Chapter 1 Golden fried rice
"Papa…"
A deafening burst of firecrackers shattered the silence.
Kai Chen jolted awake, his head pounding as if someone were hammering nails into his skull. He groaned, rubbing his temples, his voice hoarse with a hangover.
"Damn it… what kind of lunatic sets off cannons this early during the New Year?"
The noise grew louder—closer.
Dragging himself upright, Kai Chen grabbed a chair for balance and staggered toward the door, steps unsteady.
"Don't let me catch whoever's messing around," he muttered darkly. "I'll call the cops and report it straight to the Environmental Protection Bureau."
Bang.
The glass door slammed shut behind him.
Cold air rushed over his face, and Kai Chen froze.
The street in front of him was completely unfamiliar.
Old brick buildings. Rusted fire escapes. English signs everywhere.
"…What the hell?"
Before he could process it—
Snap!
A bullet ricocheted off a telephone pole, screaming past his ear before punching a hole through a nearby signboard.
Kai Chen's scalp went numb.
He dropped flat to the ground on instinct.
Holy shit.
That wasn't a firecracker.
That was gunfire.
Across the street, two groups were locked in a violent shootout—white men and black men trading bullets without cover, without hesitation. Glass shattered. Cars were riddled with holes. The entire block had turned into a warzone.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Kai Chen asked the question again, heart hammering.
Then he looked up.
The bullet-riddled sign above him read three characters:
Chinese Restaurant.
"Ah—!"
Pain exploded inside his skull.
It felt like a blade was twisting through his brain as memories that weren't his came crashing down in a flood.
Faces. Voices. Fear.
At the same time, Kai Chen caught his reflection in the glass door.
Unshaven. Sloppy. Hollow-eyed.
"…Why do I look like some washed-up middle-aged man?"
A name surfaced in his mind.
Hell's Kitchen.
His pupils shrank.
"…Don't tell me…"
Kai Chen shoved the door open and rushed back inside the restaurant, grabbed half a bottle of mineral water from a table, and dumped it straight over his head. Cold water streamed down his face as he stared out the window at the continuing gunfight.
No doubt about it.
He had transmigrated.
And not just anywhere.
He had landed in Hell's Kitchen—one of the most violent, lawless neighborhoods in New York.
Broad daylight gunfights weren't unusual here. The police avoided this place unless they came in numbers.
At night?
Hell's Kitchen belonged to criminals. No cop dared patrol it alone.
The original owner of this body was also named Kai Chen.
A Chinese immigrant. Owner, chef, and waiter of this failing Chinese restaurant—all rolled into one.
He pinched every penny he could, cutting costs wherever possible, but the restaurant still hovered on the brink of bankruptcy.
Last night, a group of street punks had come in for a free meal.
Not only did they refuse to pay—they tried to take the entire day's earnings.
Normally timid and submissive, the original Kai Chen had snapped.
Something broke.
He grabbed a kitchen knife and charged out.
The outcome was obvious.
The thugs looted the restaurant and left with their spoils.
The original Kai Chen… died.
"…Heh."
So the splitting headache wasn't from a hangover after all.
It was from being beaten to death.
Then—
A mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
"Detected that the host owns a Chinese restaurant. Gourmet System successfully activated."
Kai Chen's heart leapt.
A system?!
A golden finger?!
Wait.
"…Hold on."
He frowned deeply.
Dude.
This is Hell's Kitchen.
Why the hell are you giving me a food system?
You want me to keep cooking, open a restaurant, scrape together money—just to get robbed or beaten to death again?
Are you messing with me?
Isn't the correct starter pack supposed to be a God of War system? An immortal cultivation system? Something that lets me punch through walls?
"Congratulations to the host for starting a gourmet life. Newbie gift package detected. Open now?"
Kai Chen deadpanned.
"You really don't want to reconsider the system type?"
"Newbie gift package opened."
"Congratulations to the host: Restaurant renovation complete."
"Congratulations to the host: Cooking Skill acquired — Golden Fried Rice."
"Congratulations to the host: Skill acquired — Poisonous Vine."
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
Name: Kai Chen
Level: 1 (0/100)
Cooking Skill: Golden Fried Rice
Skill: Poisonous Vine
(Beginner — allows control over vine growth; secretes toxins that cause paralysis and dizziness)
Before Kai Chen could examine it further—
"Restaurant renovation in progress. Please wait."
The world shimmered.
In an instant, the restaurant transformed.
The greasy, dim interior vanished. The stale odor disappeared. In its place stood a clean, bright dining space—simple but immaculate, with a fresh, welcoming atmosphere.
"Renovation complete."
"The kitchen has prepared ingredients for fifty servings of Golden Fried Rice."
"Please work hard, host, and allow more people to enjoy delicious food."
Kai Chen barely noticed.
His attention was on the skill.
At a thought, green vines slithered into existence around his hand, twisting and growing as he willed. They responded smoothly, obediently.
After a few tests, Kai Chen exhaled slowly.
"…This is basically Poison Ivy's ability, just weaker."
But even a beginner version was enough.
In Hell's Kitchen, that meant survival.
He dismissed the vines into system storage and turned his attention back to the restaurant.
Four large characters were pasted on the front door:
外菜莫入 — No Outside Food Allowed.
A massive menu covered most of the wall.
There was only one item.
Golden Fried Rice
Price: $100
"…The hell?!"
Kai Chen nearly choked.
One hundred dollars?!
Even by American standards, that was insane.
Who would pay that much for egg fried rice?
With that money, you could buy two burgers across the street and still get meat.
Only an idiot would eat here.
"Detected host doubts regarding food pricing."
"Host is entitled to one complimentary staff meal per day. Personal tasting will resolve doubts."
"…Only one?"
He was the chef and the boss, and he only got one work meal?
That's stingy.
Fine.
He'd see what kind of fried rice dared to cost $100.
Kai Chen entered the kitchen.
Surely there'd be shrimp. Beef. Some luxury gimmick.
Instead—
Steamed rice.
Raw eggs.
That was it.
"…That's it?"
A hundred dollars?
He scoffed, then instinctively slipped into chef mode.
Fire on. Oil in. Eggs scrambled. Rice added.
Thirty seconds later—
A bowl of golden fried rice was complete.
Each grain shimmered faintly. Egg coated rice evenly, glowing softly under the light.
It looked perfect.
But…
"…The portion's tiny."
No matter how much rice he scooped, the system forcibly reduced it. Two eggs became one.
In the end, it was barely the size of a grown man's fist.
Not enough for a child.
For $100, someone might beat the chef to death on the spot.
But—
Kai Chen inhaled.
"…It smells way too good."