"Come here, Caine, this is the place I arranged for you to live. Look, it has two bedrooms and a living room, and it's the largest apartment I have here. The rent is very affordable—only $1500 a month. Brothers should be clear about accounts, and you still have to pay the rent. I can give you a discount at most," Alex Ray introduced the apartment enthusiastically while holding a bunch of keys.
Caine was seen struggling behind with a lot of bags, and his daughter, little Mia, was following closely behind with a pink Hello Kitty backpack on her back. A little further behind was John Wick pulling three suitcases.
"Come in, come in. Oh, Mia is so cute. What grade are you in?" Alex noticed Mia's nervousness, crouched down, looked at her, and asked with a warm smile.
Mia, standing next to Caine, was probably still shaken from the trauma of being kidnapped. She was a little shy and hid behind Caine with a frightened look on her face.
"Mia, don't be afraid. This uncle is your savior, don't be afraid," Caine said, putting down the luggage and gently stroking Mia's head.
"My community school will be opening soon, and you can send Mia there. In this way, Caine, you can be the principal. That way, you can see Mia every day to protect her safety, and you can also protect the other children," Alex suggested as he looked at Mia's scared expression.
Caine thought this was a good idea. After all, the child had been kidnapped once already, and it wasn't safe for her to go to just any school. At Alex's school, he could see her every day, ensure her safety, and prevent her from being disturbed by the outside world.
Today, Alex planned to settle Caine and John Wick in while waiting for the system upgrade.
Alex's apartment building had a total of seven floors. On the left side of the first floor was a restaurant; in the middle was the apartment entrance, and on the right side was the parking lot entrance and exit.
The entire second floor was Alex's private space. There was a private passage from the kitchen to the second floor, convenient for Alex to go to and from work. Of course, the elevator also accessed the second floor.
There were 10 one-bedroom, one-living-room units on the third, fourth, and fifth floors. The sixth and seventh floors each had seven two-bedroom, one-living-room apartments. Currently, Alex and Caine were staying on the sixth floor.
Alex was considered wealthy in Hell's Kitchen. After all, he owned an apartment building. And because of Alex, the surrounding area was very safe—at least his territory was.
So Alex's apartment was considered the best in Hell's Kitchen. However, those who could afford the rent usually wouldn't live in Hell's Kitchen, so the vacancy rate was still relatively high.
Afterwards, Alex and John Wick helped carry Caine's luggage into the apartment and then helped John Wick settle in.
"Your room is next to Marcus's, so you two will have company. There's another resident at the end of the corridor, but he seems to have gone to Japan recently. He hasn't come back yet, so it's just the two of you. This building allows pets, but please be careful not to disturb others."
"Anyway, your place and everything should have been destroyed, so you'll need to shop for necessities later. Remember to report downstairs tomorrow morning. You're our security guard now! It's up to you to protect everyone's safety," Alex said, handing the key to John Wick before hurrying back to the second floor without looking back, leaving John Wick speechless.
Alex left in such a hurry because he heard the system prompt.
"There are still five minutes left before the system upgrade is complete…"
Alex returned to his private space on the second floor, grabbed a bottle of Coke, and lay on the sofa, browsing his phone quietly, waiting for the new system update.
Five minutes later, the system's voice came into Alex's mind.
Ding.
"System update completed."
Alex couldn't wait to ask the system: "System, what new features are included in this update? Please introduce them."
"This system update simplifies the interface. Given the host's current strength, ordinary skills are no longer displayed; only core skills are retained. A lottery function has been added, allowing the host to draw various rewards from the heavens and myriad worlds."
Alex was eager to open the lottery panel after hearing this. He was thrilled when he saw the dazzling array of rewards.
The prizes included Devil Fruits from One Piece, Sharingan from Naruto, Zanpakuto from Bleach, items from the DC Universe, and character portraits.
Alex looked at a character portrait and asked curiously, "Does the reward for this character portrait mean a character recruitment card or something else?"
"This character portrait refers to a character growth template. After obtaining it, you can gain that character's abilities. It is not a recruitment card. This system does not support character recruitment."
Alex was a little disappointed to hear that the system couldn't recruit characters from other universes. After all, he had been hoping the real-life version of the Pirate Queen, Nico Robin, would appear.
But then Alex's attention was caught by the character growth cards. Right now, gaining strength was his top priority.
After the last big mushroom incident, Alex felt his own power was insufficient. This system upgrade was a timely help.
Alex hurriedly said, "System, I want to draw a lottery. How many chances do I have now?"
Ding.
"The host currently has five family points and 600 friend points. One family point can be exchanged for one lottery draw. Every 100 friend points can be converted into one family point."
"Host, would you like to exchange?"
"Exchange them all for me," Alex quickly urged.
Ding.
"Successfully redeemed. Currently, there are 11 family points, allowing for 11 draws. Would you like to start the draw?"
"System, how do I get these points?" Alex suppressed his urge to draw immediately and asked.
"The host gains one family point for each successful family member obtained. Each one-star friend grants 1 point, a two-star friend grants 10 points, a three-star friend grants 20 points, a four-star friend grants 30 points, and a five-star friend grants 40 points."
After listening to the explanation, Alex understood the system encouraged him to cultivate deeper friendships rather than just acquiring new ones.
Theoretically, the process of a new friend becoming a family member could bring Alex two chances to draw the lottery, and 100 new friends equal one family member.
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Bonus Chapter - 150 Power Stones
2nd Bonus Chapter - 300 Power Stones