Chapter 68: The Game Tricked Me!
After a few brief tutorial levels, the game officially entered story mode.
Mike and Sarah chatted and laughed as they played.
The first few levels were simple: customer orders updated in the upper left corner, and each order had to be completed on time and the finished dish placed in the window. The first two levels were also very straightforward: simply cutting sashimi, and the more complex one involved cooking rice.
But upon reaching levels 1-4, Mike and Sarah felt a noticeable change.
This level featured the game set in the middle of a street.
Well... it doesn't matter why cook in the middle of a street. Anyway, that's the setting. A truly excellent chef should be able to cook dishes from all over the world. Only when one is completely focused on cooking can one be considered a good chef.
This level was different from the previous ones. Most of the scene was blocked by the stove, and the only path forward was a horizontal "sun" shaped figure. But the key is that it's different from before. The path, which goes up and down, is paved with a one-way acceleration conveyor belt.
The dishes customers order are not sashimi to cut and slice, nor rice to cook. Chopping, steaming, boiling, and stir-frying, without exception.
If this level is just about getting through it, it's quite simple. Filling the four central dishes and serving them meets one of the requirements to pass the level.
But, obviously, their goal now is not just to pass the level, but to get a higher score and a three-star rating.
And as the level progresses, the speed of orders increases faster and faster. Before finishing one job, another dish arrives.
"Hurry up and cook the rice!"
"Wait! Wait! Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't even chopped the cucumbers yet!"
"Where's the seaweed? And why haven't I chopped the fish?"
"Don't rush me! The conveyor belt is moving me past!"
"Hurry up and cook! Orders are coming!"
Compared to the warm and loving scene before, the initial order began to feel a little overwhelming as orders increased. Especially with new orders and the insistence of regular customers, anxiety immediately increased.
And most importantly, each had their own priorities: one wanted to cook the rice first, the other wanted to chop the side dishes first. This completely disrupted the rhythm of the process. In an instant, both became a little flustered.
"Hey! Why did you bring so much seaweed?"
"Don't you need seaweed to make sushi?!"
"Just put the seaweed on the plate, no need to rush, just cook the rice first!"
"I'm cooking, I'm cooking, stop blaming me, why are you standing here waiting? Why are you chopping vegetables?!"
"I'm waiting for you to cook the rice, how can you prepare vegetables without rice?"
"Wait, how is it burning! Fire extinguisher, fire extinguisher!"
"It's not right next to the stove! Where are you running?"
"Put out the fire quickly! You saw the fire extinguisher, why don't you pick it up and put it out?"
"Conveyor belt, conveyor belt, this conveyor belt automatically takes me, don't worry!"
"Plate, wash the dishes quickly! There are no more dishes!"
"Why do I have to wash the dishes? This customer is so picky, can't I just use what I have?"
"Do you think we're an Indian kitchen? Are you content to eat without washing the dishes? Stop talking nonsense and wash the dishes!"
"You're taking too long!"
As orders piled up and waiting customers became increasingly irritated, the situation grew even more chaotic. The chaos only intensified. Orders in the upper left corner of the screen disappeared one by one after the alarm sounded. The rice cooking on the stove transformed into a flaming mountain. And in the game, if a fire is not quickly extinguished with a flamethrower, it spreads. Finally, the entire kitchen was engulfed in flames. Time ran out.
The rating was only two stars.
"It was almost three stars!" Sarah looked at the final two-star rating with a look of regret.
"Half a point? That's not a little, that's a billion points!" Mike complained beside her.
"What can I do? In the end, your fire extinguisher couldn't put out the fire for a long time." Sarah pouted, looking at the computer screen.
"Hey! How can you blame me for this? Weren't you the one who didn't notice the rice was about to catch fire?" Mike, a little annoyed, said he couldn't take the blame.
Hearing this, Sarah also felt a little hesitant, and it was clear she had her own reasons.
"How can you blame me for the rice catching fire? You spent ages chopping vegetables! And you had to ask me for help!" Sarah huffed.
"How can you blame me? You kept blocking me on the conveyor belt! And you even threw a plate!" Mike's voice gradually rose.
"I was just anxious! And speaking of that, the first time the kitchen caught fire, weren't you the one who didn't notice? How can you blame me?" Sarah was unconvinced.
"The first time the fire broke out, weren't you the one who didn't know where to wash the dishes? You couldn't wash a single dish for a long time! And you had to ask me for help!" Mike also huffed.
"Are you angry with me?" Sarah puffed out her cheeks.
"I'm not angry with you, let's talk about the facts!" Mike was also not very convinced; after all, he felt it wasn't his fault.
"Alright! You mean I'm slow at washing dishes?" Sarah's eyes widened.
"That's right! You are a bit slow at washing dishes!" Mike nodded.
"What do you mean you dislike me for being slow?" Sarah clenched her fists.
"Yes, you're too slow at washing dishes!" Mike seemed confident.
"Alright, if you dislike me so much, I won't wash the dishes at home anymore. You'll wash them all!" Sarah's voice suddenly rose.
Hearing that sudden rise in voice and remembering the previous argument, Mike was not very convinced. 'What do you mean? Why are you shouting so loudly? It's not my fault we didn't get three stars!'
Without a word, Mike stood up, his face flushed, and said in a louder voice: "I'll wash them, and from now on, don't wash the dishes at home, leave it to me. I'll show you what efficiency and speed mean!"
After saying this unconsciously, Mike was stunned. 'Wait a minute, something seems wrong. What did he say? Did his evasiveness and resentment cloud his mind, leading him to make a seemingly outrageous promise?'
"If that's what you insist on saying, then, comrade Mike, from now on, all the dishes at home are yours. Let me show you what efficiency and speed mean!" Sarah seriously patted Mike on the shoulder.
"No! What I meant was..." Mike's eyes widened.
"Shut up! If you understand it, you understand it. If not, you won't understand it. Decided! After all, this was your firm request!" Sarah pulled Mike's hands towards the mouse and keyboard, refusing to mention washing the dishes.
'The game tricked me!'
Looking at the various cartoon characters on the Overcooked screen, Mike felt utterly "desperate."
'What the heck is this game! Where is the warmth and friendship it promised? Why did he get so carried away all of a sudden? If the sudden argument hadn't overcome his resentment, how could he have agreed to such an unfair deal? The key is that he was the one who rushed to sign it!'
However, compared to Mike and Sarah, the performance of other players is much more intense.
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