Infinite Cosmic Cafeteria Chapter 44: The Informant

Translator: Stellar Novels Editor: Stellar Novels

Under the overpass, Ma Lu had been leaning against a bridge pillar, vomiting for three minutes straight and still felt nauseous.

Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw the scene of riding the tricycle at a frantic speed, with the surroundings whizzing by at a terrifying pace.

Many times, Ma Lu felt like he was about to crash into oncoming vehicles or pedestrians, but at the last second, the tricycle would always dodge obstacles with uncanny precision and the slightest turn.

The closest call was when Ma Lu brushed past a mud-covered truck, its filthy headlights glaring right into his face. If he had been just a little slower, he would have had to restart his life.

Right before reaching the overpass, the tricycle even raced side-by-side with a Fuxing bullet train for a stretch, eventually pulling ahead.

They finally stopped in a place where no one was around.

As he continued to retch, Ma Lu said to Old Wang, “Ugh, your power is really that strong? Ugh… why didn’t you run away when you were getting beaten before?”

“Because I was almost out of power then.”

Old Wang, despite having pushed the tricycle so far, didn’t have a drop of sweat on his face, and even his bald head looked unchanged. After a pause, he added, “Besides, their attacks couldn’t hurt me.”

“Alright.” Ma Lu wiped the drool from his mouth with the back of his hand, panting, “Anyway, at least we didn’t get caught.”

“The Sandfish Burgers aren’t sold out yet.”

“How many servings are left?”

“52.”

“Let me think of something.” Ma Lu pulled out his phone and sent a message to Shen Yue, asking her to check if the city enforcement officers were still around.

About ten minutes later, Ma Lu got a reply saying the white cars and blue uniforms had left, and some bold vendors were already back at their stalls.

Ma Lu vomited a bit more and felt much better, so he planned to head back. But when he opened his GPS, he realized they were already outside the city.

Well, Old Wang had pushed the tricycle over 40 kilometers away in just seven minutes.

While he could ask Old Wang to push them back, Ma Lu had no desire to relive that more-thrilling-than-F1 acceleration experience.

He’d rather ride back slowly at his own pace.

After taking a quick bathroom break in the lush spinach field nearby, Ma Lu resumed his journey, stopping midway at a small convenience store to recharge the tricycle’s battery.

It took almost two hours to get back to the west gate of the Civil Aviation University, where everything had returned to its usual bustle.

Squid Bro and his fellow vendors were busy serving customers, and the two strong girls who sold sugarcane juice had also returned.

Seeing Ma Lu and Old Wang, Squid Bro seemed surprised. “You didn’t get your tricycle confiscated?”

He was a seasoned veteran, and as soon as he sensed trouble earlier, he jumped into his vehicle and fled, keeping an eye on the situation behind him as he went.

He saw Ma Lu and Old Wang’s tricycle lagging at the back of the group and secretly felt pleased.

Although he had shouted a warning to Ma Lu to run as he was leaving, he had instantly regretted it.

Recently, Squid Bro had been trying to mimic the protagonists of novels, lying low and pretending to build a good relationship with Ma Lu to make him drop his guard, all while plotting in secret, like a coiled viper waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

But the longer he played his part, the deeper he got into the role. Even when danger came, he continued acting the part of a helpful older brother. As soon as he spoke, he wanted to slap himself.

If Universe’s Best Snack Stall’s tricycle got confiscated, they wouldn’t be able to set up for at least two or three days, giving the other vendors a chance to make some extra money in the meantime.

If Ma Lu and Old Wang got scared and stopped setting up their stall, or at least stopped setting up at the west gate of the Civil Aviation University, it would be an incredible piece of good news. The street vendors along the whole block would probably set off firecrackers in celebration.

Just thinking about it was enough to keep Squid Bro awake at night, filled with joy.

Fortunately, Ma Lu, still inexperienced due to his youth, fell for his warning but failed to run immediately. As a result, he ended up at the back of the group and was targeted.

Although Squid Bro didn’t witness Ma Lu’s tricycle being confiscated firsthand, after waiting so long without seeing Universe’s Best Snack Stall return, he figured they must have been caught.

To his surprise, Ma Lu and Old Wang showed up again that evening.

Ma Lu’s face was a bit pale, but he seemed to be in good spirits. After getting out of the vehicle, he even patted Squid Bro on the shoulder.

“Thanks, we’re fine. We just went out of the city for a spin.”

Squid Bro felt disdain in his heart, thinking young people always like to exaggerate. Being chased by city enforcement was one thing, but to frame it as a joyride outside the city was another. Still, he maintained a sincere smile.

“That’s good, that’s good, as long as you weren’t caught.”

“By the way,” Ma Lu leaned in closer, “Brother, you’ve been setting up here for a while. Does what happened before happen often?”

“Not too often,” Squid Bro said. “Those city officers are just doing their jobs for a paycheck. They’d rather stay in their office with the air conditioning all day, but they have no choice—if someone reports us, they have to come out.”

“Reports?”

“Yeah, like if you set up in front of someone’s shop and affect their business, make too much noise, cause a disturbance, or block the road. But that sort of thing is pretty rare around the Civil Aviation University.”

“Then why did the city officers come this time?” Ma Lu asked, knowing that small vendors like Squid Bro, who were always around, usually had reliable information.

Sure enough, Squid Bro thought for a moment and said, “If you count the time, it’s about right.”

“What time?”

“Health inspections. Orders come down from above, and during this period, the city officers will be especially active, so it’s best to stay alert.”

“So, will they come back?”

“Most likely, yes. But as long as you’re more vigilant than usual, keep an eye on your surroundings, and run quickly when you see them coming, it shouldn’t be a big problem.”

Squid Bro didn’t really want to share this information with Ma Lu—it was like giving away important intel to a competitor. But he still needed to maintain his image as the helpful elder brother, and he couldn’t come up with a convincing lie quickly enough, so he just told the truth.

He comforted himself by thinking that this was all part of lulling the enemy into a false sense of security.

And sure enough, Ma Lu fell for it again, thanking him and even buying a grilled squid skewer before returning to his stall, eating as he went.

In the next two days, just as Squid Bro had predicted, there were two more surprise inspections.

However, Old Wang didn’t need to step in again; Ma Lu, having learned from previous experience, could handle it on his own.

Ma Lu leveraged his home-field advantage, using the Sandfish Burger as a bounty and mobilizing the 800-plus members of his fan group and their friends to act as his informants.

Tempted by the offer of free food, the students studying in the library spotted the white cars before they even reached the intersection and quickly relayed the information to Ma Lu.

Soon, Squid Bro and the other vendors began treating Universe’s Best Snack Stall as their weather vane. When they saw Ma Lu start packing up, all the street vendors on the block would follow suit and retreat together.

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