Adrian Toomes was directing his colleagues, clearing the debris from the New York War.
The Chitauri warships had crashed, leaving devastation. For ordinary people, it was tough; their homes were gone, and they had nowhere to complain.
Chitauri technology was more resilient than Earth's, making the cleanup especially difficult.
Adrian was a gambler. He'd seized the opportunity and proactively signed a contract with the city government.
He mortgaged his house, bought trucks, hired personnel, and began managing these cleanup operations.
But he never expected that just as he and his coworkers were working hard, striving for a better tomorrow through their diligence, someone would come and pour cold water on their efforts.
"Everyone, please pay attention!"
A middle-aged, white-haired woman led a group of people in white hats into Adrian's workplace.
They came aggressively; one look and you knew they were not to be trifled with.
"According to Executive Order 396b, all post-war cleanup work is now within our jurisdiction." The white-haired woman looked at Adrian. "Thank you for your service. Please leave this to us."
Adrian looked bewildered. "Who are you?"
The other party said, "Professionals."
He was truly bewildered. He had signed a contract with the city government, and now someone walked in, swaggering, and told him he was unemployed?
"Listen, I signed a contract with the city government to clear these ruins, so..."
Before he finished speaking, the white-haired woman said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Toomes, but all cleanup work is now being taken over by us."
With one sentence, she shut down Adrian's work. The woman continued, "Please hand over all alien objects you have collected, or we will sue you."
"Ma'am, I should..."
The woman didn't want to bother with Adrian and prepared to leave after making her announcement.
Adrian quickly chased after her, pleading, "Please, don't go, ma'am."
He had staked his entire fortune here; it was impossible for him to just stop working and be unemployed without understanding why.
"These trucks were specifically purchased by me for this cleanup work, and I also hired another group of people. These people all have families to support."
"I also have a family to support," he tried to make the woman understand his difficulties. Losing this job wouldn't just affect him but also the group of people working under him. "All my assets are staked on this; I will lose my house."
"I'm sorry, Mr., I can do nothing."
He underestimated the ruthlessness of these people, who casually broke contracts.
This made Adrian extremely angry, a fire burning in his heart.
The man in the white hat and suit who was taking over the work next to him sneered, "Perhaps next time, don't overestimate yourself."
This instantly ignited Adrian's anger. "What did you say?"
He had a belly full of anger with nowhere to vent, so he punched the man directly in the face.
Among the group taking over the work, someone immediately drew a weapon and aimed it at Adrian.
This made the enraged Adrian's mind clear up as if cold water had been poured on him.
Looking at those muzzles, although angry, he was helpless.
How could ordinary people fight against those big shots?
The white-haired woman told the group to put down their guns, walked out, and said indifferently, "If you have any complaints, you can find my superior."
"And who is your superior?"
Adrian laughed in anger.
But in the end, he couldn't win against them.
"Beep beep—"
A large truck honked its horn outside.
After no one responded, the driver inside got out.
"Adrian, what are you doing? Move the car outside, I can't get through!"
He walked through the door muttering curses, saw the scene inside, and stopped.
"Ferdinand." Adrian was feeling wronged but then saw an acquaintance arrive.
During this time, he had been clearing these alien remnants, while Ferdinand was part of another group.
They didn't belong to the government; they were a private company.
Originally, Taran Industries hadn't planned to take it all, so they had discussed the locations with Adrian, with each person responsible for one side.
Ferdinand walked over angrily, and seeing the tense scene, he froze.
"What happened?" He and Adrian had a decent relationship.
Adrian's wife and Ferdinand were somewhat related, cousins of a sort.
Adrian said angrily, "I don't know, they came here and want to drive me away, they want to make me unemployed!"
The white-haired woman noticed Ferdinand and said just as indifferently, "According to Executive Order 396b, the Damage Control Bureau will take over post-war cleanup work."
She fixed her gaze on Ferdinand. "You're from another cleanup company, right? All alien remnants must be handed over."
"What?" Ferdinand was stunned. "Wait, I need to call my boss and ask."
He hurriedly turned around to make a call. "Boss, we're fired."
On the other end of the phone, John had just come out of the lab where he had been immersed for half a month.
He picked up the phone and listened, also stunned.
Fired?
Me?
Who fired me?
In this world, besides me firing others, can anyone fire me?
John was silent for a moment. "You'd better organize your words so I don't dock your pay."
Ferdinand also realized that what he had said seemed wrong.
"Regarding the alien remnants recovery, someone from the Damage Control Bureau won't allow us to continue working and demands that we hand over the materials."
Listening to Ferdinand's words, John finally understood what was happening.
So, an official organization wanted to prevent private recycling of materials; this was understandable.
Only then did he remember this matter.
Ferdinand, who had returned from vacation with nothing to do, was assigned by him to manage Taran Industries' work of recycling Chitauri weapons.
Now, he must have encountered trouble.
Regarding this, John said calmly, "Give her the phone."
Ferdinand was obedient and walked up to the woman, handing her the phone.
"My boss wants to speak with you."
The atmosphere became subtle; both sides, who had just been at loggerheads, looked at the phone.
Adrian was the same.
You know, even he, who had signed a contract with the city government, was kicked out; what kind of power did Ferdinand's Boss have?
The white-haired woman picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"The person opposite you is representing Taran Industries in recycling. If you have any opinions, you can go find your superior. If you dare to obstruct, I will have your superior find you."
A simple sentence made the white-haired woman freeze.
"Who are you?"
"John Wick. Alright, hand the phone to my driver."
The white-haired woman handed the phone to Ferdinand; she still hadn't fully recovered.
The name John Wick was not unfamiliar; her department was originally established by Stark Industries and the government.
Let alone her, even Tony Stark had to respectfully give face to John.
Ferdinand saw the change in the woman's attitude and gained a clear understanding of his position as the driver for such an important Boss.
As a driver, the more influential his boss was, the more respect he got.
See? No matter who you are, you have to give my boss face!
Thinking of this, he straightened his back and picked up the phone.
"Given your loose talk just now, I'm docking your pay by two hundred."
His proud face instantly fell, and Ferdinand said miserably, "I just finished spending my salary in Miami."
"That's your problem." John was cold and ruthless.
Ferdinand felt a surge of sorrow.
Adrian saw that Ferdinand had sorted it out with one phone call. He immediately leaned over to his brother-in-law—a relative whose exact connection was a bit vague—and whispered, "Ferdinand, help me. I can't lose this job; I mortgaged my house to the bank for a loan."
He played the family card. "Liz is still in school; I can't let her end up sleeping on the streets without an education."
Ferdinand thought of his niece—again, the precise family tie a little fuzzy—and his heart softened. He said to the other end of the phone, "Boss, there are others here doing the same cleanup, and they've also been kicked out."
Adrian was full of anticipation for a good outcome.
Hearing this, John said calmly, "We only look after ourselves, Ferdinand."
Adrian was close by and also heard this sentence; his expression froze.
Ferdinand gave him a look that said he couldn't help.
Was he really going to end up sleeping on the streets?
Thinking of this, Adrian felt a surge of sorrow.
The white-haired woman gave a ruthless order, and this group of workers also became unemployed at this moment.
"Wait!" Ferdinand's expression struggled. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, "Are you willing to bring your people and switch bosses?"
Adrian stopped and looked back. Ferdinand seemed to have made a great resolve and said, "I can let you work with me. My boss happens to be short-handed. What do you think, Boss?"
That last sentence was spoken into the phone.
Ferdinand, rarely using his brain to think, analyzed the pros and cons and said, "Adrian's team is very professional, and our company is short on manpower in this area."
John thought for a moment; the company did seem quite short on people in this area, and he nodded, saying, "If that's the case, you work it out with him."
Ferdinand's tense face relaxed, revealing a wide smile. "I'll handle it, Boss."
The call ended.
Ferdinand found his brother-in-law—that somewhat distantly connected relative. "My boss is willing to take you and your team."
Adrian said excitedly, "Thank you so much, Ferdinand."
Adrian's team instantly transformed into Taran Industries professionals, and these remnants transformed into Taran Industries' property.
Even people from the Damage Control Bureau had no right to take them.
His job was saved, and a relieved smile appeared on Adrian's face.
Returning home.
He saw his daughter and wife and couldn't help but go up and give them a big hug.
Making his wife feel a little embarrassed.
"You have a good relative."
Kissing his wife's cheek, Adrian felt very emotional.
Before, when his wife mentioned that relative—that distant family connection who became a big shot's driver—he hadn't paid attention and even looked down on it a little.
He never expected this connection to be so significant.
He also wondered if he would have a chance to connect with that big shot himself.
Liz, who was in the same grade as Peter, blinked, still unaware that her family had almost gone bankrupt.
***********
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