American Tax Officer

"Tomorrow morning, the law enforcement department will conduct a spot check operation. Please gather at the square downstairs at 6 am," Nisen said.

Upon hearing the words "law enforcement department," the man with glasses immediately tensed.

Could it be...

Had his identity been exposed?

But if it was exposed, shouldn't the law enforcement department directly come to arrest him? Why conduct a spot check?

As his thoughts churned, the man with glasses asked again, "Which law enforcement department is it?"

"The tax authority."

"The tax authority... okay, I got it!"

The worried man with glasses immediately relaxed.

As long as it wasn't the police, FBI, or CIA coming for him, there was nothing to fear from the tax authority!

...

"They probably think I'm as busy as they are, such a sin!"

David, lying in bed, suddenly felt guilty thinking about Nisen and the others, who were staying up late monitoring the situation in the Constance Residential Area.

Yet, this was necessary.

His absence that night gave Nisen and the others some space for imagination, leading them to believe he was also looking for clues about the hacker through special means.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be logical always to have all sorts of criminal information about those lawbreakers as soon as they were seen.

"It's getting late..."

David cleared his chaotic thoughts and soon fell into a dream.

At 5:23 AM the next morning, the alarm woke David up. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and took a taxi toward the Constance Residential Area.

Around 5:50 AM, he arrived at the Constance Residential Area and approached the surveillance vehicle parked not far from the entrance, knocking on the rear door.

With a click, the rear door opened, and Nisen stepped out.

Though he had been up all night, Nisen held a cup of Starbucks coffee in his hand, still looking refreshed.

"How is it, any situation?"

"No, all normal. It's almost six; they should be coming down soon. Let's go!"

David nodded, and they walked toward the square of the Constance Residential Area.

By the time they arrived, quite a few residents had already gathered, and others were steadily arriving from various buildings.

Bucky and other members stationed at each exit also arrived at the scene.

"Everyone has worked hard tonight."

"It's not hard, it's necessary. The most important thing is to catch that bastard!"

Bucky and his team, who had stayed up all night, did show signs of fatigue, but they had no complaints, seemingly taking it as their duty.

David nodded in acknowledgment, then without saying more, turned his attention to the gathered residents, "I'm sorry to disturb everyone so early, don't worry, it won't take much of your time!"

"It's not a disturbance; cooperating with the tax authority is our duty."

"Yes, it's our duty..."

"..."

Had it been any other law enforcement department requiring a spot check so early in the morning, the residents would have been annoyed.

However, they all knew the rigor of the tax authority; to avoid trouble, they dared not complain too much.

Without further ado, David began checking the information of the residents present.

[Name: Paul Christie.]

[Occupation: Chef.]

[Monthly Income: 5200 US Dollar.]

[Income Details: wages and bonuses income…]

[Tax Payable: 0.]

...

[Name: Sean Amster.]

[Occupation: Bartender.]

[Monthly Income: 6000 US Dollars.]

[Income Details: Salary, bonuses, etc.…]

[Tax Due: 0.]

...

[Name: Dany Freeman.]

[Occupation: Makeup Artist.]

[Monthly Income: 7010 US Dollars.]

[Income Details: Salary, bonuses, etc.…]

[Tax Due: 0.]

[...]

Even though David's inspection was swift, there were simply too many people at the scene, and he wasn't able to identify the individual at once.

It wasn't until half an hour later, when his gaze fell upon a skinny man with eyes that seemed to pierce through the crowd, that he suddenly saw the light.

[Name: Koffdale Jay.]

[Occupation: Hacker.]

[Monthly Income: 800,000 US Dollars.]

[Income Details: On December 12, hired to hack into the Priston Casino system, earned 100,000 US Dollars, on December 19, hired to hack into Nurenka Internet Company, earned 200,000 US Dollars, on December 26, hired to hack into the CIA Bear Country Station Database, earned 300,000 US Dollars…]

[More Details: …]

[Tax Due: 316,800 US Dollars.]

All had been relatively normal until David saw the data linked to this man named Koffdale. It caught him by surprise.

He had assumed that, although the man was a top-notch hacker, he was merely involved in petty schemes like rigging casinos or tampering with the systems of employers' competition.

But, to David's disbelief, the man had the audacity to target the CIA!

One must understand, the CIA might not have as much authority as the IRS, but their methods are much more ruthless.

Who knows how many terrorists and spies have been tortured by them to the point of preferring death.

This man must have been extremely confident in his abilities and believed that the CIA wouldn't be able to track him down, or the sheer amount of money had clouded his judgment!

Oh well, it wasn't David's concern.

As long as the man was willing to pay his taxes to the IRS, David was naturally able to keep this secret for him.

Putting his thoughts aside, David addressed the crowd, "Alright, everyone, you may leave now, thank you for your cooperation!"

With those words, the residents began to leave.

Koffdale also breathed a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to follow the crowd home, he suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder.

Turning his head, he found that the one who had tapped him was none other than David, who had just addressed the crowd.

Looking at the smiling David, he asked puzzled, "Inspector, is there anything else?"

"Mr. Koffdale, would it be convenient for you to have a chat at your place?"

Koffdale was startled. He hadn't mentioned his name, so how did this IRS inspector know it?

Could it be… they had investigated him?

Or perhaps… they had come specifically for him?

But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why the IRS would target him; he hadn't evaded taxes nor owed any back taxes.

"Don't worry, it's just a 'friendly' chat!"

"This… well, okay…"

If he refused now, after such a statement, wouldn't it imply he had something to hide?

To avoid escalating the situation, Koffdale decided to agree and see what the IRS wanted from him.

David then turned and approached Bucky and the others, "You've been up all night; you can leave now. I'll explain everything to Chief Tax Officer Lewis after this case is closed and award each squad an additional 20,000 in tax achievements as compensation!"