Chapter 14 Disappeared
When Qi Huan returned to the restaurant, he discovered that the notice he had posted that morning had been torn off again, leaving only a piece of paper the size of a fingernail. There seemed to be traces of scratches from sharp claws on the remaining paper.
Could it be that the kitten scratched it off because it didn't want to go home? That's impossible, it can't read. But are there other animals nearby that can leave such small claw marks? Qi Huan was puzzled. He entered the house and put down his things when there was a knock on the door.
He had just opened the door a crack when Quan Hai squeezed in with a bulging backpack on his back and closed the door behind him.
"Why are you acting so sneaky?" Qi Huan was startled by him.
"I'm sending you some money!" Quan Hai put the heavy backpack on the table.
"So fast?" Qi Huan thought he would have to wait a few days, but he didn't expect Brother Man to be so quick and efficient.
"The pipes are ready-made, and someone really wants them. Brother Man helped you negotiate a good price." Quan Hai pushed his backpack towards Qi Huan, looking very proud. "You sold that piece of blue copper and gray iron for a total of 30,982 silver coins. Count them quickly."
The backpack contained a cloth bag, which contained a long string of silver coins, as well as twenty-six golden star coins, each worth one thousand silver coins. Due to the poor signal, most people on Waste Star still preferred to use physical currency.
Qi Huan counted them, thirty thousand, nine hundred and eighty-two, exactly. He took out three and a half strings of silver coins and put them back into Quan Hai's backpack, one thousand per string, exactly three thousand and five, and counted out twelve star coins and put them in.
"What?" Quan Hai stopped his hand in confusion.
"We'll split it in half when we meet. This is for you and Brother Man."
"No, the industry rule is only 5%. That's too much." Quan Hai knew that Qi Huan had so much debt and was in great need of money, so he refused to accept it.
After a long argument, Quan Hai reluctantly accepted 1500 yuan. According to the rules of picking up goods, the team members should give the team leader 5% of the hard work fee, but Quan Hai worked in the repair shop, which was equivalent to half an apprentice. Brother Man never took his money, and Qi Huan was brought there by him, and he didn't say that he would always follow the team in the future, so Brother Man didn't mention it.
"Give these to Brother Man, and you can convert my share into food." Quan Hai patted his backpack and turned to look at the kitchen.
"Now you believe that my cooking skills have improved?" Qi Huan teased him. Of course, eating is indispensable.
"Quan Yu is thinking about the food you made every day now. She really likes the red fruit skewers at noon."
"Then why are you still standing there? Come and help!" Qi Huan motioned Quan Hai to go into the kitchen, as the labor force passing by must not be missed.
Practice makes perfect. Quan Hai is now much more skilled in handling the hooves of the long-faced beast than before, and he can do it "one is worth three".
After blanching, Qi Huan started two new pots, braising the trotters and bones, and using clear water for the head. The so-called white water goat head is actually a goat head stewed in clear water, which is considered a kind of white cut. Since he couldn't stew or finish both heads, he put one in the freezer first.
Quan Hai wanted to try the braised pork with pork and rice, so Qi Huan sent him to study the process of washing and cooking rice with the rice cooker, while he carefully took out the remaining small paper bags from the basket. These were the spices he bought at the food store today. The spices at home were almost used up and needed to be replenished. Uncle Wan's wife happened to be watching the store when he got off work. For the sake of the two strings of sugar-coated red fruits, she not only let Qi Huan smell and taste them one by one, but also gave him a discount without complaining that he bought too little.
Cloves, star anise, amomum villosum, peppercorns, sesame seeds... Qi Huan picked out twelve spices in total, nine of which were familiar to him, and three were unfamiliar but fresh. He stir-fried and ground them into fine powder one by one, adjusted the proportions, and finally added salt, put them back into the pot and stir-fried them over low heat.
"What is this? Why does it look more complicated than cooking meat?" Quan Hai had finished his work long ago and was standing nearby, watching curiously.
"Qi's secret pepper salt." Qi Huan picked up the plate, smelled the aroma, and raised the corners of his lips in satisfaction.
"Is this a dish?" Quan Hai looked at the powder on the plate in amazement. The aroma was very strong, but was it enough to eat?
"Halfway." Qi Huan blinked mischievously. Seasoning is the soul of food, and the soul of Baishui Sheep's Head is its dipping sauce - pepper and salt.
The dish can be cooked in half, but will it taste good? Quan Hai scratched his head in confusion.
Half an hour later, his question was answered.
When cooked, the meat of the long-faced beast is a light lemon yellow color, with a texture as delicate as porcelain. It is cut into slices of even thickness and placed on a plate, stacked in layers in an orderly manner, like spring flowers lightly stretching and blooming on branches.
Another important selling point of the authentic white water sheep head is the delicate knife skills, which require cutting at a 20-degree angle, and slicing thinly with a large knife. Each piece of meat should be evenly covered with skin, and thin enough to let light pass through. Qi Huan's current hand condition naturally made it impossible to do this, but fortunately he was making it for his own family, so he didn't have to cut it so carefully.
It is soft, tender and refreshing when you put it in your mouth, with a mellow meat flavor. After a moment, the salty, fragrant, spicy and fresh taste of pepper and salt diffuses layer by layer on the tip of your tongue. Each flavor is lively and distinct. The more you chew, the stronger the flavor becomes, and the taste is indescribable.
Quan Hai ate five pieces in a row and couldn't put his chopsticks down. He didn't know how to express his amazement at the delicious taste, so he could only keep repeating, "It's amazing, it's absolutely amazing."
"Hurry up and bring some back for your sister to try." Qi Huan filled two large bowls with braised pork rice and animal head meat and placed them on the tray.
Quan Hai walked away happily holding the tray, and Qi Huan cut another plate for the kitten.
When he sent the child upstairs, the little guy was still sleeping. Looking at the little ball of fur, Qi Huan smiled and shook his head. He put down the plate quietly and went back to the first floor to enjoy his dinner time.
Of course, the usual electronic pickled mustard is indispensable for meals. Qi Huan first searched for information about the poisonousness of the viscera of the long-faced beast.
Some people in the alliance don't have high requirements for food, and naturally there are also some greedy ones. A long time ago, many greedy beastmen tried to eat the entrails of long-faced beasts, and most of them had uncomfortable symptoms such as headaches and nausea. Later, someone studied it and found that the green thorn grass that long-faced beasts like to eat contains trace amounts of ingredients that are toxic to most beastmen. It is estimated that these toxins remain in the entrails and cause the impact. Since then, everyone rarely eats the entrails of meat beasts, and many people don't even eat long-faced beasts.
There is a similar reason why no one eats the meat of stone beasts. First, it is poisonous. Many beastmen will immediately suffer from headaches, rashes and discomfort after eating it. Second, the meat of stone beasts cannot be cooked thoroughly.
It seems that if you want to add the white water beast head to the menu, you need to note the ingredients to avoid unnecessary trouble. Qi Huan silently added a note in the new menu notebook.
In his opinion, some of the symptoms were more like allergies, but allergies were also dangerous. He then searched for some ingredients he had seen in Wanjia's fresh-keeping cabinets in the past few days and learned about their general characteristics and the preferences of the beastmen.
He searched for information about the sentinel again and found that it was completely different from what he understood.
In the alliance, the strength of a person's combat power is determined by two parts: the level of mental power and the level of physical strength. The dominant part is mental power, and its level almost determines the upper limit of a person's combat power.
Normally, the Alliance is accustomed to dividing physical strength and mental power levels into seven levels, from weak to strong, namely E, D, C, B, A, S, and super S. This level division is basically the same as that of energy stones.
Those with mental power below level E belong to the scope of ordinary people, and more than 80% of the residents are ordinary people.
Those between E and C levels are also called potential people. The mental abilities of some people will only be stimulated when they reach adulthood. Through training and learning in military academies, they can still grow into sentinels or guides.
Level C and above is the domain of sentinels and guides.
Sentinels have sharp five senses, super mental strength, and physical fitness is usually above S level. In short, Sentinels are the most powerful people in the crowd and can be called "human weapons."
The higher the level of spiritual power, the higher the level of the sentinel. C-level is the fourth-level sentinel, and S-level is the first-level sentinel. Those above S-level are called super sentinels.
If the original owner's netizen Kaisen is really a level 3 sentinel, it means that his mental power level has reached level B. Level B is also the entry level for operating mechas. Mental power below this level cannot withstand the strength of mechas.
No wonder the attitude revealed in his words was so proud. Qi Huan sighed.
But such a strong and sharp mental power is also a double-edged sword. The sentinel's mental power is prone to overload and accidental damage, forming a shadow in the mental picture. If it is not timely channeled, it will lead to a significant decline in combat effectiveness, and in severe cases, the mental picture may even collapse.
The "guide" that Qi Huan thought was leading the way in the hunting area was actually another high-level psychic. Their number was even smaller than that of the sentinels, and their psychic attributes were usually milder and their combat effectiveness was not strong, but they could enter the sentinels' mental images, help them channel the shadows, and ensure the health and combat effectiveness of the sentinels.
According to Qi Huan's understanding, to some extent, the guide is similar to a doctor or nurse who treats mental power. If the mission of the sentinel is to protect everyone in the alliance, then the mission of the guide is to protect the sentinel.
He was about to look more closely when the screen flashed and disappeared.
Here it comes again. Qi Huan held his forehead with his hand. This endless light and magnetic storm is even more annoying than the plum rain in Suzhou and Hangzhou.
"Bang," "bang," "bang," there were suddenly muffled sounds outside, and the ground and the entire restaurant were shaking slightly with the sound.
What's going on? Are the dinosaurs dancing? Qi Huan was a little confused, but there was no alarm outside, so it shouldn't be a dangerous object like a stone beast.
The sound was getting closer and the ground was shaking more and more violently.
He was hesitating whether to go out and take a look or go back upstairs to hide with the kitten. The sound suddenly stopped at the door of the restaurant.
"Bang!" The door of the restaurant shook, and a giant footprint suddenly appeared, as big as a table top.
Qi Huan:!!!
Are you trying to break in?
He was just about to find the chair leg he had used to defend himself when he suddenly heard someone yelling, "Zitang, you'll break the door if you kick it like that!"
A few seconds later, someone tapped the door twice again. "Excuse me, is anyone there? I saw the lights were on in your house. Don't be scared. We just want to buy some food for the pets."
Qi Huan plucked up the courage to go over and open the door, and was shocked.
Standing outside the door were twin girls in their teens, wearing the standard black hunting team jumpsuits. The transparent acrylic rings on their collars and cuffs looked like necklaces and bracelets, adding a touch of brightness to their looks.
The only difference between the two is the side bun on their heads, one on the left and the other symmetrically on the right.
To be honest, this pair of pretty girls had good-looking features, but what was frightening was their eyes. Their pupils were actually white. At first glance, it looked as if the entire eye was made up of only whites, which, against the pitch-black sky outside, looked eerie and empty.
Behind them squatted a chubby black rabbit, the size of which was comparable to that of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Even when it was lying down, it was still taller than the human restaurant next to it. The street of more than ten meters wide could barely accommodate its body. If they wanted to turn around, they would probably have to walk to the small square on the west gate side.
Seeing Qi Huan open the door, the girl on the left spoke first, "Hello, my name is Zuo."
"My name is Ayou." The girl on the right quickly replied.
They both smiled at the same time, and their originally sweet smiles became a little weird because of those white eyes.
"Hello." Qi Huan silently moved his gaze away from the two people's faces. It was really hard for him to look directly into these two pairs of eyes.
“This is a restaurant, right?”
"Zitang is hungry, can you make something for him to eat?"
The two people's conversation was almost seamless.
Even if this rabbit doesn't eat grass and carrots, it must eat vegetables, and the quantity must be large. The kitchen doesn't have any green vegetables in stock right now. Qi Huan looked embarrassed and said, "Sorry..."
Before he finished speaking, he heard a loud "crack" above his head. Looking closely, he saw that the rabbit had actually taken a bite directly from the eaves of the human restaurant!
The black rabbit looked down at Qi Huan from above, chewing the eaves with a crunching sound. Broken stones and tiles fell from its teeth and covered the ground with a clattering sound.
I don’t know if it’s because he has some experience in communicating with kittens in the past two days, but Qi Huan inexplicably understood the threat in the rabbit’s eyes. If you don’t cook for me, I will eat up your house.
"I don't know what it can eat." People have to bow their heads under the broken eaves. Qi Huan had to swallow the last word of refusal. Although there were many empty houses in the base, the cost of repairing and maintaining them was not low. Many of the kitchen utensils in the back kitchen were bought at a high price. If they were damaged, the loss would be great.
"It likes to eat meatballs." Zuo answered immediately.
This rabbit actually eats meat? Qi Huan couldn't help but take another look at the black Tyrannosaurus Rex rabbit.
The rabbit raised his chin proudly.
"How much will it eat? Let me see if there's enough meat in the cupboard."
Ah You smiled and said, "Don't worry, it will only need two or three kilograms."
"Two or three pounds?" Qi Huan couldn't believe it. "Are you sure you can eat enough?"
"Zitang!" A Zuo patted its nose. The rabbit shook its fur and its body suddenly shrank to the size of an adult golden retriever.
It was not until the twins brought the rabbit into the restaurant that Qi Huan discovered that its fur was actually purple, but the color was darker and the outside was black, so it was difficult to distinguish at first glance.
Based on the taste of the rabbit provided by the two girls, Qi Huan finally decided to make steamed lion's head for it.
Lion's head is a famous Huaiyang dish handed down from the Sui and Tang dynasties. It is soft, glutinous and smooth, fat but not greasy. It requires fine and rough chopping, fat and lean meat, and steaming over low heat after frying. The preparation is more complicated than ordinary meatballs. But Qi Huan likes food from the bottom of his heart and doesn't want to perfunctorily satisfy the taste buds of any guest, even if the guest is a Tyrant Rabbit.
The rabbit buried its head in the soup bowl and finished three bowls in one breath. The two girls happily shared a plate of animal head meat. Both the two and the rabbit were very satisfied with the meal and finally paid a hundred silver coins.
After seeing off the guests, Qi Huan, who had just taken a shower, was wiping his half-wet hair with one hand and was about to go upstairs when he suddenly remembered the cloth bag containing money that he had casually stuffed under the cash register.
It was not appropriate to leave a large amount of cash in the downstairs business, so he took out the cloth bag and planned to put it in the cabinet beside the bed. Although this broken house was drafty, the second floor felt safer than the first floor.
The drawer of the upstairs cabinet was too small to fit in one, so it had to be divided into two layers. After putting the money in, he continued to wipe his hair and subconsciously glanced at the top drawer, where the beast core and the life-saving benefactor button were placed. It would have been better if he hadn't looked at it. When he saw it, he was stunned.
He remembered very clearly that he had closed the drawer tightly at that time, but at this moment, there was a crack there!
There was a buzzing sound in his ears, as if all the blood rushed to his head. Qi Huan felt his vision go dark, and after two seconds he reached out to open the drawer.
Only the button wrapped in the handkerchief was left inside; the small iron box containing the beast core had disappeared!
Nearly thirty thousand silver coins were gone just like that!
Is there a thief in the house? Qi Huan was worried about being robbed, but he never thought that a thief would visit a place as poor as his. He opened all the drawers in disbelief, but there was nothing. There was nothing in the house.
He stood there, not knowing what to do, when suddenly he heard a slight noise behind him. It sounded like footsteps, very light, coming towards him step by step.
The thief is still here? A drop of water slid down the hair to the neck, freezing cold. The hairs on Qi Huan's back stood up. He grabbed an empty drawer and turned around to smash it.
Then, his arm holding the empty drawer froze in mid-air.
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