Amidst the joyful atmosphere, a down-and-out middle-aged man always seemed out of place in the restaurant.
When Alven was holding Ginny and trying to make her happy, the middle-aged man leaned over, his elbow resting on the bar, facing Alven sideways, looking at the lively crowd with a touch of melancholy.
"Give me a whiskey."
Alven was very familiar with the man's eyes; JJ had the same look when he first arrived. It wasn't a murderous glint, just a deep numbness, as if he saw everyone as a corpse, more like a machine than a living person. And he was injured, with a strong smell of disinfectant and blood on him.
Alven looked at him, and in this cheerful atmosphere, he didn't ruin the mood by mentioning that only beer was free today. He took a glass, poured him a whiskey, and pushed it in front of him. He smiled, "I hope you have a pleasant evening."
The man gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and said, "Can we talk?"
"About what?" Alven asked curiously.
The man sighed, hesitated, and said, "About that child." As he spoke, his gaze pointed towards the ceiling.
Alven was a bit puzzled, and with a hint of wariness, he said coldly, "Who? Nick? Who are you?"
The man downed the whiskey in his glass, covered his face in pain, and said, "Who am I? I'm a terrible husband, an irresponsible father, a fool who doesn't know what's most important in life."
Alven looked at the man thoughtfully, then called Jessica over to look after Ginny. "Ginny, play with Sister Jessica for a bit, okay? Daddy has something to do."
Jessica ran over, her face flushed with excitement. But she noticed the atmosphere seemed a bit off. Seeing the down-and-out man, Jessica said, "It's you, you're here again."
Then Jessica turned to Alven and said, "He's been here for a few days. I wanted to tell you this afternoon. He seems to have something on his mind."
Alven nodded, indicating he understood, and handed Ginny to Jessica: "Jessica, take my princess upstairs to play for a while. I have something to do here."
He kissed Ginny's little face and watched Jessica take Ginny upstairs.
"Let me guess, you're Nick's father who only existed on the phone?" Alven ignored the man's pain and asked sharply.
The man didn't mind Alven's tone and said in a low voice, "Yes, I am that irresponsible father."
As he spoke, the man pushed the glass back to Alven, "Please give me another one."
Alven poured him another full glass of whiskey and watched him drink it all without saying a word. Alven knew the man had a lot to say, and he just needed to be a good listener.
"I was once the best special forces commander in this country! I risked my life for this country! I even sacrificed my family life!
I didn't even get to see Nick when he was born!" The man pushed the glass back to Alven again.
Alven could feel the anger in the man's voice, some directed at himself, some at the country. He needed some alcohol and a good listener. He pushed an entire bottle of whiskey to the man, indicating that he was listening.
The man picked up the bottle and took a big gulp. "While I was risking my life for this country, my wife and son were caught in a bomb attack. My wife died, and my son lost his left leg.
Those damn politicians concealed the bad news from me and arranged for me to go on a year-long mission. Those bastards just treated me like a machine, thinking our lives and families were insignificant!
Those murderers, those bastards from the Italian Mafia, were still at large until I found them and put them through a meat grinder."
Alven swallowed. He knew about this. The "Cesare" family, an Italian Mafia family in the port district, with over 40 members, young and old, were all killed, put through a meat grinder, and turned into minced meat. The whole family was eventually buried in two coffins in a hurry.
And now this guy comes along and tells him, "I did it!" This was a bit too much!
It was a known fact that there were no good people in the Cesare family! But he even killed the cats and dogs, which meant he was a living Yama King!
The man ignored Alven's slightly changed expression, took a big gulp of alcohol, "What pains me the most is that my best comrade, who also tried to conceal the truth and stop me from seeking revenge, only told me that Nick was still alive and gave me this address."
Alven mumbled to himself, "With your Yama-like temper, I wouldn't dare tell you either!" The Cesare family's direct line had 46 people, bodyguards, subordinates, and even 16 guests, all killed. Even a small-scale war wouldn't kill so many people!
"I've been here for a few days, thank you! Thank you! Not only because you saved Nick's life, but also because Nick is doing very well now. I never imagined Nick would be like this." The man's eyes glowed.
"Although he's missing a leg, he's cheerful and sunny, without any hint of inferiority. I don't know how you did it, but buddy, thank you!"
Alven waved his hand, poured himself a whiskey, took a sip, and said, "Have you solved your troubles? I mean, troubles other than the Cesare family.
You know I consider Nick my family, and you, you're just the former phone father; you only exist in Nick's imagination.
If you still have trouble, I think I'll stop you from approaching Nick. You must have investigated me; you should know that I have the ability to do so."
The man looked at Alven, not angry at Alven's threatening tone, but instead gave him a solemn military salute. "I won't thank you on Nick's behalf. I can see that you two are like family. I thank you on my own behalf; you saved me from the pain of falling into hell, and you preserved the last ray of light in my life."
As he spoke, the man raised his bottle and clinked it with Alven's, then took another large gulp. "No more trouble. Remember that former comrade I mentioned? I made a deal with him not to bother those bastard politicians anymore, and he'll solve all my current troubles."
Alven breathed a sigh of relief; he was actually very conflicted. Even if this guy was full of trouble, if he wanted to see Nick, could Alven really stop him?
He knew how much Nick longed for his father to appear; his father was a heroic figure in his heart.
Although Alven had largely taken on the role of a father, he wasn't Nick's real father.
If this guy hadn't appeared, maybe Nick would have forgotten him over time, but it had only been a year since the incident.
Although he didn't want to admit it, this guy was indeed remarkable.
In China, he would be a model soldier, someone like a top ten labor model. Although Alven didn't entirely agree with the act of abandoning family to serve the country, when such a person appears before you, you have to give them a thumbs-up and say, "You've worked hard!"
Alven raised his glass, "May I be so bold as to ask, who is your comrade? To have such great power. So many people died; that's a big deal."
The man picked up the bottle, clinked it with Alven's, "Nick Fury, the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
A grotesque, one-eyed black man instantly appeared in Alven's mind. Alven took a sip of his drink and asked, "Then your name is—"
The man looked at Alven, "Frank." He extended his hand and shook Alven's, introducing himself solemnly, "I am Frank Castle."