Chapter 111: Umbrella Restaurant |
A pair of young students passed by outside the alleyway. One playfully swatted the other, instantly sparking a game of tag. Shi Rang's gaze unconsciously followed their movements.
He used to have friends like that too—friends who walked to and from school with him, roughhoused between classes, and stood in the hallway together after being scolded by the teacher.
Back then, he was just a kid living with his grandparents. He had no idea what parental love felt like, but friendship had made up for it all. He had fit right into his class, becoming just another one of the boys running wild.
If Shi Shixin had not forcibly intervened in his childhood, he might have grown up to be a cheerful person.
What was that friend's name again...?
Only a friendly phantom remained in the depths of his heart.
"This way," Jing Zi said, giving him a gentle tug.
Shi Rang hurriedly wiped his eyes and dragged his suitcase toward the other end of the alleyway. Deacon Huo was already quite a distance ahead.
"How did we get here so fast? We were thousands of kilometers away, not to mention the border checkpoints..."
Shi Rang followed his gaze, sizing up this mysterious 'Restaurant.'
The establishment was built right against the street, its display windows completely opaque. A large signboard stretched across the entire storefront:
[Umbrella Restaurant]
[(Second District Directly-Affiliated University Town Branch, 20 Unfindable Street)]
[— Utilizing ingredients and culinary techniques from the anomalous world to bring you a taste experience that shatters all limits —]
'The anomalous world... They just wrote it on the sign and hung it by the street?'
'Won't the Management Authority and the Alliance come knocking?'
Shi Rang nervously scanned the street, which ran parallel to a snack alley. He noticed that although it was lined with restaurants, it was completely deserted. On the antique-style stone-paved road, they were the only three diners. The street seemed to stretch endlessly toward the edge of the world.
He steadied his nerves and activated his Sensing.
Sure enough, this entire street was an anomaly.
A localized anomaly.
Its scope was so vast that it masked the smaller anomalous sources hidden within it. If he did not dial up the sensitivity of his perception, he would not even be able to detect the Mini-Humans inside his suitcase.
'So that's how it is. This is the source of the restaurant's confidence.'
However...
Shi Rang double-checked to make sure he had not misread the restaurant's name.
'Umbrella Restaurant. Why does that name feel like a bad omen?'
'It sounds like a biopharmaceutical company.'
He swept his gaze over a few nearby shops that had not yet opened for business.
"Chicken Essence Foundation," "Global Super Cumin Coalition," "Serpent's Longevity," "Wonton Splitters"...
'Alright, compared to those, Umbrella Restaurant isn't that weird after all.'
Returning to his hometown gave him a sense of security. He no longer needed to treat every shadow as a threat, the way he did walking the streets of the Tenth District—where he had to guard against thieves and robbers, as well as the police. This was not a false sense of comfort; the Second District's public safety was world-renowned. It was the kind of safe where you could step out for a late-night snack without ever worrying about having a knife pulled on you.
Harboring a sliver of anticipation, Shi Rang, Jing Zi, and a suitcase full of Mini-Humans followed Deacon Huo inside the establishment.
The Umbrella Restaurant boasted exquisite decor, though unfortunately, it leaned heavily into a Western aesthetic. Shi Rang was already accustomed to this kind of style and had been hoping for something with more local flavor. Looking around, he saw no waiters or attendants in sight. Instead, a few diners were feasting behind elegant booths partitioned by sheer gauze curtains. The silhouettes behind the veils shifted constantly, and beneath the soothing ambient music, the only distinct noises were the wet sounds of chewing and swallowing.
Deacon Huo found a circular booth partially enclosed by seating. As soon as they sat down, the gauze curtains drew shut on their own.
Shi Rang opened his suitcase to let the Mini-Humans join the feast. They quickly scurried up his arm and onto the table, claiming a small section for themselves.
From the direction of the restaurant aisle, a figure pushing a cart approached from afar. The silhouette of its upper body was entirely blurred, but beneath the curtain, a pair of perfectly normal human feet paced alongside the dining cart, eventually coming to a halt just outside their booth.
"I reserved a table, but we brought a few extra guests," Deacon Huo stated.
"Anyone who takes a seat is a guest, and the restaurant will satisfy every dining need our guests require. I will inform the kitchen to prepare additional portions." The entity standing by the cart spoke in a soft, gentle tone, its voice so silky it made one's ears tingle.
The presence, seemingly acting as a waiter, promptly set down cutlery and menus for them. Beneath its gloves, the outline of normal human hands was clearly visible.
Yet from beginning to end, Shi Rang was unable to catch a glimpse of the waiter's face through the gaps in the curtain.
There was no doubt about it—this was a restaurant built on an anomalous street, utilizing anomalies to run its business.
Another organization walking hand-in-hand with anomalies.
'I doubt their core mission is protecting humanity...'
The Umbrella Restaurant's service was remarkably thorough. Not only did Shi Rang and the other two receive settings, but even the Mini-Humans were provided with microscopic cutlery and menus that were barely visible to the naked eye.
"The set meal was pre-ordered, so you can look forward to the dishes." Deacon Huo pinched the menu between two fingers and waved it just outside the curtain. A hand immediately took it back. "They serve the food quite fast. We can eat and talk."
[Appetizers: Sweet Dream Tea, Inland Wings, Coastal Super Shrimp]
[Main Courses: Quantum Curry, Orderly Three-Cup Chicken...]
[Desserts: Resurrection Easter Egg, Hypothetical Ice Cream]
The bizarre names sounded like gimmicks cooked up by trendy internet cafes to attract influencers. But in a restaurant like this, and in front of a malnourished Shi Rang who had been starving for two whole days, anything even remotely related to food was enough to make his mouth water.
"Here are your appetizers."
After speaking, the waiter methodically served everyone a cup of "Sweet Dream Tea."
Shi Rang stared at his teacup for several seconds, but the counter-clockwise vortex inside showed no signs of stopping. He picked up the cup and tilted it. The purple whirlpool shifted slightly, yet its edges never broke away from the rim of the cup. Even when completely inverted, not a single drop spilled out.
Adopting a 'let's try anything once' mentality, he brought it to his lips.
The sweet fragrance of kiwi blossomed in his mouth, causing his numb, starved stomach to rumble violently. Suddenly, a memory surfaced: one day, Ying Shang had sprinted all the way to the bedroom holding a frying pan, just to show him a floppy pancake that looked exactly like mud. The two of them had laughed so hard at that pan they could barely breathe.
'Honestly, that mud pancake didn't taste too bad. It was just impossible to identify what species it was supposed to be...'
By the time he snapped out of his daze, the teacup was already empty. A warm, fuzzy sense of happiness settled deep in his stomach. He hadn't expected that, even after everything, he would still smile at that memory.
Shi Rang noticed that both Jing Zi and Deacon Huo also wore soft smiles. Sitting on the placemat nearby, Leader Jack was happily chatting away with his microscopic parents.
He wasn't sure what was more astonishing: the fact that this restaurant kept miniature-sized cutlery, or that they could perfectly plate miniature-sized dishes.
'So anomalous organizations aren't always about bloodshed, high-stress situations, and dark conspiracies.'
'What a magical place.'
Taking the initiative, Shi Rang asked, "Because of that man, do I now count as a useful asset to the organization?"
"No, no, no, brother Shi Rang, you shouldn't phrase it like that. From the looks of it, your relationship with Shi Shixin isn't exactly great?"
"Do you want it to be great?"
Deacon Huo's smile widened. "There are pathways for a good relationship, and pathways for a bad one. Since we're all on the same team here, it naturally depends on what you want. Regardless of the details, if you return, he will undoubtedly be overjoyed."
Shi Rang scoffed.
Deacon Huo simply smiled without another word. He placed his teacup back on the table and covered it with its lid.
Jing Zi immediately stood up and asked the waiter for a separate table. He nodded respectfully to the Deacon and Shi Rang, shot the latter an encouraging glance, and then picked up the placemat holding the Mini-Humans. He relocated, leaving the two of them with enough space for a private conversation.
Shi Rang knew that from this moment on, the true 'main course' was being served.
Shortly after, the gauze curtain fluttered before settling back into stillness. Two plates covered with golden cloches were served, while the mysterious waiter resumed standing silently outside the booth.
Deacon Huo spoke up. "Let's put him aside for now. What is the situation with your wife?"
In a monotonous voice, Shi Rang repeated exactly what he had told the deceased Stronghold manager.
While Deacon Huo fell deep into thought, the starving Shi Rang lifted the cloche from his plate. He caught a whiff of a roasted meat aroma so heavenly he knew instantly it would be delicious. Suddenly, the contents of the plate shot out—a crispy, glistening roast squab flew back and forth in the air above their booth! Its crackling skin snapped and crackled loudly as it flapped its wings, raining down a shower of hot grease.
The "Inland Wings" could actually fly. Guests literally had to catch their own meal.
Having starved for two days, Shi Rang abandoned all pretense of table manners. Grabbing his knife and fork, he leaped up to catch it, but the roast squab banked sharply in mid-air, dodging his strike.
Deacon Huo casually reached out to intercept the "Inland Wings" as it swooped toward him. Only then did Shi Rang manage to impale it with his knife, dragging it back down to his plate to carve it up. Finally, it stopped moving.
As Shi Rang tore into the melt-in-your-mouth squab, Deacon Huo sat beside him, explaining the situation in a deeply earnest tone.
"Brother Shi Rang, I'm truly stumped by your wife's situation. I'll need to poke around and make some inquiries before I can give you any solid leads. However, Shi Shixin is a resource you can utilize. You can absolutely negotiate terms with him. He has been looking for you all these years, but there are far too many Undocumented Persons over in the Tenth District. As a result, he exhausted himself without ever managing to contact you. An unstable family dynamic is highly detrimental to one's career prospects, and there are countless people eyeing his position, praying for another purge to shake things up."
For the sake of the delicious roast squab, Shi Rang frowned and listened to the first half of the explanation. But after sucking the shreds of meat off the bones for a good while, he realized he genuinely had no idea what the latter half meant.
Spitting out a clean bone, Shi Rang finally asked, "What exactly does he do for a living?"
A flicker of confusion crossed Deacon Huo's face. "Isn't he your father?"
Shi Rang shrugged. Since they rarely interacted, he only had a vague concept of his father's life, vaguely aware that the man might be some sort of "big shot."
There was no law dictating that a child had to know their parents' exact job description.
Deacon Huo pressed, "Your wife was an orphan sponsored by the Charity Foundation, right?"
"Yeah, she even applied for their skills subsidy back in the day."
"...So your wife has been continuously receiving funding from the Charity Foundation, yet you never knew that Shi Shixin is the regional director of the Charity Foundation in the Second District?"