90: Chapter 90 Top-notch culinary skills, just a little spicy!

The passionate atmosphere in the air was instantly cooled, as if doused by a basin of ice water.

Huazi and Tiezhu, the veterans who had just been arm-in-arm, laughing carefreely, saw their smiles slowly stiffen, eventually fading into a heavy silence.

Ten people.

An elite reconnaissance platoon that once had a full complement of thirty-seven men was now reduced to just ten.

Behind this number ten were twenty-seven living lives, twenty-seven brothers who would never return home.

Qin Feng had seen life and death before; in his previous life, he had grown accustomed to it, his heart as hard as iron. Yet, when such a cruel reality was presented in such a blunt manner, he still felt a tightness in his chest.

"What the hell are you all standing around for? Waiting for the enemy to invite us to dinner?"

Platoon Leader Long Zhan's roar broke the dead silence.

He glared fiercely at Qin Feng.

"Chef! Cook! The gluttonous worm in my stomach is about to gnaw my intestines to pieces!"

This shout pulled everyone out of their heavy memories.

Huazi slapped his forehead and chimed in, "Right, right, right! Xiaofeng, show us what you've got!"

"That pot earlier… ahem, that pot for the prisoners doesn't count! Today, you have to whip up some real main dishes for us brothers!"

"Exactly! I heard that as soon as you arrived, you swiped the Third Company's pride and joy. You have to fire up the wok today and let us see it in action!"

The atmosphere livened up again, though the laughter carried a hint of bitterness and reluctance.

They were using this method to cover up their grief, forcing themselves to look forward.

Qin Feng didn't say anything more; he nodded and turned toward the dugout kitchen.

His mind was currently filled with the "Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Stir-fries" manual rewarded by the system.

Was this thing actually reliable?

Inside the dugout, there was still that damp, musty smell, but in the corner, there were several crates just brought back from the supply station.

Opening them, he saw fresh pork belly, several cleaned frozen chickens, as well as potatoes, green peppers, dried chili peppers, garlic, and other complete side ingredients.

It seemed that while Platoon Leader Long Zhan didn't say it aloud, he still cared about the brothers' meals.

Qin Feng took a deep breath and solemnly placed the wok he had "borrowed" from the Third Company onto the stove.

The moment his hand gripped the knife handle, his entire aura changed abruptly.

If he had been a drawn blade, sharp and exposed, when killing earlier...

Then now, he was a master who had been immersed in the culinary arts for decades—steady, restrained, and in perfect harmony with his knife.

In his mind, countless details of the "Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Stir-fries" merged into his limbs and bones like instinct.

He didn't even need to think.

"Clang!"

The kitchen knife traced a silver arc on the cutting board, and the piece of half-fat, half-lean pork belly was instantly sliced into uniform pieces, each one as if measured by calipers.

"Da, da, da, da..."

The rapid and rhythmic sound of chopping echoed in the dugout like war drums.

Green peppers, garlic, and ginger were transformed into uniformly sized bits under his hands.

Outside the dugout, the veterans who had been bantering gradually fell silent.

They stretched their necks, looking in disbelief at the figure in the dugout wielding the kitchen knife.

"Holy shit… is this… is this our new Chef?"

Tiezhu rubbed his eyes, his face full of disbelief.

"This knife work is even more badass than Fatty Liu from our Military Region Canteen, right?" Huazi swallowed his saliva.

In their eyes, Qin Feng's movements were fluid and natural, without a single wasted motion, filled with the beauty of strength and rhythm.

This wasn't cooking; it was clearly an artistic creation!

Heating the wok, pouring oil.

When a handful of dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns were tossed into the boiling oil.

"Sizzle—"

An overwhelmingly domineering aroma, mixed with spiciness, exploded instantly!

The fragrance seemed to have hooks, aggressively drilling into everyone's nostrils, completely hooking out the gluttonous worms in their stomachs.

"Gulp."

"And he said he didn't know how to cook."

Someone, it was unclear who, swallowed hard.

"Do you believe that?"

Everyone shook their heads, staring fixedly at the wok, their eyes glazed over.

Not even if they were beaten to death.

Qin Feng held the wok with one hand, flicked his wrist, and the meat slices and seasonings in the wok tumbled and danced in the air before landing precisely back in the wok.

Flames rose, and the wok hei swirled.

That wasn't just simple tossing; it was practically a martial arts move!

"Subduing Dragon Repents!" "Flying Dragon in the Sky!" "Divine Dragon Wags Its Tail!"

As he unleashed the "Dragon-Subduing Eighteen Stir-fries," the entire dugout was filled with an aroma that made people want to kneel down and sing of surrender.

Spicy Diced Chicken, Boiled Meat Slices, Twice-Cooked Pork...

One by one, the hearty dishes that made one drool just hearing their names were scooped into large coarse ceramic bowls and served on the dining table temporarily pieced together from ammunition crates.

The bright red sauce, tender meat slices, and emerald green scallions made one's appetite soar just by looking at them.

"Is... is it time to eat?"

Chen Mo looked at the table full of "artworks," his voice drifting slightly.

"Eat!"

At Platoon Leader Long Zhan's command, he was the first to pick up his chopsticks and stuff a large piece of Boiled Meat Slices into his mouth.

The next second, his eyes widened abruptly!

A scalding, numbingly spicy, and savory flavor exploded in his mouth!

The meat was incredibly tender, melting in his mouth. The rich sauce coated every fiber, and the spicy aftertaste surged like an electric current from the tip of his tongue to the top of his head!

"Holy crap! Awesome!"

Platoon Leader Long Zhan cursed, fine beads of sweat instantly seeping from his forehead, but his hand didn't stop. His chopsticks danced like a fiery wheel; he couldn't stop at all.

Seeing this, how could the others resist? They all dove in with their chopsticks.

For a moment, the only sounds at the table were the rising and falling of gasps, chewing, and garbled exclamations of praise.

"Hiss... ha... it's so damn spicy! It's so satisfying!"

Huazi fanned his mouth with his hand while shoveling rice into his mouth.

"Wuwuwu... delicious! I've never eaten such delicious food in my life!"

Tiezhu was so spicy that tears streamed down his face, but his face was filled with a happy smile.

They were like a pack of wolves that had been starving for three days and nights, sweeping through the food, devouring it greedily.

Everyone was flushed red and drenched in sweat, yet they couldn't bear to stop using their chopsticks.

This meal was eaten heartily and soul-stirringly.

Watching them, both in pain and enjoyment, Qin Feng felt a complex mix of emotions.

He didn't touch his chopsticks himself.

Because he knew that if he took a single bite of this stuff, he would probably die on the spot.

Just as everyone was eating with gusto, Chen Mo suddenly put down his bowl and chopsticks, his expression turning somewhat serious.

"Platoon Leader, those prisoners have confessed."

The dining table instantly quieted down.

Everyone stopped their movements and looked in unison at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo wiped his mouth and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket.

"They were just bait, responsible for creating friction at the border to divert our attention."

"The Bear Country and Yang Country's real major operation is thirty kilometers away from the border, at a place called 'Yangjiao Village'."

Platoon Leader Long Zhan took the note, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Yangjiao Village? Why haven't I heard of this place?"

"Satellite maps show it's just an ordinary village with a hundred or so households, surrounded by the Gobi Desert—a godforsaken place. What kind of major operation could they have there?" Huazi also leaned over to look.

The intelligence and reality presented a huge contradiction.

This made everyone feel the situation was tricky.

Qin Feng's heart stirred.

He composedly submerged his consciousness into his mind.

The "red treasure book" map, which only he could see and which marked resources across the entire Blue Planet, appeared clearly before his eyes.

His gaze quickly locked onto the location of Yangjiao Village.

The next second, his pupils constricted abruptly!

He saw that in the area of Yangjiao Village, a red light spot, so huge it could be called terrifying, was flashing frantically!

The brightness of that light spot was a hundred times brighter than any resource point he had seen before!

Next to the light spot, there was a line of small annotations.

[Super-giant iron ore vein, estimated reserves… immeasurable!]

Qin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

He understood.

The prisoners hadn't lied, and the satellites hadn't made a mistake.

That village was a mine!

A super mine disguised as a village!