Chapter 6: Black Goo

Maverick was unaware that darkness had crept up behind him and was about to engulf him. All he wanted was to get home quickly because he was starving.

Back home, Maverick ate and slept as usual. Lately, not only did he have a big appetite, but he also developed a liking for chocolate. He didn't like anything less than delicious, rich-tasting chocolate.

After filling his stomach, he curled up in his warm blanket to rest. School would start again in a few days, and there would be many things to take care of in the new semester. He didn't have much leisure time like now.

As he thought about it, he quickly relaxed and drifted into dreams.

After he fell into a deep sleep, his abdomen slowly bulged. The tightly wrapped blanket was pushed aside gradually.

A thick, black liquid began oozing out from his abdomen, then stretched outward as if trying to escape some constraint.

It stretched slowly and laboriously, but the results were not ideal. After more than half an hour, it had only extended by less than half a centimeter compared to before.

Just as it continued to stretch, trembling slightly, a tremendous force struck from Maverick's abdomen, pulling the viscous black liquid back into his body.

The black "sludge" quickly split into several tentacles, attempting to grasp nearby objects. But under the immense suction force, its resistance seemed insignificant.

In a matter of seconds, it permeated back into Maverick's body, leaving no trace of abnormality except for the dislodged blanket.

===

"Finish the sandwich and drink the milk on the table. After you eat, we'll go shopping together. Business has been unexpectedly good lately. We should have enough stock for another week."

Seeing Maverick coming downstairs after washing up, Old York shook the newspaper and said to him.

"Huh," Maverick said as he pulled out a chair and sat down. Although he should have had enough sleep, he still felt a bit tired for some reason, maybe because he had been dreaming all night.

In his dream, he seemed to have turned into a lump of sticky black mucus, moving, wriggling around.

Thinking of the bizarre dream from last night, Maverick shook his head and picked up the sandwich to eat.

Old York sighed as he read the newspaper, seemingly dissatisfied with the media nowadays.

Seeing this, Maverick asked, "What's wrong, old man? Did the lottery draw, and you didn't win? That's why you're sighing like that?"

Old York glared at him without humor and said, "You brat! I'm sighing because of the media these days."

"Take a look at what's written in these newspapers," Old York said as he handed the newspaper to Maverick. "Apart from some gossip and pointless praise, there's no substantive content."

"And this Daily Bugle, their boss must have mush for brains. It's all about that masked vigilante, Spider-Man. Does he have no conscience as long as he can make money?"

Looking at the newspapers in his hand, Maverick nodded in agreement with Old York's viewpoint.

After finishing the milk in his cup, Maverick curiously asked, "What's your take on this Spider-Man? I ran into him a few days ago."

"How do I see him?" Old York squinted his eyes, then spoke slowly, "Just a passionate and reckless young man, idealistic yet pitiful."

"Some might thank him for his altruism and kindness, but most people are just spectators, like those at the Daily Bugle."

"Speaking of which, I'm quite worried about his parents. No one would want their child to be constantly on the edge of danger."

After saying that, Old York remembered Maverick's earlier question and asked seriously, "You said you ran into him a few days ago. How did you meet? Was there any danger?"

Maverick wiped his mouth, waved his hand, and said, "Nothing serious. I just happened to run into a few punks trying to steal my car when I was returning to it after shopping. They wanted to rob me when they saw me coming back."

"If Spider-Man hadn't arrived in time, they would have died on the spot. After all, my gun is no joke."

After hearing Maverick's account, Old York's serious expression relaxed. "You did well. In such situations, never hesitate to act. Those bad guys should expect the worst consequences for their actions."

"Never show mercy to your enemies, as it will only harm yourself and those around you."

Maverick nodded in agreement upon hearing this. He also embraced this philosophy. While he could be easygoing and amiable most of the time, he wouldn't hesitate to use any means necessary to eliminate threats when faced with danger.

Old York glanced at the time on his watch, stood up, and said to Maverick, "It's getting late. We should get going. We'll be back in time for lunch."

"I hope those young lads have improved their skills."

As a master chef in the pizza shop, Old York had very high standards. Otherwise, the pizza shop wouldn't be as successful as it was now.

Previously, business was dismal mainly because he only knew how to make dough and control the heat but had no clue about sauce and ingredient combinations. It wasn't until Maverick appeared and created foolproof sauce and ingredient recipes that the situation turned around.

According to Old York's explanation, this was mainly because his mentor also discovered his problem at this stage and, after futile efforts to teach him, gave up.

Although Old York was denied by his mentor, he was a stubborn and unyielding person by nature. So, he used all his savings to open this shop to prove himself.

After years of hard work, he ultimately proved his mentor's insight was correct. Old York's pizza was famously unpalatable. However, it excelled in controlling the heat and the dough was just right. It was edible if you held your nose while eating. Moreover, Old York's pizza was cheap, allowing you to eat your fill for just a little money.

This is what kept the pizza shop open for so long until Maverick showed up.

It was said that even now, the old customers would reminisce about the previously unappetizing pizza made by Old York. They would even occasionally order a portion of the deliberately preserved "old school" pizza from the menu to reminisce, and they grew to love the current taste even more.

It's strange. While no one used to like the unpalatable pizza before, now it seemed like they had contracted some strange illness where they felt uneasy if they didn't have a bite every once in a while.

It was because of such demands that the pizza continued to be kept as a hidden reserve item on the menu until now.

°°°

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