68: Gourmet Cells

“Hoo hoo hoo…”

Lu Chuan moved quickly through the muddy ground, not daring to slow down for a second.

“Gurgle gurgle!!”

Several half-human-tall Mud Monsters were hot on his heels, occasionally forming a clump of dried mud to hurl at Lu Chuan.

Fortunately, Lu Chuan was prepared and wasn't hit by these hard mud lumps, which carried immense kinetic energy; otherwise, he might have stumbled.

Getting injured was a minor issue, but being caught by these Mud Monsters would be big trouble.

Just a short while ago, he had personally witnessed a terrifying scene: a small animal being suffocated to death after a Mud Monster shoved it into its body.

“How did even mud become sentient in this cursed place?”

Lu Chuan struggled forward, his feet sinking and rising, maintaining a safe distance from the equally slow Mud Monsters.

After another five or six minutes, just as he was about to collapse from exhaustion, Lu Chuan finally returned to solid ground.

This greatly infuriated the persistent Mud Monsters, but they dared not ascend to the surface, only able to watch their prey escape to safety.

Once Lu Chuan reached the bank and saw the Mud Monsters dared not pursue, he gritted his teeth and ran another few dozen meters before finally sitting on the ground, gasping for air.

“Hoo hoo hoo…”

A few minutes later, feeling his breathing normalize slightly, he got up and continued towards the crevice.

Along the way, he couldn't help but pull out a lotus pod, as white as jade, from his embrace, examining it repeatedly.

But after looking for a long time, besides feeling the fragrant aroma of the plump lotus seeds, which made his mouth water, he couldn't make any sense of it.

He decided to ask the System directly.

“System, you said these lotus seeds can awaken my so-called Gourmet Cellss? The more I hear it, the more unbelievable it sounds.”

【Host, you must understand, this System does not lie.】

【The System has detected that the special medicinal properties of these lotus seeds can activate the mysterious factors in your cells, allowing you to successfully awaken your Gourmet Cellss.】

Lu Chuan looked at the lotus pod in his hand with surprise.

He trusted the System wouldn't harm him, which was why he had unhesitatingly gone to the muddy area to pick this lotus pod when the System suddenly told him to half an hour ago.

But what exactly are these Gourmet Cellss?

How are they different from ordinary human cells?

Also, why does the name sound so abstract?

Gourmet?

Cells?

How did these two completely unrelated terms combine?

Lu Chuan always pressed for answers when negotiating with the System.

And this time, the System was not vague, answering almost every question.

【Gourmet Cellss, compared to normal cells, possess extremely high activity.】

【Humans who have awakened Gourmet Cellss can gradually evolve their bodies, becoming stronger, by enjoying highly nutritious and subjectively delicious food.】

After hearing the System’s explanation, Lu Chuan’s eyes widened, and when he looked at the fragrant, pristine white lotus pod in his hand again, his saliva wouldn't stop flowing.

“Getting stronger! Evolving!”

“Isn’t this just like cultivating immortals, where gourmet food is the divine elixir, and eating it makes your cultivation soar? In the end, won’t I be able to ascend to the heavens, delve into the earth, and become a Buddha or an ancestor?”

Lu Chuan began to fantasize, wishing he could return to a safe place immediately, eat all the lotus seeds, and undergo a glorious evolution!

However, at this point, the System began to pour cold water on his dreams.

【Host, don't just dream; Gourmet Cellss have a good side, but also a bad side.】

“(⊙o⊙) What??”

Lu Chuan wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, exclaiming in surprise.

【Highly active Gourmet Cellss can indeed significantly boost combat power and even grant the host powerful regenerative abilities, but…】

“But?”

【But Gourmet Cellss will also intensify the craving for delicious food, even subconsciously influencing the host’s behavioral logic.】

【When the host cannot satisfy the Gourmet Cellss' desires for a long time, the Gourmet Cellss will backlash against the host.】

【This situation is called 'autophagy.' In severe cases, it can even be life-threatening.】

“This, this dangerous?”

The thought of the Gourmet Cellss in his body turning into countless mouths, frantically devouring himself, sent shivers down Lu Chuan’s spine.

【If the Host is afraid, you can choose not to awaken them.】

【Anyway, with the System, the Host can also rely on his superb culinary skills to ascend to the throne of the number one person in the gourmet world.】

As the System’s voice fell, Lu Chuan quickly shook his head, saying with firm resolve:

“No, I choose to awaken them.”

Are you kidding? With a chance to become stronger right in front of him, how could he easily give up?

Being a chef with extraordinary culinary skills is indeed good.

But being a chef with extraordinary skills and extraordinary culinary arts, wouldn't that be even better?

Isn't it just a side effect of “autophagy”?

Anyway, with his increasingly exquisite cooking skills, would he still be afraid of the Gourmet Cellss in his body going hungry in the future?

Thinking this, Lu Chuan immediately felt less anxious, and his originally sore and swollen legs became lighter; the air was filled with the taste of freedom.

“Today is a good day~”

He hummed a tune and quickened his pace towards the crevice.

However, just then, a human-like, beast-like roar echoed from ahead, startling Lu Chuan.

“What’s happening now?”

Having just been chased to near death by the Mud Monsters, Lu Chuan was already overly cautious; upon hearing this strange roar, his heart pounded wildly.

However, there was only one path to the crevice ahead, so he could only steel himself and continue forward.

“But this roar, why does it sound so clumsy, and also give me a strange sense of familiarity?”

Lu Chuan was puzzled, but he just assumed his fear was playing tricks on him, making him overthink.

He quickly shook his head and continued to cautiously move forward.

Finally, in a gully a few hundred meters from the cliff crevice, he saw a figure frantically slaughtering a group of ferocious beasts.

“There’s someone here?”

Lu Chuan’s first reaction was shock.

Then his second reaction was excitement.

“Wow, this person has such strong combat power; he actually single-handedly cut through that group of ferocious beasts that look like hyenas!”

But his third reaction had already turned into doubt.

“Why is this person like a savage, eating raw meat and drinking blood? And his figure, it’s really so similar to a certain clumsy fellow!”

Due to the backlight and the distance, Lu Chuan couldn't clearly see the person's face for a moment, but he had already automatically placed the face of someone from his memory onto him.

“Could it really be you?”

Lu Chuan couldn't hold back and moved a little closer.

Just then, the person turned around, revealing a face covered in scars but still full of a clumsy charm.

“My goodness, He Jingrui! It really is you! How did you end up here?!”

Lu Chuan saw that the exotic beasts had already started to flee in disarray, and he was about to excitedly go forward and greet He Jingrui.

【Host, you must not. That person has been controlled by the Gourmet Cellss in his body. He has lost his sanity and may harm you.】

The System issued a timely warning, making Lu Chuan slam on his brakes, not daring to advance further.