Chapter 81: It Succeeded, but Not Hell on Earth
“Did you live?” Hu Boss nodded thoughtfully, raising the corner of his mouth. “Is there a story behind this?”
“Well…” Luxianbei pondered for a moment and said expressionlessly, “There is a story in there.”
“Oh? A story?” Hu Boss looked at Luxianbei with some surprise, raising an eyebrow and commenting, “Although I’ve heard it several times already, I still can’t help but want to repeat it.”
“You do have a talent! You managed to grasp one of the simplest methods for cooking Hell on Earth so quickly.” After a pause, he added, “To be honest, that surname Pu person used the same method.”
“However, I am a bit curious. What kind of story is it?”
“It’s about a man,” Luxianbei mused for a few seconds, recalling Huo Qianli’s life in the story, and said seriously, “He didn’t have such a good life, nor was it particularly bad.”
“As for the specifics of the story, if you want to know more after you finish eating, I can tell you in detail?” In fact, Luxianbei wasn’t quite sure how complete this dish was.
Earlier, while cooking, all her attention had been devoted to Proxy Player Sister’s story, and she completely forgot about infusing the dish with the emotional spirit energy fluctuation.
It felt like when playing adult games, one accidentally got immersed in the plot and forgot about the steamy parts. Just as Luxianbei was thinking, a premonition flashed through her mind.
[He picked up a piece of chicken wing root with chopsticks.]
Her thoughts were interrupted by the premonition, and Luxianbei steadied herself, shifting her gaze to Hu Boss, who was picking up a chicken wing root from the plate with his chopsticks.
The chicken wing root was golden in color, coated with a layer of amber sauce. The thick sauce was just right, clinging to the chicken wing without being too thick.
The sauce drew a fine line as the chopsticks rose and fell, and with the rising steam, a faint aroma of wheat wafted through. Just for its appearance, this dish could easily score full marks.
“Not bad, not bad!” Hu Boss smiled in praise. “Then I shall taste your ‘Lived.'”
Though he had already noticed from the sidelines that this dish by Luxianbei was somewhat terrifying, he didn’t mind. Under his authority, he could handle even scarier dishes.
Moreover, he had said he would eat the dish, and no matter how thin it was, he would have to finish it! “Crunch—!”
Taking a bite, the crispy exterior of the chicken wing root made a light sound, and immediately, a rich wine flavor mixed with the wheat scent burst forth like a flood.
In that moment, Hu Boss even had the illusion of drinking a large gulp of chilled beer, with countless bubbles bouncing around his lips and teeth, yet without any alcoholic sting.
As the beer aroma began to fade, the scents of ginger, garlic, chili, and the crispy texture of the chicken wing’s skin emerged.
To Hu Boss’s surprise, the combination of several strong flavors exploded in his mouth without interfering with each other, forming a complementary state instead.
It felt like being at a live house, listening to a song that made his heart beat in rhythm with the rock music. In terms of taste, this dish could also score high.
However, the real highlight was yet to come!
Calamity’s cooking skills were indeed remarkable, even surpassing most professional chefs with the assistance of spirit perception.
But ultimately, the flavor, aroma, and appearance were just the surface. Whether it held the essence of Hell on Earth would ultimately depend on the emotions hidden beneath the surface.
Hu Boss thought, slowly closing his eyes.
He was waiting, waiting for the emotions contained within the dish to erupt.
However, after waiting for a few seconds, he gradually frowned, and his expression grew serious. He did not experience any emotions in this dish.
How could this be? It shouldn’t be!
Clearly, during the cooking, Calamity had shown rich and intense emotional changes. Why couldn’t he feel any of it now? Had it already dissipated? Was there a problem in the cooking process? Hu Boss pondered.
At that moment, he felt inexplicably anxious and disappointed.
It felt like arranging to meet a friend at a set time, only to arrive and find no one there.
He subconsciously believed that Luxianbei must have made some mistake during the cooking, leading to the loss of emotions, which was a common issue for beginners.
While recalling the cooking process of Luxianbei and looking for her errors to later correct, he chewed on the chicken in his mouth repeatedly.
Delicious, very delicious, incredibly delicious!
The delightful taste continuously stimulated his taste buds, sending signals to his brain that generated a warm and happy feeling.
It felt like a mother’s embrace, or like a beautiful dream filled with blue skies, white clouds, singing birds, and fragrant flowers that made one reluctant to leave.
Just then, as Hu Boss was influenced by that warm and happy feeling, subconsciously trying to capture the beauty within it, a series of crisp sounds rang in his ears.
“Creak—crack!”
Something had broken.
As if sensing a crisis, Hu Boss suddenly opened his eyes and saw countless faceless figures surrounding him, having appeared at some unknown time.
“Creak—crack!”
The crisp sounds continued, and looking in the direction they came from, he saw jagged cracks spreading beneath his feet, like the surface of a frozen lake being smashed.
Thus, just as Hu Boss cast his gaze downward, the ground shattered.
Immediately, he fell into the frigid water, darkness engulfing most of his sight. Apart from the roaring sound of the water, everything was silent, and a strong sense of suffocation hit him.
In a daze, Hu Boss felt like he had become a drowning person, thrashing his limbs desperately in an attempt to float towards the increasingly distant light above.
At that moment, the faceless figures gathered near the broken hole above, stretching their necks like roasted ducks hooked by their necks, casting their gazes downward.
They had noticed he fell into the water, yet it seemed they had no intention of helping. Instead, they started pointing and commenting. “Why is he so young, yet thinks so irrationally?”
“What a pity, what a pity!”
“Ah, to be honest, he is actually quite a nice person.”
They kept discussing as if they were concerned about the drowning person, yet not a single person took any substantial action.
Gradually, Hu Boss began to see faces emerge on those faceless figures, some were grinning wickedly, others chuckling, and some displaying indifference.
Then, different voices began to echo in his ears.
“I see, he’s just being dramatic; who doesn’t have unhappy moments?”
“Exactly, what’s the big deal? Just endure and it will pass!”
“I always thought he was a bit strange; it’s not surprising he ended up like this.”
As these incessant voices assaulted his ears, his consciousness gradually became foggy, and a series of illusions began to emerge before him.
He saw a girl waking up early, getting herself ready to go out beautifully, shopping alone, seeing movies, tasting delicacies, and changing her hairstyle at the barbershop. When night fell, she returned home, filled a tub with hot water, and gradually lay down, turning it crimson.
He saw a middle-aged man being scolded harshly by a younger boss, drinking heavily, then climbing onto the company rooftop solo, without much hesitation, jumping off.
The warning line was drawn, the ambulance came and went, and a few hours later, everything returned to normal, people chatting and laughing as they walked on the freshly cleaned floor.
Finally, he saw a young boy, lost in direction amidst the waves of family breakdown and changing times, standing at the crossroads of life in confusion, hesitating for a long time before ultimately choosing the worst path, the most extravagant one.
He indulged in lust, venting his rage towards those around him, like a wild beast covered in sharp thorns, yet deeply yearning for someone to notice his hidden excellence.
How he wished someone would disregard the thorns, bleeding if necessary, and embrace him! Unfortunately, no one was willing to do so, not even attempting it.
In the end, all the illusions disappeared.
Hu Boss felt like he had finally sunk to the bottom of the water.
There, there were no spring winds or summer cicadas, no autumn leaves or winter snow, no human fireworks, only darkness and dead silence.
He couldn’t help but cry, but the water instantly swallowed his tears. He opened his mouth, wanting to let out a final shout, but the cold quickly filled his throat.
For a moment, he felt as if he had already died, giving up the struggle, allowing his body to sink into the mire. Is this about to end?
To have lived, but to have lived without meaning, this level could already be considered genuine Hell on Earth. Unexpectedly, Calamity only went through it once and achieved such a level. Should it be said she is truly a witch of urban legends? Hu Boss thought, quietly preparing himself to give feedback to Luxianbei.
Just as he sensed that the emotional impact was waning, thinking the power of “Lived” was about to fade, a weak yet entirely different emotion rippled through his heart.
Then, he saw some scenes and heard some voices.
He saw a young boy visiting the grave of the girl who cut her wrist every year, leaving a bouquet of her favorite tulips. He heard a firefighter covering his face in tears, “So close! Just a little more, and I could’ve grabbed her!”
He saw a kind girl, covered in her own bl**d, still wanting to embrace that thorn-covered boy. Then,
he saw a father, riding the storm and soaring into the sky.
Finally, the scene froze on a figure leaping towards the shrouded sky, like a demonic shadow against the mist. After a long time, Hu Boss slowly opened his eyes, staring at the pale ceiling, feeling as if he were in another world.
A tear slowly slid down the corner of his eye.
He actually made the Boss cry? Isn’t that a big success? The Proxy Player Sister is still reliable; she can deliver! Luxianbei thought, hurriedly approaching to ask, “Boss, Boss! Was it quite torturous? Does this count as successfully making Hell on Earth?”
He turned to Luxianbei, pondered for a moment, and said gravely, “It succeeded, but it’s not Hell on Earth.”
