Chapter 1The Post-Apocalyptic BBQ Joint

I opened a BBQ joint in the apocalypse.

While others are fighting zombies on empty stomachs, I'm feasting on sizzling, fatty pork belly every day.

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This is my third day in this world. I stared at the pork belly grilling on the rack and let out a heavy sigh.

Three days ago, a gas tank exploded in my restaurant. When I opened my eyes, both my BBQ joint and I had been transported to this godforsaken wasteland.

There’s no one here. Just ruins everywhere you look.

At night, there are no streetlights. Beyond the glow of my shop, it’s pitch black.

The craziest part? There are zombies. Real-life, blood-soaked, limb-missing zombies like in the movies!

Fortunately, for some reason, the zombies can’t enter my shop. So I’ve been hiding out here, safe and sound.

I flipped the pork belly. Once it turned golden brown and started dripping oil, I took it off the heat, blew on it, and stuffed it into my mouth.

Fragrant, fatty, delicious. My culinary skills are still top-tier.

But there’s a catch. My shop currently has an endless supply of pork belly and beer, but literally nothing else. Every time I try to grab other ingredients from the fridge, an invisible barrier blocks my hand.

A robotic voice chimes in: "Please open for business. Serve customers to unlock remaining ingredients."

After three days of nothing but pork belly, I’m about to throw up.

But where are the customers? Aside from the wandering zombies, there isn’t a soul in sight. I can’t exactly invite a zombie in for a cold one, can I?

I squatted by the door, holding a skewer, sighing and hoping a customer would fall from the sky. After squatting until my legs went numb, the doorway remained empty. The night was thick with fog, and the only sounds from the distant ruins were the wails of the undead.

In this pitch-black world, my BBQ joint was the only speck of light.

I downed the last of my beer and was about to head to the back room to sleep when a staggering figure appeared at the door.

I thought it was a zombie, but then I squinted—it was actually a person!

A young guy, maybe 5'9", with a round face.

Although he was covered in blood and stumbling, his eyes were clear... It was a real, live human!

He was staring at me in shock, utter disbelief written all over his face, his hand trembling as it rested on the window.

A customer!

My brain screamed. Before I could even think, my hand flew to open the door. I put on my best customer-service smile, just like back at the night market:

"Hey handsome, want some BBQ?"