Ch. 541..550

Chapter 541: Fortunate

“Moreover, I guess, the organizers won’t place birds that can really fly and walk. After all, would they just release them for nothing? Chickens and ducks, which can’t fly high or run far, are more likely,”

“We can search while thinking about the direction of the cuisine. As for mammals, it is not practical to consider pigs, cows, or sheep. The main focus should be on poultry as the main ingredient for the cuisine.”

“An artificial lake might be possible, but I don’t think it’s highly likely. If it were really placed in the sports stadium, there wouldn’t be enough space for an artificial lake, and the investment would be too great. Although the investment in the artificial jungle is also significant, even the Pingla Group has to consider cost savings in major investment projects.”

“As for seasonings, I suggest you all look more closely. This jungle has a high probability of concealing artificially transplanted plants that can be used for seasoning. The appearance might be more primitive, not the processed and ground versions that we commonly see.”

“Pepper, basil, mint, thyme, rosemary, vanilla, and parsley – all these leafy spices could be hidden in the grass,” Cindy Clarke said.

“I just checked the bags the organizers prepared for us. If everyone’s bags are the same,” Cindy Clarke opened her bag, “my bag has only salt.”

“If we can really find some herbal spices from these plants, it would be a great help for our cooking this time. It’s much better than simply seasoning with salt and more competitive.”

“After all, no matter how high your cooking skills are, it’s difficult to perform exceptionally well using only salt. To put it nicely, it’s original taste, restoring the most natural taste of the food. But if you can’t even remove the fishy smell, it’s too natural,” Cindy said.

Yannick O’Brian asked seriously, “Why would you tell us all this? These findings and analyses would give you a great advantage if you kept them to yourself and searched on your own.”

“I don’t know about the others, but as for me, I wouldn’t consider these aspects if you didn’t mention them. In the end, my cooking might be terrible, but it would definitely not meet the judges’ standards,” Yannick O’Brian said.

“Yannick is right,” Daniel Vahn said, “the elimination rate of this competition has been calculated by the organizers. Even if you don’t perform well among the remaining contestants, you can still advance as long as you eliminate the last one or a few. If you don’t tell us, you could easily surpass us by a large margin.”

“With your skills, you could definitely secure first place and stand out in this competition,” Daniel Vahn continued, “performing well in this round may not give you an absolute advantage in the next round, but it’s enough to leave a deep impression on many people.”

Cindy Clarke said nonchalantly, “But, Blake Walker has already left, thinking that I was deliberately wasting time. Why didn’t you guys leave?”

“Because we trust you,” Bartholomew Bailey said, “even though there have only been two competitions so far, we can see that you won’t resort to such tactics outside of cooking.”

Cindy Clarke smiled and said, “That’s why I don’t think there will be any loss for me to share my findings. As you said, if we want to win, we should win fair and square in the cuisine.”

“Moreover, even if I share this information with all of you, I don’t think any of us will be eliminated in this round,” Cindy Clarke added.

Everyone immediately understood the implications of Cindy’s words.

In this round, if there were no accidents such as not being able to continue and having to fire the signal flare gun, only one person should be eliminated based solely on the cuisine.

If Cindy’s analysis is correct, at least they won’t be in any danger here.

There’s no need for the signal flare gun.

It’s just an extra layer of insurance for the contestants to feel more at ease.

With such a massive operation, what are a few signal flare guns in comparison?

Excluding the dangerous factors and only considering the cuisine, Blake Walker has already left.

He didn’t hear any of Cindy Clarke’s analysis afterward.

That is to say, they are all on the same starting line.

While Blake Walker thinks that he is ahead, in reality, he is far behind.

Even under equal conditions, Blake Walker’s skills are the worst.

Not to mention now, when Blake Walker has missed so much information.

If someone has to be eliminated, it has to be Blake Walker.

As long as they don’t make mistakes and ensure that the food is cooked, they will already be better than Blake Walker.

However, there is no sympathy for Blake Walker among the contestants.

He brought it upon himself.

All the contestants couldn’t help feeling relieved that they chose to stay with Cindy Clarke because of their trust in her.

Cindy finished talking.

Everyone then split up and went in different directions.

As for whether or not Cindy had any secrets left, they all felt that it didn’t matter.

If she did hide something, it would be her own discovery, and they couldn’t blame her for not finding it due to their lack of intelligence.

But everyone felt that Cindy did not hide anything.

She shared such important findings already, hiding anything else would be meaningless.

Otherwise, it would be better to hide all the findings and secure her victory.

Now hiding something else would be pointless.

So, they didn’t doubt her.

Cindy chose a direction to walk.

She checked her bag again, taking out anything that could be useful and carried at hand.

There is a flashlight in the bag that would probably be needed when it gets dark.

There’s also a small fanny pack in the bag, which is suitable for wearing some straps to carry some tools in the wilderness.

Cindy took out the fanny pack.

The fanny pack was empty, with nothing inside.

Cindy fastened the fanny pack around her waist and took out the flashlight, attaching it to the fanny pack.

She planned to stuff any ingredients she found into the fanny pack.

Taking things outside would be a hassle.

Once it gets dark, she’ll have to rummage through the bag one by one.

It’s better to take out everything that will be used frequently.

Then, Cindy took out a Swiss Army knife from the bag and put it in the fanny pack as well.

The knives they chose earlier were securely stored to prevent accidental injury.

They are then tied to the outside of the backpack.

The only thing left in the bag is a small bottle of salt.

Cindy takes it out and puts it in her fanny pack as well.

After getting everything ready, Cindy walked while observing the ground.

As expected, her conjecture was not wrong.

She really found several kinds of herbal plants for seasoning under bushes and trees.

The organizers were quite thoughtful, deliberately placing them under bushes and trees. Those areas would not be stepped on, preventing from trampling on the plants.

Chapter 542: I’m Worried

Of course, these spices didn’t naturally grow here; they were planted in the soil by the organizers.

The big screen sometimes switched between contestants and sometimes showed every contestant in a split screen.

The audience members who previously discussed and agreed with Blake Walker’s analysis had their faces burning as if they had been slapped when they heard what Cindy Clarke and the other contestants said.

“This is just Cindy’s guess; who knows if it’s true? Let’s wait until she actually finds something,” some stubborn audience members said.

There were many such comments in the barrage.

Who would have known, just as the words fell, Cindy suddenly strode towards the tree.

She squatted down, and the camera followed her line of sight.

In front of Cindy, various plants that looked like wild weeds and vegetables grew in the soil.

The leaves’ size and shapes were all different.

Obviously, the non-professional audience didn’t recognize them.

But Cindy did.

She immediately picked a few of each, carefully identified them, and even tasted them to confirm.

Fearing the audience wouldn’t understand, Cindy introduced them one by one: “This is Vanilla.”

Audience: “…”

My goodness, she just said that Cindy’s guess might not be correct, and then she finds Vanilla.

Did she hear the discussions in the audience?

“This is parsley.” Cindy took a few steps and made another discovery.

Audience: “…”

“Cindy just has good eyesight, so she may be getting lucky,” a stubborn audience member said.

“I found Rosemary!” Cynthia Florine happily picked the rosemary and put it in her bag.

Audience: “…”

“I found fresh pepper!” Parker Honi said at that moment.

Audience: “…”

You guys must be here to slap us in the face!

“Cindy was really right.” Jasmine Hudson carried her bone-cleaving knife and nodded in satisfaction.

At this point, those who had previously questioned her had nothing more to say.

Along the way, Cindy had found Vanilla, parsley, Thyme, and Rosemary.

She even discovered fresh pepper.

Other contestants who had heard Cindy’s analysis also found a lot.

The only one who didn’t find anything was Blake Walker.

Because he never thought that spices arranged by the organizers would be hidden in those corners.

Blake Walker focused all his energy on finding ingredients.

But Cindy didn’t rush; instead, she collected as many spices as possible first.

Afterward, she searched for ingredients.

As expected, due to limited space, Cindy unknowingly reached the end.

She discovered the large screen hidden behind plants and trees, scrolling through a blue sky and white clouds background.

At this point, Cindy was completely sure of her guess.

She smiled and continued searching.

Finally, following the sound, Cindy arrived at a place where many chickens and ducks were free-roaming.

Although they were scattered, these chickens and ducks didn’t run everywhere, just pecking at the ground from time to time.

Cindy took a deep breath; even as a chef, these were necessary skills.

However, she had always bought chickens and ducks already prepped by stores.

Some were cleaned and frozen from the supermarket; some were live chickens or ducks at the market stall. However, the bosses would have them killed and cleaned, so she didn’t need to do it herself.

Now, for Cindy to do this, she felt some psychological pressure, as she couldn’t get past her own mental barrier.

At that time, Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown also arrived.

The two girls looked at the live chickens and ducks before them, hesitating.

“Do we have to kill them ourselves?” Yellen Brooks asked in disbelief.

“Actually, didn’t we think about this before?” Ava Brown sighed, “I hope we’re really on a desert island or something. At least I could catch some fish and shrimp.”

“Have you never killed them before?” Yellen Brooks turned and asked Ava Brown.

“No,” Ava Brown sighed.

“I thought that you guys from Pingla Academy could do everything related to cooking,” Yellen Brooks said.

“But killing live poultry isn’t something we’d do in the kitchen,” Ava Brown said, feeling her scalp go numb from looking at them.

“Cindy, what should we do now?” Yellen asked Cindy again.

“We have to toughen up,” Cindy said, “I’ll give it a try.”

With that, Cindy took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Cindy prepared to choose a chicken.

Duck meat is more fishy than chicken, and it has more fat.

The cooking conditions for this competition are limited, so chicken is safer.

There’s no need to take unnecessary challenges for this competition.

However, catching chickens wasn’t easy.

Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown saw that Cindy was taking action, so they looked at each other and went in together to catch chickens.

The three girls were making a mess but couldn’t catch them.

These chickens were running too fast.

The scene was chaotic.

“This isn’t working; why don’t we cooperate?” Cindy said, “The three of us can surround the chickens to prevent them from escaping, and another person can catch them. This will be faster.”

“Okay,” Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown both nodded.

The two trusted Cindy and let her catch the chicken first.

The cooperation was indeed much faster.

Although they were still a bit clumsy, Cindy managed to catch a chicken.

She held the chicken by the neck to prevent it from moving.

Afterward, they helped Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown each catch a chicken.

They caught the chickens, but the next step was the most difficult.

“I guess I’ll give it a try.” Cindy took a deep breath, looking down at the struggling rooster in her hands.

“We shouldn’t film this part; I think it might be too bloody,” Cindy said, “It’s not suitable for the children in the audience to watch.”

The camera operator agreed and contacted the director to switch to another contestant.

They would continue filming this side to ensure that Cindy and her team didn’t cheat.

Cindy took out the knife tied to the outside of her backpack, holding the chicken while trembling.

As the chicken squawked furiously in her hand, she reluctantly placed the knife on its neck.

She was on the verge of crying, trembling all over, with a pallid face.

Since the live broadcast couldn’t show Cindy’s side, the audience didn’t know what was happening.

Adrian Zhekova suddenly stood up.

Victoria Wheeler, startled, asked, “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to check; I’m not at ease,” Adrian Zhekova said.

Cindy, a young girl, was a wonderful chef, but she had never killed live poultry before.

These days, when cooking, who needs to kill their own poultry?

Ordinary housewives who went to the market had stall owners handle it for them.

Restaurants had their own supply channels, so chefs didn’t need to do it.

It wasn’t even necessary for apprentices, let alone head chefs, to do such work.

Adrian Zhekova only knew the overall planning of the competition.

He hadn’t asked about the details.

Chapter 543: Illusion

Unexpectedly, this problem occurred.

Even though the camera wasn’t focused on Cindy at the moment, Adrian could imagine how no one would dare to do such a thing to a young girl.

Besides, he saw her reaction before the camera switched.

At that time, she was already very nervous.

However, she had to endure it.

And, she had no choice but to do it.

The more Adrian couldn’t see her, the more worried he was about Cindy.

He knew that Cindy would never give up under any circumstances.

That girl, even if crying her eyes out, would persist.

But not being able to see her, Adrian couldn’t feel at ease in any way.

Even if he couldn’t intervene in the competition, being by Cindy’s side would be good enough.

“Yes, you should go.” Old Madam thought of it too and nodded, “But be careful not to be caught on camera. Otherwise, Cindy will definitely be questioned.”

Adrian nodded and left.

He happened to pass by Billy Houston and other higher-ups from the Racecourse.

Seeing Adrian coming, Billy Houston and others hurriedly stood up.

“CEO.” Billy Houston immediately called out.

“Find someone to take me in.” Adrian said.

Billy Houston was surprised: “Into the racecourse?”

“What else?” Thinking of Cindy’s situation inside, he lost patience, his face darker and colder.

“But the competition is ongoing…” Billy Houston hesitated.

“Don’t I know that?” Adrian spoke coldly. “Anyway, now the live broadcast is focused on other contestants, and I just need not to be caught on camera.”

“I haven’t even held you accountable yet. Even if you arrange outdoor cooking, what’s the point of making a young girl slaughter chickens and cows?” Adrian said unhappily.

“I won’t mention other families, but just among the restaurants under the Flag of Pingla, find me one where the chefs personally slaughter these chickens, ducks, cows, and sheep. I’ll give you the restaurant if you can!” Adrian was furious.

Billy Houston shuddered while wishing he could find one to prove it.

But obviously, it was impossible.

“This… this…” Billy Houston turned to look for Manager Zhu, “How did you plan this?!”

Manager Zhu didn’t want to bear all the responsibility: “The plan was also approved by you, President Houston, after you looked it over and signed it.”

Don’t think about placing all the blame on him!

Manager Zhu wasn’t afraid of offending Billy Houston.

Because he indeed had the ability.

Normally, there were quite a few confrontations between him and Billy Houston.

Although the two often had disputes, their relationship was pretty good.

And Billy Houston was broad-minded, not caring too much about being disputed now and then.

Billy Houston couldn’t help looking at Adrian, his eyes implying that

Adrian had also signed the plan.

Billy Houston hinted at it with his eyes, but didn’t dare to say it directly.

Then hesitantly said: “Besides, we couldn’t have prepared everything for them in this outdoor cooking.”

“Is the budget allocated by the Company not enough? Or do you think Pingla can’t allocate more funds? Come for the budget if it’s not enough! Can’t you build a small artificial lake and raise some fish, shrimp, and crabs for them to catch?” Adrian was angry enough.

Billy Houston: “…”

“What are you waiting for!” Adrian said, “Lead the way!”

“Yes! Yes!” Billy Houston didn’t dare to say more and hurriedly led the way.

Moreover, he felt that he couldn’t bear the pressure from the scumbag CEO alone.

So he called all the higher-ups who were present today to leave together.

Everyone: “…”

Who did they provoke?

Originally, because the scumbag CEO’s girlfriend, Cindy, was here, it would be inappropriate for them not to come.

At times like these, standing out was not an option.

So, they all came.

Some of them were watching the competition on site for the first time today.

Who knew that the first time coming would encounter this situation? How unlucky!

So, they left with a grandiose appearance, escorting Adrian.

The VIP seats were suddenly quite empty.

In the end, only the higher-ups from Pingla’s head office, the four elders of the Zhekova Family, and little Morgan remained.

Adrian was worried that the scene of the chicken slaughter would be too bloody, so he didn’t take Morgan with him.

The high-level executives of Pingla really wanted to follow and join the excitement.

Unfortunately, seeing the scumbag CEO so angry,

they didn’t dare to provoke him at this moment.

On the way, Adrian said solemnly: “I won’t hold you accountable for this. I also signed the plan, so it’s my negligence for not considering this aspect. So, you can’t blame all the responsibility on yourselves.”

Billy Houston chuckled secretly.

This was also why, despite the scumbag CEO’s temper being so unpredictable, they were still willing to work under him.

Although Adrian had a short temper, he took responsibility for his faults and didn’t deny them.

Whoever made the mistake, held the responsibility.

Working under him, they never had to worry about taking the blame for him.

This kind of responsibility made them trust him even more.

For the sake of easy evacuation, in case of any emergency, they could be guided away as quickly as possible.

So, multiple entrances were set up in the simulated jungle.

Adrian and his party arrived at the entrance closest to Cindy.

After entering, Adrian strode towards Cindy’s direction.

Inside every contestant’s bag, a GPS tracker was hidden in the seams.

Manager Zhu got the device.

Following the display on the GPS, they quickly located Cindy.

When Adrian arrived, he saw Cindy’s face pale, and she was trying hard to hold back her tears.

“Cindy!” Adrian called.

However, Cindy’s gaze stayed fixed on the ground not far from her feet.

As if she hadn’t heard his call at all.

“Cindy!” Adrian called out louder.

Finally, he brought Cindy back to her senses.

Cindy looked over at the sound.

Seeing Adrian unexpectedly appearing in front of her, Cindy was dumbfounded.

She closed her eyes for a while before opening them again, and Adrian was still there.

Cindy thought to herself if she was hallucinating so vividly because she was highly stressed.

She raised her fist and slammed it down hard on her head.

She didn’t hold back at all. Adrian even heard a “bang” sound.

Adrian never expected that Cindy would suddenly do this to herself.

He had no time to prepare, and it was too late to stop her.

Quickly rushing over in a few steps, he grabbed her fist, “What are you doing?”

Cindy then realized Adrian had really come.

“Why are you here?” Cindy was amazed, “I’m in the middle of the competition.”

“Worried about you.” Adrian simply said these three words.

He could still feel Cindy trembling.

“How are you? Are you okay?” Adrian asked.

Cindy nodded, not calm at all, “I’m fine.”

But Adrian could tell she was far from fine.

He looked in the direction where Cindy had been staring.

Chapter 544: Proof

First, she saw a chicken head on the ground.

Not far away, the chicken’s body lay on the ground.

But, the body was still moving.

Due to pain, the wings were constantly twitching.

“I… I just cut off the chicken’s head, I didn’t expect its body to still be moving,” Cindy Clarke trembled.

There was some chicken blood on her body.

Adrian Zhekova held her in his arms without any disgust and didn’t care how the other contestants looked.

“It’s okay now,” Adrian Zhekova whispered, stroking the back of her head and her back. “It’s okay now.”

“My… my hands are shaking,” Cindy said, “I think, I think I can’t touch that chicken anymore.”

“As a chef, I can’t even do this, I’m not qualified at all,” Cindy thought of what just happened and still had goosebumps all over her body.

“Tell me, what did you do just now?” Adrian Zhekova asked in a low voice.

“I… I was holding the chicken by its neck,” Cindy said, “Its wings were flapping. I didn’t know how to grab its wings. If I did, it would peck my hand.”

“I could only hold its neck and use a knife… use a knife to cut its neck…” Cindy said intermittently, “But it kept moving, I couldn’t accurately use force, so… I just chopped it on the ground .”

She had really chopped off the chicken’s head.

But the chicken’s head was separated from its body, and its body still twitched on the ground.

At first, the chicken’s body almost fluttered up.

Not to mention Cindy, who had acted on it herself, even Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown were shocked.

“When I close my eyes now, that chicken head is staring at me,” Cindy covered her face, and all ten fingers were trembling.

“Sorry, I came late,” Adrian Zhekova held Cindy, regretting so much.

Why didn’t he read the plan carefully?

Why did he come so slow!

He should have come faster and earlier.

If he had come, he would have killed the chicken for her.

Cindy shook her head: “What’s the use of you coming early, I can’t let you do it.”

Adrian Zhekova was immediately speechless.

“Not let me do it?” Adrian Zhekova asked her.

“This is my competition,” Cindy said, sniffing.

From the moment she started, there were tears in her eyes, but they never fell.

Even when she saw Adrian Zhekova, she didn’t let her tears fall.

On the contrary, she controlled them and forced the tears back.

She didn’t like the weak, weeping appearance when she met Adrian Zhekova.

What does this look like!

When Adrian Zhekova wasn’t there, she could bear anything.

As soon as Adrian Zhekova arrived, she cried.

Was it worth being so weak?

Anyway, that’s what Cindy thought.

“Even if it’s not you, it’s not allowed to let others do it,” Cindy said, “Since the competition has set such rules, I have to abide by them.”

“Otherwise, if I let someone help, is it possible for others to let someone help? If they don’t let them find someone to help, it’s very unfair,” Cindy said in frustration.

“So, even if you come early, I can’t let you help,” Cindy sniffed, “You just need to be there for moral support.”

Adrian Zhekova: “…”

So, actually, there was no use for him to come.

Adrian Zhekova suddenly felt that he was really useless.

He must scold the planner when he goes back!

Seeing the frustrated look on Adrian Zhekova’s face, Cindy couldn’t help but smile and said, “But, because you’re here, I feel much better now.”

Adrian Zhekova sighed and wrapped her hand in his palm, “Really better?”

Cindy nodded: “Maybe it’s still a little uncomfortable, but it’s much better than before.”

Especially the hand she had pinched the chicken’s neck with was now wrapped in Adrian Zhekova’s palm.

The warmth of his palm warmed her palm as well.

Originally, every time Cindy thought of the touch on her hand and the appearance of the chicken head falling to the ground, she would get goosebumps all over her body.

But now, because of warmth, it was much better.

“I can continue the competition,” Cindy said.

Adrian Zhekova raised his eyebrows: “Are you driving me away?”

Unexpectedly, Cindy nodded honestly, “Yeah, what else are you staying for? You can’t interfere with the competition.”

Billy Houston was moved.

Cindy was really an honest person!

She said what he wanted to say.

If it was him who said those words, he would definitely be scolded by the scumbag CEO.

Not only would he be scolded, but he would also be remembered.

But it’s different when Cindy said it.

There was no trace of anger on the scumbag CEO, but rather a little bit of grievance.

“I hate the feeling that I can’t help at all,” Adrian Zhekova said in frustration.

“You helped me,” Cindy whispered, “You could feel my fear through the screen, so you came right away.”

“Because only you can come in, for other contestants, even if they have family and friends worrying, they can only sit on the stands and can’t come in,” Cindy said, “But you came in to comfort me, let me recover, and continue the competition normally.”

“If you hadn’t come, I might not have been able to recover for a long time, and I might not even be able to continue the competition.”

Cindy smiled brightly, “I’m so lucky you came.”

Adrian Zhekova unconsciously rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb, “So, should I go now?”

“Yeah,” Cindy nodded, “We all have to compete, and if you stay here, they won’t be comfortable, which will affect their competition.”

Hearing this, Adrian Zhekova subconsciously turned to look at Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown.

Both were really stiff.

As if petrified on the spot, each of them held a fluttering chicken in their hands, which looked a bit funny.

Adrian Zhekova laughed and nodded, “Alright, I’m leaving.”

“I know you don’t like to give up easily, but if you really can’t hold on, it’s okay to give up,” Adrian Zhekova said, “Don’t forget the original intention of signing up for the competition.”

“At that time, you signed up for the competition just to prove to people that you have the strength, and you’re not being framed by Zoe Silverstone. Actually, you’ve proven that point a long time ago.”

“Now everyone knows that you have the strength, so if it’s really difficult, it’s okay to withdraw and don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Adrian Zhekova said.

Cindy stunned, after being reminded by Adrian Zhekova.

Right, her initial intention to participate in the competition was actually to prove her strength to others.

It was because she was not convinced that Zoe Silverstone framed her with a water army.

Now Zoe Silverstone has lost.

And through the competition, her cooking skills have also been recognized.

Even if some people think she may not win the championship.

But at least as a food blogger, she has proven herself already.

Chapter 545: Exposure

Even still, her skills had long surpassed those of a food blogger.

Even if she were to go to a famous high-end restaurant, she wouldn’t feel out of place at all.

It’s just that in the midst of competing, she had already forgotten her original purpose.

The competition had completely aroused her desire to win.

Besides, she had never been someone who would easily give up.

If she had given up so easily, she wouldn’t have given birth to Morgan back then.

And she wouldn’t have taken one step at a time, relying on herself to achieve her current status.

“I just wanted to remind you of this,” Adrian Zhekova laughed, he knew her well, “I know you’re not someone who easily gives up. Since you’ve come this far, you won’t be willing to give up.”

“I was just worried that you might forget about this once you get caught up in the competition, so I wanted to remind you in advance,” Adrian Zhekova said with a smile.

“I remember,” Cindy Clarke nodded.

Adrian Zhekova gently rubbed the top of Cindy’s head.

He didn’t care that many people were watching nearby.

Anyway, most of them were familiar faces, mainly high-level officials from the competition.

The remaining two competitors, Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown, had also seen plenty just now.

It was too late to avoid suspicion now.

So, Adrian Zhekova didn’t bother to avoid it at all.

He lowered his head and kissed Cindy on the forehead: “Are you really okay now?”

“I’m fine,” Cindy said, “I was indeed very uncomfortable at first, but I found that after talking to you for a while, I’m much better now. I can compete normally without fear.”

“Do you still need to process the chicken yourself?” Adrian Zhekova looked at the chicken on the ground that had already completely died and no longer convulsed.

It just looked a bit scary without a head, and its feathers still stained with blood.

Cindy nodded.

She will have to pluck the feathers and clean it.

Adrian Zhekova squinted his eyes, wanting someone else to help Cindy.

Before he could speak, Cindy had already guessed his intentions.

Cindy hurriedly pulled him and said, “No! I’ve been relying on myself in previous competitions. If you suddenly help me now, wouldn’t all my previous efforts be wasted? And wouldn’t all those words I said before end up like slapping my own face?”

“I promise you that I won’t stubbornly resist,” Cindy assured, “If something similar happens again and I really can’t handle it, I’ll give up. Even if it means quitting the competition, I won’t continue to make things difficult for myself.”

Seeing Adrian Zhekova not responding, Cindy grabbed Adrian’s hand and shook it a few times: “Is that okay?”

Originally, she was embarrassed to hold Adrian’s hand.

Her hands were not clean after killing the chicken.

There was even chicken blood on her hands.

But just now, Adrian Zhekova did not mind at all and held her hand directly.

Now, even Adrian’s hand was stained with the still-wet chicken blood from earlier.

The dried up chicken blood remained on Adrian’s hand.

His hands were white and his fingers were long.

The blood-red stains on his fair hands made people feel sorry for his good-looking hands.

As long as Cindy showed a bit of coquettishness, Adrian Zhekova would have no choice but to give in.

At this moment, he still could only lose to Cindy.

“Alright, give it a try, and if you can’t manage, just come out,” Adrian Zhekova said, “Remember, your skills are sufficient to become the head chef of any high-end restaurant under the Flag of Pingla. No head chef at any restaurant needs to personally kill a chicken and pluck its feathers.”

“So, you don’t need to feel like you’re not doing well enough, and you don’t need to persist,” Adrian Zhekova said.

“Okay,” Cindy nodded heavily, “I remember.”

Adrian Zhekova kissed her forehead again before leading people away.

As he turned to leave, he kept looking back at Cindy reluctantly.

Cindy didn’t immediately process the chicken, but watched Adrian Zhekova leave instead.

Every time he looked back, Cindy would smile at Adrian Zhekova to reassure him.

Until she could no longer see Adrian Zhekova.

When she turned her head again, she saw Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown’s dumbfounded faces.

Cindy said embarrassingly, “Actually, there’s one thing Iris Doone and Zoe Silverstone didn’t suspect wrongly.”

“I am with Adrian Zhekova, we are together…” After thinking for a bit, since Adrian Zhekova had been calling her his fiancée, Cindy said, “He is my fiancé.”

Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown gasped in unison.

Even the camera operator following them was not calm.

His hand trembled slightly, holding the camera.

Actually, when Adrian Zhekova suddenly appeared just now, the camera operator was so surprised that he almost dropped his camera.

He managed to steady it, only to watch the interaction between Adrian Zhekova and Cindy.

He completely forgot his own reaction, becoming a human camera stand without emotions.

Now, he still couldn’t calm himself.

Who would’ve thought he’d hear such big news?

The camera operator was troubled, forgetting to ask Billy Houston whether to keep filming or not.

For now, they would pause for a moment.

What if this inadvertently filmed information got leaked?

“You… You two…” Ava Brown stuttered in shock, “You’re really with Master Adrian?”

Cindy nodded: “However, Iris Doone and Zoe Silverstone suspect that our relationship is improper. They think that the Zhekova Family wouldn’t accept my status and that we will eventually break up, so they dare to target me all the time.”

“As for me, I am indeed worried that if our relationship becomes known, some people would think it’s unfair for me to participate in the competition. If I lose, that’s fine. But if I win, they would question whether my victory is fair.”

Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown agreed with what Cindy said.

First there was Zoe Silverstone, then Iris Doone, and today a Blake Walker appeared.

Without any evidence or eyewitnesses, they could feel that Cindy’s achievements were questionable.

Not to mention after the relationship between Cindy and Adrian Zhekova became public.

“Now you both have seen it,” Cindy looked at the two of them, “What do you think? Do you think my achievements have any flaws?”

“Now only you two know, others still don’t know. But if you feel uneasy and think that my achievements have flaws, and that the judges would take Adrian Zhekova into consideration when giving me scores, then I can quit,” Cindy said.

Ava Brown thought for a moment and said, “Cindy, let me ask you a question, don’t get angry.”

“Go ahead,” Cindy nodded.

“In the previous competitions, of course, I didn’t think your achievements had any flaws. It’s just like what we told Blake Walker earlier. In the first competition, I tasted your cooking. In the second one, even though I didn’t taste it, just watching how you handled the dish and seeing the exquisite final product was enough to speak for your culinary skills.”

“As for the taste, I’m willing to trust the judges. Among the five judges, two are our teachers from under Pingla Academy, and the other two graduated from Pingla Academy. Charles Dean has also been a guest lecturer at our academy when he was in Hearth Nation,” Ava Brown said.

Chapter 546: Let Her Choose

“I trust their character,” Ava Brown said, “They won’t give you high scores just because you’re Master Adrian.”

“So, I believe your score is genuine,” Ava Brown said.

“But I want to ask, Zoe Silverstone, Iris Doone and Blake Walker have all doubted your relationship with Master Adrian. You did not withdraw from the competition because of this and insisted on competing,” Ava Brown said.

“Why now that Yellen Brooks and I know, you say you can withdraw from the competition?” Ava Brown asked.

So that’s the question.

Cindy Clarke smiled and said, “Because I don’t want to fulfill their wishes.”

“They have no real skills, but they resort to shady tactics and underhanded means. Why should I withdraw as they wish?” Cindy explained.

“But it’s different with you two. If you also feel the same way, I don’t need to stay,” said Cindy.

“I won’t tell Blake Walker,” Yellen Brooks interjected.

It took a few seconds for Cindy to understand the meaning behind Yellen’s words.

Cindy couldn’t help but laugh.

Ava Brown also said, “There’s no need to withdraw. You just gave us such an important analysis, and you’re not taking the obvious advantage. We’re not concerned about favoritism or unfairness.”

“I won’t say anything to Blake Walker either,” said Ava Brown. “However, I may secretly tell our people at Pingla Corp. Such gossip, if I don’t share it, it would be hard to keep. They won’t say anything. You can trust them.”

“I know,” Cindy nodded with a smile.

After interacting with those people, Cindy discovered that they were quite foolish.

There really was nothing untrustworthy about those fools.

“Moreover, they won’t feel it’s unfair,” Ava Brown continued. “Those people have confidence in their abilities and feel they can crush any predetermined outcomes.”

With a sigh, Yellen Brooks said, “Cindy’s problem is no problem. I think our main issue is to slaughter the chicken first.”

“Do you need help?” asked Cindy.

She had already tried once and figured her method might be better than Yellen Brooks and Ava Brown’s.

Although she couldn’t do it all by herself, she could still help them.

“No need, no need,” said Ava Brown. “You did it yourself, I can too.”

Ava Brown took the chicken and walked a bit farther away.

She estimated that her actions would be quite clumsy.

Taking a deep breath, Yellen Brooks said, “I… I think I can do it too.”

Seeing this, Cindy took her chicken to pluck its feathers.

Having overcome the hardest part, there would be some challenges in finishing the job, but at least they could manage to stay calm.

After plucking the feathers, they looked for water.

The organizers even provided an artificial stream.

It was small and short and was probably just for the contestants to use temporarily.

Cindy cleaned her chicken and her hands.

Then, she began to figure out how to cook it.

Meanwhile, Adrian Zhekova returned to his seat.

“Don’t have such a terrifying round next time!” Adrian reminded the competition organizers.

Everyone hurriedly agreed.

With that, Adrian returned to his seat.

“How is Cindy doing?” the Old Madam asked immediately.

“By the time I arrived, she had already killed the chicken herself. She just lacked experience, so it was more difficult for her to do it. That’s why she was even more frightened,” Adrian said truthfully.

“Did Cindy cry?” Victoria Wheeler quickly asked.

“No, she was holding it in,” Adrian sighed.

As soon as Adrian finished sighing, Morgan Zhekova sighed beside him.

“Ah! Cindy is always like this, always holding back her tears,” Morgan shook his head with a pitying look, like a little old man.

“It seems that she is even more reluctant to cry in front of me,” Adrian said helplessly.

If only Cindy could vent her emotions in front of him.

“After she adjusted herself, I came back,” Adrian said.

“This child, how can she bear so much?” The Old Madam shook her head. “If she really can’t do it, she should just withdraw. We have all seen her skills.”

“Besides, our family doesn’t need her to work so hard,” the Old Madam continued. “I’ll talk to her when I get a chance. If she withdraws, she can choose any of the Restaurants under Pingla Corp. If she doesn’t like any of them, we can open a new one according to her preferences.”

“With Pingla’s promotion and Cindy’s skills, the restaurant is bound to succeed,” the Old Madam said.

“I’ve told her the same thing,” Adrian said. “She has promised me not to push herself too hard. If she encounters any insurmountable obstacles, she won’t force herself.”

“That’s good. That’s good,” the Old Madam said with relief.

Meanwhile, in the higher stands…

Christy Xenos asked Joshua Clarke, “Did you see it just now? That VIP seat, wasn’t it reserved for the Pingla’s bosses and executives? I specifically looked into it earlier. The one who just left and came back is the CEO of Pingla Group.”

“What do you think he and his entourage were doing when they left?” asked Christy curiously.

“How would I know? The major competition is organized by them. Maybe there was a problem that needed to be solved on the spot,” Joshua Clarke replied, while his gaze remained on the big screen.

The other contestants also faced the challenge of personally slaughtering an animal.

Therefore, the camera switched back to Cindy and her group.

Cindy, Yellen Brooks, and Ava Brown separated again to find the ingredients they needed.

Thus, the live broadcast on the big screen could only switch between screens.

On the way, Cindy came across a large cluster of Indocalamus leaves.

Seeing this, Cindy couldn’t help but smile.

The organizers had really tried to make things convenient for the contestants.

Otherwise, if they were actually in the wild, where could they find such perfect ingredients?

Indocalamus leaves are native to the south and are not found in the north.

Yet Belfard is a genuine northern city, and transporting Indocalamus leaves there must have been difficult.

The organizers didn’t intend to make things too hard for the contestants.

They placed some seemingly insignificant but useful materials in inconspicuous places.

It was up to the contestants to observe and find them.

At that moment, Grace Green and the five judges were sitting at the commentator’s table.

“Huh? It looks like Cindy has found something,” Grace Green said.

“She should have found the cluster of Indocalamus leaves,” explained Michael Greene.

“Indocalamus leaves?” Grace Green quickly searched it on her mobile phone. “Ah, it’s this patch right in front of us. Cindy’s observation is very meticulous.”

“If I were there, I wouldn’t recognize them even if I saw them. Indocalamus leaves are inconspicuous. I would have thought they were ordinary leaves,” she said.

Chapter 547: Worthy of Pingla Academy

“Moreover, it’s mixed with some unknown tiny leaves in the middle, which look like weeds.” Grace Green said.

“Indeed, if you don’t have a detailed understanding of these ingredients and plants, it is easy to miss them,” Rosaline Parker said. “This competition tests the contestant’s adaptability and mastery of various ingredients.”

“Actually, the organizers didn’t mean to make it difficult for the contestants,” Wesley Gordon explained. “After all, this jungle is artificially created, not a real one.”

“If it were a real wilderness, you would hardly find any wild vegetables, let alone chicken, duck, and spices. But here, the organizers put these things in inconspicuous places.”

“For example, the spices found by the contestants earlier, as well as these seemingly unremarkable but useful leaves, each have different growing conditions. They were all temporarily transplanted by the organizers for the convenience of the contestants.”

“In such an environment, these plants wouldn’t last for more than a few days,” Wesley Gordon explained.

“This competition, in a nutshell, is about giving contestants a limited set of ingredients, testing their discerning eye, and mastery of various ingredients and properties. This is the most basic skill a qualified cook should possess.”

“If they don’t observe carefully enough or cannot even recognize all the ingredients, they won’t stand a chance in this competition.”

“In a restaurant, everything is ready-made because it’s delivered through their own supply chain. But if no one gives you ready-made items, and you have to look at their most primitive form, there is no need to be a cook if you can’t even recognize these,”

“The organizers provided everything they should, and as long as you can find them, you can make a decent dish,” Hunter Clarke said.

“Cindy Clarke did a good job on this,” Grace Green said with a smile.

“She first discovered that the environment was not a real wilderness, and then analyzed that it was specially prepared by the organizers. Only with this premise could she start observing carefully, finding a variety of ingredients and spices that other contestants might need.”

“Without these premises, they might not have paid close attention to the unremarkable plants under their feet, which were the materials they needed,” Grace Green said.

“That’s right,” Charles Dean nodded, pointing to the big screen.

At this time, the big screen just switched to Blake Walker.

“You see, Blake Walker didn’t have the patience at the beginning of the competition, and he had a prejudice against Cindy Clarke, so he thought she was deliberately wasting time. Blake Walker left first, not hearing Cindy’s later analysis,” Charles Dean said.

He was obviously biased towards Cindy Clarke in his words.

Regardless, Charles Dean didn’t care what the audience thought.

After all, he was stating the truth.

“So far, Blake Walker has only caught one duck, found no spices, and has only a small bottle of salt in his bag,” Charles Dean said.

“If he can’t find anything else, I’m afraid he may only make roast duck or salt-water duck today,” Hunter Clarke guessed.

Cindy Clarke then went to pick a few Indocalamus leaves.

“What are these leaves usually used for?” Grace Green asked again.

Rosaline Parker answered, “Indocalamus leaves are native to the south and are mainly used to wrap rice dumplings. Southern people like meat dumplings and wrapping them with Indocalamus leaves gives them a delicate bamboo fragrance, which also helps to remove greasiness.”

“I guess Cindy Clarke might want to use these leaves to wrap the chicken,” Michael Greene said. “She’s probably going for Beggar’s Chicken.”

“After all, there are limitations, and the organizers didn’t provide pots for the contestants. They only have matches and a knife in their bags. So they can only use available resources and choose some more primitive methods,” Wesley Gordon explained.

Sure enough, as the judges had analyzed, Cindy Clarke returned to the artificial stream.

First, she used the multitool she picked before to clean the chicken’s internal organs.

She cut off the chicken’s rear end.

She mashed basil and rosemary together but due to limitations, couldn’t get them too fine.

Mixed together with minced garlic, she made a sauce.

Using the opening left from cutting off the chicken’s rear end, she stuffed in fresh pepper, thyme, a very small amount of rosemary.

“What’s that Cindy Clarke is holding now?” Grace Green asked.

Her main hosting field was entertainment programs, including variety shows and big events.

She rarely cooked, only recognizing some common vegetables in supermarkets.

As for spices, they were all well-packaged and labeled in supermarkets.

If the labels were removed, Grace Green wouldn’t know which one is which.

Not to mention that these are fresh and unprocessed.

“This is a bay leaf, also known as a bay laurel leaf. It is a common ingredient in the usual braised dishes, as well as the popular spicy duck neck we eat, and it is used as a flavor enhancer,” Hunter Clarke explained.

“Oh, my God, to me, this just looks like an ordinary leaf. I wonder how Cindy Clarke recognized it,” Grace Green sighed.

“This is a test of a chef’s basic skills. Recognizing these spices is a very basic matter,” Wesley Gordon said.

“Can students from Pingla Academy recognize them as well?” Grace Green asked Wesley Gordon again.

“Of course, since it’s a basic skill, they must recognize all of these by the end of their first semester, regardless of their state. Even if ground into powder and unrecognizable, they should be able to identify them just by tasting them,” Wesley Gordon said, unable to hide his pride.

Otherwise, how could their students from Pingla Academy stand out in the culinary world?

“No wonder it’s Pingla Academy,” Grace Green praised them at the right moment.

Cindy Clarke then stuffed the bay leaves into the chicken.

“What is this…?” Grace Green saw that Cindy Clarke took out a plant that looked like a flower.

The petals looked tiny, like small wildflowers.

The cameraman immediately went for a close-up to get a clearer shot.

“This is cumin,” Michael Greene said.

“Is this what cumin looks like originally?” Grace Green was surprised.

“Yes, see, she’s peeling it one by one, and there are cumin seeds inside,” Michael Greene explained.

Cindy Clarke peeled off a small pinch of cumin and also put it inside the chicken.

Rosaline Parker said, “In a simulated wilderness environment, because there are too many restrictions and not enough conditions for proper marination and removal of chicken’s gamey taste in advance. I think, Cindy Clarke is putting so many different spices to use their flavors to mask the chicken’s gamey taste.”

Chapter 548: Acting Like a Green Tea Here

“Yes, and although it looks like Cindy Clarke used a lot of different spices, she was very careful with the proportions, using varying amounts of each spice,” Hunter Clarke explained.

“For example, rosemary has a very strong flavor which can easily overpower the flavors of other spices, so just using a little bit can effectively mask the chicken’s gamey taste.”

“Although pepper is slightly spicy, fresh pepper is not as flavorful as the dried ones, so she needs to add a bit more. Bay leaves can enhance the aftertaste and aroma of the meat.”

“Because basil is not heat-resistant, Cindy Clarke mashed it, perhaps to use as a sauce for dipping,” Hunter Clarke analyzed.

Cindy Clarke stuffed the chicken with all the spices she gathered, and even added some small fruits she found along the way.

The small fruits were unripe apples, just slightly larger than ping pong balls.

These immature apples taste sour and lack crispness.

But Cindy Clarke still picked some.

She used them to stuff the chicken just at the right moment.

Finally, she bent the chicken’s leg and tucked it into the chicken’s behind, effectively blocking the opening.

Then, she wrapped it with indocalamus leaves.

Being careful to avoid getting dirt into the wrapped chicken through the gaps in the leaves, Cindy Clarke wrapped it very gently.

She was afraid that wrapping it too thickly would make it difficult for the heat to penetrate during grilling.

So she carefully layered the leaves.

Finally, she tied it up with thin stems.

She mixed in some stream water with the dirt, then wrapped the indocalamus leaf-wrapped chicken in it.

Once everything was prepared, Cindy Clarke looked at the time. It was almost time to start grilling.

So she picked up some dry branches and headed to the designated gathering area.

That was because at the end of the competition, the judges would come to taste each dish one by one.

As a result, all the contestants needed to gather in one place and cook together.

When Cindy Clarke arrived at the gathering point, she saw that many contestants had already arrived, and she was one of the latest to come.

“Cindy Clarke!” Ava Brown shouted and immediately waved when she spotted her.

Yellen Brooks was also near Ava Brown at this time.

There were also some people from the Pingla Academy around.

Perhaps because she had learned Cindy Clarke’s secret, Ava Brown felt even closer to her and was particularly happy to see her.

So Cindy Clarke went over to join them.

As soon as she sat down, Cindy Clarke saw Jasmine Hudson coming back with a bone-cleaving knife in her hand, holding a plucked duck in the other.

Cindy Clarke looked around and saw that everyone chose chicken and duck.

“I saw a baby lamb,” Larry Bennett said, “but as I looked into its watery eyes, it seemed so innocent that I couldn’t bring myself to kill it.”

“Same here,” Bartholomew Bailey nodded, “Larry and I happened to come across the lamb first. But neither of us had the heart to harm it, so we decided to keep going and see if we could find anything else. We thought there must be more than just lambs.”

“I was even thinking that if there was really nothing else, I’d find some fruits or something and make a dessert. I just couldn’t bear it,” Gladys Joy said.

“Even though we’re all chefs and we’ve cooked plenty of meat dishes, it’s different seeing the live animals,” Cynthia Florine shuddered. “If you gave me a dead, skinned lamb to butcher, I wouldn’t think twice about it. But if it were a live lamb, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

It was hard for both male and female contestants to commit the act.

So they all chose chicken and duck.

If they had to kill, they chose something small and more common.

Male contestants were somewhat better with this decision.

But for female contestants like Cindy Clarke, even killing a chicken or a duck put a lot of pressure on them.

“Jasmine, you chose a duck too?” Ava Brown asked.

Jasmine Hudson nodded: “Killing a duck is no problem for me, but I’m still a bit hesitant with larger animals like cows and sheep.”

“We should start cooking soon,” Natalie Campbell reminded them.

“Oh right, Blake Walker hasn’t come yet,” Yannick O’Brian mentioned.

Although Blake Walker wasn’t present at the moment, Leon Hernandez still gave him a disdainful look: “Who cares what he’s doing?”

“Good point,” Yannick O’Brian laughed, “I just wanted to gloat a bit.”

“Keep your voice down; there’s a camera recording. Consider your image as a magnanimous gentleman,” Daniel Vahn held his forehead and said.

“Why are you also speaking so loudly then?” Leon Hernandez asked Daniel Vahn.

“I’m just reminding the cameraman to hurry up and film him,” Daniel Vahn replied.

Though their mouths were busy talking, they had already started preparing their dishes.

Each contestant picked an empty spot at random.

At this point, Blake Walker finally returned.

He looked a bit disheveled and was holding two lamb legs in his hands.

Bartholomew Bailey glanced at Blake Walker’s lamb legs and narrowed his eyes, sneering.

Hearing his laughter, Larry Bennett also looked over.

“Hmph!” Larry Bennett sneered outright.

They couldn’t bring themselves to kill the baby lamb, but it seemed that it couldn’t escape Blake Walker’s cruelty.

Cynthia Florine’s face turned cold, and she said coldly, “Lamb has a strong smell and requires delicate seasoning. What’s the use of him having lamb legs?”

“He probably thought that since we all chose chicken and duck, if he picked a different ingredient, he could stand out from the crowd,” Yannick O’Brian replied sarcastically.

“Didn’t he miss Cindy Clarke’s analysis?” Aiden Huxley raised an eyebrow, “Did he happen to find a lot of spices just by looking around with his eyes? Or does he think he can win just by using the salt in our bags?”

“Who knows? Let’s see,” Daniel Vahn said coldly, looking at Blake Walker from a distance, “Maybe he thinks we only have salt too.”

Besides, Blake Walker himself looked quite disheveled.

His condition wasn’t as good as the other contestants.

He was the last one to arrive, and now all the contestants were finally present.

Blake Walker also brought several branches, in varying thicknesses.

He set up the branches, apparently planning to roast the lamb legs over the fire.

All the contestants paid close attention to this.

Blake Walker took the salt from his bag.

After that, he placed the lamb legs on the branches and lit a fire.

He planned to sprinkle salt while roasting them.

Because the lamb legs were thick, if he sprinkled the salt before roasting, Blake Walker was worried that there wouldn’t be enough time for the flavor to soak in.

So he simply roasted and salted them at the same time.

The dripping fat would flow away, taking some of the salt with it.

As he roasted and cut the lamb legs, he let the salt penetrate deeper into the meat.

If the grilling heat is well controlled, the strong taste of lamb can also be improved.

Blake Walker thought with satisfaction.

These people were just hypocrites, pretending not to have the heart to kill a lamb.

Could they really call themselves chefs with that mindset?

Hadn’t they ever cooked lamb before?

What a bunch of pretend saints!

This was a competition, not child’s play!

Blake Walker thought proudly, wondering why on earth some of them chose ducks.

Duck meat is very gamey, and there’s a lot of fat, which is different from the fat in lamb.

Chapter 549: What’s wrong with your brain?

Making it taste good isn’t easy, let alone with just salt.

Just thinking about that taste is enough to make anyone want to puke.

Looks like the folks from Pingla Academy don’t have anything special.

They’re not as grand as they’re made out to be.

That’s what Blake Walker was thinking when he saw people from Pingla Academy individually pulling out various herbs and spices from their bags.

Not just them, even Larry Bennett, Yellen Brooks, and Natalie Campbell had some!

Everyone’s bag contained fresh spices.

Blake Walker was unsettled, he got up abruptly and walked towards them.

“Why are there so many spices in your bags?” Blake Walker asked in shock.

He also looked closely and observed that many of the spices they had were duplicates.

“Were these already in your bags?” Blake Walker questioned, “This is so unfair from the Competition! Why giveit to you and not me?”

“Of course it’s not from the compeition.” Leon Hernandez rolled his eyes, “We found these ourselves along the way.”

“Haha! You could at least try to make your lies believable!” Blake Walker clearly didn’t buy it, “Where in the wilderness would you find ready-made spices?”

“And besides, these spices all require different growing conditions, yet they’re all growing together here? In such variety? What’s the point of supermarkets then? You might as well encourage everyone to pick things in the wild!”

Blake Walker was both annoyed and amused.

Do they think he’s a fool?

“The competition couldn’t have only prepared these spices for you and not for me, right?” Blake Walker said coldly, “Are they planning to eliminate me?”

The audience watched this scene clearly.

“Oh my god! Just eliminate this fool, I can’t stand him anymore.”

“With this level of intelligence, he really shouldn’t be in public places anymore.”

Aiden Huxley responded bluntly: “You were the one who didn’t listen to Cindy Clarke’s analysis before, assuming she was just trying to waste your time, and you ran off without hearing the key information. Who’s to blame for that?”

Over at Cynthia Florine’s side, she had already gotten her fire ready. She casually advised Blake Walker: “I advise you to stop blaming the competition.”

Currently, for the sake of maintaining the fairness of the competition, the competition wouldn’t do anything to him.

But once the competition is over, it’s hard to say what would happen to his career.

As everyone knows, Adrian Zhekova can be quite petty.

Those under his command follow his lead daily.

They’re not very broad-minded either.

“You were the one who couldn’t be bothered to listen to Cindy’s words, even interrupting her.” Cynthia Florine mocked, “How unfortunate, because after you left, Cindy continued to share her insights with us, explaining that this wilderness is artificial and was manufactured by the competition.”

“I think, in order to ensure our safety and to prevent us from lacking resources and having nothing but a pitiful amount of salt for our ingredients, the competition had planted many fruits and spices along the way.” Bartholomew Bailey chimed in, “As long as we observe carefully, these things are practically everywhere.”

“Otherwise, do you think there would be a stray lamb in the wild? A wild lamb?” Parker Honi raised his chin, pointing at the lamb leg that Blake Walker was roasting on a fire not too far away, “If this really is the wild, and suddenly there’s a lamb walking around, it must belong to someone. Right?”

“And you slaughtered it without giving it a second thought, how is that different from stealing?” Parker Honi scoffed, “Knowing there’s an owner and you’d still kill their lamb, your moral character is problematic!”

“Hahaha!” Aiden Huxley gave a thumbs up, “Parker, when did you become so discerning? Your words make you sound intelligent!”

“You might as well shut up.” Ava Brown looked frustrated, “Watch out, or Parker might beat you up after the competition.”

“I…” Now, Blake Walker was in a difficult position.

Well… he admitted he hadn’t thought much before.

Ignoring Blake Walker, Parker Honi turned to speak to Aiden Huxley: “This guy isn’t very bright.”

Aiden Huxley looked at Blake Walker with sympathy.

To be called unintelligent by a fool, you must be really unfortunate.

Parker Honi: “…”

Blake Walker: “…”

What kind of look is that!

“If you don’t believe us, you can check the internet replays after the competition.” Cindy Clarke suggested, “You’ll see that the competition did not give us anything extra. The competition gave everyone the same stuff, there were no special provisions for anyone, or anything specifically left out for you.”

“There’s no need to rush to make accusations right now. After you watch the replay and if things are indeed as you suspect, then you can confront the competition. After all, the speed at which news spreads on the internet is rapid. If you were really treated unfairly, the internet crowd will certainly support you.” Cindy Clarke advised.

Blake Walker was in a tough spot, but he was gradually beginning to believe their words.

It was his fault for not listening to Cindy Clarke’s entire explanation, which led him to miss out on key information.

Cindy Clarke’s comment provided him with an exit strategy.

Blake Walker silently returned to his fire rack.

He couldn’t help but think back to the start of the competition.

Back then, Cindy Clarke was speaking at length without getting to the point, which eroded his patience.

Now he finally understood.

Cindy did it on purpose.

She deliberately gave a lengthy explanation without getting down to the brass tacks.

Knowing perfectly well he had objections towards her, she purposely dragged out her explanation, letting his impatience and anger rise.

She wanted him to assume she had some ulterior motive.

Because of that, he left early, and consequently missed out on critical pieces of information.

Seeing everyone else pull out an array of rich spices,

While he only had a bottle of salt.

How could he possibly stand a chance of winning in this situation?

Cindy Clarke, you’re really something else, incredibly cunning!

Everyone else was practically worshipping Cindy Clarke.

Duly eliminating an undesirable competitor, while also winning everyone else’s affections.

She truly killed two birds with one stone.

Blake Walker glanced at Cindy Clarke hatefully.

These people saw Cindy Clarke as a good person, expressing their gratitude towards her.

But they don’t realize that his fate would be theirs too.

Let’s not forget that they’re also competitors.

For the next round of the competition, Cindy Clarke will also aim to eliminate them!

Thanking their own competitor?

They must be out of their minds!

By this time, night had already fallen, thanks to everyone lighting fires, the area was well lit.

Cindy Clarke had arranged the dry pine branches and leaves she had gathered, and used the matches from her bag to start her fire.

Then, she directly threw in the chicken she had already wrapped beforehand.

Because she didn’t need to set up additional support or check for angles to prevent the branch support from collapsing,

All those would have taken up a lot of time.

But for Cindy, all she needed to do was throw her ingredients in.

As a result, Cindy was actually the first one to be ready.

Observing this, Ava Brown asked: “Are you roasting Beggar’s Chicken?”

Cindy Clarke nodded, “I thought it’d be quite suitable, and it really matches with this wilderness theme.”

“Gosh, how did you come up with that?” Yellen Brooks asked admiringly, “You’re too quick. I didn’t think of that at all. Plus, this way the heat is evenly distributed. We need to constantly rotate and adjust our fires.”

Chapter 550: Coercion

They are grilling it on a stand with the fire underneath, and the bottom part gets heated more quickly and cooks faster, but the top is still raw.

To evenly distribute the heat, the meat needs periodic rotation.

But when rotating the meat, care must be taken to not topple the precarious branch stand.

Cindy Clarke, on the other hand, throws it directly in, then covers it with some branches and leaves.

The chicken is basically being roasted buried inside, receiving uniformly distributed heat from every angle, even more convenient than an oven.

Everyone watched, and Leon Hernandez said with a smile, “Or why do you think Cindy Clarke was the first to notice that something was wrong with the environment here? If it wasn’t for Cindy Clarke’s analysis, we would have ended up like someone else, only able to use a pinch of salt.”

“Pfft!” Natalie Campbell could not help but burst into laughter, “You’re right, I’m glad I stayed and listened to Cindy.”

“Easy on the subtext.” Bartholomew Bailey exclaimed.

Cindy Clarke thought that Bartholomew Bailey was trying to reconcile Leon Hernandez and Blake Walker’s escalating dispute.

Unexpectedly, Bartholomew Bailey continued to stir the pot, saying, “Look, he’s pissed off just with his bottle of salt, and looks at us like we’re his enemies. If you keep reminding him, it might upset him and affect his performance in the competition. Or blame us for his mental imbalance. Isn’t that unfair?”

“Wow, it’s rare for you to make a point,” Leon Hernandez nodded in agreement, “So I won’t mention it anymore.”

However, their back-and-forth in reasonably loud voices…

Were all heard clearly by Blake Walker.

Seeing the others using various spices with gusto, almost as if intentionally provoking him.

Blake Walker’s face became so dark, it was blending into the night.

He checked the time, thought he had some left.

Going to search for spices now, it wasn’t too late.

But, darkness had already fallen and, according to the others, spices were usually found in unnoticeable places.

Searching now would be difficult due to the poor light.

But seeing everyone else’s work full of rich flavor, and his own merely sprinkled with a handful of salt…

The outcome was clear.

How could Blake Walker accept it?

But, the leg of lamb was already on the grill.

It needed periodic turning.

If left unattended for a long time, one side could easily get burned.

Thus, even with enough time on his hands, he could not step away.

Scanning the crowd, Blake Walker’s gaze rested a few seconds longer on Yellen Brooks’ face.

He remembered that during the last competition, Yellen Brooks had also lacked ingredients, so she had asked to borrow from Iris Doone.

But in the end, it was Cindy Clarke who had given her some.

Cindy Clarke was also able to clear her name as a result, winning the approval of the audience and the other competitors.

Yellen Brooks received a favor in the last competition.

She was on the receiving end at that time.

Since roles had reversed, she should be more empathetic.

If he asked her to lend him some ingredients now, would she dare not to lend him?

She had asked someone for help in the last competition, and Cindy Clarke had given her ingredients.

If she didn’t lend him the ingredients in this round, wouldn’t she be castigated?

Having thought this far, Blake Walker glanced at his lamb roasting on the stand.

The roasting still had some time left, so he got up to find Yellen Brooks.

Yellen Brooks was currently deeply engrossed in her cooking.

“Yellen Brooks.” Blake Walker called, standing in front of her.

Upon hearing his voice, Yellen Brooks looked up, only to find Blake Walker right before her eyes.

He was looking down at her from a superior position, blocking her line of sight so that she couldn’t even see the sky.

“What is it?” Yellen Brooks asked, not even bothering to get up from her seated position.

Blake Walker seemed to find it slightly difficult to speak but, after a second’s hesitation, he still said, “I don’t know if I can find that many spices along the way.”

By saying this, he had effectively accepted the fairness of the competition.

The spices were all found by the competitors themselves.

Cindy Clarke’s assertion that he could review the competition playback was the main reason.

She seemed very confident, and indeed, there were many people watching the live broadcast.

The organizers wouldn’t dare to show obvious bias.

If they did, they might as well not bother continuing the competition.

They would be castigated by netizens.

Moreover, if he reviewed the playback later and verified there were indeed issues with the competition, he could bring it up with the organizers.

If there were no resolution, he could expose them online.

No matter how he saw it, showing clear bias was disadvantageous to the organizers.

Yellen Brooks remained silent.

So, what exactly was Blake Walker’s intent?

“Why don’t you go search for some now? You should still have enough time.” Ava Brown, who was next to Yellen Brooks, suggested, having heard Blake Walker’s words.

Ava Brown had an intuition that Blake Walker approaching Yellen Brooks at this moment boded no good.

Unexpectedly, Blake Walker blatantly ignored Ava Brown.

As though he hadn’t heard her, he continued speaking to Yellen Brooks, “Could you lend me some spices?”

“It’s dark now, and even if I have a flashlight, if I start looking now, it’s unlikely that I will spot any easily. It won’t be as convenient as looking during daytime. Even with a flashlight, it may take me a long time to find anything. By the time I do find something, the competition might be over.”

Blake Walker pointed behind him and added, “Furthermore, I’ve already started roasting the leg of lamb, I need to make sure it doesn’t get burned.”

“So, could you lend me some? I won’t need much,” Blake Walker pleaded.

Seeing Yellen Brooks hesitate after he finished speaking, Blake Walker cursed her internally for being so selfish.

In the last competition, when she was short of ingredients, she’d asked someone else for help.

But now, when it was his turn to ask her, she was unwilling.

“Didn’t you also ask Cindy Clarke for ingredients in the last competition?” Blake Walker reminded her, “You should be able to relate to the anxiety and upset of lacking ingredients. That’s why I came to ask you.”

“If you’ve already experienced such a situation, you wouldn’t refuse, right?” Blake continued, “You were helped, you should know how it feels, and I’m sure you could help me, right?”

The implication in Blake Walker’s words could not have been clearer.

If she didn’t help, then she was the bad one.

He put a moral hat on Yellen Brooks with his statement.

Mentioning this enraged Jasmine Hudson so much she wanted to toss a piece of firewood in Blake Walker’s face.

“What a nerve he has, accusing Yellen Brooks of being in the wrong if she doesn’t help,” Jasmine complained, “Helping others is alright, but helping Blake Walker? It feels like we’ve been fed shit!”

“He’s no man, pressuring a young girl like this. It’s not even about whether or not we have enough ingredients, but about not being able to face ourselves if we give him anything. And if we don’t, we’ll be morally condemned. It’s utterly disgusting,” Cynthia Florine spat.

“I used to just despise Joseph Tanner, I didn’t expect Blake Walker to be even worse,” Gladys Joy muttered, “No wonder he gets along so well with Iris Doone. They’re both equally despicable.”