Sorry, Our Captain Is a True All-Rounder

Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Good Cooking Skills

They had to deliver meals to the soldiers on the front lines...

’Another dangerous mission, but we get to handle guns, so it’s acceptable.’

The group drank their Nutrient Liquid and went inside to start preparing. For some reason, there were even more dishes to cook today than before.

Gazing at the long row of meat piled in basins, the five of them stood there dumbfounded.

They couldn’t even see the end of the line.

They all turned to look at Captain Li, their eyes filled with silent accusation.

Lin Jingjing felt it was necessary to have a talk with Captain Li. She walked up to him and said, "Captain Li..."

"Not open for discussion." Captain Li shut her down immediately.

Lin Jingjing was speechless. ’I haven’t even said anything yet, and it’s already not open for discussion?’

Sensing Lin Jingjing’s speechlessness, Captain Li continued, "Either way, it’s not up for discussion. Now hurry up and get cooking."

"We can’t." Shi Feng finally spoke up. "There’s no way we can cook all this!"

The moment he spoke, all eyes turned to him.

Shi Feng took two steps forward, positioning himself in front of Lin Jingjing. He looked at Captain Li defiantly and said, "We only get one life. If we keep this up every day, we’ll be worked to death sooner or later. You have to reduce the workload."

Seeing Shi Feng’s courage, the others stared in disbelief.

Shi Feng was usually so meek and timid; they never expected him to actually stand up for himself at a time like this.

A relieved expression appeared on the faces of the other four. They had always worried he was too much of a pushover and would get bullied.

’Looks like that won’t be a problem anymore.’

"The five of us can’t possibly cook for the entire First Corps, let alone the soldiers on the front lines." Shi Feng gestured at the ingredients and continued, "We can’t even see the end of this pile, and you want us to finish before six o’clock? That’s absolutely impossible."

"We’re just Grade D, not 3S-class."

Captain Li was also surprised. ’This kid usually hides behind the women and is scared to death whenever he sees me. I never thought he’d actually stand up for himself today.’

’Some progress. He’s even learned to talk back.’

In a surprisingly good mood, Captain Li smiled and said, "Alright, in that case, just cook as much as you can."

"I’ll have the robots cook the rest."

The moment they heard that robots could do the cooking, it wasn’t just Shi Feng who was furious—Lin Jingjing and Feng He were incensed as well.

Feng He stepped forward as well. "The robots can cook?" she asked. "Then why did you make us do it by hand?"

"Isn’t that completely redundant!"

Captain Li shrugged. "Initially, I just wanted to give you all some practice, let you get familiar with the work. Who knew the food you make would be so delicious? Everyone who’s tried it says so."

"So, all the cooking duties fell to you."

’So we really brought this on ourselves.’ The three of them fell into a gloomy silence.

In the end, they said no more and, along with the remaining two members of their team, began the frenetic work.

With nothing else to do, Captain Li sat down on a break-room chair in the kitchen, took out his Controller, connected to the Star Ring, and started a game of Star Soul.

The kitchen was hotter than the area outside. Even with the cooling system running, it was no use.

The second all five stove stations were fired up and oil hit the hot woks, what little cool air there was in the kitchen instantly vanished.

They were all dressed in white uniforms, with coverings for their hair and faces.

As the heat blasted them, the five of them wished for nothing more than to soak in a cold bath.

Even Captain Li, sitting far from the stoves, started to feel the heat. Eventually, he lost the heart to keep playing his game.

After losing the match, Captain Li simply quit the game.

The air was filled with a delicious aroma. His nose twitched, and he stood up and walked over to see what they were making.

The five of them were working in focused silence. Captain Li stood behind Lin Jingjing, his eyes fixed on the wok of golden-brown pig’s trotters she was tending to.

His nose twitched again as he inhaled the savory scent. "Not bad," Captain Li complimented. "These stewed pig’s trotters smell incredible."

Captain Li’s sudden voice made Lin Jingjing jump. She glanced to the side and saw his eyes glued to the pig’s trotters in the wok.

"Want some?" Lin Jingjing asked.

"I do," Captain Li answered without hesitation, "but is it cooked through yet?"

"Not yet."

"Go get food from the mess hall," Lin Jingjing told him. "The robots have already taken out the first few batches. The soldiers who aren’t training are probably already eating."

"I’m already here. Why would I go to the mess hall?" Captain Li asked, confused. ’Won’t the food be fresher and more delicious right here?’

"Suit yourself." Lin Jingjing went back to stir-frying with her spatula.

The motion required immense strength, but Lin Jingjing didn’t seem to find it tiring.

Each turn of the massive wok seemed effortless, as if it were no great feat.

Seeing that they were genuinely overwhelmed, Captain Li eventually sent a few robots to help and even joined in himself.

He decided to stir-fry some simple greens. When he was done, he looked at the unappetizing result with some embarrassment.

’Some of it is even burnt.’

"Captain Li, your cooking skills are really something else," Feng He remarked as soon as she saw it. "You’ve burned the greens."

As she spoke, she walked over, picked out all the burnt pieces, and then placed the salvageable parts into a large basin for a robot to take away.

At half-past six, the last dish was done, and they began to pack the food.

They filled large, insulated containers one after another with the freshly cooked meat, working in pairs with one person packing and another assisting.

By the time they were done packing, it was already seven o’clock, and the team was utterly exhausted.

The other four went to get some water and rest, leaving only Lin Jingjing and Captain Li to load all the containers into a Space Ring.

"If we deliver it now, are they going to complain?" Lin Jingjing asked.

"It’ll be fine. We’ll just say we’re bringing them a late-night snack," Captain Li said nonchalantly.

’After seeing this whole ordeal today, the workload really is a bit much,’ he thought. ’I’ll have to go back and draft a new plan.’

’I only have these five people in the logistics department, and they’re all just Grade D.’

’If I work them to exhaustion, who’s going to cook for everyone?’

Once everything was loaded, Lin Jingjing put the Space Ring on her finger to keep it safe.

Outside the kitchen, Captain Li handed them five guns, as well as some backup weapons.

Probably remembering their last encounter with a mutant beast, Captain Li also gave them extra ammunition this time.

"Remember, your lives come first. If you run into a mutant beast, hide if you can. If you can’t hide, fight. If you can’t win, run."

After his general warning, Captain Li singled out Shi Feng. "Especially you. You’re scrawny and usually timid as a mouse. Don’t try to be a hero when it counts. If you can run, you run."

"Yes, sir!"

"Go on. I’ve set aside a late-night snack for you. You can eat when you get back." Captain Li waved them off.

The five of them nodded, then turned and walked toward the headquarters’ main gate.

Seeing them leaving on foot, Captain Li decided that was far too slow. He called out to them, then took three pallet-style hoverboards from his Space Ring.

"Take these. It’ll be faster," Captain Li said.

Seeing the pallet-style hoverboards, the team’s eyes lit up. With a collective "Yes, sir!" they immediately hopped on.

As he watched the hoverboards depart from the headquarters, Captain Li sighed. ’I’m really turning into a mother hen.’