Chapter 123: Sacrifice the Pawn to Save the King
2023-05-02 Author: Yue Shang Xintou
"According to police files, 16 officers from the New York City Police Department have recently been indicted for long-term corruption, including a deputy police captain. The charges against them include perjury, bribery, and malfeasance."
"...Some New York prosecutors revealed that in past investigations of similar police corruption cases, the assistance provided by the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau was often useless." — *The New York Times*
"Information shows that some narcotics officers in New York City once colluded with other police to steal millions of dollars worth of cocaine, which they then sold on the streets." — *The Washington Post*
"According to an informant within the New York City Police Department, a case two years ago involved a drunken police officer assaulting a taxi driver. In that case, the precinct captain deliberately shielded the suspect, leading to the assaulted driver being arrested by the police. Meanwhile, the officer who tried to expose the truth faced retaliation and was punished for violating internal discipline. Not only was he ordered to temporarily suspend his patrol duties, but his badge and service weapon were also confiscated."
"To this day, the assaulted driver was forced to pay a fine to avoid imprisonment but lost his job as a taxi driver and has been in a state of unemployment ever since."
"On the other hand, the officer who revealed the truth continues to face accusations, including improper conduct, failure to identify himself, interference with an officer on duty, failure to correctly fill out official reports, and providing false witness testimony." — *The Village Voice*
In the following days, as the media continued to expose the internal scandals and corruption within the New York City Police Department, the public's trust in the department began to waver.
Public opinion also widely criticized the New York City Police Department for policing others without strictly regulating itself, claiming its so-called internal supervision was merely a perfunctory cover-up.
The problems within the New York City Police Department undoubtedly affected Kingpin's image.
This was especially true given that in the earlier *Frontline* news report, Colin, under the pseudonym of reporter Clark, had already revealed some kind of connection between him and the New York City Police Department.
And as crimes like corruption and deliberate cover-ups by the police department were exposed by the media, the public naturally began to associate them with the Mayor.
If even a regular police officer dared to engage in such graft, what about those in higher positions?
At the same time, the candidate who had previously run against Kingpin began to voice his opinion, calling for him to resign from his position as Mayor.
Some related figures believed that if Kingpin were to resign, he would likely become the shortest-serving mayor in New York City's history.
Faced with the escalating situation, Kingpin's side responded swiftly.
Shortly after the media exposed the internal problems of the New York City Police Department, the city once again issued a statement from Mayor Wilson, declaring that he was unaware of the corruption within the police department. As Mayor, he would form a special task force to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
He also stated that this was all a smear campaign orchestrated by individuals with ulterior motives who did not want to see him in his position, implying that Anti-Registration Heroes might be behind it.
Kingpin's series of activities, especially his oratorical performances, successfully deceived the uninformed public.
They were convinced by Kingpin, believing that he might genuinely have no connection to the problems within the New York City Police Department. After all, he had only just become Mayor, whereas the New York City Police Department's corruption had persisted for years, even decades.
Just when everyone thought the matter was about to come to a temporary close, Clark Kent, the reporter from *Frontline*, once again published his latest investigation findings.
He proved that the Mayor had an undisclosed relationship with a former organization from Hell's Kitchen, a connection that might even be tied to his "rags-to-riches" story.
*Frontline's* new report, especially the photograph printed on the front page, instantly set off a firestorm of public opinion in New York City. Everyone was discussing Kingpin's scandal. If the report's contents were true, the Mayor's involvement with organized crime would become the primary catalyst for his downfall.
Just as everyone's attention was fixed on the news story about the New York Mayor's potential gang ties, the previously established task force made a breakthrough in its investigation of the New York City Police Department: "Among the 16 accused officers, it has been announced that 7 deliberately framed others to meet arrest quotas, 8 smuggled firearms, and 1 intentionally arrested the wrong person due to favoritism. Additionally, 4 high-ranking police officers and two others have been charged in a corruption case, including a deputy chief of the New York City police."
Sacrifice the pawn to save the king. Facing mounting pressure from public opinion, Kingpin made his choice.
He threw out the corrupt elements within the New York City Police Department—some of whom were very likely his own people planted within the force—to minimize the impact of the entire scandal.
Meanwhile, on another front, a gang leader from Hell's Kitchen who had long been involved in criminal activities was arrested. The man claimed to be the person in the photograph from the *Frontline* report.
Some media outlets compared the two men's appearances and noted there was indeed a slight resemblance.
At the same time, the reporter who originally took the photograph also came forward, admitting that Mayor Wilson Fisk might not have been the subject in the picture.
Without a doubt, this was all Kingpin's handiwork.
The appearance of a scapegoat reduced the public's suspicion of the Mayor. Coupled with the fact that his current image in the media was vastly different from his appearance in the past, many people, in truth, found it hard to believe he was the person in the photograph.
Furthermore, with the investigation into the New York City Police Department now concluded, people naturally began to think that this might have all been a story haphazardly pieced together by the media for the sake of a news report.
But, regardless of the outcome, Clark Kent, the *Frontline* reporter who exposed the New York Mayor's potential scandal involving organized crime, became a well-known public figure.
The public expressed their support for this reporter who dared to reveal the truth.
This was especially because his reporting had forced New York City to establish the task force that exposed the corruption within the New York City Police Department.
In the latest mayoral poll, it was shown that although Kingpin had worked hard to distance himself from any ties to underground organizations, his approval rating had inevitably been affected, showing a sharp decline. There was now about a 10% gap compared to the peak his poll numbers reached when he had cultivated a "tough guy" image after being injured.
At the same time, due to the distrust in the New York City Police Department, public attitude towards Superheroes also took a turn. The majority expressed the view that the executive order should perhaps be suspended for now, believing that even an unregistered Superhero was better than a corrupt cop.
At least they wouldn't frame ordinary citizens or make random arrests.
(end of chapter)