Chapter 238: Chapter 217: The Competition 2

Feng Jun watched as Erica and the others slathered the reindeer meat with soy sauce. They then marinated it with a mix of sour, sweet, and spicy seasonings like vinegar, orange juice, cilantro, garlic, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder, before finally wrapping it in tin foil.

He let out a derisive snort on the spot, his face full of disdain for their methods.

"What are you laughing at?" Erica glared at Feng Jun, her hands on her hips.

Having her carefully prepared barbecue ridiculed made her extremely unhappy.

"Grilling such good meat like this is a total waste. You foreigners really don’t know how to eat. Fresh reindeer meat should be enjoyed for its original flavor, with just a little salt and pepper. You guys are slathering it in soy sauce and piling on the salt... will it even be edible when it’s done?"

Feng Jun bluntly expressed his opinion, frowning as he looked at the reindeer meat smothered in all sorts of seasonings, his eyes filled with regret.

In his opinion, fresh reindeer meat should retain its natural, juicy flavor. A simple grilling with a sprinkle of salt and pepper was all that was needed to savor its deliciousness.

"What do you know? This is the authentic way to make Mexican barbecue." Erica defiantly pulled out her phone, her face a mask of stubbornness. "I’m marinating this reindeer meat according to a tutorial. I admit your Chinese barbecue tastes great, but you use barbecue seasoning too. Who would eat it without any seasoning?"

However, Feng Jun was not swayed by Erica’s words.

He firmly believed that his way of cooking reindeer meat was the best.

"The essence of Chinese barbecue lies in the mastery of ingredients and flavors. The right amount of seasoning is used to enhance the texture and taste of the ingredients, not to mask their original flavor. Your method completely destroys the deliciousness of the reindeer meat."

Their argument attracted the attention of the people around them.

Everyone started to gather around, watching them bicker endlessly.

Of course, no one present had ever had Chinese barbecue. On the contrary, they were very familiar with Mexican barbecue, having practically grown up eating it. They were almost unanimously on Erica’s side.

HA!

Feng Jun let out a loud laugh and turned to look at Khilla, who was organizing the grill. His eyes were full of expectation, hoping Khilla would back him up.

"Brother Feng, Erica said that if we didn’t use seasoning on our barbecue back in China, not even a ghost would eat it."

Khilla saw that Feng Jun was clearly trying to stir up trouble and frowned slightly.

"Why are you bickering with her? If you have the energy to argue, come over here and get the charcoal started for me. We still have to skewer the meat later."

He had originally thought Khilla would take his side and refute Erica’s point with him.

However, with his hopes dashed, Feng Jun couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

So, he pursed his lips and reluctantly walked toward the grill.

Before he left, he shot Erica a contemptuous glare, one filled with provocation and disdain.

And who was Erica?

The little wildcat of the camp.

In this camp, she was known for her fiery personality. If someone rubbed her the wrong way, she’d give them a good scratching.

How could she possibly tolerate Feng Jun’s condescending look?

She immediately dropped what she was doing, strode in front of Khilla, and pointed aggressively straight at the grill.

"Khilla, I challenge you! Let’s see who the real barbecue king of the Crown Territory is."

Huh?

’Barbecue king?’

Khilla was slightly taken aback by Erica’s challenge, then a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Don’t mess around. Everyone’s waiting to eat."

However, Erica had no intention of backing down. With dramatic flair, she declared,

"No, I insist on this challenge! Only the weak fear a challenge. The victor will be the number one barbecue king of the Crown Territory!"

Sometimes, you just had to admit, foreigners could be incredibly stubborn.

Once they set their mind on something, they would stick to it obsessively and not easily change their minds.

Her words captivated the surrounding crowd, who all turned to watch with interest.

The camp grew lively, everyone’s curiosity completely piqued.

Some people even added fuel to the fire, raising their arms and shouting.

"Challenge! Challenge!"

Their shouts were like a flame, making the already tense atmosphere even more heated.

Hearing the crowd’s chants, Erica raised her chin slightly, a smug smile spreading across her face.

That smile was like a blooming flower, full of confidence and pride.

Khilla, on the other hand, frowned. He hadn’t expected things to escalate this far.

He glanced at the excited crowd, then at Erica’s determined eyes, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a calm, composed smile.

"Alright. How do you want to compete?"

Erica thought for a moment, a cunning glint in her eyes. "We can each pick three helpers. No secret barbecue seasoning, no secret chili powder, and we can’t use more than three types of seasonings."

Heh!

’This girl is sneakily clever.’

’She knows I have my own secret barbecue seasoning and chili powder.’

’That’s why she proposed these rules.’

Still, Khilla readily agreed.

"Okay, we’ll do it your way."

"What happens if you lose? What’s the penalty?"

"The loser has to grant the winner one request they can’t refuse." Erica’s eyes sparkled with excitement, as if she could already see the light of victory. "I’ll pick my people first."

After her eyes swept across the crowd, a wicked smile appeared on her face.

"I want Jenny, Trish, and Feng."

What?

Feng Jun stood next to Khilla, looking completely bewildered.

He never imagined Erica would pick him.

Jenny was a Two-starred Michelin Chef, and Trish was a head chef at a restaurant. Both were excellent cooks, and having them on her team would undoubtedly give Erica a massive boost.

’But why pick me?’

’Is it because she doesn’t want me helping Brother Feng?’

’This woman is so devious!!’

"Feng, get over here! You’re on my team now!" Erica shouted triumphantly.

Although Feng Jun was unwilling, he couldn’t act like a sore loser in front of so many people. He walked over to Erica’s side, looking back with every step.

Khilla smiled calmly. "I’ll take Nash, Yves, and Sun."

HA!

’I was just here to watch the show, I didn’t expect to get dragged into it.’

Sun Jia walked out of the crowd with a chuckle, his face full of excitement. He held out his fist and laughed.

"Brother Feng, how did you know I know how to grill skewers? I’ll show these foreigners what’s what in a bit."

"What guy from back home doesn’t know how to grill skewers? If there’s a fire, you just get the urge to grill something." Khilla also extended his fist, lightly bumping it against Sun Jia’s.

After that, Nash and Yves silently walked over to stand behind Khilla.

The teams were chosen.

Next up was choosing the seasonings. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Erica huddled together with Jenny and Trish, whispering in each other’s ears.

As for Feng Jun, he had been deliberately picked to prevent him from helping Khilla and was now being treated as a mascot, ruthlessly cast aside.

A moment later, Erica announced confidently.

"I’ll just take the Texas-style barbecue sauce, the North Carolina-style sauce, and the Mexican taco barbecue sauce."

These were three mainstream sauces in the United States barbecue scene. They were all-purpose sauces; as long as you were barbecuing, you basically couldn’t go wrong using them.

Khilla’s gaze fell on Jenny, who responded with a deliberately provocative smile.

"I’ll take salt, cumin, and triple-blend oil."

"Hmph, hmph. Then let’s begin!" Hearing the seasonings Khilla had chosen, Erica laughed triumphantly and announced the start of the competition, leading her helpers back to the grill.

The reindeer meat that had just been wrapped in tin foil was already finished marinating.

This piece of reindeer meat had been pre-marinated with various seasonings, which was against the rules of the competition.

Jenny placed it on the grill.

"You’re chea—MMPH!" Feng Jun immediately started to protest loudly, but before he could finish, Erica and Demi grabbed him. One covered his mouth while the other grabbed his shoulders, and they dragged him aside.

"Kid, if you dare say another word, you’re dead!" Demi warned in a low, malicious voice.

Erica, meanwhile, tried to entice him from the side. "That’s right, don’t you like to shoot? As long as you keep your mouth shut, I’ll treat you to 100... no, 50 rounds of ammo after the competition. How about it?"

Feng Jun pointed at the hand covering his mouth, gesturing for it to be removed.

Demi hesitated for a moment but finally pulled her hand back.

"100 rounds. For that, I believe I can keep this secret," Feng Jun said, a cunning glint in his eyes. He was clearly taking the opportunity to bargain.

"You..." Erica looked at him with disdain for his last-minute price gouging, but then she extended a hand. "Deal. 100 rounds of ammo."

Feng Jun broke into a triumphant grin. "The boss is generous! The boss is magnanimous!"

rounds of ammo was 500 US Dollar.

Having been fleeced, Erica walked back to the grill in a foul mood.

"Shut up. If we lose the competition, you won’t get a single bullet."

Now that he’d been bribed, Feng Jun immediately turned into a loyal lackey. "Sister Ai," he offered, "I can be a spy for you. I’ll keep an eye on Brother Feng’s situation and maybe even sabotage them a little?"

’Those 100 rounds of ammo weren’t a waste after all.’

Erica supported Feng Jun’s idea. It wasn’t like he was going to be any help anyway, so he might as well go over there and cause some trouble.

"Excellent. Go on!"

...