At that moment, Michael was still hard at work in Kuli Lan City, far away. This time, Kuli Lan City had invited them to assist in investigating Heng Hui Group's economic crimes. As the head of the Federal Revenue Service's Investigation Team, Michael quickly noticed that something was wrong.
It was not that he had discovered any clues about Heng Hui Group. Rather, he had found problems in some of the evidence that Kuli Lan City had already collected.
Simply put, there were errors in the process of gathering some of the evidence, and the sources of certain data in some evidence were questionable.
Whether it was a tax case or an ordinary criminal case, the process was essentially one of accumulation—a process of quantitative change leading to qualitative change.
Investigators had to gather clues bit by bit, turn them into evidence, then assemble that evidence into a complete chain before finally sending the defendant before the Judgment Seat.
The entire process was interconnected, but some of the clues and evidence he saw contained minor flaws.
However, he did not point them out. This sort of thing was normal. When the higher-ups wanted certain people to pay the price, no one would care whether the evidence had been legally obtained unless the matter was brought into the open!
Michael felt that this might have something to do with Heng Hui Group being a multinational group involving foreign capital. The major capitalists of the Bayer Federation had never been honest competitors. Their abilities in other areas were far greater than their actual business-management abilities.
Just then, the telephone suddenly rang, startling him badly. Because this was a major case, the Investigation Team had to follow confidentiality protocols. In other words, they could not communicate with the outside world, and no one was allowed to leave their post alone or step out of everyone else's sight.
Michael had never expected the telephone on his desk to ring.
He hesitated for a moment before answering. He noticed several locals immediately staring at him—staring at him without caring whether he realized it or not.
It was his wife calling. He tapped the floor with his toe, and the swivel chair turned him away from the others. "Dear, what is it? Couldn't it wait until I got home?"
When Michael's Wife heard his familiar voice, she could no longer bear the pressure of the past two days and burst into tears. Between sobs, she told him what had happened to Little Michael.
Michael shot to his feet in shock. "How could this happen? What happened while I was away these past few days?"
A moment later, he sank back into his chair. His partner came over with concern and silently watched him without saying anything.
After about a minute or two, Michael glanced at his partner and said, "I have to go back. Something happened at home."
His partner did not stop him. They had been colleagues for more than a decade, and he knew that Michael would never abandon his post unless something serious had happened. There was no point in trying to persuade him, so it was better to say nothing.
The two of them found the director of the Kuli Lan City branch of the Federal Revenue Service. Michael explained what had happened at home. The director had already received a report from his subordinates and had been thinking about how to refuse Michael's request to return.
Over the past few days, everyone had seen Michael's abilities at work. He was unquestionably top-notch, and this was precisely the kind of work the Investigation Team handled most often.
Compared with tax officials at the "agent" and "special agent" levels, the Investigation Team stood out more in terms of overall ability. Michael and the Young Men under him had sped up the case considerably.
Now that Michael was leaving, those people might become less efficient because they would be missing a guide they had grown accustomed to.
But what had happened to Michael's family made it impossible for the director to refuse him. His wife had almost been assaulted in the middle of the night, and his son had been framed and inexplicably imprisoned. If he still refused to let Michael go home under those circumstances, it would no longer be a matter of offending him—it would mean making an enemy for life.
The director of Kuli Lan City could only sigh and approve Michael's departure. Fortunately, he was the only one leaving; his partner would stay behind to take over his work. Hopefully, they could maintain their current pace. Michael did not linger either. He packed up and embarked on the journey back to Sabine City that very night. The darkness of the wilderness not only failed to slow his car, but drove him to press the accelerator all the way down.
Meanwhile, in a completely different setting, Gepu was discussing some upcoming work with several company executives.
They were in a relatively private club, the sort of establishment that accepted only invited guests. Without an invitation, no matter how much money one had or how high one's status was, entry was impossible.
After taking a simple bath, several men entered the Sauna Room. Once the door closed, Gepu took the initiative to walk over to the volcanic stones and ladle a scoop of cold water over them.
In an instant, countless bubbles appeared on the surface of the stones as the cold water struck them. A huge amount of steam filled the entire room, and even the temperature seemed to rise several degrees.
"That will do..."
Someone gave the order from within the steam. Gepu set down the ladle and sat on the lowest wooden step.
"Gepu..."
"Yes, sir!"
A Group Company director sat on the highest level with his head tilted back. A towel soaked in ice water covered his face. This kind of heat and steam would only make his body sweat without making him feel unable to breathe.
The scorching steam did hinder breathing to a degree and made people uncomfortable. But with a towel soaked in ice water covering the face, it felt like entering an entirely new world.
His voice came through the towel somewhat indistinctly. "I discussed your matter with the Board of Directors. They don't object to promoting you to become the Group Company's new partner, but you need to demonstrate your abilities."
The Sauna Room fell briefly silent. One could faintly sense Gepu's breathing grow heavier.
After another dozen or so seconds, the person seated highest continued, "Heng Hui has gotten itself into a great deal of trouble lately. These matters have nothing to do with us, but our two companies do have some business dealings."
"Sigh... Who could have expected Heng Hui to suddenly get into such serious trouble? Some of its accounts may not be entirely clear. You need to resolve these problems as soon as possible. Only then can I continue speaking on your behalf to the Board of Directors. Understood?"
The man removed the towel from his face. The towel, which had originally been cold, had grown warm, making it less comfortable.
The man appeared to be around forty years old. He had a fine-looking face and an impressive bearing. He cast a sidelong glance at Gepu, who lowered his head slightly.
For large companies, such as the Group Company where Gepu worked, which was one of Sabine City's economic pillar enterprises, the tax authorities would turn a blind eye even if there were minor, tangled problems in the company's accounts.
As long as they deposited the vast majority of the taxes they owed into the Federal Revenue Service's account on time each month, people would simply overlook those minor errors.
There was no need to drive a major taxpayer into ruin over a few insignificant problems. If they really destroyed the company, who would provide so much tax revenue, political achievement, and employment afterward?
But the situation was somewhat special now. The scandal at Heng Hui had also implicated a Member of the House of Representatives. On top of that, the company was a multinational corporation, which made matters especially sensitive. Sometimes, the Federal Government would directly assign a high-level Working Group to handle the final cleanup.
To investigators who had long occupied high positions, the life and death of people at the bottom had no direct connection to them. They would gain no benefits from letting someone off, nor would they lose anything by holding on tightly.
On the contrary, if they could expose more holes, it would not only count as political achievement for them, but would also provide the Federal Government with ample fines.
As for local problems... those had nothing to do with them.
As long as Gepu handled these matters well, the Group Company could consider promoting him to become its new partner.
Before you continue