Back in the day, Ke Lian also found the thick fur of the Humming Beast quite troubling. He believed the skin of the Humming Beast definitely ranked among the top three thickest in the Insect Clan, and the outer fur he had personally cut wasn’t something one could describe as "easy"!

Li Feng and the others damaging several fur-trimming knives was normal, but it was Du Xixi who took it to another level, shaving the Humming Beast fur as if it were pig bristles.

However, this obviously unusual situation was something Ke Lian thought best to keep from Du Xixi, so he exchanged glances with Ke Xing and the Minister of the Military, quickly reaching an unspoken consensus.

In short, let’s keep this from Du Xixi for now.

Ten minutes later, the entire dining hall was filled with the aroma of meat, making the soldiers outside restless. Under a wave of the Minister of the Military’s hand, they quickly took their seats at the tables.

Dining in the Military Department was uniformly arranged, with everyone’s dishes being the same. If there were any differences, they would stem from individual health reasons or varying appetites, influencing the amount of food served.

But this didn’t concern the cooks, as robots in the cafeteria had each soldier’s physical data and appetite recorded.

Although today’s cooking was not done by the regular chefs but solely by Du Xixi, everything from serving to plating was delegated to the robots. Du Xixi and a few others sat down at a table, joined by the Minister of the Military.

"Let’s quickly taste what this meat from the Insect Clan is like," said the Minister of the Military, seeing Du Xixi and the others looking at him. He didn’t feel awkward about joining their "family feast" but rather enthusiastically pointed to the plates in front of them, smiling brightly.

After saying that, he couldn’t wait to pick up his chopsticks and grab a piece of glossy red Hengheng Beast-style red-braised meat from his plate, taking a bite. To his surprise, it almost tasted exactly like red-braised pork!

The Minister of the Military widened his eyes in astonishment as something flashed through his mind, too quickly for him to catch.

He had tasted red-braised pork made by 2569 and Du Xixi, and even yesterday tried the Military cafeteria’s version. He dared to say that Du Xixi’s red-braised pork had a unique flavor, not only tastier than the Military cafeteria’s "dark cuisine" but even better than 2569’s version!

The balance of fat and lean, the non-greasy tenderness, the rich meat juice and savory sauce—it was a taste the Minister of the Military would remember for a lifetime. So when the Hengheng Beast-style red-braised meat entered his mouth, he compared the two delicacies and was amazed by their similarity in flavor.

Both dishes were crafted by Du Xixi, leading the Minister to use this as a rationale to explain why the flavors were almost identical. But flavor similarity could be explained, while he was baffled by the similarity in meat texture.

He couldn’t deny that the Humming Beast and pigs were essentially the same species, or perhaps mutations of the same species. But why would mutations occur? Was it really due to cosmic radiation?

The Minister of the Military ate a few more pieces of red-braised meat, and the fleeting thoughts flashed back, but always with some barrier he couldn’t overcome, furrowing his brow deeply.

His face was full of deep worry, as if the red-braised meat was hard to chew.

Du Xixi, who made the dish herself, was confident in her culinary skills and had secretly tasted a piece before serving, confirming it was indeed delicious. But if it was delicious, why did the Minister of the Military look that way?

Du Xixi furrowed her brow, wondering whether the Insect Clan meat had a very short shelf life after becoming a dish, possibly spoiling and changing flavor if left too long. That would be troublesome.

As she mulled it over, she picked up a piece of red-braised meat and cautiously tasted it, finding it still as delicious as before, albeit a bit cooler due to the passage of time.

Yet with this being the case, why did the Minister’s expression worsen? Could it be his palate was unusually different?

Du Xixi’s face was almost scrunched up, clearly conflicted. Seeing this, Ke Lian chuckled, knowing she was attentive to the Minister’s feedback, and asked him, "Minister, is the red-braised meat Xixi made tasty?"

"It’s delicious." The Minister was still deep in thought, but instinctively voiced his genuine opinion when asked, unwittingly interrupting his thoughts, preventing him from grasping any clues. Feeling a bit disheartened, he decided not to force himself to ponder what fleeting brilliance might be.

With the Minister’s unwavering response, Du Xixi finally breathed a sigh of relief, regaining some confidence in her cooking, while they quietly enjoyed several dishes made from Humming Beast meat, the soldiers on the other side were already quite lively.