It was precisely because the chefs achieved tremendous success in their debut after leaving Planet E that the first Food Festival on the Express Vanguard was not concluded as originally planned. Instead, it continued with the enthusiastic support of everyone involved. Why, Yungo and Grace had already completed their third round of duty shifts, yet the Food Festival in the staff canteen was still in full swing. Judging by the lively atmosphere on site, one would think the festival had just begun!

Due to the ongoing Food Festival, the canteen had become the primary gathering place for all crew members of the Express Vanguard. As soon as anyone entered their rest period, they would all converge here to enjoy the endless array of delicacies provided by the chefs. Consequently, even though Yungo still had little appetite, to avoid seeming out of place, he spent more of his leisure time in the canteen, watching the team relish the various dishes.

It was during this period that Yungo gradually began to worry about the crew's recent state: "Grace, don't you think something is off with everyone?"

"How so?" Grace, who had just taken a bite of a crispy ham bread, asked in confusion.

"Ah—, I can't quite put my finger on it. I know everyone loves delicious food, but it seems to me like they're becoming overly immersed in it."

"Oh? Really? I feel it's fine. Besides, when we were on Planet E, didn't we also spend almost the entire day in the restaurant enjoying the food? Why didn't you think there was a problem with everyone back then?" Grace responded nonchalantly.

Yungo then rephrased his thoughts and said, "You know, we stayed in the restaurant on Planet E because we were stranded there with nothing else to do. Moreover, allowing everyone to indulge in the food there was a strategy to divert their attention, preventing any trouble that might arise from them finding out too soon about their situation on Planet E."

"Is it possible that Captain Tim is holding the Food Festival now to alleviate everyone's emotions, preventing any issues during our return voyage?" Grace spoke mysteriously, but Yungo could tell she was teasing him for being overly sensitive.

After all, it was a well-known secret among the crew of the Express Vanguard that their condition had deteriorated after escaping Planet E. That's why everyone had been so eager to participate in the Food Festival when Captain Tim announced it. They all hoped that by focusing on the festival, they could transfer the inexplicable stress in their hearts onto the food, allowing all negative emotions to be broken down and digested by their robust gastrointestinal systems along with the dishes.

"I can see that everyone's spirits have noticeably relaxed since the start of the Food Festival. But don't you think this relaxation has gone too far? Moreover, it seems like people are no longer just enjoying the food but are indulging in unrestrained gluttony. Won't this affect everyone's normal work?" Yungo gestured for Grace to look at several tables in the corner of the canteen, where members responsible for maintenance work were sitting.

From Yungo's observations over the past few days, it appeared that those maintenance personnel had no intention of returning to their posts. They seemed to have shifted their focus entirely to the abundant food on the dining tables.

Grace listened carefully to Yungo's speech, pondered for a moment, and then responded cautiously, "You might have a point, but you can't conclude that everyone is irretrievably addicted to the food just because they're actively participating in the Food Festival, can you? After all, those maintenance personnel have started working again recently; it's just that their progress is slow. Besides, apart from those maintenance personnel, aren't other staff still working, and isn't the spaceship still navigating smoothly? So, I'm more inclined to believe that it's because the recreational facilities on the spaceship haven't been repaired yet, forcing everyone to gather in the canteen and relieve their stress through enjoying food."

"So, doesn't that bring the issue back to the maintenance personnel? If they could hurry up and fix the remaining circuits on the spaceship to ensure all the equipment is operational, we wouldn't have to stay here eating every day, would we?" Yungo said, throwing his hands up.

"Ah! What can we do? It's Captain Tim who allowed everyone to slow down their work and first get back into shape. So, I suggest we not be too anxious right now; let's wait for everyone to recover a bit!" Grace also threw her hands up in response. From her tone, it was clear she didn't want to continue discussing the topic of enjoying food. Moreover, Grace seemed to be indirectly suggesting to Yungo that he should adjust his anxious mindset and not be overly sensitive to issues.

Grace's perspective on the matter was not wrong, and Yungo had to admit that his nerves had indeed been overly sensitive lately. Besides, he didn't want to argue with Grace over his speculations. So, after reading Grace's expression, he closed his mouth and stopped discussing the matter.

Just at that moment, an unpleasant voice suddenly came from behind Yungo: "Excuse me. From what I heard, it seems like you're not very satisfied with the food we've prepared? Otherwise, why would you be so eager for the Food Festival to end?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Yungo immediately turned around and saw a slightly thin, chef-clad team member standing behind him at some point. This chef had obviously heard Yungo's previous remarks, so he was staring at Yungo with narrowed eyes, pursed lips, and a downturned mouth, clearly displeased and waiting for an explanation.

Seeing himself suddenly become the focus in the canteen, Yungo could only sit there, scratching his head and smiling bitterly. He couldn't very well say that his doubts about the Food Festival and everyone's obsession with food were baseless speculations made without any evidence, could he?

If everyone found out he was questioning them based on unfounded guesses, it would undoubtedly spark a significant workplace scandal, pushing him to the forefront of controversy! In that case, how could he continue to work on the Express Vanguard? And if this incident were exposed, other flight teams would probably refuse to accept him, making it impossible for him to ever stand in the aviation circle again! Thinking of this, Yungo couldn't help but inwardly exclaim how bad the situation was. At the same time, he was hastily brainstorming to find a way to defuse the immediate crisis.

"Alright! Everyone, calm down! We've all been hit hard by witnessing the tragedy of the Broadsword Expeditionary Force on Planet E, so it's inevitable that some of us have made illogical mistakes! That's why I wanted everyone to actively participate in this Food Festival. We're in a place where we can't rely on others; we have to find ways to alleviate the mental pressure from the E Star incident ourselves, ensuring we won't have accidents during the upcoming voyage that would prevent us from returning to the Planet Alliance!" Just as the atmosphere in the canteen was gradually becoming icy due to Yungo's delayed response, Captain Tim's authoritative voice timely came from outside the canteen doors. Immediately after, Captain Tim strode in with a big belly.

"Xiao Liu, let it go! You know very well that Yungo has been eating very little lately due to feeling unwell. So I believe he wasn't intentionally questioning the taste of your cooking just now; it's just that he's not feeling well lately, which led him to speak out of turn!" Captain Tim persuaded the chef standing behind Yungo while quickly walking over to Yungo and patting his shoulder.

"Hey! If you're not feeling well, then it's even more important to use food as medicine! Food therapy is a precious legacy left to us by our ancestors; if you eat a bit more, you naturally won't make everyone misunderstand with your nonsense!" The chef named Xiao Liu took a couple of steps back after hearing this and teased with a somewhat mocking tone.

"Alright! We are all members of the Express Vanguard; we see each other all the time. There's no need to create conflicts over trivial matters, right? Yungo, you must not gossip about others behind their backs in the future; it's very disrespectful. Xiao Liu, don't take Yungo's words to heart; hurry back to the kitchen and continue preparing delicious food for everyone! The Shaozi Steamed Egg you made yesterday was excellent! Please make a few more for me! Ah, I've been busy in the command center for most of the day and am absolutely starving!" Seeing Xiao Liu seemed to want to verbally attack Yungo again, Captain Tim quickly mediated, not forgetting to exaggerate his praise for Xiao Liu's cooking to dispel Xiao Liu's anger.

"Okay, Captain! I've already prepared the ingredients for the Shaozi Steamed Egg, just waiting for you to get off work and taste the final version I've settled on! Please have a little something to moisten your stomach; I'll get started on the steamed egg for you!" Hearing that Captain Tim really liked the Shaozi Steamed Egg he made, Xiao Liu immediately became enthusiastic. So he stopped paying attention to Yungo and hurriedly saluted Captain Tim before turning and running back to the kitchen.

"Ah! Yungo! Don't take what just happened too personally! You know, Aileen's chef team taught Xiao Liu a lot of cooking skills, and Xiao Liu had already established a very deep master-apprentice relationship with them, causing Xiao Liu's emotions to be quite unstable after their accident. So, fortunately, this Food Festival has given Xiao Liu an opportunity to focus on cooking delicious food and not to miss Aileen and the others too much, which has allowed him to gradually come out of his reclusive state!" Watching Xiao Liu leave, Captain Tim spoke with emotion.

"Captain, I'm sorry! I was wrong just now. I really shouldn't have speculated about everyone's behavior, knowing that everyone's state hasn't been good lately, and I shouldn't have spoken without thinking. Ah! It's all my fault; my mind has really been——" Hearing Captain Tim say this, Yungo hurriedly admitted his mistake. However, while admitting his mistake, Yungo was also very cleverly trying to attribute his mistake to the after-effects of the E Star incident.

As expected, Yungo's move was very effective. So before he could finish speaking, Captain Tim said, "I understand! I know you didn't mean it just now! Hey! Everyone has had a tough time lately, so mutual understanding and support are especially important! Alright! Let's move on from this! Everyone, please continue to enjoy the delicious food! You must try and praise the Shaozi Steamed Egg that Xiao Liu made for you yesterday; it was excellent!"

After resolving the issue between Yungo and Xiao Liu, Captain Tim raised his voice again and commanded. Consequently, the team members who were watching the excitement returned their attention to the delicious food on the table, and the canteen was once again filled with the joyful atmosphere of enjoying the meal.

Seeing this, Captain Tim nodded with satisfaction, then sat down next to Yungo, and said with great concern, "Comrade Yungo, I've noticed that your aversion to food seems to be getting worse! This is not a good thing at all!"

Yungo didn't want Captain Tim to discover that his loss of appetite was due to the impact of intermittent amnesia. If that were the case, Captain Tim might immediately suspend his duties and even cause him to lose his job. Therefore, upon hearing Captain Tim express great concern about his lack of appetite, Yungo was obviously a bit panicked at the moment.

Fortunately, Grace, who was beside him, was very calm at the moment, so she quickly took over the conversation and explained, "Hey! Captain! As you say! How could Yungo possibly have an aversion to food? You also know that since Yungo and I arrived on Planet E, we have established very good personal relationships with Old Zhou and Aileen. So, Yungo just can't accept the fact that Old Zhou and the others have sacrificed, which has caused him a significant mental blow and thus severely affected his appetite."