188 The More You Eat, the Less Scary They Become (1/2)
Fang Zhao ate till he was full. Under the astonished gazes of those around him, he finished plate after plate.
The people surrounding him, including Kevin Lin, had no appetite. Some of them threw up after one bite. There was too much remaining on the plates, and Fang Zhao helped those around him clear theirs.
”You... don't have to force yourself,” someone beside him advised.
”I'm not,” Fang Zhao replied.
Fang Zhao himself knew how much he could eat. Earlier on, he had asked for advice on military service matters and so knew that he would be using up a lot of energy even on normal days. All along, he'd eaten more than others, so letting himself eat freely on the first day was to remind others that ”I consume more food,” so in the future, even if he ate more after a hard day's work, other people would not be overly shocked.
As for why he could eat so much today...
He had no choice; he was hungry. On the spacecraft to Baiji, others had been in hibernation, but Fang Zhao had played many symphonies in his head till he'd lost track. Using one's brain's also consumed energy.
The other newcomers in this batch viewed him in a respectful light. He is worthy of being an idol. He can eat so much of these half-cooked and unclean bugs, what an extraordinary person.
As for the previous batch that had arrived in October, they were all dumbstruck. How could it be that this little celebrity could eat so much more than them who had already been on this base for half a year?
After Kevin Lin had ended the long distance communications with headquarters, he contemplated in the lounge for a bit before returning to the dining hall. Fang Zhao had already finished eating and was sitting there chatting with some of the base's military service personnel.
Kevin Lin's face twitched as he scanned the pile of empty plates in front of Fang Zhao.
Kevin Lin called Fang Zhao to the side. ”Fang Zhao, let's discuss the live broadcast later. From today onward, we will not censor anything during the live broadcasts in the base. Instructions from the top. There will be less margin for error, so during live broadcasts, we need to be even more cautious.”
Fang Zhao understood and nodded his head.
”Later on, we will be visiting the base's kitchen. There will be even more unappealing sights. Although it seems like you are adapting just fine, we still have to be prudent and remember that your words and actions at all times will be captured by the camera and transmitted to more people. Sometimes, even if you are afraid, you still have to act calm and not make a big fuss. Actions like that might turn off viewers.”
Kevin Lin told Fang Zhao a lot. There were many past incidents on live broadcasts of variety programs where celebrities had not portrayed themselves well. Kevin Lin remembered a male celebrity who had portrayed himself to be brave. In the end, when he had appeared on a variety show, he had been frightened by a snake and screamed. The image that his managing company had so painstakingly crafted for him had been demolished in an instant. Since then, Kevin Lin had rarely seen that celebrity on-screen anymore.
Fang Zhao and Kevin Lin were led to the kitchen. The moment the doors opened, a noxious odor assaulted their nostrils. Kevin Lin nearly fainted from the smell.
Before coming over, they had watched a recording of the kitchen and had an approximate understanding of the situation inside. If they were to enter without knowing anything beforehand, even base command would feel uneasy. If this really scared them, it would be a problem. How were they going to appeal to the masses and gain support then?
Without even getting to see the kitchen yet, Fang Zhao stood outside, differentiating the different smells as he thought back to the recording of the kitchen.
The kitchen's supervisor handed over masks that he had prepared earlier. ”You guys will definitely not get used to the smell on your first time here. This is a mask that can filter out some odors and make it more bearable.”
Kevin Lin hurriedly put on the mask. Afterward, he felt he could breathe normally. He glanced at Fang Zhao beside him who did not seem to have much reaction. Is this fellow's sense of smell impaired?
Fang Zhao did not feel that this stench necessitated wearing a mask, but on the surface, he did not want to seem too special, so he accepted the mask from the supervisor and put it on.
”Are you ready?” Kevin Lin looked towards Fang Zhao. Getting a nod from Fang Zhao, he proceeded to adjust the camera and switched on live-broadcasting mode.
Kevin Lin's expression changed as he faced the camera. ”Greetings, everyone, we have already finished dinner and are about to enter the base's kitchen, which is what many of our online viewers requested to know more about in the comments. However, entering for the first time, we haven't gotten used to the smell, so we are using masks...”
The internet was so well developed, and many online users had high IQs. They knew that the food displayed on the tables in the dining hall had not necessarily been what these people in the military had for meals. Thus, they wished to see the dining hall's kitchen and head inside to understand the kind of food served at the base. This was the assignment all five channels had received.
As they walked through, the supervisor explained more. The base's kitchen was different from most general restaurants. Here there were stringent tests, and every container loaded with food was made from special materials.
Fang Zhao observed his surroundings along the way. It was still considered clean, probably because the base had specially tidied it up for the live broadcast. Even if they were depicting a poor and bleak picture, they still could not disgust the audiences. Traces of cleaning were not that obvious—the base's higher ups were still rather meticulous in their planning.
Although it was already after dinner, there were still people in the kitchen who were busy. They were not acting; this was normal.
”Those deployed outside will return later. Our base also provides a supper time slot to cater to those soldiers that are out for assignments and return later. This batch of kitchen staff who work in the afternoon still have to continue working at night,” explained the kitchen supervisor, transmitting a message: Our job ain't easy. Overtime every day!
There were some large transparent vats nearby that were close to two stories tall. Some were empty, while others were still full.
The supervisor pointed at one of the empty vats as he explained, ”That was what you had for dinner.”
One of the vats in the middle still had many bugs. Inside, bugs as thick as an adult's arm were biting and gnawing on each other.
The supervisor continued, ”These bugs are greedy, violent, and carnivorous. Generally, we don't keep them for too long. We will finish these tonight.”
The camera moved closer to better film the bugs biting each other behind the transparent wall. One bug that was gnawing on its fellow bugs seemed to have noticed the camera nearing, and it violently opened its jaws and tried to bite the camera, smashing into the transparent wall with a loud ”bang.” Rows of razor sharp teeth could be seen in the close-up of its ferocious jaws.
The camera would not be scared by the sudden charge, but the same could not be said for the online audience.
”The f*ck! That was so scary I dropped my cigarette!”
”It's late at night over at our continent! I just screamed and woke my dormmates.”
”Was... was that the thing they ate just now?”
”Ssss—watching it up close, I feel all squeamish. I've got goose bumps.”
The camera backed off of the vat walls and the bugs inside immediately lost interest and continued chewing on each other.
The camera continued on and filmed the vat beside the previous one, filled to the brim with another sort of organism that had been delivered this afternoon. It was an organism that was abundant on this planet. This nonthreatening invertebrate lived in the ocean and liked to attached itself to reefs. Today, the team that had gone out to survey the ocean had brought these back.