As he looked at the person in the photo, Xiao Feng's expression darkened.
"So, you're the ones who wanted to take my daughter!" Xiao Feng immediately reached for his Barrett and aimed it at the man.
"Your daughter?" Zhang Jie raised an eyebrow. In the face of the formidable Barrett, he remained remarkably calm.
"What did you expect?" Xiao Feng snorted and then shouted inside, "Daughter, bring your mom out!"
The curtain at the staircase to the back kitchen was lifted, revealing a girl in a cute red hoodie with a cartoon backpack. It was Anne. She came out, holding her mother, An An's hand.
After they came out, the two of them walked towards Xiao Feng, Anne looking adorable.
Xiao Feng patted Anne's head and looked at Zhang Jie, asking, "Is she the one you're looking for? My daughter?"
Zhang Jie's gaze sharpened, carefully studying Anne. At this moment, Anne was dressed as a normal little girl, completely different from what they described as a half-human, half-zombie.
Then he turned his attention to An An.
With a single glance, Zhang Jie discerned that An An was not human but a zombie.
Observing the quiet and obedient Anne, Zhang Jie made a clicking sound with his tongue, "It's truly unbelievable. How did you manage to make a zombie so quiet and obedient?"
"Zombies are people too. Besides, she's my wife. Over time, she started listening to me!" Xiao Feng looked at An An with deep affection. They looked like a harmonious and happy family.
"Oh, right!" Xiao Feng turned and looked at Zhang Jie. "You came here with this lousy photograph, is it to accuse me of something? If there's nothing important or if you're not here for a meal, then please leave!"
With just a few simple words, Zhang Jie understood that openly taking the little girl away was simply impossible, unless...
Thinking about this, Zhang Jie sat down.
"I find it quite astonishing that in the streets of this fallen city, where there are so many zombies roaming outside, you are running a restaurant here so openly. I'm quite curious; do you have any customers coming here to eat?" Zhang Jie asked with a smile.
Xiao Feng chuckled, "Well, you don't need to worry about that. How about it? Would you like to try my cooking?"
Since they had come here, Xiao Feng intended to make the most of the situation. If he could get them to spend a significant amount, would they be able to leave so easily?
Indeed, as Xiao Feng mentioned, Zhang Jie became interested. "Oh? Sure, what are your specialties? Bring a few."
"Haha! Welcome, my wife will serve you tea!" Xiao Feng was delighted and instructed An An to serve tea.
An An obediently turned and walked towards the counter, then carried a tea tray to the table, pouring a steaming cup of fragrant tea for Zhang Jie.
The aroma of tea filled the air, a reminder of the peaceful days from the past. The combination of that atmosphere with the soldiers carrying guns created a unique ambience that entranced the visitors.
Xiao Feng gestured toward the small blackboard and said, "Here are our signature dishes. Take a look. We also have roast lamb shank, lamb chops, cumin-grilled meat, and many more delicacies..."
Zhang Jie raised an eyebrow and looked over the menu for a moment. After some consideration, he asked with surprise, "Is this Braised Knuckle as magical as you describe?"
"Ah," Xiao Feng sighed. "You're not the first to question my skills. However, the previous customers, after tasting it, couldn't stop praising it. I even made a bet with them that if the actual dish didn't match my description, I'd not only provide a free meal but also compensate them with a loss fee of 5,000 energy units. But if the dish was as I described, they'd owe me an additional 5,000. What do you say?"
"Hehe, interesting! Sounds good. No problem!" Zhang Jie readily agreed.
Zhang Jie agreed, and Xiao Feng sneered, "You can fool one person at a time!"
"Wife, serve tea to the guest. Anne, be a good girl and don't move around!"
Xiao Feng gave these instructions to An An and Anne as he headed for the kitchen. Once inside, he made sure they couldn't leave the restaurant without his consent.
Unbeknownst to Xiao Feng, Zhang Jie's attention was now entirely focused on Anne.
He signaled the captain of the soldiers to come over and asked him, "Are you sure this little girl is a zombie?"
"Report, Director! I'm sure!" the captain replied resolutely.
"Look at that teddy bear she's holding. When thrown, it can turn into a three to four-meter tall flesh-eating zombie. Very terrifying. She herself has the strength of a three-tier zombie. That teddy bear is also a three-tier zombie, which means, she's as formidable as two three-tier zombies combined!"
Hearing this, Zhang Jie's eyes sparkled with a cunning light. He nodded slightly and smirked.
The next moment, he took out a bright green crystal core and coaxed Anne, "Little girl, come here. Have a candy!"
A second-tier green crystal core was extremely tempting to zombies. The allure of a crystal core to a zombie was unparalleled.
Sure enough, when Anne saw the green crystal core, she immediately stood up and approached it, her eyes locked on the crystal.
"Exactly as I expected," Zhang Jie thought with satisfaction. The soldiers quietly formed a half-circle behind him.
Suddenly, a voice from the kitchen shouted, "Razorback goat buns, here it comes!"
Zhang Jie quickly put away the crystal core.
When Xiao Feng returned and saw the formation of the soldiers and Anne's position, he immediately realized what had transpired.
"Can you still enjoy your meal?" Xiao Feng slammed the plates onto the table.
The plate shattered into pieces, and the buns spilled all over the table.
"What's going on? Weren't we waiting for your food?" Zhang Jie said coldly, not showing any change in his expression.
"Very well, I'll continue preparing the food. If anyone harbors ill intentions or tries to harm my daughter, then don't blame me for not being hospitable to you!" Xiao Feng said, then went back into the kitchen.
This time, Zhang Jie didn't attempt to manipulate Anne. Instead, he sat quietly, waiting.
His purpose extended beyond Anne; he also wanted to understand Xiao Feng. Opening a restaurant in the city center amid the apocalypse, ignoring the hundreds of thousands of zombies outside – Xiao Feng was not an ordinary person.
The wait was worth it.
Before long, the braised Bloodfang Wild Boar knuckle was served.
"Give it a try! If you find it delicious, feel free to spread the word!" Xiao Feng placed the glistening, translucent knuckle on the table.
The presentation immediately caught Zhang Jie's eye.
To be honest, the sight of the knuckle did stir Zhang Jie's appetite.
However, just as Zhang Jie picked up his chopsticks to eat, the captain sitting beside him suddenly warned, "Be careful; it might be poisoned!"