43: Chapter 43 Barbecue Stalls on the City Wall

Wang Kun was woken up by the aroma.

He opened his eight eyes and found himself chained to a city wall battlement, facing a sizzling barbecue grill. Lin Chen, wearing an apron, was sprinkling cumin on the skewers, with chili powder and garlic sauce set aside.

"Waking up just in time." Lin Chen didn't look back. "Want a kidney skewer to nourish yourself?"

Wang Kun looked down and almost fainted again—the kidney skewer on the grill looked extremely familiar; it was clearly freshly taken from one of his adjutants. That adjutant was lying not far away groaning, missing a piece of meat from his kidney.

"You, you..." Wang Kun was so angry he trembled all over, the chains clattering.

"Don't worry, there's a share for you." Lin Chen handed the grilled kidneys to Zhang Hao. "Go, let the brothers below have a taste."

Zhang Hao trotted eagerly to the edge of the wall, using a long bamboo pole to lower the grilled kidneys.

"Those who surrender get a skewer! First come, first served!"

Below the wall, the captured enemy troops formed a long line, their eyes glowing green with hunger. Seeing the grilled kidneys, the crowd immediately became restless.

"I surrender! Give me a skewer!"

"I was here first!"

"Don't push! I haven't eaten in three days!"

A Thousand-Faced Cultist grabbed a grilled kidney, devoured it ravenously, and licked the bamboo pole while asking, "Is... is there more?"

Lin Chen smiled and waved to the Yin Soldiers. "Go slaughter that werewolf; we're having barbecue tonight."

The named werewolf was so scared he tucked his tail. "I'm not tasty! I, I just took a bath yesterday!"

Laughter and cheer filled the city wall, while chaos reigned below. Su Qingyu couldn't bear to watch and whispered, "Isn't this a bit too cruel?"

"Cruel?" Lin Chen flipped the skewers. "They were planning to stew us just a moment ago."

He suddenly remembered something and exchanged a large megaphone from the system.

"Listen up down there! Surrender now and your three meals are covered! Perform well, and you'll get extra chicken legs on weekends!"

These words were more effective than any persuasion. The enemy troops who were still hesitating knelt down in a large group; a Corpse Monster even stuffed its intestines back into its stomach and raised its hand, shouting:

"I surrender! I know how to chop vegetables!"

Wang Kun watched this absurd scene, fire spitting from his eight eyes. "Lin Chen! Kill me if you're going to!"

"Kill you?" Lin Chen threw a burnt skewer at him. "That's too easy. You owe me a hundred million; you have to work to pay off the debt."

As he spoke, he took out a small notebook and started calculating.

"Calculating based on you working twenty hours a day, at an hourly wage of ten nether talismans, you'll need to pay back... let me see, about one thousand four hundred years."

Wang Kun's eight arms went limp upon hearing this.

Then, something even more infuriating happened.

Lin Chen actually set up a small stall on the city wall and hung a sign: [Battlefield Buffet Barbecue, Enemy Troops Slaughtered Freshly]. He also thoughtfully marked the prices:

[Werewolf Leg Meat: 50 nether talismans/skewer]

[Corpse Monster Ribs: 30 nether talismans/skewer]

[Wraith Jelly: 20 nether talismans/bowl]

The most ridiculous one was the [Eight-Armed Corpse Demon Limited Edition Set], with a photo of Wang Kun tied to the battlement as the illustration.

"You've gone too far!!!" Wang Kun struggled frantically, the chains cutting deep into his flesh.

Zhang Hao shouted while collecting money, "Come, come, come! Freshly Grilled Ghost Meat! If it's not tasty, it's free!"

Some captives actually used their newly earned wages to buy. A Thousand-Faced Cultist used his hard-earned nether talismans to buy a skewer of grilled eyeballs, eating until his mouth was oily.

Su Qingyu watched this magical scene and suddenly felt that the apocalypse might be like this—the strong can turn hell into a playground.

Just as the barbecue stall's business was at its peak, a sudden change occurred.

"Boom—!"

A loud noise came from the distance as a well-equipped cavalry broke through the mist. Leading them was a Gold-Armored Knight, riding a Skeleton Warhorse and holding a ten-meter-long spear.

"It's the Cult Leader's Personal Guard!" a captive exclaimed.

The Gold-Armored Knight reined in his horse and pointed his spear directly at the wall.

"Lin Chen! Release the Cult Leader! Or else..."

Before he could finish, Lin Chen handed over the barbecue tongs. "Want a kidney skewer? Buy five, get one free."

The Gold-Armored Knight almost fell off his horse. He steadied himself and roared, "Enough nonsense! Watch me take down this broken wall of yours..."

Lin Chen raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The next second, the Gold-Armored Knight and his cavalry all froze in place—they had triggered the [Illegal Entry into Toll Zone] trap.

"Since you're here, pay the entrance fee." Lin Chen clicked on the system. "There are... let me see, five hundred of you, so the entrance fee is five hundred thousand nether talismans."

The Gold-Armored Knight was so angry his gold armor shook. "You, this is robbery!"

"Correct." Lin Chen said righteously. "I am robbing you. If you don't pay, I'll roast you."

He wasn't joking. Several Yin Soldiers had already set up grills and were staring at the Skeleton Warhorses with green-glowing eyes.

The Gold-Armored Knight looked at his subordinates' longing eyes, then at the sizzling skewers on the grill, and finally gritted his teeth.

"We, we surrender!"

He dismounted faster than anyone and ran all the way to the city wall to scan the code for payment.

"Um... does surrendering really include food and lodging?"

"Honest prices for all." Lin Chen handed over a handful of skewers. "Here, a new employee benefit."

Thus, under the gaze of all the captives, the Cult Leader's Personal Guard lined up to receive skewers, and after finishing, they consciously joined the labor force.

Wang Kun watched this scene, tears streaming from his eight eyes.

What made him even more devastated was that Lin Chen actually started recruiting on the spot.

"Hiring barbecue masters! Experienced candidates preferred! Monthly salary of one thousand nether talismans!"

The Corpse Monster who said he could chop vegetables raised his hand. "Me! I was a five-star hotel head chef in my past life!"

Lin Chen hired him on the spot. "Good! Go and prepare that werewolf."

The werewolf screamed, "Didn't we agree not to kill me?!"

"The temporary worker has been regularized." Lin Chen patted the Corpse Monster's shoulder. "Work hard, and you'll get a year-end bonus."

The city wall was bustling. Some were grilling, some were chopping vegetables, and even Su Qingyu was pulled in to be the cashier.

Zhang Hao's hands were cramping from counting money, and he excitedly reported, "Master! We made a net profit of eight hundred thousand nether talismans today!"

Lin Chen nodded with satisfaction and exchanged several large freezers. "We'll add cold drinks tomorrow."

Wang Kun, tied to the battlement, finally broke down completely. His eight arms hung limply as he murmured:

"What kind of monster... am I fighting against..."

At that moment, Lin Chen walked over and handed him a skewer of grilled mushrooms.

"Try it, it's not poisonous."

Wang Kun stared blankly at the skewer, all eight eyes weeping. He tremblingly took the skewer and took a bite.

It was delicious.

"From now on, you'll be specifically responsible for testing for poison." Lin Chen said. "Your monthly salary... will go towards your debt. If you do well, I'll reduce your sentence."

Wang Kun ate while crying, saying unclearly, "Can, can you add more chili?"

"You sure are demanding." Lin Chen sprinkled another handful of chili powder.

As the sun set, smoke curled from the city wall. Anyone who didn't know better would think this was some kind of food court, with no sign that a battle had just taken place.

Su Qingyu looked at Lin Chen, who was teaching Wang Kun how to grill skewers, and suddenly smiled.

Perhaps this was the way to survive the apocalypse—

If you can't beat them, join them.

If you can't out-grill them, give up.

She picked up a grilled kidney skewer and took a gentle bite.

It really tasted good.