Is the closed beta test of King of Loque over? The official release is here!

Niu Kuang grinned, a shrewd glint in his eyes that seemed out of place with his rugged appearance.

"Tie Dan, go and break the charcoal into smaller pieces so the fire burns brighter! Er Mao, you and the rest of you, skewer the meat and vegetables for me, make them big! Our main focus is on large portions and fillings!"

"Alright, Brother Niu!" Tie Dan and Er Mao immediately accepted the order and set off.

As for me...

Niu Kuang crossed his arms and let out a meaningful "humph".

"I'll go scout out the enemy situation first!"

Chapter 219 The Ox Demon!

As he spoke, he strode forward like a moving iron tower, heading straight for the stalls of the other two teams.

At this moment, the atmosphere within the Stone Clan's ranks was exceptionally serious.

Song Chen stood in front of the stall with his hands behind his back, showing no intention of making a move. His gaze swept over the ingredients and the simple grill, and a preliminary business model was already forming in his mind.

"First, divide up the area for the barbecue stall." Song Chen's voice was calm and clear, with an unquestionable commanding tone. "Lin Sen, you take three people to be in charge of skewering and preparing the ingredients, paying attention to the ratio of meat to vegetables. Another person will be in charge of starting the fire, and the third person will be in charge of serving the guests later."

"Pay close attention during the process. When the market residents come over, observe their consumption habits. What do they like to eat? What are their potential needs? What value-added services can we provide? And what maximum profit can we extract from them?"

His teammates were stunned.

While others came to participate in a barbecue competition, their team leader seemed more like he was there to open a franchise store.

Just as Song Chen was meticulously strategizing and planning, transforming a simple barbecue stall into a well-organized catering group on the verge of going public,...

A huge shadow suddenly fell.

The shadow carried a tyrannical sense of oppression, causing the team members who were listening attentively to stop what they were doing.

Song Chen frowned slightly and turned around unhappily.

What came into view was Niu Kuang's enlarged, rugged face, which seemed to scream "don't mess with me."

"Captain Niu." Song Chen's tone was unreadable. He habitually straightened his perfectly wrinkle-free collar, maintaining his elite demeanor. "Is there something you need?"

"It's nothing." Niu Kuang crossed his arms and stood there like an iron tower, but his gaze swept over Song Chen's stall without any politeness. The sharp light in his bull-like eyes seemed to want to engrave every detail of the place into his mind. "I just came to take a look."

Song Chen sneered inwardly.

"Let's take a look? It's nothing more than testing the waters."

He remained impassive, a faint smile even playing at the corners of his lips, carrying a hint of a superior lecturing a subordinate: "Oh? Captain Niu isn't busy with his own team's affairs? Instead, he has the leisure to come here and give us guidance?"

He paused, then his tone shifted sharply: "I wonder, Captain Niu, did you understand anything?"

“I understand.” Niu Kuang grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth, and answered crisply.

"You understand now?" A hint of sarcasm flashed in Song Chen's eyes.

He wanted to hear what this brute could possibly understand.

However, the next second, Niu Kuang's actions completely petrified everyone present.

Suddenly, Niu Kuang turned around and roared at his stall with a booming voice, "Listen up, all of you!"

"Er Mao! Three people are enough to skewer the meat, and you better pay attention to the ratio of meat to vegetables!"

"Tie Dan, the fire needs to be strong, but there can't be any open flame!"

"The last one, be quick-witted, you'll be serving guests later, so be a little sweet-talking!"

"And everyone, listen up and keep your eyes peeled! When those natives come over, see what they like to eat, and if they have any needs we haven't thought of, we'll add them! Our goal is to squeeze every last penny out of their pockets!"

"..."

Dead silence.

A deathly silence fell over Song Chen and his group for several seconds.

Song Chen's expression shifted from composure to astonishment, and then to an indescribable feeling.

It's like that word—hard to hold back.

The team members behind him, looking at Niu Kuang, also had their mouths slightly agape.

This... isn't this exactly what Song Chen just said?!

They didn't even change the punctuation!

Song Chen felt a rush of blood to his head, his temples throbbing. He had seen shameless people before, but he had never seen such an openly and self-righteously shameless person!

This isn't just copying homework; it's snatching your deskmate's test paper in front of the teacher and signing your own name on it!

"Team... Captain!" Song Chen practically spat out the words through gritted teeth, suppressing his anger and trying to keep his voice from trembling. "Is this your strategy?"

Niu Kuang turned his head, a "you just realized that?" look on his face, and asked matter-of-factly, "What? Is that not allowed?"

He spread his large, fan-like hand, his tone carrying a rogue-like philosophy: "Isn't this how all the big guilds and corporations like you started? First learn, then copy, and finally swallow others up. I call this paying homage! I'm learning from your advanced experience!"

This absurd and fallacious argument left Song Chen speechless for a long time.

He felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger.

“Of course you can.” Song Chen took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. “However, Captain Niu, there are some things that you can’t just copy. Core technologies can’t be bought.”

"Oh?" Niu Kuang casually picked at his ear. "I really don't believe it. You should think about your core technology. When you figure it out, remember to say it out loud. I'll be waiting."

After saying that, he laughed heartily, ignoring Song Chen, whose face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and strode away, satisfied.

Song Chen and his group were left bewildered in the wind.

Lin Sen pushed up his glasses, his face also showing a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

......

Niu Kuang's "inspection" did not end there.

He swayed and strolled over to Mo Fan and his three companions' stall.

At that moment, Mo Fan was fiddling with the charcoal, making sure it burned completely to prevent open flames and black smoke during the barbecue. Murong Jiao, Murong Sha, and Fang Xu were clumsily skewering ingredients around a pile of food.

Niu Kuang remained in the same posture, arms crossed, observing with great interest.

Murong Jiao felt the extremely aggressive gaze and stopped what she was doing, clearly annoyed.

But she had no better ideas. All she could do was puff out her cheeks and glare angrily at the cow.

However, her glare had no effect on Niu Kuang, whose skin was as thick as a city wall.

Niu Kuang even grinned at her, then continued watching as if no one else was around.

Murong Jiao stomped her feet in anger, but there was nothing she could do about it. She couldn't very well kick someone out just because they glanced at her twice, could she?

After observing for a while, Niu Kuang seemed to find no advanced experience worth "paying tribute" to, so he turned around somewhat dejectedly and returned to his own stall.

"I'm so angry!" As soon as Niu Kuang left, Murong Jiao immediately sidled up to Mo Fan and complained indignantly, "I never expected that Niu Kuang, who looks so carefree and burly, is actually quite shrewd!"

Why not just change its name to "Bull Spirit"?

Chapter 220 The Art of Pharmacy?

Her little face was full of worry: "Mo Fan, first they copied Song Chen's methods, and now they're spying on us. If all the ideas we've worked so hard to come up with are copied, then we won't have any advantage at all."

"Don't think like that," Mo Fan said calmly. "There will always be a way, and besides, we don't really have any good ideas right now."

He glanced at the other two teams' stalls and said casually, "Currently, everyone's progress is about the same. No one has shown any particular advantage yet. However, things will be different once the barbecue starts. Although the barbecue technique isn't difficult to master, there will still be differences in how well you can grill in a short period of time."

“Moreover,” he changed the subject, a strange glint in his eyes, “I have a special idea. An idea they can’t imitate.”

"A special idea?" Murong Jiao's attention was instantly drawn, her yellow pigtails swaying curiously. "What idea? Tell me quickly!"

Fang Xu and Murong Sha also cast curious glances their way.

Mo Fan shook his head, keeping everyone in suspense: "I can't say for now; some preparations are needed. However, I'm very confident."

Seeing the expectant looks in their eyes, he smiled and changed the subject: "Alright, are you almost done skewering them? Once they're done, grill a portion of each to taste. Then I'll teach you the basic grilling techniques and how to control the heat."

"Do you have something else to say?" Murong Sha, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up. Her blue eyes were clear as water, and she keenly caught the subtext in Mo Fan's words.

“That’s right.” Mo Fan nodded, not hiding anything. “You guys will have to handle the initial preparations and basic operations at the barbecue stand. I need to go prepare my ‘special idea’.”

Upon hearing this, Murong Sha did not press for details, but simply nodded slightly: "Alright, leave this to us."

These two simple words represent complete trust.

The charcoal crackled and popped on the grill, turning a deep reddish-brown, no longer emitting a wisp of black smoke. On the long table beside them, the first batch of skewered ingredients prepared by Murong Jiao and her companions were ready.

Mo Fan picked up a skewer of animal meat, placed it on the fire, and began to spin it.

"Barbecuing isn't difficult to learn." His voice was calm, but his hands moved as steadily as a precise machine. "The grill and charcoal are readily available, with open flames and thick smoke, so you can just start grilling."

Fang Xu and his two companions huddled together, watching intently.

"For the meat, grill it directly until the surface shrinks slightly and some moisture evaporates, then brush it with oil." Mo Fan said, while using a small brush to dip some animal oil and spread it evenly on the meat skewers.

Shila-

The oil dripped, sparking a small cluster of sparks and releasing an enticing aroma.

"Add the seasonings last."

“Vegetables are different; they dry out easily when roasted, so you have to brush them with oil before roasting.”

The demonstration was smooth and natural; a few simple sentences clearly explained the core points.

"Of course, to truly roast it to perfection in color, aroma, and flavor, and to achieve the ultimate taste, that is the art of controlling the heat and seasonings."

However, as long as the ingredients are fresh and you enjoy the meal, basic grilling methods are sufficient.

Mo Fan handed them several skewers of grilled meat, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside: "Alright, you three practice first. I'll be right back."

After saying that, he put down the brush, wiped his hands, and turned to walk out of the market.

Not far away, Song Chen, who was directing his team members through the "standardized material preparation process," noticed Mo Fan leaving and frowned slightly.

At such a critical juncture, he actually left?

Is there any plan?

However, Song Chen was too busy to think about it much at the moment.