After a simple exchange and some probing, Ginny finally relaxed. The little girl wasn't very articulate yet, and communication was a bit difficult, but Alwyn didn't care; this was his daughter, and he could teach her slowly.
Carefully, he tried to pick Ginny up into his arms. The tiny girl tensed slightly, then completely relaxed, burying her head in her father's neck, greedily soaking in the warmth of her kin, and in an almost inaudible voice, she called out, "Daddy."
Alwyn felt his heart skip a beat. No wonder they say daughters are their fathers' lovers from a past life. Alwyn wasn't as nervous when he was dating his wife in his previous life; back then, their relationship developed over time, a natural progression. But for his daughter, he wished he could pluck the stars from the sky for her and be her eternal guardian.
Holding Ginny, Alwyn extended his right hand and shook Professor Wilson's hand firmly, saying, "Thank you, Professor Wilson, you've brought me an angel."
Professor Wilson shook Alwyn's hand, smiling wryly, "I hope you always feel that way, Alwyn. I knew I wouldn't be wrong about you; you're the most special young man I've ever met."
Alwyn, ignoring the hidden meaning in Professor Wilson's words, stated with certainty, "Of course, Ginny will be a little angel! My little angel!"
Professor Wilson nodded, relieved, and said, "She's very special! Alwyn, my wife and I genuinely wanted to adopt her! But after a few days together, we realized that with our abilities, we couldn't protect her; she's too special. Alwyn, promise me you'll protect her, make her your treasure, and don't let this old man regret it!"
Alwyn nodded solemnly, "I promise! She will be my treasure. No one can harm her. Not even God."
Professor Wilson nodded, "Then I'm relieved. The school still has a lot of things to do, so I'll head back. My wife is fine; don't make it too difficult for that child. Alwyn, Ginny is in your hands. Here is the revised adoption certificate." The professor handed a document to Alwyn, adjusted his tie, straightened his suit cuffs, and the old gentleman bid farewell, getting into his car and driving to the school.
Alwyn sighed, thinking, they're both professors, but why is there such a huge difference? He thought of Professor Cage's bandit-like, ruffian demeanor, then looked at Professor Wilson's gentlemanly appearance. The disparity was immense.
Reluctant to put his daughter down, Alwyn held Ginny and turned to look at the teenager who clearly looked like a gang member. He sighed, thinking that school uniforms needed to be custom-made quickly; what were these kids wearing? Gaudy, oversized T-shirts, baggy jeans that wouldn't stay up, cheap rings, earrings, and necklaces.
The dark-skinned boy wore a defiant expression, staring at Alwyn with a stubborn, aggressive gaze.
Remembering that he was, after all, the principal, and there were other people in the cafeteria, Alwyn suppressed the urge to hit him and said, "Tell me, why did you harm Mrs. Wilson?"
Those familiar with Alwyn knew this kid was in trouble. If Alwyn had just yelled and hit him, that would have been the end of it, but when Alwyn seriously questioned him, if this kid didn't respond well, his fate was predictable.
However, this kid was clearly a fearless hothead, baring his teeth and putting on a "I'm the boss" expression. "That old bitch, she actually wanted me to apologize. I should've stabbed her and taught her a lesson."
Alwyn felt a chill. What kind of place would cultivate such a scoundrel? In his previous life, the worst student Alwyn had ever seen only argued with teachers. This little brat actually wanted to stab a teacher, and it was a particularly respected, patient, and kind old lady.
Ginny, who had been nestled in Alwyn's arms, heard the dark-skinned boy insult Mrs. Wilson. She suddenly twisted her body, wrinkled her nose, bared her teeth, and let out an angry howl. Her right hand clenched into a fist, and two blades sprang from between her fingers, slashing towards the dark-skinned boy. Alwyn, with lightning speed, wrapped Ginny's hands into his embrace, ignoring the sharp blades cutting into his chest. Alwyn's movements were so fast that probably no one besides JJ saw what happened.
Ginny felt she had hurt Alwyn, and the blades on her hands quickly retracted. Leaning in Alwyn's arms, she looked at him with guilt, worry, and fear.
Such a small injury was nothing to Alwyn; 20 points of physique were not to be joked about. After Ginny's blades retracted, his chest began to close, and only a little blood flowed.
Alwyn lifted Ginny higher, using her body to cover the bloodstain on his chest so no one would notice anything unusual. He looked at Ginny gently, pressing his forehead against hers, and looking into her eyes, "Ginny is a little lady. Let Daddy handle these things, okay?"
Ginny's expression relaxed, and she softly hummed in agreement. She buried her head in Alwyn's neck, no longer paying attention to the rude young punk.
The dark-skinned boy, who had clearly suffered losses at school before, was startled by Ginny and frantically yelled, "Get her away from me, she's a monster!" As he spoke, he struggled forcefully, but how could the strong JJ let him succeed? With a slight increase in pressure, the dark-skinned boy "calmed down." But his eyes still glared fiercely at Alwyn, seemingly completely unfazed by him being the principal.
The word "monster" made Ginny stiffen for a moment. Alwyn felt it and gently patted Ginny's back, comforting her.
He spoke to the dark-skinned boy in an even gentler tone, "I know your name is Jason. Who are your parents? Where do you live? I think I need to talk to your parents."
The dark-skinned boy, Jason, snorted and yelled, "They're long dead. Go find them in hell!"
Alwyn nodded and said, "Both parents are dead, and you've managed to survive, so you must have joined a gang. Which gang is it? I can talk to your boss."
Jason, looking arrogant, shouted, "My boss is Jam Lancer from 58th Street! Let me go and apologize, or our ZL gang won't let you off! We'll kill all of you!"
Alwyn ignored Jason's shouting and turned to JJ, "Are there many kids like this in the school?"
JJ thought for a moment and said, "There were some at first, but then the school solved their food problems, so there aren't many now."
Alwyn thought for a moment and said, "So there are still some, right?" He turned to Old Kent, who had already come over to watch the show, and said, "Old Kent, do you know about this ~ZL gang? Why haven't I heard of them?"
Old Kent, seeing he was being asked, thought for a moment, made a call to confirm the information, and said, "There is such a ZL gang, a joke of a dozen hotheads. They are responsible for distributing goods for Black Bear in the 58th Street area. Should I call their boss over?"
Alwyn nodded. This Black Bear was a subordinate of "Bloody Jensen," Kingpin's rival, and this Jason, with his so-called gang, was at the very bottom of the Hell's Kitchen gangs, working for the higher-ups for meager pay. "Bloody Jensen" was New York's largest drug wholesaler and had always been at odds with Kingpin. Judging by his name and his opponent, this guy wouldn't live long.
"Then call his boss over, and that Black Bear, is he the one in charge of drug dealings in Hell's Kitchen?" Seeing Old Kent nod, "Then call them both over."
Jason heard Alwyn completely disregard his boss, not even willing to mention his boss's name. He just casually told an old man to call his boss over. Jason's expression was panicked, feeling that he might have caused big trouble.
Alwyn glanced at Jason and told JJ, "Get him a seat and keep an eye on him."