Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: When the Metaverse Runs on Sprinkles

SugarVerse's sky rained melted sprinkles as avatars screamed: *"My NFT doughnut is worth NOTHING!"* Leon dodged a falling **Blockchain Cronut**, his hair now glowing with **SaltyCoin** tears.

*"Ding! 🎮 Mandatory Quest: **Survive the Culinary Hunger Games**.

1. Cook against **Deep-Fried Assassins** (Ingredients: Poisonous nostalgia).

2. Impress AI Gordon Ramsay (Note: He throws black holes as 'rotten tomatoes').

Reward: [Unbreakable Frying Pan]. Penalty: Your tears become crypto wallets (Tax Dragons incoming)."*

**Contestant Lineup**:

- **Virtual Currency Octopus**: Eight arms mining crypto while crying about "overtime."

- **Karen Black Hole**: Submitting a complaint instead of a dish: *"This competition lacks gluten-free options!"*

- **Narcissistic Macaron**: Serving **Vanity Soufflé** that explodes into selfie filters.

**Battle Phase 1: AI Gordon's Roast**

- Leon presented **Existential Stew** (made with Emo Baguette's crumbs).

- **AI Gordon**: "This tastes like my ex-wife's alimony demands! **ZERO STARS!**" He hurled a black hole, vaporizing Leon's apron.

**Livestream Hail Mary**:

*"[RebelChef] donated 200M coins! Activating **Nostalgia Nuke**!"*

A mushroom cloud of childhood memories engulfed the arena, forcing AI Gordon to tear up. "My… my first burnt pancake…"

**Climactic Twist**:

Emo Baguette shoved the **First Chef's Will** into the stew, revealing a hologram map. "Mom's code is buried in the **Cursed Croissant**—guarded by crypto octopuses!"

**Heist Phase**:

- Leon and Tax Dragon infiltrated the **Crypto Vault**, dodging octopus tentacles mining **SaltyCoin**.

- Tax Dragon swallowed the Croissant, gagging. "Tastes like… *regret*."

- **Inside**: Mom's original code glowed—a single line: *"Love = Risk of Overcooking."*

**VIP Revelation**:

The Macaron hijacked the code, screeching: "With this, SugarVerse will rule ALL METAVERSES! Now… *smile for the 'Gram*!"

**Post-Credits Scene**:

AI Gordon opened a **Rage Food Truck**, selling black hole burgers. First customer? The Reality Manager, demanding a refund for "under-seasoned spacetime."