Halfway through the job, I have collapsed on the road!

The next day.

On his way to his summer job at Oscorp Industries via the subway, Hawk was still thinking about the Gammannium he had stashed at the Quantico Marine Corps Base.

He had made up his mind.

If he were to stage a raid on the Quantico base, there was only one way to do it.

Quick and decisive.

No delays.

After all, the place he intended to assault was the Quantico Marine Corps Base, not just some random location. The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center was there. Even the infamous Langley headquarters was in the vicinity.

To put it bluntly, running off to raid Quantico was no different from taking a dump on the heads of the federal military, the FBI, and the CIA combined.

But...

Even if it meant literally defecating on the heads of the military, the FBI, and the CIA, he was going to do it.

The Gammannium.

He was determined to get it.

"However..."

"Preparation is the key to success."

"I need to go to Quantico first and scout the location."

"At the very least, I need to do a field inspection and map out an escape route."

As he thought this to himself, Hawk swiped his badge, entered the Oscorp Industries building, and returned to the Bio-Electricity Department.

Immediately afterward...

He was summoned to his supervisor's office. Max Dillon, the future Electro, was already there.

The supervisor, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a look of complete apathy, had a grim expression. After a moment of silence, he spoke to Max Dillon: "Starting today, you are transferred to the maintenance team."

Max Dillon was stunned.

"Supervisor, I..."

"I haven't finished yet."

The supervisor cut Max off, then turned his gaze to Hawk and sighed. "Hawk, you're fired, but you'll receive your paycheck for this week."

Hawk blinked.

He wasn't as flustered as Max. Although he had already guessed the reason, he looked at the supervisor calmly.

"May I ask why?"

"The accident in Dr. Connors' lab yesterday."

As expected.

Hawk thought to himself.

Max, standing to the side, spoke up anxiously: "Supervisor, what does the power outage have to do with us? Our bio-electricity is only meant for the building's daily utility, not for the equipment in the various labs..."

The supervisor rubbed his temples. "That's enough. This isn't a negotiation; it's a decision. You go out first, Hawk, stay behind."

Max froze in place, then looked at Hawk.

Hawk shrugged.

"It's okay, Max."

"...Alright."

Max looked at the supervisor as if he wanted to say something, but after opening his mouth and finding no words, he bowed his head and walked out.

Once Max had left the office, the supervisor sighed again and looked at Hawk: "I'm sorry. I did everything I could to protect Max, but I couldn't save you. You're a good kid, Hawk. If you have any requests, let me know, and I'll do my best to satisfy them."

Hawk smiled. "It's fine. Just help me explain things clearly to Mrs. Snow."

His purpose in coming to Oscorp was to find the Gammannium. Now that he had located it, his goal had been achieved. In that case, there was no point in staying at Oscorp Industries.

But he had originally intended to ask for leave, not to be fired. After all, he had gotten this summer job through Mrs. Snow's connections. She was a kind woman who had always looked after him, and he didn't want her goodwill to go to waste.

Now, it was fine.

He didn't even need to ask for time off.

Hearing Hawk's request, the supervisor felt a weight lift off his chest and nodded. "That's a given. In fact, I already spoke to Selina on the phone. After all, I'm aware of the situation, you and what's-his-name..."

Hawk looked at the frowning supervisor and prompted, "Max."

"Right, Max."

The supervisor’s brow smoothed out, and he sighed. "This wasn't your or Max's fault, I know that, but... there's nothing I can do."

Hawk shook his head with a smile.

In reality, just as Max had said, the bio-electricity department’s output was primarily for the building's basic power needs. After all, those electric eels could only generate so much power in a day. It was hardly enough to sustain so many laboratories and their massive, power-hungry equipment.

But someone had to be stupid enough to try.

The root cause of this incident was simply that a high-ranking executive at Oscorp had decided that the bio-electricity department could take on a heavier load, and that resulted in the disaster. Now that things had gone wrong, that executive refused to take responsibility.

Well.

It was wicked, but it fit the mold perfectly.

The matter was that simple.

Hawk didn't linger in the supervisor's office. He took his eight hundred dollars for the week and walked out of the Oscorp Industries building, his mind clear and his steps light.

"Hawk, wait!"

Just as Hawk was about to cross the street to take the subway home, Gwen chased after him from the building.

Hawk turned around and looked at her.

"Did Mrs. Snow call you?"

"Yes."

Gwen stopped, hands on her knees, catching her breath. She had rushed down the moment she received the call, only to be told by the staff in the bio-electricity department that Hawk had already left.

But it was fine.

After catching her breath, Gwen looked at Hawk's expression. "Are... are you okay?"

Hawk shrugged. "I'm doing pretty well."

He hadn't let Mrs. Snow's favor go to waste; he had successfully parted ways with Oscorp and was now free to head to Quantico. Plus, he had pocketed a week's worth of pay for nothing.

Life was good.

Thinking this, he looked at Gwen, who was wearing a look of concern, and grinned. "Don't worry, I'm really fine. The supervisor said that when winter break comes, I can come back to work here if I want."

The supervisor had indeed said that. He likely wouldn't return, but he hadn't refused.

Who knows?

Never push your luck, never burn your bridges, and leave a way out for others so you can meet again in the future. Hawk understood this principle well.

Seeing that Hawk's expression didn't seem faked, Gwen nodded, relieved. Then she asked, "So, what are your plans now? After all, there's still over a month left before school starts."

"Stay home and do some reading. You know how it is, with only a month left, it's hard to find another suitable summer job."

Hawk shrugged as he spoke, then added, "Alright, you should head back. I'm really fine."

Gwen nodded. "Okay then. If you're free, we can go to the library and study together."

Hawk was slightly taken aback.

Gwen didn't give him a chance to respond. Having apparently found the right way to communicate with Hawk after forcing her phone number on him earlier, she simply finished her sentence, turned around, hands in her pockets, and walked back into Oscorp Industries.

Hawk watched Gwen, who was waving at him with a smile from in front of the building, and couldn't help but frown.

A second later.

He turned and left.

Business first!

Quantico!

Here I come.

Give me my Gammannium!!