Sitting in the car, watching the boys disappear from sight, Chen Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful.

Although he hadn’t asked for the details, Chen Yu could pretty much guess what those kids had been up to.

A few kids, full of restless energy, had targeted someone living alone for money. Then, in a moment of rashness, they’d broken in to steal.

Or perhaps the hot-tempered middle-aged man had beaten or cursed them before, and the kids, happening to pass by, decided on an impulse to teach him a lesson.

In any case, things like this were all too common.

The environment was just like that, filled with violence, alcohol, and everything that could drag you down. You never came into contact with anything good. It was incredibly difficult to keep your head on straight, study hard, and leave this place.

At one point, Chen Yu had been the same way. It wasn’t until he witnessed his father’s tragic death that he had a brutal wake-up call. If he didn’t work hard, then in a few decades, he might end up just like his father: his body lying cold in some forgotten corner, leaving this world like a worthless bug that no one would miss.

Fortunately, he had managed to get out of here through his own hard work.

But as for these boys, would they ever get that chance?

Chen Yu had no way of knowing.

For a fleeting moment, a thought crossed Chen Yu’s mind—he wanted to do something for this community.

’But what could he even do?’

Chen Yu thought it over carefully and realized there was nothing he could do.

As his thoughts drifted, the car arrived at its destination.

A slightly run-down, gray, detached house stood nearby, at the intersection of 74th Street and Marshfield Street.

Inside a low fence, some vegetables were planted in neat rows, obviously well-tended.

Sanders got out of the car and stood warily at the gate to the yard, surveying the surroundings. He had already noticed someone in the distance peeking furtively in their direction.

Chen Yu, however, was already used to it. He walked up to the front door and found it locked.

’She’s probably out buying groceries.’ Chen Yu had called his mother yesterday before he left, telling her he would be home today.

As was her custom, his mother would definitely prepare a big, delicious meal.

He felt for the crack where the key was usually hidden, but it wasn’t there.

’Looks like Mom changed that habit.’

It was better for an old woman living alone to be cautious, even if there was nothing valuable in the house.

Still, with the old neighbors looking out for her, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Chen Yu wasn’t in a hurry, so he just sat by the door and waited.

Sanders stood with his back to the yard, right at the gate, warily scanning in all directions.

After about a quarter of an hour, his mother had yet to arrive, but two muscle cars slowly drove up from down the street.

Sanders’s right hand instantly moved toward the small of his back.

From the lead car, a red Dodge, several black men in eclectic outfits got out.

They were the type you could tell were trouble at a glance, and they headed straight over.

"Stop!"

Sanders commanded in a low voice.

The man in the lead, who was in his thirties and wore a slightly loose pinstripe suit, a gold watch, and had a tattoo on his neck, shot Sanders a disdainful look and kept walking straight toward them.

"It’s okay, Sanders. I know him." Chen Yu patted Sanders on the arm and went forward to greet the man.

"Tucker!"

Chen Yu opened his arms and hugged the young man.

The young man clapped Chen Yu on the back, holding the hug for a long moment before letting go. Then he sized up Sanders and said, "Chen, since when do you need a bodyguard? You’re the famous Miracle Doctor. A lot of people around here know your name. You don’t need a bodyguard."

Sanders snorted softly, a look of annoyance in his eyes.

Chen Yu didn’t answer, instead asking Tucker how he’d been.

The two had known each other since childhood. When Chen Yu moved over from the Stratville District, many of the local kids had mocked him, calling him unwanted trash from the rich district. Tucker had helped him out back then.

"Same old, you know how it is." Tucker shrugged, then added excitedly, "Oh yeah, I’m planning to become a rapper and cut a record. You think I have a shot?"

’A singer?’

Chen Yu broke out in a cold sweat. ’With that raspy voice of yours? Are you sure about that?’

"By the way, Mr. Vogel wants to see you," Tucker added.

’Vogel?’

Chen Yu frowned slightly.

The entire Wood District was a melting pot of people, though it was predominantly black. At the same time, gangs ran rampant, and there were several of them.

Vogel led one of the bigger ones. When Chen Yu was a kid, Vogel had already made a name for himself.

’And now, he’s probably the biggest of them all.’

Of course, Tucker was in a gang, too. When that incident happened last year, Chen Yu had returned to Chicago and seen him, even asking him to look after his mother.

"Alright. Where is he?" After a moment’s thought, Chen Yu nodded.

He was nearby. Tucker led Chen Yu there on foot, chatting as they walked and pointing out the changes in the community.

In reality, not much had changed. The people at city hall were more concerned with the votes from the upscale communities on the Lake Michigan Shoreline. Engwood? To them, it was just some godforsaken place.

Along the way, a constant stream of street punks greeted Tucker, then gave Chen Yu and Sanders scrutinizing looks.

After walking for about three hundred meters, they came to a park.

Chen Yu remembered it was called Murray Park. It wasn’t large and had a run-down basketball court.

Chen Yu had rarely come here as a kid because it was too rough, plus he didn’t play basketball.

Chen Yu saw Vogel.

He was sitting on a bench on one side of the court, protected by several large followers.

Leaning on a cane and wearing a cowboy hat, his face, now past sixty, was already showing a few scattered age spots.

"Chen." He had already spotted Chen Yu and used his cane to push himself up.

"Captain."

Chen Yu stepped forward and gave Vogel a hug.

He had once been a sailor on the Great Lakes. Later, his leg was broken in a violent clash, leaving him with a limp. He looked like a pirate captain from the Middle Ages, which was how he got the nickname "Captain."

Vogel invited Chen Yu to sit down and asked about his mother’s health.

"I remember Mary made some great pancakes. Back at Old Quinn’s restaurant, they were what I looked forward to most," Vogel said with a smile, reminiscing about the old days.

Chen Yu remembered Old Quinn, too, but the name conjured up more vivid memories: of going to look for his dead-drunk father, or of his father running to the restaurant to demand money from his mother. When she refused, and after a round of mockery from the surrounding crowd, his father would savagely grab his mother by the hair and drag her outside for a brutal beating.

For a time, it had been a spectacle for the whole neighborhood to laugh at.

"Captain, was there something you wanted to see me about?" Chen Yu didn’t want to dwell on the past.

Vogel leaned on his cane with both hands and looked out at the court, where a few kids were playing ball.

Further away, a group of loiterers were clustered together, up to who knows what.

The surrounding grass was littered with trash, filthy and chaotic.

"Chen, you got out of here through your own hard work and became a respectable man. I’m proud of you. But here, in your hometown, there are still so many people mired in the muck. And I," Vogel patted his chest, "I want to change this place."

Chen Yu’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. In the past, many influential people in the community had said they wanted to change this place. Then, one by one, they disappeared, and everything here remained the same.

’So Vogel wasn’t the first, and he certainly wouldn’t be the last.’

"Captain, I’m just an ordinary doctor," Chen Yu said.

On the way over, Chen Yu had suspected this was coming. He was probably being asked to give back to the community.

Vogel laughed. "Chen, you’re no ordinary doctor. You’re the famous Miracle Doctor. Your name is all over the papers. You’re chatting and laughing with all those superstars... My God, you even know Michael."

He wore a look of utter disbelief.

In the Wind City, everyone knew Jordan’s name.

Vogel continued, "I’ve started a real estate company. I want to do something for this place. It’s too chaotic, it lacks education, and it lacks healthcare. A lot of people can’t afford to see a doctor. Chen, I hope you can lend a hand."

Chen Yu felt a flicker of emotion.

When he was a child, a kid next door had gotten sick. His mother paid him no mind and was out messing around for half a month. She might have finally remembered she had a child at home, but by the time she returned, her son’s body had already been decomposing for days.

Chen Yu remembered his pale face, knocking on their window to beg for food. The next time he saw the boy, he was being carried out by the police, wrapped in a grimy blanket that reeked with a nauseating stench.

And stories like that were commonplace. Even Chen Yu himself had once been unable to afford a doctor, and his mother had to rely on all sorts of folk remedies while he just had to tough it out and pull through.

"Captain, what is it you want me to do? Open a hospital? I’m sorry, I don’t have that kind of money." ’I’ve made a good amount of money, sure, but opening a hospital—especially here—would be a money pit.’

Vogel glanced at Chen Yu and said with a smile, "If you’re willing, there’s always something you can do to bring change and hope to this place."

Chen Yu shook his head inwardly. ’You should run for office, Captain. You’ve got all the empty rhetoric down pat.’

Looking at the kids playing on the court, Chen Yu mulled it over. ’Maybe I should just donate some money and be done with it.’

’When it comes down to it, he just wants me to cough up some cash.’

’Anyway, my mother still lives here. Donating a little money is no big deal if it means the people around here will continue to look after her.’

Seeing Chen Yu looking at the court, Vogel said with a sigh, "Chen, you of all people should know how hard it is to get out of here. For these kids, in an environment like this, they can’t stay on the straight and narrow even if they want to. Maybe they can play some ball, but you know as well as I do how low the odds are of making it to the NBA."

At this, he seemed to remember something. "By the way, do you remember old Mrs. Morris from 59th Street?"

Chen Yu thought for a moment and nodded.

He vaguely recalled her—a very tough woman who had raised several children.

Vogel said, "She has a grandson—what was his name again? He’s playing ball for Marquette University now. I hear he’s even entering the draft next year. It’s really incredible, managing to get out of here through hard work. But how many kids like him are there? That’s why we need to, and have a responsibility to, build this place up and help more kids get out." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

’In that case, I’ll just donate a few tens of thousands of US dollars to help renovate the basketball court,’ Chen Yu thought.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Chen Yu continued to weigh his options.

’If I just get up and leave right now, nothing will probably happen.’

’I’ve already left Chicago, after all. Even if I never came back, no one could do anything to me.’

’But I did grow up here. My childhood may have been unhappy, but there are still some memories...’

After a moment of thought, Chen Yu had an idea.

"How about this, Captain. I’ll open a clinic in the community."

’I can’t afford a hospital, and it wouldn’t be profitable anyway.’

’I can invest two or three hundred thousand to open a clinic and hire a couple of doctors. I won’t be looking to make a profit; it’ll be enough if it can just cover its own expenses.’

’I can count that as doing something for the community.’

’Besides, my mother can’t stand being idle. Having her work the register at the clinic would give her something to do.’