While Lynch was observing Michael's family, Michael was also called into the office by his superior.
The Sabin City Federal Tax Bureau's office is not in the same district as the Sabin City City Hall's offices but in another district. They seem to want to tell the Federal Tax Administration Bureau that they are not mingling with the local people.
However, there's another possibility: their styles are somewhat different. Compared to the somewhat shabby City Hall and other office departments, the Federal Tax Bureau's decor can simply be described as luxurious.
It's not surprising; everyone knows the Federal Tax Bureau is a very wealthy institution. They not only can use marble panels as floor tiles but also hang camel wool blankets on the walls to show their prestige.
Inside the office, a large semi-surrounding desk surrounds the Director of the Sabin City Federal Tax Bureau, a middle-aged man in his fifties.
He has gray hair, some forehead wrinkles, and crow's feet. Overall, he's well-maintained, at least looking not much different from those workers in their forties.
He's dressed in an elegant suit and is wearing a tie. At this moment, he is frowning, while Michael, standing on the other side of the desk, feels somewhat uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the room.
"I'm very troubled, Mike!" Mike is a nickname used by Michael's friends, including his superior, in life and work, making it feel closer, more like one of their own.
Michael scratched his head, not showing any of the temper he does at work, with even a touch of confusion on his face, "I don't understand, George."
"No, you understand!" The Director, whom Michael refers to as "George," sighed, lowering his gaze to look at the two documents on the desk. "You understand, Mike. Fox has his lawyer collecting evidence of your abuse of power, and also..."
He flipped through the report before him, "Some people have opinions about your recent actions too. I thought you had a grasp on it before approving your actions, but obviously, I overestimated you." He lifted his gaze from the documents to look at Michael, "What do you say I should do?"
Michael now appeared somewhat angry, "It's all that bastard Lynch's fault. He somehow managed to evade our searches three times, but I can assure you, George, that kid is definitely up to something."
"I personally saw the paperboy deliver five thousand into the room. They left the money there, but when I went in, I found nothing. He's a cunning kid, and he was prepared!"
George raised his hand to stop Michael from continuing and pointed at him, "You're absolutely right. He's very smart and prepared. When he was unprepared, you couldn't catch him, and now that he is prepared, you can't catch him even more!"
The underlying meaning of this sentence made Michael, who was still angry, calm down instantly. He looked cautiously at the Director behind the desk, "What do you mean?"
"No meaning…" Director George spread his hands, interlocked his fingers, leaned back and sank into his chair, "Your several failed actions have caused some very bad impacts. Fox's people plan to deal with you, it's best for you to calm down for a while!"
Michael, being sharp, immediately realized something, his voice increased in volume, "You want me suspended?"
"Suspended?" Director George laughed softly, "No, no, no, you've misunderstood. There's a major operation over in Curilan City. They're short on people and have requested support from our side…" Director George shrugged, "You know, we've always had a good relationship with them, so I can't refuse this request. You and your team should immediately go to Curilan City to provide them with some assistance. After you return, you can go back to catching Lynch, understand?"
"But things could change during this time; can't someone else go? If I stay, if we miss this period, catching Lynch and Fox will be difficult. We all know they've found a mature way to avoid our investigations. I..."
Before Michael could finish, Director George's smile gradually faded, and he looked at Michael, "This is not a request, it's an order, understand?"
The two stared at each other for a moment. Michael realized he could not change this decision, and said angrily, "You will regret your decision today!"
Director George retorted without hesitation, "I will only regret not finding something for you sooner!"
Watching Michael leave the office, Director George sighed. Michael had already risen to the position of head of the investigation team. He always wanted to be transferred to the Investigator or Special Agent team.
But the problem is, he's now in management, the head of the investigation team, and he can't start as a bottom-rung Investigator or Special Agent. His starting point would be administrative positions like deputy head.
This also poses a problem: without a vacancy, he can't be promoted. He knows this, which is why he's always been "low-key."
Recently, some information came from somewhere saying that someone in the bureau was going to be promoted, and he instantly developed ideas and actively applied to investigate Fox's case.
For the Federal Tax Bureau, ninety-nine point ninety-nine percent of the people in this country are involved in various forms of tax evasion.
The purpose of the Federal Tax Bureau is not to eliminate tax evasion, which is simply impossible. A passerby casually throws a coin to a beggar; will the beggar ask an accountant to file taxes for him?
So the main task of the Federal Tax Bureau is to check the status of major taxpayers, ensuring that the main tax-paying group does not engage in excessively serious tax evasion. As for ordinary people... unless necessary, no one would actively investigate them.
The six-eyed flying fish from North Ocean affected Michael; he now wants to capture some achievements ready for direct promotion when there's a vacancy.
What he did wasn't actually excessive. More excessive things have happened in this Federation more than once, but each time, they managed to get enough direct evidence to nail the target, rather than acting three times and failing three times.
This will become a joke within the system, and he must calm down!
As for Fox, that's not the issue. His lawyers collecting Michael's criminal evidence is just a show of attitude. For someone of that level, if the Tax Bureau continually targets him and he doesn't react, someone will soon overthrow his reign.
Once he knows Michael has been sent to Curilan to participate in the operation there, this matter will settle down.
As for Lynch... he's just a small player. Director George is well aware of this. Michael's three failures turned him into a laughingstock, and his current actions have seriously violated regulations. He's acting impulsively; it's time to let him cool down.
Michael left the Director's office with a pained expression. His partner stood at the door, not having had the chance to ask, "What's wrong?" when Michael raised his hand and swore.
"The boss wants us to report to Curilan City tomorrow to assist their operation. Damn it, he doesn't trust me to catch Lynch!"
His partner chuckled, following behind him without saying anything. This is actually a good thing.
With anger in his heart, Michael directly chose to go home and pack his things, which was also a kind of silent defiance.
After a short drive, he returned to the community where he lives. Just as he was pondering how to tell his wife about his sudden trip, a wave of anger mixed with a hint of dread surged, and he suddenly spun the steering wheel, sending the car directly onto the sidewalk, nearly hitting someone!
Some pedestrians screamed; others ran over to see if someone was injured. It was quite thrilling.
Michael, furious, exited the driver's seat, slammed the car door shut, and walked to the guy he nearly hit, grabbing him by the collar and shouting, "What are you doing here?"
Lynch maintained his smile throughout, like every confrontation between them before, calm, steady, smiling, "Your wife is very young and beautiful..."
Seeing Michael had raised his fist, Lynch still calmly said, "You can hit me, but you have to bear all the consequences. You should have investigated me—a poor kid with nothing, not even this life counts for much."
"We can make a bet; I believe you will feel a pain more unforgettable than the fist landing on your body, pain right into your heart, do you believe me?"
He looked at the man calmly as always; the man's vicious expression showed hesitation, doubt, and softened. He withdrew his fist and let go of Lynch's collar.
Everybody has things that are most precious to them, and no one is an exception.
Finding those things can easily destroy a person; no one is an exception.