Chapter 808

The synthetic meat curled on the grill, its edges turning a crisp brown. The surface blistered and cracked, like pastry kissed by flame. Cheap sauce bubbled in the heat, forming tiny, molten-red craters of syrup that popped and hissed as they seeped deep into every fiber of the meat until it glistened with a sweet-salty glaze.

Karl lifted a piece gently with the tongs. The meat obeyed, springing up with a soft sound, a glimmering thread of oil stretching behind it like liquid gold.

The moment he bit down, there was a faint crunch—the caramelized shell shattered between his teeth, and the scalding juices burst forth.