American History 1988
Chapter 77 - 72 Humanity is Priceless

Chapter 77: Chapter 72 Humanity is Priceless

As the CEO of the NCR strategy department, the amount of funds at Charles’s disposal was no small figure. But this did not mean he would offer a price carelessly, on the contrary, the higher his position, the more cautious he became when quoting a price.

Although Dean had earned his appreciation, the former was just a student, right?

Before coming, Charles had already communicated with William, and the two of them had a consistent view on the acquisition price of DCAP.

So, after scribbling a figure in the checkbook, Charles handed it directly to Dean.

"$60,000?" Dean raised his eyebrows after seeing the number on the check.

"Dean, this is a very suitable price." Charles put away the checkbook, slowly twisted the cap back on his pen, and finally replied to Dean’s question at a leisurely pace.

In these times, the value of software was just like that. A few years ago when Microsoft acquired the DOS system, they paid just about $50,000.

A piece of office software developed by a young whippersnapper, $60,000 was already a high price, at least in Charles’ view.

"But Judge Wedner just said DCAP would be promoted throughout Ohio, the entire Ohio court system, that’s a huge market, isn’t it? These are government orders~" Dean glanced at Judge Wedner, the implication clear without words.

The real value of DCAP wasn’t important; what mattered was that the entire court system would be purchasing it. In America, as long as the order was from the government, the value of the item would instantly increase several fold, that was an unspoken rule everyone followed.

Take DCAP as an example, no matter how low the cost was when Dean developed it. But once the courts in Cleveland or Columbus decide to acquire it, those suppliers with government contracts will definitely inflate the price of a set of software to tens of thousands of dollars.

As for how much the price is specifically inflated, it entirely depends on the relationship between the supplier and the higher-ups in the government. If the connections are strong, it’s not impossible to sell it to a single court for $100,000.

How many courts there are throughout Ohio, and NCR as an industry giant has unquestionable networking relationships. The value of DCAP in their hands could be dozens or even hundreds of times the $60,000!

For NCR, this would definitely be a purchase with an astonishing return on investment, so Dean wanted to fight for a better price for himself.

Charles understood the underlying message in Dean’s words, but he had no intention whatsoever of making a new offer. "Dean, as far as I know, when you initially developed this program, the Youngstown court offered you $3,000 for it. Now its value has increased twentyfold, that’s a considerable return, isn’t it?"

"No, Mr. Charles, that’s not its price. $3,000 was just the most support Judge Wedner could secure for me. In fact, it took me half a year to complete this office software." No wonder the offer was only $60,000—they had already learned about his initial budget from Judge Wedner.

The situation was a bit tricky, if Judge Wedner had told them this piece of news, then... Dean turned his head, and the judge looked like an outsider with no involvement, a bystander as usual.

She didn’t respond to Dean’s gaze...

"So?" Charles spread his hands, "This has no necessary connection. We just respect its original price. And since you’re aware of the rules of government procurement, you should also know what the consequences are behind it. Whether DCAP can be promoted throughout Ohio has nothing to do with its excellence, but depends on how many relationships NCR has employed behind the scenes."

"Kid," Charles patted Dean’s shoulder, "Sometimes favors are priceless, business is never just plain business."

If it wasn’t for Judge Wedner publicly praising DCAP’s founder as Dean Price in the state court, if it wasn’t for newspapers reporting on the matter, NCR would never have used such a mild method to pluck the fruits of DCAP. More likely, Charles and his team wouldn’t have had to lift a finger, and Dean would have had to hand over what he held willingly.

"Oh right," Charles seemed to suddenly remember something, "The $60,000 is the offer for you, but the transaction will record $260,000 on the books. Don’t worry about taxes; we will handle that for you."

$260,000? Dean, who had just been weighing pros and cons, widened his eyes slightly. $60,000 was for him; what about the remaining $200,000?

Dean turned to look at Judge Wedner, as usual dressed impeccably, who smiled kindly at him as always.

Mother F*cker! He got it all now!

Judge Wedner, NCR, Dean himself, DCAP, Youngstown court, the reason they could all come together today undoubtedly involved an intermediary.

What a vivid lesson, huh?

Dean smiled back at Judge Wedner, harmless and cheerful as he always seemed to be.

"Mr. Charles, may I think it over? It’s not a small matter for me; I’ve invested too much effort in DCAP, and I have feelings for it that are hard for ordinary people to understand."

Charles didn’t respond, but William nodded in agreement. Being a tech person himself, he understood Dean’s attachment to his work.

Seeing his colleague nod, Charles glanced at his watch. "Alright, you have two days to think about it, after which we will return to Dayton."

"Thank you for your understanding," Dean turned his gaze back to the owner of the office behind the desk, "Judge Wedner, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Wedner glanced at Charles and the others, who, like Wedner just now, politely nodded their heads and then left the office.

"Okay, Dean, do you have anything to say? But I warn you, some things are beyond even my ability. The power of NCR in Ohio..."

"I understand," Dean signaled for her not to worry, "It’s not about NCR. But before we start, could my personal lawyer, Wedner, come in?"

Wedner? Judge Witt was taken aback, but she quickly nodded in agreement. "Okay, Bennie, go outside and invite Lawyer Wedner in."

Wedner was just outside in the corridor, having taken on Dean’s case, he naturally wanted to see it through to the end. But the fact that NCR had reached out to Dean? It looked like he had yet another business opportunity on his hands.

So when Bennie invited him in, Wedner immediately perked up, ready to showcase his lawyerly prowess.

"Hey, folks, I guess I’ve arrived just in time?" Stepping into the office, Wedner spread his arms wide, flaunting his presence.

"Wedner, your timing is perfect. Regarding overcharged rent, oh no, most importantly, DCAP, and the risks it faces, you might want to fill Judge Witt in."

"Risks to DCAP?" Judge Witt became sensitive at the mention of DCAP, which was tied to both her future revenue and her achievements. At this critical moment, she heard the word "risk" associated with it?!

"That’s right," Wedner put the pre-prepared materials on Judge Witt’s desk, "We’ve discovered a company called GoodRent maliciously copying Overcharged Rent’s business model. Of course, that’s not the main issue; the real concern is how they have jeopardized citizen’s privacy rights to some extent."

Judge Witt looked at the materials in her hands, confused, and lifted her head. "So what does this have to do with DCAP?"

She knew about the Overcharged Rent company; it was a small enterprise operated by Dean. Initially, considering his development of DCAP, Witt had authorized Overcharged Rent to access DCAP information. Since criminal records were public anyway, she had turned a blind eye to Dean’s minor profiteering scheme.

But she didn’t care about Overcharged Rent company; her concern was DCAP, which now bore Judge Witt’s stamp.

"DCAP has been breached," Dean spread his hands and delivered the news that Witt least wanted to hear.

"What?!" Witt stood up from her chair, agitated, "Dean, didn’t you say that DCAP was very secure and wouldn’t have any issues! Oh, my god, NCR..."

Witt started to say something, but seeing Wedner, she forcibly swallowed her words.

"Don’t worry, Judge Witt, it’s just an accident. DCAP still functions normally and is reliable. But you know how it is; there are always saboteurs out there attacking others and slandering good governance. It’s like some people objecting to increasing the pensions for public officials—they are just as unreasonable."

"Dean, you just need to tell me, can DCAP resolve this issue?" Witt needed to ensure its infallibility, and as quickly as possible.

"Of course, I’ve already found the flaw. Just a small patch and DCAP will be impregnable," Dean assured her.

"Then do it! You know..." Witt leaned her hands on the desk and leaned forward, lowering her voice, "NCR only has two more days, we must deliver a complete DCAP to them in two days!"

At a time like this, Witt didn’t bother to pretend anymore; she had to make sure the deal went smoothly.

"Judge Witt, I have not taken action yet because I have a better suggestion," Dean took another set of documents from Wedner, "Instead of always being on the defensive, we could extinguish the source directly."

Seeing the documents Dean handed to her, Witt raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"I’ve located the saboteur who breached DCAP; he’s in Youngstown. As soon as he makes another move, I’ll be able to pinpoint his location exactly," a harsh look flashed in Dean’s eyes, ready to chop off the hand reaching into the Overcharged Rent platter.

"You mean...?" Witt looked uncertain.

"Wedner, hacking into the computer systems of government institutions, is it illegal? I don’t know much about the law; I think you can give me some good advice," Dean turned to look at Wedner with his commanding lawyer’s air.

"Certainly," Wedner straightened the red tie around his neck, "Based on their recent actions and the conclusive evidence from the servers, this saboteur is now suspected of violating the ’Federal Computer System Protection Act of 1977,’ the ’Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984,’ the ’Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986,’ the ’Computer Security Act of 1987,’ among other relevant legal provisions.

The lightest sentence under these is 18 months in prison and a fine of five thousand US dollars. Am I right, just Judge Witt?" Wedner looked expectantly at the judge from Youngstown.

"Wow~ Looks like you guys have made thorough preparations," Witt looked at Dean as if seeing him for the first time, even though she had only recently gotten to know him.

"We all operate within the framework of the law, don’t we?" Dean stepped closer to Judge Witt, whispering in her ear. "I think we’d better make a decision quickly, given we only have two days. And these are my terms: the saboteur is punished by law, and the deal with NCR goes smoothly."

Judge Witt smiled amiably again, "Lawyer Wedner, your legal advice isn’t specialized enough. To gain our employer’s favor, we must master the criteria of legal judgment."

"Oh~" Wedner looked at Judge Witt in surprise, "So your suggestion is...?"

"In addition to the computer-related statutes, the suspect is also implicated in the sale of citizens’ privacy rights. With multiple charges combined, an appropriate sentence would be 12 to 15 years in prison." The voice of the people, the voice of God. The Latin phrase in Judge Witt’s office had been there for years, but today it resonated with exceptional clarity.

"Wow~" Wedner sincerely conveyed his admiration, "I guess this is why you became a judge and I am just a lawyer stuck in the south of town, right? Just Judge Witt~"

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