Chapter 99: Grand Opening Disturbance
It seemed her decision to be extra cautious and bolster security had been the right one.
Shen Lu took a moment to check the video she’d posted yesterday. It had actually started trending. But that wasn’t enough for her. She activated the Twenty-four-hour Promotion Traffic Accelerator, and the view count climbed so fast it was visible to the naked eye.
Correspondingly, the number of comments was also exploding.
A rare sight appeared at the checkpoint between the Upper City District and the Lower City District today.
The soldiers guarding the checkpoint couldn’t help but ask the people lining up to go to the Lower City District, "Did something happen today? Why are so many people rushing to the Lower City District?"
"Haven’t you been on your feed? An account called Little Deer Cuisine said they’re holding a crayfish competition and have prepared ten thousand crayfish. Isn’t that a joke? I’m going over to watch her make a fool of herself."
"I’m not going just to laugh at her. The moment I find out it’s false advertising, I’m reporting her!"
"These lowlifes from the Lower City District have no shame when it comes to getting attention."
"I’m going to crash her party. I can’t stand how arrogant she is!"
...
With everything ready, at ten in the morning, Shen Lu turned on her Light Brain’s recording function and had Wang Daguo set off the rented electronic firecrackers. CRACKLE! POP! It actually sounded quite authentic.
As the boss, Shen Lu naturally had to say a few words. But no one was paying attention to what she said. Before she could even finish, people were yelling for her to hurry up and bring out the crayfish so they could see.
"Everyone, please be patient. The crayfish are ready. In a moment, anyone interested in participating in the crayfish competition can sign up over here."
Being extremely short-staffed, Shen Lu had no choice but to have Xue Can temporarily take charge of registration and payment.
He was a Superpower User and looked fierce and cold, which gave him a rather intimidating presence.
"It’s 100 Star Coins per person. You’ll compete in the order you register. Whoever eats the most crayfish—and eats them the cleanest—in one minute will win and advance to the next round. This will continue until we have a final victor."
After speaking, Shen Lu walked into the fast-food area and gave a slight nod to Lin Zhou, signaling him to use his superpower to create a barrier around the long table. Then, she opened the System Warehouse above the table and, as if pouring water, dumped out an enormous pile of crayfish.
At this sight, the noisy crowd fell silent. Everyone stared, wide-eyed, as bright red crayfish piled up on the long table, soon forming a small mountain.
’It’s... actually real?’
While there might not have been ten thousand crayfish, there were certainly several thousand.
Seeing that the table was nearly at capacity, Shen Lu closed the System Warehouse. She couldn’t have Lin Zhou maintaining the barrier indefinitely; his primary responsibility was security.
The people from the Upper City District arrived late, just in time to see the mountain of crayfish from outside the shop.
However, even from behind the floor-to-ceiling glass, they remained full of themselves.
"Isn’t it obvious? It’s definitely fake. If it were real, why not put it outside? It’s because she’s afraid we’d spot the flaws!"
"That’s right! Who prepares crayfish like this? Such a high-class ingredient should be cooked using the simplest methods to preserve its nutrients!"
Faced with this group of well-dressed, arrogant people from the Upper City District, Shen Lu didn’t let their words get to her.
’This is all within my expectations,’ she thought. ’There’s nothing to be angry about.’
"It’s a big world, full of strange and wonderful things. Who made the rule that crayfish can only be cooked in the simplest way?"
"If any of you doubt their authenticity, you’re welcome to pay 100 Star Coins and join the competition. After all, the truth will speak for itself. If you find any issues, feel free to call the complaint hotline at any time. I will cooperate fully with any investigation."
Shen Lu spoke clearly and deliberately, her tone firm and her expression at ease, showing not a hint of timidity or fear.
Her composure only irritated the people from the Upper City District even more.
Gao Jie sneered. "All this talk, and you’re just trying to trick us out of our money, aren’t you? If you’re really not afraid, then let everyone here try one. Now *that* would be convincing!"
Shen Lu looked at him as if he were an idiot. "One look is all it takes to see you’re a distinguished upper-class citizen. You must be fabulously wealthy. I, on the other hand, run a small business. It’s my grand opening today. Even if I don’t turn a profit, I can’t afford to take a huge loss. So how about this? Why don’t *you* treat everyone here to one? I’ll even give you a special price—100 Star Coins a piece. What do you say?"
"Are you nuts?! Why the hell should I treat other people?!"
Shen Lu simply smiled, saying nothing more. Ignoring him, she raised her voice. "Time is precious. Anyone who’s interested, you can come and register now."
Boss Zhou was the first one who couldn’t wait any longer. He was standing near Xue Can and pulled out three 100-Star Coin bills to register his entire family.
"The registration fee is 100 Star Coins per person, right? Here’s the fee for my family of three. Go ahead and count it."
The moment the three Star Coin bills touched his hand, Xue Can knew they were genuine. He gave Boss Zhou three number tokens made of sheet iron. Shen Lu had bought them yesterday; there were 200 in total, and they were reusable.
Boss Zhou and his family were escorted into the waiting area. Wang Xiaoci brought them mint water on a tray. It was the young girl’s first time working as a server, so she was a bit nervous and excited, but it wasn’t a difficult task, and she performed it flawlessly.
With Boss Zhou breaking the ice, some of the regulars who used to frequent Shen Lu’s old stall also rushed to pay and get their number tokens.
The system also kicked in. Each payment counted as one portion of crayfish sold for Shen Lu. In just ten minutes, dozens of "portions" were sold.
Shen Lu walked into the fast-food area and called for the customers with numbers 1 through 10 to come in for the competition.
The system-provided renovation was excellent in terms of both soundproofing and odor containment. The people in the waiting area couldn’t smell the fragrant aroma of the braised crayfish from the fast-food section at all.
The moment the ten contestants entered the fast-food area, they were assaulted by an overwhelmingly spicy and savory aroma.
"It smells amazing," Boss Zhou said, his mouth watering uncontrollably. His wife, who had been displeased with her husband’s recklessness, also had a change of expression. Their son, even more eager, ran to the long table and reached for a crayfish.
Shen Lu gently caught the boy’s hand. "Hey there, little guy. The competition hasn’t started yet. We have to follow the rules, you know."
Contestant number eight licked his lips and raised a question. "Boss Shen, I don’t know how to eat these. Could you let me try one first to see how?"
Someone else chimed in, "Yeah, I don’t know how either. How are we supposed to compete like this?"
Shen Lu held up a hand. "Alright, I’ll give a demonstration. Everyone, watch closely. Eating crayfish is actually very simple."
With that, Shen Lu picked up a braised crayfish to demonstrate how to peel it, explaining which parts were inedible and which could be eaten. She also clarified how clean the meat needed to be before it was considered "eaten," allowing a contestant to move on to the next one.
Fortunately, Shen Lu had already started recording with her Light Brain. She could clip this segment and broadcast it outside the store to save herself from having to repeat the demonstration over and over.
She broke open the bright red shell, revealing tender white meat soaked in sauce. It looked firm and springy, spicy and delicious—a powerful visual assault on the senses.
Inside the fast-food area, the first round began. Everyone’s attention was captivated. With every contestant’s swallow, the mesmerized onlookers found themselves swallowing in unison, as if they themselves were in the competition.