Chapter 379: Chapter 379: Stealing Fire
“Um…”
Qin Lang furrowed his brows, grunting softly before gradually opening his eyes.
He was lying bound in a dark, lightless cellar. He had tried several times to sit up, but all attempts had failed.
What had happened?
Qin Lang tried to recall everything prior to losing consciousness.
He was sampling food with Dan Bao and Spicy at the Food Street when a disturbance suddenly broke out. The crowd began to surge towards him.
He didn’t pay it any mind, following the crowd to retreat, but suddenly everything went black, and he lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, he found himself here.
Before he lost consciousness, he had vaguely heard the frightened cries of Dan Bao and Spicy.
Right! Dan Bao and Spicy!
Qin Lang abruptly realized that the two Food Spirits were not aboard. His face took on a shocked and angry expression.
He immediately contacted the Food Spirits through his Star Vein to sense their existence.
While the two Food Spirits were not in a good situation, they were not in severe danger. It seemed that they were being held somewhere else and couldn’t return.
This caused Qin Lang’s heart to sink gradually.
With the Food Spirits not by his side, his situation was rather precarious.
What was truly baffling was who could have kidnapped him.
Since arriving in Mingjing Province, he didn’t seem to have offended anyone.
“Awake?”
It seemed that Qin Lang’s struggling had attracted attention from outside the cellar. The iron door connecting the cellar to the outside world was opened, and a robust man that Qin Lang had never seen before appeared in front of him.
“Who are you? I don’t know you, why did you kidnap me?”
Qin Lang carefully observed the man, confirming that he had no recollection. He then spoke in a deep voice.
“Pretty calm, huh?” The man chuckled, “Rest assured, we didn’t kidnap the wrong person. It’s precisely you.”
“As for why we kidnapped you…” The man pulled over a chair and sat down,
“Of course, it’s because you have something we want.”
Without waiting for Qin Lang to speak, the man provided the answer.
“What we want is your recipe.”
The man spoke leisurely while rolling up his sleeve, revealing a red tattoo on his wrist.
The tattoo was peculiar and fierce-looking, resembling a hand holding a flame when examined closely.
Qin Lang’s pupils contracted sharply.
He recognized this tattoo!
Thanks to his previous experience with the Star Gathering, Qin Lang had taken the opportunity to learn about the criminal forces wanted by the Spirit Chef Association during his free time to avoid being unable to recognize the criminals’ symbols.
This tattoo on the wrist corresponds to the criminal organization…
“Fire Thieves!”
Qin Lang articulated every word of the organization’s name, his expression becoming incredibly solemn.
Unlike the Star Gathering, which is devoted to evil research, or the Star Hunter, which targets Starstones, the Fire-stealing Organization is not interested in Star Power or Starstones.
Their target is genius Spirit Chefs.
Young, yet possessing superior culinary skills and holding a large number of recipes. Having not too strong self-strength, but being a Spirit Chef is their target.
Qin Lang now clearly understood why he was targeted. During the Cooking Contest in Xianyu City, he had been attracting their attention by demonstrating enough talents.
That being said… Could it be that the Star Hunter’s notice was also them…
“Hm?” After hearing Qin Lang mention the organization’s name, the man’s eyes showed a surprise, “You actually recognized our Fire-stealing Organization.”
“But it’s just as well, it saves a lot of trouble.” The man looked at Qin Lang with an amused eye, “Since you know about our Fire-stealing Organization, then you should also know about our methods, right?”
“I advise you to honestly give up the recipes you mastered. This way both you could suffer less and we can also save some effort.”
” What exact recipes do you want?” Qin Lang took a deep breath, talking idly while his mind was racing.
He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious, but he was evidently late for his supposed return to the hotel.
His phone was taken away. What they wanted wasn’t a ransom or something else but his recipes, meaning that they likely wouldn’t answer the phone, opting to pretend he has gone missing.
Shen Qian and Brother Zhou should realize something was wrong after calling him.
As long as he was still in Xianyu City, they would definitely be able to find him.
If he could persuade the Spirit Chef Association to help in the search, it would be even faster.
So, stall for time!
“Oh, quite cooperative huh.” The man chuckled.
“Of course, everything you know.”
“This is bad! Something might have happened to Qin Lang!”
After failing to reach Qin Lang three times in a row, Zhou Tianhao’s expression suddenly turned serious.
“Brother Zhou, are you sure?!” Shen Qian’s face turned pale, tears welling up in her eyes, “He just went out for a walk, how could something happen?”
“Let’s ask around nearby and see if anyone has seen him.” Zhou Tianhao quickly decided, immediately standing up and walking out, “I hope the situation isn’t that bad.”
Shen Qian quickly agreed, running after Zhou Tianhao.
Half an hour later, the faces of the two became even grimmer as they met up again in the darkness.
“The latest sighting of Qin Lang was two hours ago.” Zhou Tianhao spoke in a low voice, “What’s the situation on your end?”
“The situation I found is pretty much the same.” Shen Qian put away her phone, which displayed a photo of her and Qin Lang, “No one has seen him in these two hours.”
“This shows that Qin Lang’s disappearance is more than just a simple missing person.” Zhou Tianhao’s expression hardened, “It’s possible that he was attacked or something else, and it has already been two hours.”
Crime organizations that could possibly carry out such actions flashed through his mind. Thinking of the cruelty of these crime organizations, Zhou Tianhao could no longer sit still, “You should go back to the hotel and wait for news. I’m going to the Spirit Chef Association!”
“I won’t go!” Shen Qian shook her head, “I can’t be at ease without finding Qin Lang.”
“It’s not safe for you outside…” Zhou Tianhao spoke helplessly.
If a crime organization really had made a move, as he suspected, Shen Qian might be targeted as well.
“Forget it, go with me to the Spirit Chef Association.”
“Mr. Zhou, your companion has gone missing, suspected to have been kidnapped?”
In the Spirit Chef Association, the president, Zhang Tianze, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, pushed the door of the meeting room and spoke in a deep voice.
“Yes. Remember the possibility I mentioned before?” Zhou Tianhao nodded slowly, “I think that possibility might have come true.”
“The Star Hunter’s notice letter is fake. There’s a criminal organization lurking in the dark, using it to divert the attention of strong members of the Association and commit their own crimes!”
“This…” Zhang Tianze’s expression changed slightly, and after a moment he said, “Well, I’ll go search for your companion with you first.”
Zhou Tianhao sighed faintly.
Clearly, Zhang Tianze still didn’t fully believe him.</p