166: Baby penguins

As he spoke, he used his left hand to fork a piece of Snowy Bear steak, freshly pan-fried by Erina—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and sizzling with oil—while his right hand took a bowl of hot, thick, rich red-stewed bear meat from Komatsu.

One bite of the bear steak, and the meat was firm and springy, the fat melting in his mouth with the pure, wild flavor unique to the ice plains; the slight spiciness of the Ice Millet Flower and the refreshing fragrance of the Ice Chive perfectly balanced the greasiness, creating distinct layers of deliciousness.

Then he took a sip of the stew; the rich, mellow broth, coating the tenderly stewed bear meat and root vegetables, slid down his throat, and warmth instantly spread from his stomach to his limbs.

"Haa—!" Lin Luo let out a satisfied breath, "My body has warmed right up!"

Takimaru was also tasting his portion, a look of pure satisfaction on his face: "Being able to eat such delicious cuisine in a place like this is really great."

Machi and his three subordinates were devouring their food without holding back, the hot meal rapidly replenishing their depleted energy and body heat.

Feeling the warmth gradually returning to his body, Machi rarely took the initiative to speak: "It's very warm, isn't it?"

The three subordinates nodded vigorously while stuffing their faces.

"Erina, give us some more!" Lin Luo urged, watching the steaks in the frying pan rapidly disappear.

"I know, I know! Stop poking my shoulder with your fork to rush me!" Erina said impatiently without turning her head, though her hands didn't stop flipping the steaks.

"Eh?" Lin Luo paused, lifting his right hand holding the fork, then looked at the soup bowl in his left hand, "I didn't touch you?"

"Eh?" Erina was also stunned and turned around abruptly.

Then, she locked eyes with a pair of round, pitch-black, curious, and innocent big eyes.

"Ah—! So cute!!"

A tiny, round, little penguin covered in fluffy, soft pink down had quietly snuck up to Erina's feet at some point, and it was gently pecking her back with its small, pale yellow beak, making soft "Youyou~" sounds.

It didn't seem afraid of humans at all; instead, it showed great affinity toward Erina.

Toriko leaned over to take a look and said with interest, "Oh? Isn't this a Wall Penguin cub! It seems to have been attracted by the aroma of the food."

Erina couldn't care less about its species right now; all she could see was this furry, adorable little creature.

She carefully crouched down and tentatively reached out her hand.

The little pink penguin didn't dodge; instead, it proactively nudged its round head into her palm, making a comfortable "Youyou" sound and affectionately pecking her fingers with its beak.

"Oh my god… it's too cute!" Erina's heart was instantly melted, a rare, unguarded, brilliant smile appearing on her face as she carefully picked up the unexpected little guest.

Komatsu was also attracted by this unexpectedly appearing pink-furred penguin and couldn't help but reach out to carefully touch its fluffy, soft down. "It's so cute." A gentle smile appeared on his honest face.

"Yes, it's too cute." Erina completely agreed, hugging the Wall Penguin and feeling its warm little body and affectionate nuzzling. The focus and occasional tsundere attitude she had while cooking vanished, leaving only eyes full of affection, "Are you hungry? I'll feed you some bear meat."

As she spoke, she carefully cut the smallest, tenderest piece with almost no fat from her own pan-fried Snowy Bear steak, held it with her fingertips, and offered it to the Wall Penguin's beak.

The little pink penguin's round black eyes stared at the meat emitting an enticing aroma, then it opened its small beak without hesitation, precisely snatched the meat, tilted its head back, and swallowed it with a "gulp."

After finishing, it pecked Erina's fingers again, wanting more, making soft "Youyou" sounds as if asking for more.

"Eh? You want more? I really can't do anything with you…" Erina was amused by it and cut another small piece. This time, the Wall Penguin ate even more happily, even gently patting Erina's wrist with its small wings, looking incredibly adorable.

"Wall Penguin cubs have almost zero vigilance," Toriko explained with a laugh while gnawing on meat, "They are curious about everything. No matter what animal they see, they will proactively run over to get close, even when facing ferocious carnivores. Because of this, their cubs have an extremely high predation rate, which has led to the Wall Penguin becoming an endangered species today."

He paused, looked at the little creature affectionately nuzzling in Erina's arms, and added, "However, adult Wall Penguins are quite ferocious and protective of their young. If they think you've kidnapped their child… they will absolutely chase you and cause a huge scene, fighting to the death."

"N-no way…" Hearing this, Erina's hands holding the Wall Penguin tightened subconsciously, a worried look appearing on her face.

She looked at the ignorant little pink fur-ball in her arms that only knew how to "Youyou" and act cute, then imagined the scene of being frantically chased by a group of ferocious adult Wall Penguins…

The next second, she hugged the Wall Penguin and "whooshed" over to Lin Luo's side, staring at him with a pair of large violet eyes filled with "please help me."

Lin Luo glanced at her, then looked at the pink fur-ball in her arms that seemed completely unaware of how "dangerous" its situation was, and sighed helplessly, "You've really got an overflow of love."

"Take it with us!" Erina immediately begged, her tone softening, "Toriko said it too, even if it encounters ferocious beasts, 'Youyou' will foolishly trot over. What if something dangerous happens?" She immediately named the little guy, and it sounded quite natural.

"Will it be safe if it comes with us?" Lin Luo raised an eyebrow, "Don't forget, we are going deep into the ice mountain to find the century soup. Can that place be safe? And what if we really run into its parents? We might get attacked for being kidnappers."

Erina hurriedly expressed, "If we meet its parents, we'll just return 'Youyou' to them and leave immediately! You are so strong, you can definitely protect us… and it, right?"

As she spoke, she lifted the Wall Penguin in her arms forward. The little guy seemed to think this pose was fun, "Youyou~" it called again, and gently pecked the finger Lin Luo extended.

Lin Luo looked at the two pairs of eyes—one big, one small—full of "expectation" and felt a headache coming on.

He glared at Toriko, who was watching the fun without fear of trouble, and then looked at Erina's rare, pleading expression with a hint of acting spoiled…

Finally, he rubbed his brow and surrendered, "Fine, fine… take it for now. But it's agreed, if we really encounter adult Wall Penguins, put it down immediately, and we'll retreat at once. I don't want to fight a group of temperamental giant birds that are protective of their young on the way to finding the century soup."

"Mm-hmm! It's a deal!" Erina nodded like a chicken pecking at rice immediately, a brilliant smile blooming on her face. She sat back down by the campfire, hugging "Youyou" contentedly, and even fed it another small piece of the bear meat she had saved.

The joyful atmosphere in the camp made Machi, who was used to licking blood from the blade and being vigilant, feel somewhat uncomfortable.

He suddenly stood up and stiffly threw out a sentence, "Sorry, I'm a bit tired, I'm going to rest first."

However, before he turned to walk toward the tent, his gaze fell on the ignorant pink fur-ball in Erina's arms.

This gangster leader, who always presented himself with ferocity and scars, had a rare, fleeting, almost stiff gentle expression on his face, and his voice lowered slightly: "A penguin cub, huh… take good care of it."

After saying that, he didn't linger, crawled into his own tent on his own, closed the curtain, lay down in the cold sleeping bag, and closed his eyes.

He wasn't really tired enough to need immediate rest, but he needed private space to calm his mood and focus his spirit.

The relaxed atmosphere by the campfire quietly dissipated. Toriko, Lin Luo, Takimaru, and even Komatsu and Erina understood what Machi's early departure meant.

Toriko took the opportunity to ask why everyone risked their lives to come and compete for the century soup.

Everyone present revealed their true inner thoughts—if they had only come because of the Gourmet Millionaire's recruitment order, it would be absolutely impossible. No matter how much money there was, one needed their life to enjoy it.

The Gourmet Gang led by Machi had a purpose so pure it was moving. They wanted the children in the slums to be able to taste the legendary delicacy, and for this, they were willing to risk their lives to bring this miracle back. Whether they were mocked as childish or denounced as stupid, this was the original intention Machi led them to come.

As for Takimaru, his purpose was equally pure: he wanted to exchange the century soup for money. But this was different from ordinary bounty hunters because the money he sought was to buy the sky-high medicine only available in the "Healing Country".

Whether it was Takimaru or Machi, they were not doing it for themselves. Their original intentions were all for others.

Hearing their reasons, Lin Luo and the others couldn't help but feel heartfelt admiration. Because compared to Takimaru and Machi, their reasons were much simpler—they just wanted to know that legendary taste, coming purely for the sake of "eating." There was no special reason, only the purest longing for gourmet food.

However, no one would choose to give up because of someone else's reasons.

It was foreseeable that the subsequent ice mountain exploration and the potential final struggle for the "century soup" would be the truly cruel highlight of this ice plain journey.

The light of the campfire flickered on everyone's faces, reflecting different expressions: in Toriko's eyes was pure expectation and Battle Intent; Lin Luo's gaze was deep and calm; Takimaru's expression was firm; and the three members of the Gourmet Gang showed an unyielding perseverance.

The night that should have been calm was suddenly torn apart by a deafening explosion!

In the distance, from the direction of the towering ice mountain that was the target, continuous roars came!

Visible ice layers collapsed and shattered, huge ice bodies slid down from the mountain, stirring up snow mist that reached the sky, and even the ground transmitted violent tremors, all the way to the canyon camp where everyone was.

Looking at the direction of the explosion, not only was there flying ice and snow, but thick black smoke was mixed in, soaring into the sky—this was definitely not a natural phenomenon!

Clearly, someone was using the most brutal and direct method to blast open the obstruction of the ice mountain and forcibly open a path.

"This technique…" Toriko's eyes sharpened, and he immediately made a judgment, "It's those guys from the Gourmet Association! They really came, and they caused such a big commotion as soon as they arrived!"

Machi was awakened by the huge sound and vibration, quickly crawled out of the tent, his expression grave: "What's going on?"

Toriko ordered in a deep voice, his tone unquestionable: "Pack up all the luggage immediately and set off at once! It's the enemy—that's enough to understand!"

"The enemy?" Takimaru also got up quickly, a look of surprise on his face.

"That's right, the enemy competing with us for the 'century soup'." Toriko explained while quickly organizing his equipment, "The explosion just now was probably caused by them. They really came… the Gourmet Association!"

There was no time to hesitate, and no time to rest. Everyone acted immediately, dismantling the tents at the fastest speed, and packing up all supplies and precious food reserves. The campfire was quickly stomped out, leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.

Lin Luo protected Erina and Komatsu by his side, his gaze sharply looking toward the direction of the explosion. The "Youyou" in his arms also seemed to be infected by the tense atmosphere and twisted uneasily.

"Let's go!" Toriko shouldered his backpack and looked at everyone, "We can't let the Gourmet Association get there first! The century soup must not fall into their hands!"