Chapter 73: If You Advocate Tearing Off the Roof

Everyone jokes about how chaotic New York is. But when you think about it, New York's chaos is only relative to places that are better off. There are over two hundred countries and regions in the world, and there are many places where the crime rate and conditions are far worse than in New York. In fact, many areas are still engulfed in wars. Not to mention, New York remains the world's leading economic, technological, and financial center. Latveria, on the other hand, is the extreme opposite—a place that's poor, chaotic, and war-torn. Because of its poverty, backwardness, and savagery, there's hardly any information about it online. This world is far from peaceful; it's just that Leo was fortunate enough to be born in a decent place. The next evening, after packaging the chip drivers onto a disc and handing it to Mr. Wang, Leo set off to attend George's invitation. On the way to George's house, Leo was a bit silent—he couldn't shake the feeling that someday he might return to that house. The neighborhood where George lived was nothing like the poor area Leo came from. Here, everything was luxurious. The roads were lined with high-end cars, and the streets below the apartment buildings were regularly cleaned, ensuring the residents lived in both physical and mental comfort. Walking here, it was almost impossible to sense the fear of the financial crisis—people just seemed busier than usual. George was waiting downstairs for Leo, and when he saw his guest arriving, he smiled from afar and waved: "Welcome, Leo. Feeling better?" "Thank you for your concern, still the same—but definitely well enough to help you rid New York City of its evil criminals." "Big aspirations, I like that." It seemed the captain had just gotten off work; he hadn't even taken off his uniform. The two of them walked into the Stacey family's townhouse together. As soon as George took off his coat, he called out, "Gwen? Helen?" A well-maintained middle-aged woman came out of the kitchen, and the two embraced. "Where's Gwen?" George asked. Mrs. Helen also called for her daughter, but received no response: "She said she had a club activity, so she might not be back yet." "It's getting late—well, that's my daughter, she's full of energy." George explained, then began introducing the two. "But enough about that, this is our guest tonight, Leo Lee, the little hero who helped me solve a big problem in Hell's Kitchen. Leo, this is my wife, Helen." "Nice to meet you, ma'am, you look very young." "What a sweet talker. Alright, take a seat, dinner is ready." Leo sat down, thinking that he probably wouldn't get to see Gwen Stacy today—but it didn't really matter. He wasn't here to fanboy anyway; there were more important things to focus on. At the dinner table, Mrs. Stacey was very enthusiastic: "Leo, I heard from George that you started your own company?" "Yes, it's the consulting firm that recently provided equipment and technical support to the NYPD." Helen leaned back slightly: "You're really impressive. How old are you? You look very young." "Just recently became an adult." Helen leaned back even more: "Wow... You're even more impressive than I thought. Sounds like you're a genius like Tony Stark—where are you studying?" "Uh..." Leo scratched his head awkwardly, not quite used to this kind of small talk, especially because... He wasn't in school anymore. "Well, it's like this—I was actually in a coma for two years and only recently woke up from a serious illness, so..." Leo spread his hands. Helen was taken aback. She cautiously asked, "I heard your family is immigrants?" Leo answered frankly, "Yes, but according to American law, I should be considered a local—although, maybe not that local." A bit of genius—being as smart as Tony Stark is one thing, that's understandable. But this was a bit exaggerated—being in a coma for two years meant his mental age was only around 16. A 16-year-old doing technical work is understandable—a genius, after all. But being mature at 18 is one thing, while being 16... those two years could be like 20 years. Based on how Leo spoke and carried himself... he didn't seem 16, at least 26—no, even if Leo spoke like a 36-year-old, Helen would find it normal. 18 years old being mature is one thing, but 16... those two years could be like 20 years. What's more surprising is that Leo's parents are first-generation immigrants, so where did they get the money to provide him with a good education? Sensing the conversation taking an unexpected turn, George realized there was a problem. He chewed his food thoughtfully, then said, "Helen, could you call Gwen?" "Alright..." Helen left, still thinking about Leo. With Helen gone, George felt things were a bit more normal—he didn't know why, but he felt more comfortable discussing business with Leo. Come to think of it, Helen's shock was the same as his, but when they were only talking business, he could focus more. "Your surveillance recognition network is very useful; the mayor was also pleased with it. The government thinks it's necessary to deepen cooperation in this area— I've convinced them, but can you handle it? I mean, your company... might be a bit small." Leo smiled, "Captain, do you know how many people lost their jobs in this financial crisis? As long as there's work, you can easily find a bunch of people to install cameras—I just need to find an assembly plant. As it happens, there are plenty of idle factories around." "Speaking of unemployment, that's the mayor's biggest headache, but for you, it seems like an opportunity. You tech guys always have a way." Leo smiled again. Rationally speaking, he thought large-scale unemployment was the most incomprehensible thing—yet in reality, it happened every so often. If you can't avoid something, you can only try to understand it, so organizing production was something he was good at. Leo then said, "Captain, speaking of technology, I plan to upgrade our software system, though some of the features might be sensitive." George raised an eyebrow: "Let's hear it." Leo straightened up; he needed to use a well-prepared pitch to win George's support. As the saying goes, people are always willing to compromise—if you just say the room is too dark and needs a window, people will likely say no. But if you advocate tearing off the roof, they'll be more willing to accept the window. "This is a smart city system—using this system, we can reduce traffic jams, increase traffic efficiency, and I believe the mayor will like this feature. And with traffic data, we can correlate it with crime locations to predict the likelihood of crimes and potential crimes." George frowned but didn't stop him. Leo continued, "Traffic data is just the foundation. We're about to deploy new image processing chips that can better handle facial details captured by cameras. We can link everyone's movement patterns to criminal incidents and make inferences. Moreover, if you're willing to open up the public safety database, we can even use occupational information and family circumstances to prevent crimes..." "Leo." George suddenly interrupted, "This is very sensitive." "I know, it's sensitive—but think about it. If someone has a job, say an office worker, with a 9-to-5 schedule, then it's suspicious if they're in a dark alley during those hours—especially if a crime happens nearby. Just think about that possibility. With enough data, we can trace more clues—" "That sounds like it replaces the role of the police." "Of course not—the cameras won't arrest anyone on their own, and this is just inferring probabilities, not determining guilt." George propped his chin up with his hand, thinking for a moment, then sighed. "Leo, you know, this sounds like a New York State special edition of the Patriot Act. I believe the mayor will like the proposal. But the problem is, the people of New York won't support such a law, and it's dangerous." The Patriot Act, signed after the Twin Towers incident, is highly controversial. The core content of the Act can be glimpsed from the viewpoints of both sides: Supporters argue that if you're patriotic and not a criminal or terrorist, why would you fear the government checking your personal privacy? Opponents believe that patriotism and personal privacy can coexist. "I understand—Captain, I'm discussing this with you because I trust you're an honest person. But if you think this plan has too many issues, then let's stick with traffic control—fewer traffic jams, fewer accidents, that's something everyone wants to see. Besides that, it can help you automatically investigate licenses, track hit-and-run vehicles, DUIs..." "I haven't agreed yet, Leo." George rubbed his temples—but Leo's words definitely hit the mark. In the U.S., there's no dedicated traffic police force; traffic control is just one of the NYPD's many duties, and it's a real headache. If this system is as powerful as Leo says, it could indeed reduce a lot of work. Who doesn't hate those jerks who change lanes recklessly, speed, hit and run, drive dangerously, drink and drive, or even drive under the influence of drugs? Relatively speaking, this is a more moderate, and seemingly better, solution. "But this does sound good."