Chương 52: I Choose Hell Mode

When Chris said the words "Beef Wellington," the whole kitchen sank into an eerie silence. Everyone froze. The contestants below looked at one another, disbelief written all over their faces.

"What? He picked the Wellington?" Owen's mouth fell open wide enough to hold an egg.

"Has he lost his mind? Why didn't he pick the soufflé to target Ethan?"

"I… I don't get it either." Jack was stunned too, completely unable to follow Chris's reasoning.

"Beef Wellington's hard, sure, but Ethan's meat handling is A-minus — it's not his weakness at all. You could even call it one of his strengths! Chris just gave up his biggest advantage!" Sarah frowned too. She looked at the man upstairs, calm to an excessive degree, her heart full of confusion. She didn't understand why Chris would make a decision that looked "merciful" to the point of foolishness. And the most shocked of all was Ethan himself.

The instant Chris made his choice, the challenge and the will to fight on his face froze, replaced by extreme bewilderment. He'd been ready to meet a brutal battle. He'd guessed Chris would pick the soufflé; he'd even begun, in his head, to run through the soufflé's process and every detail that could go wrong. He'd been ready to wash away the humiliation of the mystery box challenge with a total technical victory. But never in his wildest thoughts had he expected Chris to give up this optimal solution.

He'd picked Beef Wellington. A complex, classic French centerpiece with meat handling at its core. This wasn't attacking his weakness at all — this was launching a challenge straight at his home turf! This guy… what on earth was he thinking? Was he truly stupid, or… confident to the point of arrogance? Ethan stared hard at Chris, trying to read some information from his face. But Chris's expression stayed calm; he simply sat at ease on his "throne," like an observer who stood outside it all.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. At the judges' table, Nina Marsh and Hale were surprised by the choice too.

"An interesting choice," Hale said, stroking his chin.

"He didn't take the simplest, bluntest route — he picked the dish that best shows all-around ability. It makes the competition more watchable, but for him, it doesn't maximize his advantage."

"Perhaps what he wants isn't simply to 'win.'" Nina Marsh looked at Chris, thoughtful. And Gareth Vane, hearing Chris's choice, first froze, then broke into a smile more radiant, more excited even than when he'd tasted the flavor of "loneliness." He laughed, laughed like a child who'd finally found a beloved toy.

"Hahaha! Good! What a Beef Wellington!" Vane said loudly, his voice full of admiration.

"I love this choice! This is what Burning Kitchen should look like! No opportunism, no cowardly tactics! Just the hardest head-to-head contest of pure ability!" He looked up at Chris, his eyes full of appreciation.

"Chris, you made a very… very gutsy decision. You gave up the chance to weaken your biggest rival and chose instead the hardest bone to gnaw. I respect your choice." Then he turned to the still-shocked contestants below.

"All right, you heard him! Elimination challenge — Beef Wellington!" His voice turned severe in an instant.

"You'll have two hours to complete this hell-tier dish. The ingredients are prepared for you. One slip in any link — duxelles too wet, pastry under-baked, the beef at the wrong doneness — and you can get out!"

"Now, begin your journey through hell!" At Vane's command, the eleven contestants woke as if from a dream and rushed for the ingredients. The kitchen plunged into tense bustle once more. Chris sat upstairs, calmly observing it all. In his mind, the system panel was refreshing. [Competitor detected actively choosing a high-difficulty confrontation path, forgoing the optimal elimination strategy.] [System judgment: this behavior matches the "strong-mindset" model.] [Hidden quest triggered: The King's Declaration.] [Objective: in this elimination round, the final winner of the dish you chose (Beef Wellington) must reach an overall rating of A- or above.] [Reward: Arena Points +100, special item "Chef's Intuition" ×1.] [Failure penalty: none.] Chris looked at the newly popped-up quest, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. He knew he'd bet right again. His choice of Beef Wellington was no impulse, and no chivalry. It was a decision made after deep thought. First, he needed a strong opponent.

An Ethan cornered by the rules wasn't the opponent he wanted. He wanted the Ethan who, at his peak, could fight him to a finish. Only by beating an opponent like that would his victory have meaning, and only then could his cooking truly grow. Second, he needed to use the chance to send everyone, Vane above all, a clear signal: he hadn't come here to play tactics. He'd come to conquer this kitchen with absolute ability. What he wanted wasn't a small victory. He wanted a total war.

And now, the curtain on that war had been raised by his own hand. He sat on high, like a director, looking down on the stage he'd arranged himself. He was eager to see what kind of performance these "actors" below would bring him. Especially you, Ethan. Chris's gaze fell on the man working a filet with near-perfect knife technique. Don't disappoint me.