Episode 3: Five Brain Banquet & the Defecting Mech-Wings
695 Words
---
Section 1: Flavor Execution Ground
Five heads lay arranged on the grill, their gamma receivers sizzling. As charcoal ignited, the shop’s walls turned transparent—thousands of zombies in the ruins craned their necks, witnessing a sacred ritual.
"This is Sector 13’s judgment livestream," Qing Li’s hologram materialized from the grilled brain. "Consume the councilors’ brains to claim their memories."
The first head’s lips moved in the flames, mimicking the Meituan zombie’s synthetic voice: [Order Updated: Medium-Rare Night Owl]. I recalled the [Night Owl Gamma-005] engraving inside Hong Yuan’s mech-wings from Episode 2.
Bai Shuang stabbed an ice dagger into her arm, yanking out three glowing data cables to plug into the grill: "They’re triangulating us via gamma resonance! Sever the—"
[Warning! Customer Satisfaction Below 30%]
Golden text exploded across the air as four heads snapped their eyes open, pupils reflecting my trapped self from the gas explosion. The fifth head’s jaw unhinged, spewing rust-flavored truth:
"Jiang Liao, you never escaped Sector 13’s incubation pod."
---
Section 2: Mechanical Dirge
Hong Yuan’s mech-wings crashed from the ceiling, components scattering into the Big Dipper constellation. The main bearing I picked up bore a production date: 2045.3.16 23:59—one second before the explosion.
"The self-destruct was a ruse." Bai Shuang reconstructed the wings with ice. "These parts share the same alloy as the gamma canisters’ valves."
When she activated the wings, the ceiling projected Sector 13 surveillance footage: the parliamentary archivist grilled in Episode 2 now signed my shop’s *Special Ingredient Permit*. His pen dripped gamma-092 instead of ink.
Hong Yuan’s residual consciousness hacked the grill: [Fourth Canister Located: Night Owl’s Spine]. On the holographic map, Night Owl’s marker raced toward us along Qing Li’s Episode 2 delivery route.
---
Section 3: Reverse Roast
Night Owl shattered the wall, his hydraulic spine extending to reveal the missing fourth gamma canister! Its display flashed: [Gamma-092 Release in 00:05:00].
"You turned my staff into ingredients?" Night Owl’s five-layered voice included the archivist’s screech from Episode 2. "Now the diner consumes the chef."
I painted chili sigils on the grill, blue flames forging chains to bind the canister. Bai Shuang’s ice dagger melted in gamma discharge as she struck his neck.
[Emergency Recipe Unlocked: Self-Barbecue Mode]
The system alert chimed with Qing Li’s laugh. Hong Yuan’s wings autonomously launched, blazing blue fire into Night Owl’s chest.
"This... is Hong Yuan’s final order..." Night Owl’s pupils digitized into static. "Her last takeout... charcoal-grilled..."
---
Section 4: Flavor Revolution
As Night Owl’s husk crumbled, his spine-canister fused with my grill. The barrier surged to 500%, the freezer ejecting new ingredients—squid with human tongues, each tentacle branded with classified files.
Bai Shuang impaled her chest with a skewer, extracting three crystalline data cables: "Read my memories! The third canister is—"
Alarms drowned her voice. Meituan zombies spontaneously combusted, ashes coalescing into a new order: [Ultimate Dish: Bai Shuang Sashimi (Live Preparation Required)].
Qing Li’s hologram emerged from every surface: "Congratulations, Three-Star Butcher. Now s*******r your partner."
The five heads merged into Dr. Bai Lu’s face. She reached through flames, holding the business license stamp soaked in gamma-092:
"Time for the main course, my apprentice."
---
Section 5: Abyssal Banquet
The floor collapsed, revealing Sector 13’s lab 100 meters below. Hundreds of my clones floated in pods, each branded with the lightning-shaped scar.
Bai Shuang’s viral core erupted, fungal-white hair ensnaring the grill: "You think the leap was accidental? We’ve looped 379 times!"
Meituan zombie remnants reassembled into Gluttony 2.0. Its maw churned with five gamma canisters—including the newly acquired fourth.
Golden text blazed through explosions:
[Achievement Unlocked: Abyssal Accomplice]
[Gamma Grill Activated (Memory Incineration Enabled)]
[Final Mission: Host 1,000-Guest Feast at Sector 13 Ruins]
When purified aroma wafted into the lab, every clone awoke. The codes on their necks combined into Qing Li’s Episode 2 order notes.
---
End of Episode 3
**Preview: Episode 4 "Feast of 1,000 & the 379th Loop"**
Why does Dr. Bai Lu call him "apprentice"? How did Meituan zombies resurrect Gluttony? Will Dr. Bai Lu’s clones hold the key to breaking the cycle?
---
- Writer
