Chapter 72

[At 1:00 a.m. on April 10, the seventh case of foodborne infection was reported in Sichuan Province, marking the fifty-second case nationwide…]

By 9:00 a.m. on April 11, the seventh infection case in Sichuan Province had made front-page news.

“Will people die if they stop eating wild game or what?”

At that very moment, as the hashtag #SichuanProvinceSeventhCase# trended on the front page, Wang Feipeng was fuming inside the Blue Sky BBQ Restaurant in Kunming City, itching to claw at the table in frustration.

Wang Feipeng was the owner of Blue Sky BBQ. Before the torrential rains in Longnan, the restaurant pulled in 3,000 to 5,000 yuan in daily revenue, doubling during holidays. He’d been in the food and beverage business for twenty years, but now the entire industry was struggling nationwide, with the biggest issue being a shortage of supplies.

Since July last year, Blue Sky BBQ had tripled its prices, yet there was still no profit to be made, and customers could no longer afford to dine out.

Just as he was debating whether to switch industries, on March 20, Longxia announced three major breakthroughs: rice seeds, vegetable seeds, and forage grass seeds. The moment he saw the new seeds, he broke down in tears. In times of scarcity, seeds meant vegetables, and forage grass meant feed for livestock and poultry… It was the happiest moment he’d had all year.

Under the coordinated efforts of the Longxia government, the entire country was now fervently planting the new seeds. His restaurant was located on a street lined with BBQ joints, and after discussions with the commercial street management and nearby shop owners, they decided to launch a “Healthy BBQ” campaign, pricing dishes close to cost.

Longxia’s innovations were like a shot of adrenaline, and business had been steadily improving. Just when everyone was prepared to tough it out for another six months, on April 3, the first nationwide case of foodborne infection was reported. According to the interviewee, he had eaten a special wild rabbit dish at a BBQ restaurant, and that very night developed a fever and diarrhea. After three hours of emergency treatment, undigested food was found in his stomach, and the remnants contained large numbers of parasites.

The moment the diarrhea news broke, meat-lovers across the country were stunned. On April 5, the second case emerged, followed by the third, fourth… All the cases had one thing in common: the patients had consumed large quantities of wild game before falling ill.

Longxia’s Epidemic Prevention Department took the matter extremely seriously. National testing revealed that the meat in question failed to meet production standards—some of it was diseased meat scavenged from the wild. Combined with the unseasonably high temperatures in April, it triggered a large-scale outbreak of foodborne infections.

A special investigation team was formed in Longxia. In addition to banning the consumption of unidentified wild meat nationwide, they also cracked down on illegal distribution networks. From April 3 to 11, Longxia had already dismantled seven major sales networks and shut down seventy-three illicit restaurants.

With Longxia’s swift and decisive action, the food and beverage industry took another heavy blow.

Inside Blue Sky BBQ, Wang Feipeng stared gloomily at the entrance. It was now 1:20 p.m.—normally, this was the time customers came in for a couple of discounted stir-fry dishes. But today, after waiting two hours, not a single soul had walked through the door…

He took a walk around the area; aside from one cold noodle shop, every other restaurant was facing the same situation.

“Sigh.” Wang Feipeng let out a long sigh. This year had been brutal for the food industry…

There were two servers in the shop, both staring blankly at the entrance.

Wang Feipeng waved his hand. “No need to stay tense. Take a break.”

The two servers pulled out their phones to check the news. Trending across the internet: [Sichuan Province’s seventh foodborne infection traced to Xiangqiaoyuan Dumpling Restaurant.]

Beneath the headline was a 23-second video explaining what had happened at Xiangqiao Garden. According to the patient’s family, the man was originally from Qin Province and had come to Sichuan on a business trip. While passing by Xiangqiao Garden Dumpling Restaurant, he spent 88 yuan on a serving of mushroom and pork dumplings. The dumpling skins were thin and the filling generous—he enjoyed the meal so much he even posted a photo on his social media. It was supposed to be just an ordinary dinner. Who would’ve thought that same night, he’d be rushed to Sichuan Provincial Hospital for emergency treatment…

“I heard the wild boar meat was sourced from an unregulated supplier.”

“The boar had been dead for half a month. That’s disgusting…”

…

The two servers stared at the news images, their stomachs churning.

Wang Feipeng was watching TV. Hearing their conversation, he froze. “What dumpling place?”

The servers quickly explained, “Xiangqiao Garden—the dumpling shop where the seventh patient got sick…”

Wang Feipeng opened the Longxia trending topics.

Top headline: [The Xiangqiaoyuan Dumpling Restaurant and the Industry Chain Behind It…]

With meat prices rising across the country, unscrupulous vendors had turned their eyes to the wild game market.

Since the torrential rains in Zhongnan, wild game had become increasingly available. Many customers were substituting it for pork, lamb, and poultry. But as Longxia intensified its crackdown and food safety awareness spread, some residents reluctantly gave up wild game.

In pursuit of greater profits, illegal vendors began targeting ordinary restaurants and street stalls. They processed diseased meat—Dead Meat—into minced meat and sold it at rock-bottom prices to target eateries. These eateries then used the meat in everyday dishes, forming a complete black-market supply chain…

For the past six months, Longxia had been cracking down on this underground industry. But driven by profit, it was like a weed: cut it down, and it sprang back up again.

“I just saw the back kitchen of Xiangqiao Garden—almost threw up!”

“I bought two jin of buns the day before yesterday. Now I’m worried…”

“This morning I had a meat-stuffed flatbread. I want to go to the hospital for a stomach pump. Parasites are terrifying.”

…

Food is the lifeblood of the people. Although all the recent infection cases had involved people who voluntarily ate wild animals, this was the first case of someone being unknowingly poisoned. A glimpse into the bigger picture—it left people deeply worried about the safety of their own meals.

According to footage released by Longxia’s investigation team, the wild game processing sites were filthy and chaotic. Even through the screen, one could almost smell the stench of rot seeping from the plastic bags. The thought of that meat being turned into buns, dumplings, or flatbread fillings… it made people feel the world was full of malice.

“Please, crack down on these illegal operations!”

“This is worse than the movie The Human Flesh Steamed Bun Shop—I’m actually nauseous.”

“That movie was just creepy. This is real horror.”

…

According to Longxia’s follow-up report on Xiangqiao Garden, the wild meat processing sites were dark and damp. When police broke down the door, they saw half-meter-long rats crawling over plastic bags. Inside the bags were rotting, maggot-infested chunks of meat. Some of the meat products had been tossed into the same bag, with dried blood staining the outside.

The meat had been sourced upstream. After chemical processing, it was turned into fillings for buns, dumplings, meal kits, and other food products, then sold to end retailers.

Looking at the piles of plastic bags, the police sternly asked, “You expect people to eat this?”

The lead suspect said nothing.

The officer pressed, “If we made this into buns for you, would you eat it?”

The suspect smirked. “How could anyone eat this stuff?”

The police barely restrained themselves from hitting him as they hauled the suspects into the patrol cars. There were seven suspects downstream from Xiangqiao Garden—some wore blank expressions, others begged for leniency with regretful faces…

The Xiangqiao Garden video was just the tip of the iceberg, and netizens were horrified.

On the surface, Xiangqiao Garden looked like a mid-range dumpling shop—nothing about it suggested anything shady. But after watching the video, netizens had only one thought: How many more Xiangqiao Gardens are out there?

“My son gets school-provided lunches. I’m worried now.”

“My daughter eats at Little Moon Meal Table…”

…

People were deeply concerned about the safety of the food in their own homes. This outbreak was caused by rising April temperatures—it wasn’t contagious, but who could guarantee that the next meal or the next batch of meat didn’t contain Dead Meat bacteria?

“This makes me want to cry. I don’t even dare eat the frozen meat in my fridge.”

“We already have forage grass—meat will be back in six months. Why do people have to be so heartless?”

“I just want to live. Why does surviving feel so hard?”

…

Many soft-hearted netizens were brought to tears. Since March of last year, Longxia had been enduring one crisis after another.

The torrential rains in Longnan and Zhongnan, the grain crisis, the snow disaster in Longbei… People felt like warriors, standing tall and fighting through it all.

This year brought an economic crisis, but the country adjusted its domestic and foreign policies. Just last month, it released three new seed strains. They had basic grains, vegetables, and soon, an abundance of meat and poultry.

Just when everyone was starting to feel hopeful about the future, they were gut-punched by a foodborne outbreak.

Although this outbreak was linked to high-temperature Dead Meat, the root cause was sheer madness in the face of profit.

“April 12th, the third case of food contamination was reported in Gancheng, Su Province—this marks the 53rd case nationwide…”

“April 13th…”

…

Over the next two days, media coverage was dominated by reports of the food contamination crisis.

The outbreak was mainly concentrated in the Longnan and Zhongnan regions, with infections stemming from both voluntary consumption and passive exposure. “Food contamination” had become a national headline, and platforms across Longxia were broadcasting nonstop about the dangers of uninspected meat.

Voluntary consumption was seen as self-inflicted—netizens offered their respects and moved on. Their focus shifted to the victims of passive exposure…

Passive infections primarily occurred in shady restaurants and street food stalls. Due to the hidden and mobile nature of these establishments, even with increased police presence, some still managed to slip through the cracks.

Police forces across the country were conducting repeated sweeps, determined not to let a single illegal operation escape.

While the nationwide crackdown was underway, netizens weren’t sitting idle either. Avoiding meat from outside sources had become a widespread consensus. Though this inadvertently impacted some legitimate restaurants, it was seen as a necessary sacrifice during this critical period. Many parents began picking up their children from school and refusing school meals. They trusted campus hygiene, but the current situation was too precarious—they just wanted to protect their loved ones in their own way.

The national food crisis had erupted suddenly and spread rapidly in early April.

…

“This is infuriating!” At Fengshan Farm, Liu Wensheng slammed the table as he watched the latest news, visibly angry about the food crisis.

Longxia had endured torrential rains, a grain crisis, and snowstorms in the north… Over the past year, the country had faced disaster after disaster. If it were natural disasters like floods or snowstorms, he had the confidence and courage to tackle them—but this? This was entirely man-made.

“We’ve only just had a few days of peace,” Liu Wensheng fumed, slamming his palm on the table.

Qin Yun took the report from him.

He had been following the food contamination situation closely since the very first case. The root cause of the outbreak was a chain reaction: animal deaths → poor soil decomposition → high temperatures breeding corpse-borne bacteria → illegal vendors selling the carcasses. Untreated animal remains could trigger bacterial and viral infections.

Since March last year, Longxia had issued directives to provincial epidemic prevention stations. These stations regularly disinfected urban and rural areas, and county health clinics also reminded the public about proper sanitation.

Thanks to the cooperation between prevention stations and public awareness, animal-borne pathogens hadn’t affected humans. Just when the authorities thought they had successfully contained the threat, food contamination reared its head in this unexpected way…

Qin Yun considered himself a patient man, but when he saw the hideout in Xiangqiao Garden, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of righteous anger.

After reading the report carefully, he asked, “How’s the progress?”

Liu Wensheng, visibly tired, replied, “We’ve taken down twelve hideouts this week and arrested 317 suspects…”

…

Urban processing sites were easier to crack down on—the real challenge lay in the mountain hideouts. These criminals relied on the terrain and natural ventilation, making them a persistent headache for Longxia’s law enforcement.

“We can keep things under control here, but I’m worried they’ll smuggle the stuff out,” Liu Wensheng said, clearly concerned.

Longxia shares borders with several countries. While the government and media had done a good job containing the domestic outbreak, Liu Wensheng now feared that illegal vendors might smuggle the contaminated meat abroad. In fact, since May last year, countries rich in tropical rainforests like Sola and Morta had already seen underground trades of Acid Rain Dead Meat—transactions explicitly banned by international law.

Longxia had ramped up its import inspections for contaminated meat, successfully keeping it out of the country—only to have domestic criminals start producing it themselves…

After a while, Liu Wensheng said firmly, “Not a single one of these tumors can be allowed to remain!”

In times of global crisis, the people must be able to eat with peace of mind.

Half an hour later, Liu Wensheng went to report to his superiors, while Qin Yun left the office.

Thanks to the farm’s environmental buff, the temperature was maintained at a comfortable 15°C. As he walked from the Tulou to the farmland, he passed numerous agricultural researchers. Perhaps influenced by the latest news, many of them were discussing the food contamination issue.

Qin Yun made a round and arrived at a small slope on the southern side of the fields.

The pasture grass had grown from a fuzzy stubble to a lush twenty centimeters. As he sat down, three white goats grazed nearby. The farm had the Heart of Peace buff, and ever since the grass matured, herbivores often wandered in for a free meal. But usually, they left after they were done.

Qin Yun watched the goats for a while. After they left, he opened the System Interface.

Host Name: Qin Yun

Current Mission: None

System Points: 80 million

…

After browsing for a bit, he opened the system shop.

AI laborers, automatic harvesters, sweet potato dehydrators… The system store was full of items—mostly seeds and agricultural equipment already present on the farm. Over the past six months, most of his accumulated points had gone into researching seeds and equipment.

Qin Yun searched thoroughly but couldn’t find any high-tech items like “Hideout Tracker” or “Food Source Tracer.” After checking three times, he reluctantly closed the interface.

Truth be told, he’d been feeling anxious for the past year.

The agriculture team had agronomists, the biology team had biologists, the tech team had engineers… These were the top researchers in Longxia. The more time he spent with them, the more he realized how much he lacked in knowledge and diligence.

He was very clear about his role: a farm toolman—he went wherever he was needed. Only by everyone fulfilling their roles could the system farm reach its full potential.

Qin Yun was clear about his identity. But after being a toolman for so long, he also wanted to do a little more. For instance, with this food contamination crisis, he wanted to help—but he had to admit, he simply didn’t have the ability.

“Too stupid,” Qin Yun muttered, staring blankly across the fields. As a top graduate of Jinghe, he wasn’t actually stupid. But the feeling of being helpless in the face of a problem… it stung.

He sat on the slope for three hours. It wasn’t until Ba Mu came to call him for dinner that he finally stood up.

It was now five in the afternoon. The farm was still bustling with researchers. The setting sun cast a golden glow—it was a scene full of energy and determination.

Qin Yun adjusted his mindset.

After spending so much time on the farm, he’d learned to live with anxiety. More importantly, he’d learned how to face failure and acknowledge it. Longfeng-01 had taken 8,200 attempts before it succeeded. He might be a bit slow, but he was improving.

Half a minute later, just as Qin Yun had steadied his thoughts, the system updated—

“Ding! Congratulations, Host has earned a Personal Achievement: Unyielding Resolve. System Task is updating…”

Unyielding Resolve: Possesses unwavering determination. (Personal Achievement)

Unyielding Resolve was short and to the point, with no attribute bonuses.

Qin Yun stared at it for a while, then opened the Mission Interface.

[System updating. Mission currently locked.]

The system was in update mode.

Qin Yun didn’t think much of it. He had only taken a few steps when he suddenly slowed down. To keep track of the farm’s status, he and the researchers held daily scheduled analysis sessions of the System Interface. With over 300 resident researchers, each day’s analysis was a group discussion.

He had grown used to this routine. But today…

Unyielding Resolve.

Unwavering determination.

A personal achievement.

As a toolman, was he now supposed to share his thoughts on unyielding resolve in front of 300 people?

Qin Yun: !!!

…

“This the place?”

“Yeah…”

While Qin Yun was still wrestling with how to share his “achievement,” ten li south of Guihua Township in Dening County, Wang Dashun and Zhao Erxing were lying low in the grass on a small hill. This was the back mountain of Guihua Village—remote and isolated. Across from them stood a single-story house.

The lights flickered inside. Two red garments hung outside, and a blue mini-truck was parked nearby.

Wang Dashun switched his phone to silent and carefully opened the camera app.

Zhao Erxing lay beside him, holding it in as long as he could before whispering, “Brother Wang, if I get caught, you’ve got to tell the cops I’m a key witness…”

Wang Dashun kept his eyes on the house. “I’ll do my best.”

As he spoke, he used a backup phone to quietly dial 110.

Seeing how serious Wang Dashun looked, Zhao Erxing could only stare at the house with a complicated expression.

He was still the same Zhao Erxing from ten days ago—but those ten days had been a complete rollercoaster.