Food: My food truck can be upgraded indefinitely.

"Those who reap what they sow will not escape punishment!"

Uncle Chen turned back and looked at her again, his gaze as cold as a knife.

Four men escorted a tall, thin man to the edge of the crowd.

When Zhou Meimei saw the man's face, all the color drained from her body. She turned deathly pale, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

That man was the habitual thief she had hired to pick the lock.

"Zhou Meimei, just admit it. This afternoon you asked me to open the door for you, and you stole someone else's seasonings. Let's go, let's turn ourselves in!"

"Are you crazy! Who are you? I don't know you!"

How could Zhou Meimei admit it?

Like a cat whose tail has been stepped on, she suddenly bristled, pointing a finger fiercely at Ling Yun, her voice so shrill it could shatter glass:

"You're just trying to renege on your debt after losing, and you even hired someone to slander me! You can't accept defeat!"

At this time.

Wen Chong was passing by with a steak in his hand, his steps hurried, the pieces of meat on the plate still trembling slightly.

"Tiger Bro!"

Ling Yun spoke softly, his voice low but clear.

Tiger immediately strode forward, grabbed Wen Chong's hand, and snatched the wooden plate from his hand, placing it steadily on the table in front of the food cart.

Ling Yun pointed to the steak, his gaze calm as still water:

"If you eat it all, I'll admit defeat, I won't use this recipe anymore, and I'll even compensate you."

"You said it yourself!"

Zhou Meimei was overjoyed, her eyes instantly lighting up like two lamps.

She snatched her knife and fork, held the steak down with her left fork, and swiftly sliced ​​off a piece with the knife in her right hand. She blew on it, put it in her mouth, puffed out her cheeks, and began to chew heartily.

"I'm telling you... ugh..."

Caught completely off guard, before she could even finish speaking, she felt a pungent, salty taste hit her head like a punch, filling her nasal cavity and throat with a strange, salty, bitter, and fishy smell.

She abruptly turned her head, bent over, and spat out the steak she was holding, her stomach churning as she dry-heaved twice.

"Hahaha! Serves you right! You bastard, serving me such a awful steak!"

Judge Number One clapped and laughed, thrilled that his forbearance had paid off.

"Oh shit!"

Zhou Meimei spat out several times, still feeling a salty and bitter taste in her mouth, and her throat felt like it was being scraped by sandpaper.

That's when she finally understood.

Why did those people only take one bite and then stop?

If it weren't for the friends she brought along, these people would probably have been the first to jump up and curse.

"Cousin!"

Zhou Meimei screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking:

"What kind of monstrosity is this? How much salt did you put in? It still... it still stinks!"

She was completely baffled.

Even if it didn't use Lingyun's ingredients, it shouldn't taste this bad!

What's even more hateful is...

The victory that was within our grasp has vanished!

"That's impossible!"

Cousin Zhou turned around, his brows furrowed.

He glanced at the color of the dish and became even more puzzled.

The color is fine, the steak is cooked to medium-rare, and the black pepper sauce is just right.

"Give it to me!"

Zhou Meimei was absolutely furious.

She glared at her cousin Zhou through gritted teeth, wishing she could smash the plate in his face.

"Fine, I'll eat!"

Cousin Zhou muttered something, nonchalantly picked up his knife and fork, cut off a slice, and casually put it into his mouth.

He vomited a moment later!

"Hahaha!"

Judge No. 1 was so happy he couldn't stop smiling, and he kept slapping his thigh.

He pointed at his cousin Zhou and shouted with pride:

"I held back my vomit just to see this!"

He turned to look at the judges behind him, and several of them exchanged a smug and subtle glance with him.

This prank, which resembled a game of musical chairs, ultimately backfired and ended up back in the hands of the original owner.

Absolutely wonderful!

"That's impossible...that's impossible...I didn't add too much salt!"

My cousin Zhou was completely dumbfounded.

He held his head in his hands, staring unfocused at the steak, repeating the same phrase over and over again.

"You stole the spice recipe from me, but you've made a mistake!"

Ling Yun's voice, amplified through the loudspeaker, resounded throughout the venue like a thunderclap, each word clearly enunciated:

"You received two ingredients: black pepper and my secret blend of spices. You instinctively assumed that the black pepper was for use as a sauce."

He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Unfortunately, you're wrong. The black pepper I blended was just a habit I developed from cooking; I didn't actually use it. My secret spice blend is for making sauces, but you used it as a marinade. The longer you marinate it, the saltier and more bitter it becomes!"

With a clang.

The knife and fork in Zhou's hand fell to the ground, bounced twice, and made a crisp metallic clanging sound.

This result.

This was something he never expected.

Ling Yun continued to sneer, his voice devoid of any pity:

"You're so confident because you saw my cooking techniques at Wen's Kitchen before, and you know I used to use black pepper as a sauce, so you came to compete with me without even trying it!"

He stretched out his hand, fingers spread, pointing towards the judges' table:

"When I see your steak and no one else can even take a bite, I know you've already lost!"

He shook his head, a hint of regret in his voice:

"You not only lost to me, you also lost to your own carelessness, your arrogance in looking down on me, and your blindness to your own skills."

The words had barely left his lips.

For a full three seconds, no one spoke; even breathing could be clearly heard.

"good!"

Judge number one clapped until his hands were red and shouted at the top of his lungs, "That's the true mark of a master chef!"

"good!"

"Well said!"

The applause was thunderous, like waves crashing against the rocks, one after another, lasting for a long time.

Li He covered her mouth tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

She watched as the number of viewers in the live stream soared to over 10,000, and the numbers kept jumping wildly, knowing that Ling Yun had become a complete internet sensation!

Seeing this, Xiao Wu quietly tiptoed away, clutching the microphone, and ran off like a mouse with the photographer.

The hype is high tonight, but none of the footage she filmed is usable.

She knew it very well.

After tonight, Xiao Wu's help might really become Xiao Wu's goodbye.

With so many people in front of the camera, she definitely played the villain this time.

Zhou Meimei also wanted to leave.

But as soon as she took a step, several police officers blocked her from the side, each grabbing one of her arms:

"Someone has turned themselves in, saying they committed burglary at your instigation. Come with us!"

She suddenly turned her head to look at Wen Chong, her expression pleading for help.

Wen Chong shuddered in fright, waving his hands frantically, his face turning pale.

"I...I don't know anything about this!"

She then looked at her cousin Zhou.

He was still standing there, frozen like a log, unable to accept the reality before him for a long time.

"A bunch of useless trash, I..."

Zhou Meimei muttered curses as her voice faded into the distance as she was taken away by the police.

Uncle Chen led his men out and waved his hand:

"The farce is over, let's restore things to normal!"

Lingyun lowered her head and continued cooking.

The shovel traced a regular rhythm on the iron plate, the rustling sound like a tireless song.

The commotion of moving tables and chairs around him seemed to have nothing to do with him.

His attention was entirely focused on the iron plate.

A serving of twelve steaks is arranged in a row, flipped, drizzled with oil, and sprinkled with seasoning—the process is fluid and efficient.

After each cooking session.

System notifications would appear before his eyes:

Your base stats: Stamina, your skill: Frying, and your talent: Flame Perception have all significantly improved. Your skill: Stir-frying has received a slight increase.

very good!

Keep improving steadily until a miracle happens!

Lingyun focused intently on cooking, like a precise machine, stable and efficient.

Uncle Chen, Chen Chong, and Brother Hu stood not far away watching him, each with their own thoughts, but all of them admired him.

People who are destined for great things truly possess extraordinary composure!

Thanks to Lingyun's continuous service, order was quickly restored at the scene.

Diners raved about the taste of the steak.

The sounds of clinking knives and forks, chewing, and laughter mingled together as they chatted about the exciting things they had just experienced.

Li He typed furiously on her laptop, her ten fingers dancing across the keyboard.

She not only immediately posted an edited version of the video, but also started leaving comments and replies like crazy.

As more diners posted short videos and shared them on social media, the popularity of Chef God Food Truck continued to rise.

Within just half an hour.

It has already climbed to the top of the local trending searches and is among the top 50 trending video apps.

Even the local cultural and tourism bureau was alarmed!

I've been tagged countless times!

After settling his parents in, He Yu, covered in sweat, hurried to the food cart to scan the QR code and order. Holding his phone with both hands, he spoke humbly:

"Brother, don't forget about my parents' two orders of Chef's Steak... I've already transferred the money to you!"

Zhang Moli excitedly ran over, clutching the sheet, her cheeks flushed.

"Chef Ling, a lot of people are asking what time the queue starts tomorrow. Should we make some queue number signs or get a queue machine?"

Li Hexing ran over excitedly, her ponytail swinging behind her head like a flag:

"Lingyun, you're a sensation! Over a million views in half an hour! Over 100,000 followers! You're a celebrity chef now!"

Tiger also stepped forward, patted Lingyun's food cart window, and lowered his voice:

"Lingyun, Brother Li will be bringing leaders from the Culture and Tourism Bureau later, so get ready!"