Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 14 (Patreon)

Chapter 14: Cook

The room was shrouded in smoke, resembling a fairyland.

A few chain-smokers were leisurely puffing away while playing cards, surprisingly, a few men in the corner persisted with their workout.

When Marza entered, these people were engrossed in their tasks, with only the bald man and the chubby man acknowledging him.

"Boss."

Marza was used to this, bypassing the group to approach the bald man.

"So, you got beaten up?"

The bald man didn't continue to tease but leaned back with his book down and legs propped up.

The chubby man looked disdainfully at Marza's swollen face, which was half-covered.

Despite his bulky frame, the chubby man was stronger than Marza. Being able to maintain such weight in Meteor Street was an achievement in itself.

"Yeah." Marza, head down, displayed a flush of shame due to his swollen face, making him look somewhat grotesque.

"Let's hear it." The bald man, expressionless, showed a flicker of interest in the story.

Firstly, Marza knew the rules; if you're beaten one-on-one, don't expect backup. Group beatings were a different story, potentially warranting retaliation.

Since Marza showed up, it suggested a group beating, but the injuries seemed too minor for that, primarily because they were superficial.

"It was Machi, and the newcomer who's been recently accepted." Marza's tone was laced with resentment. Knowing his boss's temperament, he didn't exaggerate, recounting the incident as it happened.

After hearing Marza's story, the chubby man mocked, "Are you kidding me? You're as big as a bull, yet scared stiff by a kid?"

The bald man didn't react as strongly as the chubby one. He pondered, his calculating eyes flickering.

Marza, feeling guilty, had no retort to the chubby man's mockery but looked up, hoping his boss would stand up for him.

Suddenly, the bald man stood, patting Marza on the shoulder, "Can't blame you, after all, you haven't reached that level yet."

Level?

Marza was puzzled but dared not question further.

"Where are they?" The bald man grinned menacingly.

Marza was elated by the question, indicating his boss's willingness to intervene. Before he could respond, the chubby man interjected.

"Boss, Marza's so useless, even if you're leaving tomorrow, there's no need to stand up for him."

"Don't say that, we're brothers after all." The bald man glanced at the chubby man, his grin growing more sinister.

Typically, Marza's situation would be considered his own fault, unworthy of intervention.

The bald man agreed for two reasons: he deduced that the kid named 'Luo' also knew 'Nen,' intriguing him, and he was slated to be handed over to a mafia organization the next day.

The latter reason was key.

Since he was about to leave Meteor Street, with little chance of return, he could afford to unwind before departing.

He had a list of people to kill before leaving, with their fates already decided.

If those were the main course, then Luo and Machi could be the appetizer...

"Heh, hehe..."

Pleased with his plan, the bald man let out a low chuckle, his eyes gleaming with indulgence as he licked his lips.

His intense mood unconsciously radiated a menacing and maniacal aura, wrapping around him like dark tendrils.

Marza and the chubby man, closest to him, shivered and instinctively stepped back.

The others in the room were startled, dropping their cards and retreating to corners, feeling a sudden chill.

"Tell me where."

After a while, the bald man ceased laughing, picked up his book, and casually flipped through it, his wild demeanor calming down.

It was a thin book with an orange cover titled "A Thousand Ways to Die"!

This feeling...

Feeling the aura from their boss, Marza trembled, realizing he and the kid they troubled were "the same kind of people".

Asked for the location, Marza could only guess based on Machi's protective suit.

But he couldn't afford to use words like "maybe" or "possibly" in his response. He sensed that such uncertainty could be fatal.

Even just a guess, or unclear about the exact location, there was only one answer now.

Without guidance, Marza mustered all his courage, voice trembling, "The Junkyard outside West Street."

The Junkyard was vast, with divided areas, but Marza could only mention the Junkyard.

"Oh."

The bald man paused his page flipping.

"Let's go with this method then."

He muttered to himself, tossing the book aside and heading towards the door, expressionless.

The room fell silent, eyes following the bald man to the exit.

"I'm going out 'for fun'." The

 bald man opened the door and strode out.

Named Cook, he always considered himself a noble person!

After Cook left, Marza collapsed to his knees, soaked in cold sweat.

Even the chubby man couldn't bring himself to mock Marza's wretched state this time.

...

Outside West Street, in the Junkyard.

Exiting Meteor Street and looking around, one could see trucks laden with various types of garbage navigating through the Junkyard.

These truck drivers, perhaps out of habit, followed the same routes each time, with trucks from different places carrying distinct types of waste.

This place served as the world's dumpsite, with both affluent and impoverished nations sending their waste here.

Over time, the Junkyard's areas were unofficially divided by the residents into four zones: A, B, C, and D, not for garbage sorting but for convenience.

D zone, with the least resources and most chemical waste, saw fewer people, while Machi and the group typically headed to D zone.

Upon arrival, they split up.

"Keep anything that seems useful."

Following Machi's advice, Luo wandered alone among the mountains of garbage.

Unaffected by the miasma but repulsed by the stench, Luo managed to shield his nose with 'Nen'.

New to the area, he didn't rush to find useful items but aimlessly explored.

Suddenly, his mind flickered like an electric current, drawing his gaze to a pile of garbage twenty meters away.

Something there...

This thought surfaced in his mind.

Luo frowned, hesitated, but eventually approached the garbage mound.

As he drew closer, the subtle feeling grew stronger, guiding him.

Following the increasingly clear sensation, Luo braved his discomfort and dove into the garbage, determinedly searching.

About ten minutes later, his fingers brushed against something solid, and his consciousness sparked.

"What's this?" Luo gasped in surprise.

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