Universe Infinite Canteen

Ma Lu, following the order of the menu, placed the first dish of tomato stewed scorpion meat in front of Hou Yihan.

The latter's throat involuntarily made a gurgling sound.

Hou Yihan had originally imagined this dish to have a soup base as red as blood, with charred scorpion carcasses floating in the middle.

Honestly, if it weren't for her full trust in Old Wang, even a foodie like Hou Yihan wouldn't dare to casually try such a bizarre food.

However, when Ma Lu served the dish, it caught Hou Yihan by surprise.

The rich tomato sauce was indeed there, made from the first batch of tomatoes and onions stewed together, with large chunks of tomato floating in it, these tomatoes likely having been added close to the end of cooking.

Soaked in the vibrant soup, sprinkled with chopped cilantro, it looked appetizing.

But… where were the scorpions?

The dish was named tomato stewed scorpion meat, yet Hou Yihan couldn't see any scorpions in it, replaced instead by white slices of meat resembling fish.

Hou Yihan scooped up a slice with her spoon, along with the soup, and put it into her mouth.

In the next moment, she found her sweater gone, replaced by a windbreaker; her jeans had turned into quick-dry pants, and her sneakers into climbing boots.

What she held in her hands was no longer a spoon, but a climbing stick.

At this point, she had left the restaurant and was standing halfway up a volcano, climbing up with determination.

The volcano's summit was still emitting billowing black smoke, indicating that this was not a dormant or extinct volcano; on the contrary, it was active.

Occasionally, red-hot pebbles and scalding lava would spew out from the summit, and Hou Yihan had to carefully avoid these dangers coming from above as she climbed.

As she ascended, the temperature around her grew hotter, the heat distorting her vision, with falling rocks becoming more frequent, accompanied by dangerous lava.

Hou Yihan's progress became more and more difficult, until her foot slipped. She knew she was in trouble, but by the time she tried to get up from the ground, it was already too late.

A massive flow of lava burst forth from the summit, headed straight for her position.

The flow was extensive, Hou Yihan had no chance to escape, so she closed her eyes to await death.

However, when her body was truly struck by lava, Hou Yihan didn't feel pain but warmth instead.

The sweet and sour warmth flowed from the tip of her tongue to her throat, streaming down her neck into her stomach.

Finally, spreading from her stomach through her limbs, it recharged her weary body with energy, giving her the strength to carry on.

Not only that, a large scorpion emerged from the lava beside her. The scorpion was three meters long, its back marked with red patterns, looking formidable.

Before climbing, Hou Yihan had heard from the residents at the foot of the mountain aboutthe large scorpions dwelling on the volcano.

At first, she was a bit scared, but now that she saw the real thing, she felt no fear because she knew that this large scorpion was here to help her.

Indeed, the Redback Scorpion then lowered its body, seemingly indicating for Hou Yihan to climb onto its back.

Hou Yihan didn't hesitate, immediately tossed aside her climbing stick, and climbed aboard.

The back of the large scorpion was very smooth; Hou Yihan felt as though she was riding a giant shrimp and couldn't help but grip with her legs.

Then the Redback Scorpion carried her in a sprint towards the summit of the volcano.

Together, they crossed chasms, leaped over blocking boulders, waded through crimson lava, and finally reached the summit.

The moment they successfully reached the top, even the restless volcano seemed to quiet down, and the crater no longer spewed black smoke.

Hou Yihan braced herself against the heat wave billowing toward her and looked down.

"What did you see?" an impatient diner beside her asked.

"I... I saw food, lots of food. There's soy sauce pork knuckle, candied sweet potatoes, lamb stew with bread, and squirrel-shaped mandarin fish..." Hou Yihan murmured with her eyes closed.

"What, you saw lamb stew with bread in a volcano?" The surrounding diners all wore expressions of stunned disbelief.

"Ah, I remember now, my childhood dream was to become a gourmet critic. I wanted to travel the country, no, the world, and taste all the delicious foods. I'm going to do it now!"

Hou Yihan opened her eyes and declared resolutely.

Ma Lu gave her a thumbs up. "Impressive! That's how young people should be."

"No way, can it really be this magical?" The other diners expressed their skepticism.

Eating a meal could get so heated, involving climbing mountains and pursuing dreams, and this girl seemed to know the boss from the start, so it could very well be a setup.

She might be working with Ma Lu here to promote his damn expensive signature dish.

One can only say society has become too treacherous, full of traps everywhere.

However, at this point, the other diners who had ordered the tomato stew with scorpion meat started to receive their dishes.

Their reactions were similar to Hou Yihan's. Some said they saw a football in the volcano, others saw a guitar, while some insisted there was an EVA hidden in the volcano.

At first, everyone thought they were just playing along with the joke, but it turned out that wasn't the case—these people were serious.

Especially the guy who found the guitar; he immediately took out his phone to order one and even signed up for a tutorial class, planning to attend right after finishing his meal.

Then there was a girl who stood up and said, "I... I've wanted to be a singer, but I've always been too scared to sing in front of others. From today on, I will overcome my fears. I'm going to sing 'Lone Warrior' for everyone right now."

"Uh, singing's fine, but maybe choose a different song; there are children here," Ma Lu said.

"Then I'll sing 'Still Missing You,'" the girl cleared her throat, then confidently stood on a stool and began to sing.

The small restaurant was now completely abuzz.

More and more people started to specifically request this magical tomato stew with scorpion meat. Whether they believed it or not, they all wanted to experience it for themselves.

After eating, everyone, without exception, was full of enthusiasm and readily found something they were passionate about.

"I... I actually enjoy claw machines more than debt collection. Claw machines are very therapeutic," a man with a gold chain, holding a black briefcase, and a face full of flesh, known as Baldy, stood up and said excitedly.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Everyone applauded his honesty.

"In the future, I want, no, I must become a comic artist!" said a middle school kid with glasses, following suit, "I want to be the world's number one comic artist."

"Not bad, I'll be the first to buy your comic anthology when you publish it," Ma Lu praised.

As everyone freely shared their inner passions, a somewhat handsome man who bore a resemblance to Takeshi Kaneshiro stood up.

He hesitated several times but finally mustered the courage to speak, "I... I saw stockings in the volcano, stockings that had been worn for several days without being washed."

"......"

The previously lively little restaurant went quiet all of a sudden, everyone turning their heads to look at the brave speaker.

Ma Lu cleared his throat, "Sir, although that's one's personal freedom, there are primary school children here..."

Before he could finish, a timid female voice spoke up, "I'm a flight attendant, would you like to exchange WeChat?"