Fear of food

Chapter 36 Baguette
If Big Pancake's guess is true, it means that if Chen Qi doesn't find a way to eat the cream cake, he will never be able to obtain other high-end foods.

Eating high-quality food to enhance his abilities is Chen Qi's only hope of saving his mother, and he cannot accept that this path is cut off.

However, Chen Qi still had doubts about this, mainly because he couldn't understand it...

Chen Qi: But if high-grade food objectively exists, how could the fact that I found one mean the second one won't appear? That doesn't make logical sense.

momo: Our city is already like this, can you still think about these things with normal logic?

momo: Think back, since the outbreak of food phobia, how many things have you encountered that cannot be explained by common sense?

Chen Qi was speechless.

Upon careful consideration, he realized that some things were difficult to explain even if the existence of supernatural powers was acknowledged.

momo: I'll teach you a trick, it might not be correct, but it will definitely work.
momo: I feel that ever since the food horror outbreak, the world is shifting from "materialism" to "idealism".

Momo: When you encounter strange things that can't be explained by normal logic, try thinking about them from an "idealistic" perspective. You'll find that most things become explainable.

Chen Qi looked at Momo's words and fell into deep thought.

Has the world changed from "materialism" to "idealism"?
Idealism, the power of my contemplation?
He thought of his wild food. Was the wild food simply there, and only he could discover it?

Or is it because of his foraging ability that wild food spawns around him?

After careful consideration, Chen Qi felt that the latter was more likely.

Otherwise, there's no way to explain why some foods would appear there.

There's no way to explain why, even after being exposed to the sun and rain for several days, the jianbing guozi still felt piping hot to him.

With this in mind, Chen Qi suddenly felt that many things he couldn't understand before became clear.

"Xu An'an makes bread, and the so-called cooking is just a formality. Whether it's frying, stir-frying, steaming, boiling, or boiling, she can turn bizarre food into bread. Because the cooking process is actually not important at all. Just like when Zhui Feng's takeout was rejected, it essentially serves a psychological suggestion function?"

"That seems to make sense..."

"Could this be explained by the foraging abilities of almost everyone in the group?"

"So, does that mean our abilities are actually all 'the power of my thoughts'?"

Just like Momo said, it's hard to say whether this idealism is right or wrong, but in Jinghai City, which is shrouded in food terror, it is indeed very useful for explaining various strange phenomena.

After accepting Momo's idealism, Chen Qi suddenly realized that the idea that "a person cannot find two high-grade foods at the same time" also made sense.

But... how do we get the cream cake from the hospital?

To get the cream cake, he had to enter the closed ward.

He had finally escaped from the hospital, and the thought of going back was something he deeply resisted.

Moreover, closed wards are much more strictly controlled than open wards; it's easy to get in, but difficult to get out.

Of course, the most dangerous one is Dr. Zhao, a parasite whose strength is unknown and who has been stationed in the inpatient department for a long time!
Cream cakes are too hard to get!
Just as I was thinking of this, Momo sent me another message.

momo: If you want to get that high-grade food from the hospital, you can ask other group members for help. They still have some energy and might be able to help you.
"Really?" Chen Qi expressed some doubt.

The members in the group seem quite united, but their fighting ability... is nothing to write home about.

Moreover, he wasn't sure if the group members were willing to help him.

Momo: They've witnessed your uniqueness and strength. If you just ask, I believe they won't refuse your request.
Chen Qi: But this is the first time I've met them, and the hospital is a well-known dangerous area in the group. Would they really be willing to help me?

momo: Everyone in the group knows that the scope of the food horror is limited, but only broad bean is preparing to escape Jinghai City. Do you know why?

Is the broad bean going to leave Jinghai City?
Upon seeing this, Chen Qi finally understood why he hadn't invited Candou on this trip.

As for Momo's question, he already had an answer in his heart.

Chen Qi: Probably for the same reason as me?
momo: That's right, they all have people they want to save but can't! We're also hoping someone in the group can step up and help them achieve this wish.
momo: Right now, it seems that you are the most promising person in our group to become a top performer, so feel free to ask other group members for help!

Chen Qi suddenly realized that everyone else had joined the group chat with the same goal as him: to save their families.

However, he felt that this was a good thing. Everyone supported each other, grew together, and deepened their bonds. Once someone had the ability to rescue their family, then the families of other group members would also have a chance to be rescued.

Chen Qi: But I heard that the family members who fed the swill did not become parasites, so why didn't they leave?

Momo: That's because he has people he doesn't want to give up on. He kept trying to persuade his parents and wife to leave with him, even threatening suicide, but his family always disagreed.

momo: When ordinary people consume bizarre foods over a long period, they may appear normal, but the contamination gradually deepens, and some abnormalities slowly begin to appear, such as a subconscious resistance to leaving the area that triggers their food phobia.
momo: Moreover, from my observation, weird foods may be addictive. Some people can't get used to eating outside food after leaving and eventually return to the area with food phobia. Of course, some people do manage to leave successfully.

Chen Qi: Momo, do you have someone too? Someone you want to save but can't?

This time, Momo didn't reply immediately. It took her a long time before she replied: Of course, otherwise why would I bother to create this group?
After finishing his chat with Momo, Chen Qi finally felt a little more at ease.

The next step is to find a suitable opportunity to ask the group members for help in obtaining the cream cake.

Even three cobblers can outwit Zhuge Liang; with help, one has a better chance than if they fight alone.

Just then, her phone vibrated, and Xu An'an sent her a picture.

Xu An'an: Image.jpg
The picture shows a baguette that is half the length of Chen Qida's arm.

Chen Qi clicked on the picture and carefully examined the baguette. It was long and thick, and looked very hard.

Why did she send me this?
Then he suddenly realized something and asked: "This isn't made with twisted dough sticks, is it?"

Xu An'an: That's right
Chen Qi: This works too?

Chen Qi was astonished. Xu An'an's cooking skills were nothing short of miraculous; she had actually turned a twisted fried dough stick into a baguette!
This shows that she does indeed have the ability to turn wild food into bread.

Previously, Xu An'an made the same kind of ordinary dry bread, but this time she actually made baguettes, achieving innovation and breakthrough in appearance.

This may be related to the unique nature of wild foods.

Chen Qi: What does it taste like? Does it have any special effects?
(End of this chapter)