Chương 69: That Sauce Is Your Time Bomb

As Chris and Sarah advanced in turn, the empty spaces in the kitchen multiplied, and the mood grew heavier still. The remaining three duels would decide who claimed the last three spots. Ethan's duel with his opponent Ben held no suspense at all. Lobster Thermidor was, to Ben, sheer hieroglyphics. He fumbled even at handling a live lobster with any grace, never mind making a complex cheese sauce. Ethan, meanwhile, worked like a scientist in his own lab—every step calm, precise, elegant enough to be a performance.

When the two dishes hit the judges' table, the verdict was instant. Ben's lobster meat was overcooked, his sauce thin, the flavors split apart. Ethan's lobster was springy and sweet, the sauce rich and silky, the cheese on top gratinéed to exactly the right enticing gold. Vane critiqued only Ethan's work.

"This is textbook Lobster Thermidor. Perfect. Ethan, you advance." To Ben, he said only one thing: "Take off your apron." Simple. Direct. Cruel. Ben left in silence. With that, three of the top ten were gone. Now every eye fixed on the last unresolved duel—Jack against Natalie. Their dish was seafood pasta. It looked homey, but doing it well wasn't easy. The cook on the pasta, the heat on the seafood, the flavor of the sauce—all three had to fuse perfectly. Jack's edge was his command of seafood heat.

He handled the shrimp and clams with real skill, the shrimp seared fragrant outside and springy within. He chose to make a traditional white-wine garlic sauce, looking sure of himself. His opponent Natalie took a riskier road. She made a tomato sauce laced with Thai tom yum elements—tart, spicy, appetite-whetting, full of her own distinctive style. As the duel reached its final stage, the two finished almost at the same moment.

Jack's pasta came generous, piled with shrimp and clams that looked enticing—a lavish hand with the ingredients. Natalie's pasta looked finer, the sauce a beautiful orange-red, dotted with fresh herbs, mouthwatering on sight. The judging began. Hale tasted Natalie's pasta first, his eyes brightening.

"Natalie, the idea is fantastic. The tom yum flavor and the sweet-tart of the tomato come together really well—very appetizing. And the seafood's cooked nicely. This is a creative dish." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Then the judges turned to Jack's work. Nina twirled a forkful of pasta and set it in her mouth.

"Jack, your pasta is beautifully cooked—a perfect al dente. And the shrimp are flawless on the heat." A trace of self-satisfaction crossed Jack's face. But after a bite, Vane set down his fork, his brow knotting tight.

"Jack, your sauce is a problem again." The smile froze on Jack's face.

"This sauce tastes of nothing beyond garlic, white wine, and butter. It's too greasy, too one-note." Vane dragged his fork across the bottom of the plate; a sheen of bright oil pooled there, plain to see.

"You didn't even add a little lemon juice or chopped parsley to lift it, to give it some freshness. This sauce is like a heavy blanket—it smothers all that well-handled seafood and pasta of yours."

"I..." Jack wanted to explain something, but the words wouldn't come. Vane's tone turned unusually severe.

"We've warned you about this many times, Jack! Your seasoning, your sauces—they're your biggest problem! You're like a boxer who only knows brute force—your punches are powerful, but there's no technique to them. Have you been listening to our advice at all?" Jack's head dropped, his face cycling red and white. It was an excruciating call. Natalie's dish had creativity, the flavors vivid, but her pasta was slightly overcooked, lacking that bite.

And Jack—his fundamentals were more solid, the pasta and seafood both near perfect, but the sauce was a massive failure. The judges conferred in low voices for a long time. In the end, Vane announced the result.

"Natalie, your creativity deserves credit. But for a pasta dish, the texture of the noodles is the foundation, and there you made a mistake."

"And Jack," he turned to him, "your fundamentals saved your life. On the cook of the pasta and the heat of the shrimp alone, you did better than Natalie. So today—you scrape through." Jack let out a breath so long he nearly collapsed.

"But!" Vane's voice rose again.

"I'm warning you, Jack. If next time your sauce is this stupid, this clumsy, with no improvement at all—then you get the hell out. Understand?"

"Yes, Chef. Understood." There was a tremor in Jack's voice. Natalie was eliminated, to everyone's regret. With that, all five one-on-one duels were over. Ten contestants had become seven. They were Ethan, Chris, Sarah, Jack, and three others who'd won their duels: David, who was good at French cuisine; Amelia, steady in style; and Marcus, with a decent hand at desserts. Chris quietly studied this new seven-person picture, calling up the system's updated analysis of the top contestants in his mind.

[Ethan Cole: Culinary Rating B+ (89). Strengths: complete technique, exceptional composure, beginning to fold in emotional expression. Weakness: relatively soft on desserts.] [Chris White: Culinary Rating B (78→80). Strengths: strong learner, clear logic, a style beginning to take shape, instinct awakening. Weaknesses: stress tolerance still needs work; breadth of ingredient knowledge insufficient.] [Sarah Jenkins: Culinary Rating B- (75). Strengths: steady, likable, solid foundations in home cooking. Weakness: lacks surprise, low on breakthrough.] [Jack Miller: Culinary Rating C+ (68). Strengths: knife work, heat control on meat and seafood. Weaknesses: poor at sauces and seasoning, unstable mindset.] The tiers were now crystal clear. Ethan was still that far-ahead king. Chris was right behind him, but the gap remained. Sarah held the steady third tier. And Jack—Jack was like a dangerous man carrying a time bomb, liable to go off through that fatal weakness at any moment.

Fewer and fewer people in the kitchen. And the competition, hotter and hotter.