Chapter 36 It’s better to focus on eating
Suddenly someone called Bal from a distance. Bal turned around and found that it was the police officer from the work area who was chasing him. No, how could the other party chase him so far?
Bal instinctively wanted to run, but he felt he couldn't expose his weakness, so he forced himself to stop and asked the other party what was going on.
"Your educational brochure was left behind, so we brought it to you. Come on! Whatever you want to learn, now is the best time."
Bal looked down at the educational brochure handed to him by the police officer. He couldn't help but curse in his heart. What the hell is this... Is it a sudden appearance of light after complete despair? The planet commander's palace intrigue is really too cruel.
After hesitating and wandering for a while, Bal and his team suddenly received a message from the organization's boss, asking them to meet in the food area.
After all, there are many people in the food area. Although there are many surveillance cameras, it is not easy to be discovered when so many people are eating, talking and handing over tasks.
When Bal returned to the food court, he discovered that his companion not only had food in hand but also had a basic understanding of the food guide for this food court. He continued to nibble on the snacks while chattering about the food to Bal and the others:
"The food court has five floors, and the three in the middle are all long-established restaurants from our planet Volker. And guess what, the prices are the same as outside, not increased at all, and there are free snacks."
"Here, here, here, this is what I have in my hand. From what the boss said, even though Planet Commander only asks for one free meal, to compete with other restaurants, they'll occasionally introduce new dishes and give out samples. Once the samples are good, they'll release the official product. Hehehe, we're offering free samples now, and then we'll let those gullible customers buy them. I'm smart, aren't I?"
Bal looked at the snack that was forced into his hand, and then looked at his companion who suddenly seemed to have become a fool after eating. He felt more and more annoyed and unconsciously pushed the snack back: "Go away, eat more if you like. Where is Salman?"
After he asked, he saw that his companions standing beside him had subconsciously lowered their eyes and were staring at the ground quietly.
"What's wrong?" Bal couldn't help but feel more irritated after asking this question, and his silent companions seemed to be deliberately trying to annoy him and were reluctant to respond.
An unknown amount of time passed before Bal and his companions received another notification about the precise gathering location. As Bal started to leave, his companion inexplicably grabbed his arm. Puzzled, he turned around and heard his companion whisper, "Are we really going to destroy this place?"
His voice was hesitant yet cautiously flattering. Bal was also somewhat bewildered by this sudden remark. Before he could speak, another companion stepped forward and asked, "Isn't this the new world we want?"
"Yeah, this planet commander is really different from the previous ones. He really...cares about us."
"Nonsense." Bal turned around and cursed, "You think you're all bought off with just a little favor? I think you're dizzy from eating too much."
“But the problem is that even when we were with Salman sir, we never ate so much.”
"Salman is looking at the future, the future..." Speaking of this word, Bal fell silent for some reason. He inexplicably recalled the calligraphy written by Shengxia that he had seen in the education area:
Children are the future of Planet Volk, and you, my friend, are its present and future.
In short, no matter what they think now, they still have to go to the gathering. When they arrived at the precise location, everyone found out that this was a newly opened restaurant with a strange name, called "Hot Pot"?
As the second group of people who came in early, Salman said that this is currently a very popular restaurant in the Rongdong. The most important thing is that the people who can come here to eat are the core group of people in the Rongdong. They should observe the terrain first so that they can find the right time to act.
Bal glanced around the restaurant and suddenly saw a waiter carrying a large copper pot. The weight of the pot had already caused his knuckles to tense, but he walked steadily. After the pot was delivered to their table, the waiter spoke in a full voice, "Hey, be careful of the heat. Remember to boil the pot before adding any food. Enjoy."
One of Bal's companions tried to lift the pot, but he withdrew his hand the next second because he was burned by the heat and couldn't hold the handle. Salman couldn't help but laugh at him and said he looked like a bumpkin.
The man subconsciously wanted to glare at Salman, but he thought of something and lowered his head silently.
From this moment on, Bal clearly felt that the atmosphere in their organization was not right. It was not just him and his companions, but also the other people who came later were not in a right state.
Soon, the waiter brought the food with a cart and said that since Salman and his friends ordered a lot, he specially sent them some new drinks and snacks.
Seeing the colorful drinks being brought up and a straw thoughtfully inserted, Bal could hear his companion swallowing almost subconsciously.
But what made them inexplicably unhappy was that Salman asked them to pack up the new products and send them to the corresponding hospital address. As for the snacks, he even carried them in front of him and started to enjoy them without waiting for anyone else.
It's very strange. In the past, there was nothing wrong with him doing this. If there was anything good, the leader would get to enjoy it first, and then the rest would be divided according to their contributions. This has always been the case.
So in order to enjoy better things or have more power, they have been working very hard.
But now, for some reason, everyone felt not only empty but also secretly resentful. Unfortunately, Salman did not sense this. He just ate the bulk of the snacks as usual before handing them over to the small leaders like Bal.
Bal took a look and saw that it seemed to be some kind of fried product. He wanted to eat it but felt the burning gaze of his companion sitting next to him, so he simply gave it to him. Salman was very satisfied with Bal's action and said that he had always been optimistic about Bal among the people he brought out.
Bal frowned and said nothing, but Salman suddenly started shouting again, reminding them that the planet commander and her men had also come here to eat.
As soon as these words came out, everyone subconsciously turned their heads to look at the planetary commander Shengxia and her companions. Salman noticed their straightforward gazes and subconsciously wanted to tell them not to expose themselves, but he found that Shengxia had already looked over at the same time because of their attention.
"Oh, I remember you." Suddenly, Shengxia came over and asked about the condition of the elderly in Salman's family. She also said that according to the report, the elderly is no longer in danger after using the new medicine, right?
Salman bowed his head and praised Shengxia, saying that fortunately the doctor's medical skills were excellent and he was able to save his life. Now all the friends who were outside have come in, so he invited everyone to come here for a meal.
With these words, Shengxia's gaze fell on the people at the table again. She took a look and smiled, praising Salman for being a famous philanthropic entrepreneur who had so many friends.
Salman said that they were not friends, but helpers in the company before. The last batch of people came in and did not know the internal situation. He just wanted to take these half-grown children to familiarize themselves with it.
"That's great. We just got some new drinks. Let's have a try and give our chef some suggestions."
After that, Shengxia asked the waiter to serve new drinks to everyone at Salman's table. Salman also quickly asked Bal and the others to stand up and thank Shengxia. However, Shengxia waved her hand to indicate that they should just eat and there was no need to be polite. After that, she returned to her subordinates.
Normally, when the planetary commander went out to the restaurant to eat, he would have to sit in a private room. However, the planetary commander and several of her subordinates just sat down in the lobby area without any precautions and ordered food. They had no intention of going into the private room or calling for protection.
This is too careless.
Bal had just finished thinking this in his mind when he turned around and found that Salman was looking at Shengxia with a bit of greed and contempt. Did he think that such a planet commander would be easy to take down?
Soon, the planet commander's dishes were served, still in a heavy copper pot, but then the restaurant also served drinks and snacks. What surprised Bal and the others was that Shengxia pushed these dishes to his subordinates first, asking them to start eating. The other party did not think there was anything wrong with it, and started eating while talking. After eating, he complained to Shengxia, "This snack is too spicy."
Shengxia immediately took a little to taste, but her eyes widened and she said bluntly, "Isn't this spicy enough? Hmm, let me leave a message to the restaurant owner to remind him that the dishes should be classified into different levels of spiciness: mild, medium, extra spicy, and super spicy."
"Who would like to eat super spicy food, tsk tsk tsk."
Seeing the natural and equal communication between the planetary commander and his subordinates, Bal and his group couldn't take their eyes off them. So much so that no matter what Salman said, they would subconsciously glance at Shengxia's table first and then compare it silently in their minds.
In the summer, meat dishes are usually shared with subordinates, which is a way of eating with companions. However, Salman is the one who distributes the meat dishes. Whoever gets the meat dishes must express gratitude and thank him.
The companion sitting next to Bal, who originally loved to eat, could only share some vegetarian dishes because of his insufficient contribution. Looking at his expression, he looked very aggrieved. In addition, he was not used to the spiciness of the food. After eating for a while, he couldn't help but want to go to the toilet.
But Salman refused to let him go, as if he wanted to torture him as a warning to others.
It was only now that Bal and the others understood why Salman chose this restaurant. Spicy and hot food is indeed a good punishment, and it can also make them understand in an instant that they are still members of a terrorist organization and should not dream of struggling to leave.
The planet commander ate very quickly. They seemed to be busy with the interior repairs of the melting cave and the reception of personnel. After they finished their meal in a hurry, they paid the bill and left. Strangely, the cashier in the store treated the planet commander neither servile nor overbearing, without any flattering expression, as if to confirm Salman's statement that the planet commander often came to this restaurant to eat.
After Salman finished eating, everyone was allowed to leave. At this time, the greedy companion sitting next to Bal had a face that had turned the color of pig liver, and the whole person was trembling slightly unconsciously.
Fortunately, Salman did not continue to torture him. After leaving the restaurant, he was finally allowed to go to the toilet, but there was no toilet nearby.
According to the usual behavior of this companion, even if the king of the world came, when he wanted to go to the toilet, any place nearby would be a toilet. But now he was holding back and kept telling Bal who was holding him that he wanted to go to the public toilet.
Bal couldn't help but frown, but he almost fainted and said that the place here was... clean, and it was a place to eat, and he didn't want to ruin this good place.
Barr: ...
"According to the guide, go down... downstairs, there is one." Without waiting for his companion to finish his words, Bal simply turned back to the hot pot restaurant and asked about the toilet.
He originally wanted to find fault, so that if his companions really got into trouble, he could let the hot pot restaurant take the responsibility. They had often used this trick in the past. But what he didn't expect was that the staff of the hot pot restaurant came out immediately after hearing about this and called him and his companions back in. They also said that if there was any problem, they would be sent to the hospital in time, and the staff would accompany them to the hospital, so there was no need to worry about any problems.
Bal was instantly confused by this enthusiasm:???
Is this hotpot restaurant doing charity? No, aren't they afraid of being blackmailed?!
So, the dazed Bal and his companion, who had finally relaxed, were greeted by the warm welcome of the hot pot restaurant staff. They were given vouchers, two bags of snacks, new drinks, and some stomach-strengthening medicine, and were then respectfully escorted out the door.
Bal stood at the door, holding a bag of snacks and looking confused: ...
"I told you this place is great, woo woo woo." My companion had already cried quietly at the warm reception. He also said that this was the first time he had been so warmly comforted while eating in a restaurant. They asked about his health and gave him medicine for free.
You know, even after working in the organization for so long, no one cares about him as much as the clerk here.
"It's not just them. Every boss in the food court not only doesn't mind me eating too much, but also smiles at me when they see that I can eat a lot, brother!"
Barr: ...
He cautiously reached out and covered his companion's mouth, then signaled him not to show his emotions on his face if he didn't want to be executed privately by Salman.
The companion was stunned for a moment, then immediately stopped crying, lowered his head, picked up the snacks from the snack bag, and reached out to wipe his nose.
Bal looked up at the "Hot Pot Restaurant" sign again and thought that maybe it was because the planet commander often came to this place that the service here was so good. In the past, he heard Salman boast that all the high-end restaurants he had been to were like this.
What about other places? There must be unknown darkness hidden in the melting cave. He must remain cautious and not be easily fooled.
Fortunately, there was still plenty of time. Before the third group of people from Volk Planet were collected, Salman was not planning to issue any corresponding tasks. He only asked them to check the location in advance and share it with the companions who came in later.
This also gave Bal the opportunity to take a good look at the melt hole.
Over the next two days, Bal walked through the various areas of the Melting Cave. He would also order free meals. Now, the free meals in the Melting Cave have been upgraded to a warm and comfortable level. You only need to say the set meal number normally, and the waiter will serve you the meal normally. You can leave after eating. Because the planet commander has put forward the slogan "Poverty is also a kind of privacy",
So no one will come and ask them why they ordered the free meal.
But in terms of the dining experience, you don’t actually need free meals. You can basically be full by walking through the five floors of food areas and eating the samples given by the merchants, not to mention that every merchant has free meals.
This is pure winter pig feeding.
It’s not like Barr hasn’t asked these businesses: “Aren’t you afraid that everyone will come and get some free meals?”
"Hey, you're absolutely right. When the second group came in, everyone really did order free meals," the shop owner said, his eyes filled with hope and strength. "As a result, our young people, convinced that such a great place must not be spoiled, ordered free meals but secretly left money when they left."
"In their words, this is called paying for other people in need to have a free meal, and it's doing a good deed."
"That's right. There were so many people there, not just young people, but also children of all ages who did the same thing. We didn't even know who left the money, and by the time we chased them out, they were gone."
"Right, right, right. Later, they even gave themselves a common name: Saplings. I heard it was because the planetary commander often liked to describe them as saplings, and he hoped that one day they would grow into thriving trees. Isn't that interesting?"
The waiter next to them also came over to talk about this matter, and said that although they are currently working as waiters here, they will go to night school at night. They are also worried that the free education will not last long, so they are secretly plotting to collect a sum of money and hand it over as education funds on the day the course ends.
"Education funding?" Bal asked again. This was a very unfamiliar term to him, but the waiter was able to talk about it eloquently:
"Yeah, I heard that the money now comes from the Planet Commander after he took over the hospital from Dr. Scream. The hospital still needs money. Education nowadays isn't like it used to be, where you have to pay a huge sum of money and take out huge student loans. We have the money, so we have to put it first for school."
"Yeah, you're right. Later, when you pay the money, please let me know. I'll pay my girl's money first."
"Uncle, you're kidding! Didn't our planetary commander already announce that basic education will be free of tuition and provided with nutritious lunches?"
"I'm really worried that our planetary commander will take an overly aggressive approach and the school will go bankrupt. Go away, don't cause any trouble. I'll definitely take the money I'm owed. Just keep track of the accounts first."
Bal, who was completely excluded from this topic: ...How can the styles of these people be so different?!
Suddenly, Bal received a message from Salman, saying that all the follow-up personnel had arrived and asked all the small leaders to gather at the hospital. He also hinted that they should bring some gifts to their own old man.
Bal read the message and received a message from another companion. They said they hadn't seen their fellow Greedy Ghost since yesterday and asked Bal if he had seen him in the food area. Could it be...
Bal looked at the two pieces of news, his heart sank, and he knew it was time to make his own decision.
At the same time, Shengxia was in the office in the core area. Dozens of corresponding explosion plans were placed on the table in front of her. According to the contents of these explosion plans, the entire melt hole was like a large funnel, and any part of it could be exploded.
If it is bombed once, there will be problems with heating, and people will be forced to abandon some heating areas.
Shengxia guessed that some people must be eager for her to give up the selection. As long as her image is shaken, the remaining eight months will no longer be a peaceful place for the people in Rongdong, but a battle royale.
"How's the person we're monitoring?" Sheng Xia asked subconsciously when she saw Fu Qianshen coming in.
"As you said, we should pick on the weak ones. We had already persuaded him, but the bad news is that no one has seen him since this morning." Fu Qianshen showed a row of target information sheets, on which were the names of Salman and the members of his organization.
In fact, Shengxia could have caught all of these people on the first day they entered the Rongdong Cave, but in Shengxia's words, she wanted to give these people a chance to change.
In the past, they had no choice, but now a good living and learning atmosphere has been formed in Rongdong. She hopes that these people can change their choices. After all, she has read the information and found that the oldest member of these terrorist organizations is only 24 years old.
During these days, Shengxia did not deliberately arrange personnel to monitor these people, but just let them wander around in the melt cave. They thought they were not exposed, but in fact, they could tell the difference by looking at their eyes.
But now in the summer, I am worried about something.
"I learned from the interrogators that there's actually a hidden river beneath the melt cave that leads to the outside."
Fu Qianshen frowned. "But this underground river is very complex and it would be very disadvantageous for us to fight underground. In addition, we have to allocate manpower to protect the safety of the people and prevent them from panicking in case of any accidents."
"Have you completed the emergency plan I asked you to make in advance?"
Fu Qianshen nodded, and just as he was about to say something, he was interrupted by a member of his original team from the Federal Security Team who rushed over.
"Captain, oh, no, headquarters, that"
Fu Qianshen frowned and waved his hand, signaling him not to care about these empty formalities and to finish what he wanted to say quickly.
"We found the glutton, but he's in a bad state. It seems he's been poisoned too much."
Shengxia: "Is there still poison being sold secretly inside our melting cave?"
"A new type of finished poison has been found in the hospital, but the source is still unknown." Before the team members could finish their words, Shengxia took the lead and said that she would go to the hospital to check it out. After that, she walked out of the office door.
At the hospital, Bal saw that his companion who came in later was grinning, but he was always carrying luggage on his back and couldn't wait to hand him the new drug with an exaggerated smile when he saw him coming. He felt a pain in his heart.
"Go on, this is a reward from our boss. Oh, be careful later. I heard someone in the organization betrayed our boss and has been dealt with. Haha, I don't know what he will do later. I'm really looking forward to it."
Barr: ...
Without saying a word, he took out a takeaway food box, indicating that he was not full and decided to eat something before everyone else arrived.
Companion: ???
"Are you reminiscing about something?" Seeing Bal remained silent, his companion subconsciously reminded him, "You're in danger now."
Bal remained silent. Making trouble? Oh, it would be better to just focus on eating.
After finishing his meal, Bal threw the lunch box in his hand away and looked at his companions: "Let's go see Salman."
He knew that the lunch box he threw away would be picked up by someone soon.
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