Chapter 63: Chapter 61: Weren't You Supposed Not to Be Freeloading?
Confirming that someone was inside, he gestured to Nisen, signaling him to wait for his command to break down the door.
Nisen nodded and made an 'OK' sign with his hand.
David held his breath, his right hand tightly gripping his gun, while his left showed three fingers; he then retracted his ring finger, middle finger, index finger, and finally made a chopping motion downward.
Nisen lifted his right leg and kicked the door lock fiercely. The door flew open in an instant, and he charged in like a bullet from a gun.
Meanwhile, in the room, Maggie, who was still processing documents, was startled by the loud noise.
But her strong mental fortitude allowed her to quickly snap back to reality. Without taking any weapon, she dashed toward Nisen in a swift move.
On her way over, she used the springiness of the bed to leap into the air.
Before Nisen could react, a pair of shapely legs wrapped around his neck, and with a downward leverage, she flipped and pinned Nisen to the ground as his gun fell to the side.
All of this happened in the blink of an eye.
David, who had followed closely behind, was dumbfounded by the scene.
He had let Nisen enter first exactly to avoid such a scenario.
But you, Nisen, a retired veteran of the Marine Corps, got taken down by her in just one encounter?
Was it carelessness, a failure to dodge, or what?
And to think you'd sworn you weren't just here to fill a quota!
Without time to ponder, seeing Maggie about to pick up Nisen's gun, David immediately reacted and shouted, "Don't move!"
In that instant, with Maggie restraining Nisen to her limit, even with exceptional ability, he would not be able to subdue David in a sudden move.
With the gun pointed at her from such a close range, she dared not make any further moves and could only surrender with her hands up.
"Let him go!"
Following the command, Maggie released Nisen, who was almost suffocated. Once free, he gasped for air, his face red and looking as if he was ready to devour Maggie.
All these days, it was David who had created most of the tax revenue.
Aside from acting as a bodyguard, Nisen had not played much of any other significant role.
So before they forced entry, he had secretly vowed to take down this female spy cleanly and efficiently, to make David realize his importance.
But who could have predicted that upon entering, far from capturing her cleanly, he himself had been effortlessly subdued? It was utterly humiliating!
Ignoring what Nisen might be thinking, David, gun in hand, approached Maggie step by step.
But just then, a ferocious look appeared on Maggie's face, her eyes showing determination. Then her chin started to move as though she was going to do something.
Witnessing this, David thought something was wrong and quickly stepped toward her, grabbing her face firmly with his hand, and explained, "Don't be rash; we're not here to arrest you!"
He knew that many spies had cyanide capsules in their teeth to avoid capture and torture.
If this woman died like that, it might be beneficial for the CIA.
But for him and the Department of Homeland Security, it would be a significant loss!
After all, she was an excellent source of revenue!
Maggie seemed somewhat perplexed.
If they had forced entry and drawn their guns, what were they doing if not to arrest her?
With one hand, David pulled out his badge and said, "We're Inspectors from the Department of Homeland Security, just here to have a 'friendly' chat with you!"
As a spy, Maggie of course recognized that this was indeed the Department of Homeland Security's badge.
This could indeed explain why David and Nisen's tracking techniques were no longer effective.
However, speaking of which, it's understandable that the FBI and CIA are paying attention to her, but why is the IRS looking for her?
Could it be...
That there is some issue with her taxes?
Is it possible that during her Las Vegas performance, the relevant authorities missed her tax declaration, thereby triggering an investigation by the IRS inspector?
But...
How does this inspector know that there's poison in her mouth?
Could her spy identity still have been exposed?
That seems likely too!
After all, in America, only death and taxation are unavoidable.
And the IRS, with its penetrating channels and methods of investigating tax evasion, might have inadvertently discovered her identity during their audit!
But no matter what.
As long as she wasn't dealing with institutions like the FBI or CIA, there seemed to still be room for negotiation!
Thinking of this, Maggie nodded to indicate that she wouldn't make any more attempts at self-harm.
Only then did David release her mouth, taunting with an ironic tone, "Miss Maggie, you sure slipped away quickly on the monorail earlier, but did you really think you could escape once the IRS sets its sights on you?"
Maggie remained composed and retorted, "Alright, the IRS wouldn't go to such lengths to find me just to collect a little tax, would they?"
David laughed and replied, "It's not a little, it's a tax issue of 280,000 US dollars!"
"280,000 US dollars?"
Maggie looked puzzled.
Her fee for the Las Vegas performance was hefty, but it wasn't enough to warrant a tax bill of 280,000 US dollars!
"Here's the thing, on the 3rd of last month..."
David laid out the details of the Black Tax Law.
After hearing this, Maggie was first stunned, then her expression darkened as she responded, "So you know my identity then?"
According to the Black Tax Law.
Any income gained from unlawful activities must be fully taxed by the IRS.
And now that the IRS had found her, they naturally knew of her illegal earnings!
"Just a spy, nothing to make a fuss about!"
Maggie felt a heaviness in her heart and a self-mocking look appeared on her face.
She prided herself on how well she had concealed her identity, capturing American internal secrets on numerous occasions, yet neither the FBI, CIA, nor the Department of Homeland Security had managed to uncover who she was.
Now, ironically, it was her failure to pay taxes that had led to her being discovered by the IRS!
The whole situation felt somewhat farcical to her.
"Since you know my identity, my end seems to be the same either way, dead. Why should I even bother paying you taxes?"
In Maggie's eyes.
The IRS may only be responsible for tax collection, but such a significant case would not escape the notice of departments like the CIA or FBI, right?
It was highly possible they wanted to squeeze every bit of value out of her before handing her over to those agencies.
David shook his finger and countered, "If you don't pay us your taxes, you're definitely on a one-way road to death, but if you're willing to pay, then it might not necessarily be so!"