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Just like in the original plot, Arthur went to Bradley and paid him ten million dollars.
The goal was simple.
Expose the magic behind Daniel's group, locate them, and figure out what they planned to do next.
As for where the money came from...
Arthur didn't only have one account.
He had plenty of funds elsewhere.
Besides, a large portion of that one hundred and forty million had already been recovered and was still in the process of being transferred back. Even if it had all been spent, creditors would eventually come knocking.
For someone like Arthur, many rules and regulations...
Bradley later sighed.
"Is this really a good thing?"
Back when Arthur first asked Bradley to expose the Four Horsemen's previous trick, Daniel's group hadn't yet fallen out with Arthur. They hadn't transferred all of his money either.
At the time, they were still valuable assets Arthur planned to use to attract attention.
That was when Arthur had taken out a five-million-dollar check.
Unlike the original story, because of Morin, Bradley already knew the real cause behind everything.
So he didn't refuse the check like he originally did.
He accepted it.
And now, he had accepted another ten million.
That meant Bradley-despite being an informant-had received a total of fifteen million dollars from Arthur.
Morin wasn't jealous.
Not even a little.
Because even if that money ended up in his hands, it wouldn't count toward experience points.
Experience only came from completing missions.
And Morin had no intention of catching Daniel's group.
Money that didn't give experience wasn't really money to him.
If he wanted cash, he could think of a hundred different ways to get it.
Just after Arthur finished paying Bradley ten million to track down the Four Horsemen...
Morin and Catrina arrived.
"Mr. Arthur," Morin said as he walked in. "I need to review your company's financial statements."
"You know what just happened to me, right?" Arthur's temper was already at its limit. "You picked this moment?"
Morin didn't bother accommodating him.
This man wasn't going to turn green, grow larger, or get thicker no matter how angry he became.
There was nothing to be afraid of.
So why not annoy him a bit more?
"I know exactly what just happened," Morin replied flatly. "But it has nothing to do with my job."
He paused.
"No, that's not right. It does."
"I'm very curious about the one hundred and forty million dollars in liquid assets in your account."
"That amount isn't easy to explain in a financial report."
"Hmph!" Arthur snorted and gestured.
Soon, a man walked in.
Perfectly styled hair.
A tailored suit.
Gold-rimmed glasses.
He handed a laptop to Morin.
"Hello, Mr. Morin," the man said politely. "I'm Charleston, financial manager of the Arthur Group. If you have any questions while reviewing the statements, feel free to ask."
He pushed up his glasses calmly.
In Charleston's eyes, Morin was too young.
Young enough that he must have entered the IRS through connections.
And now he wanted to read financial statements?
Absurd.
Charleston had already heard that the IRS had only sent one person.
Morin.
In his mind, a story quickly formed.
Morin was the child of someone powerful, shoved into the IRS without real ability.
The people in the IRS didn't like him.
So they deliberately sent him alone.
The goal was simple.
Let him fail.
Let him embarrass himself.
Let him quit out of shame.
Charleston felt enlightened.
He already started planning how to politely guide Morin into retreating without offending anyone.
Then Morin spoke.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Charleston," Charleston said reflexively, smiling. "I didn't quite hear you."
"I'm asking about this," Morin said, pointing at a line on the screen. "Can you explain the flow of these funds?"
"...Of course."
Charleston's brows tightened slightly.
He pointed that out?
That had to be luck.
That adjustment had been made subtly from the very beginning.
But Charleston wasn't worried.
He had personally created this report.
He knew exactly where every loophole was.
This one was minor.
Easy.
He explained it smoothly.
"Very good," Morin nodded.
Then his finger moved.
"What about this?"
Charleston instinctively held his breath.
This spot corresponded directly to the previous one.
And it was bigger.
"This... is also easy to explain," Charleston said.
Despite the shock, his professionalism held.
He explained again.
Calm.
Clear.
Then Morin nodded.
And his finger slid again.
Some time later-
Charleston was panting.
His once-perfect hair was a mess from unconscious scratching.
He didn't even notice.
His breathing was ragged.
His face flushed.
His thoughts tangled.
His heart raced as he desperately searched for explanations.
"This one might take you a bit longer," Morin said softly.
To Charleston, it sounded like a demon whispering.
"So let's look at the next issue."
Morin's finger moved.
Toward an even larger loophole.
"That's enough!"
Before that finger could point again, Charleston slammed the table and stood up.
He bowed deeply to Arthur.
"I'm very sorry, sir. I'm not his equal. I resign effective immediately."
Then he turned to Morin.
A bitter smile.
"Mr. Morin, I apologize for my earlier arrogance. I hope you can forgive me."
"I accept your apology," Morin waved his hand, clearly satisfied. "You may leave."
"From here on, it's just Mr. Arthur and me."
After Charleston left, Morin looked at Arthur.
Arthur's face had been dark the entire time.
"So," Morin smiled. "Mr. Arthur, what do you have to say now?"
"Very good," Arthur said slowly. "You've successfully made an already bad day even worse."
"So tell me."
"What do you actually want?"
"What I want?" Morin shook his head. "That's not important."
"It's what the law wants."
"So we go to court?" Arthur sneered. "You know my legal team-"
"Yes. Of course I do," Morin interrupted. "They've won many impossible cases."
"They even stopped people who should've received insurance payouts."
He paused, then looked as if something had just occurred to him.
"Oh. Right."
"That money has been paid out now, hasn't it?"
"Hmph!" Arthur snorted again.
"You do have excellent lawyers," Morin continued. "Top-tier."
"But have you considered something?"
"Before, you were dealing with ordinary people."
"What kind of lawyer can they afford?"
"Government-provided legal aid."
"Even if those lawyers are capable, how much effort do you think they'll put into a thankless case?"
"Everyone is driven by profit."
"But this time, you're facing the IRS."
"The most ruthless department in the United States."
"One of the two things no American can escape."
"Death."
"And taxes."
"So think about it."
Would your lawyers really want to fight the IRS for a fee?
Especially knowing their own tax records might be reviewed afterward?
"Of course, they all know how to avoid taxes."
"Whether they've actually evaded any..."
"Well. That's another matter."
"If this goes to court," Morin said calmly, "you'll lose."
"You'll lose badly."
"And your company will suffer losses far greater than one hundred and forty million."
Morin leaned forward slightly.
Smiled.
"Do you understand?"
Arthur fell silent.
After a long moment, he looked up.
"You said people are driven by profit."
"Yes," Morin raised an eyebrow.
"Does that include you?" Arthur asked.
"Why wouldn't it?" Morin replied.
"I know Charleston," Arthur said. "The IRS has investigated me before."
"He handled them easily."
"But against you?"
"It was a complete collapse."
"That makes me curious."
"With your ability, are you really satisfied working for the IRS?"
"With that salary?"
Arthur took out a check.
Filled in a number.
Handed it over.
"Consider it a gift."
"You and I forget this ever happened."
"Oh," Morin glanced at the number.
"Are you bribing me?"
"A gift," Arthur corrected.
"I have to admit," Morin said slowly, "this gift is much more than my salary."
He looked up.
"But..."
"It's not enough."
This was his chance.
If he didn't take more, he'd be disappointing himself.
To put it simply-
He wanted more.