Chapter 35: A Rat Dug a Hole in the Levee

At this time, Michael was still busy working in Kurland City. The city had invited them to assist in investigating an economic case involving the EverBright Group. As head of the federal tax investigation team, Michael quickly noticed something was wrong.

It wasn’t that he found new clues about EverBright Group, but some of the evidence already collected in Kurland City had issues.

Simply put, some evidence was gathered improperly, and some data sources in the evidence were questionable.

Whether a tax case or a regular criminal case, it’s essentially a cumulative process—from quantity to quality.

Investigators need to gather clues bit by bit, form evidence, then build a complete chain of evidence to bring the defendant to trial.

Everything is interconnected, yet some of the clues and evidence he saw had small flaws.

He didn’t mention this because such issues are common. When higher-ups want someone to pay, no one cares if the evidence is fully legal until it becomes public.

Michael believed this related to EverBright Group being a multinational involved with foreign capital. The big capitalists in Baylor Federation are rarely honest competitors; their other skills surpass their actual business ability.

Suddenly, the phone rang, startling him. Since this was a major case, the investigation team must keep confidentiality, meaning no external communication and no one leaving their posts alone or out of sight.

Michael never expected his desk phone to ring.

After hesitation, he answered, noticing some locals watching him closely, indifferent to whether he noticed them.

It was his wife. He turned his swivel chair so his back faced others. “Honey, can’t this wait until I get home?”

Mrs. Michael couldn’t bear the pressure of the past two days, breaking down in tears while describing what happened to Michael Jr.

Michael jumped up in shock. “How could this happen while I was away?”

After a moment, he sat back down exhausted. His partner approached worriedly but said nothing.

A minute or two later, Michael glanced at his partner. “I have to go home. Something’s wrong.”

His partner didn’t stop him. They’d been colleagues for over a decade and knew Michael wouldn’t leave his post unless something serious happened. No use persuading him.

They found the Kurland City federal tax bureau chief. Michael explained the situation at home. The chief had already been briefed and was considering how to deny Michael’s request to leave.

During these days, Michael’s work ability had impressed everyone; he was top-notch. The investigation team’s tasks heavily relied on him.

Compared to lower-level tax agents, the investigation team excelled in overall capability. Michael and his young team sped up the case.

Now that Michael wanted to leave, efficiency might drop without his leadership.

But with his family crisis—his wife nearly assaulted at night, his son falsely imprisoned—the chief couldn’t refuse.

The chief sighed and approved Michael’s leave. Fortunately, only Michael left; his partner stayed to take over.

Michael packed quickly and set off overnight back to Sabin City. Darkness on the plains didn’t slow him; it pushed him to accelerate.

Meanwhile, in a very different setting, Gap met with several company executives to discuss upcoming work.

They were in a private club that admitted only by invitation; no matter the money or status, no uninvited guests allowed.

After a brief shower, the men entered a sauna. When the door closed, Gap went to the volcanic stones and poured cold water on them.

Instantly, bubbles formed on the stones, and steam filled the room. The temperature seemed to rise several degrees.

“Enough…” someone ordered.

Gap sat on the lowest wooden step.

“Gap…”

“Yes, sir!”

A board member sat at the top, head tilted back with an ice-cold towel over his face. The hot steam made him sweat but the towel kept him comfortable.

His voice muffled under the towel, “I discussed your case with the board. They don’t oppose your promotion to partner, but you must prove your ability.”

The sauna grew quiet. Gap’s breathing grew heavier.

After several seconds, the man continued, “EverBright has gotten itself into big trouble recently. It’s unrelated to us, but our companies do some business together.”

“Sigh… Who would’ve expected EverBright to cause such a mess, maybe their accounts are unclear. You need to resolve these issues quickly so I can keep supporting you at the board. Understood?”

He removed the towel, now warm and uncomfortable.

The man looked about forty, good-looking with a strong presence. He glanced sideways at Gap, who lowered his head.

For large companies like Gap’s, a pillar of Sabin’s economy, minor accounting issues are overlooked by tax authorities.

As long as they pay most taxes on time monthly, small errors go unnoticed.

No one wants to ruin a major taxpayer over trivial matters. If they did, who would provide tax revenue, achievements, and jobs?

But this time was different. EverBright’s scandal involved congressional representatives. Being a multinational added sensitivity. Sometimes the federal government sends high-level teams to handle such cases.

For long-serving investigators, local life and death don’t matter; they gain from either letting things slide or exposing more scandals.

More holes dug mean political achievements and hefty federal fines.

Local issues are irrelevant to them.

If Gap handles this well, the board will consider promoting him to partner.