Chapter 80

After dinner, having a midnight snack is a surefire way to gain weight; it’s a well-known fact. Yet, there are always those reckless individuals who keep teetering on the edge of gaining weight.

Causing harm not only to themselves but also to others who cannot sleep on time.

Due to preparing the midnight snack for the boss, Shen Fengyue was forced to forfeit his right to sleep early and had to endure until he delivered the food.

Perhaps people in this era had never tasted “novelty foods” so they considered them to be divine delicacies. Shen Fengyue could easily pass off a random dish as a heavenly delight. In the dead of night, he preferred to avoid making spicy and stimulating dishes. Instead, he prepared some light and simple cuisine, sealing it in a special container before preparing to go to the main starship.

During the night, the starships halted their flight and rested in safe star zones.

Sitting in the jump pod, separated by high-strength tempered glass, one could see the brilliant galaxy. Roaming among the stars, people can’t help but try to reach out and touch those twinkling celestial bodies through the cold glass.

Shen Fengyue sighed, such a fantastic sight could only be witnessed in virtual worlds. No wonder, despite numerous bugs in the system, the wealthy were still eager to spend money to experience it. To be able to appreciate such wonders with just money, it must be worth it.

He carried the container and exited the jump pod, entering the main starship. It was bed time, and many rooms’ lights were already off. Only some wall lights in the corridors were still lit, providing dim illumination.

During the day, this place was bustling with activity, although somewhat noisy, it offered psychological comfort and a sense of security. But at night, it suddenly became desolate, with countless dark passages and dimly lit wall lights.

Eerie, desolate, quiet—enough to make one uneasy.

Shen Fengyue stopped in his tracks, and at the thought of enduring such discomfort in the dead of night, he couldn’t help but mentally berate Albert.

In this situation, anything could happen, and it wasn’t hard to imagine something unpleasant.

As a dark shadow flitted by in the pitch-black night, Shen Fengyue noticed the system suddenly fell silent. It had been chatting with him and making noise about insomnia all along, but now his ears were met with sudden tranquility.

Shen Fengyue couldn’t help but chuckle and console the system in his heart, “Are you afraid of ghosts, System?”

The system replied, “Of course, aren’t you?”

Shen Fengyue shook his head, “No, I’m different from you.”

System, “…” Such a big lie. Who was that scaredy-cat in the first world who almost logged out because of stepping on a plastic bag? Shen Fengyue has too many embarrassing moments, it would take it forever to recount them all.

“Since you’re not scared, just keep going.”

Shen Fengyue and the system have been teasing and embarrassing each other for years; they never miss an opportunity to make the other feel uncomfortable or show off. Under the system’s provocation, Shen Fengyue took a deep breath, raised his head high, and continued walking confidently.

After a few steps, the system suddenly panicked and shouted, “Shen Fengyue! Quick, hide! There’s a dark shadow coming at you from behind, and it’s moving so fast it doesn’t seem human!”

“…” Shen Fengyue’s footsteps paused, and he stood still.

The system urged, “Shen Fengyue, run!”

“…”

But he remained motionless, like a statue.

The system was puzzled. What’s going on? Usually, this guy would run faster than anyone when encountering metaphysical things. Why was he acting so strangely today? It tried calling Shen Fengyue’s name multiple times, but there was no response.

The system started to panic, “Damn it, Old Shen, don’t scare me! We’ve been through so many worlds together; you can’t just leave me behind like this!”

“…”

Still no response.

The system covered its face with both hands, leaving a small gap between its fingers to peek at Shen Fengyue’s condition. And then, it saw something unexpected: tears were streaming down Shen Fengyue’s face- he had been scared to tears!

System, “…” Ugh, so pathetic!

“Stop crying, I was just teasing you.”

Only then did Shen Fengyue move. He wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve, his eyes slightly red. After wiping them, he said to the system with a hint of crying in his voice, “I’m not scared. It’s just that you lied to me and made me cry in anger.”

“…” The system admitted its mistake, “I was wrong, I won’t scare you like this again. Please don’t cry.”

After the system’s apology, Shen Fengyue regained his composure and continued walking forward.

After following the familiar route and finding the captain’s office, he could see that it was pitch-black inside, with no sign of any light as if it was empty.

Shen Fengyue knocked on the door, “Captain? Are you there?”

No response.

“Captain? Captain?” He knocked a few more times.

Still, no response.

“Is Captain Orphan there or not?”

The system said, “It seems he’s not there.”

Shen Fengyue agreed with this conclusion, wondering what was going on. After ordering a late-night snack, there was no one there. Did he run away?

Since the captain was not there, Shen Fengyue decided to go back. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he noticed a light flashing on the communicator pinned to his chest.

He opened the communicator, and a figure appeared on the screen—it was Albert.

Albert was wearing velvet pajamas and a brownish-red sleeping cap, a perfect display of his eccentric taste in colors, bright and eye-catching.

He was sitting comfortably, waving to Shen Fengyue and greeting, “Hello, little chef.”

“…Hello, Captain,” Shen Fengyue forced out the words, and then asked about his whereabouts, “May I ask where you are? When I went to your office just now, no one was there.”

“Oh.” Albert seemed to remember something, and he suddenly realized, saying confidently, “I’m in my room, sitting on my bed.”

“???” What the F*ck?

Albert explained, “I forgot to tell you—I originally planned to have late-night snacks while working, but my work efficiency was so high that I finished everything early. However, I still wanted to have your late-night snack, so I decided to eat it before going to sleep.” He winked at Shen Fengyue, “The boss has been waiting for you, you know.”

Shen Fengyue was at a loss for words. Damn it! You never had any work to begin with! I was here at noon, and you were just doodling and slacking off!

The reason sounded absurd, and Shen Fengyue, who knew the truth, certainly wouldn’t believe it. However, he replied insincerely, “May I know where your room is? I’ll bring your snack to you.”

Albert provided him with remote navigation, and Shen Fengyue accurately found the captain’s bedroom. After knocking on the door, he was allowed to enter.

In the bedroom, just as Albert said, he was sitting on the bed waiting for Shen Fengyue. When he saw him entering, he added, “Remember the route, you might have to come here often in the future.”

Shen Fengyue’s body stiffened as he understood Albert’s implication. So, in the future, he would be eating a late-night snack before going to sleep? How did this man become the boss? Why hasn’t anyone overthrown him? Have the other members of this organization really fallen to this level? Is there no one with ambition?

He placed the food on Albert’s bedside table and stood by, watching him eat so that he could return to sleep after he finished.

Albert particularly loved eating his dishes. For some reason, although Shen Fengyue’s culinary skills were not as exquisite as the previous chef’s, Albert found a kind of “happiness” in his food.

This happiness was real, and with each bite, he genuinely felt joy from the bottom of his heart. So, just based on this, he was willing to be more tolerant of the grumpy little chef who always wore a frown and showed his displeasure openly.

Besides, that little face was somewhat cute when he frowned.

“Don’t stand there, find a place to sit. After I finish, you can take the dishes and go back to sleep.” Albert continued eating, skillfully and quickly, savoring the deliciousness. In the end, he couldn’t help but express his resentment, “I feel so happy just thinking about having a bite of your cooking before going to bed every day.”

Shen Fengyue, “…” Aaaah! I feel like killing him now!

He obediently found a stool to sit on, waiting for Albert to finish his meal before he could clear the dishes.

Albert flipped the pillow down, neatly placing it on the bed, pulled the covers up, and then effortlessly slid into the bed. He turned over, turned his body to the side, and eagerly watched Shen Fengyue, “Remember to turn off the lights when you leave.”

Shen Fengyue nodded in agreement. He turned off the lights, and as he closed the door, the pent-up anger in his heart finally erupted.

He had a whimsical idea, “Why don’t we poison him to death?”

He was just joking, but unexpectedly, the system agreed, “Why not try it?”

With only two people discussing this plan, both representatives raised their hands in agreement. Shen Fengyue was somewhat intrigued. Suddenly, he realized, yes, why hadn’t he thought of this before? He was now Albert’s favorite chef. As long as he added some poison to the food, it would be a matter of minutes to kill him.

Once he’s dead, won’t the bug be eliminated? The mission would be completed effortlessly, with zero difficulty.

“Do you think this might be the fastest time for us to complete a mission?”

The system nodded and even indulged in thoughts of the bonus they would receive after leaving, “Completing the mission in such a short time, we might even get an extra large bonus.”

Everything seemed to be in his favor.

With determination, he decided to take action immediately. He thought that the sooner he poisoned Albert, the sooner he could be free from the burden of cooking large pots of food for others. So he went back to prepare the poison to complete the mission.