Chapter 976: Chapter 976

Big White Goose said.

"Are all these meals raw?"

He asked suspiciously.

"Yes. Do you need them heated?"

Big White Goose asked.

"Forget it, I'll just start with Set A and Set B."

Usually, they only serve raw, and suddenly offering cooked either ends up half-cooked or overcooked into charcoal, better to stick with fruits and nuts.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Big White Goose left for a while and came back pushing a cart.

It used its beak to carry baskets or bowls, placing the dishes on the table one by one.

Liu Zheng watched the drool dripping from its mouth, hesitated to speak.

"Please enjoy, if you need anything, just press the service bell on the wall."

After arranging the dishes, Big White Goose left the room, using its claw to pull the specially designed door handle to close the door.

"There are quite a lot, but I'm not sure about the price."

This three-no menu with no content, quantity, or price is almost blatantly telling you they're going to overcharge.

But Liu Zheng is not too worried, firstly, he's currently well-off, and secondly, Silver Wolf manages this place professionally.

If the Hundred Birds Club dares to rip him off, he'd turn around and rip those birds apart, starting with that gray parrot's crap first, then kill it.

He couldn't be bothered to peel, just grabbed a fruit and started eating.

Liu Zheng spat the fruit out, skin and flesh altogether.

This thing looks like a mango, with a rind like a watermelon, but it tastes like durian.

He can tolerate stinky tofu, soybean juice, and herring canned, but durian's stench is intolerable.

"Forget it, let's eat the nuts instead."

Liu Zheng pushed all the fruits aside, focusing on the nuts.

Fortunately, the nuts didn't contain a hidden assassin, not only did they taste good, but they were also rich in oil and water.

For your information, many nuts have much higher calories than rice, rich in fat and protein, like those in compressed biscuits containing a lot of nuts.

After consuming a whole table of nuts, his body finally returned to its normal level.

But that's all, only the body returned to normal, the energy reserve was still critically low.

As Liu Zheng pondered whether to order another nut set or try the fruits again, the room's door was pushed open.

He looked towards the sound and saw a large black and white bird standing at the door, with a big chunk of red on top of its head.

The signature red bald head made him instantly recognize the visitor as a Red-crowned Crane, a first-class protected wild animal just like the Panda.

Speaking of which, it seems like animals with black and white coloration are all pretty rare.

"Bloody Restaurant staff!"

The Red-crowned Crane was startled seeing his restaurant uniform.

"Don't worry, I'm currently on vacation, even if you ordered takeout, I wouldn't deliver."

"Only an idiot would order takeout from Bloody Restaurant."

The Red-crowned Crane calmed down and retorted.

"That remark insults quite a few dignitaries."

He raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

The Red-crowned Crane asked, looking puzzled.

"Nothing, of course, you at the Grand Theater, your acting is top-notch. Please, take a seat."

"So, what do you need from me?"

The Red-crowned Crane stood opposite him and asked.

"Does your Grand Theater have a Black Swan?"

Liu Zheng got to the point.

"Indeed. It's the principal ballet dancer, one of the pillars of the Grand Theater."

The Red-crowned Crane replied.

"How's your relationship with it?"

"Normal. We've collaborated on a few musicals, its airs are quite big, always looking sideways at people, but it's very professional, the audience's eyes are glued to it the moment it flaps its wings."

The Red-crowned Crane said.

"Are you a dancer too?"

"No, I am a musical actor, dancing is just part of the job."

The Red-crowned Crane shook its head.

"If I were a dedicated dancer, the relationship wouldn't be just normal."

It then sneered coldly.

"What would it be then?"

"Hate. As long as it's on stage, you'd never become the principal, forever groveling in the shadow of its wings, wouldn't you hate it?"

The Red-crowned Crane retorted.

"It's okay, I always believe that if there's no way out, make a tunnel, if I can't outshine it, I'd change jobs and become a big shot elsewhere, if that doesn't work, I'd switch careers."

"Easy for you to say. You don't understand, true dancers with talent, dance is not just a job, it's the realization of self-value, how could one just give up like that?"

"If it's all about self-value realization, why care if someone else is the principal?"

"Haven't you heard of the theory of relativity? As long as I step on someone else's value, mine rises relatively."

The Red-crowned Crane said confidently.

"Your theory of relativity seems a bit different from the one I know."

Liu Zheng squinted his eyes and said.

"Then yours must be wrong."

The Red-crowned Crane said with certainty.

"Alright, let's leave it at that."

He decided to skip this topic.

"The true identity of the Black Swan is actually an 'Ugly Duckling.' I have a professor friend who researches mythical creatures and is very interested in the 'Ugly Duckling' race. He wants to capture one for research, and I'm a very helpful friend, willing to assist him in this."

Liu Zheng said half-truthfully.

"Ugly Duckling? What kind of race is that?"

"The Ugly Ducklings secretly lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, then choose the most outstanding chick to steal its appearance and talents, and also alter the memory of the adult bird."

He repeated what the Big White Goose had told him.

"Sounds like a cuckoo, but even more disgusting."

The Red-crowned Crane showed a look of disgust.

Cuckoos also lay their eggs in other birds' nests and rely on them to raise their young.

The young cuckoo even pushes out the eggs of other birds to ensure it gets enough food.

This behavior is commonly known as nest parasitism.

"That's roughly the situation. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes. What do you need me to do?"

"First, I need information on the Black Swan, as detailed as possible."

"Second, I need to track its whereabouts, as promptly as possible."

"Third, when the time is right, I need you to get close to the Black Swan and order a takeout."

He outlined. Chapters first released on novęlfire.net

"The third one is impossible. I absolutely won't order from the Bloody Restaurant."

After listening, the Red-crowned Crane shook its head.

"I can give you sufficient compensation."

"Even if you give me ten million, it won't work. Even if you persuade those above, it won't work. I'd rather be hunted down than order takeout."

The Red-crowned Crane was adamant.

"Alright, then you'll have to help my men sneak into the theater."

Liu Zheng had to opt for the next best thing.

The Red-crowned Crane nodded.

"The Emperor doesn't neglect his hungry soldiers. Here's some funding for your bird's actions."

He directly took out about a hundred thousand yuan and placed it on the table.

Seeing the stacks of green bills, the red bump on top of the Red-crowned Crane's head brightened a bit.

In the theater, it was just a middling actor, and one hundred thousand yuan was a fortune to it.

"If you have any other requests, feel free to ask. Whether it's money or tasks, as long as I can do it, I will."

"I only have two requests. First, when you work, you must be diligent. Second, apart from your superiors, don't disclose this matter to others, and certainly don't betray me."

"If you can manage these two points, take the money. If not, say so now."

"Don't take the money and then not do the work, or don't blame me for turning my back on you."

Liu Zheng said, staring into its eyes.

"Can I really make any request?"

The Red-crowned Crane shifted its gaze from the stack of bills.

"Help me save someone."

The Red-crowned Crane said.

"Lu Tong. He used to be in the zoo, but recently was sold to a wealthy individual as a personal pet."

The Red-crowned Crane replied.

"So, is he a human or a deer?"

"He's a human-deer hybrid, able to switch between the two forms."

The Red-crowned Crane said.

"6. And what is your relationship with him?"

"Our families were neighbors. We grew up together and attended drama school together. But later, he said he didn't want to be an actor anymore and wanted to participate in some project to make big money. We had a big fight and parted ways unhappily, and after that, he disappeared."

"When I saw him again, he was already in his deer form, inside a glass enclosure at the zoo."

The Red-crowned Crane said blandly.

"Could it be he participated in Project 404?"

A memory both distant and near surfaced in Liu Zheng's mind.