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...

Two kilometers from the frontline camp, behind a wind-sheltered boulder in the nameless Gobi Desert.

A campfire surrounded by dozens of stones of varying sizes was blazing brightly. On a simple rack was half a pig, plucked from the camp kitchen. As the Fisherman recited the essentials of Siberian barbecue, he sprinkled seasonings evenly onto the rotating pork.

Rich fats seeped from within the meat, wrapping the freshly added spices as they dripped into the fire, crackling all the way, setting off bursts of aromatic explosions—bay leaves, basil, thyme, rosemary, white pepper... Sun Hang had no idea where the Fisherman got such an array of spices, but that didn't matter...

Sun Hang couldn't focus on the Fisherman's ramblings; his attention was entirely captured by the fragrant roasted meat.

Sun Hang felt the glands in his mouth going into overdrive, secreting saliva, while the deadly aroma of the roasted meat kept invading his nostrils, tempting the deepest desires within him.

No one could resist barbecue, not even mysterious creatures, Sun Hang thought to himself. He glanced at Xue Yue, who was also squatting by the campfire. Her subtle throat movements showed she was swallowing saliva as well, her eyes wide with anticipation. In contrast, Wang Xiyi on the other side was more direct, asking every few seconds, "Is it ready yet? How much longer does it need to roast? When can I finally eat the meat?"

"Don't rush, don't rush! It's almost ready!" The Fisherman replied, somewhat perfunctorily, making Wang Xiyi retort, "Why don't I just add some fire to make it cook faster?"

"No! Definitely not!" The Fisherman quickly blocked her, terrified. "If you add your dragon flame, the whole piece of meat will turn to charcoal instantly, and no one will get to eat it!"

"I was just joking..." Wang Xiyi said dejectedly, "I should've taken more prepared foods from the kitchen. At least there'd be snacks to fill the stomach before the main course."

"With your appetite, that would just fill a tooth gap, wouldn't it?" Sun Hang rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a concentrated nutrient stick. "Here, want one? It's beef and onion flavored."

"No thanks," Wang Xiyi declined decisively. "I eat these compressed nutrient sticks all the time. Now that I can finally eat real food, I don't want industrial synthetic seasonings numbing my palate before the barbecue... That would be such a waste."

Although the specially supplied compressed nutrient sticks, improved by the Dubhe Tower research team, now come in sixty-two flavors, long gone from their original soap or toothpaste taste, they're still made with intense industrial synthetic seasonings to mask their pasty texture, something Wang Xiyi describes as feeling like stripping her taste buds with strong alkali.

"He's deliberately controlling the campfire temperature," Zhong Ling suddenly noted from the other side of the fire. "Higher flame temperatures would cook the meat faster, but they'd speed up the loss of moisture inside, making the meat dry and tough. Meat cooked at lower temperatures over a longer time retains more juices and has a richer flavor."

"Wow, an expert!" The Fisherman looked at Zhong Ling in surprise after hearing her insight. "This one clearly knows their stuff..."

"She not only appreciates good food but also cooks it well," Sun Hang said. "When there's a chance next time, you should try Zhong Ling's cooking. But be prepared, the disparity might be hard to handle after tasting her dishes and then eating other chefs' food."

"Really?" The Fisherman's eyes lit up, "If she's that skilled, can I become her apprentice?"

"Apprentice?" Wang Xiyi was puzzled, asking, "Why would you need to? Are you planning to open a restaurant?"

"Truth be told, my biggest life dream is to open the largest seafood restaurant on the Siberian Plain after I retire!" The Fisherman said, his eyes gleaming. "And my restaurant won't just serve ordinary seafood; I want to bring edible mysterious creatures to the human table. If mysterious creatures can eat humans, then humans should be able to eat mysterious creatures too!"

"Great dream!" Wang Xiyi gave him a thumbs-up, but the next second her expression turned a bit somber. "But... do mysterious creature hunters really have the chance to retire?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

For a moment, the Fisherman fell silent, but after a few seconds, he smiled again, baring his teeth: "Why not? Once we win this war, we can retire, right?"

"True... victory, retirement..." Wang Xiyi lay back, using her arms as a pillow behind her head. "For some reason, those words feel so distant to me."

"You're the top-ranked Hunter 'Night Slayer' in Tianfu City. Words like victory should be as familiar as breakfast to you. How can they feel distant?" The Fisherman asked, puzzled.

"I used to be number one. The current number one isn't me," Wang Xiyi turned her head to look at Sun Hang. "The kind of victory you're talking about isn't all that meaningful. It's like you kill an enemy soldier in a huge war involving the whole world; what significance does such a victory have on the entire battle?"