Steam rose from the massive stew pot, a rich scent blooming into the air like a warm fragrance to the nose. Hunger suddenly beca unbearable. The scent of slow-roasted boar with forest herbs and the faint sweetness of simring root vegetables reached even the dorm blocks.
Zhao Ren tried to sneak a peek through the kitchen window but was shoved back by a growling survivor.
Inside, Zhao Yuan spun a cleaver with ease, slicing thick chunks of wild goat at and tossing them into a hot wok. Oil snapped loudly. Flas flared up and reflected in his eyes.
"Rice is done!" shouted Wu Qian.
"Boar belly’s ready to glaze!" Si Manman called.
Shen Yuqiao slid a tray of roasted mushrooms out of the oven, their golden tops steaming. She dusted them with powdered rock salt and placed them in polished canteen trays.
"Send them to the food counter," she said. Her voice was steady, but her hands moved with speed born from adrenaline.
Outside, the food counter’s screen lit up with today’s nu.
[Canteen: Today’s nu]
Braised mutant goat with forest mushroom - 40 low-grade crystal cores
Boar belly rice with spice root glaze - 42 low-grade crystal cores
Crispy rabbit leg with sour herb dressing - 35 low-grade crystal cores
Roasted mushroom platter (vegetarian) - 20 low-grade crystal cores
Stead white rice (limited) - 20 low-grade crystal cores
Lamb filling stead buns (limited) - 30 low-grade crystal cores
A roar of hunger went through the crowd. The line surged forward.
People fumbled to scan their cards. The first tray was ordered by a tired old man whose hands trembled as he held it. His eyes glistened with disbelief. He didn’t eat it at first. He just stared.
Then he took a bite—and sank to his knees.
He wasn’t the only one. Even hardened fighters, people who’d seen corpses, monsters, and ruined cities, stood frozen with tears in their eyes over a single hot al.
Even though they have eaten before, they still could not help but cry. Which base could actually provide such food? In their mind, none. They only know how to take advantage of these poor survivors.
Yang Ming shoved his way through the last cluster of people near the food counter, arms loaded with plates. Yun Shou was right behind him, balancing an awkward stack of bowls like a circus act, while Zhao Ren and Liang Zihan guarded the rear with the remaining dishes.
"I swear," Yang Ming huffed, turning slightly to keep a rice bowl from slipping, "if I hadn’t squeezed through just now, there wouldn’t have been a grain of rice left."
"I saw people eyeing that last plate of goat like it was gold," Yun Shou muttered, his forehead glistening with sweat. "I had to glare at a teenager just to keep the stead buns."
"You glared?" Liang Zihan snorted. "You were practically hissing."
"Oh shut up and walk faster before it gets cold!" Zhao Ren barked, juggling a side dish of mushroom glaze.
The four of them pushed through the corridor, heading up to the first floor. Their shared ho was one of the better ones—spacious enough for everyone to sit together. As soon as they opened the door, warmth spread out, chasing away the chill of the evening.
Inside the large living room, laughter and soft conversation ca to a pause as the sll of the food hit everyone all at once.
"You’re late!" Shen Haoran called out, eyes lighting up at the sight of the plates.
"And I almost lost a hand in that crowd!" Yang Ming grumbled as he set the dishes on the table. "But we got everything."
Twelve plates. Stacked neatly on the long low table—each one steaming, fragrant, and glowing faintly with oil and spice.
There were bowls of wild root soup. Glazed boar belly. Sliced rabbit with pickled herbs. Fluffy stead buns stuffed with lamb. Roasted mushrooms arranged like flower petals. And three extra bowls of dipping sauces no one asked for but Yun Shou insisted on.
Liora sat quietly at the far end of the couch, her expression calm but clearly pleased as she watched the food being set down.
Next to her sat Zhou Yinuo, who was already fanning the steam toward her nose. Liang Zihan and Chen Wei found a spot close to the side dishes, while Zhao Ren plopped down loudly across from them.
As they placed the last plate on the table, Liang Zihan suddenly looked around.
"Wait... where’s Eli?"
Everyone paused.
Liora smiled softly. "He’s asleep. He was still a child, after all. Today tired him out more than he let on."
Yang Ming’s expression fell. "Ah... we should’ve brought the food faster. He would’ve loved this."
Liang Zihan sighed, a little guilt in his eyes. "I wanted to share the roasted rabbit with him. He was asking about it earlier..."
"It’s alright," Liora said gently, shaking her head. "He already ate. Zhou Yinuo made him a simple al earlier. He liked it and ate everything."
Zhou Yinuo chuckled from her seat. "He said the soup tasted like sothing his aunt would never be able to make."
Everyone laughed at his words, but no one understood the hidden aning behind his words. They just thought he was being naughty and Liora started pitying his aunt.
"That’s enough, then," Yun Shou murmured.
"Besides," Liora added, "sleep is more important. He needs to grow, not stay up and watch us stuff our faces."
A few quiet laughs followed.
"We’ll keep so for him," she continued, pulling out a small food box and placing it in her space. "The at, the buns, even the broth. It’ll stay fresh. He can have it warm when he wakes."
Everyone nodded.
Yun Shou passed a bowl to i. Yan Lin offered one to Shen Haoran. Ji Ming was already pouring rice into his plate with a grin.
Xu Kai leaned against the wall at first, arms crossed, but when Liora patted the empty spot beside her, he sat down with a quiet smile.
As they all dug in, the room filled with soft chatter and the clink of chopsticks.
Even Liora, who usually ate silently, smiled as she reached for a piece of braised goat and placed it on Zhou Yinuo’s plate. "Try this. It’s better than yesterday’s at, right?"
Zhou Yinuo laughed. "Better? This tastes like sothing from the five-star hotel."
Everything was warm, flavorful, and comforting. The walls no longer felt cold. The night outside, with its dangers and darkness, seed far away.
Then Ji Ming suddenly cleared his throat and held sothing up.
It was a wine bottle.
Not just any bottle—dusty, old, but still sealed.
"I saved this for a mont like this," he said proudly, waving it a little. "Shall we toast?"
Everyone let out cheers, laughter, so surprised whistles.
"A wine?" i blinked in awe. "You had this the whole ti?"
"Only one bottle," Ji Ming said. "Let’s make it count."
He poured small cups for everyone, saving the last for Liora.
She stared at it, then sniffed gently. Her brows lifted.
"This slls... strong," she muttered and took a cautious sip.
Then she blinked.
A second sip.
Then she tilted her head back and downed it in one breath.
Everyone gaped.
Even Xu Kai looked stunned.
"...Did she just—?" Yun Shou didn’t finish his sentence before Zhao Ren let out a loud laugh.
"Liora! You—wait, you actually like wine?!"
Liora’s cheeks turned a soft pink as every pair of eyes landed on her. She lowered the empty cup slowly, almost as if it had betrayed her. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes blinking in surprise—at herself, more than anyone else.
She looked down at the cup again, then lifted it, peered inside like she hoped there was just one more drop left. The wine had left a faint shimr on her lips, and her fingers unconsciously traced the rim of the cup. Her calm mask was gone. For once, the mask of coldness slipped from her space and she felt like she was back in the ti.
She looked like a child who had discovered her first sweet.
"...It’s good," she admitted quietly, her voice almost dreamy. "Can I have more?"
The way she said it—honest, hopeful, and a little too fast—was enough to make the entire room fall into stunned silence.
Her eyes were sparkling now, wide with unfiltered delight. It wasn’t just that she liked it. It was that she really liked it. That one sip had awakened sothing simple and pure inside her, sothing she had carefully buried beneath layers of control.
In that mont, she looked younger, lighter—like the version of herself before arriving here, before leadership, before all the weight she carried. which made even Xu Kai raise his brows in disbelief.
"...She’s glowing," Yun Shou whispered under his breath.
Zhao Ren laughed so hard he nearly knocked over his own bowl. "The calm goddess has fallen!"
Liora’s ears turned red this ti. She tried to hide her face behind her sleeve, but it only made things worse. She peeked at the wine bottle again with barely concealed craving. Her voice was small but unmistakable. "Please... just one more sip."
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