Thinking of the other two men, Lin Jingjing patted Feng He's shoulder reassuringly. "They're both skilled," she said. "You don't need to worry so much."
'I'm worried they're brainless!' Feng He said emotionally, rubbing the bridge of her nose.
Seeing her reaction, Lin Jingjing propped her chin on her hand and gave her a teasing smile. "You're just worried about your fiancé, aren't you?"
Her little secret exposed, Feng He's face instantly flushed red.
Her words came out in a stutter. "I... I... I'm not!"
"If you say so, then just relax," Lin Jingjing soothed.
She checked the time, then stood up and stretched. "Alright, let's go. Time to get to work."
The thought of the three of them having to cook so much food made Lin Jingjing sigh.
'If only I were a little stronger.'
"So early?" Feng He glanced at the time. It was only one-thirty in the afternoon.
'Are we eating dinner this early?'
"The meals for the entire cafeteria are waiting on us, and there are only three of us in the kitchen. Don't you think we need a head start?" Lin Jingjing said, her voice lacking energy.
Thankfully, there were robots to help with the prep work. They just needed to do the actual cooking.
But the cooking itself was no simple task. The large iron ladle was incredibly heavy, so they'd have to take turns.
When they got to the back kitchen, Shi Feng was already dressed in his gear, standing inside a large sanitation chamber for full-body disinfection.
Lin Jingjing found a clean chef's hat and apron and handed them to her. "Put these on." Then she tossed a pair of disposable gloves to her.
It was Feng He's first time in the restricted area of the kitchen, and she was curious about every step of the process.
Inside, she saw robots methodically carrying out their assigned tasks.
Today, the three of them had to cook six dishes in total, every single one of them a meat dish.
Shi Feng was already scrubbing a wok. There was no telling what kind of metal it was forged from.
The whole thing was polished to a mirror shine.
"You're here," Shi Feng said with a smile, his face covered by a clear plastic mask.
"Yep." Lin Jingjing nodded. "I'll go get the meat."
Feng He didn't know what to do, so she just followed behind Lin Jingjing.
Trip after trip, they carried the meat. By the end, Feng He's hands had begun to tremble.
Her physical stamina just wasn't up to par.
Feng He collapsed onto a chair and watched as Lin Jingjing carried a huge, full basin of bone-in meat over to the counter by the wok.
"Sister Lin, how are you so strong?" Feng He asked.
They had been carrying things together, but now she was exhausted and panting for breath.
Yet Lin Jingjing didn't seem tired in the slightest.
Feng He's words made Lin Jingjing realize something—her strength really had increased by a lot.
She had been hauling ingredients for so long, yet she wasn't tired at all.
"I'm not tired at all. In fact, it feels pretty easy," Lin Jingjing said with a grin, raising her arms.
Once everything was moved, the three of them stared at the long row of raw meat.
They felt as if the sky was falling. "How long is this going to take to cook?" Feng He asked, already sweating profusely in the heat of the kitchen.
"We just have to finish within three hours," Lin Jingjing replied, lighting the stove.
She glanced at the time. Three o'clock.
'This is going to be the death of me.'
"What about the robots?" Feng He asked. "Why aren't we using them?"
Shi Feng expertly poured oil into the wok and chimed in, "None of these robots are programmed to cook."
He then grumbled, "Sooner or later, I'm going to install that program myself!"
Sometimes Lin Jingjing couldn't understand it. These machines were programmed for everything else, so why not cooking?
'It must be on purpose.'
"Let's just get to it," Lin Jingjing said, not wanting to chat. They were swamped.
For the next three hours, the three of them worked in silence, cooking up dinner.
When the last wokful was finished and carried off to the cafeteria by a robot, the three of them collapsed onto their chairs in unison.
Their arms hung limply at their sides. They didn't even bother to take off their aprons, and their hats were askew.
"You two have been doing this all along?" Feng He asked, panting heavily.
Shi Feng was clearly used to this. He pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, took a few for himself, and then passed the rest over.
"Wipe your face."
Once they had rested a bit, the three of them started walking out of the kitchen, sipping on Nutrient Liquid.
They had just stepped outside the kitchen when someone called out to them.
"You three, over here." Captain Li, smoking a cigarette, waved them over.
Lin Jingjing was at the front. She walked up to Captain Li and asked, "What is it, Captain?"
"Fighting's broken out on the front lines again. The three of you are to deliver their meals," Captain Li ordered.
"Huh? Don't the robots usually deliver them?" Shi Feng asked, confused.
Captain Li shot him a glare, then explained, "Those mutant beasts have gotten smarter. They've learned to ambush the delivery bots."
"The design department is still programming new delivery routes. Tonight, the food has to be delivered by hand."
The three of them fell silent. If they went to deliver food just like this, wouldn't they be walking to their deaths if they ran into mutant beasts?
Seeing their hesitation, Captain Li added, "Don't worry. We'll give you weapons. We're not sending you out to die on the battlefield."
The three of them exchanged a look and accepted the mission. They were issued armor, rifles, and backup daggers.
Lin Jingjing examined the rifle in her hands. It was painted jet-black, but felt surprisingly light, almost weightless.
She ran her hands over it, then finally looked up at Captain Li. "How do you fire this?"
The question stunned Captain Li. Wasn't she the one who'd so skillfully headshotted him in the game just yesterday?
'How can she not know how to use a real gun?'
"None of you know how?" Captain Li asked with a frown, taking a drag from his cigarette.
The three of them shook their heads in unison. Captain Li sighed deeply. 'So yesterday was just a fluke,' he thought. 'This little good-for-nothing just got lucky.'
Captain Li snatched the rifle from her. After a brief explanation, he held it with one hand, pulled the trigger, and a ball of white light shot out, striking a target board.
The entire board shattered into fragments. The weapon's power was immense.
"Just like that." After firing, Captain Li tossed the gun back into Lin Jingjing's arms.
Beside her, Shi Feng's eyes lit up as he stared at the weapon in his own hands.
'A new weapon!'
'I want to study it!'
"Got it." Lin Jingjing understood.
But with so many people on the front lines, how were they supposed to carry all that food?
That was another problem.
"A bunch of country bumpkins," Captain Li couldn't help but mutter. They didn't know anything, asking one question after another.
"Space Ring. Put the food in here." Captain Li tossed a silver ring to them. Then, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his cigarettes and lit one. "Stop dawdling! Get a move on!"
"Oh..."
And so, the three of them were forced onto the food delivery path.
There was a considerable distance between the logistics department and the front lines. To save time, the three of them ran from the moment they set out.
They were surrounded by a dense forest of towering, ancient trees. A ball of light followed them, hovering overhead and lighting their path as they ran.
The forest was quiet, filled only with the chirping of insects and the sound of their own panting and footsteps.
Lin Jingjing took the lead, with Feng He bringing up the rear.
They ran, remaining vigilant. When they were still five kilometers from the rear of their own lines...
Lin Jingjing suddenly stopped, raising a hand to halt the two behind her. Her ears twitched.
A faint rustling sound reached her ears. Lin Jingjing frowned. "Something's moving."
"On your guard."