The Film Emperor's Daily Live Cooking BroadcastCh85 - Edible Zergs

With Ruan Tang’s status as a military consultant, it was not difficult to get an audience with the Supreme Commander.

When He Wei Ye saw that he had come especially to the military headquarters to see him instead of discussing it at home, he knew that Ruan Tang had come to discuss about ‘canned goods’. He directly asked, “Canned goods? What are those things?” e6d7 m

“Beverages, meats, vegetables, fruits, and other foods are sealed in metal cans for long-term preservation.” Ruan Tang explained, “Compared with the preservation boxes used today, they can be stored longer and are more durable. I think they can be used as rations to supply food for the frontline. ”

In his previous life, all kinds of canned goods were considered essentials for armies on the march. Its long shelf life and durability made it a highly sought-after ration. In the Second World War, the canned goods of the US army was the envy of their enemies.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

He Wei Ye asked Ruan Tang everything about canned food. He saw Ruan Tang’s tense look and showed a hesitant expression. He could see that Ruan Tang deliberately came to find him and wanted to include this canned food among the military supplies. He had no doubt about whether Ruan Tang was here to profit from the war. Ruan Tang had no use for it, and he simply wasn’t that kind of person. He believed that Ruan Tang wanted to improve the diet of soldiers fighting on the frontline. But in such a tense situation, this ‘canned goods’ was like chicken ribs.

Not to mention, to produce this ‘canned goods’ they would need to build factories and assembly lines. It was a lot of trouble just to transport one item. Faced with the Zergs’ wanton invasion in front, and the malicious plunder by the Valens behind, it was very difficult to deliver the supplies to the hands of the frontline soldiers. Therefore, He Wei Ye’s biggest requirement for military supplies was portability. 9pHZTX

The nutritional value, taste, and satiety of canned foods were higher than nutrient solutions’. But it was also heavier and bulkier. As a military ration, it was definitely not as convenient to transport as nutrient solutions. In his opinion, the improved version of the nutrient solutions can play a role similar to this canned food, so there was no need to do more.

However, He Wei Ye was aware of Ruan Tang’s good intentions, and this ‘canned goods’ was indeed something good. So, he said, “Ok, you can discuss it with A’Yi and when it’s produced it can be directly sold in the shopping site.”

Ruan Tang understood that He Wei Ye was not planning to include this in their rations, so he said, “Supreme Commander He, what if the canned goods were to be made from Zergs?”

“What are you talking about?!” He Wei Ye couldn’t help but frown, and he stood up in astonishment.

lDLfG

Use Zergs as food? What a joke!

Ruan Tang smiled a bit embarrassedly. He looked up at him, and said, “Since water monsters can be eaten, why can’t the Zergs? If we can make the Zergs into food, our frontline soldiers will no longer need nutrient solution, but can source their food locally. There would be no need to worry that they wouldn’t have enough to eat. ”

“We can make the hard shells of the Zergs into body armor, so that we can be protected from the Zerg’s corrosive fluid. We’ll no longer have to worry about the personal safety of soldiers in the case they need to fight hand to hand. Their shell can also be added to the mechs. We can make a mech specifically to combat the Zergs. ”

“The most important thing is that the soldiers on the frontlines are definitely exhausted. But the Zergs just keep on coming. Under this kind of situation, they will definitely begin to despair. But if the Zergs are no longer seen as enemies that would kill them but as food and as precious materials, will they still be afraid?” Ruan Tang couldn’t help but smile, “No, the more Zergs, the more excited they will be.” 3bpfvI

He Wei Ye was intrigued by his words, his brows were furrowed, but the look in his eyes gradually lightened.

Indeed, as Ruan Tang said, faced with the continuous stream of Zergs, with dwindling supplies, the morale of the frontline soldiers was at an all-time low. Despite their strong encouragement, a pessimistic mood had spread across the army.

Will the Zergs really win? Can we even go back alive?

The warriors who have lost their fighting spirit were just dead men walking. If they were already scared and flinching when facing the Zergs, mortality rates would only climb higher and higher. For this reason, the Ministry of Military Affairs has been extremely worried for a long time but they were unable to do anything about it. Now, Ruan Tang proposed to convert the identity of the Zergs into “resources”. Once the soldiers accept this mindset, they will no longer be afraid, but rather, excited when they faced the Zergs. HVaKvR

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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Qtfc atja alwf mbwfr, atfgf kbc’a yf jcs cffv ab jrx obg oecvlcu ogbw atf njglber mbwwfgmf ugbeqr jcv mbcrbgalj; atfs’ii qgjmalmjiis yf atgbklcu yjcxcbafr ab atf ogbcailcfr.

He Wei Ye exhaled, walked to Ruan Tang and bowed slightly to stare straight at him, “I’m very excited about what you’re suggesting. But are you sure that the Zergs can be eaten and made into mechs?”

Knowing that he had already basically agreed, Ruan Tang relaxed and smiled easily, “I don’t know if they can be made into mechs, but I’m sure they can be eaten.” dSGK8R

Before coming to the military headquarters, he had discussed canning with He Yun Yi in the Academy. He Yun Yi also thought that this was a good thing, but could only be applied to later wars and for civilians use. It was totally useless in the present war.

Ruan Tang felt frustrated. But just then the Zerg corpses delivered from the Celtic planet just arrived. Out of curiosity, he followed He Yun Yi to inspect it.

Chrysanthemum Garden.

In interstellar novels and games from his previous life, the Zergs were big bosses that you could not be circumvented. But in the food novels, the Zergs always became food for humans. Ruan Tang thought, ‘I do live cooking broadcasts and if I were transported into a novel, that would make it a food novel, right?’

Then, maybe Zergs can … Be eaten? i57o6

Ruan Tang couldn’t help but to scratch his head and smile, feeling that he was letting his imagination run wild. He followed He Yun Yi and entered the warehouse.

A total of eighteen Zerg corpses were sent, from a total of six different breeds; from fingernail-sized bugs to hill-like beetles.

When He Yun Yi saw these things, he couldn’t help but close his eyes and say, “They’re so ugly.”

Ruan Tang stared blankly at them for a moment. He felt that his brain hole must have gotten so big, light must probably be shining through it. UHIoEO

The fingernail-sized bugs’ entire body were golden in color. Among the red and green variegated bugs, except for a pair of tiny saw-toothed feet, they looked pretty much like ragworms. (kind of yucky pic under the link)

Although he had been a big homebody in his previous life, as an amateur gourmet, he also liked to travel. He liked to see the sights and sample the local delicacies of various places, including Guangdong and Yunnan. The range of food in these two places was very extensive and varied — birds, beasts, seafood, and even bugs and dried human placenta. Guangdong even had an incident regarding 'Eating People from Fujian' that caused outrage on the internet.

Even this kind of worm, Ruan Tang had once eaten it in Guangdong. Because this kind of worm fed on plants, their bodies were plump and well-rounded. They were rich in protein and vitamins. Succulent and juicy, stir fried over low heat with some minced garlic and green onions, and seasoned with a bit of chili, it tasted delicious with a tender and smooth texture. It was a true delicacy.

“A’Tang, is this your first time seeing the Zergs? Don’t underestimate these small bugs. They can’t fly and they can’t crawl very fast, but their numbers are endless. They can also spit acid water, with thousands upon thousands of them coming straight at you, once you’re surrounded, even in the new mech model, they can eat you clean in minutes. They’re a real headache on the battlefield. “He Yun Yi saw Ruan Tang was completely focused on this little bug and he took the initiative to give him an introduction. 1zEhr5

“There are also these flying insects, which are even more troublesome. Although they’re only as big as your palm, they fly really fast. Their bodies are relatively fragile but their attack power is astonishing. If they managed to overtake you, they can easily damage the mechs…… ” He shook his head as he explained it to Ruan Tang. The Zergs’ destructive power was too great. The frontline soldiers paid a great price to get these samples.

Ruan Tang looked at the winged insect in front of him. It looked like a locust, with short whip-like antennaes, and powerful hind legs allowing them to jump high and fly fast.

Most impressive were those bugs that were as large as hills. Their shells were matchlessly hard and they looked like longhorn beetles. He heard He Yun Yi say that these were in charge of defense.

Although there were differences in the appearance of these bugs and they were many, many times larger, there really were a lot of similarities… qZtvNb

So, in the end, could these insects be eaten?

Ruan Tang thought to himself, and accidentally voiced it out.

He Yun Yi didn’t hear it clearly at first. Thinking he had heard wrong, he asked, “Ah? What did you just say?”

Ruan Tang scratched his nose in embarrassment and asked, “Can these Zergs be eaten?” dbTg8L

“E-eat the Zergs?!” He Yun Yi looked at Ruan Tang incredulously. Before, his impression of Ruan Tang was that of a gentle and intelligent gourmand. But now, he can’t possibly be just a simple gourmand. With guts like this, he’d be able to swallow the sky and devour the earth.

Ruan Tang looked at his expression and said once again, “I think we can test whether they’re poisonous, and then …”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

“A’Tang, please wake up!” He Yun Yi really wanted to grab his collar and shake some sense into him. “Look at the forelegs on this insect! It’s so sharp it can even cut black steel! Look at this gigantic bug’s shell, it’s as hard as iron. Even with a light blade, it’s still difficult to cut through. You’ll need an energy cannon or an energy beam to split it open! And the mouthparts on these bugs! They contain such terrible corrosive fluids, even mechs can easily corrode! And you’re thinking whether they can be eaten? ”

“Uh … although it will be a bit more difficult to handle, but it should be okay? Just like with the water monsters from last like, we can use special kitchenware … Actually, for these small bugs, can’t we just use pliers to cut through them? Regarding the mouthpiece, we can just chop off its entire head.  If we find where they’re storing the corrosive fluid, we could just dig that out. And this big worm, although it has a hard shell, it can’t be as hard inside as it is outside, right? Maybe, when we cut it open, we’ll be in for a pleasant surprise.” The more Ruan Tang spoke about it, the more he felt it was feasible. He was really itching to dissect these insects. 4OxNdW

He Yun Yi looked at Ruan Tang’s sparkling eyes. He suddenly felt that chefs might be the scariest creatures in the universe…

In the end, He Yun Yi didn’t know what kind of evil came over him, he followed Ruan Tang’s suggestion and dissected all the bugs.

As Ruan Tang said, the small bugs that were as large as fingernails, after cutting off their jagged feet and removing their mouthpiece, had completely no attack power. Its corrosive fluid was stored in the tail like a tube. It was connected to the mouthpiece through the venom gland. You only needed to cut off the tail and remove the mouthpiece and the rest was as harmless as a silkworm.

The flying insect itself didn’t have a hard carapace. It was known for its flying speed and amazing attack power. After removing the wings, forelimbs, and mouthparts, it was also not poisonous. dkNZb

Even the huge hill-like beetle, after cutting open the shell with a specialized cutting tool, the exposed meat inside was white and tender. It looked a lot like the meat from the monster lobsters. Seeing the full, plump and plentiful meat, He Yun Yi subconsciously began to drool.

He must have been infected by Ruan Tang!

“Are you sure they’re safe? If they are, how about I try cooking it?”

He Yun Yi: “…” kKnyJ8

Ruan Tang stared at it with such eager eyes. What else could he do? Of course, he agreed.

Facts would prove that Ruan Tang’s idea was correct. No matter how the Zergs mutate, evolve, or develop, they were, in essence, weak and poor bugs.

The insect that were similar to ragworms were stir-fried into a sweet, savory dish. The flying insects that looked like locusts were deep-fried until they were crisp. The meat inside was also delicious, having absorbed the flavor of the sauce and green onions. And that giant beetle, the one that looked like a Longhorn, he dug out the meat and deep fried it. It was crispy with a tinge of sweetness. It was a lot more delicious than they thought it would be. 7JApBi

After eating, He Yun Yi fell into silence.  After a while, he spoke in a low voice.

“From now on, I won’t discriminate between species …”

—————————>>>>>>>>>>>>

translator notes: wFfpXP

Here is an interesting read about canning and the wars: Link

And here’s a little rant about scale in Chinese novels. Those ragworms — they’re so small that if you had to cut off it’s head, feet and tail before you could eat them, no one would just from how troublesome it would be! Sigh…

Please support our translators at chrysanthemumgarden (dot) com

Translator's Note


It means ‘useless’, because chicken ribs hardly have any meat on them.

Translator's Note


Like this:

Translator's Note


This is actually true and because I think its yuckier than any bug out there, I’m not going to include a picture here and inadvertently scar you for life. But if you’re curious, you can google it.
It’s one of those stranger ingredients in traditional Chinese medicine but I don’t think a lot of people subscribe to it, even in China.

Translator's Note


As far as I can make out, I think there was an issue about someone saying that people Guangdong would eat anything, even people, specifically from neighboring Fujian. Of course, that’s not true.

Translator's Note


Here’s a sample of a ragworm dish:

Translator's Note


Like this:

Translator's Note


Like this:

Translator's Note


Like this:

Translator's Note


Like this:

[caption id="attachment_8682" align="alignnone" width="300"] pile of fried bombay locust grasshopper, thai food[/caption]

Leave a Comment

96 comments

  1. Yeah..too troblesome….

    Except if those ragworms as big as an arm

  2. Somehow, I just knew the Zerg were going to be dinner.

  3. Yeah… one thing though…

    These things… eat humans… and mechs…? Amiright? Then… they cook and eat it… you get where I’m going with this??

    Ofcourse we can treat them like the usual predators but these are apparently aliens that can eat through anything including metal and planets. So… wut. This isn’t the first time I encountered the eating of zerg but this dubious feeling sneaks up on me every now and then. I’m usually able to shake it off since I usually encounter zerg food in quick transmigration but encountering it in something like this is slightly harder to swallow…

    • yeah but in a way… it’s not absorbing it. it’s just passing through the digestive system after being squeezed of nutrient.

      when you eat a steak, you’re not really eating grass and when you eat chicken, you’re not really eating crickets.

    • Eek… now that you mention it, it does feel like indirect cannibalism. It’s not at all like eating mammals/birds/fish that may feed on grass, bugs or small fish etc. Most humans usually don’t even eat carnivorous animals let alone bugs! And these are man-eating zergs! Σ (° Δ° ||) ︴

      Btw, I love your profile pic, is it Mo GunGun? ♡

      • Well people eat shark which we have no idea what they have eaten previously (And they are carnivores and some even eat seals and humans.)

        And then there’s things like pigs, coffee beans, and plants.

        Don’t think too hard on it honestly it’s kind of gross. And op don’t think too hard on it either 😂

        • Cheers guys~~

          thanks for the insights it’s made me feel better about the whole zerg eating biz.

    • Crops are often fertilized with excrements. Does that mean you are eating sh1t if you eat them? 😂

      • Yup. Crops are fertilized with excrement 😂. There are also fungi like mushroom that thrive on decomposition of dead things lol.

        As a village little girl, I used to defecate at river. It is due to this experience, I never eat freshwater snails ever again though. They went near the sinking discharge, staying there and I don’t know if they are just innocently chilling or eating. Man, I can never see this snails in the same light as I did before this experience. Due to this I came to know that it is not only crops that thrive with excrement.

  4. Weeell, if we look at human history, we have tried to eat almost everything possible and imaginable. So, it is not unrealistic that we would try to eat aliens if we ever encounter them.

    • imagine first contact in which humans look thoughtfully at the aliens and quietly think.

      “it seems edible…?”

      • I think first contact would go:

        “Will they fight us?”

        “Can we fight them?”

        “Can we have sex with them?”

        Eating them probably wouldn’t come until those three questions are properly answered.

        • b-b-but tang-tang definitely… this is the second time….

          “are they trying to eat us?”

          “can we eat them instead?”

          that’s probably why he-ge is so afraid. xDD

  5. I should’ve expected it. Though, I’m slightly disappointed that they didn’t use pesticides. Anyway, I kinda wanna know how it taste. 😋

  6. Me (before reading): ଘ(੭ुˊ꒳​ˋ)੭ु.°♡ Yay another chapter *click scroll scroll

    Me (while reading): Σ (° Δ° ||) ︴ *scroll scroll scroll

    Me (after reading): o(╥_╥)o I don’t want any breakfast!

    Translator-san you have my respect for googling all the things I did not look at!!

  7. Never EVER underestimate mans’ love for good food

    NO STONE LEFT UPTURNED AND NO BUG LEFT UNEATEN 🐛🐝🦗🐛🦗🦗🐝

  8. The only objection I have, is I’m against eating other intelligent beings. In principle anyways. I have the same thought on those cultivation novels with smart spirit beast (GoAW, etc). Then who knows if the Zerg think..

    Still, it’s all all moot since this is fiction. 😉

    • That is a good point. And at this point of the novel, the author doesn’t specifically say if the Zergs are intelligent but later on, she does say that they’re capable of low-level thinking. For example, they understand if something’s dangerous.

      I hope that does alleviate some of your misgivings. =)

  9. I-I made a mistake…. I clicked on the ragworms link despite the warning. It was like pushing the bug red button that says “Do Not Push.” 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

    • Big*** so freaked out that I can even type. 😰

      • I really want him to meet the zerg king in the novel “i’m not human” and let them talk to each other…

  10. ” He Yun Yi looked at Ruan Tang’s sparkling eyes. He suddenly felt that chefs might be the scariest creatures in the universe… ” l think so.

  11. So next chapter Ruan Tang going try making kebabs out of the zergs?

  12. I can’t wait for the giant centipede and spider recipe!

    I mean they already had ragworm, locusts and beetle. Surely centipede and spider would follow soon?

    🤣

  13. 🤣😂😂 calling for Wu Zimo from marshal , please calm down.. your dream to eat zerg is here~ ꉂꉂ(ᴖᗜᴖ*)

  14. … in ancient China fingernails could be *really * long. Maybe the word implies Manchu-style 10 in nails?

    Or author has no senseof scale, yeah that seems more likely.

    😂

  15. Hmm looks like this is the part where theres nothing to like. Not a fan of insects :(( I’ll just imagine them as crustaceans hahahahahaha

    Thanks for the chapter!!!

  16. Lol, after that day, the position of “the most deadly (scary) species is the blue star empire chefs”!!

  17. Thanks for the chapter! Canned food changed wars irrevocably…

    Still, I can’t eat insect, I would have to be starving for days with nothing to eat to even consider it, unless someone gave only the meat inside, no antennas, sticky feet & other assorted creepy pieces…

  18. ‘I do live cooking broadcasts and if I were transported into a novel, that would make it a food novel, right?’ –

    I love how self aware Ruan Tang is ╮(╯▽╰)╭

  19. Kkkkkkk LOL won’t discriminate eating other species! The idea about using the shells to protect themselves is such a simple and marvelous one! How can no one else thought about this?

    Thank you for the chapter!

    • Right? Since they’re so poisonous/corrosive, it would make complete sense to use the bug itself as defense against it. Since it has a shell, that’s even better as it embodies the word ‘defence’.

  20. i cant open any of the links..i just cant…my curiosity wants me to do it but im scared..aand eew bugs..ahahahhahaha🙃

    also RT broke the 4th wall..AHAHAHAHAHHHAHAHA

  21. I am rereading this novel in covid 19 while staying at home…🙄

  22. I know he said considering the zergs as a food source would make the soldiers less afraid (and even make them excited to see them), but I’ve gotta disagree. I love beef but if I saw a neverending, murderous herd of cows stampeding my way I don’t think my first thought would be, “oh good! My steak and hamburgers are delivering themselves!”. Then again, I’m no soldier (or chef) so maybe I’m just not on the same wavelength lol

  23. Omg this cooking book, ehem I mean this novel even has this kind of dish

    “From now on, I won’t discriminate between species …” because they can be food in Ruan Tang’s handshake

    Thanks for your hardwork! ❤

  24. last chapters comment section said no they wouldn’t eat the zergs, that would be going too far. Author proved them wrong. 😂😂😂😂

  25. I’m sorry, 😅 I guess this is the reason why I just can’t enjoy other novels with Zergs as protagonists. I either see them as ugly monsters or food ingredients. But still thank you for the chapter!!!

  26. With regards to placenta – I can see why Chinese medicine is so keen on it. It contains stem cells, which are basically the root of every cell in our bodies – cells with no specific role that later on develop into cells that form our organs, skin, bones etc. They are used in different treatments in Western medicine too. You can obviously just Google stem cell for more info.

    As for eating insects – that’s a massive NO from me. Not real insects, not fictional ones either. Tbh I’m not too keen on seafood either because it just looks like the sea’s version of insects. Crabs look like spiders with hard shells, crayfish look like those grey-ish soil bugs that appear everywhere there’s any type of soil, prawns look like warms etc. So I really can’t deal with them. I’ve heard and read a lot of people’s praise to these foods (both seafood and insects) but I simply can’t get over my psychological aversion towards their looks.

  27. I feel so hard to read this chapter. After read novel ‘I’m not human’, where zerg isn’t as bad as it looks. And they eat zergs that even eat humans? I mean 🙁 You don’t even know if the zerg has eaten your friends and family then you eat it, I can’t complain about ragworm bcs that traditional food somewhere but I need some time to recover after all this. BUT I STILL LOVE THE NOVEL. THANK YOU FOR TRASLATE THIS(つ≧▽≦)つ(つ≧▽≦)つ

  28. I want to say, eating dried placenta should be a famous practice in ancient SEA once upon a time. Even now, I still heard of “hearsay” about it being a traditional medication ingredients. Because woman that wanted to be beautiful with this way usually won’t publicize it, so it become “hearsay” but everyone knows there are some that practiced it.

    I can’t eat anything with “worms” attached to it, I just retched lol. But I had tried fried locust. It taste of the flavour it is marinated in with crunch. Quite good as pass time snacks. Beetle? Hmm I won’t ever try it I supposed. I can’t with Yun Yi fearing the chefs’ mind after all of this 😂.

  29. HYY: No to discrimination! Everything is edible 😁

    HYC: Everything?… (looks at RT)

    RT: 😳

  30. Ok. This chapter made me want to puke. No offense to people who eat worms but seriously 😐 it’s way out if my palate. I am a foodie but man this is gonna be hard to handle as I’m really scared of insects

  31. you think zergs are scary?

    our xiao tang wants to eat zergs!!! he is scarier 🤣🤣🤣

    reminds me of those exotic food from bugs in china or thailand. maybe later they will find zerg that looks like a scorpion. then eat it.

  32. In this universe every problem can be solved with food!

    Are you broke? Food will solve the problem.

    Are you single? Food will solve the problem.

    Do you have a sibling with a rare genetic disorder? Food will solve the problem.

    Do you have an abusive negligent parent? Food will solve the problem.

    Are you facing a flood that has water monsters? Food will solve the problem

    Are you facing the most notorious alien specie that wants to destroy your home? FOOD WILL SOLVE YOUR PROBLEM!

    🤣🤣🤣

  33. “From now on, i won’t descriminate between species…”That reminds me of another novel called “Don’t descriminate against species” PS: it’s here on CG itself!! 😀