Zhao led the trio deep into his hideout – a huge, hollowed-out factory hall filled with tons of tech junk, old circuit boards, and rusty android parts. In the middle, a large fire burned in an old oil drum, above which hung a massive, makeshift wok. It smelled of burnt plastic and extremely bland, synthetic algae mush.
“Down here we eat dirt to survive,” said Zhao, pointing to the wok. “The upper city is blocking the real food deliveries. If your blue wonder toaster can conjure something edible out of junk and soy sauce that strengthens my guys... then I’ll help you stay under the radar of the Iron Duck. I have old signal jammers here that completely erase your tracks.”
Lu looked skeptically at Bao. “Buddy, I know you’re a genius. But making a gourmet dish out of recycled algae and used oil borders on witchcraft.”
Bao’s lenses blinked contemptuously. “Challenge accepted, Creator Lu. Culinary alchemy is the highest form of logistics. Scanning available resources...” A thin laser beam shot from Bao’s eye and scanned the algae mush as well as a few wild, glowing mushrooms growing on the damp walls of the hall.
What followed was a performance that took Mei and Lu’s breath away. Bao deployed four additional mini-gripper arms. With the precision of a Swiss watch and the speed of a quantum computer, he began cutting the mushrooms. He used his internal heating elements to regulate the wok’s temperature exactly to $180^\circ\text{C}$.
He injected tiny amounts of his fermented special soy sauce, used the heat of the fire to create a perfect roasting aroma, and tossed the mush so skillfully through the air that even Zhao’s grumpy henchmen lowered their weapons in fascination. A smell spread through the old hall that was so intense, spicy, and inviting that Zhao’s stomach growled audibly.
Bao switched off his arms, rolled back elegantly, and announced: “Menu complete. I present: Cyber Algae in Szechuan Style with Bioluminescent Mushroom Routine Ragout. Bon appétit.”
Zhao stepped forward slowly, took a dented spoon, and tasted. For a moment nothing happened. Then his eyes widened, and an expression of pure bliss spread across his rough face. “Damn...,” he whispered. “This tastes like the sky over old Chongqing before the cyber war destroyed everything!” He turned to his men. “Turn on the signal jammers! These people are under my protection from now on!”