QT: The Rescue Of The Miserable Bigshots

Half an hour later, a rich aroma spread through the ruined mall, curling into every corner like a mischievous spirit. Even though they had already eaten their rations, the scent was so thick, so warm and homely, it made everyone's stomach clench with longing.

Several people, either openly or pretending not to, stole glances at the pot in front of Jiang Jiamian and Ling Zhuang. Steam rose in waves, carrying a fragrance that made mouths water. Just looking at it made the dry bread in their hands seem like chewed cardboard.

Who could endure this smell any longer?

Xiao Jinfeng cleared his throat, forcing himself to stand first. "I'll go check the inner rooms. See if any of them are suitable for sleeping."

The others immediately followed suit, scrambling for an excuse to escape. "We'll come too."

But just as they turned away…

"Wait." Jiang Jiamian's voice stopped them.

"I stewed a big pot." He said with a lazy smile. "Two people can't finish it. You didn't eat much just now. Why not eat together?"

The group froze.

Xiao Jinfeng and Chen Ran exchanged a glance, both looking a little embarrassed. Xue Fang's face in particular turned red, like an eggplant left too long in the sun.

They wanted it. Every cell in their body screamed at them to turn back. The aroma was unbearable, like a thorn drilling into their bones. But pride, suspicion, and sheer awkwardness rooted them in place.

And the longer they smelled it, the worse it got. The milky fragrance seemed richer than anything they remembered even before the world ended. Could stew really smell this good?

They rationalized desperately. It's just been too long. They haven't tasted proper food in ages. That must be why it smells so good.

But Jiang Jiamian knew better. The secret wasn't the fish. It was the water, the spring water from his soul space. No chef in the old world could match it.

Seeing them hesitate like children too shy to grab candy, Jiang Jiamian rolled his eyes. With an exaggerated sigh, he pulled several bowls from his space, ladled steaming soup into them, and lined them up in a neat row.

"Tsk. Eat. Why not? Do you think I don't know how to cook, or are you afraid it's poisonous?"

The system chimed in immediately, almost bouncing in his head, "Soup delivery! Hurry, drink it while it's hot!"

Jiang Jiamian: "..."

Jiang Jiamian's mouth twitched. "System, what kind of nonsense videos have you been glued to now?"

The aroma finally won. Xiao Jinfeng was the first to crack. He turned back, sat cross-legged on the ground, and picked up a bowl. Steam fogged his lashes as he brought the milky-white broth to his lips.

"Thank you." He muttered.

His movement started the chain reaction. One after another, the others sat and accepted bowls of fish soup, too hungry to resist.

With hardly a nod, they began eating.

Jiang Jiamian smiled faintly. "You're welcome." He lifted a bowl for himself, sipping leisurely, as if none of this mattered to him.

Out of the corner of his eye, however, he noticed one person hadn't moved. Ling Zhuang.

"What's wrong?"

Ling Zhuang lifted the bowl to his nose, sniffed, and his eyebrow lifted, carrying an ambiguous meaning. Then, very slowly, he took a sip. "Nothing."

But his thoughts told another story.

This soup wasn't right.

Not poisoned, no, that much he could tell. On the contrary, there was something beneficial in it. Something that would drive people mad if they knew.

He was a professor of biology. He'd seen countless formulas, concoctions, and experiments. Yet never anything like this, so fresh, so invigorating, so… wrong.

Ling Zhuang's gaze slid sidelong toward Jiang Jiamian, who calmly slurped his soup.

Interesting.

Jiang Jiamian eyes narrowed, wary of that unpredictable gaze.

Was this man really so perceptive?

Could it be… he actually discerned that something was wrong with the soup?

The Gale Squad, meanwhile, devoured their portions like starved wolves. The entire pot emptied in less than ten minutes, leaving only a faint oily sheen at the bottom.

Only Ling Zhuang and Jiang Jiamian ate with unhurried elegance, as though they weren't survivors of twenty days of apocalypse but nobles attending a dinner party.

When the last scraps were gone, the others finally remembered their manners. Chen Ran and Xue Fang both muttered, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Jiang Jiamian answered with a steady smile.

The shared pot of soup seemed to soften the previously tense atmosphere. Xiao Jinfeng took the initiative to gather the bowls and said, "How about we divide into pairs, take turns keeping watch tonight?"

"No need." Jiang Jiamian replied smoothly. "Sleep well. The zombies won't be back."

That startled them. "How do you know?"

Ling Zhuang's eyes narrowed. Was this idiot going to expose himself?

But Jiang Jiamian stayed relaxed. He plucked another piece of fish meat, chewed slowly, and finally said, "Did you notice the two evolved zombies? They were second-level. There's a level barrier between zombies. Leaving their corpses here is enough to scare off the ordinary ones. They won't dare step foot inside."

Chen Ran stiffened. His pupils shrank, shock flashing in his gaze.

How did Jiang Jiamian know this?

The truth about level suppression wasn't common knowledge. In his previous life, people only discovered it after many encounters with evolved zombies. Yet Jiang Jiamian explained it now, casually, like it was obvious.

Could it be… could Jiang Jiamian, like him, have been reborn?

The thought made his scalp prickle. No wonder this man had appeared from nowhere, so strong, so unpredictable. If he was also a reincarnator, then Chen Ran's own sense of superiority crumbled to dust.

"Level suppression? Second-level zombies?"

Xiao Jinfeng and the others reacted with simple confusion, unlike Chen Ran's spiral into paranoia.

Xiao Jinfeng frowned. "If that's the case, then why, after you killed one in the mall, did the zombies outside still rush in?"

"Because…" Jiang Jiamian set his empty bowl aside, gaze flicking toward the nearby corpses, "Those outside were led by another second-level zombie. They couldn't retreat. Without that leader, they would have scattered long ago."

Xiao Jinfeng blinked, realization dawning. "So that's it. I understand. But… how do you know all this?"

And just like that, everyone's eyes turned toward Jiang Jiamian.