Fear of food

Chapter 33 Chen Qi's Special Case

Coffee and Momo's other pica friends weren't surprised.

Momo has been contacting picatants through various channels, but not all picatants are willing to join the "Jinghai Foraging Group". It is normal for some picatants to become friends with Momo.

Coffee: We're safe and sound now, thanks to the cookies.

momo: Are the newcomers very capable?
Chasing the Wind: Isn't this someone you recruited, group admin? Don't you even know them?

Momo: Biscuit was in a mental hospital before, and I didn't dare to talk to him much. You know, hospitals are one of the most dangerous places!

Coffee and the others turned their attention back to Chen Qi, their curiosity about him growing.

None of them, including Momo, knew much about Chen Qi; they were unaware of his past experiences and the details of his abilities…

Coffee continued replying in the group: "Biscuit is very capable and seems to have great potential."

momo: Looks like our group has gained another formidable member.

Swill: Again? There was only one dog before.
Swill: Of course, I'm useless!
Coffee: Today's experience was quite special, and we should be able to glean a lot of new information from it. I'll summarize it and post it in the group after I've discussed it with everyone.

Coffee put down his phone and said, "The butcher we encountered today was clearly stronger and more sophisticated than any of the parasites we've met before. His appearance proves that there are different levels of parasites."

What are your thoughts on this?

Zhui Feng said, "The appearance of the butcher was an accident. He should have been selling pork there all along. We were just unlucky to run into him."

The swill said mercilessly, "Don't say it's bad luck, you're just taking chances. The group leader said that the probability of finding high-quality food is higher in densely populated areas, but the probability of finding parasites is also correspondingly higher. The vegetable market is also a densely populated area."

Zhui Feng retorted, "Who could have imagined this? After all, this is the first time we've encountered a parasite outside our family, right?"

Coffee guessed, "The butcher is stronger than the parasites that our family members turned into. Do you think the parasites are born with a power gap, or can they level up?"

Big Pancake said, "Is it possible that wild parasites are more dangerous than domesticated ones?"

Coffee sighed helplessly: "What nonsense... but it is indeed possible."

Chen Qi had remained silent, his head bowed as if deep in thought. Suddenly, he uttered a startling question: "Do you think it's possible that Jinghai City is located within a vast territory?"

The room fell silent immediately after he said this.

Everyone frowned, looking thoughtful.

Coffee seemed thoughtful: "You mean, food horror is actually a kind of domain effect?"

Chen Qi nodded: "That's entirely possible. The butcher's domain has its limitations, and so does food horror; many things that defy common sense occur in the butcher's domain, while food horror makes the entire city bizarre and absurd."

"Of course, this is just my guess, and there's no basis for it. Just take it with a grain of salt and don't take it seriously."

Zhui Feng slapped his thigh: "How come I didn't think of that! It does make sense, but who exactly created such a large domain?"

Without hesitation, Gan Shui replied, "Who else could it be? I already said that parasites are divided into different levels, so it must be a higher-level parasite."

Big Pancake suddenly got excited: "There's a big boss!"

Everyone was speechless.

"Why are you getting so worked up!"

"A butcher almost wiped us all out, and you think you can take on the big boss?"

Swill curled his lip and said, "If Biscuit guesses right, then there are two choices: either escape the domain or eliminate the domain's creator. At present, the former seems more reliable."

Zhui Feng patted Chen Qi on the shoulder: "Actually, we're planning a group activity soon, we'll all go out to see the area outside Jinghai City, you should come along too."

Chen Qi nodded. Although he did not intend to leave Jinghai City in order to save his mother, he did not want to leave.

But he also wanted to see what the difference was between inside and outside the scope of food horror.
Coffee laughed and said, "Alright, I'll organize all the information about the butcher and our speculations later and send it to the group. We can discuss it with the group admin then."

Zhui Feng and the others nodded in agreement: "The group owner is knowledgeable and experienced, and may have some unique insights." Coffee then looked at Chen Qi: "Biscuit, the data and information in our group are now open to you without restrictions, but the group owner should have told you before you joined that information should be shared."

“We are all very curious about you. While most people in the group are here, tell us about your experiences and the information you have.”

Chen Qi nodded. He was not opposed to it. His purpose in joining the "Jinghai Foraging Group" was very clear: to use the group members' help to rescue his mother.

After today's initial contact, I feel that the group members are all quite reliable, at least in terms of unity.

He took this opportunity to explain his situation so that he could ask for help in the future.

So he began to recount his general experience, starting with the onset of his food phobia, and continued until he escaped from his home in the early hours of this morning.

The audience listened with a mixture of shock, confusion, and astonishment...

"You are special!"

After Chen Qi finished speaking, the group members quickly gave their comments.

Coffee said seriously, "Your situation is different from everyone else in our group. You may not realize it yourself, but from my perspective, I even have to wonder if you are one of us pagans."

"First of all, your methods of obtaining food are fundamentally different from ours. Although our foraging methods are varied and strange, they are all essentially the same: to transform bizarre food into our own edible food."

"But you just took what was readily available, skipping the conversion step!"

Chen Qi thought about it carefully and found that it was indeed true.

Xu An'an transforms all sorts of bizarre foods into dried bread, while Zhui Feng turns bizarre food takeout into normal food.

Other group members are probably in the same boat, ultimately using bizarre food as ingredients to transform into other foods.

His approach was simple and direct: he would just pick it up and eat it.

"Secondly, your method of finding high-grade food is different from ours. We can only rely on luck, and only when we are lucky enough to transform high-grade food into something do we feel a connection. But you can directly sense the attraction of high-grade food remotely!"

"Thirdly, the food you eat is very different from ours. The ordinary food we transform can only fill our stomachs, but your wild food has a powerful restorative ability."

"Next, let's talk about the fourth point, which is the 'food protection' mechanism you mentioned, something we don't have either. As you can see, while you have a more convenient foraging ability than us, you also bear more risks than us."

"Actually, I could list a fifth or sixth point, but there's no need. Just based on these four points alone, I suspect you're not even a species like us!"

Chen Qi nodded in agreement: "Now that you mention it, I am indeed quite special."

After hearing Coffee list so many of his special qualities, coupled with Ghost Face Cookie's impressive performance, Chen Qi suddenly regained confidence in his own abilities.

"Maybe I'm actually pretty good at picking up trash!" he thought to himself with a secret delight.

Coffee said, "I will pass on your situation to the group admin, and you can talk to him later."

"What to talk about?"

"The group owner is very well-informed. He has been exploring outside, experiencing many things, and meeting many people. He is knowledgeable and has first-hand information. Most of the information in our group is provided by the group owner."

“Your situation is special, and he might be able to give you some useful advice.”

Chen Qi thanked him and kept the matter in mind.

"Oh, right, Biscuit." Big Biscuit, who had been playing with the dog, suddenly stood up. "You just said you found a fancy food item at the hospital?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

"This might be a bit troublesome..."

The expression on Big Pancake's face suddenly became unnatural.

(End of this chapter)