252: Chapter 252 Top-Tier State Banquet, Abyss Teppanyaki

Above the ruins, the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated.

An absurd "battlefield state banquet" had already begun.

Lao Ma had changed into a snow-white chef's uniform.

He gripped two boning knives in his hands, his gaze as sharp as the blades.

On the cutting board before him lay a piece of top-quality squid meat that had just been carved off.

This piece of meat was crystal clear, emitting a faint glow like the finest mutton-fat jade.

"High-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods."

Blade light flickered, and afterimages danced.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

A second ago, it was a massive chunk of meat weighing several hundred jin, but in an instant, Lao Ma had sliced it into pieces of uniform thickness.

A perfect cross-hatch cut!

Every cut was smooth, with the depth perfectly consistent, flawlessly preserving the juices of the meat.

Lao Ma used both hands to grab dozens of cross-hatched squid pieces and slammed them onto the high-temperature iron griddle!

"Sizzle—!"

Thick white smoke rose instantly.

The high-dimensional fat of the SSS-grade ingredient melted rapidly under the high heat.

As the grease collided with the iron griddle, an enticing caramel color quickly spread over the tender white meat.

Lao Ma held two massive, custom-made iron spatulas, flipping them frantically on the griddle.

He precisely controlled the heat, ensuring that both sides of every piece of squid were seared to perfection.

"Seasoning!"

Sea salt, black pepper, cumin!

Finally, Lao Ma grabbed a handful of chopped green onions and sprinkled them on elegantly.

Boom!

The overpowering aroma was like a nuclear explosion, instantly sweeping across the entire area.

But that wasn't all!

Lao Ma turned around and swung a custom-made black iron wok, as large as a truck cab, with one hand.

"Heat the wok! Add oil!"

He poured in top-quality cooking oil.

Minced green onion, ginger, and garlic sizzled to release their fragrance.

Lao Ma grabbed a huge handful of squid tentacles and threw them into the wok.

"Whoosh!"

Stir-frying over high heat!

The flames shot up more than ten meters high!

Tossing the wok, flipping the ladle!

Lao Ma's movements were fluid and natural, working both hands simultaneously, completing the task in one smooth motion.

The red oil churned, and the spicy, savory aroma mixed with the charred scent from the griddle, shooting straight into the sky.

The eyes of the thousands of Red Wolf Players nearby turned green.

"Gulp... gulp..."

The sound of swallowing saliva rang out in unison.

"Oh my god, I'm dizzy from the smell!"

"Lao Ma!! Master Ma!! Grandpa Ma!! Give me a bite quickly!"

"The kid's drool is about to form a river!!"

"Get lost! The first bite must go to the Boss!"

Lao Ma scolded the green-eyed players around him and drove them away.

Carrying two huge trays, he trotted happily all the way to the Red Wolf Tank not far away.

"Boss!"

Lao Ma said with a face full of smiles, holding the trays up like he was presenting a treasure.

"The first batch is out!"

"This one is the secret recipe teppanyaki squid!"

"This one is the stir-fried spicy squid tentacles!"

Lu Yuan leaned against the armor of the Red Wolf Tank, smelling the exotic aroma that went straight to his brain, his appetite greatly stimulated.

He took the trays: "Thanks for your hard work, Lao Ma. This aroma is incredible."

"It's all thanks to you, Boss. This squid meat is simply top-tier!"

Lao Ma rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Hehe! Boss, you eat first! If it's not enough, just call me in the guild channel!"

"There's charcoal-grilled giant squid coming later! And steamed squid with garlic vermicelli!"

"Anyway, this giant squid can regenerate infinitely. Tonight, I'm definitely going to prepare a full-course squid banquet for the brothers!"

Lu Yuan laughed heartily and gave a thumbs up: "Go on, let the brothers feast to their hearts' content!"

"Alrighty!"

Lao Ma wiped his apron and trotted back to the front-line cooking station.

Lu Yuan picked up a piece of golden, crispy teppanyaki squid and held it to the mouth of Xia Li, who was swallowing her saliva frantically beside him.

"Want a taste?"

She had wanted to refuse eating that disgusting Abyss Lord, but... the aroma was simply too intoxicating!

She opened her red lips and took a bite.

"Crunch..."

Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside!

Bouncy and bursting with juice!

The ultimate savory and sweet juices exploded in her mouth. There wasn't a hint of fishy seafood smell, only the rich, charred fragrance of fat.

The meat was extremely firm, with an unimaginably bouncy chew.

But because of Lao Ma's perfect cross-hatch cut, there was no need to chew hard at all.

With every chew, the savory, sweet juices locked inside the meat by the high heat would gush out.

It was like a violent tsunami, washing over every cell on her taste buds!

"So good!"

"Mmm... it's so good!"

Xia Li covered her cheeks, her eyes curving into crescent moons with happiness, as she exclaimed indistinctly.

[Ding! Consumed SSS-grade Abyss squid meat!]

[Mental Resistance permanently +10 points!]

[Water Attribute Affinity permanently +5 points!]

[All attributes slightly increased!]

Lu Yuan also picked up a pair of chopsticks and put some stir-fried squid tentacles into his mouth.

Numbing! Spicy! Savory! Fragrant!

The juices overflowed, and the flavor was explosive.

"Incredible! This SSS-grade meat quality, combined with Lao Ma's skills, is simply a masterpiece!"

Lu Yuan gave a thumbs up, not sparing any praise.

The two leaned against the Red Wolf Tank, taking bites one after another, eating until they were drenched in sweat.

Seeing the Boss eating until his mouth was oily, the thousands of Red Wolf Players around them could no longer sit still.

"Slurp..."

The sound of drool hitting the ground rose one after another.

"Brothers, don't just stand there staring like fools! Help yourselves and be well-fed! Quick, help Master Ma!"

Thousands of players transformed into the most fanatical kitchen assistants, rushing toward the logistics area with red eyes.

"Master Ma! My knife skills are top-notch, let me do the prep work for you! You just do the stir-frying!"

"Master Ma! The charcoal temperature is high enough! Dozens of giant grills are ready to go!"

"Move aside, move aside! I have ancestral garlic here! Let me mince the garlic!"

Driven by an extremely intense appetite.

In just a few short minutes, flames shot into the sky!

The aroma filled the air!

Not long after, the first batch of mass-produced Abyss full-squid feast was hot and ready.

"Dinner time!!!"

Thousands of grown men rushed forward like hungry wolves, grabbing the scalding hot squid meat and shoving it into their mouths.

"Holy sh*t! Hot, hot, hot! Delicious!!"

"This bounce! This chewiness! It's incredible!"

"It's so fragrant! And eating a bite even increases stats! My Mental Resistance went up!"

"Sob, sob, I've never eaten such delicious barbecue in my life! This giant squid is truly a living Bodhisattva!"

A group of people held grilled squid skewers thicker than their arms, eating until their faces were flushed and their eyes were filled with tears of joy.

The entire ruin battlefield had completely turned into an absurd yet joyful large-scale outdoor barbecue party carnival.

...

Meanwhile.

Not far away.

The Abyss Lord Kraken, who had fainted from the pain, actually slowly regained a sliver of consciousness.

It had been awakened by the living aroma.

"So fragrant..."

Its huge nostrils flared wildly.

The charred scent of the teppanyaki, the spicy aroma of the stir-fry...

A dignified great demon of the Abyss, its stomach actually let out a "rumbling" sound like thunder, betraying it.

"Could there be some god-level heavenly treasure appearing nearby?"

Kraken opened its single eye in a daze, looking in the direction from which the fragrance was drifting.

Ahead, flames were shooting into the sky.

Thousands of humans were holding chunks of meat, snatching food frantically, their mouths covered in oil.

And the things churning in the woks, the things sizzling on the iron griddles... no matter how it looked, they were exactly the same as the tentacles that had just been cut off from it alive!

The air fell into an eerie silence for a tenth of a second.

The drool at the corner of Kraken's mouth froze abruptly.

A feeling of extreme absurdity and extreme grievance instantly rushed to its brain.

"Damn it, ahhhhh!!!"

It let out a heart-wrenching, frantic roar in its heart.

"This is this King's meat, damn it!!!!"

"But..."

"Why does this King feel like it's so damn fragrant?!!"