American Tax Officer

"The day after tomorrow..."

Gael and the others could imagine that Tewin and Dieter's trial was approaching fast, but they had not expected it to come this quickly.

Over 20 million in cash may seem a lot.

But with the efficiency of around 200 Inspectors from the three major sub-bureaus and the city bureau combined, the cash was quickly loaded onto two armored cars.

Matthew came over and said with some implications, "Director David, now that this is almost dealt with, what comes next..."

"Rest assured, Inspector Matthew, your Inspectors have also worked hard today. After reporting back to our bureau and briefing Chief William, you will not miss out on your reward!"

With this promise given, Matthew grinned.

David did not dawdle any longer and got into the vehicles with the other Inspectors, driving towards the exit of the Reservation.

Watching the convoy of the National Tax Bureau disappear into the distance, Gael and the Elders suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

However, Weidingled then seemed to remember something and said, "Chieftain, if Dieter and Tewin are going to be tried tomorrow, shouldn't we find a lawyer for them?"

It was not that he really wanted to help Tewin and his son.

He was just worried that if the trial started, Tewin might do something desperate and reveal his own involvement in the armed intervention, so he too was hoping to use this as a bargaining chip to get Tewin to spare him in court.

"Find a lawyer? What's the use? Haven't you heard? The National Tax Bureau has its own lawyers, courts, judges; once you're in court, everyone there is one of theirs. Forget finding a lawyer, even bringing in the President would be useless!"

"That's right, if they were to be tried through the normal judicial process, then a lawyer might be a bit useful. But this is a private trial by the National Tax Bureau, lawyers are useless!"

"It's called a trial, but it's really just a formality. With the National Tax Bureau's style, no matter who comes forward, these two are never getting out!"

All the Elders felt that Weidingled was beating the air, each one voicing objections.

After some thought, Gael replied, "Regardless, they are ultimately members of our Indian Tribe. Weidingled, go find a decent lawyer for them!"

He of course knew that finding a lawyer was mostly useless, but as the Chieftain of the Indian Tribe, he had to at least put on the appearance of upholding his people's interests.

...

Meanwhile, in the office of the Chief of the Lake District National Tax Bureau.

"Everything went smoothly, Deputy Director Donald. The Indian Tribe might have tens of thousands of people, but what waves could they possibly make against our tanks and fighter aircraft?"

"As for the taxes, it's passable. We collected about 23 million on the spot, and adding Dieter's funds already counted, the total comes to about 40 million..."

At that moment, Chief William's face was flush with delight, the corners of his mouth reaching for the sky as he continually reported the outcome and spoils of the operation to the higher-ups at the headquarters.

"Very good, William. 40 million in taxes is not a small amount. We will credit you with a merit for this. Keep up the good work. Also, regarding the media... you can handle that, correct?"

"Rest assured, Deputy Director Donald, I've got it covered!"

William was overjoyed.

Having been the Chief of the Lake District Sub-Bureau Branch for so many years, he not only had now collected such a substantial amount of revenue but had also been credited with a merit by headquarters, surely his position would move up before long?

"Chief, Director David and his team have returned. Also, the media are in place!"

While William was still basking in satisfaction, his assistant interrupted him as she walked in.

William quickly rose to his feet, went to the bathroom to tidy up his hair and collar, and then went down to the ground-floor lobby.

At that time, the place was already packed with major media from Las Vegas and Nevada State.

First, he located David who had returned to the lobby, nodded at him as a sign, and then stepped into the spotlight, saying, "Good evening everyone, I am William, the Chief of the Las Vegas National Tax Bureau. I will provide a brief overview of the reservation case!"

"You all have seen that our National Tax Bureau deployed armored vehicles, fighter aircraft, and other military equipment to enforce the law on the Indian Reservation."

"But first and foremost, I want to clarify that we did not resort to violent law enforcement. It was only because the members of that tribe harbored a criminal who attacked our National Tax Bureau personnel that we were forced to take such extreme measures..."

"..."

Then, William went on at length about many things, of course, continually showcasing his achievements to the media with both overt flattery and subtle hints!

Eventually, he turned to David and said, "That's all I have to say for now. Next, let's have the operation commander for this case, Director David, give you a brief report!"

David took a deep breath, then stepped onto the stage and said, "Greetings to all media friends, I am David. The Chief William has already covered most of the details. If you have any further questions, I am here to answer them."

A journalist was quick to ask, "Director David, after this incident, will the National Tax Bureau's armed forces be deployed frequently?"

"Of course not. The deployment of armed forces by the National Tax Bureau requires a very complicated procedure, and we don't deploy them to collect taxes from every criminal. After all, deploying these weapons costs the taxpayers money!"

"Director David, will those high-ranking members of the Indian Tribe who harbored criminals be severely punished?"

Another journalist asked.

David answered, "Punishing them severely is the police's job, our National Tax Bureau is only responsible for tax collection!"

"Director David..."

"..."

Following that, David answered many questions from the journalists present.

Half an hour later.

After he had said and explained everything, he ended the questioning, stating, "Alright, I have already announced the specific details of this case, that will be all..."

"Director David, regarding the tax aspects of this case..."

Many media representatives still wanted to ask more questions, but the inspectors from the bureau wouldn't indulge them, politely 'escorting' them out.

Once the scene was mostly cleared, David approached Chief William and asked, "Chief, can Dieter and the others have their trial tomorrow to wrap up the case quickly?"

"Tomorrow..."

William thought for a moment, quickly grasped David's intent, and replied, "Although it's a bit rushed, since the evidence chain for this case is complete, there shouldn't be any problem with a trial tomorrow!"

He turned around and instructed his assistant, "Ottilia, send a notice to the city hall, council chamber, the police, and... Invite them to attend the trial tomorrow as observers!"

It had long since become a tradition for the National Tax Bureau to invite various departments and some high society individuals to observe their trials.

They did this to intimidate these individuals and leverage their influence to spread the National Tax Bureau's authority across different strata, hence also providing a deterrent to people on all levels.

David nodded and then spoke, "Then, Chief, about the allocation of the taxes collected this time..."

"You were the commander of this case, and you were the one who collected the taxes. You may decide on the specific amounts to distribute!"

William showed that he knew how to play along.

Firstly, as he said, David was not only the commander of this case but also the greatest contributor to it.

Secondly, if William were to allocate it, and he gave too much to the other teams, David might not be pleased, but if he gave too little to each squad, then their inspectors wouldn't be pleased.

So he wouldn't touch this hot potato, preferring to leave it to David to decide how to distribute it.

After all, no matter how the distribution was done, this 40 million in taxes would end up with their Lake District Sub-Bureau, and it wouldn't go anywhere else.

"Okay, since you've said so, Chief, then I will take care of the distribution," David said.

David had anticipated that William would respond this way, but the tax amount was so large this time that he had to at least put forth a symbolic request.

"Alright then, you handle it. I must go and communicate with Judge Kiesa about the trial tomorrow!"

With that, William turned and went upstairs.

David looked at Keanu and Matthew who had followed him back and said, "Keanu and Inspector Matthew, since our Chief has left the distribution to me, I'll get started!"

Upon hearing this, Matthew, Keanu, and the inspectors from both of their larger divisions began to feel a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

"Let's do this, each division takes 500,000. Is that okay?"

Whether it was the main district or the Newtown District, each had a uniform ten inspection teams. By allocating 500,000 to each division, David figured that meant 50,000 per inspection team, which he thought should be about right.

Upon hearing this, Keanu and Matthew felt a slight disappointment, but their own inspectors weren't thinking that much about it and were simply excited.

Although this time the Lake District had collected tens of millions in taxes, strictly speaking, it had nothing to do with them.

But now, David was awarding each division 500,000 as remuneration.

The 500,000 was distributed among their respective inspection teams, resulting in a tax performance of 50,000 for each team.

A tax performance of 50,000 could be collected by a slightly more capable inspection team in a few days according to current tax collection efficiency.

However, a less capable team might not be able to collect it even within an entire assessment period.

But now, they had earned it just by working one afternoon... oh no, to be precise, in just a few hours, which was quite good!

Keanu adjusted his emotions; while 500,000 might seem negligible compared to the millions collected by the Lake District Sub-Bureau, they were still getting a taste of the action. He then nodded and said, "That's very reasonable, Director David, thank you!"