The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

The trash can, cloaked in flames, descended from the sky.

On the battlefield between humanity and the Antimatter Legion, both sides stopped fighting momentarily, their attention drawn upward. The target of this fiery descent was none other than the heart of the Antimatter Legion's ranks.

Judging by its size and the lack of damage sustained during its descent, this object's impact would undoubtedly cause significant destruction upon reaching the ground.

Ordinary Antimatter minions lacked intelligence and were driven solely by a primal instinct to destroy. Yet, even they could feel the threat emanating from above—a palpable sense of death.

For the legion stationed in this system, destroying an unprotected planet like Earth was as easy as flicking a finger.

However, the Lord Ravager stationed here had a distinctly different sense of destructive "artistry" compared to the likes of Phantylia. Their philosophy involved advancing the front line at an excruciatingly slow pace, savoring the collapse of civilizations one small step at a time.

But now, a variable had emerged.

The trash can descending from the heavens was not the source of their concern. Rather, it was the undeniable presence of Preservation's power emanating from it that made the legion hesitate.

Where on earth had a trash can acquired Preservation's force? Surely, it was coming from the lifeform within!

The fiery trash can landed, rolling several times before coming to a stop without causing the massive destruction everyone had feared.

When the can stabilized, Pei Guang popped his head out, scanning his surroundings.

"Who would've thought my 'livable planet' would come with so many Antimatter members? Well, I guess that means I won't be short on resources in the early stages of development. But now comes the real question—how the hell do I get out of here?"

Pei Guang began counting the sheer number of Voidrangers around him. "Holy crap, there must be at least ten thousand of them."

If this were before his confrontation with Phantylia, he wouldn't have had the tools to deal with a horde like this. But now?

The legion's Voidrangers, sensing Pei Guang's presence, were immediately consumed by their destructive instincts. They launched a full-force assault on him, with even the larger Tramplers in the crowd preparing their heavy weapons to obliterate him.

For the legion, Pei Guang was a genuine threat—far removed from the weak and helpless civilizations they toyed with.

Looking at the blood-red health bars hovering over his attackers' heads, Pei Guang smirked, snapping his fingers.

A resounding crack echoed across the battlefield, and in its wake, flames erupted amidst the legion.

Pouring all his energy into unleashing Savory Truefire, he burned through his reserves without hesitation. As the flames consumed the enemy, he casually munched on recovery items to restore his energy, spreading the fire across the battlefield like a wild inferno.

By now, Pei Guang's mastery over Savory Truefire was unmatched: while it struggled against tougher foes, it was devastating against hordes like this. On this battlefield, he resembled an unstoppable warrior from a hack-and-slash game, mowing down everything in his path.

Still, he wasn't about to take unnecessary risks. After setting the battlefield ablaze, he calmly retreated into his trusty trash can, sealing the lid.

The enraged Voidrangers, engulfed in flames, turned their wrath upon the can. To them, Preservation was an abomination that had to be obliterated.

Yet, their attacks proved futile. The same trash can that had trapped a Lord Ravager like Phantylia was impenetrable to the legion's minions.

Their efforts to destroy it were as effective as trying to scratch an itch on the back, with their strikes even bouncing back at them.

And so, surrounded by a sea of frustrated enemies, Pei Guang's trash can remained unyielding, standing defiantly against the legion's assault.

The flames seared the bodies of the Voidrangers, even scorching their very souls and merging the two into a perfect harmony. This culinary process, infused with true essence, elevated the final "dish" to a level quite literally brimming with soul.

For others, the phrase "pouring one's soul into cooking" might be a metaphor. For Pei Guang's Savory Truefire, it was a literal truth. 

As the fire danced and worked its magic, a grand and ancient melody echoed in the background, resonating with the weight of history.

Ten minutes later, he noticed the attacks on his protective "trash can" had ceased. Emerging cautiously, he was greeted by an air thick with an irresistible aroma and the sight of the charred remains of the Voidrangers—perfectly "cooked."

From the smallest ordinary Reavers to the towering Tramplers—beings that had rendered Earth's technology utterly helpless—all had been turned into gourmet "dishes" under Pei Guang's culinary onslaught.

Though this was but a fraction of the army tasked with Earth's downfall, to the planet's survivors, it marked the first significant damage inflicted upon the invading force.

Looking over the spread of delectable-smelling remnants, Pei Guang nodded in satisfaction. "While you can't power my grid, you're still valuable as premium cuisine!"

Cheerfully, he began collecting the glowing, soul-infused delicacies. Since this was his star system, he decided to indulge a bit. These "dishes" had a special property—they could reduce the maximum health of enemies upon consumption. Each bite applied the effect only once per enemy, but the potential was immense.

He brainstormed: if he turned these into canned goods, like the plan he once pitched to Jing Yuan, and distributed them among the remaining Voidrangers, it could whittle away their strength while giving him an edge in future battles.

"Hm, this one's five-spice-flavored!"

"Ah, this one's spicy and numbing!"

"And here's the sweet-and-sour option!"

To clarify, Pei Guang wasn't personally sampling the flavors. While the scent was tempting, he still preferred meals cooked with his Savory Truefire using standard ingredients. The effectiveness of these Voidranger "dishes" was entirely combat-related.

As a player with a flexible moral compass, he wouldn't have minded if consuming these added even the slightest buff to his stats—maybe a tiny increase to max health. Alas, that wasn't the case. These were strictly enemy debuffs, which, while useful, left Pei Guang slightly disappointed.

Nonetheless, he gleefully gathered up his "harvest." Meanwhile, on the human side of the battlefield, soldiers stared in stunned silence.

They had witnessed the fireball descending into the center of the enemy army. But instead of the expected catastrophic explosion or the earth-shaking impact of a meteorite, what followed was even stranger: a blaze ignited within the ranks of the Voidrangers.

The soldiers had heard their enemy's anguished screams—a sound they had never imagined possible.

Fire, effective against the Voidrangers? That seemed impossible. Humanity had tried every method against the invading force. Heavy artillery could momentarily slow them down, but little more.

Ordinary flames? Useless. Even nuclear weapons, the pinnacle of Earth's arsenal, could only damage the frontline units, leaving monstrosities like the Tramplers utterly unfazed.