Chapter 564: Chapter 563: The Final Frenzy (Part 1)

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—”

The helicopter blades were buzzing intensely.

As the competition time neared 11 AM, several black shadows suddenly emerged over the ‘Hokkaido Shrine Pavilion.’

Being the finals, the security was nearly covering both land and air, creating a three-dimensional spectacle; the first spectators to arrive at the venue could sense the tense atmosphere indicative of an imminent grand battle.

Preparation indeed meant no calamity.

The Sapporo Legendary Cookware Competition was an international event, but there was no guarantee against some opportunistic troublemakers taking advantage of the situation. The “Gourmet Society” might have retracted their fangs due to participation, but within the international Dark Food World, it wasn’t just the “Gourmet Society”; there were many more extreme and terrifying entities.

Parking lot.

Jintan Shun and Tulip arrived together at the venue in the same car; they alighted and, upon entering the VIP passage, were met by a guard who checked their tickets with an electronic device, and they even had to pass through a security checkpoint similar to those at airports, ensuring they carried no firearms or dangerous items before they could pass freely.

Stepping into the passage, both Qilin-level Gourmet Hunters suddenly stopped and turned to look at the queue forming behind them at the security line, exchanging a glance that conveyed solemnity.

“This is really strict!” Jintan Shun chuckled, “Fortunately, I had the foresight not to bring any firearms, or else they would have been confiscated by the competition organizers.”

“Rightly so.”

Tulip said, “Compared to the semifinals, the security for the finals has been elevated by at least two levels.”

“Huh?!”

Suddenly, Jintan Shun stared at a group of mercenaries walking through the crowd outside, and whistled softly, “Look, Gourmet Mercenaries. It seems the event organizers have even hired numerous elite mercenaries to bolster the security!”

“That makes it interesting.” Tulip pondered, “Seems like the organizers plan to reveal something significant to the public.”

“Yes indeed!”

Jintan Shun said, “Though I am merely a spectator, I’m privileged to witness such a grand event and just imagining the upcoming showdown makes my blood boil!”

He rubbed his chest.

“Chef Xia is still competing in the first round, right?” a female hunter with a floral tattoo on her left cheek, equally excited.

“Of course!”

Their conversation was interrupted by someone calling out to them.

Governor Ishino Harumi along with her daughter, Ishino Ai, passed through the security check and entered the passage.

“Mr. Jintan, Ms. Tulip,” Governor Ishino Harumi and the two internationally ranked top ten Qilin-level Gourmet Hunters obviously knew each other and greeted each other before walking into the venue together.

Coincidentally, their seats were next to each other, all in the first row and only a few meters from the stage.

“I must also thank Mr. Jintan for ridding Hokkaido of many invasive threats over the years, otherwise, Hokkaido might not have been so peaceful or worse, possibly turning into a playground for invasive creatures.”

Governor Ishino Harumi sat down and thanked Jintan Shun.

“One’s personal efforts against such large-scale invasions are truly humble.” Jintan Shun shrugged, “Governor Ishino should thank those international mercenaries who sacrificed their lives in foreign lands.”

After exchanging pleasantries, they brought the topic back to today’s grand showdown.

“The sudden withdrawal of the White Jade Building Team from the competition was really unexpected; I was hoping to see another spectacular fight, heh…” Jintan Shun commented.

“Apparently, it was a directive issued personally by the leader of the Chinese Cuisine World.”

Governor Ishino Harumi said slowly.

Instantly, the atmosphere became tense; Jintan Shun’s face stiffened for a moment and, waving his hand, he said, “Let’s not talk about the withdrawal then, Governor Ishino. Given such high security levels at the finals, it seems like…”

“You’ve guessed it already,” Governor Ishino Harumi’s eyes twinkled with mirth, “The competition has been going on for a month, and that globally renowned piece of cookware is finally going to make its appearance at the competition!”

As spectators and guests continued to enter, Hokkaido Shrine Pavilion had already heated up an hour before the competition began.

Backstage at the venue.

Five judges were all in place.

Luther, the IGO authority on research from Germany, ‘The Reborn’ Adelaide the Third, were having a video call with an elderly man in a neat suit.

“After evaluating, we believe the odds of victory for the Far Moon Team and White Jade Building Team are equal; it would not be surprising whoever emerges as the victor,” Luther stated.

The elderly man with blond hair in the video sighed, “It’s a pity that our competing team got eliminated in the quarterfinals of Zone B.”

The young man from the United Kingdom, Adelaide, interjected,

“Mr. President, the opponents were really too powerful. Minister Shinohara and the two main generals gave it their all.”

“I know!”

The old man said, “It seems that this legendary cooking tool, lost to the outside world, will most likely return to its original place. As long as the Gourmet Society doesn’t get their hands on it, our IGO will have completed its mission.”

Upon mentioning the Gourmet Society, the old man’s words were full of dread.

“I’ll be watching the duel live!”

He added.

In another rest area, the Lin Giant of the Gourmet Society, ‘Dragon Tamer’ Sta and ‘Burning Purple Rose’ Andrea, were talking with Catherine, a confidante who the chief of the society had sent.

“Catherine, how is your work coming along?” Andrea swirled her glass of red wine.

Hearing this, the woman intensely typing on her laptop, very much in the style of a clerk, looked up coldly at Andrea and said indifferently, “The intelligence is being organized and collected.”

“Then you should pay close attention to the first duel and make sure to record it!”

Andrea took a small sip of her red wine, her tongue coated slightly in the red liquid, as she licked her tender outer lips, a seductive smile appearing on her face, “I believe that Chef Xia’s performance in the finals will not be inferior to his culinary battle against Tiqie Ji. Right now, I just hope his opponents are as strong as possible to force out more of his hidden talents— it would be really interesting to see something new!”

She paused for a moment, the female Lin Chef’s eyes shimmering with an unusual color.

“He’s such a curious boy, too mysterious; it’s hard not to peek—”

She slightly opened her mouth to reveal a smile, not an illusion, the woman’s teeth seemed to become sharper suddenly due to palpable emotion.

Seeing this, ‘Dragon Tamer’ Sta’s gaze flickered.

…

The perspective returned to the Ookura Mountain Villa.

“Yu, we’re heading to the arena first!”

Morioka Makki waved goodbye and then took Tanaka Hikari and Eriina to the car.

This support team, which had specially come from Tokyo, was as well-prepped as the culinary battle a few days ago, dressed in full gear, headbands with “Victory” tied around their foreheads, and victory stickers on their cheeks.

As the car drove away, Xia Yu, Dojima Yin, and Saito Chiyokuro exchanged glances.

“We should be leaving too!”

Dojima Yin said with a crisp laugh.

Bang!

Zhu Qing and six special chefs walked out of the villa, bowed off by the villa’s maids.

At the main entrance of the villa, the team’s dedicated vehicle was ready, surrounded by an armed escort team in the middle, with reporters squatting around only able to take photographs from the periphery.

When the group appeared, the reporters instantly stirred up.

“Mr. Dojima, do you still insist that the Far Moon Team will win?”

“Instructor Xia, it is said that you interacted on social media with your opponent in the first round recently. What exactly is your relationship? Are you friends, as people speculate? How well do you know this young special chef?”

“Chef Xia, please tell us about you pre-match preparations!”

Questions buzzed in.

Xia Yu and Dojima Yin were in a good mood, stepping forward to attend the interviews, and after a few minutes were reminded by the accompanying staff, then waved to the media and got into the designated vehicle.

The female driver in the main driver’s seat turned her head—it was a familiar face.

“Main General Liangzi?” Xia Yu was astonished.

Liangzi Lina, dressed in a standard female bodyguard’s tailored suit, gave the young man a thumbs up.

“Good luck!”