Chapter 37

Just as he stepped out of the three-story building of the "True Fragrance" combat flight squadron, his phone rang.

"Ring, ring, ring, Abel is calling!"

With the caller ID set up, he could tell who was calling just by the sound.

Chen Fei glanced at the screen and sure enough, it was Chef Abel from the base cafeteria.

"Xiao Chen, what time are you free tonight? I need help!"

Chef Abel's distinctive rooster-like voice came through.

Chen Fei tentatively asked, "Chef Abel, what's up?"

Chef Abel paused, then said even louder, "What? Have you forgotten? I told you last night that the corrupt businessman Park Ae-hwa was taken away by the internal affairs department. Now it's just me, and I can't handle everything alone, aaaaaah!"

There was a hint of madness in Abel's voice.

It was easy to understand; with one of the kitchen helpers gone, everything had to be done by the chef himself.

Chef Singh, who was originally an expert at unpacking, wasn't affected much, but Chef Abel, who always looked down on pre-packaged frozen foods, found it insulting to the profession of a chef.

Moreover, if Abel started unpacking frozen foods, the 911 Air Base would probably fire him without hesitation.

Since it was all about unpacking, wouldn't it be cheaper to hire two cheap labor chefs instead?

Once the competition became about who could do the worst job, the most important culinary skills could be ignored.

"Uh! Okay, I'll come right over!"

Chen Fei shook his head, completely unable to recall what he had said to Chef Abel after drinking last night. Now was a good time to go to the base cafeteria and find out.

When he arrived at the kitchen, he saw Abel staring at several large bags of flour and a big basket of potatoes, looking worried.

"Chef Abel, what do you need me to do?"

The worried Abel, upon seeing Chen Fei, immediately grabbed onto him like a lifeline and said, "Thank goodness you're here! Hurry, I need to prepare tomorrow's bread and mashed potatoes. This is just part of the work. Now it's just me, and I can't keep up. Don't worry, I'll teach you. It's simple. What's that on your head? An alchemical artifact?"

"Leave it to me! This is the 'Eir Ring,' given to me by a doctor. It's probably some kind of medical device, but I'm not sure."

Chen Fei poked the high-tech headband on his head, rolled up his sleeves, and asked, "Which one should we start with?"

Friends help each other. Since Abel had taken care of his bird for a day, it was only fair to return the favor.

Mutual help is the way to go.

"You need to change into some clean clothes first. I have a set here... be careful!"

Before Chef Abel could finish, his face suddenly changed.

A shrill, strange sound came from the kitchen.

"Damn it, go to hell! Ah!~"

Bang!~~~~

Sangjani, who had failed the interview for the "True Fragrance" combat flight squadron, suddenly burst into the kitchen, swung his fist at Chen Fei, but was immediately hit in the head and stumbled out of the kitchen, dazed.

Chen Fei looked at the "stick" he had reflexively grabbed, and involuntarily gasped.

A faint scent of wheat filled the air; it was a loaf of bread.

He tried swinging it; it was surprisingly handy.

Sangjani, who had shaken his head and regained his senses outside the kitchen door, howled and charged in again.

"Go to hell! Ow!~"

Bang!~

It was as if history was repeating itself.

Sangjani and his compatriots always managed to shock both sides with their fighting prowess.

To still dare to fight like this, it was truly terrifying!

Seeing Chef Abel's twitching mouth and hesitant expression, Chen Fei smiled awkwardly and put the "stick" back where it belonged. After all, it was food, not a weapon.

Several such "stick" loaves of bread were in a basket made of wicker.

"It's fine, I'll talk to him. You watch over Little Chirp."

Chen Fei apologized to Abel, handed him the bird, and prepared to go outside to reason with his curry-smelling friend.

It should be a verbal conflict, not a physical one. Violence can only solve the problem by eliminating the person who creates it.

"You, you go ahead!"

Abel seemed a bit scared. He lovingly petted the bird and made a small gesture.

This was a personal matter, and he didn't want to get involved.

Bang!... "Ow!"... Clang! Thud!... "Ah!"... "Uh!"... Slap, slap, slap... "Spare me! I'm wrong!"... Slap, slap, slap...

After a thorough and intense session, Chen Fei finally stopped, twisted his waist, shook his neck, and rotated his wrists, producing a series of crisp sounds.

What a relief... What a relief?!

He involuntarily shivered, looked at the man lying on the ground, barely breathing, and suddenly realized how violent he had become.

Chen Fei was scary even to himself when he went berserk.

He had intended to reason with the other party, but it turned into a "reasoning" session!

A clear clapping sound came from a distance. Under the nearby lights, Chekhov and several pilots walked over, clapping their hands.

"I am very satisfied, very satisfied. Rookie, you have passed the final test!"

The final... test?

Chen Fei was completely confused. He looked around, but saw no test.

What was this big bear talking about?

"Confused?" Chekhov smiled confidently, pointed to the groaning Sangjani on the ground, and said, "He is your final test!"

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing muscular arms, and clenched his fist, making the muscles stand out even more.

He bared his white teeth and said fiercely, "A pilot must have spirit and never give up easily!"

After humans had flying machines, one-on-one aerial combat soon followed. Where there are people, there is a world of conflict, and even the clear and peaceful sky was not spared.

Initially, the confrontations were more like ceremonial flight performances. After flying, they would land, have a drink, chat, and then go home.

But as time went on, the pilots' tempers flared. They had to learn to use pistols as well as fly planes, engaging in increasingly intense and varied combat, from solo to dual, even triple.

"..."

Chen Fei was in a state of calm, not wanting to say anything.

Ignoring the self-important big bear, he turned and returned to the kitchen.

"The little rookie actually has some spirit? Hahaha!"

Chekhov didn't get angry; instead, he laughed heartily.

The "True Fragrance" combat flight squadron didn't accept weak and easily bullied lambs.

"Save... me!"

Sangjani, who had been beaten up, let out a weak cry for help.

"Who will go find Takal and have him clean up the mess?"

Chekhov had no interest in looking at the unfortunate man again and walked away.

Sangjani, abandoned by everyone, let out a series of ghostly sobs.

Back in the kitchen, Chef Abel looked Chen Fei up and down and asked, "Xiao Chen, are you okay?"

Chen Fei said nonchalantly, "I'm fine!"

For some reason, he felt inexplicably refreshed. That Sangjani had come to him for a beating, and it was tough for the guy.

"Good, good, let's continue. We need to hurry!"

Chef Abel not only returned Little Chirp to Chen Fei but also gave him a set of kitchen helper's work clothes and began to teach him how to make bread.

"The usual ratio of bread flour to liquid is 2:1. My ‘Baguettes’ have a secret recipe, with a ratio of 2:0.8. This requires more kneading, continuously for a whole hour."

Chef Abel demonstrated the kneading technique with his hands, explaining in great detail.

Chen Fei thought that if he used this technique on Sangjani, the guy would be dead in minutes, reincarnating as a Dalit in his next life.

"To make a good ‘Baguette,’ you first need a starter, which is more than just yeast. Today, I will teach you the ‘Polish starter’ method. The ‘Polish starter’ needs to be prepared at least six hours in advance, and I have already put it in the refrigerator."

Chef Abel led Chen Fei to the large refrigerator in the kitchen, opened it, and searched everywhere, then clutched his head and let out a terrifying scream.

"Oh no!!!"

"Chef Abel, what happened?"

Chen Fei was also startled, thinking something terrible had happened.