Steak Mullie Star
The capital of Muli Star. Central Hospital. Top floor intensive care unit.
Camellia was dressed in a military academy uniform, with a black and gold sash pinned to her chest and her hair neatly tied back, making her look like a student still in school.
She was holding a tablet and talking to the person next to her.
They sat in front of the reinforced glass of the ward, gazing at the lifeless person on the hospital bed.
Not all Sentinels who experience mental disturbances are sent to Black Tower; those who are well-loved by their families are hidden away in remote locations. This was the case for Melusin and Lin Changli back then.
There's no need to go to Black Tower Star now that the sentinel is unconscious.
Camellia identified several targets, all of whom were sentinels who had developed symptoms after being mentally manipulated by Song Yu. Under the guise of a research project, she went to different places to conduct interviews.
Some are in remote family territories, some are in sanatoriums, and this target has been in a coma on the capital planet for decades, which corresponds to the time of Shan Wanqing's mental breakdown.
Camellia's military academy student disguise was very convincing, and she could indeed produce identification. The current situation of the sentries who had the accident also saddened their families. Under the influence of emotions and reason, her guard was lowered, and Camellia quickly got the answer.
The answers were mostly the same, but there was nothing that could be used as evidence.
They had received mental counseling from Song Yu, but after their mental breakdowns became uncontrollable, they proactively sought his help.
Moreover, there are many symptoms of mental agitation, including delirium, mental confusion, and extreme and violent personality changes... all kinds of negative symptoms will appear.
As for "nightmares" and "verbal cues in dreams," these are perfectly normal symptoms, and hallucinations that occur after a mental breakdown can also trigger them.
Camellia's investigation reached a stalemate; it seemed that no matter how many questions she asked, it was all the same dead end, and she couldn't get any answers.
Or was it that her and Sangye's initial guesses were wrong?
Camellia shook her head; she didn't think so many similar situations were just coincidences.
Camellia noted down these details, and then asked one last question: "May I ask what industry your family is in? According to current research, competitive pressure in an industry can also cause mental fluctuations."
“My family is in the nutrient solution production industry, the source industry. My sister’s mental strength level is not high. At that time, she was in charge of military logistics and did not directly participate in combat, so when she had a mental outburst, we were all very shocked.”
"I meant no harm, and what I'm about to say won't appear in the interview transcript." Camellia turned off all recording devices and held them up for the woman opposite her to see. "Back then, your sister was in charge of military logistics, so did the nutrient solution for that army she was in come from your family's factory?"
The person on the other end paused for a moment: "Of course... Isn't this how it is on small planets like ours? Our procedures are legal and compliant, and after my sister was hospitalized, we only provided her with nutrient solution for another year, and then we stopped cooperating."
Camellia nodded to indicate that she understood. Then she politely said goodbye.
The person opposite also stood up, looking sorrowful: "Can your investigation and research cure mental riots? Can it awaken my sister?"
Camellia paused, realizing she couldn't actually answer that question. But thinking of everything she'd seen on Black Tower Star, she replied, "There will definitely be a way in the future."
The top floor of the Capital Central Hospital is inhabited by powerful and influential family members. Even so, the top floor is still divided into social classes, and some areas are permanently closed to the public.
The floor tiles were so shiny they reflected light like a mirror, and they smelled of disinfectant.
Every few steps you could run into a nurse carrying a weapon. They were stern and unsmiling, ready to strike at any moment.
Camellia remained calm. Her identification was genuine; it had been brought in by the patient's family, so there was naturally no problem.
"Camellia?" A voice sounded from behind Camellia, sending a chill down her spine. "Why are you dressed like this?"
Camellia turned around and saw a black-haired woman with a princess-cut hairstyle standing opposite her, staring straight at her with a blank expression.
This is Gemma Retona, the adjutant of Lieutenant General Eugenia Retona, the executive officer of Muli Star. Eugenia has been unwell and no longer appears in public, so all orders are issued by Gemma on her behalf, and she also acts on her behalf at occasions that require her to attend.
Gemma was Eugénie's adopted child, and she was groomed by Eugénie to be her successor.
Before Shan Wanqing's accident, Shancha and Jima were classmates and had a brief interaction, but not enough to become friends. After the accident, Shancha returned home to help manage the family business. When she returned to the military academy, Jima had already left, and by then, rumors were circulating that Eugénie was experiencing health problems.
When Camellia saw Jima again, she was only surprised by the change in her demeanor and temperament.
Gemma, who was doted on by Eugénie, was always a cheerful little tyrant.
But now she looked gloomy, her cheeks were thin, and her bangs cast deep shadows on her face.
It is completely different from what it used to be.
"Jima? What happened to you?" Camellia blurted out, realizing what she had said, but it was too late to take it back.
Jima's expression softened slightly, and she walked over to Camellia's side: "Let's talk as we walk."
The longer they lingered, the longer the nurses stared.
Camellia looked around and followed Jima.
"How is your mother?" Instead of taking the elevator, Jima led Camellia down the central rotating glass building.
Nobody ever walks through this building; it's like a pretty but useless decoration. It's both dangerous and noisy.
The sound of heels hitting the tempered glass effectively masked their quiet conversation, so much so that even Camellia had to concentrate to hear it.
But Camellia didn't expect that Jima would ask this question first.
She suddenly remembered what Sangye had said: "Those who can become executives are not fools."
So, did Eugénie know the truth? Did Gemma know the truth?
Camellia thought she could take a gamble. Black Tower was directly under the control of the Imperial Family, and information about the sentries would only be communicated to their families, unless someone could plant spies on Black Tower. She gambled that Jima knew nothing.
“A few days ago, news came from Black Tower Star that my mother’s mental state has become more stable with each of the recent mental tests, but she still cannot wake up.” Camellia avoided eye contact with the person next to her, as one should avoid direct eye contact when lying. “Actually, after all these years, I have long since given up hope. As long as she is still alive, that’s enough.”
Jima, who was beside her, chuckled softly: "So what brings you to the hospital?"
Camellia was about to speak when Jima interrupted her, seemingly impatient and agitated.
"Don't lie to me about some school investigation or anything like that. You graduated from military academy a long time ago. And now, dressed like that, walking out of that family's hospital room, you're here to gather information."
Camellia stopped and looked at Jima.
The last sentence exposed Jima.
If there were no hidden story, Jima wouldn't have used the phrase "inquiring about information."
She wasn't careless; having served as Muli Star's spokesperson and Eugenia's proxy for many years, she wouldn't make a mistake in front of the intimidating Camellia.
"So my guess is true?" Camellia stepped onto the glass building, her voice masking her question.
“Your mother is awake.” Jima walked to her side again, her previously gloomy expression softening slightly. “How did she wake up? Who did it?”
While Kuwano may not have been credited with the greatest achievement, he played a significant role.
Shan Wanqing was originally the patient with the most stable mental condition in the Black Tower Star Hospital. When the doctor read the letter from Shancha to her, her brainwave activity was intense.
When the other guides went in to sort out her spirit, they saw that her spirit was also working hard, eager to break through the invisible barrier.
Kuwano helped her through this difficult time.
But Camellia remained silent; she couldn't admit anything, and she didn't even know the role Jima had played in it.
Jima took a deep breath: "I know you don't trust me, and it doesn't matter which side I'm on, but it's impossible for me to stand with Song Yu." Her expression clearly showed her disgust.
"Guess who lives in the rooftop area that's not open to the public?" Jima asked softly. "Actually, if you look at the dates, everyone has a guess, don't they?"
Camellia's steps grew heavier and heavier.
Ms. Eugénie has only made one public appearance in decades. In her fifth New Year's absence, she gave a televised address wishing everyone peace and happiness.
Five years after her disappearance, part of the hospital's rooftop was quietly sealed off.
Where is she at other times?
*
Wu Huansheng had just returned, and Wu Jianing stayed by her side the whole time, rarely coming to the West Building.
The usually bustling West Building was unusually quiet at this moment.
Actually, it wasn't that quiet, because the kittens and puppies were growing up and would soon be teething, so everything became their chew toys. The flowers, trees, and plants in the backyard, as well as the clothes and shoes in the house, all suffered.
They couldn't bite through the special materials of the combat uniforms, but Sangye could often find several holes in his everyday clothes somewhere. Once, when he got up to get dressed, he found that a skirt had been torn into strips by Sangye's claws.
To prevent this from happening again, Kuwano set aside a day to make chew sticks for them.
She made a special trip into the cave to observe the cattle raised on the grassland below the snow-capped mountains, and selected several that were muscular, strong, and very robust.
After the sycamore tree is properly treated, put it into the storage ring.
Cut the beef according to cuts so we can make steak for lunch.
Sangye selected four beef knee bones, polished them to make them smoother, and put them into a pressure cooker to stew for 20 minutes.
I cut off a portion of lean beef, added a little salt and cooking wine, marinated it briefly to remove any gamey smell, then sliced it into thin slices and put it all into a glass room to speed up the drying process.
After the beef shank bones are stewed, let them cool; the beef jerky is also ready.
The beef jerky, which had not undergone any further processing, was very dry and hard; at least, Sangye tried it and couldn't bite into it.
She called over the kittens and puppies with satisfaction and fed each of them a piece of beef jerky.
There was enough beef jerky for them to gnaw on. Several little guys, whose teeth hadn't fully developed yet, munched on the jerky and hid in different places to focus on it. Sangye quietly walked over and placed a beef knee bone next to each of the little ones.
Kuwano called the three of them out and let them choose the cut of steak they wanted.
Du Yuan wanted to eat filet mignon, which is the tenderest cut of tenderloin with the least amount of fat. Only 2-3 pieces can be obtained from each cow. If you cut it like Sangye, the whole piece will be fried.
Rongcheng wants to eat sirloin, which is located on the outer loin of the cow. This part has the most exercise and therefore has a noticeable strip of fat. Moreover, this part is large, which is suitable for Rongcheng's big appetite.
Lin Changli chose the battle axe part, with the bone and flesh intact.
Sangye wanted to eat everything, so she simply chose the T-bone. The T-bone has two parts on each side, one side is filet mignon and the other side is sirloin. Anyway, she can eat Lin Changli's later.
Let the beef rest until it reaches room temperature, then use kitchen paper to absorb any excess blood from the steak.
Over the past few days, Sangye has been harvesting a lot of salt from the cave. She has been mixing Hawaiian black salt and black pepper in a specific ratio and stir-frying them until fragrant. This time, she'll use it to marinate the steak.
When marinating steak, use only black pepper salt; no other seasonings are needed, otherwise it will ruin the natural flavor of the beef. Massage the steak while marinating to allow the black pepper salt to penetrate into the muscle fibers.
When slicing steak, Kuwano keeps the thickness to around 4 centimeters. Thick-cut steaks offer unparalleled taste and satisfaction, but they require exceptional skill in grilling. Also, steaks that are too thin are prone to losing moisture and becoming like beef jerky when grilled at high temperatures.
After heating a thick pan to a high temperature, do not add a single drop of oil.
Sangye first seared the sides of the steak to seal it and prevent the juices from leaking out, and then seared both sides.
A four-centimeter steak should be seared for about four minutes on one side to achieve medium-rare.
If you prefer your food cooked to a different doneness, simply adjust the cooking time accordingly.
Well-done steak is also available, but it requires a high level of skill from the chef.
Lin Changli followed her example and pan-fried steak in another pan.
After searing the steak, reduce the heat to low, tilt the pan, and add butter, rosemary, and other spices to one side of the pan. As the butter melts and the aroma of the rosemary infuses it, use a small spoon to continuously baste the hot butter on both sides of the steak.
Finally, and most importantly: resting the meat. This is essentially letting the steak come to room temperature, helping it reabsorb the juices and allowing the heat to penetrate, preventing it from becoming overcooked on the outside and raw on the inside.
Wrap the steak in multiple layers of aluminum foil or place it in an oven preheated to 50°C to keep it warm for a while.
Don't waste the leftover butter in the pan; it's perfect for frying side dishes like cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms... fry whatever you want to eat.
The amount of meat today is truly spectacular.
The four of them took turns eating beef with different textures.
After spending a long time eating the beef jerky, before she could even gnaw on the beef shank next to her, she smelled an enticing aroma.
It hasn't been long since it arrived in this unfamiliar place, but it has already developed an understanding of this little world in its tiny mind.
The tallest human female is the head of the household, and everyone listens to her.
Human women who are always smiling especially love children and small animals.
The second tallest, baby-faced human female has a bad temper. She gets angry when she sees it causing trouble, and she will even pick it up and make faces to scare it.
The only human male with the best temper treated her the best, giving her whatever she wanted! Sangsejin liked him the most.
Three times a day, various kinds of aromas waft from the easternmost room in the house, but the eldest son is really awful! He never lets them eat human food, always saying that kittens can't eat salty food.
But salted food is so delicious; it stole a bite of cured ham, and it was so fragrant and flavorful. Although the next day its eyes started secreting sticky pus, which startled the eldest dog.
Kittens aren't afraid of getting sick; kittens just want to eat delicious food!
Sangsejin suddenly jumped up and ran towards the kitchen, meowing loudly: What delicious food are they eating? I want some too!
The four people in the restaurant were not surprised that Sangsejin suddenly jumped onto the table and was eager to try the steak.
Sangye scooped it into his arms: "Don't eat it. Who was that kitten whose eyes hurt so much last time? Don't you ever learn?"
Sangye looked around and put Sangsejin into the egg cage. The lid was made of ceramic and shaped like a hen. Sangsejin was not strong enough to open the thick ceramic lid.
It was in a helpless rage in the box, roaring but making cute meows.
However, when someone is too weak, even anger can be seen as cute.
Sangye smiled and looked at her for a while before resuming eating her steak. Just then, she received a message from Muli Star.
Camellia sent an update.
*
Executive Officer Palace.
Jima returned alone.
This place holds all of Jima's beautiful and painful memories, and now it has been taken over by a shameless person.
He was like mold that couldn't stand the light, lurking and watching in the shadows.
"Why are you back so late today?" Unexpectedly, the voice rang out from the mural niche next to the corridor.
Jima stopped and stared coldly at the man who emerged from the calligraphy niche.
To be fair, he was good-looking, tall and well-trained, and seemed like an honest man. However, he was wicked, always carrying the sinister aura of a schemer, and his venomous presence made people uneasy.
In fact, Jima never understood the thoughts of people like Song Yu.
He was exiled to this planet, died politically within the empire without even a trial. As long as the current emperor lives, there is no possibility of his reinstatement.
He could have lived on for hundreds of years by relying on Eugénie, but instead he clung to unrealistic fantasies and even caused Eugénie's...
"Really? I didn't keep track of the time and stayed a little longer." Jima crossed her arms, not wanting to talk to him anymore, and was about to let him off the hook.
But then she heard Song Yu sigh softly behind her: "Jima, if you keep disobeying like this, Eugénie might never wake up again."
Jima suddenly stopped, turned around and glared at him angrily: "Are you even human? That's your sister!"
“She’s just a half-sister.” Song Yu shrugged indifferently. “Besides, she probably doesn’t have any feelings for me, right? Otherwise, why didn’t her mother take me with her when she took her back? Instead, I was thrown into an orphanage.”
Jima almost sneered, having never seen such a shameless and self-righteous person. "She was only five years old then, right? A few years younger than you. Did you expect her to persuade the adults to keep someone who had no blood relation to her?"
"Shouldn't my sister support me?" Song Yu retorted. "Regardless of the past or the present."
Jima laughed in anger; she couldn't bring herself to discuss such ridiculous issues with such a shameless person.
"Stop threatening me. You wouldn't dare do anything to Eugénie anyway," Gemma said viciously. "All the Executors' terminals are linked to Eve's life monitoring system. It will sound an alarm if she takes off her clothes or if her heart stops beating. Once the Empire sends someone, everything you did on Muli will be exposed."
Jima watched with satisfaction as Song Yu's face turned ugly: "You only dare to act like a bug in the shadows. You're a person who can't stand the light of day. I think what you did on the capital planet was just as shameful, right? That's why you were kicked out. You were clearly an S-class guide, but you ended up penniless, homeless, and being chased by space pirates."
Jima took a few steps back and turned around, her hatred for Song Yu evident in her words.
Song Yu dared not do anything to her. Everyone on Muli Star, from nobles to commoners, knew she was Eugenia's adopted daughter. Eugenia had been grooming Jima for a long time, taking her with her to all official duties and high-level meetings. During the years Eugenia was "recuperating," Jima had acted on her behalf in all official matters, because Eugenia had granted her almost complete authority.
The fact that the executive officer had been recuperating for years was already suspicious enough. If Jima were to also "fall ill" or "disappear," Song Yu would no longer be able to cover things up. Everyone would demand that Eugénie step in. Where would Song Yu conjure her up from?
Song Yu also loathed her, loathed this heir who stood in the way of his power.
But there was nothing they could do.
Back in her room, Eugenia took out the fruit tea bag that Niu Lishancha had given her from her spatial storage.
According to the Camellia Sect's method, boiling water is poured over the leaves, and the fragrance of flowers and fruits, along with spiritual energy, permeates the air.
This spiritual power flowed into the mental landscape without her consent.
It's completely different from a guide. It carries no malice, only the purest good intentions.
Camellia aims to secure bulk purchases from military units and schools across various regions, including not only fruit tea but also a wide range of semi-finished products. Camellia has already secured agreements with several hospitals and military units.
Jima clutched the fruit tea bag in her hand, her thoughts drifting back to the night the sudden change had occurred.
That day, she returned from school and, as usual, rushed to the study to find Eugénie.
But a fierce argument was taking place in the study.
Jima hid in a small cubicle next to the study, not daring to enter rashly.
The person who argued with Eugenia had only recently arrived on Muli Star.
However, after his appearance, many high-ranking officers suffered mental breakdowns, their uprisings accelerated, and some even went so far as to harm their families or fall into comas. Some have already been sent to Black Tower.
But no one will connect with the guide.
Until Jima overheard the argument.
When Song Yu arrived on Muli Star as an S-class guide, high-ranking officers on the verge of mental breakdowns naturally sought his help; like fish looking for water. However, Song Yu made their mental states even more unstable, directly triggering their mental breakdowns.
Song Yu did nothing, yet they delivered themselves to his door.
Shan Wanqing is one of them.
But he didn't harm everyone; he targeted military officers who controlled procurement in the army and schools. When these powerful figures were forced to step down, new suppliers would inevitably take their place.
It won't be replaced immediately, but it will be replaced eventually.
Song Yu used mental manipulation as bait to gain control of a large production group and gradually replace it.
Jima initially thought Song Yu was after money, but she didn't understand what use money was to him now that he had reached this point.
Jima heard Eugenia's icy voice: "Do you really think I can be fooled by you? Do you really think I don't know anything? I filmed you going to the factory and having the Baku produce toxins to put into the production chamber."
Jima didn't understand what the dream-eating tapir meant.
The next second, Eugénie's voice exploded in Gemma's heart like a thunderclap.
"You want to make all the Sentinels drink the Nightmare Poison, gradually corrupting their mental landscape, and then let the Nightmare control all the troops on Muli. You want to betray your country."
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