Universe Infinite Canteen

"Wow, I can tell you've really been through a lot lately," Ma Lu said.

"My mom always says I'm just Love-Struck, so I always end up meeting all sorts of strange people," the Skeleton high school girl said. "But... If you go into a relationship with your guard up, won't you miss out on the sweetest part?"

"The sweetest part?"

"It's... trusting someone unconditionally, loving someone with all your heart, giving your all, including your future, to that person.

"The process is like walking a tightrope blindfolded, knowing there's an Abyss beneath your feet, yet still stepping forward without looking back. I think it's this blindness, this all-consuming obsession, that's the sweetest part of a relationship.

"To protest against my mom, I even changed my WeChat name to Love-Struck. I want to show her and everyone else that being Love-Struck is the ultimate answer to love!"

"Oh wow, that's a really youthful statement! But that's the spirit a high school girl should have," Ma Lu raised the bottle of liquor in his hand, "Here's to you finding someone soon!"

"Thank you, Boss, and I wish you earn more money and Star Currency," Love-Struck said as well.

About another half hour passed, and the effect of the sour berry caramel cream pudding finally wore off, and the lone beautiful man could speak normally again.

So Ma Lu called the police.

The police arrived quickly. Public safety in City B was generally good, with few homicides, especially involving multiple victims, so the police took the case very seriously. It only took them 5 minutes to arrive at the scene after receiving the call.

Apart from the lone beautiful man, Ma Lu, Old Wang, and Love-Struck were also taken to the police station to give statements.

Even though Old Wang was undocumented and Love-Struck was just a skeleton, under the diligent effort of the young female officer responsible for taking statements, the task was still performed dutifully.

Later, the police searched the lone beautiful man's secret cabin and found hearts preserved in Formalin, about twenty or so, most of which were from animals, but three belonged to humans. The police later confirmed the identities of the deceased…

Ma Lu read about the follow-up in the newspaper. As a serial murder case, it caused quite a stir in City B and even nationwide, and it was discussed for many days afterward.

Even the patrons coming to the Universe Infinite Canteen to dine were talking about it. Continue your journey at empire

Somehow, word got out that the murderer was very cunning and hid well, and the reason he got caught was because of a restaurant owner and a high school girl.

As a result, someone had a sudden idea and turned their attention to Ma Lu, saying to their dining companions, "Hey, do you think that restaurant owner could be Boss Ma?"

"Impossible, absolutely not!"

No sooner had he spoken than several companions immediately denied it, "Boss Ma is busy cutting our leek at the restaurant every day; he has no time to fight with criminals!"

"Exactly," someone else chimed in, nodding toward the brand-new ES8 signature edition outside the door, "Look, he's even got the luxury car to show for it, he must have made a fortune."

Some unscrupulous bosses, just to show off, even chose a golden color, which shone brilliantly in the sunlight, nearly blinding the eyes of everyone sitting nearby eating.

"Ah, I hope that kind-hearted boss wasn't hurt, may all his ailments be transferred to the crooked businessmen."

"No, that won't do," someone immediately objected, "If the crooked businessmen get sick, then we'll have nothing to eat too."

"Sigh, how has society come to this," someone lamented, "we can't let our heroes be disheartened. If we can find that heroic boss, I'm willing to give up patronizing the crooked businessman for a while and go eat at his place for half a year, every day!"

"How much is that going to cost?"

"It shouldn't be that much money, I heard the person was caught very late at night, and usually, the businesses that are still open at that time are small restaurants. It's not easy for them."

"Then, count me in too." Another person quickly echoed.

Although their voices were not loud, Ma Lu, who was being called a profiteer at every turn, could still hear them, but he simply couldn't be bothered to respond.

He was taking advantage of the break between serving dishes to take pictures of the new car he had just picked up that day with his phone.

Now that he had the car, the next step was to switch to a bigger house with a parking space. But he currently didn't have the qualifications to buy a house, and besides, the housing prices were falling, so he was thinking of renting a place first.

Additionally, it would be good to hire another formal waiter. Having only He Xiaoqian was a bit too busy, and most importantly, when there were too many customers, Ma Lu himself would have to get involved.

Before, it didn't feel like much of an issue, but once the money in the bank card started to pile up, one would become lazier, and once indulgence began, there is an inexorable slide into deeper fondness for comfort and continuous descent.

Ma Lu hoped that in the future he would only need to sit in the restaurant playing with his phone, supervise and direct the work of other employees, and deal with any occasional emergencies that arose.

After all, going out to buy ingredients was tiring enough, so he might as well stay in the main plane and be at ease as the boss, leaving the service to the professionals.

Ma Lu was happily thinking about this when suddenly a crowd of people burst in through the door.

These people came later but didn't queue up; instead, they just pushed the door and entered.

They weren't there to eat. The two people in front were wearing police uniforms, and those following were reporters with long and short cameras.

The sudden appearance of such a large group of people was quite eye-catching.

The diners in the restaurant all stopped their chopsticks, curiously sizing up these uninvited guests.

Ma Lu recognized one of them – it was the police officer who first arrived at the scene the night he reported the incident, a squad captain named Zheng, if he remembered correctly.

Captain Zheng walked straight to Ma Lu as soon as he entered, first introduced Ma Lu to another officer beside him, and then said to Ma Lu,

"This is Director Hu, a leader from our city's public security. Director Hu is here to present you with a courage award certificate."

Director Hu then warmly shook hands with Ma Lu, "Boss Ma, you've made a significant contribution this time. Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to catch the criminal so quickly, and there could have been other victims."

"Oh, oh, oh. It was nothing, I just did what an ordinary citizen should do," replied Ma Lu.

"There's no need for modesty. Because your deed was so extraordinary, the city government has decided to award you the title of Model of Courage. This is your certificate!"

Director Hu then solemnly handed a red certificate book to Ma Lu, and the reporters on the side pressed their shutters, capturing the moment.

At this point, all the other customers in the restaurant were dumbfounded.

Especially the table that had quietly called Ma Lu a profiteer and had talked about supporting the courageous act in the restaurant, planning to eat there for half a year, were now looking at each other in disbelief.

Someone even wanted to say, "No way, officer, are you sure you've got the right person?"

Mainly because it was hard for anyone to link Boss Ma, who was just showing off his new car, with a heroic figure of courage.

But no matter what, from this moment forth, Ma Lu's image in everyone's hearts suddenly became much more towering.