Chapter 263: Terrible Cooks (2)
The chat was in shambles.
- Guys, this has to be a skit, right?
- Is it possible for one knife chop to split a cutting board, the table beneath it, a light bulb, and the knife itself while completely missing the intended target?
- Bankai lol
- Did someone clip this?
- I feel so bad for the staff member that’s crying lol
- Is Levi the Hulk?
- Is the PD tired of them and trying to take them out with cheap equipment?
- It looks like the same type of knife and cutting board the other teams were using, maybe it’s just faulty, or he’s just that strong.
The people in the chat continued discussing whether this was a setup or fake while going back and forth between watching other contestants who were failing at their tasks in an amusing manner and the black screen that contained the crashout duo.
Some of them shared the clip of Levi’s knife chop of destruction, which then attracted others who wanted to see what would happen when they finally came back.
And after 10 minutes-
The stream finally resumed, with the screen flickering, and two boys with furry animal ears appeared standing next to each other.
They both had a slight powdery white dust still on their clothing, and the shorter one had a fading bruise around one of his sea green eyes.
With a cheeky smile, Ari waved, and a slightly stuffy voice sounded out.
[Hello, viewers. It’s Ari, and...]
[[....Levi.]]
[Here to continue making coq au vin, which, if you missed it, is French chicken stew. We’ve cleaned up, got a new table, borrowed ingredients, and decided that Levi will be in charge of the stove while I will chop the remaining things that need to be chopped.]
- Are you guys okay?
- They’re still covered in ingredients lol
- They’re still going to make them cook? This sounds like a bad idea
- Are you sick? Your voice sounds stuffy.
- Can you tell us about the sabotage?
- Have the new rankings been revealed yet?
As the comments came rushing in, the female voice from earlier could be heard.
[[[They’re asking if you’re okay since you’re covered in flour?]]]
- That’s not what we said!
- answer about the sabotage!
[Yep. We’re good. Our staff member is good as well.]
Ari gave two thumbs up before reading off the flour-covered recipe sheet.
[Step 1 for Levi: Char the bacon. And I will cut onions thinly and then the carrots, achoo achoo]
As Ari sneezed and sniffled, Levi gave him a dirty look before his cold voice rang out.
[[I let it slide earlier but go wash your hands.]]
[I used my elbow to cover my mouth.]
[[Still. And wash those vegetables too. Your germs are all over it.]]
[...Fine.]
[[[I’ll help]]]
As Ari disappeared from the screen, along with a basket of ingredients, the room descended into a dead silence. Levi continually fiddled with the portable gas stove, trying to turn it on.
Click click click
Click click
Click click click
All that could be heard was the clicking sound coming from the portable stove.
- it’s going to blow
- Hello? Staff person? The gas?
- Does he not know how to turn it on? He keeps spinning the knob.
- second-generation rich kid. His parents definitely have a chef at home
[[Hmm. It’s broken?]]
- it’s not broken
- Please just turn it off.
- the gas. THE GAS!!!
- Open the door! Please!
After several minutes of failure, with his frustration apparent by his deepened frown, Levi made a fist and-
SLAM!
Smashed it on the portable stove, causing a burst of flame to rise high into the air, temporarily making the room appear orange from the flames’ intensity.
A tiny smug smile appeared on Levi’s lips as the camera caught his whisper.
[[Fixed it.]]
- It was never broken!!
- Why is there an indent of his fist on the stove?
- Mommy, I’m scared!
- OMG, where is the staff?
- You look beautiful when you smile, my golden wolf, but I am afraid for your life.
- I’m afraid period
- Staff member, please return!
Despite the comments, Levi just acted like he pleased.
He first placed a pot and lid on the portable stove, shattering the glass cover from the impact, and after several seconds, dumped the glass shards in the trash, hid the trash can, wiped the pot, and continued on like nothing happened.
- bro. We saw you break it.
- What is happening here?
- Can he not control his own strength?
- Why am I both turned on yet terrified?
He then ripped apart the bacon package with his bare hands and dumped the entire thing in the pot, then just stared at it.
- Separate the bacon into strips.
- omg separate it.
- Why is he just standing there like a bot?
- Why are you cooking it in a whole blob like a meatloaf?
- This is so???
[[Too slow. Let’s just put it on high to cook faster.]]
- Don’t do that!
- it will spatter
- It’s dangerous. The oil will burn you.
- The oil will ruin your pretty face!
Despite the chat’s warnings, Levi increased the temperature of the portable gas stove, causing the flames to flare up.
As expected, oil began to spatter from the pot as the bacon cooked and then burned, slowly filling the entire room with smoke.
[[How annoying.]]
The cold voice sounded out once more as Levi retreated while using his shirt to block his nose.
- lower the heat.
- if it’s smoking, lower the heat omg!
- Levi, please lower the heat
- Where is the staff member??
As people were genuinely getting worried, thankfully, Ari came back with a medical facemask on.
- Thank goodness.
- The responsible one is back
[Cough cough, I’m back. Is it supposed to be this smoky?]
[[You said char it. It’s charring.]]
[Oh. That makes sense.]
- No!
- That’s not what it means. You’re burning it!
- No, you’re both wrong!
- Look at the comments! Please!
[But you should probably go get a mask too to save your voice from the smoke. Kate is looking for extras.]
[[Okay. I’ll be back.]]
As Levi left, Ari waved at the webcam, making sure not to look at the comments since he would be tempted to answer when he wasn’t supposed to, and began cutting as he hummed to himself while the chat was panicking.
More and more smoke was filling the room, and the person in front of them was chopping vegetables with the most awkward posture while humming nursery rhymes.
The pot, which was no longer being watched, had its sides covered in oil as the bacon continued to pop, and eventually, the oil dripped down into the flames of the portable gas stove and-
Whooosh!
- It’s on fire.
- ARIEL, turn around, it’s on fire!
- OH MY GOD!
- Somebody go to the other chat and get a responsible adult!!
Turned into a roaring fireball.
- Ariel!
- There is a literal fireball! Somebody go to the other chat and get their attention
- this is crazy lol
And as if he were feeling the heat, Ari began bobbing from side to side, causing the cat ears on his fur hat to sway whimsically from side to side as he began singing.
[It’s getting hot in here, so hot, so take off all your clothes, I am getting so hot-]
- yeah, it’s hot because there’s a literal fire!
- Look behind you!
With nary a glance at the computer or tablet that had the chat information, Ari continued chopping the vegetables until Levi’s muffled voice sounded out behind him.
[[Yo.]]
[What?]
[[It’s on fire.]]
[It’s on wha-. Oh wow. It’s a fire.]
- finally!
- Now, please leave the room and go get an adult!
- and both of you, never cook without adult supervision again!
- Turn the stove off!
- Stop, drop, and roll out of the room!
Contrary to the chat’s thoughts that Ari would be panicked by the flames, he seemed calm and collected.
He even began to give a lecture.
[Guys, it’s very important not to panic in an emergency. I used to work part-time in a restaurant, and this happened every so often, so it’s no big deal. When there’s a small oil fire like this, don’t use water to put it out. You want to get a fire extinguisher and, if necessary, press the fire alarm.]
[[I’ll go get an extinguisher and press the alarm.]]
Levi ran out at a fast clip, and seconds later, the fire alarm sounded out, and while it was blaring out, Ari continued his lecture.
[If you don’t have a fire extinguisher handy, try to cover the flames with a pot lid because no oxygen equals no fire. I don’t know where our lid went.]
Ari quickly looked around but didn’t see it.
- Don’t worry about it, Levi broke it.
- The lid is gone, please just leave the room.
- RIP lid. You died a silly death.
"Since I can’t find it, the next best alternative is salt because it smothers flames and cuts off the oxygen. Thankfully, we have a large container of salt here, so we get to see some science in action."
Opening the clear container filled with white powder, Ari threw it onto the flames, expecting it to die down.
Instead-
BOOM!
A mini explosion happened-