ตอน 22: Starling City Police Department

The facial recognition software was entrusted entirely to Felicity, instructing her to lead the team, essentially comprising the three subordinates, to develop an initial version to be handed over to the police.

"Why the initial version?" Felicity didn't understand why they wouldn't use the best. Wasn't the goal to combat crime?

Giving the highest version would mean we couldn't continue cooperating with the police, right? One-off deals have never been Thea's objective; she needs to maintain a long-term friendly cooperation with the police. With the ongoing collaboration between the police and Queen Industries, their image will naturally improve.

Of course, Thea couldn't tell the justice-driven Felicity the real reason. Thea explained another motive, "If we provide the highest version, they will undoubtedly suspect whether we used this software for illegal activities in the past. Don't tell me you haven't done that?"

It was obvious she had, considering Felicity had infiltrated more servers than Malcolm had killed people. Controlling a satellite to see what people around her were doing, digging into others' privacy, checking out a senator's newly acquired mistress – all these offenses added up to a substantial ten-year sentence minimum.

Actually, she wasn't afraid of the ten years. Being a recluse was a state of mind; whether at home or in prison, it didn't affect her much. The problem was the nature of U.S. laws, with specific regulations for hackers during their sentences, stipulating how long they couldn't touch a computer. This particular rule would likely drive Felicity crazy. Give her three days without a computer, and she'd probably start plotting an escape!

"Thanks, Thea. It means a lot that you care," Felicity said with a somewhat low mood.

"Come on, give me a hug. Don't cry, be a good girl!" Thea was growing fonder of this girl five years her senior. Despite being a bit quirky, Felicity was genuinely kind and justice-driven – qualities Thea admired and lacked.

Pushing away from the embrace, Felicity rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child; I'm tough, you know!"

After a playful exchange, Thea instructed her to recruit more people if necessary and emphasized the need for a quick turnaround.

While Felicity took full charge of the software, Thea wasn't idle. The one million paid by Moira covered more than just the software; it included all subsequent tasks. Moreover, just because Queen Group wanted to give something to the police didn't guarantee they would accept it without resistance. Some groundwork needed to be done.

Fortunately, Thea had connections in the police department. Detective Lance and the tangled history with the Queen family could fill a book. Despite the complexities, at least they knew each other, which was better than starting from scratch.

Directly approaching Detective Lance might lead to a dead end, so Thea decided to use Laurel as a mediator.

She called Tommy and asked him to arrange a meeting with Laurel. The three of them gathered at Big Belly Burger for a discussion. Tommy, who was counting ants out of boredom, gladly left his work and rushed out of the company at Thea's call.

The three arrived almost simultaneously at the burger joint, ordered some drinks, and Thea began explaining her intentions to Laurel.

For someone aspiring to work in the justice system, obtaining evidence has always been a headache. Laurel couldn't understand why such a good thing was being brought to her for discussion. Was there some obstacle?

"Thea, this is a good thing. Is there anything I can help with?" Laurel asked.

Thea explained, "Our plan is to provide free usage rights to the police. However, we're concerned that your father might not approve, given the history between our families." Thea gestured towards herself and then at Tommy.

After pondering for a moment, considering her father's recent grief over the loss of his youngest daughter, and his seemingly endless work hours and nightly drinking binges, Laurel couldn't predict how he would react.

"I think he'll agree. He's the most upright person I know. Thea, you can come with me. As for you," Laurel turned to Tommy, wearing a mischievous expression, "you can go play on your own."

Poor Tommy wore the expression of an abandoned puppy, but the two women ignored his antics. They drove together to the Starling City Police Department.

It was Thea's first time at the police station, and she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed. It seemed rundown, stale, dimly lit, lacking the grandeur she had imagined. The visible police officers were no more than one or two hundred.

As a police department managing a city with a population of half a million, it had a staff of fifteen hundred. However, in such a vast city, dispersing them made it appear as if there were only a handful. Headquarters retained only a few administrative staff, giving Thea the impression of a much smaller operation.

Accompanying Laurel, Thea found Detective Lance. A significant character in the Green Arrow series, he was like Commissioner Gordon from Batman, a tragic hero working behind the scenes. With two daughters dying and being resurrected repeatedly, his once thick hair had completely disappeared by the fifth season of Green Arrow.

Laurel explained Thea's plan in detail, and both of them eagerly awaited Detective Lance's approval.

"Miss Queen, what made you do this? Giving away something for free doesn't seem to fit the Queen Group's style," Detective Lance said with a cold smile, crossing his arms.

"Detective, no one instructed me to do anything. I was born and raised here; this is my home. Starling City is gradually heading towards destruction; can't you see it?" Thea took a deep breath.

"Perhaps, in your eyes, the Queen Group is deeply sinful, but I see it bringing life to this city. Initially employing fifty thousand workers, even with reduced production and several factories closed, we still maintain employment for thirty thousand people. Detective, we also want Starling City to thrive. We hope for it, and we are working towards it."

Seeing the skepticism fade from his face, Thea knew her words had some effect. "Fighting crime isn't solely the responsibility of the Starling City Police; it's the mission of all Starling City residents. I hope you can give me this opportunity to prove our value. This is not for me, not for the Queen Group, but for all the good people living in Starling City."

"Come on, Dad, agree to it. It's not a bad thing," Laurel added, trying to persuade him.

Detective Lance stared into Thea's eyes for a while before saying, "Alright, you've convinced me. I will discuss this with the commissioner. I hope I'm making the right decision."

As he prepared to leave, Thea quickly took two steps, grabbing his arm. "Detective, I know you're grieving for Sara's death, but the same tragedy also took away my brother and my father. For the sake of the departed, please forgive my brother."