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"Do you want to come with us and check it out today?" Alex Ray asked Deadpool as he adjusted the collar of his jacketârare for him to be this well-dressed.
Today was an important day for Alex, so he'd put in the effort: suit, tie, the whole formal look. Though he still complained that it felt too tight.
It wasn't just significant for himâit was a big day for Hell's Kitchen.
The only community college in the neighborhood, funded by Alex Ray himself, had finally completed renovations.
Deadpool wasn't wearing his usual black and red suit today. Instead, he was lounging around with his scarred, burned face exposed.
His appearance was the result of terminal cancer and his desperate survival gamble with Weapon X, which had left his cells in a regenerative stalemate. That dynamic between his healing factor and cancer had permanently disfigured him.
Honestly, in the Marvel universe, Deadpool was the most shameless character for good reasonâbecause technically, he had no face left to save.
Deadpool lay sprawled across the couch, left hand propping up his head, remote in the other as he lazily watched TV. "No motivation today. Got dumped last night by Belindaâthe bar waitress. I'm not going anywhere."
Alex scoffed. "You always get dumped. You're basically a one-man heartbreak machine." He walked out without waiting for a response.
He didn't take his car. The school wasn't far, and it gave him a chance to patrol the neighborhood he oversaw.
As Alex strolled down the street, he took in the transformation. The place had been cleaned up. Pop-up stalls lined the sidewalks, some selling knockoff handbags, others offering breakfast. He even spotted a food cart selling soy milk and fried dough sticksâa nostalgic sight, even if out of place.
He smiled. A year ago, this same stretch would've been a battleground between rival gangs. Now? It looked... almost peaceful.
The sight made Alex mutter under his breath, "If I've got nothing to do today, maybe I should spend the afternoon listening to music in a brothel."
Before he knew it, he'd arrived at the school gates.
Standing out front was Wilson FiskâKingpinâgesturing at the entrance while discussing something with his secretary, Sharon O'Casey.
Alex quickened his pace and approached. "Uncle Fisk, what brings you here today? Why not let Sharon give me the tour?"
Kingpin chuckled. "How could I not show up? This is my godson's school, after all. The renovations are done, and I'm on the board too. I paid for half of this place. If someone cut corners on my dime, I'll make sure their first sight of Heaven is through a closed casket."
He seemed genuinely pleasedâmaybe he felt a personal pride in contributing to local education.
Then he turned to Sharon. "Go ahead, introduce the place."
Sharon nodded and stepped forward. "Currently, the college has three major sections: the academic zone, residential zone, and recreational zone. The academic area includes the classroom building and the library. The classroom building is three stories high, with three classrooms per floor. Each grade from 1st to 12th will have three classes."
"The residential area has the cafeteria and the dormitory. The dorm building has six floors, with 20 rooms on each floor. Each room is 200 square feet and currently set to house four students. Two more dorm buildings are under construction."
Then she turned and asked, "But Mr. Ray, isn't 200 square feet a bit cramped for four students?"
Alex rubbed his chin. "Make it six per room."
She looked concerned. "Wouldn't six be too crowded?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "There are kids in Hell's Kitchen who don't even have a bed. Six people sharing a room isn't crowdedâit's a blessing."
Kingpin gave a slight nod. He'd grown up in this very neighborhood. A safe roof over his head had been a luxury back then. Six to a room? That was nothing.
Alex figured Sharon had lived too comfortably. She should probably go visit some overseas universities where 200 square feet is a mansion for ten students. He was already being generous not building these dorms to prison specs.
And honestly, how many of these kids had parents, much less tuition money? Alex didn't plan to charge for food or lodging. Free education in Hell's Kitchen? They were lucky.
Realizing she might've overstepped, Sharon added quickly, "Of course, compared to what existed before, this school offers the children a safe learning environment. We've even installed heating in the dorms. Your generosity will absolutely be remembered in this neighborhood."
In the U.S., heating is cheaper to install than air conditioning, which is why Alex had opted for heaters only. After all, no one dies of heat in New Yorkâbut plenty freeze in winter.
Her praise struck a chord. Alex hadn't built this place for recognitionâhe'd simply wanted to give the kids somewhere to go. But it was nice to be appreciated.
Sharon continued the tour. "In the recreational area, we've got two basketball courts and a boxing gym. We also followed your request and built a shooting range. Unfortunately, due to space constraints, we couldn't build an American football field."
"All we're waiting on now is approval from the Department of Education. Once we get that, we can start hiring professors and recruiting students. ButâŠ"
She cast a nervous glance at Kingpin before turning back to Alex. "About enrollment⊠You're aware the local gangs rely heavily on young recruits. If you enroll all the teens into the school, the gangs won't be happy."
Alex didn't miss a beat. "I know. But I trust Uncle Fisk won't let them cause trouble."
Kingpin exhaled a cloud of smoke. "I'll send out invitations with your name on them. Invite the gang leaders to my office. Out of respect for me, they'll show up. As for convincing themâyour problem."
"That's all I need. I'll handle the rest." Alex knew how the gangs in Hell's Kitchen operated. They all thought they were kings of the jungle.
Even with Kingpin backing him, some would still resist. The gangs barely had enough manpower to operate as is. If Alex pulled all the kids off the street and into school, he'd be gutting their future recruitment.
If he were in their shoes, he probably wouldn't agree either.
But if Hell's Kitchen was ever going to have a future, this college was non-negotiable. Kids were blank canvases. Hell's Kitchen was black ink. Alex intended to color over the darknessâone student at a time.
His gaze landed on the outer wall of the school. He turned to Sharon. "Install barbed wire up top. Hook it to a live current. I want only one way in or outâand that's the main gate."
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đ Enjoying the Story? Get Ahead Now!
Can't wait for the next twist or epic moment?
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Your support means the world to meâthank you so much! đ
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