Chen Luo rolled up his sleeves and got to work in the kitchen. This time, he spared no expense. The quantity of Ether Crystals harvested from the slaughter at the shopping center, combined with the mountain of supplies swept from the underground warehouse, had made his inventory more abundant than ever. With these resources, he could easily put together a proper feast. However, looking at the children's weakened conditions, he decided to choose something milder and easier to digest.
The suite they had chosen, while not the most luxurious presidential room, still had a small kitchen that was in fairly good condition. Chen Luo removed the built-in gas stove that had lost its fuel supply and replaced it with a field wood-burning stove from his system inventory. In the apocalypse, magical electricity or gas were both luxury resources prone to running out; proactively using crude fuel like dry wood was still the safest survival choice.
Chen Luo lit the fire. The dancing flames illuminated his angular face. With the deft hands of a long-time bachelor, he calmly washed the rice, then swiftly minced the lean meat into fine, smooth pieces.
The second burner came to life. Chen Luo's two hands worked two pots simultaneously with a proficiency no less than that of a devoted head chef. The rich fragrance of fresh rice blending with the savory aroma of minced meat began spreading through the room, hitting the noses of the 5 Half-human children sitting in the living room.
-"Wow... it smells amazing!" — Aaron took a long, deep breath, his two tiger ears twitching slightly.
-"Right? It really does... I wonder what Brother Chen Luo is cooking?" — Celes couldn't hold back either and swallowed hard.
Inside the kitchen, once the minced meat had seared and was giving off an irresistible aroma, Chen Luo poured it all into the pot of bubbling rice porridge. He intended to make slow-stewed meat congee—a dish that was both warming to the stomach and quick to restore energy for those who had just endured a prolonged period of debilitation.
After over half an hour of simmering on low heat, the congee reached the perfect smooth, thick consistency. Though his current Strength stat could lift hundreds of kilograms with ease, Chen Luo still carried the pot out with the utmost care. The congee was boiling madly hot and thick—one small slip that spilled it would ruin all his efforts, and he absolutely did not want the children to go hungry tonight.
The moment the pot was set on the table, the thick steam carrying its rich flavor wafted out, intoxicating the children. When the first spoonful reached their lips, all 5 children's eyes were filled with astonishment. This congee was far more delicious than anything they had ever imagined an apocalypse meal could be.
While the children were lost in enjoyment, Chen Luo had already returned to the kitchen. He hadn't forgotten his promise to the great Silver Wolf. Pulling three chunks of fresh, juicy mutton from his inventory, he dropped three slabs of premium butter into the blazing hot cast-iron pan.
*Sizzle sizzle sizzle...*
The mouthwatering aroma of butter-grilled meat wafted out. The children, despite their stomachs, were extremely obedient and understanding—none dared to ask for more, silently bowing their heads to finish their own portions of congee.
After pan-searing the three finest cuts, Chen Luo carried the steaming platter of meat down to the 1st-floor lobby.
-"Hmph! Do you know it's been a long time?" — Hina called out the moment she saw his figure descending the stairs, her voice haughty. "I thought you were so busy fussing over those brats that you forgot about this princess, planning to let me starve to death down here, eh?"
-"Don't make wild accusations," Chen Luo said calmly as he approached, setting the smoking platter of mutton before her. "This is your reward. Promised is promised—I never go back on my word. Eat up."
Looking at the three butter-drenched, fragrant slabs of meat, Hina's silver eyes gleamed. She let out a soft snort to preserve face, then immediately buried her head in to enjoy. After also distributing food and clean water to the 3 Silver Demon Wolves, Chen Luo finally made his way back up to the 4th floor.
The moment he entered the room, he was quite surprised to see the congee pot still had a large portion left. Looking at the awkward expressions of the children, Chen Luo instantly understood: it wasn't that they were full—they had deliberately eaten little to leave some for him. After all, he was the one who had rescued them and cooked for them; their obedient nature made them unwilling to eat it all.
Chen Luo shook his head and let out a helpless chuckle:
-"Finish it all. I cooked that portion to nourish you. Don't leave any leftover—I can make my own food."
Hearing that, the guilt on the children's faces instantly vanished, replaced by radiant emotion and happiness. They happily ladled out the rest of the congee. Chen Luo pursed his lips into a smile and returned to the kitchen to prepare his own familiar meal: a few slices of crispy toasted bread with fragrant mashed potatoes. Simple, but nutritionally sufficient.
After cleaning up the dishes, Chen Luo opened his system interface to check his resources. His food reserves were still plentiful. Even if they ran out, he could hunt monsters, redeem rewards from the system, or open the Safes in the ruins. Moreover, his inventory contained many magical seeds—the foundation for a self-sufficient agricultural model later on without relying entirely on slaughter.
Removing his hand towel, Chen Luo turned to look at the 5 Half-human children sitting together, and spoke in a casual tone that carried a weighty invitation:
-"Hey, do you kids want to go hunting? We'll set out tomorrow morning. If you want, you can come along... and by the way, I'll teach you how to truly fight."
Hearing the words "go hunting," the children's eyes instantly lit up. In unison, they cheered to go. The combative instinct of Half-human blood combined with the abundant energy of youth made them always crave action. Moreover, they understood very clearly: this was a golden opportunity to prove their survival value in Chen Luo's eyes. Not a single one wanted to be left behind, not even the once-shy Alice.
Seeing the whole group's determination, Chen Luo nodded with satisfaction and sat down on the floor, signaling everyone to gather around and discuss. In the thinking of a veteran boosting player, before every hunting campaign or dungeon conquest, arranging strategy and dividing positions was a law of survival. Especially in a world operating on the mechanics of *Infinite Jobholders*, precise team coordination was the key determining the line between life and death.
-"I'll go first!" — Aaron shrugged, cheerfully speaking up. "I can fully transform into Beastkin form for close combat. My durability and punching power are pretty solid!"
The Tiger Tribe boy had completely dropped his guard and candidly revealed his abilities.
-"I'm a Swordswoman," — Celes took a brave step forward, her platinum-silver eyes shining with resolve. "I just need a sword. If I could also get a light shield to protect my teammates, even better."
Seeing the maturity beyond her years, Chen Luo gave a small nod of approval.
-"And I'm a Mage," — Mana, the petite younger sister, continued. "But thanks to the strict training of the Royal Guard family, I'm also skilled in swordsmanship. I'd like to use a sturdy Rapier that lets me both fight in close combat and cast spells."
Chen Luo was not at all surprised. The Asteron family was famous for producing the top-tier Spellblades—those who possessed both superior swordsmanship and abundant mana to protect the royal family.
When it came to Chris, Chen Luo was stunned to see the Wolf Tribe boy raise two fingers and trace a light horizontal line across his line of sight—an extremely distinctive gesture signal.
An Assassin's signal!
Chen Luo nearly burst out laughing with delight. That was the covert recruitment convention of the Assassin inheritance classes in the game *Infinite Jobholders*. Seeing a random NPC perform this sacred gesture perfectly with real flesh and bone made his gamer blood surge.
Finally, all eyes fell upon the smallest figure in the group. Alice hugged her knees tightly, her small face flushed red with shyness. The girl gathered all her courage and spoke in a soft but crystal-clear voice:
-"Actually... I... I'm a Healer..."
*THUD!*
The concept of "Healer" just spoken made Chen Luo's brain stop for a full second.
A Healer!
Heavens above, this was one of the extremely rare hidden classes of the entire game! In his past life, across an entire server with millions of players, the number who had unlocked this class branch could be counted on one's fingers.
It must be clearly distinguished: Church Clerics (like the famous female expert *Little Goblin* from his past life) also had healing and purification skills, but those were merely auxiliary magic of the Mage-type class. A true **Healer** was an independent, deep hidden class! From the moment of awakening, they possessed a supreme set of recovery skills, armor buffs, negative-status removal, and could even sustain the life of an entire party through continuous sweeps.
A good Healer could entirely "carry" a whole party through over-level dungeons while the members' HP never dropped below the red line. In the major guilds of his past life, anyone who awakened as a Healer—even at just Level 1—was treated like royalty and protected at maximum capacity.
Chen Luo himself, during one past-life boosting job on a hidden account, had been fortunate enough to activate the Healer branch. That time, the account's value skyrocketed tenfold, and the owner threw money straight into his face, making him filthy rich—to the point where he took a whole week off from boosting to celebrate!
-"So that's it... Hahaha! So that's how it is!" — Chen Luo suddenly slapped his thigh, scratching his head and pulling at his hair before bursting into mad laughter at the children's bewildered expressions.
A dream team! He now had a Beastkin Tank (Aaron), a Shield-Bearer/Swordswoman (Celes), a harassing Spellblade (Mana), a burst-damage Assassin (Chris), and a national-treasure Healer (Alice)! Combined with himself as an all-around Damage Dealer / Stealth DPS, this was a golden-standard "Raid Party" for sweeping through every apocalypse dungeon!
Chen Luo's brain began calculating at full speed. A series of brutal training plans and bold over-level hunting operations immediately took shape in his mind.
Seeing the big brother who had been so steady making congee moments ago now laughing like a fool, the 5 Half-human children exchanged helpless glances, unable to understand the volatile temperament of their master. However, behind Chen Luo's somewhat "deviant" smile, they sensed a strange sense of reassurance and trust.
Only Chris—the Wolf Tribe boy with sharp instincts—vaguely realized: Chen Luo's smile was the starting gun. A new chapter was about to begin, and the path of power for all 5 of them would be forged and forever transformed by this man starting tomorrow!