By evening, Lier's personal driver, John, arrived to pick him up. The two chatted idly in the car.
If he set aside all the familiar characters, Lier might even think this was an ordinary world.
Even considering the existence of the Osborn Group, it seemed like there weren't all that many things beyond imagination popping up in his face from time to time.
John drove smoothly, like a proper chauffeur, and reported the recent changes in the community to Lier.
Overall, with the youth version of ctOS going live in the community and nearby neighborhoods, the cost of committing crimes had gradually risen, and the crime rate was falling rapidly.
Some ambitious and enterprising NYPD officers even volunteered to take charge of security in this area-
Because they almost never had to deal with cases where the culprit couldn't be found, and successfully solving robberies, thefts, and other public-order offenses looked very good on their records.
The drop in crime had made the unemployed less anxious, and had also pleased the property owners-
In the United States, public safety was an extremely expensive service, but now they were getting high-quality security at a price that wasn't all that high.
But Lier knew this peace was largely because Kingpin had reined in his gang's activities. Once he sorted out his cash-flow problems, he would inevitably come back in force.
The ctOS system and criminal organizations were natural enemies-unless the criminal gangs themselves possessed the technology.
But regardless, they weren't going to see robberies and gunfights every night now.
People were still in the habit of going home early, so the streets were nearly empty-which was just as well.
The car pulled to a stop, and the two went their separate ways.
After dinner, Lier went straight to his room and began