No one dared to answer.
They couldn’t beat him but were forced to fight, becoming punching bags.
Although Stark didn’t use excessive force, it still hurt!
The group of thugs stood in a line obediently, bruised and battered.
Like students being punished in school.
Facts proved that for this bunch, the most effective thing wasn’t preaching, but fists.
But can you say they are all completely bad seeds?
Not necessarily…
Environment influences people.
As for Silver Wolf, why else would one say she’s a top-tier little angel?
Untainted by the mud.
She lives in this unreasonable world, wanting not to blend in, but to change it.
That’s very hard.
Stark sighed.
He didn’t have such grand ambitions.
He patted Willis on the shoulder and instructed the young man.
“Remember to greet all the brats nearby.
If I see anyone bullying my Wolf Cub again, I’ll beat you up.”
“Of course, if anyone has bad intentions, tell me too.”
“I’ll invite you to the Arcade to play for free…”
His smile was very gentle, yet every punch hit home.
This reminded Willis of his own father; the beatings hurt just the same.
But what was different was…
Stark was doing it to protect his daughter.
“What are you spacing out for?
Did you hear me?”
“Heard you, Big Brother!”
“Very good, full of energy.”
Stark narrowed his eyes, looking at this group of good-for-nothing thugs, confirming one by one that they were beaten into submission, then threw out a question.
“Looking at you guys, no one takes care of you, right?”
“How do you usually make a living?”
“…”
Undoubtedly, orphans rely on scavenging and odd jobs.
This was also why Stark targeted them.
To buy mechanical parts in this Lower City, you might only be able to go to the Black Market.
Not to mention the danger…
He had no money, no initial capital.
Legitimate business was too slow to make money.
Even with basic smart machinery and Aether Editing technology, without physical carriers, this knowledge in his brain was ultimately useless.
He needed materials…
Scavenging himself might lead to finding hidden gems or high-value items, but the efficiency was too slow.
So.
“In the future, when you scavenge useful things, remember to bring them to me first.
Don’t worry, I’ll give you a good price.”
“Yes, Big Brother!”
“…”
Stark’s large hand covered the top of the Black Alley brat’s head.
They had no room to resist.
Having just savored the lingering warmth of fatherly love, no one dared to have any objections.
However, at this very moment.
They hadn’t realized yet that this would be the turning point of their fate.
Willis looked at the Arcade, shrinking his head and nodding.
He would come again.
“That’s all.
Stark happily stretched, patted the young man’s shoulder, and headed home.
He couldn’t let his Wolf Cub wait too long.
After he left.
The group felt like they had been granted amnesty and breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey, are you really going to bring stuff to him?”
“Otherwise, wait to get beaten up?”
“Pfft, just don’t go to the Arcade.
I don’t believe he can really go around looking for us.”
“Willis, what about you?”
Willis scratched his head, still unable to forget Stark’s suave posture.
It definitely wasn’t because he was beaten into submission by Stark.
He just felt…
Hey, that man is so cool.
He was exactly the kind of person he wanted to become, and he could fight well too.
“Didn’t he say he’d pay?”
“Pfft, you actually believe him?”
“…”
The rain kept falling, masking their voices.
Stark naturally had no time to worry about what they were thinking.
The opportunity was given; whether they cherished it depended on them.
He said…
He really wasn’t a bad guy.
As for now, he just wanted to take a shower and lie on the bed.
The feeling of being alive.
Is so good!
“Wolfie…”
“I missed you.”
“…”
Silver Wolf, who was peeking from the doorway, suddenly felt a chill.
It was raining, so she couldn’t hear clearly, but looking at Stark’s sappy expression…
She knew it, nothing good would come of it.
This guy is going crazy again.
She blushed and hurriedly fled back to the basement, pretending to be a good girl waiting in place, but sure enough…
Stark had no sense of boundaries; he initiated a head pat.
“Eh, sorry.”
“Forgot my hands were wet…”
“It’s fine…
what did you talk about?”
“Life, ideals, they are all orphans without parents.
But I can completely replace their dads and become their life guide, right?”
“…”
Liar.
Silver Wolf saw with her own eyes that Stark ‘reasoned’ with them—the logic that ‘might makes right’.
But regardless, it was the first time someone stood up for her.
“Thank you…”
Her voice was small and soft.
Wolf Lord was indeed still a little cupcake right now.
She wouldn’t roll on the ground crying and making a scene, nor would she hack when she couldn’t win.
She was real offline, acting like a little devil.
So…
It’s all the upbringer’s fault.
“Why are you being so polite with me…”
“Don’t worry, I definitely won’t use this to ask you to hug me, hold my hand obediently, cuddle with me when sleeping, and call me Dad.”
“…”
Can’t you hide it a little?
The intention is too obvious.
The slight touch of emotion in Silver Wolf’s heart was quickly washed away.
Despite her young age, she sighed like an old person, *sigh*…
She wouldn’t do as Stark asked.
[Tsundere triggered, your favorability towards Stark +1.]
[Current: 36.]
No, this game cartridge is so annoying!
Silver Wolf clenched her fists.
She was not a tsundere!
Seriously, instead of wasting time on that, she should think about serious business.
“Stark, teach me how to play games.”
“Task…”
“Is it a task?”
“Hmm…”
“No, it’s already ten o’clock.
Go to sleep first, Cub.
Staying up late stunts your growth.
Otherwise, you’ll be at most 1.5 meters tall.
No rush to grind game levels tomorrow.”
Stark said as he picked up Silver Wolf.
He understood her urgent desire to become stronger and change everything, but the prerequisite was to live well, right…
Need to develop the good habit of sleeping early from a young age.
“I’m not sleepy yet.”
“Cub, you’re still young, you don’t know there’s a kind of sleepy in this world called ‘Dad thinks you’re sleepy.’ I don’t want what you think; I only want what I think.
It’s time for us to sleep.”
“Any objections are overruled.”
“Mm…”
Stark was a very overbearing and unreasonable person.
Even if Silver Wolf puffed her cheeks and tried to scratch him, he only said, “My Wolf Cub likes to play as a kitten, so cute…”
Actually, there was another important reason she didn’t want to sleep.
Sleeping with someone else was a first for Silver Wolf.
If possible, she certainly didn’t want to sleep on the floor again.
Mm, besides, Stark wouldn’t let her sleep on the floor.
Given that guy’s personality, he would likely cuddle her to sleep…
Thus, the Wolf Cub’s heart thumped.
There was only one bed, so there was no other way, right?
Besides, she was indeed sleepy.
The utility room really wasn’t big.
A small bed, just enough for Stark and Silver Wolf.
Except for some stored miscellaneous items, it couldn’t be called dirty or messy.
“From now on, this is our little nest.”
“Are you really not going to sleep with the landlady?”
“Cub, compared to her, you are more important…”
“…”
Silver Wolf’s face was burning.
How could this guy say things that make people blush and hearts race so easily?
Also, if Stark didn’t work hard, what would happen to her tasks?
How could she get these two people to hold hands…