My martial spirit leads me to Earth; I begin by submitting my skills to the Douluo Continent.

Chapter 44 Haha, Capital, you win.

"The mouse pulls the hair on the left side, and he tosses the pot with his left hand; the mouse pulls the hair in the middle, and he precisely controls the fire!"

"This isn't some dirty deal at all! This is a cross-species martial soul fusion technique!"

Before he could finish speaking...

The mouse on the head seemed to hear someone praising it, and excitedly squeaked, then tugged at a tuft of hair on the chef's head with its two little paws.

"Aww!!"

The head chef cried out in pain, but his body reacted beyond human limits, swinging his hand back with a dragon tail swing to arrange the dishes on the plate into a perfect shape.

Rob spread his hands, a "See? I told you so!" look on his face: "Look! What perfect teamwork! What a touching bond!"

Sheriff: "————"

The sheriff turned his head expressionlessly and said to his colleague behind him, "Write it down."

"Suspected of abusing employees, raising spirit beasts that pollute the environment, and causing serious mental pollution."

"The crime is compounded; two more seals will be affixed."

There is absolutely no room for negotiation.

Two huge white seals were affixed in an X-shape to the carved door of Juweixuan.

Recommendation: The environment is extremely unsanitary, and the business is suspected of raising rodent-like spirit beasts for cooking. The business is ordered to suspend operations indefinitely for rectification!

dusk.

As the sun sets, the afterglow is like blood.

Standing in front of the sealed-off gate, looking at the two glaring seals, Luo Wanjin seemed to age ten years in an instant.

His prized restaurant empire collapsed in a single day.

But he still did not doubt his son.

In his mind, which was filled with conspiracy theories, all of this had the most reasonable explanation.

"Dad—I'm sorry—"

-

Rob huddled behind his father, his fat face ashen, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

This pot is too big. If Dad finds out that I was the one who reported it, he'll probably have claypot rice for dinner tonight.

Luo Wanjin ignored his son's sobs and touched the seal with trembling hands.

Just then, a small, flat, dark shadow peeked out from the corner of the door.

It was that same rat that had been pointing fingers at the head chef just now, leading to the restaurant being shut down.

It seemed to know it was unemployed, and it squeaked twice dejectedly.

Luo Wanjin's eyes reddened, and he slowly squatted down, tenderly cradling the glossy mouse in his hands.

"Old friend—I'm sorry you had to suffer."

Luo Wanjin rubbed his cheek against the mouse's head, his voice choked with emotion.

The mouse, as if understanding human nature, stood up and wiped the tears from Luo Wanjin's eyes with its two front paws, then squeaked as if to say: Boss, it's all my fault.

"Silly child, this is not your fault, nor is it the head chef's fault."

As Luo Wanjin stroked the rat's back, he sighed deeply, his voice filled with sorrow: "Too cruel—really too cruel—"

"I heard that in order to bring me down, they actually trained their employees to drink toilet water—what kind of mentality is that? This is a ruthless, wolf-like culture!!"

Luo Wanjin held up the rat in his hand, pointed at the hamburger shop across the street, tears streaming down his face, his voice as mournful as a cuckoo's cry: "Is this the power of capital?!"

"To win, they'll abandon all human dignity! To pass inspection, they'll scrub the toilet cleaner than my face! This extreme competition is simply inhumane!"

At this point, Luo Wanjin was overcome with grief and hugged the mouse tightly in his arms.

The mouse cooperated by burying its head in Luo Wanjin's suit collar, and the two of them hugged each other and cried bitterly.

"Waaaaah—And what about us? We're still clinging to tradition, to the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature, and to the culinary art that transcends species and embodies a bond of souls—"

"We lost because we weren't ruthless enough! We lost because we didn't have that ruthlessness!"

"What a vicious tactic! To actually bring this kind of distorted competition to Nottingham City!"

Luo Wanjin clutched his chest, holding the mouse he considered an artistic treasure in his arms, and let out a defeated howl at the sky: "Is this what happens when you touch the cake of capital?!"

"Heh heh, I, Luo Wanjin, concede defeat! Capital, you win!!!"

"Squeak—!!! (Capitalism is so evil!!)"

Under the setting sun, the shadows of a man and a mouse stretched long, appearing both desolate and tragic.

Listening to his father and the rat's heart-wrenching screams, Rob shrank into the shadows.

Seeing his father's self-righteous, "The world is corrupt, but I am pure" expression, he could only bury his head in his crotch again, trembling with fear.

Let's return to the present, to the lecture hall at Notting College.

Rob was jolted awake from that unbearable nightmare.

He sat in the back corner of the classroom, his body drenched in cold sweat.

Instinctively, he reached into the large pocket of his school uniform and gently stroked a small, furry creature inside.

That was the former, actual head chef of his family's restaurant.

Now, this rat is the last vestige of the Luo family's defiance, the spark of hope for the family's revival.

Inside the pocket, the hamster seemed to sense its owner's emotions, poking out its sly little head and squeaking softly at Rob.

Rob sniffed, shoved the hamster back into his pocket, and his eyes gradually turned sinister and crazed.

He dared not hate that sheriff, nor dared to provoke that legendary food-type Contra who stood behind Nezha's Burger Shop and could create a food storm with a wave of his hand.

Are you kidding me? That's a financial behemoth that even my dad had to kneel down and admit defeat. How could a mere Soul Master like me go and throw my life away?

but!

Rob's beady green eyes were fixed on the arrogant figure in the front row.

"I can't afford to offend that terrifying powerhouse, but what are you, Su Yun, anyway?"

"According to my investigation, you're nothing more than a puppet pushed to the forefront by that big shot! Just a front man for capital!"

"I may not be able to defeat God, but can't I at least crush—God's dog?!"

He patted the pocket reassuringly, a malicious smile curving his lips, and muttered under his breath, "Mouse, watch closely."

"In the business world, Dad lost to his master behind the scenes. But in the world of Soul Masters, in this classroom where strength is paramount—"

Rob's eyes gleamed with cruelty: "Today, in front of the entire school, I'm going to peel off the skin of this white glove and ruin his reputation!"

Inside the pocket, the hamster seemed to understand these bold words, and cooperated by letting out a sharp squeak: "Squeak—!! (Kill him!!)"