Ray’s Bakery

Section 1: Big Mag Challenge

It was an ordinary weekend afternoon in Flushing City.

Sean was walking down the street, starving, when he passed a bakery with a large poster outside.

He had already walked a few steps past it when the bread on the poster caught his eye.

Sean stopped and backed up a few steps without turning around.

Ray’s Bakery
Big Mag Challenge
Today Only!

Below the words was a picture of a delicious-looking golden loaf of bread. It looked about the size of a Big Mac from McDonald’s.

Soft, fluffy, and freshly baked.

Sean stepped closer and read the rules.

Finish the entire Big Mag within one hour and eat for free!
Fail the challenge: Only $10!

The Big Mag was Ray’s Bakery’s newest best seller, and it looked awfully tempting.

Section 2: Sean Up to the Challenge

Sean signed up for the Big Mag Challenge and found himself a nice little table. He sat down and patiently waited for his Big Mag to arrive.

Looking at the menu, he soon learned that Big Mag was short for Big Mega Bread.

Sean studied the name seriously for a moment.

“Hmm… Big Mega Bread. What a dumb name. Shouldn’t it be BMB? Big Mag sounds like some knockoff Big Mac.”

The longer Sean stared at the name, the dumber it sounded.

“Whatever.”

He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through YouTube while he waited. After a few videos, something familiar suddenly appeared on his screen.

It was a video of Canelo standing over an unconscious man on the sidewalk, urinating straight into his open mouth. And that unconscious man was Sean himself. What’s worse, the video already had over a million views.

“What the fuck… If my leg hadn’t gotten stuck, I would’ve…”

Sean clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

He scrolled down to the comments and found countless laughing emojis and memes of himself drinking urine. Some even showed edited images and GIFs of him happily catching it in his mouth.

“Son of a bitch!”

Without even realizing it, Sean slammed his fist onto the wooden tabletop in rage.

BAM!

A spiderweb of cracks instantly spread across the surface.

Sean looked down at the table, knowing he could hardly afford the repair. Cautiously, he glanced left and right.

“Shit… Gotta get outta here while I can.”

Sean calmly stood up as if nothing had happened. He slipped his hands into his pockets and began whistling a cheerful tune as he casually walked out of the bakery.

Outside, Sean continued down the street without looking back. Behind him, his Chinese flag cape fluttered in the wind.

Section 3: Michael Up to the Challenge

Not long after Sean left, Michael walked into Ray’s Bakery with a good-looking young man.

He was 176 centimeters tall, with a lean, athletic build and a clean-cut hairstyle. He wore a black tank top and a pair of Nike shorts.

The two found themselves a nice table and sat down, not even noticing the spiderweb of cracks Sean had left behind moments earlier.

Michael looked at the Big Mag Challenge on the menu.

“Oh, hey, Brian. Are you up to the challenge today?”

Brian shook his head.

“Nah, I’m kinda full today. Haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”

He looked at the picture of the Big Mag on the menu.

“But you should give it a try. With how much you eat and how many calories those muscles of yours burn, I bet you could finish three of these easily.”

Michael studied the picture.

“I would say at least five, if not eight.”

Before their Big Mag arrived, a female employee walked past their table and suddenly noticed the spiderweb of cracks across its surface.

She stopped.

“Excuse me, sir. Did you damage this table? If you did, I’m afraid you’ll have to pay for the repair.”

Michael remained utterly calm.

“My sincere apologies, but I can assure you that neither my friend nor I caused the damage. We would never commit an act of vandalism.”

The employee hesitated. Michael sounded so serious and polite that she wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Uh… just a moment. Let me get my boss.”

She walked away and returned about ten seconds later with the bakery owner.

The bakery owner looked at Michael, carefully considering how to bring up the damaged table without offending a customer.

Just then, Michael folded his arms across his chest.

His massive chest muscles suddenly twitched.

POP!

The top button of his shirt burst off.

“Oh, how rude of me. I didn’t realize my shirt had become too tight. It seems my muscles have grown again from my recent training. Please forgive me for this public indecency.”

The bakery owner saw the button fly off Michael’s shirt, immediately grew nervous, and somehow started to stutter.

“I… actually… I… well… I… I…”

Michael noticed his hesitation and assumed he was having trouble bringing something up. Hoping to offer his help, Michael politely asked,

“Oh, is there any problem, sir?”

The bakery owner took it as a threat and immediately replied nervously, “No, no, no! Nothing at all! Your Big Mag will be ready shortly.”

He quickly grabbed the female employee by the arm and headed back to the kitchen with her.

A few minutes later, the female employee returned, carrying the Big Mag with both hands.

The moment she placed it on the table, Michael and Brian finally saw what they had signed up for.

The Big Mag was enormous—about 40 centimeters long, 30 centimeters wide, and 20 centimeters tall, roughly the size of a large shoebox.

It looked at least fifty times bigger than the one shown on the poster.

Brian looked at Michael.

“Captain Lam… you still think you can eat five?”

Michael remained silent for a moment.

“I have my doubts about finishing even one.”

For the next half hour, Michael fought his way through the Big Mag while Brian kept cheering beside him.

“Come on, Captain Lam! You can do it!”
“Keep going!”
“Just a little more!”

More than thirty minutes later, Michael had eaten only about one-fifth of the Big Mag.

He had reached his limit.

With one hand resting on the table and the other supporting his chin, Michael stared at the enormous loaf in front of him. He slowly leaned forward, preparing to take one more bite.

He stopped.

After a few seconds, Michael leaned back.

“I concede.”

Brian shook his head.

“Even the great Captain Lam has fallen to a loaf of bread.”

Section 4: Yao Ming Up to the Challenge

Michael paid the ten dollars for his failed challenge.

Since neither Michael nor Brian had much to do that weekend, they decided to stay at the bakery for a while. They ordered two cups of coffee, curious to see whether anyone could actually finish the enormous Big Mag.

Not long afterward, a gigantic man appeared at the entrance of Ray’s Bakery.

He had to bend down and squeeze himself through the doorway just to get inside.

He stood 2.7 meters tall, with a massive muscular build and a large belly.

Once inside, he straightened up, found himself a table, and sat down.

The bakery owner came over, carrying a freshly baked Big Mag with both hands.

“Hey, Mr. Yao Ming! Perfect timing. I just got this one ready for you!”

He placed the enormous loaf on the table.

Brian leaned toward Michael.

“Holy shit, Captain Lam. Look at that guy! If anyone can finish the Big Mag, it’s gotta be him!”

Michael nodded.

“Indeed. He certainly looks capable of finishing it.”

Yao Ming looked down at the enormous loaf with a confident smile and said aloud to himself:

“Hah! You call this a challenge? A real man never backs down from a challenge! Especially an Asian man! We are the most dedicated people on Earth!”

His voice carried across the bakery.

People at the nearby tables turned to look at him. Soon, almost everyone was watching, hoping to finally see someone complete the Big Mag Challenge.

Yao Ming kept his eyes fixed on the enormous loaf.

“An Asian man versus a loaf of bread! Only one of us will be standing at the end!”

He grabbed the Big Mag with both hands, opened his mouth wide, and took a huge bite.

CHOMP!

Yao Ming chewed slowly, savoring the flavor.

“Mmm… Tasty! So soft and fluffy. The texture practically melts in my mouth. And that sweetness… absolutely delicious!”

He swallowed and lowered his head toward the bread for another bite.

The entire audience watched in anticipation, eagerly waiting to see his next move.

Suddenly, Yao Ming stopped and shook his head.

“Shit… I’m so full. I don’t think I can take another bite.”

The bakery owner walked over to his table.

“Are you sure you’re done? All right, then. Here’s your bill.”

Yao Ming nodded confidently.

“Yes, I’m done. It takes great courage for a man to admit defeat. Only a true man has the strength to surrender, just like me.”

He picked up his glass, took a big gulp of water, and glanced at the bill.

PFFFFT!

He sprayed all the water straight onto the Big Mag.

“IT CAN’T BE! A THOUSAND DOLLARS?!”

The bakery owner calmly pointed to a line of tiny print at the bottom of the challenge poster.

“It’s right here, sir. If you eat less than one percent of the Big Mag, you’ll be charged one hundred times the regular price.”

Yao Ming stared at the fine print.

“Oh, come on! This has gotta be some kind of scam!”

He fell silent for a few seconds, then straightened his back.

“Very well. A real man keeps his word. I said I surrender, and I meant it. I’ll transfer the money in a little while.”

He rested his head on the table.

“But first, I need a nap.”

Section 5: The Boob Gripper Up to the Challenge

As soon as Yao Ming fell asleep, another man walked into Ray’s Bakery.

He had a fierce-looking face, thick forearms, and enormous hands. His wrists looked unusually powerful.

He approached the counter and announced that he wanted to take the Big Mag Challenge.

The bakery owner looked up.

“Of course, sir. May I have your name?”

“People in the Kung Fu World call me the Boob Gripper. My grip strength can reach over 9,000 PSI!”

The bakery owner nodded.

“Very well, Mr. Boob. I’ll be right back.”

He went into the kitchen and returned with a freshly baked Big Mag.

The Boob Gripper immediately began eating. In just one minute, he had already finished nearly one-tenth of the enormous loaf.

But then he stopped, clutching his stomach.

“Oh shit… I’m already full. There’s no way I can finish this whole thing.”

He stared at the remaining bread for a moment.

“There’s only one way left.”

He grabbed the Big Mag with both hands and squeezed it again and again.

Under the incredible pressure of his grip, the enormous loaf gradually shrank into a tiny ball no bigger than a piece of chocolate.

“Hmm. That should do it.”

Brian turned to Michael in disbelief.

“Oh shit, Captain Lam! I think he’s actually gonna do it! Look at that!”

The Boob Gripper tossed the tiny ball high into the air, opened his mouth, and caught it as it fell.

GULP!

He swallowed it whole.

And just like that, the Big Mag Challenge was completed.

The entire bakery erupted into cheers. People jumped to their feet, clapping and celebrating as if they had just witnessed a championship victory. “Woohoo! You did it! You actually did it!” someone shouted. Even the bakery owner joined the celebration, bringing out a paper crown and placing it proudly on the Boob Gripper’s head.

“Congratulations! You’re the first person to complete the Big Mag Challenge, and in such a short time!”

Suddenly, the Boob Gripper’s belly began to swell rapidly.

BOOM!

A hole burst open in his abdomen, sending chunks of bread flying everywhere. He collapsed to the floor and died on the spot.

The chocolate-sized ball of compressed bread had rapidly expanded inside his stomach after coming into contact with his digestive fluids, growing back to its original size and beyond. The pressure ruptured his stomach.

Not long afterward, medical personnel arrived, covered the Boob Gripper’s body with a white sheet, and carried him away.

The customers quietly returned to their tables and resumed drinking coffee and eating their food, as if nothing unusual had happened.

By evening, the bakery had returned to its usual peaceful atmosphere. One by one, the customers finished their meals and left, including Michael and Brian.

Section 6: Closing Time

As evening fell, the last few rays of sunlight streamed through the windows of Ray’s Bakery.

Inside, a towering man was sweeping the remaining bread crumbs off the floor.

It was Yao Ming.

The bakery owner walked over to him.

“You’ll be working here for the next week to pay off the money you owe me. Make sure you mop the floor and wash all the dishes before we close.”

Yao Ming forced a bitter smile.

“Yes, boss.”

Section 7: Life Goes On

The next morning, life in Flushing City continued as usual.

Outside Ray’s Bakery, a man was walking down the street, carrying an enormous Big Mag.

Suddenly, Sean came flying in with a powerful kick, sending the man crashing to the ground.

Sean grabbed him by the collar with one hand and lifted him up.

“HEY! You think you can steal a Big Mag right under my nose? Not on my watch!”

“What the fuck?! I paid for it!” The man pulled a receipt from his pocket.

Big Mag — $10.00

Sean glanced at it.

“Oh. My bad.”

He released the man’s collar.

THUD!

The man landed on his backside as Sean turned and walked away without looking back.

Meanwhile, at the Forbidden Garden, Linda was casually painting her fingernails.

Suddenly, a greasy old man walked in and slammed $150 onto the counter.

SLAM!

“Hey, baby! I want an hour with you!”

Linda didn’t even look up from her nails.

“The other girls? A hundred and fifty an hour. Me? A grand.”

The old man paused for a moment.

“Hmm… Do you take Apple Pay?”

At Sakura Spa, Mr. Sang walked through the entrance in his traditional Qing Dynasty robe.

“Amy and Coco, please.”

The two women immediately rushed over, each wrapping her arms around one of his, and escorted him upstairs.

Mr. Sang stroked his long goatee.

“Ah, it’s been a long time since I’ve had Two Girls, One Cup.”

Finally, at RamenHood inside SkyView Mall, the owner’s daughter spotted Canelo walking past the entrance.

She immediately rushed outside and stopped in front of him, bowing ninety degrees.

“Finally, Canelo! You’re back! Thank goodness!”

Canelo pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He glanced at her, gave a slight nod, and continued walking.

Her cheeks turned slightly pink as she watched him walk away. She kept her eyes on him until he turned the corner and disappeared from sight.

And so, life in Flushing City went on as usual.