The plummeting stock price of Stark Industries had led to the bankruptcy of a large number of investors. Peter hadn't been fully aware of this at first, so he hadn't even considered its broader implications.
Consequently, as Peter helped out at the charitable banquet, he began asking some of the newcomers for a more detailed understanding of the situation. Having just returned, he hadn't paid much attention to those specific developments.
Tony still maintained his "don't worry, I'm fine" persona. Peter, after learning that the collaboration between Oscorp and Stark Industries had managed to halt the further evaporation of the stock market, had stopped tracking the matter closely.
He had almost forgotten how important these developments were to New York City.
Thinking this, Peter shook his head and returned to his duties. He checked to make sure the few small televisions at the banquet were working properly, arranged them, and then headed to the front desk to take over from a volunteer who looked completely frazzled.
To his surprise, very few people were actually looking for jobs. Instead, many were hoping to rent low-cost housing in New York. These former white-collar workers, who were used to being driven everywhere, clearly had no clue which districts offered affordable housing or which locations were within a thirty-minute walk of the office buildings where major Manhattan corporations were located.
They had previously commuted by car from Brooklyn, Queens, or other New York suburbs to Manhattan.
Peter was quite familiar with Manhattan. As he checked the local housing contacts available at the banquet one by one, he realized a problem: the banquet's previous housing listings were typically handled by contacting individual landlords and referring suitable tenants.
Most of these landlords were from New York's Lower East Side, the old southern districts, or Uptown—areas relatively far from the financial centers of Midtown and Wall Street.
However, after looking at the notebook today, Peter discovered that all the listed apartments were in Hell's Kitchen, and none of them had private landlords.
"Excuse me, I need to make a call."
Peter swapped places with someone else and ran to the restroom to call Matt. The blind lawyer seemed to be free, as he picked up the phone immediately, asking with curiosity, "Did something happen?"
"No, nothing. I'm just curious about how the charity acquired so many properties in Hell's Kitchen, and why the charity manages the listings directly. I couldn't find Martin, so I'm asking you."
Matt was visibly surprised. "How do you know about that? Did you find a problem and go investigating?"
"No, I'm just volunteering at the charity."
Matt fell silent for a few seconds before laughing. A little later, he told Peter the truth: "I don't know what Fisk's goal was after he was released on bail, but one thing he said was true—he and his gang have abandoned Hell's Kitchen. Now, it's the Fisk Tower in Midtown that concerns him more. A Hell's Kitchen free from the interference of gangs has finally emerged."
"So?"
"Martin and Daniel bought up a large number of apartments in Hell's Kitchen, and a significant portion are currently being renovated. The power in Hell's Kitchen is now connected to Stark's arc reactor, which has also brought down electricity costs. We've dealt with the gangs and acquired a massive amount of apartment space that we can rent out cheaply, or even at a loss. We are almost seeing the signs of a burgeoning Hell's Kitchen, but there is only one problem."
People.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Manhattan is a small place with a straight-line street design. Theoretically, there are no mandatory physical barriers between neighborhoods, but in reality, the differences between them are quite significant.
In a place like Hell's Kitchen, the long-term residents have never been known as model citizens. Because of this, even though the Defenders intended to revitalize the neighborhood, they found they didn't know where to start: the residents here were, for the most part, beyond saving.
Thus, they decided to introduce newcomers. With Stark's stock crash devastating the middle class, the Defenders took the opportunity to steer people toward Hell's Kitchen. Regardless of who they were, they were certainly better than the original inhabitants of the area.
After listening, Peter was left speechless. He sighed and left the restroom, intending to help them rent out these affordable Hell's Kitchen apartments.
On the way, he overheard a discussion among some homeless people staying at the banquet.
"Free medical subsidies? Sounds like they're using us to test drugs, right?"
"If it were really drug testing, I'd go too. They pay quite a bit for that. But this is different; it's completely free treatment—no fees charged, no money given. And they say they provide prescription drugs. Don't doubt it; I've been there. It's true, there's a doctor working there."
A piece of gossip caught Peter's attention. He didn't believe the news was entirely legitimate, but it was worth investigating. He approached them to ask for details. The situation matched what the man said, but Peter felt there was something suspicious behind it.
When the homeless men heard footsteps, they were initially wary, but upon seeing it was Peter, they relaxed. "Parker! Young man! Are you interested in what we were saying?"
"A little bit. After all, you know the charity doesn't allow pharmaceutical companies to post drug-testing advertisements inside, so I was just..."
"That's the only bad thing about Mr. Li. That's money, after all, and a large sum of it."
"Plus, the charity has doctors for everyone."
"Ah, right, I know—Dr. Zhang and Miss Jane Foster. She's a good person," a homeless man nodded. "She treats us and gives us medicine, but we don't just need medicine. If we went to participate in those drug tests, we could get money, too."
"The charity provides food and housing, and helps you find work. What do you need the money for?"
The two men fell silent, chuckled, and then returned to talking about the free medical services. Simply put, a "barefoot doctor" type had appeared in New York recently, traveling around to treat people, and many had recovered from their illnesses thanks to him.
"I even heard that some people with disabilities have been cured by him."
"Regrowing lost limbs?"
The homeless man shook his head. "No, it's that he's been making free prosthetic limbs for the homeless and fitting them."
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