On the Necessity of Pain Education in the Process of Growing Up

On the Necessity of Pain Education in the Process of Growing Up

While Lin Qi was observing Michael's family, Michael was also summoned to his superior's office.

The offices of the Sabine City Federal Revenue Service were not in the same Street District as the offices of Sabine City Hall, but in another district. They seemed to be using this arrangement to tell the Federal Taxation Bureau that they were not mixed up with the local authorities.

Of course, another possibility was that their styles simply differed. Compared to the somewhat shabby City Hall and other government offices, the Federal Revenue Service's decor could only be described as luxurious.

That was hardly surprising. Everyone knew the Federal Revenue Service was an exceptionally wealthy institution. Not only could they use marble slabs for flooring, they could even hang camel-hair tapestries on the walls to display their prestige.

Inside the office, a large semicircular desk surrounded the director of the Sabine City Federal Revenue Service, a middle-aged man in his fifties.

He had graying hair, slight forehead lines and crow's feet, but he had maintained himself fairly well. At the very least, he did not look much different from laborers in their forties.

He wore an impeccably tailored suit and a tie. At that moment, his brow was tightly furrowed, and Michael, standing on the other side of the desk, felt rather unaccustomed to the atmosphere in the room.

"I'm troubled, Mike!" Mike was the nickname Michael's friends, including his superior, used for him in both work and daily life. It made them seem closer, more like one of their own.

Michael scratched his head. None of his usual temper showed at work was visible now; he even looked somewhat bewildered. "I don't understand, George."

"No, you do!" Director George, whom Michael called George, sighed and lowered his gaze to the two documents on his desk. "You understand, Mike. Fox has his lawyers gathering evidence that you abused your authority, and..."

He flipped through the report before him. "Some people also have opinions about several of your recent operations. I thought you had things under control before I approved your actions, but clearly, I overestimated you." He looked up from the documents at Michael. "What do you think I should do?"

Michael looked irritated. "This is all that bastard Lin Qi's fault. I don't know how he avoided our searches three times, but I can assure you, George, that kid definitely has a problem."

"I saw with my own eyes that the Newspaper Boy brought five thousand sols into the room. They left the money there, but when I went in, I found nothing. He's a slippery kid, and he was prepared!"

George raised a hand to stop Michael from continuing, then pointed at him. "You're Too Right. He's clever, and he was prepared. You couldn't catch him by the tail when he wasn't prepared, so now that he is, you'll have even less chance of catching him!"

The implication behind those words instantly cooled Michael's anger and embarrassment. He looked cautiously at the director behind the desk. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing..." Director George spread his hands, interlaced his fingers, leaned back, and sank deep into his chair. "Your failed operations have caused some very bad repercussions. Fox's people are planning to come after you. You'd better cool off for a while!"

Sharp as he was, Michael immediately realized something. His voice rose considerably. "You want to suspend me?"

"Suspended?" Director George laughed. "No, no, you've misunderstood. There's a major operation in Kuli Lan City. They're short on manpower and requested support from us..." Director George shrugged. "You know we've always had a good relationship with them, so I couldn't refuse. You and your men will go to Kuli Lan City immediately and give them some help. When you get back, you can go after Lin Qi or whoever else you want. Understood?"

"But things could change during this time. Send someone else and let me stay. If we miss this window, it will be very difficult to catch Lin Qi and Fox. We all know they've found a mature way to evade our investigations. I..."

Before Michael could finish, the smile on Director George's face gradually faded. He looked at Michael. "This isn't a request. It's an order. Do you understand?"

The two stared at each other for a moment. Michael realized he could not change the decision, and only then did he say angrily, "You'll regret today's decision!"

Director George retorted without hesitation, "I'll only regret not finding something for you to do sooner!"

Watching Michael leave the office, Director George sighed. Michael had already risen to the position of Investigation Team leader, and he had always wanted to transfer to the investigator or agent divisions.

But the problem was that he was now management, the leader of an Investigation Team. He could not possibly start from the bottom as an investigator or agent. His starting point would have to be an administrative position such as deputy team leader.

That created another problem. Without an opening, he could not advance. He knew that too, which was why he had always kept a "low profile."

Recently, news had somehow spread that someone in the bureau was about to be promoted. He immediately began making plans and volunteered to investigate Fox's case.

For the Federal Revenue Service, ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of the people in this country were implicated in one form of tax crime or another.

The Federal Revenue Service's purpose was not to eliminate tax crimes. That would be impossible. If a passerby casually tossed One Sol to a beggar, would the beggar hire an accountant to file taxes? So the Federal Revenue Service mainly investigated major taxpayers, ensuring that the principal tax-paying groups did not commit excessively serious tax evasion. As for ordinary people... unless there was a need, no one would take the initiative to investigate them.

The Six-Eyed Flying Fish from the North Atlantic Ocean had influenced Michael. He wanted to seize some achievements now so that when an opening appeared, he could be promoted directly.

What he had done was not actually too outrageous. Things far more excessive than his actions had happened in this Federation more than once, but those people had always obtained enough direct evidence to nail their targets down, rather than launching three operations and failing three times.

This would become a joke within the system. He needed to cool off! Fox was not a problem at all. Having his lawyers collect evidence of Michael's crimes was merely a display of attitude. For someone at Fox's level, if the Revenue Service kept targeting him and he made no response, someone would soon overturn his rule.

Once Fox learned that Michael had been sent to Kurilan to join their operation there, the matter would die down.

As for Lin Qi... he was just a small fry. Director George understood that clearly. Michael's three failures had made him a laughingstock. His current actions had seriously violated regulations, and he was acting on emotion. It was time for him to calm down.

Michael came out of the director's office with an awful expression. His partner stood at the door and had not even managed to ask, "What's wrong?" before Michael waved a hand and cursed, "Shit."

"The boss wants us to report to Kuli Lan City tomorrow and assist with their operation. Shit, he doesn't trust me to catch Lin Qi!"

His partner smiled and followed behind him without saying anything. This was actually a good thing.

Still seething, Michael chose to go straight home and pack. It counted as a silent form of resistance.

After a short drive, he returned to his residential neighborhood. Just as he was considering how to tell his wife that he suddenly had to leave on a business trip, a surge of rage mixed with fear rose in his heart. He jerked the steering wheel, sending the car straight onto the sidewalk and nearly hitting someone!

Some pedestrians screamed, while others ran over to see whether anyone had been injured. It had been far too close.

Michael stormed out of the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, and strode up to the man he had nearly hit. He grabbed him by the collar and shouted, "What are you doing here?"

Lin Qi maintained his smile throughout, just as he had in every previous confrontation between them: calm, steady, and smiling. "Your wife is very young, and very beautiful..."

Seeing Michael raise his fist, Lin Qi continued unhurriedly, "You can hit me, but you'll have to bear all the consequences. You should have investigated me. I'm a poor kid with nothing. Even this life of mine isn't worth much."

"We can make a bet. I believe you'll experience a pain more unforgettable than a fist landing on your body, pain that cuts into your heart. Do you believe me?"

As always, he looked calmly at the man. Hesitation appeared in the man's fierce eyes, then uncertainty, and finally they softened. He lowered his fist and released Lin Qi's collar.

Everyone had something they treasured most. No one was an exception.

Find that thing, and you could easily destroy a person. No one was an exception.