American Tax Officer

"Alright everyone, I've said all there is to be said. Now we at Cisco need to go back and deal with this matter. You all just figure it out for yourselves!"

Kristan didn't linger any longer. After dropping that bombshell, he stood up and left, leaving behind the bewildered heads of the other tech giants.

After a moment of heavy silence, Huang Renxun finally broke the quiet, "Everyone heard that, right? Since David has caught onto the issues with Cisco and other major companies, it's likely we're in for the same. I think we should start preparing early. What do you think?"

Had it been any other time, many present would have jumped up to vehemently denounce Huang Renxun's unsettling words. But now, after hearing what Kristan had relayed, there was nothing more to say.

Because now, they truly didn't have many options. Either they could choose to keep resisting, but given the current situation and David's past behavior, it seemed likely that they would end up worse off for it.

After all, if David managed to grasp the situation of these dozen companies, catching them was probably not an impossible task either.

Or they could wait for rescue from Freemasonry, but the incident with the abolishment of the black tax law had left Freemasonry in a bad state. Could they really have a way to save them now?

"Let's just wait a bit longer..."

After much contemplation, Ryan was still unable to make a decision. He could only decide to employ a stalling strategy, to see if a turning point might emerge.

...

Two days flew by.

During these two days, the fervor of the tax auditing action in Silicon Valley remained high, with many people across the country closely monitoring the situation, to reference for the upcoming developments.

At the Bay Area Branch.

A mass of journalists still camped at the entrance, ready to capture the latest developments in the tax audit.

Just then, the arrival of a Maybach set the reporters buzzing.

"That's... Cisco's CEO Kristan!"

"That's right, it is Kristan who visited two days ago. Why has he come again today? Could it be..."

"Wait... not just Kristan, but Tchenko from Aulion has arrived too."

"And the Vice President of Luid also..."

Following Kristan from Cisco, the journalists at the scene saw other company executives from Aulion, Luid, etc., arrive, which immediately made their nerves tense.

From the demeanor of these people two days prior, as well as the unending stream of rumors that followed, many had guessed that the major companies had suffered a significant blow.

And their sudden reappearance today seemed to suggest only one explanation: the companies had likely compromised regarding the tax issues, and perhaps today they were here to settle their tax payments!

Amidst the speculation and discussion, another hour quickly passed.

At this point, one could see the executives from Cisco, Aulion, and so on, sequentially leaving, but their expressions, though still somewhat grim, were clearly better than the last time they had come out. Upon a closer look, there was even a sense of... relief, relaxation?

To confirm various conjectures, the reporters rushed up with their microphones, eager to learn the specifics of what had occurred inside.

"Mr. Kristan, have you reached an agreement with the Internal Revenue Service regarding the tax issue?"

"Mr. Tchenko, does your company have any tax issues, and does it involve the Internal Revenue Service's tax auditing action?"

...

In response to the media's relentless questions, Kristan, Tchenko, and the others showed no intention of answering. They pushed through and left in their vehicles.

Just as the reporters at the scene were starting to feel dejected, the arrival of a Tax Investigator from the Bay Area Branch suddenly caught their attention.

"Folks, in 20 minutes our Bureau Chief will hold a press conference, where a preliminary announcement will be made regarding the tax audit over these past two days. Please get ready for the interview!"

Hearing this announcement, the journalists at the scene immediately lit up with excitement, scrambling into the hall to secure good spots and set up their cameras.

Amid everyone's anticipation, the 20 minutes quickly passed.

Bruna also appeared on time, but with a hint of excitement on her face.

She had been the Bureau Chief of the Bay Area Branch for four to five years, and today would be the highlight of her career!

Of course, she had David to thank for all this.

Two days ago, David had approached the executives of those mid-tier companies, only mentioning that he wanted to negotiate a bit.

But, to her surprise, just two days later, when those mid-tier companies returned, they obediently submitted their tax bills.

And the total sum of the taxes to be paid from these bills was an astronomical figure beyond anything she had ever dared to dream of!

Most importantly, even though this was orchestrated by David, it was still under her jurisdiction where the collection happened. Certainly, a share of the credit could be counted as her success. The thought was thrilling!

"Cough, cough..."

While lost in her reverie, Bruna was reminded by her secretary and realized she had been a bit absent-minded. She immediately adjusted her posture, stepped onto the podium, and said, "Good evening journalists, and viewers at home who have been following us. I am Bruna, the Bureau Chief of the Bay Area Branch. As for our Internal Revenue Service's recent tax auditing operation, I believe many have been paying close attention. Well then, I will announce the preliminary findings."