202: Consecutive hits

"Number 9, number 16!" Lin Luo's voice rang out again, clear and certain.

Machi flipped over the two corresponding cards as instructed, his expression visibly relaxing.

Shua—

The moment the cards were revealed, the expressions of everyone present changed once again.

"Hit! Another Hit!"

"My god! Another 200 points!"

"It's Garlic Crab! Isn't his luck a bit too good?!"

Garlic Crab—not only is its meat delicious and relatively easy to capture, but its natural garlic aroma is a unique flavor bonus. Simple steaming can bring out its extreme sweetness, making it one of the more \"friendly\" high-point ingredients.

Erina quickly took over, steaming the Garlic Crab in the most concise and efficient way. Lin Luo began \"cleaning up\" almost the instant the cooking was finished; his speed was staggering. After eating, he didn't pause for a second before speaking again:

"Next, number 12, number 30!"

"No way... Could it be another Hit?"

"That's absolutely impossible! Three consecutive precise hits of the same pattern from 56 cards? The probability is only 1 in 148,665!"

"His luck has to have run out by now!"

The surrounding audience whispered, their voices filled with disbelief and a faint sense of anticipation.

Machi took a deep breath and flipped over the two designated cards.

Face up—

Another Hit! 200 points! Ingredient: Suma Lemon!

"Hiss—!!!"

"Three consecutive Hits! Just what kind of luck is this?!"

"Terrifying! Is this kid possessed by the God of Food Luck?!"

Kobayashi Rindō suddenly covered her mouth, her golden eyes widening as she looked at Lin Luo with disbelief, and even a hint of admiration she hadn't noticed herself: \"How... how did he do it?!\"

Bang!

Leib Beiyala's massive frame suddenly stood up from his seat, making the specially made chair groan under the strain. He \"stared\" at the two glaring \"Suma Lemon\" cards, his eyeless sockets seemingly about to burst into flames, while his hands, hidden under his red chef's uniform, trembled uncontrollably.

Another Hit! Another 200 points!

In all his years running the Gourmet Casino, having seen countless gamblers and weathered many storms, when had he ever encountered such a bizarre and terrifying situation? Three consecutive precise hits on high-point combinations! This had already surpassed what \"luck\" could explain!

Cheating! This thought nearly overwhelmed his reason. But this was his absolute Domain; every card and every corner was under his monitoring and perception. If the opponent had used some trick, it was impossible for him not to notice! Unless... the other party's level of ability had already exceeded his range of understanding.

Fortunately... He forced down his turbulent thoughts, his gaze falling on the pattern of the \"Suma Lemon.\" This was an extremely tricky Phantom Ingredient known for its extreme bitterness and numbing sensation. Its bitterness was almost impossible to completely remove with conventional cooking methods and would even seep into the chef's mental state during preparation. Even he wasn't confident he could handle it perfectly.

As long as the opponent couldn't process it or finish eating it... these 200 points, along with their previous lead, could change hands in an instant!

"This... I don't know how to handle." Erina looked at the card, her purple eyes showing hesitation. This special and obscure toxic Phantom Ingredient was beyond her knowledge.

"I haven't touched it either." Kobayashi Rindō shook her head, her expression solemn.

A twisted sense of hope reignited in Leib Beiyala's heart, and the corners of his mouth were about to curl up—

The next second, his smile froze completely on his face.

He saw Lin Luo walk forward and pick up the \"Suma Lemon\"—which looked like a golden, enlarged lemon with a skin covered in strange spiral patterns—directly from the ingredient prep area. Without any processing, he tossed it into his mouth as if eating an ordinary fruit.

Crunch!

Juice splattered.

An extreme, terrifying bitterness—enough to instantly kill taste buds and plunge the mouth and even the nerves into paralysis—rushed in like a tsunami!

However, Lin Luo only frowned slightly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed the juice and pulp. Then, without changing his expression, he continued with a few more bites, devouring the entire Suma Lemon and casually tossing the shriveled skin aside.

The whole process took less than twenty seconds.

The terrifying bitterness and numbness that would make even a Gourmet Devil frown seemed like nothing more than a passing breeze to him, gone in an instant. The extreme resistance to abnormal statuses and toxins granted by eight feet was fully displayed at this moment.

"The taste... is quite unique." Lin Luo even gave a review, as if he had just eaten an ordinary lemon that was slightly sour.

Leib Beiyala was completely stunned. The light at the interface on the back of his head flashed rapidly, clearly analyzing and trying to \"understand\" everything happening before him.

To be so indifferent after eating a Suma Lemon? This defied all common sense! He even began to doubt if what he had prepared was actually a real Suma Lemon!

Lin Luo wiped his mouth, walked back to the gambling table, looked at the dumbfounded Leib Beiyala, and asked calmly, \"Do you still want to flip?\"

The first round ended.

Lin Luo's side, total points: 650!

This was a start that could drive anyone to despair.

Although current game rules allowed for cards to be swapped if a Demon King Ingredient was drawn, unfortunately, the Banya Panda was a Demon King Ingredient. Leib Beiyala's hope of winning was slim.

"Will... will the boss lose...?"

"No, impossible! The boss still has a chance!"

"Right! There are many more terrifying ingredients later! With even higher points!"

"The boss definitely won't lose!"

The surrounding audience, especially those belonging to the Gourmet Casino's side, discussed in low voices, though their tone was no longer as certain as at the beginning, instead carrying a hint of wavering they didn't want to admit.

Fine beads of cold sweat broke out on Leib Beiyala's forehead. He slowly sat back in his chair and wiped the sweat with a trembling hand, his voice becoming dry and raspy from trying to suppress his emotions: \"10... 31.\"

Machi flipped the cards.

It was a Hit. Ingredient: Sausage Worm. Points: 50.

Normally, this result would be enough to cause a stir, but in the face of Lin Luo's Heaven-Defying 650 points, it suddenly seemed pale and weak, even a bit... pathetic.

Sure enough, there was silence all around. No one felt shocked; instead, some people secretly curled their lips, thinking these points were \"garbage.\"

Without comparison, there is no harm.

With a grim face, Leib Beiyala personally stepped in without a word, quickly finishing the preparation of that constantly wriggling, unpleasant Sausage Worm, and then swallowed it with a burst of ferocity.

50 points gained.

Leib Beiyala took a deep breath, as if forcing down the stifling feeling in his chest, his voice regaining some calmness: \"Number 27.\"

Machi flipped the corresponding card.

It was a Golden Shrimp.

"Number 34!" Leib Beiyala shouted immediately after.

Machi flipped again—Hit! Another Golden Shrimp! 200 points!

Two consecutive Hits!

Within the venue, the previously suppressed emotions of the Casino staff rose slightly, and low cheers rang out. After all, it was a 200-point ingredient, and Golden Shrimps were relatively easy to cook and tasted delicious.

Leib Beiyala personally and quickly cooked it, sending the sweet shrimp meat into his mouth, adding 200 points to his total. He walked back to his seat, his gaze subconsciously sweeping toward Lin Luo.

He saw Lin Luo still looking calm and unbothered, even having the leisure to whisper something to Erina, causing her to glare at him lightly. This completely indifferent posture was like a thorn stuck deep in Leib Beiyala's heart.

As the underground king of the Gourmet Casino, he had never felt so humiliated! And in his own absolute home turf! A surge of anger rampaged through his chest with nowhere to be released.

"Please flip number 37 and number 3!" He shook his head and spoke again, his voice carrying a hint of imperceptible irritability.

Cards flipped—Hit! Ingredient: Melon Egg, 100 points.

"It's a Jackpot Ingredient!" someone nearby whispered. A so-called \"Jackpot Ingredient\" was one that was non-toxic, delicious, and had a decent point value.

Remarkably, Leib Beiyala had also achieved three consecutive Hits. But Machi let out a cold snort in his heart. Although he expected the opponent wouldn't just sit and wait for death on his own turf, manipulating the card sequence so blatantly and forcing a catch-up right away was simply too unsightly. This guy, just as the rumors said, had no principles to achieve his goals; his words and actions were full of lies.

Despite this, Leib Beiyala had accumulated 350 points this round, which was a good harvest, but compared to Lin Luo's staggering 650 points, it was still far off.

Turn change.

"Number 6, number 48." Lin Luo spoke, his voice showing no ripples.

Cards flipped—Hit!

"Eh? Isn't that... the Electric Banana?!"

"That's right! It's the Electric Banana!"

"Haha! Although the points are 200, this is a highly toxic ingredient!"

"Last time, a gambler who didn't believe in the danger ate half of one, and in less than three minutes, his whole body was charred black and he died!"

"Hahaha! The boss's luck is back! This is the turn-around!"

The staff on the Casino's side became excited, as if they had already seen the dawn of victory.

In their view, Lin Luo would never dare touch such a lethal poison. As long as he gave up or failed, these 200 points would firmly fall into Leib Beiyala's pocket. With one side losing and the other gaining, the situation would reverse instantly!

On Leib Beiyala's hideous face, his expression also became somewhat interesting.

The toxicity of the Electric Banana was extremely violent and unique; as far as he knew, no one could perfectly remove its poison yet.

In other words, these 200 points were practically already in his pocket.

"This one... let me eat it," Kobayashi Rindō suddenly said, looking at the bunch of bananas that looked no different from ordinary ones, except for the purple patterns on the skin and the faint, tiny arcs of electricity flowing through them. \"I think I've eaten one before.\"

Lin Luo immediately shook his head: \"I seriously doubt what you ate last time was an Electric Banana at all; it was probably just an unripe regular banana. Don't be fooled by the fact that the real Electric Banana is a toxic ingredient; its price on the black market is quite high. With your previous 'financial situation,' you shouldn't have been able to afford it.\"

"You're looking down on me!" Kobayashi Rindō retorted huffily.

Lin Luo was speechless: "I'm doing this for your own good."

Erina also whispered: "This... I don't know how to remove its poison either."

"Remove what poison?" Lin Luo had already reached out, picking up an Electric Banana directly from the \"fruit\" plate, easily peeling back the skin to reveal the pulp with purple lines inside. \"Just eat it directly.\"

Leib Beiyala's brow furrowed, his empty sockets \"staring\" at Lin Luo: \"Are you... sure you want to eat it?\"

He tried to find a hint of bravado or hesitation in the other's expression.

Lin Luo smiled and shook the banana in his hand: \"My Physique is a bit special; a little poison can't do anything to me. I occasionally eat these as regular fruit.\"

Having said that, he no longer hesitated and took a large bite.

Crackle—!

A clear sound, like tiny lightning bolts exploding, came from his mouth!

The moment the pulp entered his mouth, a strong electric current instantly surged through his oral cavity; one could even see faint blue electric lights moving under the skin of his cheeks!

Simultaneously, a violent toxin capable of instantly paralyzing nerves and destroying internal organs spread out from the pulp!

Lin Luo's chewing motion paused for a second, his brow furrowing slightly.

The corner of Leib Beiyala's mouth twitched slightly, showing a cold \"if you want to die, go ahead\" expression, while he secretly calculated the time it would take for the toxin to take effect.

However, a few seconds later, Lin Luo's furrowed brow slowly relaxed. He continued to chew, then swallowed smoothly, even taking another bite.

The wandering electric lights quickly dimmed and vanished, and the skin tone on his face returned to normal.

"The taste... is tingly and numbing, quite refreshing," Lin Luo commented, finishing the entire Electric Banana in a few bites.

Inside his body, before the invading violent purple toxin could wreak havoc, it was gently enveloped, neutralized, and purified by the warm, milky-white energy rising from his Dantian.

The Five-Color Core pulsed slightly, like a highly efficient furnace, instantly stripping, absorbing, and converting the wild yet pure \"Gourmet Energy\" contained in the Electric Banana for his own use, leaving only the most primal nourishment.

Leib Beiyala's expression froze completely.

The surrounding cheers stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed them by the throat.

Kobayashi Rindō shrunk her neck and whispered to Erina, \"Why does it look so painful... Was what I ate last time not this?\"

Erina was staring intently at Lin Luo. After confirming he was truly fine, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing Kobayashi Rindō's words, she turned her head and said in an equally low voice, with a hint of lingering fear and realization: \"What you ate last time... was most likely a 'fake'.\"