American Tax Officer

A few minutes later, the door was knocked, and then Andrew entered, placing a briefcase on the desk and said, "This is what you asked for."

"That's more like it, Deputy Warden Andrew."

David was very pleased with the other's astuteness and then gave a look to the three Nisenbakis sitting aside.

Nisen immediately came forward, opened the briefcase, and took out a stack of account books, after which the three of them began to seriously tally up the numbers.

Since these were the accounts of GCO Prison for the past three years, with numerous and substantial amounts involved, it took a full one and a half hours before the trio finally completed their calculations.

"My total comes to 67.65 million."

"Mine is 73.36 million."

"Mine is..."

After comparing their amounts, they added them up together, and only then did Nisen report to David, "Chief Tax Officer, the total comes to 211.22 million."

David nodded; the figure was about what he had estimated internally, which also proved that the people at GCO Prison had not dared to underreport their figures.

Then he looked at Andrew, saying, "You may go, Deputy Warden Andrew, but the undeclared tax amounts must be paid to me within four days."

Four days later would be the deadline for the assessment period.

Andrew did not reply, but his expression was one of tacit agreement, and then he turned and left the office.

"Check what time the earliest flight to Los Angeles is tomorrow morning."

GCO Corporation's headquarters is located in Los Angeles, and to receive this amount of money, David had to go there in person.

The next day at seven in the morning.

David first notified Saxton, then went to the airport in the neighboring Elko City and boarded a flight bound for Los Angeles.

Los Angeles is located in California State, which borders Nevada, so it took just about an hour for their flight to reach the skies above Los Angeles.

Gazing out the plane's window, the magnificent view of Los Angeles laid out before him; sunlight piercing through thin clouds, casting a golden glow over the City of Angels, with the contour of the city faintly visible in the distance. Skyscrapers and low-rise buildings intermingled to form a staggered picture.

The Streets of Los Angeles, like slender veins, twisted and turned through every corner of the city; vehicles on this vast network moving slowly, like busy ants.

As the plane began to descend, the details of the city became clearer; on the beaches, tourists were enjoying the gifts of the sun and the waves, and within the city, parks and green spaces added vitality and liveliness to this bustling city.

"So this is the 'City of Angels'…"

The City of Angels referred to Los Angeles, with the nickname originating in 1781 when a Spanish expedition arrived and it was the eve of the Feast of the Assumption, prompting the naming of the town as "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels," eventually shortened to "City of Angels."

At this moment, Nisen, looking down through the plane window, couldn't help but express his emotion.

As for Simmons, Bucky, and David, although they did not express their thoughts as Nisen did, they were also full of expectation inside.

If their plan to ascend to godhood succeeded, then this City of Angels would become their territory.

And here, whether it be tax revenue or beaches and waves, these were all things they longed for and desired.

"Ladies and gentlemen passengers, we are about to land at Long Beach Airport…"

With the announcement from the plane's speaker, David and his companions were brought back from their reveries. Wishing for too much was of no use at the moment; getting their hands on the tax money from GCO Prison was what mattered most.

A few minutes later, the plane officially landed at Long Beach Airport.

At the moment the door opened, they even felt the air was sweeter than in Nevada, although, of course, that might well be just the sweetness of anticipation and longing in their hearts.

Stepping out of the airport, David glanced at his watch; it was 9:10 AM, exactly the office hours for GCO Corporation. Now was the perfect time to go there.

"Chief Tax Officer, are we just going to go like this, without cooperating with the local IRS?"

GCO is a large company, closely collaborating with various U.S. agencies such as the Department of Justice, FBI, and CIA.

Thus, Simmons feared that if only a few of them went, they would not be able to handle the company.

Nisen gave him a look and said, "What are you thinking, Simmons? Have you gone muddled in your head? Don't you see where we are? This is Long Beach Branch territory!"

Hearing this, Simmons slapped his forehead, realizing he had indeed been confused.

The Long Beach Branch wasn't really the issue; it was that Bellamy Hattie was part of it.

That guy was now their rival in the god-making plan, and here they were on his turf, trying to collect a hefty tax; far from expecting cooperation, they might actually encounter obstruction hindering their tax collection effort.

"No need to find them, we'll go on our own."

David was well aware that he was in a fierce battle with Bellamy Hattie, who surely would not help him.

And he hadn't planned on involving the Long Beach Branch to begin with.

GCO might have a complicated network of relationships, and indeed, David might not be able to contend with the company in Los Angeles, but let's not forget, Nevada was his domain.