Black Bear, a burly man nearly two meters tall, was dressed in a black suit with a heavy gold chain, likely weighing three pounds, around his neck.
Bowing slightly, Black Bear greeted Alven with a pre-emptive smile, "Hello, Boss Alven, I'm Black Bear, and my boss is Bloody Jensen from Big Apple City."
Alven ignored the notorious drug dealer, waving him away like a fly. You, a drug dealer, greeting me, a principal? If I acknowledge you, wouldn't I seem undignified?
Black Bear, however, didn't react. With a fierce glint in his eyes, he stepped aside, revealing the people behind him.
Alven took a puff of his cigar, letting the smoke swirl in his mouth before exhaling. In his previous life, he was a heavy smoker and hadn't quit even after having children.
This life, his nicotine addiction was gone, but he'd become enamored with the rich aroma of cigars. He just usually didn't smoke in restaurants. Now, since it was time for negotiations, he naturally lit a cigar. If his attire wasn't classy enough, he'd make up for it with a boss-like demeanor.
Exhaling a stream of smoke, Alven looked amicably at the group of strangely dressed gang members in front of him and asked, "Excuse me, who is Jamelancer from 58th Street, and what gang was it again?"
Alven glanced at JJ beside him, who immediately whispered, "The ZL Gang."
"Oh, the boss of the ZL Gang, is he here?"
A young white man, clearly a heavy addict, with a green, punk-rock hairstyle, nervously stepped forward and said, "Hello, Boss Alven, I, I am Jamelancer. You can just call me Jam."
Alven handed his cigar to JJ, and, suppressing his disgust, shook Jam's hand warmly. He said, "Hello, I'm Alven Ye, the principal of the community school. Your subordinate got a slight injury at school.
It was caused by my daughter. We've given him initial treatment, and it's not a big problem.
But out of guilt, I, as a father, decided to offer some compensation. I think $2,000 is a reasonable amount, don't you agree?"
Jam felt like he was about to wet himself. The drug wholesalers of Hell's Kitchen, their bosses, all treated Alven with politeness and respect. The other party hadn't even acknowledged Boss Black Bear, yet was speaking to him so amiably. He instinctively felt that there would be bad consequences.
Jam fearfully refused, "No—no, no, Boss Alven, my subordinate made a small mistake. You can punish him however you like. A small injury is nothing. Even if you cut off his arm, I wouldn't say anything. There's no need for compensation, really, no need."
At this moment, Jason, who was sitting in a chair by the door, looked at his boss in disbelief, having been so casually sold out. In despair, he forgot Thor's threat and shouted, "Boss Jam—!"
Jam pretended not to hear Jason's call. He hadn't used drugs at the moment, so his mind was still clear. He just looked at Alven pleadingly, hoping to be let off the hook.
Alven pulled a wet wipe from his pocket, wiped his right hand that had shaken Jam's, threw the wipe into the trash, took the cigar JJ handed him, and took a puff.
The cigar smoke swirled between Alven and Jam. Ignoring Jam's panic, Alven said amicably, "Don't misunderstand, I have no intention of causing you trouble. My daughter injured your subordinate, and I am responsible for compensation. That's fair. I am a fair man."
Alven took the $2,000 that JJ handed him, all in $100 bills, folded them, and tucked them into Jam's chest pocket. Alven, like someone with OCD, straightened Jam's messy collar and patted the pocket where the money was. "See—the matter is resolved, wouldn't you say?"
Completely stunned by Alven, Jam mechanically nodded and said, "Yes, sir, the matter is concluded."
Alven smiled kindly and said, "You see, I knew we'd easily reach an agreement. You're a reasonable man. I apologize for my daughter's mistake and have offered compensation. See, isn't that right?"
"That's right, that's right, it's over, the matter is over," Jam replied in a panic.
Alven nodded and said, "Good, then let's discuss the matter of Mr. Jason."
He pointed to Jason, who was slumped there as if his bones had been removed. "Mr. Jason pushed down a 65-year-old, highly respected elderly teacher, Mrs. Wilson, at school.
It wasn't a big problem. Professor Wilson even interceded with me, asking me to waive Mr. Jason's punishment, but Mr. Jason was disrespectful to me and then verbally insulted Mrs. Wilson again.
Personally, I feel that Mr. Jason's abilities and cultivation are not suitable for your, um, ZL Gang. What do you think?"
Jam, who was terrified, quickly nodded and said, "That's right, that's right. From now on, Jason is no longer part of our ZL Gang. He has nothing to do with us now, sir. You can do whatever you want with him.
I have no objection. Sir, please let me go. I knew nothing about his actions at school."
Alven looked at the spiritless Jason, then at the almost-collapsing Jam, took a puff of his cigar, and said, "Well then, goodbye!"
Jam felt as if he had been granted a great pardon. He didn't even care about Black Bear, his meal ticket, and scrambled into his car, speeding off in a flash.
Alven touched his face and asked JJ, "Am I that scary?"
JJ's eyelid twitched, and he said, "Among those who ran away, there was a kid who snuck into the restaurant earlier. I heard him muttering something about 'minced meat' and 'Cesare' as he left."
JJ thought for a moment and said, "Boss, if there's anything you need done in the future, you can just tell me. There's no need to be so cruel, really. It doesn't suit your status!"
Alven nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood. He had thought he was speaking like Marlon Brando's Godfather, and almost scared Jam into wetting himself.
It turned out to be a misunderstanding, and he might even be getting blamed for something he didn't do. Of course, there would be no one to seek revenge, because they were all dead. But this made Alven misunderstand his own deterrent power, which was just too awkward.
He awkwardly coughed twice and waved to Black Bear.
Black Bear still seemed very polite. He walked obediently to Alven and said, "Boss Alven, since the matter is over, do you have any other instructions?"
Alven smiled and said, "Don't call me 'boss.' I'm speaking to you now as a school principal." Seeing that the other party seemed disbelieving, he emphasized, "Really, Hell's Kitchen Community School, with a certificate!"
Black Bear found Alven's words amusing. The de facto ruler of three blocks insisting he was a principal. He played along and said, "Then, Principal, what are your instructions?"
Alven was pleased with Black Bear's attitude and smiled, "I am a principal, and I must be responsible for the students of the school. Our school has a rule prohibiting all students from participating in drug dealing.
So, the reason I asked you, Boss Black Bear, to come today is to inform you to thoroughly investigate your gang members to see if there are any students from our school, or any underage children."
Black Bear's eyes narrowed instantly, his expression stiffened, and he said in a low voice, "I never knew the community school had this rule."
"It does today, remember? I'm the principal," Alven said with a light chuckle.
Black Bear sneered and said, "You've crossed a line, Alven Ye. Neither I nor my boss, Bloody Jensen, will agree to your ridiculous proposal."
Glancing at JJ behind Alven, Black Bear sneered, "Or do you want to start a war? Our Viper Gang isn't a bunch of losers like Kingpin. A lot of people will die in Hell's Kitchen."