The pungent smell of disinfectant lingered in the emergency room. Figures in white clothes and masks moved in and out, sweat beading on everyone's foreheads.
"If there really is a next life, I want to eat all the delicacies in the world and see the sights I never got to see in this one..."
The intense pain made Okabe's consciousness feel like it was sinking to the bottom of the sea. A chilling sensation followed, then a strong feeling of suffocation, before he lost consciousness completely.
"The patient has lost vital signs!"
"Get the defibrillator, quickly!"
"It's no use, he's gone for good..."
"What a pity, to have contracted such a disease in his teens..."
At that moment, on the ECG machine in the emergency room, the green line went from jagged to straight, symbolizing the end of a young life.
·
·
When he regained consciousness, the blinding light around him made Okabe squint slightly. He was about to raise a hand to shield his eyes but found he couldn't lift his arm anywhere near them.
A pair of large, gentle hands lifted him up, patting him on the back. A steady, deep, and strangely familiar male voice reached his ears.
"Eight pounds, eleven ounces. Good boy. You really put your mom through the wringer. If you weren't a newborn, I'd have to give you a good thrashing!"
Straining to turn his head, Okabe's vision was extremely blurry; he could only barely make out the man's silhouette. He was a very well-built fellow with a short buzz cut and strong features, possessing an old-school masculine air.
"You dare lay a finger on him and I'll be the one to flatten you!"
The woman on the hospital bed looked exhausted. Hearing the man's words, she shot him an annoyed glare. This guy was a father now and still wasn't acting serious!
"Hey, dear, I was just kidding! How could I dare hit him? He's my little ancestor now. I don't have enough time to dote on him as it is!"
Seeing his wife get angry, the man immediately backed down, and Okabe followed the sound of his voice with his eyes.
But being a newborn, his eyesight wasn't very good. He could only vaguely make out the silhouette of his mother in this new life.
His mother had a small face with the delicate beauty of a woman from Jiangnan. Her figure was slender like a willow in the wind, yet she could tame a burly man into complete submission, making him afraid to even speak loudly in her presence. This couldn't help but make Okabe feel a tinge of admiration.
"Why isn't this baby crying yet? He'll be deprived of oxygen if this continues. I'll have to be a bit rougher!"
And just then, a string of Japanese words sounded in Okabe's ear. It was followed by the fall of a hand, which slapped him firmly on the bottom, making him cry out with a "Waaah!"
"Ms. Koyuki, your child is very healthy. Please support him here, and be gentle, a newborn's bones are quite fragile."
Seeing the baby finally cry, the rookie nurse in charge of this breathed a sigh of relief, having successfully completed her task. She then turned her gaze to Koyuki.
"Thank you, I've studied the relevant material."
In response to the nurse's instructions, Koyuki gave her a gentle smile, then turned her gaze to the infant in the swaddling clothes, whose crying was gradually subsiding.
"So ugly..."
Looking at the baby in the blanket, his little face all wrinkly, Koyuki blurted it out instinctively. Realizing what she'd said, she quickly slapped her own mouth.
"All babies look like this! All babies look like this! He'll look better when he fills out! He'll look better when he fills out! No, I still need to prepare myself mentally. Nurse, could you please put him in the baby carriage next to me?"
After just a couple of glances, Koyuki handed Okabe back to the nurse, asking her to place him in the carriage. Such an ugly baby was really hard to feel affectionate towards.
"Tsk, I've been rejected. So sleepy..."
Ten minutes was enough for Okabe to understand his situation. If he wasn't mistaken, he had been reincarnated, or more accurately, reborn with his memories intact.
This hospital was likely in Japan, and his new parents were switching between Chinese and Japanese, so they were probably Chinese. In short, there was no problem with his lineage.
But an infant's body was truly frail. A little bit of thinking made him exhausted and want to sleep, as if a phone's data had been completely used up and was about to be forcibly disconnected.
However, at that very moment.
A sudden coolness surged in the depths of Okabe's mind, jolting his drowsy consciousness awake.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for awakening the Strongest Proficiency System. Detecting that you are currently in a world where cuisine reigns supreme, the Strongest Proficiency System will undergo an adaptive adjustment.]
A mechanical, electronic voice rang in Okabe's mind, bringing a look of pleasant surprise to his face.
In his previous life, he had read quite a few novels from his hospital bed, often fantasizing that one day he would awaken a system, reverse his illness, and be reborn.
Unfortunately, he never got one in the end.
Okabe had a faint feeling that being reborn with his memories was related to this system. But what did a world focused on cuisine mean? Chuuka Ichiban?
No, judging by the hospital's equipment and decor, it was most likely the 21st century now. If the Cooking Master Boy were still alive, he should be the Old Cooking Master by now.
[Strongest Proficiency System adjustment successful. Now renaming to Strongest Culinary Proficiency System. Retaining all functions of the Strongest Proficiency System, with a focus on expanding culinary-related modules.]
Just as Okabe's mind was wandering, the mechanical voice sounded in his head again.
[Display current proficiency panel?]
[Display]
[Name]: Okabe
[Age]: 0 years, 1 day
[Strength]: 0.1 (Average adult male strength is 10, female is 8)
[Spirit]: 1 (Average adult male spirit is 8, female is 10)
[Charisma]: 0.3 (Average person's charisma is 10. People in high positions, with special individuality, or superior looks will have a certain increase in their charisma value)
[Skills]:
[Vocalization (White)]: Produce sound through laryngeal vibration.
[Proficiency]: Novice (8/100)
"Waaah~" "Waaah~" "Waaah~"
Looking at the attribute panel that appeared before him, a hint of pleasant surprise entered Okabe's blurry vision. Then, as if he had thought of something, he opened his mouth and began to cry loudly.
[Skill: Vocalization proficiency increased]
[Vocalization (White)]: Novice (11/100)
"I see, so this is the Culinary Proficiency System? It changed due to the different worldview, but it essentially retains the foundation of the Strongest Proficiency System..."
With his theory confirmed, Okabe's heart filled with joy. If any skill could be improved through use, then he was truly about to take off!
"Why did he suddenly start crying? Is the carriage uncomfortable? Hakuji, hurry and bring the baby over!"
However, while Okabe was just trying to test things out, Koyuki, who was beside him, heard his cries and immediately grew anxious. No longer caring if he was ugly or not, she immediately shouted for Hakuji, who was standing nearby, to bring the child over.
"Ah? Oh!"
Hearing her shout, Hakuji was stunned for a moment before reacting quickly. He reached out and, as carefully as possible, lifted Okabe from the carriage and placed him in Koyuki's arms.
"He's probably hungry. Newborns use up a lot of energy during birth. It's best to feed them within the first hour, and then every three hours after that."
The nurse's voice chimed in at the right moment, offering the most appropriate advice to the somewhat bewildered new parents.
"Eh? Eh, eh, eh!?"
_____
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