Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 21: Is This Really Second Grade?

The window of the restaurant loft was wide open. Curly-haired Nick, with that signature gap in his teeth, leaned over to Frank, who was standing next to him, and said in his wheezy voice, "Check it out, Dad. That big black dude's in deep trouble. Alvin's about to school him."

Alvin was always on point; whenever Frank showed up, Nick would greet him like he was the best thing since sliced bread. Sometimes, Nick got a bit down because he had never met his real dad, but his mom always told him his dad was out there, serving the country, doing all sorts of dangerous and noble stuff. That made Frank, his phone dad, a hero in his eyes. He was always waiting for his dad to come back.

Frank put one hand on Nick's shoulder and instinctively reached for his waist with the other. He watched the whole scene unfold as Alvin handled the situation.

Scaring off a small-time thug wasn't a big deal, but this black bear dude was a known figure in the Big Apple. Frank had seen Alvin's file and even did some digging himself, but all he got were rumors, some making Alvin sound like a legend. No one had ever seen Alvin in action, but his enemies either vanished or ran for the hills. Those who ran kept their mouths shut about Alvin's methods.

Frank watched with keen interest, curious about how Alvin would handle things. Alvin had just two people with him, while the other side had 14, all packing heat.

Frank even counted the bullets in his handgun, ready to jump in if things went south.

As Frank's mind raced, the situation flipped. Nick whispered excitedly, "Look, they're all here—Rome, Athens, Sparta. These bad guys are toast."

Frank squinted and saw three giant wolves, about the same size as the ones at the restaurant door, appear across the street. When Alvin flicked his cigar at the black bear's face, all the wolves pounced at once.

The wolves' razor-sharp claws tore through the gangsters' heels, sending blood spraying everywhere. They moved so fast that Frank could barely keep up.

None of the gangsters had time to react or shoot. Those who tried to draw their guns got slashed by the wolves. One unlucky guy had half his hand sliced off, and it flew far away.

The whole thing took less than ten seconds, and it was over. About ten gangsters were on the ground, writhing and screaming in pain. The worst off was the black bear, with Sol and Dom each pulling one of his legs, stretching him out on the ground. The black bear screamed in agony, watching in despair as his legs were pulled into a split.

Frank wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his legs tightening in sympathy for the black bear. This nearly 2-meter-tall muscle man had his legs pulled apart like this; Frank thought it was too cruel and that a bullet would be more merciful.

Nick pumped his fist and shouted, "I knew it! Alvin is awesome. The bad guys will all be punished."

Frank, feeling competitive, said, "It's his big dogs that are awesome. Alvin himself isn't that great!" He was really bothered that his son admired someone other than him.

Nick let out a "Ha~" and glanced at Frank but didn't argue, as if he knew something but just wouldn't say it.

Frank, feeling insecure, "hmphed" and said, "When I get a break, I'll take you hunting, and you'll see what I can do. Raising animals is nothing compared to good marksmanship!"

Nick let out another "Ha~," ignoring Frank's bragging, and said, "The excitement ended too quickly. Oh well, I guess I'll go do my homework, or Alvin will give me trouble." Acting like a little adult, he patted Frank's waist and said, "Buddy, I don't blame you for not being able to do my homework. It's really tough. Don't worry, even though it's a bit late for you to learn, it's okay. I can do it; it just takes some time!"

Frank felt his blood pressure skyrocketing, ready to blow a gasket. Despite his injuries and blood loss, the veins on his forehead were about to pop. Thinking about all the big talk he did downstairs with Alvin, Frank got even more pissed.

He "hmphed" again and turned to help Nick with his homework.

"ABCD×9=DCBA. Question: What is ABCD?"

This is a second-grade problem? Frank resisted the urge to hunt down Nick's math teacher, pulling at his hair in frustration. Watching his son struggle but eventually solve the problem, he realized Alvin wasn't messing with his kid.

Frank then wondered in amazement, what the heck is this community school teaching the students?

...

At the restaurant door, Alvin was getting fed up with the gangsters' screams and gave JJ a look.

JJ grinned like a maniac, and under the horrified gaze of Jason, who had seen the whole thing, he pulled out an iron rod from beside the door. One by one, he knocked out the crying gangsters on the ground. The world got a lot quieter, with only the black bear still screaming, clutching his groin, which was nearly torn apart by the two giant wolves.

Alvin glanced at the cigar that had exploded on the black bear's face and fallen to the ground, shaking his head regretfully. He lit a new cigar for himself.

Whistling, Sol and Dom let go of the black bear's legs and ran to Alvin, rubbing against him in greeting before reluctantly lying back down at the restaurant door. The black bear was too weak to excite the wolves.

Even with Sol and Dom gone, the black bear's legs stayed splayed. His hands clutched his groin, and his screams had lost their initial strength, turning into hoarse, wheezy sounds. The black bear was no longer the same tough guy who had been shouting for a fight a few minutes ago.

Alvin walked up to the black bear, flipped him over with his foot so he lay face-up. The black bear's legs flopped like limp noodles.

Squatting in front of the black bear, Alvin blew a smoke ring and said, "Buddy, we could have easily reached an agreement. I'm really sorry."

The black bear, a major drug dealer, still had some backbone. He didn't beg for mercy or admit defeat but glared at Alvin with what he thought was his most vicious look, despite his ridiculous appearance.

Alvin, still accommodating, asked, "What? Do you still have questions about my previous proposal?"

The black bear, gritting his teeth, rasped, "You'll regret this, I promise! You'll be killed, and your family will be wiped out! The Viper Gang will make sure of it."

Alvin looked at the black bear like he was an idiot. "Kingpin couldn't do it, so why do you think a drug dealer can? You rely on cruelty and viciousness to survive in the Big Apple. In terms of fighting power, you're not even as good as the Russian mob in Hell's Kitchen!" Taking another drag on his cigar, Alvin squatted, reminiscing about smoking. "Buddy, really consider my proposal! Or you could call your boss, Bloody Jason, and get his opinion."

The black bear turned his head and spat out blood-tinged saliva, sneering, "My boss will just bring his gunmen, storm in here, and kill all of you."

Alvin wrinkled his nose, mentally linked with his pet crow, then shuddered as if electrocuted, glaring at the black bear angrily. "Hurry up and call your boss. Tell him to get his fat ass out of his Long Island mansion's hot tub and listen to my suggestion. My patience is running out!"