Hello, Principal 1

Hello, Principal 1

Alvin rinsed off quickly and lay down on the bed. His conversation with Daredevil, Matt, had left him with some thoughts. Alvin had grown up, married, and had children in China in his previous life. He believed in order—whether it was the order of the light or the order of the underworld, it was always better than chaotic lawlessness.

With his own strength, Alvin had sheltered three neighborhoods in Hell's Kitchen. That was already the limit of what the other gangs could tolerate. There was a mature set of underground rules here, and Alvin could not casually break them, or it would mean war. And the ones hurt by war were still ordinary poor people.

Once someone got used to carrying a gun, whenever something happened, they would always think about how to solve it with that gun.

Fortunately, Alvin had been an ordinary man with his own outlook on life and values in his previous life. Though he had gained great power in this life, whenever trouble arose, power always came after rules.

That was why he preferred helping Hell's Kitchen's police. He could not put shackles on himself like Matt did, always trying to bear the safety of the whole community on his shoulders.

Of course, Alvin was not stubborn when it came to people or matters beyond the rules. Those who needed beating got beaten, and those who needed killing got killed. For example, the Purple Man S.H.I.E.L.D. had been searching for today had been fed to his pet, the Corpse-Eating Vine. In the process, he had also saved Jessica Jones, now a waitress at the Restaurant.

Alvin had not read much American comics in his previous life. In Marvel, the Avengers were the only ones he knew well. He knew Matt because Daredevil had been made into a movie, and his defining trait was unforgettable—a blind man who could really fight.

He had never even heard of Jessica, the civilian superhero from the Defenders. That made it easier for him to hire her as a waitress with a clear conscience.

In truth, given Alvin's personality, if he had known Jessica's future path, he might not have hired her. This mature man had a simple belief: superheroes brought super trouble.

But he knew nothing now. He was merely surprised by Jessica's monstrous strength. Still, he himself had transmigrated, so there was nothing remarkable about a young girl being a little stronger.

After thinking for a while, Alvin stopped dwelling on things beyond his control. He communicated with his pets. The three Spirit Wolves would each watch over one street, while Thor and Dom stayed behind to guard the store.

The Crows were scattered throughout every corner of Hell's Kitchen. Today, they would share some of Matt's workload. Though he had an agreement with Kingpin and his territory was limited to the nearby three streets, he was not trying to seize territory. Kingpin would surely understand if he merely maintained public order. Besides, Kingpin did not know the Crows were Alvin's summons.

The Spirit Wolves could not be sent out. Every gang in Hell's Kitchen knew that those giant wolves were Alvin's pets.

With everything settled, Alvin hugged his pillow and recalled what his wife had looked like in his previous life. Good, it was very clear. Within minutes, he fell asleep. In his dreams, he could see his wife and child again. His wife's endless nagging became affectionate, and his son's mischief became adorable.

After a good night's sleep, Alvin woke at five. He got up, washed, changed into a tracksuit, and went out for a run.

At the entrance, a Chinese couple was pushing over a breakfast cart. Alvin waved in greeting. "Hi, good morning, Uncle Cheng, Aunt Cheng."

Seeing the short boy hiding behind the breakfast cart as if he wanted to bury himself in the ground, Alvin smiled. "Jiawen, I heard you got a D in history on your last exam. You're finished, kid. Teacher Wilson is definitely going to show you what he's made of."

Aunt Cheng's face darkened. She gave Jiawen a heavy slap on the shoulder and dragged him out.

Jiawen lowered his head, then quickly glanced up at Alvin and softly greeted him. "Hello, Principal!"

Alvin gave him an amused look. As he passed, he patted Jiawen on the shoulder and said to Uncle Cheng, "Save me ten buns and three cups of soy milk. I'll pay when I get back." Then he pointed at Jiawen and said with a cold smile, "Kid, you're finished." With that, he went out for his run.

Early in the morning, Alvin ran a lap around his territory and was harassed a little by Dalia, a young married woman who had deliberately waited for him by the road. With his charm affirmed, Alvin returned to the Restaurant refreshed.

Uncle Cheng and Aunt Cheng were already busy at the entrance. Steamer after steamer of buns were cooked, bagged, and handed to people hurrying off to work in the early morning. Jiawen was responsible for packing soy milk and collecting money. When he saw Alvin return, he jumped in fright and nearly spilled the soy milk in his hand on Old Kent, who had come to buy breakfast.

Old Kent did not get angry. Instead, he looked at Jiawen with a wicked grin and laughed. "Kid, judging by the look of you, school won't be easy today. Hahaha! I knew once Alvin became principal, you brats would suffer. Hahaha!"

Alvin greeted Old Kent and said, "Find two workers from the Kindergarten. Five hundred dollars to repair the floor and door upstairs for me. And hurry them along. Fifty thousand dollars came in recently, so discuss with the teachers what other equipment they need, and buy any toys quickly. I don't want to see two- or three-year-old kids running around in the street anymore."

Uncle Cheng, who was busy working, said to Alvin, "Isn't it just some carpentry? I'll do it for you. It's simple, and I won't charge you."

Alvin thought for a moment. "Then two hundred dollars. If you need materials, have Old Kent get someone to deliver them." He waved off Uncle Cheng before he could say more, took the packed breakfast, and returned to the Restaurant.

Jessica was already up inside the Restaurant. Alvin had no idea what she was doing. When she saw him come in, her face flushed red, and she desperately scrubbed a table with a rag.

Alvin smiled and teased, "Keep rubbing, and the paint will come off."

Jessica ignored him. She tossed aside the rag, picked up a small comb, wrapped her arms around Thor's neck, and vigorously combed his fur. The huge Thor was choked until his tongue hung out, looking utterly lifeless.

Alvin shuddered and decided not to provoke this girl anymore. There were plenty of valuable things in the house.

After setting down the breakfast, Alvin went upstairs to wake Nick. But as soon as he reached the bar, he saw through the little door that Nick was hopping down from the second floor on one leg. When he spotted Alvin, Nick even waggled his eyebrows, though no one knew what he was trying to say.

After sitting in his wheelchair, Nick gave Jessica a sly grin and said loudly, "Jessie, I think I need a cup of coffee. There was an earthquake at home yesterday, and I was so scared I couldn't sleep."

Alvin smiled as he watched Nick court death, saying nothing.

At breakfast, Nick drank a cup of milk with salt in it. Just as he was about to bite into the meat filling of a bun, it was knocked to the floor. His wheelchair was also accidentally tipped over twice.

Nick looked to Alvin desperately for help, but Alvin ignored the troublesome brat and simply watched him get bullied in every possible way.

A breakfast filled with warfare ended when Nick lowered his head and admitted defeat.

At exactly seven, a long-nosed school bus stopped in front of the Restaurant and honked its horn. Nick shoved his wheelchair outside as if fleeing for his life, even forgetting his backpack.

Alvin shook his head, picked up Nick's backpack, and went out. He was going to take a look at the school as well.

When he stepped outside, he saw Jiawen helping Nick lift his wheelchair onto the school bus. Nick grabbed the handle himself and hopped onto the bus on one leg.

Alvin greeted JJ, who had a shotgun beneath her windshield, and tossed Nick his backpack. Then he got into a pickup truck, called Dom over to the passenger seat, and left Thor behind to guard the house.