"Huh?"
Xia Yu turned back in confusion, his eyes met with Ice Cream Cone's frenzied expression, and the plants around it were also grinning sinisterly, as if everything was under control.
"Get me that Social Stability Battleship stored in the armory!" Ice Cream Cone said hoarsely.
"Yes, sir! The battleship has just finished its new paint job and can be activated immediately. It will be ready to face the zombies for you right away!"
Pumpkin answered loudly, then immediately pressed a button. The next moment, the floor suddenly opened, and a tall battleship rose from underground.
But rather than a battleship, it was a gigantic spider-shaped mech, equipped with various armaments, clearly a war machine.
Xia Yu had no intention of stopping them, because he suddenly thought that this battleship was quite good. He could send it to his mechanical-specialized self, and then reverse-engineer it to create other mechs.
Maybe he could really build a Gundam. No one could refuse a Gundam!
Thinking of this, Xia Yu's gaze towards Ice Cream Cone became unfriendly. He absolutely couldn't let them activate the battleship. What if it got damaged by him?
On the other side, as Cactus and the other plants were activating the battleship, a blade of light suddenly struck.
In the blink of an eye, it cut a deep gash in front of Ice Cream Cone. Suddenly attacked, Ice Cream Cone retreated a step in fright, accidentally falling to the ground.
The plants also dodged in a panic. Taking this opportunity, Xia Yu flashed forward. Under the astonished gazes of all the plants, the battleship that had just been lifted up and was being activated suddenly vanished, disappearing without any warning right before their eyes.
[Gourmand Dungeon]: Brothers, are there any mechanical-side experts? Who can reverse-engineer this battleship? We can totally use it as a prototype to build our own Gundams!
[the talos principle]: Coming, coming. Not bad, I've received it.
[the talos principle]: Let's forget about Gundams for now, those aren't so easy to build. But giant mechs, we can definitely try.
Seeing that someone had received the battleship, Zombie Xia Yu also snapped out of the Chat Group, but before he could do anything, the plants surrounded him.
"You fellow, where did you take our battleship!"
Seeing their ultimate weapon, the Social Stability Battleship, suddenly disappear, Cactus directly questioned Xia Yu.
The plant soldiers also gathered, subtly forming an encirclement.
"Tsk, where do you get the courage to stand against me?"
Looking at the surrounding plants, Xia Yu truly couldn't understand. Could these plants not see the situation clearly? What made them think they could defeat him?
Xia Yu was too lazy to respond to these blindly confident plants. He directly wielded his halberd, and with a few swift slashes, turned them into neatly cut ingredients.
After dealing with the plants, he looked at Ice Cream Cone, who was slumped on the ground. Noticing Xia Yu's gaze, Ice Cream Cone's face was filled with panic.
"Waaah, please, don't kill me, I don't want to be against you!" While begging for mercy, Ice Cream Cone directly prostrated itself on the ground.
"Who said I'm going to kill you? I was just acting in self-defense."
Xia Yu didn't really harbor any ill will towards Ice Cream Cone. Even he could tell that this leader was completely being pushed around by those beneath him.
Moreover, the dungeon was about to be destroyed. These guys would either be destroyed along with it or board a spaceship to the colony.
"If you want to live, go find Ximi."
After thinking for a moment, Xia Yu still left a piece of advice, then directly left through the office exit. He had already said what he needed to say; whether they could seize the opportunity to escape was no longer his concern.
Not long after leaving the City Hall office, Xia Yu found another office.
This time, he actually found a recipe book in this office. It wasn't that his treasure-hunting ability was strong, but rather that this recipe book wasn't hidden at all.
There were no concealment spells cast on it, no traps nearby for protection, and it even seemed to float in the air as if afraid others wouldn't notice it.
Xia Yu reached out and took the recipe book, then flipped through it to confirm its authenticity.
He knew why the recipe book was so conspicuous; it was still because of the original owner of this body.
How should he put it? The original owner really had everything perfectly arranged, even the placement of the recipe book.
After taking the recipe book, there was no sudden building collapse or an emergence of a bunch of hostile creatures, no old tropes.
He safely returned to the outskirts of Jiayan Sand City, without even encountering many plant armies.
Outside the suburbs, Ximi and Tangerine had already set up a kitchen for cooking. Seeing Xia Yu return, Ximi waved happily, saying, "Apprentice, over here, over here!"
Around them, many of the plant race had gathered, and Ice Cream Cone also appeared there.
"This is the True Ancestor's Secret Monster Recipe."
Seeing Ximi and Tangerine gather around, Xia Yu held up the recipe book in his hand.
"I want to see, I want to see!"
Ximi excitedly took the recipe book, and Tangerine also leaned in. The two of them opened the recipe book and began to read, but as they read, their brows furrowed.
"Why does this recipe book only have one page?" Ximi asked in confusion.
"What does that page say?"
At Tangerine's suggestion, Ximi read out the only page.
"When you can see and touch this book, it means you were once my student. May this book bring you courage to move forward in this cruel and dark era."
Reading this, Ximi felt a bit down and couldn't help but murmur, "Uncle Zhang..."
"Huh? You called me?"
Uncle Zhang suddenly appeared, startling both Ximi and Tangerine.
"Uncle Zhang!" Ximi was startled, then smiled awkwardly, "I almost forgot, Uncle Zhang, you're still here, not deceased."
"Isn't this the True Ancestor's Secret Monster Recipe I wrote?" Uncle Zhang suddenly saw the recipe book in Ximi's hand, then seemed to remember something and tapped his head.
"I remember now, the dish recorded in this recipe is Universal Pearl Milk Tea, so delicious it can make people travel through space!"
"This is also the assessment test I designed. This extremely complex high-level recipe, difficult for one person to complete, all its secrets are hidden within this dish."
After speaking, Uncle Zhang shook his head, "Sorry, I can't remember the rest."
"It's alright, Uncle Zhang, it's enough!" Ximi raised the recipe book with a determined expression, "It seems this is the key. No matter what, we must make this dish!"
"But preparing this dish requires too much." Tangerine looked at the recipe with a headache, "The magic needed to complete this dish, with our current state, it's impossible to squeeze out."
Xia Yu, who was listening nearby, stepped forward and clapped Ximi and Tangerine on the shoulders.
Before they could react, a massive surge of magic suddenly poured into their bodies. The next moment, Ximi shot up by more than ten centimeters, instantly transforming from flat-chested to a mature woman, almost reaching Tangerine's height. Tangerine didn't change much, as she was already a mature woman.
"…"