her life hanging in the balance.

Ji Mingchuan, holding an empty airline cup, chatted and laughed with the empty seat next to him, looking like he had gone mad.

"Beautiful lady!" A pair of hands suddenly reached out from the side. "How many of you are there?"

Xin Que remained expressionless as she watched the waiter who had appeared out of nowhere in front of her.

The waiter wore a t-shirt with the name of the food stall printed on it, a walkie-talkie for serving food was clipped to his waist, and plain black pants and sneakers—a standard waiter's outfit.

The waiter smiled and gestured towards the empty table behind him, indicating, "There are still seats available. How many of you are there?"

Xin Que glanced at the door behind her. Near the door, there were two rows of clones with faces exactly like the waiter. Noticing Xin Que's gaze, they immediately looked up and gave her two rows of eerie, copy-pasted smiles, "Welcome."

The night market scene outside the gate has disappeared without a trace, replaced by a courtyard that looks exactly like this food stall.

There is no way out.

Xin Que recalled the eerie smile on Ji Mingchuan's face when he escaped.

"Miss?" the waiter urged. "You haven't said how many people are in your party yet."

Xin Que suddenly smiled. "One."

Upon hearing this, the waiter looked somewhat troubled, "How come there's only one person?"

"Miss, the lowly people you were sold into at the auction, the inferior people you met at the auction... and the middle and upper-class people you met after being taken away by the Huo family..."

Finally, the waiter stared intently into her eyes, as if looking at a turtle in a jar, his features suddenly contorting. "How could... there be only one person?"

As if to match the waiter's tone of voice, the noisy but empty courtyard suddenly fell silent.

Only emptiness remains.

An oppressive silence quickly spread, and there wasn't a sound in the entire courtyard.

Just as Xin Que thought he was about to attack and subconsciously drew his military knife, the waiter's strange behavior suddenly disappeared.

As if his ferocity just now was an illusion, the waiter smiled at Xin Que again, "Don't worry, Miss, we have plenty of seats, even one person can sit comfortably."

In an instant, the courtyard returned to its lively atmosphere.

Xin Que followed the waiter to the location he indicated.

It is the midpoint of the straight-line distance between Luo Huayi and Ji Mingchuan.

"Miss, please have a seat," the waiter said kindly, pulling out a plastic chair for her. "I'll get you the menu right away."

Xin Que's gaze fell on a row of sheds on the inner side of the large file yard. "No need, I'll take a look myself."

The waiter's smile slowly faded.

Xin Que remained unmoved, her gaze fixed on the house.

After walking through the open courtyard, Xin Que followed the waiter and saw the scene inside the shed.

There was a reception desk at the entrance, and the shed inside looked like an indoor restaurant; nothing seemed amiss.

Besides the bustling kitchen on the other side.

Through the narrow, side-opening window, Xin Que saw the chef's dark arms with bulging veins, gripping the handle of the iron pot tightly through a folded square rag, and vigorously tossing the pot.

The flames in the stove occasionally leaped and flared, and with the waiters outside the window urging us on, one could roughly guess how busy it was inside.

A perfectly normal kitchen.

If the ingredients being constantly stir-fried in the wok are not raw, bloody meat.

Flames occasionally rolled up and licked the raw meat that was being tossed around in the pot, sending waves of heat flying, but the meat showed no signs of being cooked or changing color.

Blood splattered, and the sizzling sound produced by the collision of blood and flames was incessant, like the desperate cry of something.

Xin Que looked at the sign on the back kitchen door.

Unauthorized personnel are not permitted to enter.

The waiter took the menu. "Miss, would you like to order now?"

Xin Que looked at the seafood display case next to the front desk.

The glass-topped tanks are filled with a dazzling array of fish, shrimp, and crabs, while the vegetable display cases next to them are filled with a variety of brightly colored, fresh vegetables, looking vibrant and tempting, waiting for customers to choose.

The waiter handed the menu back to Xin Que.

Xin Que looked at the menu, which was filled with a dense list of dish names.

Barbecue, stir-fry, braised dishes, teppanyaki...

As Xin Que was examining the menu, the waiter's walkie-talkie suddenly rang.

The slurred electronic voice was condescending: "That new waiter is clumsy; you need to re-teach him."

The waiter's face immediately darkened. He apologized to Xin Que and then quickly walked towards the front yard.

Soon, the waiter led a man back into the room.

Xin Que held the menu in her hand and glanced at the newcomer who was being scolded by the waiter.

Is it Cheng Zheng?

Cheng Zheng looked aggrieved.

He was bruised and battered, clutching a short-sleeved t-shirt identical to the one worn by the waiter, the bruises on his wrists a shocking sight.

"Who gave you permission to strike up a conversation with a customer?" the waiter demanded aggressively. "This is a serious violation of store rules!!!"

Cheng Zheng must have been treated very harshly, because the abrasions on his cheeks were particularly noticeable.

He seemed to want to explain himself, but after his lips moved slightly, he held back.

The waiter did not calm down because of Cheng Zheng's obedience. Instead, he pulled Cheng Zheng and strode towards the kitchen. "It seems I need to teach you again how to do restaurant service."

Cheng Zheng tried to break free from the waiter's grip using fighting skills, but several security guards suddenly appeared out of nowhere, rushed forward, and subdued Cheng Zheng on the ground.

Amidst the chaos, Cheng Zhengcai spotted Xin Que not far away.

"Xin Que?" Cheng Zheng's face did not show the joy of seeing an acquaintance, but rather suspicion and uncertainty. "Wait, are you a new fake?"

"Damn it," Cheng Zheng struggled to his feet again, "Are General Manager Luo and Ji Mingchuan in the courtyard also fakes?"

"It's all a trap!!!"

The waiter promptly gagged him and signaled to the security guards to drag Cheng Zheng into the kitchen like cargo.