Fear of food

Chapter 43 Chen Qi's Changes

Coffee said, "In that case, we should prioritize safe and low-risk options, but we must also prepare contingency plans for unforeseen circumstances."

Zhui Feng suggested, "Since high-grade wild food might be able to call for help, let's not rack our brains to come up with a foolproof plan. Let's keep it simple."

Coffee nodded: "I don't think it's difficult. I can use the pretext of making a charitable donation to the hospital to arrange for someone to visit and inspect the wards, and then find an opportunity to bring the cream cake out."

"As for the candidates..." Coffee pondered for a moment, "Let's go with Swill and Wind Chaser! The success rate will be higher if the two of them work together, and their safety will be more guaranteed."

"Why the two of us?" the swill asked, puzzled.

Coffee rolled her eyes at him: "Who else could it be? Bread is a hospital intern, Biscuits are an escaped patient, and Big Pancake looks unreliable. Do you expect me, the boss in charge of donations, to personally go to the hospital to investigate?"

Zhui Feng readily agreed, "Then it's decided. If everything goes smoothly, the two of us can complete the mission."

Coffee shook his head: "It's not that simple. If the cream cake really can save itself, then we'll have to prepare a second plan."

Chen Qi continued, "There's not much to say about the second plan either. Once things develop to that point, conflict is inevitable, and only battle will suffice!"

Coffee frowned and said, "That makes sense, but right now we only have one derivative food with unknown effects in the hands of Gan Shui. We don't have any stable combat power. It's best to wait until Da Bing finds another high-level food before we take any action."

Chen Qi shook his head and said, "We also have a derivative food item."

"what?"

"Won't it be there once I eat the cream cake?"

"You're going to eat a cream cake right there in the hospital?" everyone exclaimed. "Isn't that a bit too extreme!"

"Too dangerous!"

Even Xu An'an, who had remained silent, couldn't help but try to dissuade them.

She was in the hospital building when Chen Qi was eating jianbing guozi (a type of Chinese crepe), and witnessed the bizarre and shocking scene firsthand.

"Do you want to incite the entire hospital building to attack you again?"

Chen Qi smiled and said, "As I said, this is the second plan, a last resort after the first plan failed."

"And what difference would it make if we experienced it once, or if we experienced it again?"

Xu An'an glanced at Chen Qi with slight surprise, feeling that Chen Qi was somewhat different from before.

Chen Qi looked at Zhui Feng and the others: "You all know the abilities I gained after eating the derivative food. The more people there are, the stronger I become, right?"

After thinking about it, Zhui Feng and the others realized that this made sense.

After Chen Qi eats the derivative food, he can control the appetite of the people around him. However, if there are no people or few people around, it will not work.

The more people there are, the stronger the ability becomes!

The protective instincts of high-end wild foods would attract everyone in the entire hospital ward...

Coffee pursed her lips: "But what if you don't finish eating? Or what if you don't even get a chance to taste the cream cake? There are too many uncontrollable factors. I still suggest you play it safe and wait until Dabing finds another high-end food to complete the qualitative change in his abilities before we talk about it."

Chen Qi countered, "How long will it take?"

No one can answer this question; finding high-quality food is entirely a matter of luck.

Some people, like Coffee, have discovered three high-end foods in less than a month, while others, like Xu An'an and Broad Bean, have yet to find any high-end foods.

Chen Qi didn't want to keep waiting foolishly with such a hope.

He didn't know how many servings of high-class food he would have to eat or how many enhancements he would have to undergo before he would have the ability to save his mother.

As time goes by, the fear of food gradually expands and its impact deepens, and the process of the mother being parasitized also progresses. Will it become even more difficult to save the mother?

Therefore, he just wanted to finish the cream cake as soon as possible before looking for the next fancy food.

He said in a deep voice, "Even if Da Bing finds another high-quality food, is there no risk in the operation?"

"I learned a lesson from my previous hospitalization experience: the world is changing, and our way of thinking should change accordingly."

“I overcomplicated things before, always thinking about getting discharged through normal means, but I was stopped time and time again, failed time and time again, and finally escaped using the simplest method.” “Or perhaps I oversimplified things, always thinking that problems could be solved peacefully, but in reality, conflict is inevitable!”

"As aliens, our identity determines our position, and we are destined to be on the opposite side of the entire polluted city. The conflict is irreconcilable! Unless we obediently accept the pollution of the strange food, there will always be conflict."

"If there's conflict, how can there be no risk?"

"Aren't we taking risks every day we live in fear of food?"

After listening to Chen Qi's words, Zhui Feng and the others all looked thoughtful.

Coffee took a sip of coffee, frowned, and said, "Risks vary in size, and the risk you took this time was too great!"

Chen Qi's eyes shone brightly: "The greater the risk, the greater the reward, and this time, I'm willing to take that risk!"

“I always gave in, endured, followed the rules, and avoided risks. And what was the result? My mother became a parasite!”

Chen Qi's words were like a sharp knife, piercing the sore spot in the hearts of Coffee and the others.

Since the outbreak of food phobia, they, like Chen Qi, have been rational, patient, and waited. What have they gotten in return?
Their closest relatives have turned into monsters and are hunting them down all over the world.

Unable to return home, they hide like rats in the sewers.

Watching my family members become more and more abnormal every day, I felt powerless to do anything about it.

Chen Qi clenched his fists, the pent-up anger in his chest about to erupt: "I can't always be on the defensive, I want to take the initiative once too!"

Zhui Feng sighed: "Perhaps we middle-aged people do lack some of your vigor."

Xu An'an glanced at Chen Qi again and felt that Chen Qi was indeed somewhat different from before.

When Chen Qi was hospitalized before, he didn't look like a mental patient at all.

He's been discharged from the hospital now, and he looks a bit like that.

But after all that, who can remain completely unaffected?

Coffee and the others could all see that Chen Qi was not as calm as he appeared about his mother's misfortune; he harbored a deep resentment.

"Bang!" Swill slammed his fist on the coffee table in front of him, gritting his teeth, "Then let's do it, let's fucking fuck it! I've had enough!"

When he chose to eat fine food today, he already had the determination to burn his bridges.

"The coffee table costs 60,000," Coffee said casually.

Swill's heart skipped a beat. He quickly squatted down to examine it closely and said sheepishly, "It's not broken. Expensive ones are just of better quality."

Coffee ignored him and looked at Chasing Wind: "What do you say?"

She didn't even bother asking Dabing; just by looking at Dabing's excited, flushed face, she already knew the answer.

Zhui Feng Xiaoxiao: "I'm not that passionate, but I'll help anyone in the group if they need anything, because I know you'll all help me if I need anything too."

"Alright then," Coffee said, arms crossed. "Since you've all agreed, I won't spoil the fun. Let's leave it at that."

"But let's make this clear first, this is just a backup plan. We'll prioritize implementing the first plan!"

"Of course." Chen Qi, Gan Shui, and Da Bing nodded repeatedly.

Coffee watched them rubbing their hands together, full of skepticism.

"Biscuit, since you don't want to wait any longer, when do you plan to make your move?" Coffee asked.

"The sooner the better!" Chen Qi said.

"Let's do it tomorrow then!" Coffee made the decision. "Let's refine the details of the plan tonight, and then take action tomorrow."

Chen Qi chuckled. Coffee was as efficient as ever; once she decided to do something, she wouldn't waste a single minute.

(End of this chapter)