American Tax Officer

Koffdale looked at the person in front of him and tremulously asked, "Who... who are you!"

The man sneered and slowly said, "Senior CIA agent, my name is Jerome!"

"CIA!!!"

Hearing these three letters, Koffdale went limp all over.

Upon recalling the CIA's cruel waterboarding, he almost collapsed, but then it seemed as if he remembered something and clutched onto it like a lifesaving straw, shouting, "You can't arrest me, I've already paid my taxes to the National Tax Bureau, I'm one of their good taxpayers..."

In truth, he was desperately grasping at straws in his panic.

At the time, David had promised him that his information would not be exposed.

But if he was caught himself, then he could not blame the National Tax Bureau!

However, at this moment, where could Koffdale afford to think so much.

In his eyes, having been captured by the FBI and CIA jointly, his only savior could be the National Tax Bureau!

"National Tax Bureau!"

Jerome was startled and turned to look at Brod beside him.

With a solemn voice, Brod explained, "On December 3rd, Congress passed a bill called the Black Tax Law, which stipulates that from now on, income earned from any illegal industry must be taxed by the National Tax Bureau..."

Hearing this explanation, Brod finally understood.

But he seemed to remember something, his face turning sour, he said, "That means the National Tax Bureau found this guy before us and also knew what he was up to!"

Jerome nodded, his expression equally somber.

They had been tracking down Koffdale for over half a year, yet had always been unable to pinpoint his whereabouts until he became overconfident and infiltrated the Pentagon, which allowed them to finally catch him.

Unexpectedly, just over a month after the Black Tax Law came out, the National Tax Bureau had caught him first and even forced him to pay taxes.

The CIA is supposed to be the top intelligence agency in the world, how the hell did the National Tax Bureau manage this?

Gathering his thoughts, Jerome asked Koffdale, "I'm asking you, last month you hacked into our CIA system, took away a list from our Bear Country Station, and later handed it to a spy, didn't you? Who is he?"

"I... I don't know..."

"Slap!"

No sooner had Koffdale finished speaking than Jerome slapped him across the face, leaving a red and swollen mark instantly.

"Come clean, or you'll regret it!"

Shivering, Koffdale covered his face and replied, "I really don't know, that spy was very cautious, our trading doesn't involve any direct contact..."

"..."

Half an hour later.

Jerome and Brod exited the apartment building and got into a black Cadillac.

"He's probably telling the truth!"

Brod nodded in agreement and then said, "According to him, because of the tax break policy, he assisted the National Tax Bureau in digging out that spy, and later was indeed informed that he could enjoy tax relief, which means that the spy was unearthed by the National Tax Bureau's people!"

"I never would have thought that the guys in the National Tax Bureau would be so pervasive. We spent so much effort trying to find the person, but they effortlessly dug him out!"

Jerome's face hardened, and he was quite annoyed.

He had originally thought that the National Tax Bureau unearthing Koffdale might have just been a stroke of luck.

What they hadn't anticipated was that not only did the National Tax Bureau's people dig up Koffdale, they also unearthed the spy whom they had long wanted to eliminate swiftly!

If word of this matter reached their superiors, wouldn't the two of them become utterly useless?

After all, intelligence had always been the CIA's strong suit, yet they fell short compared to the tax-collecting National Tax Bureau, which was somewhat humiliating.

Jerome felt increasingly resentful and said, "That spy is too cunning. Even if we continued our investigation, we might not be able to catch her quickly. But Inspector David has already obtained her information. Perhaps we could have a talk with him!"

Brod was taken aback and then shook his head, "According to the confidentiality agreement of the Black Tax Law, the National Tax Bureau has the right to keep their taxpayers' information secret, and we have no right to demand that they provide it!"

Jerome's expression turned cold, and he said, "That spy almost caused us to lose the entire Bear Country Station and has done considerable damage to other aspects of our country. If the National Tax Bureau had any sense of the bigger picture, they should discard their damn rules and cooperate with us fully!"

These words left Brod somewhat at a loss for words.

He was correct in saying that.

But firstly, the National Tax Bureau's only responsibility is collecting taxes; as long as taxes are paid, they are unconcerned with spies or criminals!

And if they provided information on the spy to them, would the National Tax Bureau not be losing a significant amount of tax revenue in the long run?

They would hardly be willing to do that!

Before he could continue thinking, Jerome had already started the car.

Brod hastily asked, "Where are you going?"

Jerome, as he shifted gears, replied, "To Las Vegas, to have a chat with Inspector David!"

At hearing this, Brod's lips moved as if he wanted to speak, but he ultimately couldn't voice any objection.

Because he knew the character of his partner.

Oh well, might as well take a chance!

…

Carson City and Las Vegas both belong to Nevada State, and the distance between them isn't too far—a little over an hour's drive. Jerome's car stopped in front of the National Tax Bureau Lakeside District Sub-Bureau Branch.

After getting out of the car and entering, he approached Debbie at the reception in the lobby and asked, "Is Inspector David in the office?"

Debbie was momentarily startled, then promptly corrected him, "David is no longer an inspector; he has now become our Director of Taxation!"

"Director of Taxation!"

Hearing this, both Jerome and Brod were somewhat surprised.

As far as they knew, promotions within the National Tax Bureau were quite challenging, perhaps even more so than in the CIA!

From what they had gathered from Koffdale's mouth, they knew a lot about David and understood that this inspector was very young—only in his twenties.

A promotion to Director of Taxation in his twenties, his seniority alone wouldn't suffice!

Unless...

This Inspector David demonstrated exceptional ability after the introduction of the Black Tax Law, which allowed him to be promoted exceptionally!

But on the other hand, had David not been outstanding, how could he possibly have unearthed Koffdale and that spy before the CIA did?

With this realization, the two men felt relieved.

Then, Jerome took out his credentials and replied, "We are from the CIA. Please pass on the message to Director David, we would like to have a chat with him!"

"From the CIA!"

Debbie was taken aback, but quickly responded by picking up the phone on the counter.