Chapter Forty-Seven: The Master Chef (First Update) Please vote and add to your favorites

Faced with their eager pleas, Liang Jing decisively ignored them. He was not some modern-day Good Samaritan, and he had his own affairs to attend to. There was no reason to let himself be dragged down and suffer losses for the sake of others. If a massive beast tide or a formidable mutant creature appeared, he could not possibly fend them off, especially with these elderly and young folks slowing him down—the longer they lingered in the wilderness, the greater the risk. Moreover, he owed them nothing. In fact, in Liang Jing’s heart, he owed only two people in this world.

Besides, these few people were clearly not good sorts. After the trouble was settled, only then did they show themselves; although their actions could be seen as forced by circumstance, given the disparity in strength, it was still the optimal choice. But what if that gloomy man really had managed to stir up so many old, weak, and infirm people earlier? What would have happened then? If Liang Jing’s group had truly encountered any danger, he certainly wouldn’t have shown mercy. That would have been a heavy burden of guilt for him to bear. This had always left a sour taste in his mouth—these people just waited until the end to swoop in for the spoils, and now wanted to use him as a tool. If it weren’t for the suffering masses behind them, he wouldn’t have spared these opportunists a second glance.

“Enough, let’s not discuss it further. You can have half the beef, and take all the bones as well,” Liang Jing cut them off with indifference.

His reply brought a fresh wave of cheers from the group; their excitement was palpable. How much beef was that? Nearly a ton, no less—a veritable fortune for them. After all, not everyone was armed to the teeth like Liang Jing’s team, capable of hunting mutant beasts and, more importantly, discerning which parts were safe to eat.

“However, we’ll be supervising to make sure you don’t try to cheat. We’ll oversee the distribution, making sure the beef and bones are divided equally among everyone,” Liang Jing’s words instantly snuffed out their excitement. They had intended to share only a portion with the two or three hundred people below, but now they were required to distribute it all equally. Still, they knew they couldn’t resist and had no choice but to accept. After all, once the meat was handed out, the starving crowd would never let them reclaim it. If they tried to enforce any collection, chaos and a reshuffling of power would surely follow. Unlike the sinister man earlier, they had no guns to keep order.

“Of course, as the leaders, each of you can take fifty pounds of the beast meat first, then distribute the rest,” Liang Jing wasn’t completely ruthless and gave them a little benefit.

This time, when they heard Liang Jing’s voice, he sounded almost angelic—they had resigned themselves to their fate, only to be granted a small favor. Their moods swung like a roller coaster: from elated to crushed, and now soaring again.

Without further ado, they each picked the best cuts from the beef set aside by Liang Jing’s group, securing their own share first. Under Wang Meng’s watchful eye, the steady middle-aged man called Li gathered the crowd and started distributing the mutant bovine meat.

The starving masses immediately became restless, but reassured that everyone would receive their share and seeing the firepower behind Liang Jing’s group, they lined up obediently to receive several pounds of beef and bones. Happiness shone on every face. Few modern people had ever experienced true hunger, and the hardships of recent days were unprecedented for most of them. Now, with so much food at hand, some even wept tears of joy. As for the bones—unlike the stripped-down bones sold in markets, these were covered with meat and packed with marrow, a real boon for ordinary people.

At this moment, Liang Jing saw the “chef” he’d bargained so much beast meat for. Under the envious, jealous, and resentful eyes of the crowd, he was handed over to Liang Jing’s group. Though he’d been traded like goods, the man himself didn’t mind at all—he was more than ready to leave this refugee group, even for a minute or a second.

In this crowd, Wu Aimin had no chance to use his skills and was constantly hungry—recently, two meals a day, each just a bowl of gruel. Having once worked in a five-star hotel, not as the head chef but still in a respectable position, with his own specialties, Wu Aimin had enjoyed a good life—high income, light work. The past few days had been hell for him. But little did he know, joining Liang Jing’s team did not guarantee a return to comfort.

Still, he was anxious. These people killed without blinking, were strong, and, more importantly, his “worth” now was rather high—he’d been traded for a pile of premium beef. In this post-apocalyptic world, food was worth far more than people, as human lives had become cheap.

“What’s your name? Introduce yourself,” Liang Jing said, sizing up the man before him—a chubby, fair-skinned middle-aged man in his forties whose appearance radiated a certain good-natured humor. Liang Jing’s first impression was favorable.

“Hello, bosses. My name is Wu Aimin, a top-tier chef. I previously worked at a five-star hotel and my specialties are—” He could tell that Liang Jing and Jia Yujin were the leaders here, his future superiors, and he had to ingratiate himself.

Liang Jing was pleased with his background and experience, especially his cheerful demeanor and era-appropriate name. From their introductions, it was clear Wu Aimin was a skilled chef with signature dishes. After all, only those with true ability could serve at five-star hotels, catering to society’s elite.

“That’s enough. All you need to do is follow orders, do your job well, and never betray us,” Liang Jing was not one for many words—knowing the basics was enough, but some things still needed to be made clear.

Wu Aimin’s round, jovial face lit up with excitement—if he was accepted, he’d officially become part of this strong team, and his safety and food would be assured. He was about to agree eagerly.

“Don’t be too quick to say yes. We have only these two rules, but you saw what happened to those two earlier. If you ever have any treacherous thoughts, the consequences won’t just be empty words,” Liang Jing’s calm voice drifted to Wu Aimin.

Wu Aimin shivered, abruptly shaken out of his excitement. Recalling the fate of the gloomy man and Daguo, he knew these people were ruthless, not just bluffing. For a moment, he hesitated—this was practically signing away his life. But then he remembered the aching muscles from days of forced marching, constant hunger, and cold nights. In this harsh, dangerous world, where life was so fragile, what was there to hesitate about? This chance would not come again.

“All right! No problem—if I do anything wrong, you are free to deal with me,” Wu Aimin said solemnly, his usually cheerful face now serious.

Liang Jing nodded without further comment. Inside, he felt a flicker of excitement—this post-apocalyptic world was to his liking. Only here did he truly belong. Before the world ended, he was a nobody; now, despite the danger and brutality, his life was better than ever. With a five-star chef in tow, his quality of life just improved.

Meanwhile, as Li, the steady middle-aged man, finished distributing the meat under Wang Meng’s supervision, Liang Jing wasted no more time. After confirming the direction and route to N City, his team set out at once.

The others were also heading for N City, so along the way, Liang Jing resolved to eliminate any mutant beasts they encountered. In doing so, the two or three hundred people behind would be a bit safer. This, he thought, was the small contribution he could make for them.