Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 70: The Director's Roar

Alvin was momentarily stunned when he heard the bearded man say his name was Steve Rogers.

Carefully examining the man in front of him, he joked, "The Steve Rogers in my mind should be a handsome blond guy. It's hard to picture you in that role!"

Steve, amused, replied, "Are you talking about the one in the museum? That was a bit too silly; it made me cringe."

Alvin burst into laughter. Of course, he recognized Steve Rogers, the famous Captain America. The man had even openly told him his name, hadn't he?

Alvin smiled, shook his hand again, and said, "Your name puts a lot of pressure on me, Steve. If you tell me you're the Captain America, I might faint from excitement."

Steve laughed heartily, patted Alvin on the shoulder, and said, "Buddy, to prevent you from fainting, you should forget about that tight-suit-wearing bond salesman! I'm just Steve."

Alvin smiled, looked into Steve's eyes, and said, "Alright then, Steve. For the record you gave me, I can treat you to a nice dinner. I forgot to mention earlier, but I own a restaurant."

"To thank you today, I'll personally cook and let you try my steak."

Steve glanced at the clock on the wall and said with a smile, "No rush. I still need to do a few sets of recovery training. Maybe you can go ahead and leave me the address; I'll come by later."

Alvin shrugged and said, "I wonder if you mind someone watching your recovery training? You know, I've always been curious about boxing and have been considering whether to sign up for a boxing class!"

Steve looked Alvin up and down, pursed his lips, and said, "That's a good plan. Come on, I hope I can help you build some confidence!"

Watching Steve, shirtless and sweating profusely as he punched an 80-kilogram heavy bag, Alvin felt a bit nostalgic. This was a classic movie scene! Except for the fact that the bearded look was a bit off-putting.

After punching the bag for a while, Steve turned around and saw Alvin staring blankly, thinking he wasn't interested.

"Hey," Steve waved, "Buddy, you can try it too. It's a lot of fun and a great stress reliever. Didn't you want to learn? You should give it a shot first!"

Alvin, intrigued, took off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and walked up to the heavy bag. He struck a boxing pose he had seen on TV and glanced at Steve standing nearby.

Steve nodded with a smile and said, "That's a very standard stance. Give it a try!" He then patted the heavy bag.

Alvin nodded, exhaled, focused, and threw a heavy punch with his right hand at the bag. As a novice, his punch wasn't perfect, but it was powerful enough. Because he missed the center of the bag, the strong force not only made the bag swing but also spin violently.

Steve's eyes widened in surprise. What a powerful punch!

Watching the bag swing and spin like it had a cramp, Alvin smiled awkwardly at Steve and said, "Didn't hit it right. I think I need to try again. This bag is too unruly."

Steve, still in shock, said, "You've got a lot of strength! Have you trained before?"

Alvin shook his head and said, "No, it's natural. I'm just strong, but I don't know much else."

Steve laughed and said, "The guys who used to bully you must have been really unlucky! The fact that you're not in jail means you must have a good temper."

Alvin shrugged noncommittally and said, "Not always."

Steve hugged the still-swinging bag, braced it with his shoulder, and said to Alvin, "Try again. It's quite fun!"

Alvin found it interesting and threw another punch at the bag. Feeling the force, Steve shouted excitedly, "Come on, put some muscle into it!"

"Bang!"

"Again!"

"Bang bang!"

"Haven't you eaten?"

"Bang bang bang!"

"Don't aim at me; my head doesn't look like the bag at all."

Time flew by as they worked out. Around six o'clock, Alvin and Steve left the boxing gym and headed to Alvin's restaurant.

They stopped by the roadside and looked at each other. Steve asked curiously, "Where's your car?"

Alvin laughed and said, "Someone else took it. What about yours?"

Steve, a bit embarrassed, said, "My driver's license expired years ago!"

...

A taxi stopped in front of the Peace Hotel. Alvin handed the driver a $20 bill and indicated to keep the change.

Watching the taxi speed away as if escaping, Alvin shook his head with a smile. It wasn't even 8 PM yet! That driver was really timid.

He waved for Steve to follow him inside, noticing Steve's interest in the two wolves lying at the door.

Seeing Alvin call him, Steve smiled and asked, "Great dogs. What are their names?"

Steve could tell they were wolves, but he was more curious about the person who could tame them.

Alvin smiled and waved at the two wolves, who excitedly ran to his side and greeted him warmly.

Alvin introduced them, "This is Thor, and this is Dom. They're my good buddies."

Steve had to reassess Alvin. This guy was not only strong but also had this skill. Looking at the two wolves, Steve doubted he could take them on barehanded.

Alvin invited Steve inside, saying he was getting hungry.

He seated Steve at the bar and noticed Jessica looking at him with concern. Alvin walked over, ruffled her hair, and said, "It's okay. Things will be over soon. Get my new friend Steve a beer."

Little Ginny, who had been playing at a small table in the bar, pouted unhappily when she saw Alvin come in. She was upset that Daddy hadn't come home yesterday. Ginny should be very angry!

Alvin walked over with a smile, picked her up, pressed his forehead against hers, and made a funny face.

The little girl giggled, forgetting her anger!

She grabbed her dad's ears as a form of punishment.

Giggling, she kissed her dad on the cheek as compensation, or else Daddy would tickle her.

Alvin happily held Ginny and called out to Nick, who was chatting about comics with Old Stan, "Nick, my little buddy, come over here. I want to introduce you to a new friend!"

Just as Nick excitedly jumped over, Alvin's phone rang.

Alvin answered the call, and Chief George's roar came through the line!