1: System, you are really making things difficult for me, Fat Tiger! ! ! !

The originally bustling market seemed to have hit a pause button at this moment.

Whether they were vendors or pedestrians, everyone's attention was drawn to the scene ahead.

A market administrator wearing a red armband and an urban management officer in a dark blue uniform were surrounding and intercepting a teenager.

However, the teenager was agile; even while pushing a flatbed cart, he quickly broke out of the encirclement and disappeared into the crowd.

After chasing for a long time, they didn't even manage to catch a single hair.

This made the urban management officer and the market administrator furious.

"Damn it, that slippery brat!" the urban management officer cursed hatefully.

The market administrator, who was over fifty and slightly hunched, glanced at the officer upon hearing this and scoffed.

"You're such a young man, yet your stamina is lacking. If you run into delinquent vendors in the future, I'm afraid they'll just run away from you again!"

The urban management officer was unconvinced, but looking at the graying temples of the market administrator, he twitched his lips and could only change the subject.

"I don't know what that kid is thinking. There are so many places to set up a stall, yet he insists on doing it next to the public restroom, and he's caused so many people to complain!"

Mentioning this, the market administrator immediately became filled with righteous indignation.

"Exactly! If you're going to set up a stall, fine. But he's selling stinky tofu, can you believe it?!"

He grew angrier as he spoke.

"I've eaten white rice for so many years, and I've never heard of anyone selling stinky tofu at the entrance of a public restroom. It's simply outrageous!"

"Of course, selling it is one thing. As long as no one complains, our management office could turn a blind eye. But he's completely sick in the head; he doesn't try to sell to passersby, but keeps staring at the people using the toilets. How could he not get complaints?"

The urban management officer watched the market administrator spraying spit everywhere and couldn't help but step back a few paces, fearing he might get splashed.

The pedestrians and vendors nearby who heard the conversation looked at each other, their expressions becoming incredibly colorful.

...

Lu Chuan pushed the flatbed cart, his face twisted into a sour expression.

After a while, seeing no one around, he let out a long sigh.

"System, I've verified it. Selling stinky tofu next to a public restroom really doesn't work! Can't we change the mission?"

As his voice fell, a voice immediately rang out in his mind.

[The weekly stall mission has been selected and cannot be changed. Please work hard to complete the mission, Host!]

"Is there really no room for negotiation?"

[Friendly reminder: The system has provided body modification and injury recovery for the host, with a total advance of 20,000 appetite coins. The repayment deadline is 30 days. If you cannot repay by the deadline, the treatment effect will be immediately nullified, and the host will die instantly!]

[Repayment countdown: 28 days, 23 hours, 55 minutes, 34 seconds.]

"..."

This isn't a system; it's a death reaper!

Lu Chuan looked up at the sky, speechless and choked with emotion.

After a while, he let out a sigh.

"Fine, fine. So many people want a system but don't have the fate for it! I should be content!"

He shook his head, unable to help but recall the events of yesterday.

...

"Bang!"

With a dull thud.

Having fallen from a cliff and smashed hard against the ground, Lu Chuan spat out a large mouthful of blood.

Afterward, he felt as if his internal organs were being pierced by broken bones, and breathing became difficult.

Before long, his vision began to fade to black, and an intense drowsiness began to wash over him.

Forget it, living is so tiring; better to die early and be free.

Lu Chuan weakly closed his eyes, waiting for death to arrive.

But the next moment, a cheeky voice rang out in his mind.

[Ding! Your system cheat has arrived!]

[Host, if you're not dead yet, please make a sound!]

Lu Chuan struggled to open his eyelids, looking at the floating interface that appeared out of thin air before him.

[Gourmet Resonance System]

[Host: Lu Chuan]

[Cell Awakening Rate: 0%]

[Ability: None]

[appetite coins: 0]

"System?!"

Because of excessive blood loss, Lu Chuan's vision was already blurred, and he couldn't clearly see a line of text at the very bottom of the system interface.

Realizing his vitality was fading rapidly, Lu Chuan was anxious.

Although he didn't know what the system was, things seemed to have taken a turn.

If he could avoid death, who would want to die?

After all, it's better to live a wretched life than to die well.

Lu Chuan bit his tongue hard, using his last bit of strength to shout!

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—!"

At the same time, the intense pain everywhere in his body helped him focus.

A line of text at the bottom of the system interface immediately came into view.

[Host detected... death, emergency mechanism activated...]

[Whether to... agree... refuse...]

Lu Chuan vaguely finished reading this passage, but due to his failing vision, he could only grasp the gist.

His increasingly muddled brain left him no time to think.

He extended a trembling finger and pressed the [Agree] option.

The next moment, a brilliant white light emerged from nowhere, instantly wrapping around the heavily injured Lu Chuan.

It eventually turned into a cocoon of light, quietly hovering 30 centimeters above the ground.

I don't know how much time passed; the sun rose and the moon set, and the light cocoon suddenly began to tremble.

The next moment, cracks spread across it, and finally, with a "pop," it shattered into dust.

Lu Chuan was in mid-air and, before he could react, fell and grimaced in pain.

But he quickly stood up, feeling all over his body with a look of surprise.

He saw that the various abrasions and lacerations that had covered his body, and the twisted and broken bones and joints all over, had been restored to their original state.

Even the thick calluses formed on his palms, knees, and shoulders had disappeared, leaving his skin as tender and fair as a young child's.

"Is this the great power of the system?"

While marveling, Lu Chuan quickly regained his composure.

With a thought, the system interface that had disappeared suddenly reappeared before his eyes.

"System? I didn't see it clearly just now; show me that line of text again!"

Swish!

[Host detected to be in critical condition and nearing death. Emergency mechanism activated. Will consume appetite coins to restore host's injuries.]

[Emergency plan activated: System has advanced appetite coins to restore injuries. Please repay within 30 days. If unable to repay, the host will die immediately.]

[Does the host agree or refuse?]

Lu Chuan read it word by word, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

But before he could speak, the system interface turned dark red, and a line of text, red to the point of being black, emerged.

[Based on the host's injury condition, 20,000 appetite coins have been advanced for repairing and modifying the body. Please repay within 30 days.]

[If not repaid by the deadline, the treatment effect will immediately disappear from the host, and the host will die immediately.]

[Repayment countdown: 29 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds.]

Seeing the black "Death" characters, Lu Chuan's breath hitched.

Especially seeing the countdown at the bottom pulsing like a ticking time bomb, his palms broke out in a cold sweat.

"This..."

He had just escaped death and was still shaken, and now this?

Lu Chuan paced back and forth, then finally took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

At least he wasn't dying immediately; there was still a period of time to struggle.

Although he didn't know where these appetite coins came from, he had managed to slip away from under the King of Hell's nose, so how could he resign himself to his fate?

"System, tell me about these appetite coins—what are they, what do they do, and how do I get them?"

Lu Chuan steadied himself and spoke again.

[This system is the Gourmet Resonance System. The host can obtain "appetite coins" by creating gourmet food and conquering the senses of diners.]

["appetite coins" are the universal currency of the system mall. They have many uses, including but not limited to exchanging for items, improving cooking skills, and healing injuries.]

Lu Chuan was stunned, but quickly understood what the system meant.

This made him panic again.

Conquering diners with gourmet food to get appetite coins?

Isn't this making things difficult for him, Fat Tiger?

Lu Chuan's parents died early, and his grandmother, with whom he had depended on each other for survival, had also passed away from cancer a few years ago.

He was usually busy foraging in the mountains to make a living, and his two daily meals were just makeshift affairs—as long as he could fill his stomach, it was fine.

Where would he find the time to study cooking?

Seemingly sensing Lu Chuan's anxiety, the system interface vibrated slightly.

A new pop-up window appeared, catching Lu Chuan's attention.

Lu Chuan suddenly felt something extra in his mind, and upon closer inspection, countless pieces of information about stinky tofu flooded his mind in an instant.

This included knowledge about raw materials and tool preparation, brine making and fermentation processes, deep-frying and seasoning, nutritional value, and scientific evidence.

It could be said that just based on this knowledge, it wouldn't be an exaggeration for him to call himself a top master in the world of stinky tofu.

When the time came, opening a stinky tofu snack shop and making a fortune wouldn't be a dream.

Compared to the meager income he had earned from foraging in the mountains, this was as different as clouds and mud.

Lu Chuan paced excitedly, but as his peripheral vision swept over the conspicuous death countdown on the panel, his excitement immediately vanished.

"Fine, fine. Good days are still ahead; let's get past this hurdle first."

"Let me see, where was I supposed to set up the stall?"

Lu Chuan focused his attention and clicked on the hidden stall location in the system.

Upon looking closely, he felt absurd, stunned, and speechless.

[This system releases a random stall mission every week]

[Random location, random recipe]

[Complete to unlock various rewards]

[Mission refreshed (Unclaimed)]

[Requirement: 7 days a week, every night at 7 PM, go to the designated location and sell delicious stinky tofu]

[Recipe: Delicious stinky tofu has been issued]

[Equipment: stinky tofu stall cart has been placed in storage space]

[Mission reward: Elementary Cooking Skills]

"What?"

"You want me to go to the public restroom to set up a stall and sell stinky tofu!!!"

"System, you really are making things difficult for me, Fat Tiger!!!!"