CHAPTER 33

Covered with a tablecloth, the food cart revealed a silhouette that He Ran didn't want to look at for too long.

Returning to the head chef, 0922 received praise.

On the chef's workstation were tongs, knives, and boning knives, seemingly newly taken out. The head chef ordered her to clean the utensils.

She turned on the faucet, paying attention to the chef's movements.

The head chef swept the cart with his wide palm, lifted the tablecloth, and pulled out a handful of air. Satisfied, he nodded and placed it directly on the stainless steel workstation. He rubbed his hands together like kneading dough and then extended his hand. He Ran hesitated for a moment before handing him the utensils she held.

The head chef seemed a little dissatisfied, his eyelids drooping. "You're not sharp enough today."

"I was too anxious." She said, and the chef snorted, seemingly forgiving her ignorance. He took out a large pair of scissors and swung them in the air.

Snap-snap, the sound of water flowing couldn't cover up the sound of something being cut.

He Ran couldn't help but want to see, but people were coming and going around her. When the head chef was focused on handling the "ingredients," everyone maintained a strange silence, trying to walk without making any noise. In this space, the sound of the scissors closing was as chilling as cutting through skin.

But she couldn't see anything. If only she could see it with her own eyes, maybe she wouldn't be so anxious now.

She closed her eyes and held the complex box of utensils in her hands.

The head chef threw the scissors into the sink, and He Ran lowered her head to wash them.

The head chef took out a peeling knife, and she closed her eyes, considering herself as a humble apprentice, with only the scissors in her mind.

When the head chef finished handling the ingredients, someone pushed the food cart forward and placed individual plates filled with beef and fish on the workstation. The chef gestured in the air personally, placing the well-prepared "ingredients" on the plates. The food cart moved on like a stream, and the cold air filled the space.

The last cart stopped at the entrance. He Ran looked around, cleaned her hands and fruit knife, hiding the knife in her sleeve. She pushed the food cart, and the chef raised his thick finger, resembling a zucchini, with satisfaction. He carefully pinched a clump of air and placed it on each plate.

Then the head chef turned around and shouted loudly, "I'm going up."

The busy people in the kitchen stopped their work, stood up straight, and bowed to him. "Please rest assured, Chef!"

They were frying, grilling, steaming, deep-frying, cutting, chopping, slicing, and kneading. A variety of vegetables and fruits were displayed on their workstations, various pots emitted heat, and cold dishes and desserts were also being prepared simultaneously. The light in the oven was as beautiful as dusk, and the aromas mixed together, creating a unique fragrance that He Ran had never smelled before.

He Ran pushed the food cart and followed the person pushing the cart in front.

Going out from here, walking to the other end of the elevator where you came from, parallel to ten transparent doors. The person pushing the food cart walked in, and they ascended along the transparent tube, soaring into the clouds, reaching beyond the sky.

The head chef took a brisk step this time, leading her to a transparent elevator.

She noticed that before the head chef swiped the card, there were only two buttons in the elevator, this floor and the destination.

After swiping the card, another button lit up in the middle.

The head chef pressed the top button, adjusted his collar, and clasped his hands behind his back.

He Ran inexplicably became nervous, and the head chef said, "Follow me, don't talk too much, just hand things to the guests. After the barbecue feast, I will take you to meet the Governor."

As the elevator ascended, the level of pollution first slowly decreased, then rose rapidly, and then slowly decreased again.

Although the elevator was transparent, it was difficult to see the surroundings clearly due to its high speed. He Ran tried her best to pay attention, but her eyes could only capture light. Colorful lights followed the elevator, becoming brighter as they went up, as if walking from a cloudy day to a sunny and beautiful day. He Ran squinted her eyes a little.

The head chef introduced to her, "The protective layer on the top floor can isolate pollution, allow light to pass through, and can also control day and night. In the center of the terrace is a swimming pool with clean water. Don't touch it easily. Next to the east is our dining area. But don't wander around, follow my steps, and when we arrive, walk along the stairs on the side and cook properly."

"Eating barbecue before the banquet even starts? Will there still be room for the main course?" Ye Ran asked.

"Those who can come up to the top floor are top-notch gourmets with extremely prestigious identities... except for this floor, the banquet will probably take another hour, and the guests are likely to be hungry.

As if afraid of shattering the glass with her voice, the head chef's voice was very calm. He Ran nodded, "I understand, thank you for the guidance."

The head chef hummed in acknowledgement.

The elevator suddenly stopped, and even the head chef pricked up his ears. He Ran quietly held the supply officer and gripped the fruit knife in her sleeve.

Outside the transparent elevator, a girl stood with her back to them, holding a camera in her hand. The camera was covered with shiny stickers. Her smooth black long hair flowed like a waterfall, with a red bow tied at the very end. Under the pure white dress, two slender legs were wrapped in white lace stockings, and she stepped on a pair of black leather shoes with red soles, slowly lifting her feet and spinning around--

The elevator door opened.

The knife in He Ran's hand fell to the ground with a clang. The head chef frowned, took a step to the side, and pushed her behind him. He slightly bent his waist and clasped his hands together in a salute, "Miss."

The sound of the shoes stepping on the floor was exceptionally crisp, click, click, click.

"Head Chef Yan."

He Ran crouched down to pick up the knife and looked up at the girl coming in through the chef's legs.

The head chef crossed his legs and smiled warmly, saying, "Miss, did you go to the breeding center for filming again?"

"It's very interesting." Her voice was pleasant and light, like transparent glass beads rolling in a fish tank.

"Indeed. Miss, is there any specific part you want to eat today?"

"No, I trust your culinary skills. Any part will be delicious." she replied with a smile on her face. The head chef naturally began to boast about his cooking skills.

The elevator arrived, and the girl stepped out with crisp footsteps. The head chef took a step ahead and turned back, saying, "0922, make another mistake and I'll throw you into the breeding center."

He Ran had already picked up the knife, lowered her head, and pushed the cart out of the elevator. The head chef grabbed her by the neck, seemingly oblivious to the supply officer she was carrying on her back. He exerted force and lifted her up, bringing her in front of him. "Did you hear me?" he asked.

He Ran looked up, blinked silently, indicating that she had heard it.

But inexplicably, tears streamed down her face when she blinked. Fortunately, Chef Yan had turned around and didn't see her like that.

The girl who entered the elevator looked exactly like Li Haohao.

However, she had no gold accessories on her arms or ankles, and her hair was not fluffy natural curls.

The girl referred to as "Miss" had smooth hair, each strand carefully groomed. Although her outfit was not particularly attractive, the fabric and craftsmanship were exquisite. She exuded the sweet and innocent scent of a naive young girl who knew nothing about the world.

This scent made He Ran hesitate. Li Haohao carried a kind of wild aura, like weeds or beasts, but not the fragrance of human society that permeated this girl.

After exiting the elevator, they needed to continue walking up the magnificent spiral walkway.

Standing there, He Ran could already catch a glimpse of the light from the clouds. The young girl was about five to six meters ahead of them, but Chef Yan never dared to quicken his pace.

Anyone coming down from above would bow and greet the young girl.

But the girl simply raised her head, arrogantly flicked her hair, not paying attention to anyone.

Could she be Li Haohao? He Ran suppressed the urge to run up to her and calmly pressed her wristwatch. The pollution level was gradually rising, but it didn't seem to be the fluctuation caused by encountering Li Haohao. Li Haohao's fluctuation was a peak that shot up from the ground.

In this polluted area, would Li Haohao recognize He Ran? Or perhaps, this was just a distorted representation of Li Haohao's polluted area, and she could only observe these stories like the supply officer, consumed by them.

Finally, they reached the end. The head chef gestured, and He Ran and the head chef walked closely along the edge.

The rooftop didn't look like an ordinary rooftop, it resembled more of a park. He Ran saw flower beds and a swimming pool, along with many precious plants that were only seen before the war. There were pathways made of pebbles for visitors to walk on, and the lawns were neatly trimmed, with each blade of grass growing to the same height. People were laying out blankets on the lawn, sitting on chairs, and drinking. Not far away, there was a bar with waiters standing behind it, shelves filled with unidentifiable bottles of alcohol.

In the diagonal corner of the bar, a crimson carpet was laid on the ground, leading to another part of the lawn. On the lawn, there were round tables with tablecloths and vases filled with dew-covered tulips.

A band was playing beautiful music that He Ran couldn't fully appreciate but knew was magnificent.

Facing those seats were three or four barbecue grills, and behind them, there was a larger grill.

People in a different uniform were shuttling around, placing different cards on different tables, while dragging the carts that He Ran had seen in the kitchen and placing them near the grills.

Behind the largest grill was the head chef's territory. He glanced around and, forgiving all of He Ran's previous mistakes for that position, said, "Kid, stand here and be my assistant."

"Okay." She stood behind the grill, waiting for the head chef's instructions.

But her ears caught the voice of "Li Haohao," the "Miss" with the camera.

She arrogantly stepped on the carpet, walked through the crowd, and no one dared to stop her.

She approached the grill, pinched a handful of "ingredients" from the cart, examined them in the light, chewed them for a moment, and then tossed the leftovers back onto the plate.

Some guests frowned when they saw this, and a few people in uniforms who were setting up tables approached her with gentle and soft voices. "Miss, please don't do this. Today is the Night of Wild Dance..."

"I know, so what? I want to taste it for the guests. How good is it?"

The people who tried to advise her could only accompany her with a smile.

"I've tasted it, and it's quite delicious. Let's do it this way. Where's my father? When will he come up?"

"The Governor is still accompanying the guests. He'll be here shortly."

"Oh, tell him I visited the breeding center. I won't go again. I just went recently, and it was disgusting," she waved the camera in her hand, "but it was quite fun."

"Then... Miss, you're not going to eat them raw again, are you? It's been said that it's not good for your health. It's better to have them cooked... The barbecue feast is about to begin, and you can eat as much as you want—"

"Who are you to tell me what to do?"

The young lady was extremely arrogant and unreasonable. She insisted on using unwashed hands to rummage through another cart of ingredients. The people around quickly grabbed her and tried to persuade her to sit down. A waiter personally squatted down in front of her and used clean, wet towels to wipe her arms and hands, then bent down to clean her shoes.

Many guests watched as the plate of ingredients that the young lady had messed up, along with the entire cart, were dumped into the pool at the other end of the swimming pool.

With splashes, countless silver-colored fish with thin tails jumped out vigorously, opening their mouths wide and snapping at the air before falling back into the water, creating clusters of silver light reflections.

The spoiled young lady watched the fish leaping out of the water, then clapped her hands loudly in delight.

The pollution level was at 60 but remained stable.

He Ran was nudged by the head chef. "Don't stare around. The young lady is the Governor's only daughter. It would be very easy for her to take your life... It's almost time, pass me the barbecue tongs."

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