CHAPTER 32
As the elevator kept going up, the pollution level had already dropped to 70, and now a man appeared, causing the value to jump up for a moment.
He Ran took out a fruit knife, hesitated for a moment, and coldly raised her head, saying, "What's wrong?"
The man, with the identity of Kitchen Storage Supervisor 0922, came down with a cart to the recycling station.
He Ran played the role of "Supervisor" and the other person's attire wasn't any more upscale than hers, so she shouldn't act recklessly for the time being.
As expected, the man averted his gaze and spoke calmly, "Nothing, the banquet is about to begin."
After he left, He Ran found the cold storage room 1303. Upon entering, she saw many carts similar to the one she held in her hand. The carts displayed some fresh meat, and through her vague pre-war memories, she could tell that some were certain types of fish used for sashimi, which wouldn't be available inland, and some could be identified as beef or pork.
The portions were small, occupying only a tiny area on the plates, rolled up like a flower or leaf placed on pristine white porcelain.
He Ran remembered that before the war, some exquisite foods emphasized presentation, with large plates holding bite-sized portions.
The cart was covered with a clean tablecloth, and she pushed it, as if pushing a fluffy and soft cream cake.
Inside the cold storage room, the pollution level was surprisingly low, only 20. Enduring the cold, she looked around for a while and found the time card hidden on the wall.
Storage Supervisor: 0922
[Photo]
Job Responsibilities: Deliver fresh ingredients to the kitchen, personally serve fresh food items to guests. From slaughter to serving, it must not exceed 3 hours.
Work Philosophy: Giving guests the best food is my motivation for work! I will work hard and do my best!
Below were a bunch of blurry dates. After clocking in every day, 0922 would mark a checkmark on the time card.
But looking at the dates, it seemed that there had been no clock-ins since a certain Saturday in December.
She slowly pushed the cart and walked out, her pace very slow, paying attention to the surroundings.
She should deliver the cart to the kitchen... but where is the kitchen?
Cold Storage Room 1303, Cold Storage Room 1302... Where is 1301?
Once again, she walked to the end of the corridor—a dead-end wall.
Turning back, 1303, 1304... She slowly walked to the elevator area, one elevator, two elevators.
In the second elevator, she walked in, but no matter what, the elevator wouldn't light up. There was a card reader above, but it didn't recognize her access card or identity card, so she stepped back.
Walking aimlessly in the corridor, suddenly a person emerged from room 1307. Seeing her, he frowned, "What are you doing here? You've been gone for a while. Hurry up, the head chef can't wait any longer!"
The man had a face similar to 0922's. He grabbed He Ran and she followed him, being pushed forward, back to where she came from.
1302... Facing a wall, the man ignored it and respectfully bowed, "Head chef, 0922 has arrived."
Suddenly, a display screen appeared on the wall, showing the face of a man.
Seeing him, He Ran thought of a toad, with layers of fat chin submerging his neck, a chin like a ball protruding, thick lips, and a pair of triangular eyes suspended by heavy eyebrows that almost reached his eyelashes.
The head chef nodded, and the display screen went off, returning to its appearance as a wall.
Then the man pushed He Ran, saying, "Go quickly. You've worked so hard, you will definitely be allowed to enter the banquet."
Hearing "enter the banquet," something stirred in He Ran's heart, and she asked, pushing the cart, "Are you coming with me?"
The man's face showed a strange expression, "What are you talking about? Only those who meet the performance requirements are qualified to meet the head chef."
She understood. By achieving a certain level of accomplishment in ingredients, one could meet the head chef, gain his recognition, and have a chance to enter the banquet.
But He Ran didn't know where to go. She took a half step back in error, "I'm hoping for an opportunity for you, never mind, just push the cart for me for a while."
Although the man found it strange, he still pushed the cart for her. He walked ahead, turning into the second elevator and stood still, looking at her.
He Ran hesitated for a moment, took out her identity card, and the elevator opened.
She took back the cart and pushed it inside. Suddenly, the person outside laughed, his lips stretching all the way to his ears.
He Ran tried to walk out of the elevator, but the doors closed forcefully without any safety measures.
There were no buttons inside the elevator. It seemed that at least the kitchen staff in this building couldn't move freely.
However, the elevator seemed to be descending. After a while, it started ascending again, to the point where He Ran couldn't determine the floor she was heading to through the countdown.
The person's smile made her feel uneasy. She gently lifted the tablecloth, revealing a dazzling array of fresh fish and beef cold dishes. She gently covered it again, holding a fruit knife in her right hand and instinctively supporting the supply officer with her left hand.
It wasn't safe here. It would be great if there was a secure place to set down the supply officer, to prevent her wounds from reopening and to make it easier for her to fight.
It seems she can only take on average people one-on-one now. If she encounter a skilled opponent, it might be difficult. Also, because of the supply officer, some unconventional ideas cannot be implemented.
She urgently wants to kick open the elevator and see the structure outside.
As the elevator moved, the level of pollution rose again. When the elevator stopped, the pollution level reached 55.
Now, she must find a way to enter the banquet. Only by entering the banquet would there be a chance to see Li Haohao.
To gain the recognition of the head chef...
The elevator door opened. There were four elevators running simultaneously in this elevator area. As she walked out, there was someone pushing a deformed food cart, covering their b|eeding ears, entering the elevator.
She continued walking forward and heard a few roars: "What is this? Do it again! My kitchen doesn't need you idiots, get out!"
Amidst the roaring, there were sounds of things being thrown and the crisp sound of slapping.
The pollution level stopped at 58.
She pushed the cart and soon saw several food carts being pushed back and forth, all heading towards the same open door. The ones being pushed in were fine, while the ones being pushed back were in complete disarray.
Inside the door, the roaring voice was like a lion's roar: "What I want is ingredients, ingredients! Can you understand? What is this? Can it be eaten? Can it be served to the guests at the banquet? Get lost!"
Crack—a small food cart and a chef wearing a slightly shorter hat were sent flying in front of He Ran.
The man who roared was the head chef on the screen, and in person, he was even more imposing, appearing to be around 2.3 meters tall. His fingers seemed like steel bars, and knocking someone down on the ground was as easy as swatting a mosquito.
When the head chef saw her, his expression miraculously softened a bit. The people around, who had been trembling with fear, seemed to have found a savior and breathed a sigh of relief, unconsciously making way for her.
The head chef took a step towards her and lifted the tablecloth. "0922, you never fail me—what is this?"
Beef and sashimi cold dishes.
He Ran didn't speak, her gaze quickly shifting to the food preparation table. On the plates of the so-called "cold dishes and sashimi," there were actually main dishes as well, emanating a peculiar aroma. They were grilled meat steaks, drizzled with brightly colored sauce.
In other words, these plates were merely decorations for the main dishes.
The head chef's brows furrowed, his nostrils flared, and He Ran took out the fruit knife stained with bl*od and placed it on the food tray.
The head chef's anger was still suppressed. It seemed that 0922's performance had been quite good, so the head chef was particularly tolerant of him. "What does this mean?"
"The freshest ingredients should naturally be cooked by the guests themselves... I can bring the fresh ingredients up, please let the guests—"
Before she could finish her sentence, the head chef snorted, "Bullsh*t."
However, the head chef didn't seem angry. It must be because 0922 had been performing well. The people around looked at her with a mix of fear and astonishment. She didn't know why she had said those words just now. When the head chef suppressed the situation, she realized that it was impossible for her to defeat the head chef while carrying someone on her back.
The head chef could easily turn her into minced meat.
She took the initiative and approached, picking up the knife and sticking to her previous, somewhat strange statement, "Isn't it practical?"
The head chef slapped behind her, and she staggered a bit. The head chef burst into laughter, "You little brat, you have big ambitions, actually daring to compete with me for a position."
"I dare not, it's just a small idea."
"Forget it, I was planning to take you to the banquet anyway... Your idea is good, but you'll see when you get to the banquet. You're not a sly person. Go, bring me the ingredients. We need a lot for today's banquet, and what these useless people provided is not enough. Bring me the ingredients, and we can make an appearance at the barbecue banquet first. I will introduce you to the Governor."
The head chef gave her special exemption, and her food cart was intact. The people around looked at her with envy, jealousy, and... the smile of that person she saw before entering the elevator.
A smile that was the embodiment of fake friendliness, an ugly smile.
Now she must get the ingredients. The head chef had already approved of her, she just needed to bring the ingredients, and she could go to the barbecue banquet first.
It sounded like the barbecue banquet was a pre-dinner preparation before the main banquet, and there was the Governor... Was it the Governor of the Daomiao base? Regardless, she had to go back to the recycling station.
Glancing at her wristwatch, the time on her hand was also a mess, still 12 o'clock. It seemed she could only make a rough estimate.
Within three hours, she had to get fresh ingredients. Going up and down the floors... Were the unseen things on the train the ingredients? The ones 0922 k!lled downstairs, and the ones she shot, were they the ingredients?
Things that were visible in the normal area could potentially transform into something else in the polluted area. Now, He Ran had reason to believe that before the pollution, the train must have been occupied by tangible objects.
Like people...
She didn't dare to dwell on it. Once she started thinking about it, even her stable mental value would fluctuate, and her wristwatch would report an error and then recover to 60.
And the one who wanted to harm her, the one who initially hid behind her, like a girl, what was she holding, or what was she? What was that loud, hard sound?
Returning to the recycling station, she pulled out the food cart and parked it in place.
The train had left,, but she didn't know when, but after waiting for a while, it slowly came back.
The door opened, and she stood at the entrance holding a knife.
Fortunately, there wasn't another version of herself sitting inside the train.
She took a step forward, then another, and realized her hands were trembling.
Was it a person?
But she had to k!ll, for the war, she had k!lled people, for her comrades, she had k!lled people.
Just now, she had k!lled someone to protect herself.
Now, she had no choice. She had to find a way to see Li Haohao. This was a polluted area, and everyone was already dead. If she didn't k!ll these already dead people, the innocent supply officer behind her wouldn't have a chance to get out. If she didn't see Li Haohao, Li Haohao would become abnormal in this pollution.
She walked through the train carriage like the 0922 person, in a void, constantly walking until she bumped into someone. Amidst the increasing level of pollution, she grabbed a shoulder.
And then she targeted the neck.
"I'm sorry..."
She pulled out an unseen but heavy human form and stuffed it into the food cart.
An alarm sounded in her earpiece: Mental Value: 55, 54, 53... 50.
Her mental value didn't return to "normal."
The pollution in the Daomiao base's massive building was devouring her.
"Normal" was precariously fragile. He Ran leaned against the elevator, biting her inner cheek.
The illusion of war unfolded before her eyes, and the ashes of the field hospital seemed to blow in front of her.
Her mentally unstable comrades passed by He Ran like phantoms, and she felt extremely exhausted. She rubbed her eye sockets.
Fear and madness were the norm. Normalcy was a paranoid luxury.
This was how she became a pollutant.
She placed her hopes for "normal" on the frightening entity known as Li Haohao.
"Li Haohao... It's okay... Everything is normal, everything is normal. If you're hungry, eat something. If you're unhappy, say it... Please listen to me... Let the supply officer go before eating me."
She didn't even know if her plea inside the elevator could be heard by Li Haohao.
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