[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer":3,"chapter-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-426":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Cyberpunk: Cross-dimensional Science and Engineering",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},1151567,1495,"Chapter 426 - 398: Kingpin Must Die (One More - to Go)","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-426",426,"\u003Cp>From the moment Lille had the idea to strike against the gang, to Kingpin being arrested, it took less than a week.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nobody expected the NYPD to take swift action against a big local corporation like United Construction Company just because two citizens were illegally intruded upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nor did anyone anticipate that the Governor had no shady deals or so-called \"beneficial exchanges\" with Kingpin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Governor simply wanted Kingpin caught—rumors circulated quickly that Kingpin had once nearly hired someone to kill Anthony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of New York was silent, suddenly unsure how to react.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The arrest was swift and unexpected, and the ctOS system also showcased its might, identifying some gang members who were panicking and trying to flee, leading to continuous arrests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gangs in New York were finished; now their value lay only in how much evidence could be extracted from them regarding contacts with other cities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Kingpin seems to have a negative reaction to anesthesia and electric shocks, should we get him a doctor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Get a doctor, directly contact Hammond from the International Genetics Corporation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Okay.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony instructed his secretary, who nodded after hearing the instructions and then left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The capture of the name Kingpin symbolized the disappearance of the gang that had been entrenched in New York City for over twenty years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His people, his assets, his subordinates—all were sent to jail, with no room for bribery or tricks, only repeated public trials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, the peripheral members of this criminal organization came to trial. As the outermost members, their business dealings weren’t substantial, but they were ruthless and had committed numerous direct acts of violence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just a few days of detention and loss of contact were enough to break most of them from their loyalty to Kingpin, leading them to turn on their superiors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One level higher were those involved in the black market sales and purchases of stolen goods. These individuals might not have committed direct acts of violence but had sold a substantial amount of items used for criminal activities.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further up were the more intelligent individuals with legitimate statuses who might even have connections with some local officials. They used these connections to navigate through the most problematic parts of illegal smuggling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These people would not be safe in prison, many wanted them dead there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, with the aid of ctOS, before they could be silenced, they had to provide complete testimony on what direct orders Kingpin had given them and how they had corrupted the system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many officials, shaken by the pressure, had already voluntarily surrendered, and others, sensing danger, had started to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But ctOS always managed to identify these problematic officials one step ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the gangs gone doing the dirty work, the streets became quieter, but not the political scene—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive arrests caused turmoil in New York, and rumors circulated that the newly appointed Mayor of New York City, Anthony, was executing a secret purge, seeking to institute a McCarthyist-style \"Florist-ism\" in New York.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony picked up the phone and dialed Lille’s number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wilson Fisk and his gang are all in custody.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other end of the line, Lille queried, \"What do you plan to do?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The maximum penalty? I guess his current situation could ultimately land him four to five life sentences.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four to five life sentences, considering Kingpin’s current circumstances, meant no chance for parole; he was sure to die in prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lille had other plans: all of Mei Country was extremely poor due to the subprime crisis, only able to squeeze out some resources by extreme measures, but in the end, it all came down to the same thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Issuing debts, increasing taxes, seeking help from the Federation and state governments, using other various funds and reserves—all essentially meant overextending credit, but to squeeze out more money, increasing credit was necessary, and showcasing strength was the best way to enhance it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another way to strengthen credit was to consolidate a massive social entity into a single line, in which the loose city government still had much room for adjustment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more people support you, the stronger your credit, but you have to give people a chance to take a stand to reveal the situation to society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Lille said, \"We reinstate the death penalty, to let justice be served a bit quicker.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New York State had just abolished the death penalty in 2007, and now Lille wanted to bring it back with just a single sentence?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, such law wasn’t something the Mayor could dictate—it needed to be legislated by the state legislature and signed by the Governor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though an immigrant, Anthony was greatly influenced by the decades-long movement abolishing the death penalty—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he was a civilian, he felt some people deserved to die, but now that he was Mayor, he was somewhat cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he didn’t know why he felt this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noticing his hesitation, Lille added, \"Do you think the public wouldn’t want him to be sentenced to death once Kingpin’s gang’s deeds are exposed?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then that settles it, go make an effort, this is a significant decision that can help you determine who leans towards you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony grew more hesitant, he thought for a long time, and cautiously asked, \"Yesterday when I saw Kingpin, I suddenly realized, maybe without me, he would be the current Mayor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What is the difference between him and me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille replied quickly, \"Black and white are both colors, but black is black, and white is white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You shouldn’t have this idea just because you’re in the same ecological niche—he intimidates, deceives, and even slaughters ordinary people in Hell’s Kitchen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I remember correctly, just O’Malley alone confessed that Kingpin personally beat two people to death, and you haven’t.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"People find jobs under our policies, earn money to support their families, and live in the sunshine without fear. Just this point alone makes us different.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lille spoke, he thought of something else and added, \"Maybe Kingpin was sentenced to death before 2007, maybe he should have died long ago.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was in 2004 that the state of New York declared capital punishment unconstitutional, and the complete abolition of this death penalty was in 2007.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kingpin had been active at least 20 years ago, at that time committing something that could be punishable by death was entirely possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rationally, people do not advocate using the old law to judge current criminals, but what if this person was a miss from before?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or maybe he was once sentenced to death but somehow escaped his execution?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To exaggerate a bit, perhaps over the years, he has contributed political donations to many legislators who hoped to abolish the death penalty?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These can be checked, and the preliminary results of Lille’s internet screening show that Kingpin really did give political donations to some legislators who voted to abolish the death penalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kingpin’s attempt to launder himself into a political facade definitely stemmed from his contacts with those people, enhancing his vision, and he might have even benefitted from the avoidance of the death penalty at some point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Think about it—a ruthless bully who kills anyone who doesn’t obey him, he might have killed a child’s father in front of the child, insulted the child’s mother with his gang, burned down a family’s cozy home, and buried disobedient people in concrete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the efforts of many determined individuals, he was brought to the court, and the judge sentenced him to death—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he just couldn’t die, and after a while, he got out of prison, continuing to drive his luxury cars, going in and out of big houses. If you were an ordinary person, what would you think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wouldn’t be able to sleep, though I might not think about these things when I’m busy, occasionally they come to mind, our city, our society harbors such demons.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"See, you understand my point,\" Lille smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony also felt relieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After taking office, he found that governing wasn’t about a child pointing here and there saying he wants this or that. Instead, he found himself restrained and cautious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But just as Lille had said, even if Anthony weren’t the Mayor, and Kingpin wasn’t the gang leader, he would still be that ordinary worker driven to desperation by a bully, Kingpin would still be that bully, and he would be that unlucky worker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had been adversaries from the beginning, and they would continue to be adversaries forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kingpin must die, this was Anthony’s obligation to his former self, a regular citizen; and sentencing him to death, sending him to Hell, was his inevitable choice as a Mayor and as a politician of a modern country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking this, Anthony suddenly became very confident and very much at peace:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille once told him: Know your constituents and care about them, that’s how to be a successful politician—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he was once part of those constituents. What he needed to do was what his former self hoped the Mayor of New York City would do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ll arrange a meeting with the Governor now, and... I guess I have many legislators to visit too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Good, you’re on the right track,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lille nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Anthony grew into a competent politician, New York City would become increasingly stable as a lifeline.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Backed by one of the world’s most prosperous cities, he was now set to face his opponents’ pressure directly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latest generation mechanized infantry division of the Mei Army had already arrived in Africa, and Atlas would inevitably clash with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps it would be soon.\u003C\u002Fp>",1594,"2026-06-03T12:33:12.910Z","2026-06-03T12:33:19.802Z",1,"novelbin.me","35d7d0f2af1190120cf5418e8edf01b4bb7aac2ded683670e1d3b6e647ec0def","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-427","cyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-chapter-425",1068,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fcyberpunk-cross-dimensional-science-and-engineer-cover.jpg"]