Talent Recruitment

"Mr. Tobias Frur, I'll be direct. I'm very interested in ctOS technology, but Bloom Company seems to have labeled it as not for sale. What do you have to say about that?"

Harry, seated across from Tobias, voiced his question.

Tobias was an old man. After leaving Bloom, he had lost his source of income and become homeless.

"Why is Mr. Osborn interested in this technology?"

"Just like the advertisements say—an intelligent city. It's highly practical technology, and I appreciate it. If you've ever been to New York, you should know just how crowded that city is."

Beyond that, it could fill in Harry's final line of defense—information security. CtOS could help him block 99.9% of Agents. Once the system was deployed across New York, the city would hold no secrets from Harry.

In fact, as ctOS's creators, most of them had never harbored many ulterior motives. They genuinely believed the technology could make cities better.

At the very least, the man before him did.

Unfortunately, after Quinn, the mastermind behind the scenes, took over, the technology's original purpose had become twisted.

After discovering the dealings between the company and its investor, Quinn, several developers left the company. Tobias had been fired because of it and ended up as he was now.

Before that happened, they might have readily believed Harry's words and happily accepted Osborn's investment.

But now, money alone would not make it easy to get them to work for Harry.

"Someone once told us the same thing, but..."

"But they obviously weren't telling the truth." Harry indicated that he could guess what had happened.

"The system was completed and put into use, and just when things were at their peak, several founders were kicked off the team. Even an idiot would know something was wrong."

"I can understand why you don't trust me, but there's one thing we both want."

"To find what's hidden beneath ctOS and bring down Bloom Company."

Tobias had kept his eyes on Harry's throughout the conversation, searching for any sign that he was lying.

"I heard you plan to buy Blooma," Tobias said.

"Yes, but they won't sell. So I started wondering whether there was something else behind that company."

"Then you should go find DedSec."

Harry was somewhat speechless. Everyone had been scared senseless. The moment they opened their mouths, they told him to find that hacker organization.

But as far as Harry knew, not everyone in that organization was a good person.

He could gather these developers again and invest in them to work for him. Why should he seek out a hacker organization with such a complicated makeup?

"You're a ctOS developer. I'm not going to go running off to find a bunch of hackers of unknown origin. As long as you agree, I can fund you and your former team to continue developing ctOS, while retaining operating authority. I don't need that."

Harry would only install ctOS in cities where the power grid had been set up. And in any city using the Osborn power grid, software permissions were meaningless to him. He only wanted its functions.

The Osborn Group needed such a system to help it manage cities, but not the kind of control Quinn and Bloom used.

Harry had other expectations for the system. He did not intend to use it to spy on someone's privacy.

As for permissions, no matter how high the software privileges or how complex the security protocols were, they were meaningless before Leining.

"As for the mastermind you fear... I think you can have a little faith in the Osborn Group. Don't you?"

As Harry spoke, he handed over an unregistered bank card. On the television beside them, the news was reporting that the Osborn Group had just delivered a batch of new Power Armor to the Department of Defense.

Finally, after a long conversation, the old man relented. He was willing to work for Harry.

Tobias's nod was only the beginning.

This city's problems were far too severe. CtOS had seized the leverage of too many powerful people, allowing Quinn, the mastermind behind the scenes, to control the city and freely push forward ctOS deployment.

Looking at it another way, Harry could use this opportunity to take down most of the city's officials, then support several upright ones to help him govern it.

Just as he had done in New York.

"Good. I know you have a facility well suited for network operations. That place is called the Bunker, right?"

"How do you know that? I mean, that place has been abandoned for a long time. I don't think it can still be used." Tobias felt that this Harry Osborn was even more of a hacker than hackers. He had said everything Tobias could have said, as though there was nothing he did not know.

"That's fine. Osborn already has a Construction Team in Chicago. They have no work at the moment, so I'll have them go over and restore the place."

Harry was referring to Max. With them around, restoring power to the Bunker would not be a problem.

"There's one more thing... I don't know how you blocked ctOS, but once they discover that we've restarted the Bunker, they'll likely send mercenaries to attack us."

Tobias was not exaggerating. Chicago had already become Quinn's backyard.

That sort of tactic might work against poor technical workers like them, but against someone wealthier like Harry, it was no longer a problem.

"Hmm, that is indeed a problem. Then let's wrap this up before they realize I've bought off their mercenaries. If they hire another group of mercenaries, I'll have to spend a fortune again."

For a moment, Tobias failed to process what Harry meant—so those mercenaries were actually on Osborn's side now?

Harry patted Tobias on the shoulder. "Go back to the Bunker. My people will go with you. Now, I'm going to meet another one of your colleagues."

After settling Tobias, Harry went straight to a bar in the Bernie District. He remembered that another ctOS developer often came to this place.

"Harry Osborn?"

The moment he entered, an enthusiastic fan recognized Harry and cried out in surprise.

Naturally, Harry responded to the fans' enthusiasm.

"Yes, I'm Harry Osborn. Actually, I planned to book the place for tonight. Osborn's treating—have fun!"

"I love Osborn!"

The people who came here to drink were all mature adults, or rather, most fans of the Osborn Group were fairly rational.

Harry had heard that Tony was currently holding Iron Man tour events around the world. His fans were far more fanatical—every day, men and women in costume could be seen outside Stark Tower.

After everyone raised their glasses together, Harry took a seat at the bar.

"We've never had anyone as rich as you come in here. Could I get a photo with you? I want to post it on my social account—it'd make great advertising. I assume you won't charge me any copyright fees or anything?"

Faced with the bartender's request, Harry straightened his clothes and indicated that it was fine.

"You're such a nice guy. What'll you have?"

"Beer is fine, thanks."

"Wouldn't have guessed a billionaire shared the same tastes as us," the bartender said as he opened Harry a beer. "You didn't really come here just to drink, did you?"

"Indeed I didn't. I want to ask about someone—Raimann Kenny, or Dingo Grady. Whichever name you know."

Upon hearing those two names, the bartender gave an odd look to one side. Harry followed his gaze and saw a hooded man leaving the bar.

"Thanks, brother."

Harry patted the bartender on the shoulder, then ran out after the hooded man.

"Hey! Didn't you say you were treating?"

"On the table!"

The bartender looked over at where Harry had been sitting and noticed a check lying on the table.

"Paying with a check? Isn't that a little too casual..." Halfway through, the bartender stopped and quietly put the check away.

"He's rich. Everything he does is right."