The Shadow Tycoon
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 35: A Case Across Cities
At that moment, far away in Currilan City, Michael was still buried in work. This time Currilan City had invited them to assist in investigating Biddle Group’s economic case. As an IRS Investigation Unit Team Leader, Michael quickly noticed something was wrong.
It was not that he had discovered any clues about Biddle Group. Rather, he found that among the evidence Currilan City had already collected, some of it had problems.
To put it simply, there were errors in how certain evidence had been obtained, and there were problems with the sources of certain data inside some pieces of evidence.
Whether it was a tax case or an ordinary criminal case, its essence was still accumulation, a process of quantitative change becoming qualitative change.
Investigators had to collect clues bit by bit, turn them into evidence, then assemble that evidence into a complete chain of proof, and finally send the defendant to the judgment seat.
The entire process was linked ring by ring, but the clues and evidence he was seeing had small flaws.
He did not say anything, however. This sort of thing was normal. When the people above definitely wanted someone to pay a price, no one would care whether evidence had been obtained legally before the matter was dragged out into the open.
Michael himself felt this might have something to do with Biddle Group being a transnational group involving foreign capital. The big capitalists of Baler Federation had never been honest businessmen who competed by the rules. Their abilities in other areas were far better than their actual ability to run a business.
Just then, the telephone rang, startling him badly. Because this was a major case, the Investigation Unit had to observe confidentiality rules, which meant no external communications, and no one was allowed to leave work or everyone’s line of sight alone.
Michael had never imagined that the telephone on his desk would ring.
He hesitated, then picked it up. He noticed several local men immediately staring at him, staring in a way that did not care whether he noticed or not.
The call was from his wife. He pushed the floor lightly with his toes, and the swivel chair turned, putting his back to the others. “Honey, is there something that can’t wait until I get back?”
Hearing that familiar voice, Mrs. Michael could no longer bear the pressure of the past two days. She broke down sobbing, and through her tears she told him what had happened to Young Michael.
Michael shot to his feet in shock. “How did this happen? What happened while I was gone these past few days?”
A moment later, he slumped back into his chair. His partner walked over with some concern and silently looked at him without speaking.
After roughly 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 ten years, and he knew that if nothing major had happened, Michael would never leave his post. There was no value in trying to persuade him, so he might as well say nothing.
The two of them went to the Director of the Currilan City IRS. Michael explained what had happened at home. In fact, 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 ability at work. He was absolutely one of the sharp ones, and this was exactly the kind of work the Investigation Unit dealt with most often.
Compared with tax workers at the levels of “Agent” and “Special Agent,” the Investigation Unit was more outstanding in comprehensive ability. Michael and his young men had sped the case along considerably.
Now that Michael wanted to leave, the efficiency of his people might slow down, because they would be missing the guide they had grown used to.
But what had happened to Michael’s family also 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 somehow been framed and jailed. Refusing to let him go back under those circumstances would no longer be a matter of offending him or not. It would be making an enemy.
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