Free Web NovelChapter 379: Chapter 179: The System’s Loophole
The applause still echoed through the auditorium, crashing against the walls like a relentless tide.
Leo stood at the center of the stage, holding a thick stack of gold-embossed certificates and checks.
He had already presented a dozen or so awards, facing just as many young faces—some tearful with excitement, others stuttering with nerves.
Every student who came on stage would grip his hand tightly, reciting the same rote phrases: "Thank you, Mayor," and "I’ll work hard to give back to Pittsburgh."
This was normal.
In the aura of power, compliance is an instinct.
"Our next award recipient."
Ethan Hawke stood at the microphone and read the next name on the list. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"Marcus Thorne."
"From Carnegie Mellon University, with a double major in Mathematics and Computational Finance."
A slender figure rose from the crowd.
Only when the young man walked onto the stage and stood in the spotlight did Leo get a clear look at him.
Marcus Thorne was about nineteen, gaunt, with pale skin.
He wore a cheap, obviously ill-fitting suit. The cuffs were short, revealing a sliver of the white shirt underneath.
It was the kind of suit you could find at a thrift store or on a Walmart clearance rack.
He wore a pair of thick, black-framed glasses, and his eyes behind the lenses held none of the excitement one would expect from an award recipient.
Leo had looked into his background.
Marcus’s father was a former worker at Allegheny Steel Company. He had lost his job five years ago due to a work-related injury, and most of his compensation had been carved up by lawyers and middlemen, leaving the family in extreme poverty.
The boy was only able to afford Carnegie Mellon University thanks to student loans and by writing odds-calculating algorithms for underground casinos.
Smiling, Leo extended his hand, offering the certificate and the twenty-thousand-dollar check.
"Congratulations, Marcus."
Leo said, in that characteristically personable tone of a politician.
"Pittsburgh is proud of geniuses like you."
According to procedure, Marcus was supposed to take the check, say thank you, pose for a commemorative photo, and then walk off the stage.
But Marcus didn’t take the check, nor did he shake Leo’s outstretched hand.
"Mr. Mayor."
Marcus’s voice was quiet, yet exceptionally clear.
"I applied for this scholarship because I need the money, and for that, I am very grateful. But before I take this check, there is something else I must say to you. Right now."
In that instant, the atmosphere on stage froze.
Standing off to one side, Ethan Hawke’s brow furrowed instantly.
His instincts told him that nothing good was about to come out of this bookworm’s mouth.
The kid might complain about injustice, accuse City Hall of putting on a publicity stunt, or even spout some nonsense that would make for some very ugly headlines tomorrow.
He instinctively took half a step forward, preparing to smooth things over or simply escort this ungrateful brat off the stage.
"Mr. Mayor..." Ethan began.
Leo raised a hand, stopping Ethan.
He looked at the gaunt boy before him.
There was fear in Marcus’s eyes—the instinctive dread of authority.
Twenty thousand dollars was a fortune to him, enough to change his life. What he was doing right now could very well cost him that money, and worse, earn him the enmity of the most powerful man in the city.
And yet, he still stood there.
But beneath that nervousness, Leo saw something far more incandescent.
Ambition.
This wasn’t some cynical bookworm whining. This was a genius, struggling up from the bottom, demonstrating his worth to those in power.
He was making a gamble.
He was betting that Leo Wallace wasn’t some fatuous bureaucrat who only listened to pleasantries. He was betting that the chips he held were enough to offset his impertinence, perhaps even win him something more valuable than the scholarship money.
He was seeking patronage, and he was seeking an opportunity.
Leo smiled.
He liked that look.
"Let him speak."
Leo said to Ethan, his tone level and encouraging.
He watched Marcus with rapt attention, his gaze holding no reproach, only expectation.
Leo asked, "What is it you have to tell me?"
The boy took a deep breath, and the tension-induced stiffness seemed to melt away.
"Because I’ve discovered a problem."
Marcus pushed his thick, black-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked Leo straight in the eye.
"This past summer, I was an unpaid intern for two months in the data center of the Municipal Department of Finance. I had clearance to view the backend runtime logs for the Pennsylvania Industry Alliance Trust system."
"Your original intention for the design was good: use digital credits to lower transaction costs and promote the flow of goods between cities. Erie’s steel for Pittsburgh’s machinery, Pittsburgh’s labor for Scranton’s cement."
"However, your algorithmic model contains a core logical flaw."
Ethan’s head snapped up, a look of astonishment on his face.
Marcus spoke in a rush. "The current model is built on an idealized assumption—that the flow of trade between all cities is relatively balanced, or at least complementary. But the data tells me the exact opposite is true."
"Pittsburgh is the absolute heart of this alliance and the sole issuer of these digital credits. In other words, you’re not just the one making the rules; you’re also the central bank of this monetary system."
"Right now, Phase Two of the Revitalization Plan is running at a frantic pace. You’re buying steel from Erie, cement from Scranton, and glass from Johnston."
"A constant stream of trucks laden with materials is pouring into Pittsburgh, and what Pittsburgh pays them with are system-generated digital credits."
"This looks wonderful in the short term. The factories in those other cities are running, and the economic data looks good. But have you ever stopped to think what they can actually do with those credits?"
