An application form doomed to send the judges to the ICU.

**Chapter 18: An Application Form Doomed to Send Judges to the ICU**

On this day, the small shop had become a must-visit spot for a "Dark Cuisine Tour Group."

Every customer who pushed the door open and saw the menu on the wall, which could be called a "collection of culinary horror stories," had expressions so vivid they could have performed in a mime show.

If it weren't for the shop's previously excellent reputation, as if it had won the lottery, the mere sight of the dish names would have scared people back to the next street.

Today, it was destined to be recorded in the "History of Dark Cuisine Development." Unfortunately, most customers were still unaware, coming for the "traditional delicacies" on the old menu.

When they pushed the door open, their faces still bore the anticipation for the dishes of the past. However, as soon as they looked up, they were intimidated by the new menu on the wall, which could be considered a "trailer for a culinary horror film."

"Is this a mistake?" a regular customer poked his friend beside him, his expression as if he were looking at some alien script.

"Sweet and Sour Pepper Chicken? Is this a dish or a punishment?"

"Wasabi Ice Cream... You're going to offend the dessert world with this!"

"Chili Candy Floss? Chef, do you have some deep grudge against chili peppers?"

The entire restaurant had become a gathering of "culinary adventurers." Customers ordered with disdain for the dish names while mustering up the courage as if they were playing some "Dark Cuisine Battle Royale."

But every time the dishes were served, those customers who had been prepared to call 120 turned into Michelin food critics as if they wanted to swallow their tongues.

The system was happily spinning in Liu Yang's mind, like a mad alchemist, turning every "dark cuisine" dish into gold.

Those 12 new dishes managed to achieve "highly praised" status within a day, and the reward values kept rising, making Liu Yang want to give the system a drumstick.

These dishes, which could be called the "pinnacle of the dark cuisine world," each seemed to be provoking traditional cuisine:

1. "Wasabi Ice Cream": This dish was a traitor to the dessert world, letting countless diners experience a roller coaster between sweetness and spiciness.

2. "Chili Candy Floss": The gentleness of sugar color and the brutality of chili were perfectly combined, like a boxer in a candy coat.

3. "Sweet and Sour Pepper Chicken": Three flavors fought in one plate, yet miraculously reached a truce.

4. "Five-spice Stinky Tofu Mousse": French elegance collided with Chinese street culture, packaging a street snack into a Michelin dish.

5. "Curry Durian Fried Rice": The perfect fusion of two flavors that could send ordinary people to the ICU, it was like a nuclear bomb in the culinary world.

6. "Spicy Chocolate Hot Pot": It made you unable to distinguish whether you were enjoying romance or suffering torture, perfectly interpreting the true meaning of love.

7. "Kimchi Ice Cream Sandwich": Korean sour and spicy met Western sweet and greasy; this was probably the practice of the "Belt and Road" initiative in the catering world.

8. "Sichuan Peppercorn Caramel Pudding": It numbed and sweetened the tongue as if experiencing a taste bud electric shock.

9. "Dried Bamboo Shoots and Cola Meat": The sweetness of cola and the mature taste of dried bamboo shoots met perfectly, it could be called the culinary version of "a match between the old and the young."

10. "Seaweed Cream Pasta": A Japanese snack forcibly mixed into Italian pasta, like a sudden guest in the middle of the road.

11. "Cilantro Rum Mousse": A dessert specially designed for "cilantro fans"; "cilantro haters" might want to call the police after seeing it.

12. "Wasabi Truffle Dumplings": Eastern spiciness met Western luxury, with a price and taste as explosive as each other.

Each dish seemed like a "work" that had escaped from Liu Yang's hands; without the system's blessing, it might have called all the ambulances on the street.

In the evening, the peak dining time in the shop passed, and only Uncle Zhang sat in the corner, leisurely slurping noodles, his eyes occasionally scanning the shop's decoration –

The shabby wallpaper, and that old-fashioned cash register on the verge of breaking down.

In his view, this place was just like his clothes bought from a roadside stall for a few dozen bucks, exuding an air of "poverty due to lack of repair."

"Little Liu," he put down his chopsticks, with an expression of a veteran,

"Your shop is doing well, but after all, it's still a small shop. Nowadays, without an investment of a few million, you can't even open a decent-looking storefront."

Liu Yang was busy serving dishes to other tables and could only smile upon hearing this.

He had heard this kind of talk so many times that his ears were about to grow calluses. Whenever the neighbors were idle, they loved to come and share their "life experiences."

"Ah, right!" Uncle Zhang suddenly seemed to remember something, his eyes brightening,

"The other day on TV, they said there was going to be some national cooking competition, with a prize of five million! Why don't you give it a try?"

He spoke in a light tone, as if saying "The weather is nice today," completely unaware of Liu Yang's suddenly stiff expression.

"Anyway, your shop is just like this now," Uncle Zhang continued his "life guidance,"

"You won't lose anything by trying. If you manage to bring back five million, then you'll be rich!"

Liu Yang stood there, almost dropping the tray in his hand.

Five million? This number was more stimulating than the names of his "dark cuisines."

If he could get this money, not to mention rivaling Fu Man Lou, he could even afford to decorate the shop in the style of Michelin.

In the quiet of the late-night kitchen, Liu Yang was alone,傻笑着对着手机屏幕,

His expression was just like that of a high school student secretly looking at adult content in the middle of the night.

Ever since Uncle Zhang's casual words exploded in his ears, he was possessed, as if wanting to empty the search engine on the spot.

"National Top Chef Competition..." he muttered to himself, his fingers flying across the screen, "The judging panel is explosive."

This was not a problem until he looked; upon seeing it, he almost jumped out of his chair –

Hu Jing, the author of the "Dark Cuisine Bible," was one of the judges for this competition!

This was truly an interesting coincidence!

"The author of the Dark Cuisine Bible..." Liu Yang stared at the list of judges on the competition brochure and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Hu Jing was well-known as the "terminator of dark cuisine, "专门exposing the truths behind so-called "high-end dishes."

Many chefs who fancied themselves "artists" had fallen under his pen, including some Michelin-starred restaurants that had been subjected to in-depth reviews by him.

Liu Yang thought of Chen Zisheng's "artistic dishes" that day and suddenly felt that Judge Hu's arrival was timely.

If he were to taste that "Mount Fuji Tofu," who knows what classic phrases he would come up with?

"It looks like this competition is going to be interesting," he flipped through the application form, a playful smile curving at the corner of his mouth, "I wonder if those players of 'artistic cuisine' can withstand Judge Hu's keen eyes."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "Should I also come up with an 'innovative dish'? Let's call it 'Lava Explosion Mashed Potatoes'..." Thinking of this, he quickly shook his head, "Forget it, forget it, I'd better stick to making dishes with real ingredients, otherwise I'm afraid I'll be written into the 'Dark Cuisine Bible: The Sequel.'"

At one o'clock in the morning, Liu Yang sat in front of the computer, staring at the stark white application form on the official website, his fingers dancing on the keyboard like an amateur hacker trying to break into the CIA.

In the middle of the night, instead of hanging out in nightclubs or gambling in casinos, he was filling out a competition application form.

"Name: Liu Yang, Age: 26..." He muttered to himself while typing, filling out this form more seriously than he had when chasing a goddess in his previous life on WeChat.

The career experience section stumped him.

After thinking for a long time, he finally filled in "New School Creative Cuisine Researcher."

The special skills section was even more interesting.

"Proficient in the research and development of various innovative dishes, especially skilled in explorations of taste breakthroughs."

Finally, there was a preview of the participating dishes.

Dried Bamboo Shoots Cola Meat and Wasabi Truffle Dumplings!

Liu Yang wanted to fill in all twelve "dark cuisines" directly, but fortunately, there wasn't much space on the form!

Otherwise, that momentum would have been like sending the entire judging panel's taste buds to the heavens.

When he clicked submit, his fingers were trembling slightly, and with a "ding," the application was successful.