Chapter 2: A Stray Cat

Old York was busy in the shop, while Maverick was busy on the road.

With his superb skills and familiarity with the roads, he could probably deliver all the orders in about forty minutes, much faster than others.

"Now there's only one last order left, and once this one's delivered, today's business will come to an end." Maverick looked at the address in his hand, glanced around, then put on his helmet and raced off in a direction.

The sun had slowly sunk below the horizon, and it was time to close the pizzeria after managing this lunchtime rush.

Although keeping it open could earn a lot more money, Old York believed that money was never enough, and when it was time to rest, one should rest, so as not to waste the opportunity to experience the world.

Maverick agreed with this sentiment; he earned money only for a better life. If earning money affected his normal life, what was the point of earning it? To spend it on hospital bills?

*Vroom vroom~!* Maverick hummed a tune as he revved the throttle, and the motorcycle raced like lightning through the empty streets.

This was a shortcut he had discovered himself. He usually relied on these shortcuts to save time when delivering pizzas.

Before long, Maverick delivered the last takeaway to the customer's hands.

The blonde bombshell, upon seeing his face and physique, enthusiastically invited him in to eat pizza together, but Maverick politely declined her offer.

(A/N: Bro fumbled)

"People nowadays are too... open-minded..." Thinking of the seductive eyes and sexy poses the woman just displayed, Maverick shook his head, smiled helplessly, and put on his helmet.

By now, the sun had completely disappeared, replaced by a crescent moon shining softly in the sky.

There weren't many people or cars on the streets, which meant he could get back faster.

"After running around all afternoon, my stomach's starting to rumble." Maverick touched his slightly rumbling stomach and then twisted the throttle to speed off. He needed to get back quickly for dinner.

*Vroom vroom!*

Maverick's motorcycle on the street flashed like a black shadow, and the exhilarating feeling of speeding along made him excited involuntarily.

Because of his unusually agile mind, Maverick also had a unique talent for racing. Just like Takumi Fujiwara in Initial D, the world in his eyes was slowing down while his speed was increasing.

As Maverick enjoyed the thrill of racing, a black cat was twitching and moving forward at the intersection ahead.

Its eyes were deep black, looking very unique, with froth continuously flowing from its mouth, even its whiskers were stained.

This unusual situation, coupled with its occasional twitching and contorted movements, made people feel eerie and chilling.

Maverick didn't notice the almost indistinguishable black cat in the darkness; he was focused on the road, eager to get back to the shop for dinner. After a busy afternoon, his stomach was growling.

The black cat, twitching, stared fixedly at Maverick with its deep black eyes as he approached.

Just as Maverick was about to pass the intersection, the black cat suddenly darted towards him like an arrow, narrowly grazing past his helmet.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the black cat suddenly appear in front of him, Maverick exclaimed and quickly grabbed the brakes.

The immense inertia sent him flying forward from the bike seat, and the motorcycle flipped uncontrollably several times before landing in the nearby drainage ditch.

Maverick tumbled on the ground, feeling pain all over his body. He didn't know if any bones were broken.

"What the hell is going on! Why would a cat suddenly appear there!" Maverick muttered to himself, grimacing as he sat on the roadside.

The black cat had vanished without a trace, probably darting into the nearby woods.

Maverick was extremely frustrated. No one could have expected such an incident to happen out of nowhere.

"Ah fuck!" Maverick slowly raised his arm, removed his helmet, and then, under the moonlight, checked himself for injuries.

"Am I lucky or what? My clothes are torn, but I'm not injured underneath, just covered in a lot of dust."

He carefully inspected the damaged areas on his arms and legs but found no grievous wounds, which relieved some of his frustration.

Having rolled so far without much injury, Maverick wasn't sure whether to consider himself lucky or not.

Looking at his motorcycle fallen into the drainage ditch, Maverick chuckled, "Others lean into curves with drainage ditches; I just dive right in."

"My skills still need work." He shook his head and sighed, then jumped into the ditch to try to push the motorcycle out.

Although the ditch wasn't very deep, the motorcycle itself was heavy. He was just trying to see if there was any way to do it; if it proved too difficult, he would have to call for a tow truck.

Fortunately, modern phones were quite durable. If it were one of those smartphones from his past life, it would have shattered in an instant.

Thinking about this, Maverick seized a fleeting idea. He had considered ways to make money before, but helping Old York revive the pizzeria had delayed things.

Perhaps he could focus on things similar to those from his past life that hadn't yet been developed or appeared here. Leveraging this information gap could potentially create a substantial fortune for him and Old York.

After firmly holding onto these thoughts, Maverick focused on figuring out how to push the motorcycle out of the drainage ditch.

He found some wooden sticks and large rocks from the nearby woods, arranged the sticks together, and used the rocks to secure them on both sides, creating a simple and not very sturdy slope.

"Although it's a bit makeshift, it's worth a try." Maverick nodded at his crude creation and began pushing the motorcycle forward.

To his surprise, things went smoothly. He managed to push the motorcycle out of the ditch in one go.

"Pushing this motorcycle isn't as difficult as I thought. Seems like I overcomplicated things earlier." Maverick supported the motorcycle and thought, "Well, motorcycles have wheels themselves. As long as there's a slope, it's not that hard."

Thinking this, Maverick moved his arms. He felt both unlucky and lucky.

Unlucky to encounter such a strange incident that caused the crash, but lucky that he didn't sustain any injuries. He was a bit sore at first, but now he hardly felt anything.

After pushing the bike to the side of the road, Maverick carefully inspected its condition. Once he confirmed that everything was fine, he put his helmet back on and rode the motorcycle towards the pizza shop.

*Growl~ growl~ growl~* His stomach growled louder.

'So hungry. Luckily, I'll be back soon.' Maverick thought as he increased the throttle.

When he returned to the pizza shop, only Old York was there. The others had finished their work, cleaned up, and gone home.

As soon as Maverick entered, he followed the scent to the dinner Old York had prepared for him. He devoured two or three slices of pizza in a few bites.

Hearing the sound, Old York came out of the kitchen, holding a plate of freshly baked French fries.

Seeing Maverick devouring his food eagerly, Old York felt pleased. This age is the time when one should eat and grow.

But when he noticed the torn and stained clothes on Maverick, his expression suddenly turned serious.

He hurried to Maverick's side, checking him over anxiously. "What happened to you?" he asked urgently.

Maverick waved him off, swallowing his pizza with a gulp of cola before responding, "Burp~ I almost hit a cat on the road just now, slammed on the brakes too hard and tipped over."

"But thankfully, nothing serious happened. Just tore my clothes a bit. I'm actually lucky... Ouch! Why did you hit me?" Maverick exclaimed as Old York impatiently slapped him on the head.

"I've told you to drive safely, not so fast!" Old York scolded. "And flipping over to avoid a cat? Who made you brake so suddenly? Do you know at that speed, for your own safety, even if a person suddenly appeared in front of you, you'd still crash into them?"

"You were lucky this time, but can you count on luck every time?!" Old York's face was red with anger. He couldn't believe someone would risk their life just to avoid a cat.

"No more riding bikes from now on! Tomorrow, either go home and study or go out and play with your friends. Don't come back to the shop for help!" Old York declared angrily, tossing a wad of dollars in front of Maverick from his pocket.

Ignoring Maverick's protests and pleas, he turned and headed into the kitchen to prepare spaghetti.

Seeing Old York genuinely angry, Maverick could only grimace and eat in silence, channeling his frustration into his appetite.

There's something strange though, he seemed to be eating exceptionally well today. Could he be growing again?

°°°

A/N: Strange cat, isn't it?