[TN: Short Chapter lol]
From the moment Leo first thought of moving against the mob to the moment Kingpin was captured, it took less than a week.
No one expected the NYPD to launch a thunderous strike on a major local corporation like United Construction just because of two ordinary residents whose homes had been illegally broken into.
No one expected the mayor to have no intention of cozying up to Kingpin, of cutting dirty deals under the excuse of "mutual interests."
The mayor simply wanted Kingpin brought down—and word quickly spread: this very Kingpin had once nearly hired someone to kill Anthony.
All of New York fell silent, unsure how to react.
The raid was swift and shocking, and the ctOS system proved itself as well, quickly identifying and intercepting gangsters who tried to flee.
The New York underworld was finished. The only value left in them was how much evidence could be dug up of their ties to other cities.
"...Kingpin's body seems to be reacting badly to the anesthesia and electric shocks. Should we call a doctor?"
"Call a doctor. Contact Hammond at International Genetics."
"Understood."
Anthony gave the order to his secretary, who nodded and left.
The fall of the name "Kingpin" symbolized the end of the gang emperor who had ruled over New York for more than twenty years.
His people, his wealth, his lieutenants—every last one was going to prison. There was no room for bribery or tricks, only one public trial after another.
First came the outermost members. They hadn't handled the big business, but they were ruthless and had committed many violent crimes.
After just a few days in custody and cut off from contact, most of them broke and confessed on their superiors.
The next level was the petty dealers who fenced stolen goods and supplied criminal tools. They may not have committed violence themselves, but they sold vast amounts of items used for crime.
Above them were the ones with semi-legitimate identities, some even tied to local officials. These connections smoothed the trickiest parts of smuggling.
Such people were especially unsafe in prison—many wanted them silenced. But with ctOS protection, until they fully confessed what Kingpin ordered them to do and how they corrupted the system, they couldn't be eliminated.
Timid officials were already buckling under pressure and turning themselves in, while others tried to flee.
But ctOS was always one step ahead.
With the mobsters gone, the streets grew quiet—but politics didn't.
The mass arrests sent shockwaves through New York. Rumors spread that the new mayor, Anthony, was orchestrating a secret purge—a kind of "Florism," like McCarthyism.
Anthony picked up the phone and called Leo.
"Wilson Fisk and his whole crew are in custody."
Leo asked in reply: "What do you plan to do with him?"
"Maximum sentence? With everything on him, I'd guess four or five life sentences."
That meant no chance of parole—he would die in prison.
But Leo had another plan. America was broke after the subprime crisis. To squeeze more resources, the government needed stronger credit. And the best way to boost credit was to project strength and unity.
And so, Leo said, "We bring back the death penalty. Let justice come faster."
Anthony froze.
New York State had just abolished the death penalty in 2007. Could Leo really bring it back with a single sentence?
And it wasn't even in the mayor's power—it had to be legislated by the state assembly and signed by the governor.
Though an immigrant, Anthony had grown up under the anti-death penalty wave of the past decades.
As a common man, he sometimes thought certain people simply deserved death. But as mayor, he had grown cautious and hesitant—he didn't even know why.
Sensing his hesitation, Leo added: "Do you think, once the crimes of Kingpin's gang are exposed, the public won't demand his execution?"
"If not…"
"Then it's over. Push for it. This is a major decision—it will reveal who stands with you."
Anthony grew more uncertain. After thinking for a long time, he asked carefully: "Yesterday, when I saw Kingpin, I suddenly realized—if not for me, maybe the mayor now would be him. Tell me, what makes me different from him?"
Leo answered quickly: "Black and white are both colors, but black is black, white is white. Don't confuse your positions just because you share an ecological niche.
He terrorized, deceived, and murdered ordinary people in Hell's Kitchen. If I recall, O'Malley alone confessed that Kingpin personally beat two men to death. You have never done such a thing.
Under our policies, people have jobs, earn money, support families, and live in the sun without fear. That alone makes us different."
Then Leo added: "And maybe Kingpin should have been executed long ago—before 2007, when the death penalty was still in place."
New York had declared the death penalty unconstitutional in 2004 and fully abolished it in 2007.
But Kingpin had been active for at least twenty years. He very likely committed crimes worthy of execution back then.
Rationally, you shouldn't judge present criminals under past laws. But what if he was a fugitive who slipped through the cracks?
What if he had once been sentenced to death and used tricks to escape it?
What if, more outrageously, he had funneled political donations to the very lawmakers who pushed to abolish the death penalty?
Leo's preliminary digging suggested exactly that—Kingpin had donated to some pro-abolition legislators.
Kingpin's attempts to launder himself into politics and play the "respectable frontman" probably stemmed from those contacts.
"...Think about it. A tyrant who kills whoever disobeys him. Maybe he once murdered a father in front of his child, humiliated the child's mother, burned down their home, and buried people alive in concrete.
And after all the struggle of countless good people, he is finally put on trial and sentenced to death.
But he just doesn't die. He gets out, drives luxury cars, and lives in mansions. If you were an ordinary person, how would you feel?"
"I wouldn't be able to sleep. Even if I distracted myself with work, sometimes I'd remember—our city, our society harbors such a monster."
"See? You understand." Leo smiled.
Anthony felt relieved.
Since taking office, he had felt like a child pointing at things, saying, "I want this, I want that," but in practice, bound hand and foot.
But as Leo said—even if Anthony weren't mayor, even if Kingpin weren't a mob boss, their roles were set. Kingpin was the tyrant, Anthony the oppressed worker.
They were enemies from the start and would always remain so.
Kingpin must die. That was the only way Anthony could answer to the ordinary man he once was. And delivering that death sentence through the justice system was his duty as a mayor and a statesman.
With this thought, Anthony suddenly felt confident and at peace.
Leo had once told him: Know your voters, care for your voters—that's how you succeed as a politician.
And Anthony had once been one of those voters. All he needed to do was what his past self had always wished the mayor of New York would do.
"I'll set up a meeting with the governor right away. And I'll need to visit a lot of legislators."
"Good. You're on the right track." Leo nodded.
As Anthony grew into a capable politician, New York, as his power base became more secure.
With the world's most prosperous city as his backing, he was now ready to face external pressure—
The U.S. Army's latest mechanized infantry division had already deployed to Africa. A clash with Atlas was inevitable.
Maybe sooner than expected.