"Acheron-neesan!" Kiana handed over a freshly washed plate.
"Mm."
"Acheron-neesan!"
"Mm."
"Acheron-neesan!"
Acheron took the third plate and gave a helpless smile. "Kiana, you can just hand me the plate directly. You don't have to call my name every single time."
Kiana pouted. "But I just want to call you!"
"Alright…"
"By the way, where did Su Chen go off to play hooky again? Why are only the two of us washing dishes?"
"No idea. Don't worry about him. Rest assured—he won't get into any real trouble."
"I bet he's slacking off somewhere again."
Acheron gave a faint smile but didn't respond further.
Meanwhile.
Inside the president's office.
Tribbie was sitting on the sofa in Aglaea's office, swinging her legs back and forth.
She looked at the documents in her hand and asked doubtfully, "Agy, can those three real newcomers really bring the Golden Grand Hotel—no, Golden Grand Restaurant—back to its former glory?"
Aglaea gazed out at the sky through the window and spoke slowly. "You have to believe in the potential of young people."
"And why did we hire three dishwashers this time?"
"I don't know. Honestly, I want to see what exactly Su Chen wants—and whether he's an enemy or an ally."
Tribbie's face showed visible difficulty. "Do you think he's a spy sent by the shareholders?"
"Probably not. Ever since Caenis incited the shareholders, established a new catering company, and took away every single chef from the Golden Grand Hotel…
Not only that, they even tried to steal the name 'Golden Grand Hotel,' which is why I had no choice but to change it to 'Restaurant.'
And Caenis has been secretly manipulating public opinion behind the scenes. Sigh… I don't want to talk about her anymore."
"Don't worry." Tribbie quickly comforted her. "As long as we win this God of Cooking Competition, the Golden Grand Restaurant will definitely make a comeback."
"Mm. So I believe they can succeed."
"Right." Tribbie suddenly interrupted Aglaea. "Also—the judge for this competition is Anaxagoras."
A clear look of disdain mixed with contempt appeared on Aglaea's face. "Him? I'm not surprised at all."
"Agy, I know you have some bad blood with Anaxagoras, but he used to be the teacher of both Castorice and Phainon. With that layer of connection, I believe he won't do anything too outrageous."
"I'm actually quite reassured on that point. Someone who always keeps 'truth' on his lips will surely be extremely fair."
"There's one more thing—he might come to the Golden Grand Restaurant today as a food critic."
Hearing this, Aglaea's brows furrowed slightly before she let out a long breath. "The competition is about to begin. Is he trying to put pressure on me?"
——
Hotel lobby.
Su Chen stood beside Hyacine, chatting casually while fishing for information.
"Wow, is that really true?" Hyacine looked at Su Chen with eyes full of admiration.
Su Chen nodded seriously. "Absolutely true. Every building in Interactive City is built to scale and shot on location, so the entire map of Interactive City keeps expanding outward."
"I feel like I've missed out on so many fun things by not watching the HSR web drama."
"No worries. You can come visit Interactive City whenever you're free. Maybe one day we'll even move the entire restaurant into Interactive City. Who knows—the protagonists of next season's drama might be you guys!"
Hyacine scratched her head shyly. "I'm just a server… can I really act in a web drama?"
"Of course you can. How will you know if you don't try?" Su Chen paused deliberately. "By the way, is everything you said true? About Caenis."
"One hundred percent."
Su Chen nodded thoughtfully, various speculations rising in his mind.
According to Hyacine, the Golden Grand Hotel originally bore that name—but for unknown reasons, right before the annual God of Cooking Competition, a major shareholder reshuffle occurred, completely disrupting everything.
Caenis took away almost all the intangible assets—namely, the restaurant's chefs.
On the eve of the competition, she poached every chef and even tried to seize the prestigious name "Golden Grand Hotel."
This kind of blatant ambition was so obvious even March 7th could see through it.
A classic case of pulling the firewood from under the cauldron—completely sidelining Aglaea.
That's why Aglaea had no choice but to hire a batch of rookie chefs: Phainon, Castorice, and Mydei.
The current rock-bottom menu prices were simply to give the three more chances to practice.
Now that he understood the full sequence of events, the next step was figuring out how to launch a satisfying counterattack.
First point—undeniable.
To forge iron, the body must be strong. They needed to raise Phainon, Castorice, and Mydei's culinary skills in a very short time.
Should he go look for legendary kitchen utensils?
Then, by the principle of relativity: raise our strength, lower theirs, and widen the gap.
Sorry—extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Since you struck first without benevolence, don't blame me for lacking righteousness.
Just then.
Su Chen's phone rang. He immediately answered.
"Where are you guys?"
Nicole's voice burst through instantly. "Boss, we're at the entrance! The feast has arrived!!!"
At the same time, Anby's shout came through the receiver. "Huh? Where did Jane go? She disappeared the moment we got out of the car."
"Uh… Boss, wait for us just a moment. Anby just took a wrong turn. We'll be right back. Beep… beep… beep…"
Su Chen glanced at the ended call. His eyes began scanning the entire lobby until they locked with a certain woman.
Her index finger twirled a short blade in circles.
She looked at Su Chen with a half-smile and gave a casual wave. "Long time no see, Boss."
"Didn't you know they were looking for you?"
"Of course I did. But I'm more curious why you wanted me here." Jane Doe sized up Su Chen's current outfit. "Boss, you're really something—working part-time in a place like this?"
"No choice. Everything is preparation for Season 8." Su Chen walked up to her. "I heard your cooking skills aren't bad. Perfect timing—the kitchen has a few green recruits. Can you teach them how to cook?"
Jane Doe seductively tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, then popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth.
"Cooking? Back then, to infiltrate a so-called restaurant that was secretly running a drug operation, I deliberately got myself a special-grade chef certificate. It's not gourmet, but at least it's edible."
"Special-grade chef, barely edible—you're being far too modest." As he spoke, Su Chen pointed toward Hyacine behind him.
"Just find her. Tell her you're the chef I called in. Let the little lady show you the way. Oh—and Kiana and Acheron are there too. You won't be lonely."
"As long as Elysia isn't around, I'm fine. I really can't resist her."
With that, Jane Doe slowly walked toward Hyacine.
——
Outside the main entrance.
Nicole wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked at her three subordinates. "Billy, Anby, Nekomata—did any of you find Jane?"
"Nope. We searched everywhere nearby."
Anby furrowed her brows. Drawing from her experience watching movies, she began analyzing carefully. "Something feels off. Why would Su Chen insist on calling Jane just to freeload a meal? Could there be some huge conspiracy here? Is this a trap? Has Jane already sensed something?"
Billy let out a thoughtful "Oh…" even though he hadn't understood a single word.
"Rein in your wild theories, Anby." Su Chen's voice suddenly came from behind the group.
Nicole turned around. "Boss!"
"What are you four running around for?" Su Chen asked knowingly.
Reminded of their mission, Nicole stammered. "Uh… haha… we were just doing some pre-meal exercise."
"Oh? So you're planning to feast? Then where's Jane Doe?"
"Huh? Uh… where is she?" Nicole immediately passed the buck to Billy. "Billy, where is she?"
Billy looked completely lost. "Huh? Me? Uh… the last person with Jane was Nekomata."
"Nya!" Nekomata's eyes darted around before finally landing on Anby. "The last time I saw Jane, she was with Anby."
Anby let out a heavy sigh. "We lost her. We're still looking."
"Hahaha…" Su Chen couldn't help laughing. "Forget it. She's already inside. You don't need to search anymore."
Hearing this, the four of them finally breathed a sigh of relief—though they mentally issued a strong condemnation of Su Chen's behavior.
"So… can we go in and eat now?" Nicole looked at Su Chen full of anticipation.
Su Chen pointed at his own uniform. "Do I look like someone who can afford to eat here?"
"No wonder Boss looks like a cook today. So… why the outfit? Cosplay?"
"No. I ate a free meal and then volunteered to wash dishes to pay it off."
The four of them exchanged glances, engaging in silent communication, before simultaneously saying in unison:
"We're leaving!"
"Don't worry—the feast is still on. You just need your elite squad to put in a little effort."
Billy quietly leaned toward Nicole's ear. "Boss, think carefully. What if Boss Su Chen is setting another trap for us!"
Su Chen pointed at the building behind him. "Hoyoverse plans to acquire this hotel. I deliberately came in to investigate the internal situation. As long as you complete the task I give you, I'll cover all four of your meals from now on."
Nicole's eyes became as resolute as someone about to join the Party. She stood ramrod straight. "Yes, sir! Mission accepted!"
She turned back to the three. "What are you standing around for? Get in the car!"
"Yes, Boss!"
"No rush, no rush." Su Chen raised a hand to stop them.
"No—we need to move immediately!"
Su Chen sighed helplessly. "Shouldn't you at least know what the mission is first?"
He leaned in close to the four and began outlining the plan. "First, find a restaurant called Golden Grand Hotel. Then I need all the information you can get on someone named Caenis. Once that's done, report back to me. I'll give you the next instructions."
The four nodded solemnly and immediately sprang into action, piling into the van.
Anby floored the accelerator, and the van sped away.
With everything arranged, Su Chen looked up at the five characters "Golden Grand Restaurant" and gave a faint smile.
"Hmph. Golden Grand Restaurant… Aglaea's naming sense is as terrible as ever."
The speaker had appeared beside Su Chen at some unknown point.
Su Chen turned and saw a green-haired man in an extravagant suit, wearing an eyepatch over his right eye.
Anaxagoras?
It really was him!
"Sir, are you here for a meal?"
Anaxagoras glanced at Su Chen. "And you are?"
"New dishwasher in the back kitchen. If you're dining, please follow me. Today's dishes are guaranteed to satisfy." Su Chen made an inviting gesture.
——
Inside Interactive City.
Aether was carrying Furina in his arms while sprinting at full speed with Lumine beside him.
"Sis, are they still chasing us?"
"Let me check, Bro." Lumine quickly glanced back, saw no one, and gradually slowed down. "Finally lost them."
Aether gently set Furina down. "They didn't follow. I don't know what's going on with Interactive City. Su Chen's phone isn't connecting either."
Furina still looked shaken. "That was terrifying… Kevin going berserk has this much combat power?"
"I really didn't expect it. Feixiao and Jingliu are on vacation, Acheron is completely missing, and there are hardly any security officers left in Interactive City."
Lumine couldn't help but frown. "And Elysia has become really strange. I honestly don't understand what happened to the HI3 group.
Yesterday Su Chen suddenly announced over the broadcast that Interactive City is shutting down for rectification. Everyone was to drop what they were doing for a full sweep and cleanup.
That doesn't sound like something Su Chen would do at all. Shutting down a massive place like Interactive City just like that?"
"Let's keep moving. At least get out of Interactive City first, then figure out the next step."
With that, the three continued forward.
Suddenly, someone darted out from an alley. Aether's instinctive reaction nearly landed a punch square in the person's face.
"Scott? Why are you here?"
"Whoa!" Scott clutched his chest. "It's you two siblings. I thought it was someone else."
"What… what's the situation right now?" Aether clenched his fists, ready to knock Scott out with one hit if necessary.
"I just barely escaped! Damn it—finally got away from Aha, and now I'm running again." Scott seemed to remember something. "You two weren't affected, right?"
"Affected?! What do you mean?" Lumine asked.
"Sigh… it all started with Elysia. That woman is acting really weird. No idea where she learned hypnosis, but a ton of people got caught by it."
"You said you escaped—what does that mean?"
"She tried to hypnotize me. Laughable. Does she think Scott is so easily hypnotized? She's underestimating this lone wolf! In my heart, nothing is more important than climbing to the top!"
With that, Scott puffed out his chest proudly.
Aether, Lumine, and Furina's mouths twitched. They all had the sudden urge to slap him.
"Whatever. Just tell us—what exactly is going on with Elysia?"
"Her… I don't think she's really Elysia." Scott put on a grave expression. "Such underhanded methods—even I have to admit from the bottom of my heart that she's impressive. The real Elysia wouldn't use hypnosis."
"Hypnosis?" Aether stroked his chin. "I remember Interactive City has a psychologist named Black Swan. Maybe she has a way to break it."
The reminder hit them like a bolt of clarity.
They immediately agreed—the top priority now was to find Black Swan.
Just as they were about to set off—
At the end of the road, Kevin's figure appeared.
"Sorry, everyone. This road is closed."