I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

Jianghai City, the most bustling commercial pedestrian street in the city center.

There used to be a huge nightclub called "Night of Bliss" here, covering more than 2,000 square meters, decorated in a lavish style, which was a money pit for countless rich second-generation people to squander their money. But since the boss ran away with the money, the building has been vacant.

Today, however, the place is completely surrounded by people.

Passersby stopped and pointed at the gate, their faces filled with shock and confusion.

The once modern and luxurious gate had been completely demolished and replaced by an archway made of huge, black, seemingly still-breathing, unidentified bones (Leviathan ribs).

Above the archway hangs a huge plaque with black background and red characters, on which five large characters are written in a flamboyant style—

【Shenlan Seafood Restaurant】!

If you didn't see those words, just looking at the eerie and terrifying decor, passersby might think this was going to be a large haunted house or a funeral service center.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

At the main entrance, Jiang Li, dressed in blue overalls covered in paint, was holding a welding torch and making the final welding to a metal plaque on the archway.

Beside him, Fatty Wang, wearing a safety helmet and sweating profusely, was directing a group of burly men (cult members) in "Deep Blue Seafood" uniforms to move things.

"Be gentle! Be gentle, everyone!"

Fatty Wang's voice was hoarse from shouting, "That's our shop's signboard! Don't break it!"

Several believers were carefully carrying several large, transparent glass jars.

The jar didn't contain light bulbs, but rather clumps of fluid that constantly changed colors and emitted an eerie glow. The light was breathtakingly beautiful, yet it also carried a maddening quality that could distort one's vision.

【Color Out of Space】!

This is a "glowing jellyfish" that Jiang Li caught at the edge of the Devil's Triangle.

These energy creatures from the depths of the universe can devour all life force, leaving nothing but desolation in their wake. But in Jiang Li's eyes, this thing is just a "neon light that doesn't need electricity."

"Hang all these lights on the second-floor terrace!"

After Jiang Li finished soldering the last shot, he took off his mask, pointed upstairs, and shouted, "When this is turned on at night, it'll be all sorts of colors, absolutely stunning! Much better than those LED tubes, this is what cyberpunk is all about!"

The believers hung the jar containing the starlight with trepidation.

They could feel the thing inside the jar staring at them greedily. If it weren't for the specially made rune glass (actually ordinary glass that Jiang Li had coated with the remaining divine blood) separating them, they would have been drained long ago.

"Mr. Jiang, isn't your decorating style... a bit too hardcore?"

Su Qingge took a day off today to help out (actually, she came to supervise the construction to prevent any uncontrollable pollution leaks).

She looked at the chairs made from the bones of the Deep Ones, the screens covered with the wings of the Byakkis, and the Mi-Go Brain displayed at the front desk as a mascot...

She felt as if she had walked into a biochemical laboratory of some mad scientist, or a sacrificial hall of an evil god, rather than a restaurant.

"Hardcore? That's more like it!"

Jiang Li dusted off his hands, looking smug. "What do we sell? Wild game from the deep sea! The main selling point is its natural and wild nature! If the decor is too delicate, it will look unprofessional."

He pointed to the cylinder containing the brain at the front desk.

"Look at this POS system, how smart it is! It can even chat with customers!"

He walked over and patted the cylinder: "Hey! Brain! Say hello to Miss Su!"

The red light inside the cylinder flickered, and a emotionless electronic voice rang out:

"Welcome... you foolish carbon-based creature... would you like to order food, pay the bill, or perhaps offer your brain..."

"Snapped!"

Jiang Li slapped the cylinder.

"Speak properly! Stop using those cringey lines! If you say another weird thing, I'll turn you into a pig brain hotpot!"

brain:"……"

"Welcome... Hello beautiful, this way please..."

Her voice instantly became obsequious.

Su Qingge: "..."

This is probably the most humble advanced alien civilization in the entire universe.

"Mr. Jiang, has the menu been finalized?" Fatty Wang ran over, wiping his sweat. "We're having a soft opening tomorrow. We've already sent out hundreds of invitations. All the bigwigs and dignitaries in the city are watching us."

"It's settled!"

Jiang Li pulled out a crumpled A4 sheet of paper from his pocket, on which were written large, flamboyant characters in calligraphy (although the handwriting was a bit ugly).

"Come, let me read it to you."

Jiang Li cleared his throat.

Signature Dish #1: Grilled Giant Squid! Ingredients: Giant deep-sea octopus (son of the Kraken). Characteristics: Chewy and springy, an unforgettable bite that leaves you feeling warm all over, like you've had a sauna!

Signature Dish Two: Crispy Flying Chicken! Ingredients: Deep-sea flying fish (Bayaki). Features: Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with firm meat. Eating it will make your mind sharp, as if you're flying on clouds!

"Signature Dish Three: [Thunder Eel Rice]! Ingredients: Glowing ribbonfish (Thunder Element Lord). Features: Comes with microcurrents to massage the mouth, treating toothaches and mouth ulcers, and can even charge your phone (just kidding)!"

"And there's also [Sour Soup Leech], [Stir-fried Fish Offal], [Boiled Eyeball Congee]..."

Su Qingge and Fatty Wang broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.

This menu...

If an unsuspecting ordinary person saw this, they would definitely think it was a shady business. But if an awakened person saw it, they would see it as the catalog of a peerless secret manual!

Every dish is a magic potion that can transform a person completely!

"This price..." Fatty Wang glanced at the string of zeros at the end, "Isn't it too cheap? Only 8888 for a serving of King Squid?"

"Small profits, quick turnover!"

Jiang Li waved his hand, "We're a new store opening, so we need to build a reputation first. We can raise prices once we've established a good name for ourselves."

"Okay! I'll do as you say!"

Fatty Wang took the menus to be printed, already calculating how much money he could make tomorrow.

……

It was late at night.

The renovation work is basically finished, and the workers have all gone home to rest.

Jiang Li decided to stay overnight at the store to ensure a smooth opening tomorrow.

He set up a cot in the back kitchen, and Big Yellow lay under it, the two of them fast asleep.

The kitchen is very large, several hundred square meters, filled with various stainless steel cutting boards, freezers and huge stoves.

The [Nine Nether Soul Refining Furnace], which Jiang Li treasured, was also moved here to be used as the main stove. The fire flickered weakly, and the purple light cast eerie shadows throughout the kitchen.

Just then.

"Gurgle... gurgle..."

A faint sound, like a clogged water pipe, came from the drain in the back kitchen.

Immediately afterwards, a nauseating plume of black smoke, carrying a strong stench of decay, slowly rose from the drain.

The black smoke swirled in the air and did not dissipate. Instead, as if it were alive, it slowly condensed into small, winged black flying insects, each only the size of a palm.

These flying insects have no eyes, only a straw-like mouthpart covered with barbs, and a swollen abdomen filled with deadly plague venom.

【Abyss Corpse Fly】(D+ level gregarious evil spirit).

They are spreaders of plague and decay. If you are bitten by them or eat food that they have crawled over, you will immediately be infected with the deadly abyssal virus and die from festering sores all over your body.

This is the "grand opening gift" that [Eye of the Abyss] gave to Jiang Li.

"Buzzing..."

Thousands upon thousands of corpse flies poured out of the sewers, densely packed like a black cloud, instantly taking over the entire kitchen ceiling.

Their goal is clear—the top-quality ingredients sitting on the cutting board, ready for tomorrow!

"Destroy them...pollute them..."

A cold, eerie voice echoed in the void.

The swarm of corpse flies received the order and swooped down like bombers, landing on the prepared octopus and flying fish meat, where they began to vomit venom and lay eggs.

Good ingredients were instantly turned into a filthy mess.

Just then.

"Snapped!"

A slipper flew over from the cot and precisely swatted a dead fly that was about to land on Jiang Li's face.

"Damn it! Where did these flies come from? They're so noisy!"

Jiang Li sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes.

He turned on his flashlight and shone it around.

"Holy crap?!"

The scene before him instantly brought him to his senses.

The entire kitchen was swarming with black flying insects, crawling all over the cutting board, the sink, and even his pots!

"The hygiene here is appalling! Flies already infesting the place right after the renovations?!"

Jiang Li was furious.

This is his hard work! It's opening tomorrow, and if customers see this room full of flies, how can he continue doing business?

"This sewer definitely wasn't sealed properly! What kind of renovation team did Fatty Wang hire?! Thumbs down!"

Jiang Li jumped out of bed and looked at the food that had been smeared by flies, her heart aching.

"My meat! That's all money!"

"Big Yellow! Wake up! Get up and kill the pests!"

"Woof?" (Is there a midnight snack?)

Big Yellow crawled out from under the bed and saw the swarm of dead flies, immediately showing a look of disgust.

This kind of low-grade stuff is full of viruses and bacteria; eating too much of it can easily cause diarrhea.

"Don't be picky! Give it a bite!"

Jiang Li kicked it, then grabbed a bottle of insecticide from the corner (actually a bottle of highly concentrated exorcising holy water, a gift from Su Qingge).

"Watch my insect-killing technique!"

"Sizzle sizzle—"

Jiang Li took the sprayer and sprayed it wildly into the air.

The holy water transformed into a fine mist, enveloping the swarm of corpse flies.

"Squeak squeak squeak—!!!"

Those once arrogant abyss corpse flies, the moment they came into contact with the holy water, were like they had met their nemesis. White smoke rose from their bodies, and they let out painful screams, falling down like raindrops.

"Hmph, ordinary insecticides work quite well."

Jiang Li cursed and spat as she spoke, "You guys steal food! You're so unhygienic!"

Soon, the ground was covered with a thick layer of black insect corpses.

But new dead flies kept pouring out of the sewers, seemingly endless.

"Is this never going to end?"

Jiang Li stared at the drain that was still emitting black smoke, a ruthless glint in his eyes.

"This is forcing me to use my ultimate move!"

He put down the insecticide and turned to walk to the side of the [Nine Nether Soul Refining Furnace].

"Stove! Make the fire burn brighter!"

He kicked the stove.

The spirit inside the furnace shuddered in fright and quickly activated the lightning-struck wood, causing the flames to surge instantly and turn into a dazzling purplish-gold color.

Jiang Li picked up a large iron shovel and shoveled the still-dead flies, along with the contaminated food scraps, into the furnace.

"Since you like it, go in and eat your fill!"

"boom!!!"

The lightning and fire instantly engulfed the filth.

The terrifying heat and thunderous power purified and burned away all the viruses, curses, and resentment.

A strange smell wafted out of the chimney.

That smells... a bit like roasted mushrooms, and a bit like the charred aroma of fried cicada nymphs.

"Um?"

Jiang Li sniffed. "This smell...it actually smells quite nice?"

Looking at the charred and crispy insect corpses in the oven, a bold idea suddenly popped into his head.

"This stuff...it should be pretty high in protein, right?"

"And after being roasted in this oven, the poison should all be killed."

Jiang Li used the fire tongs to pick out a blackened "dried fly" and handed it to Big Yellow's mouth.

"Rhubarb, would you like to try some?"

rhubarb:"……"

It glanced at the charred remains, then at Jiang Li's inquisitive eyes.

To avoid being beaten to death by its owner, it could only open its mouth with tears in its eyes and chew.

"Crunchy and delicious! Chicken flavor!"

Big Yellow's eyes suddenly lit up.

Although this thing was disgusting in its original form, after being tempered by lightning and fire, it has transformed into a crispy snack filled with pure dark energy! The taste is excellent!

"Woof woof!" (Delicious! More!)

Jiang Li chuckled at Da Huang's excited expression.

"I knew it! Everything can be grilled!"

He looked at the swarming insects, no longer with the eyes of someone looking at pests, but with the eyes of someone looking at free food.

"Come on, come on! Don't run away! We still haven't decided on our snacks for tomorrow's drinks!"

"This dish is called—【Secret Recipe Crispy Black Cicada】!"

Jiang Li held a net and stood guard at the sewer entrance, catching each drainer as it came out, and then pouring the contents into the furnace when the net was full.

Deep in the sewers.

The mastermind (the Plaguebringer) who is controlling the swarm suddenly senses that his "children" are disappearing at an alarming rate.

and……

Through the mental connection, it actually sensed a... appetite?

That was the last feeling it had when its children were eaten!

"What's going on?! My plague army... has been eaten?!"

"That man... he doesn't even spare flies?!"

The plague messenger collapsed.

What the hell is this monster?!

……

The next day, Deep Blue Seafood Restaurant had its grand opening.

The entrance was filled with flower baskets, and luxury cars were everywhere.

Fatty Wang stood at the door, smiling as he welcomed guests from all directions.

"Please come in, everyone! Today's signature dish—Sizzling King Squid! We also have a new recommendation—Crispy Black Cicada with Secret Recipe! It's a rare wild delicacy; eating it will strengthen your body and make you immune to all poisons!"

As the guests entered the restaurant, the enticing aroma made their mouths water.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jiang Li, wearing a mask, was wielding a large spatula, busily working in front of the [Nine Nether Soul Refining Furnace].

"Ergou! Add more heat! Dahuang! Take that pot of 'Golden Cicadas' out! Tell the guests they must eat it while it's hot!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Jiang Li smiled with satisfaction as he watched the plates of dark, enticingly fragrant insects being served.

"Turning waste into treasure—that's the way to make money!"

In the corner, Su Qingge looked at the plate of dried abyss corpse flies called "Black Golden Cicada" and silently swallowed.

She glanced at them with her spiritual vision and found that the plague virus on the insect corpses had been completely purified, leaving only pure spiritual energy crystals.

"This...this actually works?"

She picked one up and put it in her mouth.

"Snap!"

Crispy, caramelized, and with an unforgettable aftertaste.

"..."

Su Qingge put down her chopsticks and sent a message to the bureau chief:

[Report: The Abyss Plague crisis has been resolved. Method: It's now served as a snack with drinks. Recommendation... Implement this for everyone.]