"Tell them the review process must be rigorous and meticulous. We must be responsible for every single cent of the taxpayers’ money."

"Every potential hazard must be investigated on-site."

"The depth of every pothole must be measured with a ruler."

"The price quote for every bag of cement must be compared against three different suppliers."

Moretti leaned back in his chair, spinning around comfortably.

"Stall."

"As long as we’re following procedure, he can’t accuse us of inaction."

"We’re just conducting a responsible review."

"By these standards, reviewing three documents a day would be fast."

"Four thousand applications?"

"Taking a year or a year and a half to review them is perfectly normal administrative efficiency."

"By the time we’re done, the public’s anger will have long since faded, and half his term as mayor will be over."

"He wants to play the procedural game? Fine, I’ll play along."

After listening, an expression of admiration appeared on the Secretary-General’s face.

’This is what a seasoned politician looks like.’

’He gives his opponent no openings, yields no ground, and uses the legal process to neutralize their offensive before it can even take shape.’

"I understand, Councilman." The Secretary-General picked up his notepad. "I’ll make the arrangements right away."

"Go on."

Moretti waved his hand.

He watched the Secretary-General’s retreating back, his mood excellent.

He picked up the road maintenance application from his desk and casually tossed it into the "pending" basket next to him.

The basket was already overflowing.

Moretti thought this was a game of budgets and public opinion.

He believed that as long as he didn’t refuse, as long as he put on a show of being cooperative, he would be invincible.

He was completely unaware.

This was a game of tort law.

The moment he gave the order to "formally accept" and "issue receipts."

He had, with his own hands, legally established a fatal fact: actual notice.

He admitted that the City Council was aware of the existence of these dangers.

If they chose to delay and review with cumbersome procedures instead of fixing them immediately.

Then if any accident were to occur at these locations.

The City Council, which holds the power to approve the budget, would bear full legal liability for "failure to act on known information" and "intentional delay."

He had personally carried four thousand time bombs into his own office and wound them up himself.

...

「At the same time.」

Mayor’s Office.

An official letter from the City Council lay on Leo’s desk.

The letter had a long title: "Notice Regarding the Acceptance of Street Maintenance Budget Applications Transferred from the Department of Public Works and the Initiation of a Special Investigation Procedure."

Ethan Hawke stood before the desk, his brow furrowed.

"Leo, he’s stalling."

Ethan pointed to the clauses in the letter.

"’Establish a special investigation team,’ ’on-site inspections,’ ’cost assessments’... Following this whole procedure will take at least a year or a year and a half to complete."

"He didn’t reject us, but he’s put our applications on ice."

"We won’t get the money."

"Our revitalization plan will still be dead in the water."

Ethan had thought the four thousand applications would force Moretti to yield, but he never expected the old fox to have skin thicker than a castle wall and resort to passive resistance.

Leo sat in his chair, holding the official letter.

He looked at Moretti’s flourishing signature on it.

He smiled.

And it wasn’t just him; in his mind, Roosevelt let out a delighted laugh.

’Perfect prey.’

Roosevelt’s voice was filled with the glee of a hunter watching his prey walk right into a trap.

’He not only took the bait, he swallowed the hook down to his stomach.’

Leo slapped the letter on the desk and looked at Ethan.

"The money will be here soon."

"And a lot of it."

Ethan was stunned for a moment. "What do you mean? He’s clearly stalling."

"Look at this sentence." Leo pointed to the first line of the letter. "’The City Council has formally accepted, registered, and filed...’"

"What does that mean?"

"It means that from this second forward, Moretti has admitted he knows."

"He knows that the pothole on Fifth Avenue in the Hill District could make someone break their leg."

"He knows that the broken streetlight in the Brooklyn District could lead to a robbery."

"He knows everything."

"But he chose to form a damn committee to investigate instead of immediately allocating funds for repairs."

"Now, those four thousand danger spots have all turned into time bombs."

"And if just one of those bombs goes off..."

"If just one citizen gets injured at any of these locations..."

"Moretti’s political career will be blown to bits."

"But, Leo."

Ethan suddenly cut him off, his brow furrowed.

"Are we really going to sit here like cold-blooded gamblers, waiting for innocent citizens to get hurt and bleed at those sites?"

"Setting aside how cold that is from a moral standpoint, just from a political angle, it’s far too passive. It’s like handing them an axe and offering up our own necks."

"If the media digs this up and reports that the Mayor’s Office had a list of four thousand danger spots but stood by and did nothing just to trap the City Council, the firestorm of public opinion will burn us first." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"The citizens won’t care who didn’t approve the budget. They’ll just see that you’re the Mayor, and you knew about the potholes but didn’t fill them. That’s a position that’s too easy to attack."

"You’re right, Ethan."

Leo nodded.

"Waiting passively is suicide. That’s leaving our fate to chance. So, we can’t wait for the bombs to go off on their own."

"We have to hold the detonator in our own hands."

Leo pulled open his desk drawer.

He took out a crumpled piece of paper.

It was the phone number that the old sanitation worker from Grant Street had given him.

That old man’s wife had broken her leg after falling in a pothole.

Although it happened before these applications were submitted, he had filed a maintenance notice previously. Not to mention, that same pothole was included in the current list of applications.

And that pothole still hadn’t been fixed.

Leo stood up, holding the slip of paper.

"The first victim is right here."

"Ethan, get me in touch with the best personal injury lawyer in Pittsburgh."

"I’m going to help a citizen file a lawsuit."

"A lawsuit against the city government for inaction."

Ethan looked at the slip of paper in Leo’s hand, then back at the official letter on the desk.

It finally dawned on him.

Leo wasn’t after the few million US Dollars for road repairs at all.

This was about creating a legal precedent.

"This move..." Ethan sucked in a sharp breath. "It’s ruthless."

"It’s the only way to deal with a thug."

Leo picked up the phone and dialed the number.

"Good evening, is this Mr. Smith?"

Leo’s voice was steady and powerful, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

"My name is Leo Wallace."

"The Mayor of Pittsburgh City."

"You told me that your wife broke her leg because of that damn pothole, and that you complained to City Hall a hundred times without anyone paying attention."

"I’m calling you now about that very matter."

"I’ve checked the records. That pothole is still there, your wife is still suffering, and City Hall still hasn’t compensated you a single cent."

"That’s not fair, Mr. Smith."

"So, I have already contacted the best personal injury lawyer in all of Pittsburgh for you."

"I’m going to help you file a lawsuit."

"We are going to sue Pittsburgh City Hall."

"That’s right."

"Even though I’m the Mayor, I must stand with the people and sue Pittsburgh City Hall."