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Hello everyone.
First of all, thank you so much for the incredible support we had last week.
Words can't express how grateful I am!!
And as a way of saying thanks, I've prepared this event :
Along with the 100 PS bonuses, here are the new milestone rewards:
500 PS: 2 bonus chapters
1000 PS: 3 bonus chapters
1500 PS: 4 bonus chapters
2000 PS: 5 bonus chapters
Top 5 Ranking: 5 extra chapters
That means if we hit 2000 Power Stones this week, you'll be getting a total of 30 CHAPTERS. And if we break into the Top 5, it'll go up to 35 CHAPTERS.
I've poured a crazy amount of time into this event, especially since I doubled my editing effort starting from Chapter 37.
Best regards!
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The next day.
On the subway ride to Oscorp, Hawk was still thinking about the gamma stones stored at the Quantico military base.
He had a plan.
If he was going to hit a place like Quantico, there was only one way to do it.
A lightning raid.
Get in, get out. No hesitation.
After all, he was talking about storming a United States military base, not some random warehouse.
The FBI Academy was there.
The infamous CIA headquarters in Langley was just down the road.
Robbing Quantico was the equivalent of taking a dump on the heads of the US military, the FBI, and the CIA, all at the same time.
...
"Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."
"I need to make a trip out to Quantico first. Do some recon."
"At the very least, I need to scout the place out and map an escape route."
Lost in thought, Hawk swiped his keycard and walked into the Oscorp building, heading up to the Bio-Electricity department.
And then. He was immediately called into his supervisor's office.
The future Electro, Max Dillon, was already there.
The supervisor looked uncomfortable. After a long silence, he finally spoke to Max. "Starting today, you're being transferred to the maintenance division."
Max Dillon looked stunned.
"Sir, I—"
"I'm not finished."
The supervisor cut him off, then turned to Hawk and sighed. "Hawk, you're being let go. You can collect your final week's pay."
"..." Hawk just blinked.
He wasn't as shocked as Max. He had already figured out what this was about. He looked at the supervisor, his expression calm.
"May I ask why?"
"The accident in Dr. Connors's lab yesterday."
Knew it.
Hawk thought to himself.
Max was frantic. "Sir, what does a power outage have to do with us? Our department only supplies the building's general power. The specialized equipment in the labs runs on a completely different—"
The supervisor rubbed his forehead. "That's enough. This isn't a negotiation, it's a decision. You can go... Hawk, stay."
Max stood frozen for a moment, then looked at Hawk.
Hawk just shrugged.
"It's okay, Max."
"Alright."
Max looked like he wanted to say more, but he just hung his head and walked out of the office.
...
Once Max was gone, the supervisor sighed again. "I'm sorry, kid. I pulled every string I had to keep Max, but there was nothing I could do for you. You're a good worker, Hawk. If there's anything you need, just ask. I'll do what I can."
Hawk smiled slightly. "It's fine. Just make sure you explain the situation to Mrs. Snow."
His only reason for coming to Oscorp was to find the Gammanium. Now that he had, there was no reason to stay.
His original plan had been to ask for a few days off, not get fired.
After all, this job was a favor from Mrs. Snow. She was a good person who had always looked out for him, and he didn't want to make her look bad.
But now he didn't even have to ask for time off.
The supervisor looked relieved. "Of course. In fact, I just got off the phone with Selena. I know this wasn't your fault, or, uh, what's-his-name's..."
Hawk prompted him. "Max."
"Right, Max." The supervisor's brow smoothed out. "I know it wasn't your fault. But... my hands are tied."
Hawk just shook his head with a small, knowing smile.
The truth was, Max had been right. The Bio-Electricity department's power grid was for the building's basic needs.
Those eels could only generate limited juice.
It wasn't nearly enough to power the dozens of labs with their massive, energy-guzzling equipment.
But you can't fix stupid.
The whole mess had started because some idiot executive at Oscorp thought the Bio-Electricity department could handle a bigger load.
And now that there had been an accident, that same executive was refusing to take responsibility.
Yep.
Scumbag move, but it fit the corporate profile.
It was that simple.
Hawk didn't linger. He took the eight hundred dollars for his final week's work, walked out of the office, and left the Oscorp building without a backward glance.
"Hawk, wait!"
Just as he was about to cross the street to the subway, Gwen came running out of the building.
Hawk turned and watched her catch up.
"Did Mrs. Snow call you?"
"Yeah."
Gwen stopped, leaning over with her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
She'd run down as soon as she'd gotten the call, but by the time she got to the Bio-Electricity department, they told her Hawk had already left.
Good thing she'd caught him.
After a moment, she straightened up and looked at his face. "Are you okay?"
Hawk shrugged. "Never better."
He hadn't let Mrs. Snow's favor go to waste, he was free to head to Quantico, and he'd gotten a free week's pay out of it.
What was not to like?
He saw the genuine concern in Gwen's eyes and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, I'm really fine. The supervisor said I could even come back and work here during winter break."
The supervisor did indeed say so.
He had no intention of coming back, but he hadn't turned down the offer either.
You never know.
Never burn a bridge. Never say never. A lesson well learned.
...
Gwen seemed to relax, seeing that he was genuinely not upset. "So, what are your plans now? You've still got over a month until school starts."
"Probably just stay home and read. You know how it is. It's too late to find another decent summer job now."
Hawk shrugged, then started to turn away. "Anyway, you should get back inside. I'm really okay."
Gwen nodded. "Alright. Well, if you get bored, we could go study at the library sometime."
Hawk paused for a second.
But Gwen didn't give him a chance to reply. It seemed that ever since she'd given him the phone, she'd figured out the best way to talk to him was to not let him talk at all. She just smiled, turned, and with her hands in her pockets, walked back into the Oscorp building.
Hawk watched her go, a small, genuine smile on her face as she waved at him one last time. He frowned slightly.
The next second.
He turned and walked away.
Time to get to work.
Quantico.
Here I come!
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https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
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