Monster Dismantling Company

"Because this is... how can I explain it to you..."

The oil that instantly satisfies the brain, the sugar in the potato itself, and the thin layer of salt sprinkled on top are all good, but that's not the point.

The key point is—happiness. That's the most enjoyable seasoning he gets from these potato chips.

The transportation of potato chips results in a waste of space—a small bag of fried chips is packed into a large nitrogen-filled package. This means that potato chips are only transported when there is a genuine surplus of transport capacity.

At the same time, these potato chips were not manufactured for any specific purpose. They were not military rations, not staple food; they were simply snacks for leisure. Therefore, they were only manufactured during periods of free time.

In other words, these potato chips are actually an auspicious sign in the industrial world—people only have the leisure to eat such snacks when the world is truly at peace.

Li Lin truly savored this peace, tranquility, and leisure. His senses were more acute than most, allowing him to derive a unique kind of joy from it.

Just as legend has it, the Qilin feeds on auspicious herbs, such as lingzhi mushrooms and virtuous plants. For the Qilin, this is what brings it pleasure.

Now, Li Lin feels happy because potato chips are a symbol of industrial civilization and peace.

"Where did you buy this?"

"It was sent by my aunt. My aunt works in Kumgang State..."

"Take me with you! I want to go too, I want to buy potato chips."

"Wait a minute...didn't your ticket say you'd get off at Raize?"

Although they were sitting in the same car and next to each other, they were going to different places.

Lin Zhiqing will get off at the final stop, Jin Gang Zhou, while Li Lin will get off at the stop before Jin Gang Zhou—Jin Gang Zhou is not on his way here.

"You're right... Calm down, I need to calm down..." Li Lin pressed his forehead. "I can't let temptation defeat me..."

"But is it really necessary?" Lin Zhiqing took a bite herself. "These are just regular potato chips. Although you can't buy them in Ningzhou, they're not actually that expensive."

Li Lin shook his head. That's what makes potato chips so precious—why aren't they expensive in Ningzhou, and why are they almost never seen there? Because Ningzhou doesn't have the leisure time.

That city was too busy. The entire city was built in a swamp surrounded by miasma, connected to the outside world only by rail and sea; it was practically an isolated island in the miasma. The whole city was in a state of constant tension, and many families, including Mr. Wang's, didn't have the habit of eating snacks.

Or, even if there are snacks, they are mostly scraps from local production and daily life, such as dried fish, dried fruit, and dried meat.

But potato chips are completely different. Half of a potato chip is air, and only people who are really bored would buy them. And only when the whole region enters a period of peace will these extremely wasteful bagged potato chips find a market.

For Li Lin, this bag of potato chips wasn't just half-full of air; it was full. Half of it was potato chips, and the other half was happiness.

A single leaf falling heralds autumn; this is indeed an auspicious sign.

"I don't really understand your hobbies... but if you really like them, why don't you come visit Kumgang Province?"

"I probably can't go; I need an invitation to visit."

"How about I ask my aunt to invite you?" As she said this, Lin Zhiqing felt like a weird uncle trying to trick a child with a goldfish. She never expected that Li Lin, who usually seemed so cold, would be so easily swayed by a bag of potato chips when it really mattered.

"Okay! It's a deal then!"

"Fine..." As if she had made up her mind, "Then I'll invite you. If we're not familiar with each other, we'll get to know each other better after a few tries."

Li Lin wasn't that difficult to get along with; he was actually quite easy to talk to. Lin Zhiqing gradually realized that she hadn't been using the right approach before.

Since Li Lin liked it, she pressed her advantage: "Oh, by the way, I have some other potato chips here, would you like some?"

"Other potato chips? What do you mean? Are there other kinds of potatoes?"

"No, these potato chips come in other flavors too. Look." She opened her backpack to show Li Lin, "This one's cucumber, this one's banana, this one's chicken wing, and this one's... White Deer? They even have that flavor?"

"A white deer?" Li Lin asked in surprise. "What white deer? Is it a monster white deer?"

"That's exactly what it says on the packaging." She took the bag of "White Deer" flavored potato chips out of her bag.

The packaging features a white deer – albeit in a somewhat cartoonish way.

A cartoon depiction of an albino sika deer appears on the packaging. However, unlike ordinary sika deer, the surrounding scenery is not grass and forest, but mountains and peaks.

The White Deer is a colossal beast with a shoulder height of 110 meters and a head height of 190 meters, as tall as a skyscraper.

Unlike Taba, the white deer moves with exceptional speed, its movement frequency similar to that of a common sika deer, traversing the land in a leaping motion. Each leap creates a huge crater, causing the earth to tremble as if in an earthquake.

This ferocious beast was cartoonized on the potato chip bag, made into a simple line drawing that even kindergarten children could make, which brought some visual impact to Li Lin.

—But the visual impact was secondary. When Lin Zhiqing opened the packaging, Li Lin's senses were truly overwhelmed.

Restlessness, unease, an irresistible urge to jump burst forth from the dark pocket, as if a small piece of a white deer's limb were truly encapsulated inside.

However, the packaging clearly stated: "This product contains no animal meat."

If what the packaging says is true, then it means that these potato chips are made entirely through seasoning, creating a flavor that humans could not normally taste.

In other words, the person who designed and manufactured this flavor of potato chips... he/she probably possesses the same senses as Li Lin, the five senses of a dragon. Otherwise, he/she couldn't possibly recreate a flavor he/she had never tasted before.

"Isn't this weird..." Lin Zhiqing muttered. "There's a really strange smell in here. I've eaten white deer meat before, but it doesn't seem to taste like this... Do you want to try some?"

Li Lin took a bite.

Although his normal sense of taste had already given him the answer, he still wanted to verify it through his senses:

Potato chips. Main ingredients: potato, salt, potassium chloride, sodium glutamate, shortening powder, diacetate, ethyl fatty acid esters, cysteine...