Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 278: Chapter 192: Grilled Lobster with Double Peppers and Sea Urchin (Part 2)

But it didn’t take long for him to figure out the key point he’d overlooked.

Compared to gluttony, humans have another instinct ingrained in their very DNA.

Laziness.

Clearly, the Lobster with Sea Urchin and Duo-Peppers held a strong appeal for Erica, but the portion she’d get wasn’t enough to outweigh the exhaustion of digging a hole.

’Is digging one hole really that hard for her??’

The corner of Lin Chen’s mouth twitched. He gave up on trying to persuade her, not wanting her to think he was disgusted by the idea of them squeezing in together for one night. It wouldn’t do to hurt a girl’s pride.

While the lobster was still warm, he picked up a half that had been split down the middle of the tail and handed it to Erica.

"Here, eat. Share it with Andre."

"Huh?"

Erica was clearly taken aback, her hands instinctively reaching out to accept the warm lobster.

"But didn’t you just say..."

"Just eat it," Andre cut in at the perfect moment, his chopsticks already extending. "It’ll get cold if you wait."

Right in front of Erica, he inserted his two branch-chopsticks into the lobster shell, scraped them side to side, and with a gentle pry, a plump, pearly-white half of the tail slipped free.

His grip on the chopsticks was incredibly steady. The diced duo-peppers and two lobes of sea urchin roe piled on top didn’t fall off, only a yellowish-green sauce dripped down, drop by drop.

He leaned in and devoured the entire piece in one bite, a blissful smile instantly appearing on his face.

Seeing how much he was enjoying it, Erica forcibly pushed her doubts aside. Her cravings took over once more.

’Oh, whatever. Who cares? I’m eating first!’

Just a moment ago, she’d been lamenting that she wouldn’t get to taste Lin Chen’s handmade gourmet meal. Now, in a surprising turn of events, a surreal sense of joy flooded her heart.

Her chopstick skills weren’t as steady as Andre’s, so she lifted the shell directly to her mouth, using her chopsticks to shovel everything—meat, sauce, and all—inside.

The moment it hit her tongue, the mild heat of the duo-colored peppers launched the first assault.

Unlike the roasted pepper mix from before, this version, stir-fried on hot stone, had the same sweetness of roasted peppers but also retained their unique piquant heat, all while infused with a distinct seafood flavor.

The sea urchin roe melted silently in the warmth of her mouth, fusing with the diced peppers to create a uniquely rich and creamy sauce.

Beneath it, the lobster meat was firm yet succulent, with a faint, smoky aroma.

The sauce, a fusion of sea urchin and peppers, amplified the lobster’s natural umami and sweetness to an infinite degree.

Despite having no added salt, the saltiness was absolutely perfect.

Savory, spicy, salty, sweet, tender, and firm—a symphony of flavors and textures exploded in her mouth.

As she chewed, she could faintly taste a subtle hint of ginger and citrus.

"This is so good..."

Erica let out a heartfelt sigh, unable to wipe the smile off her face. She even felt a sudden impulse—that digging a hole would have been worth it for just one bite of this.

But the very next second, she banished the thought from her mind completely.

’He hasn’t brought it up, and I’m not about to stoop to that level.’

’Besides, I never agreed to his proposal. Lin gave this bite to me of his own free will. It wasn’t something I asked for, so it can’t be part of a bargain.’

’Right. Exactly. That’s it!’

[This lobster dish looks incredible! The presentation is totally on par with a restaurant’s main course!]

[What does it taste like? Don’t just eat, describe it for us!]

[You’re making me hungry just watching. Good thing it’s lunchtime. I’m ordering a pizza.]

[Sea urchin and lobster are both top-tier ingredients at any Japanese restaurant. There’s no way it tastes bad.]

[Think about it, you guys, Erica’s rich. She must have eaten at some seriously high-end restaurants. If even *she* thinks it’s delicious, how could it be anything ordinary!]

[Hey, head chef of the White Whale! Did you see that? If you put this dish on the menu, I’ll be there in a heartbeat!]

[Great idea! Why didn’t I think of that?]

Watching the chat log scroll endlessly across the livestream, Max gave a wry smile. He turned and glanced at Gray, who was swamped with work in the back kitchen.

Whether it was professional instinct or a rapport built over many years, Gray sensed someone watching him. He instinctively looked up and saw Max staring at him with a complicated expression, a flicker of pity in his eyes.

He froze for a moment, then his heart sank. ’Oh no,’ he thought.

He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was lunchtime. ’Don’t tell me Lin made another new dish worth replicating?’

’This is killing me!!’

Fortunately, as the show’s popularity grew, the White Whale’s reputation also spread rapidly among viewers, making recruitment several times easier than before.

Without this fresh blood, he probably would have keeled over from exhaustion in the kitchen by now.

He glanced at the handsome waiters and beautiful waitresses flitting among the guests in the dining room like butterflies, gave Max a slight nod, then returned his focus to the task at hand.

「Elsewhere.」

The show’s crew, who were eating instant noodles in their wooden cabin, had all gathered behind the monitor, their eyes glued to the remaining half of the mouth-watering roasted lobster in front of Lin Chen.

"Boss, I want seafood too."

"If we can’t have lobster, some American Oysters would be nice. It’s instant noodles every single day. Even if you’re not sick of it, I sure am."

"I wish I’d kept a few of the grouse from the last supply drop. All I can think about is protein, protein, protein."

"Boss, there are still a dozen or so grouse that haven’t been caught. Should we go collect them?"

Faced with the blatant craving written all over his subordinates’ faces, Robert rolled his eyes, utterly speechless.