Bab 13: Mark betrays Always Visible Asia
Mark looked at them, and from the looks of it, there was a struggle going on inside him. He knew he had to make a choice that would change everything.
"I... I don't know..." he muttered, but Delia felt him begin to waver.
"Choice is always a risk, but also an opportunity. It's time to act!" she said, using her abilities to amplify her words.
Eventually, Mark nodded slowly.
"Okay. I'll help you. But I need you to cover for me," he said, looking at them hopefully.
Now that Delia and her team had an unexpected ally, they decided that they needed to interrogate him to find out the full details of his betrayal and the Convention's plans. Mark seemed ready to open up, knowing he had no other choice. Delia, Edwin, and the rest of the team sat around a table in one of the temporary labs. Mark finally exhaled and began to talk about his missions.
"Okay, look," he began, avoiding eye contact. "I'm not just a traitor. I was part of a team that created cooking traps for new recruits to test how well they could work under pressure."
The team exchanged confused looks.
"Cooking traps?" Edwin asked, trying to figure out what exactly he meant.
"Yes, you heard right," Mark nodded. "The Convention uses cooking challenges as tests for its new recruits. They believe that by forcing new recruits to cook under pressure, they can reveal their true abilities and stress levels," he explained."
"And once they fail the cooking challenges, you dump them?" Delia asked, confused.
"More like they become targets for further experiments or spy operations," Mark replied, sighing. "Every time someone failed the challenge, they disappeared. I couldn't let that happen, but I was threatened, and I had to do what they said."
"That's crazy! How can you use cooking as a spy tactic?" Ann asked, shaking her head in disbelief.
"They actually believe that food can be an effective weapon," Mark continued. "For example, if a newbie can't handle cooking an exotic dish, they become ideal victims for programs related to manipulation or subversion."
"And how did you plan to set up these culinary traps?" Delia asked, staring at him in disbelief.
"Oh, it's quite simple," he answered, as if it were a routine matter. "For example, I developed special recipes with ingredients that cause allergic reactions or even temporary disorders. And while they would be trying to cook this horror, we get the opportunity to observe their reactions and analyze their weaknesses."
The team was shocked. This discovery showed how sophisticated the Convention was in its plans. Delia felt anger rising inside her.
"And you helped them all this time? Why? You knew it was wrong!"
Mark, feeling the pressure, clenched his fists.
"I wasn't proud of it. But I have a family, and I couldn't risk their safety," he explained, trying to justify himself.
"But now that you're here, you have the opportunity to make the right choice," Delia reminded him, sensing that he had a chance to redeem himself.
Suddenly, one of the team members interrupted:
"So if we can take care of these traps, can we rescue those who are already caught in the Convention's web?"
"Yes," Mark nodded, his eyes shining with hope. "If we can disrupt their culinary plans, we can free everyone who is held captive."
"It's time to act," Delia said, looking confidently at her team. "Let's expose their plans and show them that we will not be victims of their culinary experiments!"
When the team decided to trust Mark and organize a "special dinner" to discuss the plan to free the hostages of the Convention, Delia felt that this could be their chance to succeed. Mark seemed sincere, and they decided that it was worth a try.
"Don't worry, it will be an unforgettable evening," he promised as they entered the room, decorated like a posh restaurant with soft lighting and elegant tables.
As soon as the team sat down at the table, beautifully presented dishes began to appear. Every participant was delighted with the culinary masterpieces presented. But Delia, deep down, was wary.
"Something's wrong here," she whispered to Edwin, who was looking at the menu with interest.
However, before they could say anything, Mark ran into the room with a panicked expression on his face.
"Quick, hide! It's a trap!" he shouted.
Before the team could even comprehend what was happening, the door burst open and giant chickens, the size of humans, rushed into the room, rushing through the kitchen like a hurricane.
"What the hell?" Ann screamed as a giant chicken rushed at her with a loud scream, flapping its wings.
"Run!" Edwin shouted, dodging one of them and heading for the exit.
Delia followed him, but still couldn't help but laugh when one of the chickens knocked one of the activists to the floor as he tried to dodge it.
"I've never wanted to fight a chicken for as long as I can remember!" he yelled, raising his hands in a defensive gesture.
As the team tried to escape from these chicken monsters, Delia quickly realized that they had to join forces and stop this culinary trap.
"Let's work together! We can handle them!" she yelled, turning to her team.
Mark, who seemed shocked that his plan had backfired on them, nodded and got to work. He grabbed a large knife from a nearby table and began waving it around, trying to keep the chickens at bay. At this time, Delia began to activate her psi-kinetic powers. She focused and, using her power, began to lift chairs and other objects, throwing them at the chicken creatures to distract them and give the team a chance to escape.
"Edwin, let's work together!" she shouted.
Edwin nodded and began throwing objects in the other direction, distracting the giant chickens. Finally, he managed to knock one of the chickens to the floor, giving them an opportunity to escape.
"Run!" Delia shouted, and they all rushed to the exit, throwing chairs and tables behind them, while the chickens continued to fight their own fears.
Once they got out into the fresh air, the team stopped, catching their breath.
"What a nightmare!" Edwin said, breathing heavily.
"And all this because of dinner!" Delia added, trying to hold back her laughter.
Now that they were out of this culinary trap, she was going to conduct an experiment with her psi-kinetic powers. Little did Delia know that it would turn out to be a real fairy tale. Focusing on her feelings and desires, she tried to call forth a flow of energy that she had long felt, but had never dared to use to its full extent.
"Let's see what I can do!" she said enthusiastically as she concentrated her power into a single flow.
As soon as she said these words, bright colors flashed around her, and all the energy she had stored inside burst out. Suddenly, Delia's body was covered in a brilliant rainbow, shimmering with all the colors of the spectrum. She felt her energy growing, penetrating every cell of her being. Her laughter, filled with surprise, spread throughout space, and it seemed as if the entire universe was laughing with her.
"What's going on?!" Edwin screamed, raising his head as the light around Delia became blinding.
He had never seen anything like it. And at that moment, giant dancing unicorns appeared right in her path. They were as tall as a house, with long, sparkling manes shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, and eyes full of joy and silliness. Their horns sparkled like stars, and jingling bells hung from their necks.
"Hey, Always Visible Asia!" one of the unicorns shouted, jumping gracefully on his powerful legs. "You must learn to dance! We need to throw a space party!"
"Learn to dance? Me? But I... I've never danced like you!" Delia answered shyly, still aware that she looked like a living work of art.
The unicorns began to circle around her, jumping merrily and encouraging her with their cheerful chorus singing.
"Come on, Always Visible Asia, blaze for me!"
Delia felt joy filling her heart. With each new smile of the unicorns, she realized that perhaps dancing was exactly what she needed. She began to move, feeling how her body was free and light, like a magical stream that itself led her.
"One-two, one-two! We are unicorns, you are Always Visible Asia, let's dance together!" the unicorns sang, and Delia, as if enchanted, began to follow their rhythm.
Her movements became more and more free, and as soon as she allowed herself to surrender to the dance, she laughed, feeling how her energy overflowed the space around her, bringing joy to all creatures.
"This is incredible!" Edwin shouted, rising from the ground, unable to resist this riot of fun.
The celebration continued, the unicorns danced, and Delia, like a star, shone brighter than everyone else.
"We are together! We are the rainbow, we are the light!" she shouted, and the dance continued, carrying them all away to new adventures, full of laughter and bright emotions, filling the cosmos with rainbow colors.
In the midst of the dance, when the unicorns circled Delia, her attention was drawn to something strange. In one of the corners of the laboratory, on the floor, an old folder with the inscription "Buttons" was shining. She noticed it in the flashes of light that were darting around, and without thinking, she crouched down to examine it.
"What is this?" Delia whispered, carefully opening the folder.
There were old documents inside, lost among dusty papers and culinary notes. But with each new sheet, her surprise only grew. The documents described some kind of program in which chefs and robots from all over the galaxy participated. She quickly ran her eyes over the text and, strangely enough, saw information about the "Button Cooking Contest" "an event where the best chefs from different corners of space competed with robots to create the most amazing and unusual dishes.
"This is some kind of joke!" Delia exclaimed, and her words were lost in the dancing cries of the unicorns. "Instead of a secret special operation, there's some kind of culinary competition here? How can this be connected with the Convention?"
The pages even included instructions on how each participant had to go through three rounds: the first for the best vegetable dish, the second for creating a dessert, and the third for the original use of space ingredients. Each round was full of intrigue and culinary traps, where chefs could face awkward situations, and robots with crazy recipes. Among the unicorns and rainbow Rottweilers, Delia couldn't help but laugh.
"Competitions with furry chefs and robots? That's crazy!"
Edwin, noticing her interest, came closer.
"What's wrong, Delia? You look so happy!"
"Look at this!" she said, showing him the documents. "This is just mind-boggling. They're organizing a competition between chefs and robots. But someone must have made a serious mistake if this is even related to the Convention!"
Edwin chuckled after reading a few lines.
"Makoto was probably trying to create the perfect chef to take over all the cooking in the galaxy. That's pretty ambitious!"
"And funny!" Delia added, her mood lightening. "But I wonder if this program is really important?"
They continued to research the old documents, and soon found out that the competitions weren't just for fun. The Button Program was conducting scientific research into creating new types of food and using unearthly ingredients, which could give the Convention an edge in galactic trade.
"This looks like just the tip of the iceberg," Edwin said, surprised. "If this is not stopped, they can collect all the secret recipes and dominate the food industry in the entire galaxy!"
"We may have a plan!" Delia smiled, imagining how they could use this information to their advantage. "If we can infiltrate this competition and use it as a cover, we can learn more about the Convention's plans and even undermine them from all sides!"
Deciding that participating in the Buttons competition was their best chance to promote the Convention, Delia and her team began their preparations. However, in the process of searching for a place to hold the competition, they encountered an unexpected situation.
"I think this is the turn!" Delia was happy, looking at the screen of her communicator, which showed the direction.
But instead of leading them to the competition, they found themselves on a strange, abandoned farm surrounded by a strange glow.
"Where are we?" Edwin muttered, looking around at the endless rows of chicken coops with large windows that showed the farmers going about their work.
As soon as they stepped out of their hiding place, they realized that this was no ordinary farm. The farmers here were giant, eighties-styled robotic chickens! With colorful feathers, sunglasses, and glittery accessories, they looked like they had just stepped out of a music video.
"Hello, young people! Ready for some synthpop?" one of the chickens with a guitar shouted, raising it into the air. "We're here to find out who will be the real chicken Depeche Mode!"
Delia's team exchanged puzzled glances.
"What's going on here?" she whispered, trying to figure out how they got into this strange world.
The noisy preparations for the competition began around them. The chickens, like real rock stars, rehearsed their numbers, loudly declaring themselves and demonstrating their skills.
"Time to show who's boss!" another chicken cried out, clinging to the microphone.
"We could use their help!" Edwin said, glancing at the guitars and drums that stood nearby. "If these chickens can really sing, maybe they'll become our allies?"
Delia nodded, but before they could come up with a plan, one of the chickens came closer to them.
"You newbies? We have plenty of room for new talent!" she said enthusiastically, looking at Delia and her team.
"We're, uh, just passing by!" Edwin muttered, but the chicken had already grabbed Delia's hand and pulled her towards the stage.
"Show us what you can do! Let's play some synthpop!" she shouted, and the team found themselves in the middle of the action.
"What to do?" Delia whispered, standing on the stage with a guitar in her hands, as the buzz of the audience grew.
She felt the excitement growing inside her. Luckily, her acting skills came to the rescue. Delia quickly realized that if she could cheer up the crowd and attract the attention of the chickens, perhaps this would open the way to the necessary information about the Button Contest.
"Hey, I know a song!" she shouted, and, a little embarrassed, began to improvise, pretending to perform a cooking song about how to cook the perfect pie from the "Space Carrot".
At this time, Edwin and the rest of the team were watching the movements of the chickens and looking for a way to find out their secrets. The chickens were delighted! They picked up the rhythm, and some even began to dance, not missing the opportunity to support their new idol. Every chord and every word created an atmosphere of fun and madness.
"If we can get them involved in our plan, maybe we'll have a chance to learn more about the Convention!" Edwin whispered, watching the crowd's reaction.
By the end of the performance on stage with the chicken Depeche Mode, Delia and her team, full of determination and new energy, decided that they needed to take a time out and stretch their legs after all this adventure.
"Listen, I have an idea!" Delia said, pointing to a map of Lisbon that showed Makoto Shugarami's new restaurant. "They say this restaurant serves a unique broth, the recipe for which is guarded as a state secret. Maybe he can help us?"
"We can get our hands on the recipe and use it for our own purposes! Maybe he can even help us crack the secrets of the Convention!" Edwin added, pointing to the colorful buildings and bustling streets that led to the restaurant.
When they arrived, they were greeted by a cheerful atmosphere, with live music playing outside and the aroma of freshly prepared food wafting through the air. However, the restaurant was surrounded by security, making their mission even more difficult.
"So, how are we going to do this?" one of the activists asked, scratching the back of his head. "Just walk in and say, 'Hey, Makoto! We're here for your broth?'"
"Not exactly," Delia chuckled, coming up with a plan. "We have an advantage. We can use our talents to create a distraction!"
Delia knew her acting skills could come in handy.
"I can pretend to interview the chef about his delicious broth. While I distract them, you can sneak inside and try to find the recipe!"
The team approved of this plan. Delia quickly changed into an elegant dress and did her hair to look like a true food critic. With a little excitement, she entered the restaurant and saw that everything was really top notch: stylish tables, magnificent service and, of course, crazy aromas. She approached the counter where several chefs were working, including Makoto himself.
"Good evening! I am critic Delia Yonce, and I am very interested in your new menu!" she began, smiling. "I would like to interview you briefly about your famous broth. They say it's special!"
Makoto, surprised by her appearance, looked at her with slight distrust, but grinned and replied:
"An interview? Well, if you really want to talk about our broth, you'll have to try it yourself!"
While Delia distracted Makoto with a conversation about kitchen secrets and compliments, Edwin and the rest of the team began to explore the restaurant in search of the coveted recipe. They tried to be inconspicuous, but at the same time did not forget to look around.
"This broth... Based on nectars from galactic planets and ancient herbs! A unique mixture that I've been developing for years!" Makoto said proudly, showing Delia a huge pot full of steaming broth.
"Sounds wonderful! I'd love to film it!" she added, sincerely admiring, but at the same time recording details that could be useful for their plan.
At that moment, Edwin and his companions made their way to the kitchen and found a sealed cabinet with the words "Secrets of Makoto's Broth" written on it. One of the activists quickly picked the lock, and they held their breath as they opened the door. Inside, they found not only the recipe for the broth, but also many other documents related to the Convention's experiments. However, before they could do anything, a loud crash was heard in the kitchen.
"What is that?" one of them exclaimed, nervously glancing towards the exit.
Delia, hearing the noise, decided that it was time to act.
"No, that's impossible!" Delia whispered to her team, realizing that there was very little time left.
She and her team rushed out of the restaurant, but on the street, they encountered a new problem: inflation had skyrocketed, and gas prices had become prohibitively high. Every time they tried to fill up their cars, they were simply horrified when they looked at the bill.
"This is crazy!" Delia exclaimed, looking at her money, which was melting before her eyes like ice cream in the scorching sun. "We can't afford to drive cars! We'll have to walk!""
The team looked at each other, and although the prospect of long walks did not inspire them, they knew that it was the only way. In the end, they decided that maybe walking would even help them better plan their infiltration of the Convention's central bank.
"We'll be discreet and stealthy," Delia said. "First we'll go through the city and then we'll sneak into the bank through the back!"
And so they set off. As the team moved through the streets of Lisbon, Delia noticed that they weren't the only ones trying to save money on transportation. Groups of people, laughing and chatting happily, had started wearing hammocks, which they hung from any available structures to simply hang in the air and enjoy the relaxation.
"What's this new trend?" she asked, stopping to watch.
A group of people were swinging happily in their hammocks on a nearby platform, chatting about life and laughing at trivial things.
"Free-fall hammocks!" one of the participants said, raising his hand to attract attention. "It's just so cool! You just hang a hammock and it helps you relax even when you're moving! Perfect for when everything is going to hell!"
This statement made everyone laugh, and Delia's team, sighing from fatigue, decided to try this new way of relaxing. They managed to quickly find free hammocks, and they happily took a short break.
"Wow! Free-fall hammocks could be a great strategy for relaxing before storming the central bank!" Edwin noted, relaxing in the hammock.
After a few minutes of laughter and ease, Delia realized that this was indeed a great way to distract themselves from stress. But time was passing, and their plan was still on the agenda.
"Okay, we've had a good rest, but we still need to move on!" Delia reminded, getting up from the hammock and helping her companions. "We have to infiltrate the central bank before Makoto realizes that we're on his tail!"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone