Jin Muchen's pace wasn't hurried, yet it wasn't sluggish either. Soon, he traversed these several blocks, although dangerous, as long as one avoided strutting about in the streets.
Driving through posed little danger, as Hollywood-style car chases and gunfights were seldom realities.
Arriving at Church Street, after approximately three hundred meters, he reached the doorstep of number thirty. However, as soon as he parked, he heard loud shouting and arguing emanating from the room at number thirty.
"Get lost, you piece of ****, and don't come back!"
Even before turning off the engine, Jin Muchen, still in the car, could hear the angry shouts from inside the house.
Such familial disputes were daily occurrences in this impoverished African American community, and Jin Muchen was long accustomed to them.
Soon, a corpulent black woman, dragging a suitcase, emerged from the house, accompanied by a Labrador resembling her in stature, trailing behind her.
The woman, accompanied by her dog, got directly into the SUV parked by the roadside, which promptly sped away.
Jin Muchen glanced at the departing SUV, then retrieved the takeout from the insulated bag in his car and approached the door of number thirty, knocking.
"Damn it, you said you'd never come back!"
The door suddenly swung open, revealing an angry black face confronting Jin Muchen.
"Hey there, relax, my friend. I'm just a delivery guy."
Jin Muchen wore a harmless smile, and although the black man was furious, he hadn't lost his composure, displaying a semblance of civility. He even apologized to Jin Muchen.
This black man, in his thirties, behaved quite differently from the rude black individuals Jin Muchen encountered during his deliveries.
Typically, African Americans in the United States spoke with heavy accents, deliberately inflecting their tone, appearing somewhat nonchalant or evasive. However, this man was different.
His articulation was clear, and his demeanor exuded refinement.
This man was of average build, unlike most African Americans, who tended to be either obese or thin. It was difficult to determine his age, and he lacked the distinct odor often associated with African Americans.
But like most African Americans, one thing he lacked was money.
"I'm terribly sorry, buddy. I'm broke. That **** just took all the money I had. So, I can't pay for your meal..."
Upon hearing Jin Muchen mention the price of the takeout and seeing the food in Jin Muchen's hand, the man forced a bitter smile.
Jin Muchen was taken aback. Although the African Americans in this area were poor, they typically could afford the few dollars for a meal. This was the first time he encountered such a situation.
It seemed this trip was a wasted effort, but Jin Muchen shrugged it off.
"Alright, buddy, I understand."
As he turned to leave, the black man called out to him.
"Hey, buddy, how about this? You take these things back; they're just going to be thrown away anyway. I'm really hungry. So, here's the deal: see if there's anything valuable in my place. Take what you like, leave the food. What do you think?"
This proposition caught Jin Muchen off guard, as he had encountered similar situations before. However, those were with petty thieves who celebrated their recent heists with Chinese takeout.
For these African Americans, Chinese food was one of the few affordable luxuries with an exotic appeal.
Indeed, Jin Muchen had exchanged his deliveries for various items from these thieves, including brand-new LCD TVs, Xboxes, or PlayStation consoles and games.
Such transactions, exchanging a few dollars' worth of food for items he could pawn for tens or even hundreds of dollars, were lucrative for Jin Muchen, who needed money urgently.
Since the man now proposed a similar deal, Jin Muchen had no objections.
Following the man into his house, Jin Muchen observed that the living space wasn't very large, with two bedrooms and a living room. The environment was noticeably cleaner and tidier compared to many other African American households he had visited.
"Not bad, huh? Too bad I lost my job, and my woman left. Who knows how long I can keep it like this?"
The black man, seeing Jin Muchen surveying his surroundings, couldn't help but speak with a self-deprecating tone.
"Bro, don't be too hard on yourself. I get it."
Jin Muchen gave the black man a knowing look, which somewhat eased his worries, as if to say, "We're in this together, buddy."
A generally jovial character, the black man's eyes briefly revealed a hint of sympathy as he looked at Jin Muchen, making him shiver involuntarily.
However, Jin Muchen quickly dismissed those emotions and focused on the task at hand, listening as the black man showcased his verbal prowess, boasting about various items in his house that he deemed worth a meal.
"Still not interested in this lamp? ... What about this TV? It's my only form of entertainment, buddy. Surely, there's something here that catches your eye?"
After a lengthy introduction to various items, none of which interested Jin Muchen, as they were mostly old and worthless, the deal seemed to fall through.
Not wanting to waste any more time, Jin Muchen turned to leave. But just as he took a step, he spotted a bowl in a corner of the living room.
More precisely, it was a dog food bowl, seemingly dirty, but as his gaze swept over it, he thought he saw a flash of yellow light on its rim.
He almost wondered if his eyes were playing tricks on him. Rubbing his eyes, he looked at the bowl again.
On top of the bowl were dark, sticky remnants of dog saliva and food, forming a viscous substance stuck to the bowl's surface.
The living room was dimly lit, but Jin Muchen held his breath, focusing his attention. Suddenly, the world before his eyes lit up. This change had begun two weeks ago. He would need to examine the bowl in his hand to determine the cause.
Once again, he concentrated on the bowl. This time, he saw it clearly: beneath the black, viscous substance on the bowl were faint outlines of yellow patterns.
Seeing this pattern, Jin Muchen couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement. His grandfather had been an antique enthusiast, and although Jin Muchen hadn't learned much about antiques from him, he still had some basic knowledge.
This bowl looked more and more like an antique, and the key was when the black man brought it to him, Jin Muchen saw a faint yellow light emanating from it.
Although it was a very faint yellow light, Jin Muchen was sure he wasn't mistaken; there was indeed a flicker of yellow light on the bowl, which meant what?
Since his body had undergone changes, the most obvious being increased strength, followed by heightened vision and hearing, he hadn't experienced phenomena like seeing different colored lights emanating from objects before.
Therefore, he felt it was necessary to take this bowl and verify his suspicions.
"Alright, buddy, the meals are all yours."
Jin Muchen placed the takeout on the coffee table in the black man's living room, and the black man gleefully handed him the seemingly dirty dog food bowl.