American Tax Officer

David guessed Lewis's thoughts and replied, "Understood, Chief Tax Officer, if there's really a need, I won't be shy!"

Lewis nodded, then opened the drawer below, took out three case files, and said, "These are the latest cases picked from the Intelligence Division, all of them 'hot cases'. Have a look and see which one you'd like to take on!"

So-called hot cases

refer to those that are easy to handle and offer a relatively high return.

Like the extortion case that David had just handled, that also could be called a hot case.

Because these people are not as vicious as the gangs or drug lords and the profit is also high.

Cases like these, as soon as the Intelligence Division's data is out, ten teams in the bureau would scramble for them.

And now Lewis actually got three cases all at once, this also demonstrated that after the outstanding performance in the last assessment period, his say in the bureau had significantly increased.

David picked up the first file, flipped through and read it, followed by the second and third...

After ten minutes, he had a general understanding of what the three cases were about.

The first case was a fencing case.

The second case dealt with counterfeit goods.

The third case was a hacker case.

Just as Lewis said, all three were essentially hot cases.

After pondering for a moment, David spoke up, "Chief Tax Officer, none of these three cases seems too difficult, why not assign them all to me?"

Lewis was initially startled, then hastily asked, "All three to you? Are you sure you can handle them in a short time?"

By 'a short time,' he naturally meant before the next assessment period.

Otherwise, if they were all handed to David and he didn't manage to solve them, they would suffer a great loss when the time came.

After all, other groups of inspectors would likely solve these cases as well, it's just a matter of how much tax revenue they would bring in.

David replied resolutely, "I'm confident."

"Alright, since you say so, I'll assign them all to you..."

Last assessment period, David took care of four cases in four days.

And those four cases were not all hot cases like these three.

With this 'precedent,' even though Lewis had his concerns, after thinking it over, he still agreed.

"Then, Chief Tax Officer, if there's nothing else, I shall..."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing!"

Lewis seemed to remember something, narrowed his eyes at David, and asked, "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding with Chief Smith from the Lake District police department?"

Upon hearing this, David was somewhat surprised.

He had never reported this matter to Lewis, and now that Lewis knew about it, it implied that Smith had gone over his head and talked to Lewis directly.

Putting his thoughts away, David answered, "As for that matter, it really can't be considered a misunderstanding. Here's what happened..."

He recounted in full the issue of Wade Balk accepting protection money from criminal elements.

Having listened to the whole story, Lewis appeared somewhat astonished, murmuring, "If Wade Balk is under Smith's command, does that mean Smith has also been taking bribes?"

Based on the information I've investigated, it seems to be the case, and the amount is likely not insignificant!"

Lewis fell silent, pondering something in his mind for a full minute before lifting his head and saying, "Smith's connections are not simple; we won't deal with him for now, focus on solving the cases at hand!"

"Understood..."

David was not surprised at all; Lewis was about to be transferred and surely wouldn't want to handle such risky cases.

But no matter, once he became the Chief Tax Officer, he would use these cases to establish his authority!

...

Monarch 17, this is a famous part of Las Vegas's 'World Street'.

The so-called World Street refers to a place where specialty products and characteristic items from various countries around the world are concentrated.

Here, you can buy ceramics, calligraphy, and even antiques from China; kimonos and samurai swords from the Island Nation; and silverware, jewelry, wood carvings, and other items from the Philippines.

"This street really is crowded..."

As he observed tourists from all over the world, Nisen, who had just arrived with David, couldn't help but remark.

"Let's go."

David strode forward into the street, and Nisen followed closely behind him.

Soon after entering, the two saw a variety of stalls lining both sides of the street.

There were those selling ceramics, with exquisite porcelain pieces glittering in the sunlight, drawing the attention of tourists from different countries to stop and admire.

There were also those selling paintings and calligraphy, with ink landscapes and detailed figurative works, each one lifelike, drawing admiration from onlookers.

But Nisen hadn't walked far before something seemed to catch his eye. He stopped at a stall and asked the vendor, "Hey, bro, is this the Mona Lisa?"

David also stopped, turned his head, and looked in the direction Nisen was pointing. It was indeed that famous painting, "the Mona Lisa's Smile."

"Yes, brother."

The stall's owner was a black man wearing a duckbill cap.

"Is this the real deal or a fake?"

The black vendor replied, "Nonsense, I never deal in fakes here; of course, it's real!"

"If this one is real, then what about the one in the Louvre?"

"That one is real too!"

"???"

Both Nisen and David wore puzzled expressions.

The black vendor continued, "The one there is male; this one is female, you know!"

Hearing this, the two were utterly speechless, but Nisen seemed really interested in the painting and continued to ask, "Alright, how much?"

"10,000 US dollars, not a cent less!"

"Let's go!"

Without any hesitation, Nisen signaled to David and firmly turned to leave.

But they hadn't gone far when the black vendor came chasing after them with the painting, blocking Nisen's path, and said, "Hey, brother, I see we have a connection, and you really like this painting, so you name your price!"

"Didn't you say 10,000 US dollars, not a cent less...?"

"I told you we have a connection, so name your price, brother!"

"50 bucks!"

"Sold! Take care, brother!"

Nisen was dumbfounded. He had just thrown out a price off the top of his head and was even prepared to be angrily scolded by the vendor, but to his surprise, the vendor agreed.

Having spoken, he had no choice but to take out 50 and give it to the vendor, thus completing the transaction.

"What do you need that thing for? That guy probably earned 49 in tears!"

David spoke somewhat incredulously.

"Didn't I recently move into a new house? I need some decorations, and I quite like this painting!"

David shook his head, "Let's go, let's meet that old man!"

About five minutes later, the two arrived at a shop with a sign that read 'Pharaoh Timepieces.'

As they pushed open the door, a musty clock scent hit them, conveying a deep sense of history.

The shop displayed various clocks and watches, from ancient mechanical clocks to delicate quartz watches, all quietly placed in glass cabinets, emitting a faint ticking sound.

At that moment, there were few customers in the shop, only one or two selecting timepieces, and an elderly, frail man sat in front of the counter.

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