American Tax Officer

Western Suburb Branch.

David had already arrived at his office and was looking at the morning paper, reading about last night's events.

The next moment, Bucky Hakim Nisen and others pushed the door open. Bucky, with a solemn expression, said, "Chief, Phipps has tweeted again. It's a challenge to you."

Upon hearing this, David narrowed his eyes, put down the newspaper in his hand, and turned on the computer to access Phipps' Twitter account. Soon, he found the newly posted tweet, and its content gradually came into view.

After a while, having read the tweet, David's face took on a meaningful expression.

"Chief, that Phipps is too devious, actually wanting to invite you to join a TV debate to build his momentum," one of them said.

"This guy may not be good at achieving political performance, but his oratory is sharp. He has been sent by his GHD party to engage in verbal sparring with MZD members multiple times, and every time he has left his opponents bloodied and embarrassed..."

"..."

Nisenbaki and the others voiced their opinions, ostensibly criticizing Phipps for his deviousness, but actually hinting to David not to be fooled. If he really went to accept the challenge, and the opponent set a trap for him on a live platform watched by the whole world, it would be troublesome.

In fact, there was no need for Nisenbaki and the others to say this; David had also seen through the cunning tricks of this old political fox, Phipps. His aim was nothing more than to use his political eloquence in a TV debate to attack the black tax law, thereby causing David to make a fool of himself and to garner support.

However, it seemed that avoiding the debate wouldn't do either.

If he avoided the fight, Phipps would certainly become even more arrogant and surely continue his attacks. Since David was currently the spokesperson for the black tax law, attacking him was equivalent to attacking the black tax law itself. Under the premise of his avoidance, Phipps would surely gain the support of even more people.

"Dudu dudu..."

The phone on the desk started ringing. David had to gather his thoughts and picked it up, only to see that it was Deputy Director Donald from the Washington D.C. Headquarters calling. He answered, "Deputy Director Donald."
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"Is that you, David? Don't rush to accept Phipps' challenge for a televised debate just yet. We are preparing to first study some countermeasures," Donald said.

The headquarters had also spotted Phipps' cunning, but they hadn't asked David to outright avoid the challenge. Clearly, they understood that directly avoiding it was not an option either.

"Deputy Director Donald, regarding this matter... Does the headquarters have any good strategies?" David inquired.

"This person is too adept at making verbal attacks. If we're going to accept the challenge, we think we should send a representative who is a professional in this matter," Donald suggested.

Donald's words were tantamount to saying that David was not up to the task of verbal confrontations.

And indeed, not only did he think so; the entire tax bureau knew that David was skilled at handling tax matters.

But tax matters were one thing, and engaging in the art of verbal debate was another matter entirely. In the face of an old political fox like Phipps, no one believed David could avoid making a fool of himself.

David pondered for a moment before responding, "Deputy Director Donald, I am currently the spokesperson for the black tax law. If I don't go, it will definitely give Phipps the opportunity to exploit the situation further, and it will also make those who support me feel that I am backing down, which would disappoint them..."

"Yes, we've considered that too, but there's no choice. Compared to letting him have the opportunity to exploit, if you go and get trapped by him in front of the whole world, it would be even more humiliating for us," Donald explained.

"How about this, Deputy Director Donald, let me give it a try. Although I can't guarantee I won't make a fool of myself, I can guarantee that if I do, he will too!" David countered.

Dave was well aware that he couldn't match a seasoned political fox in verbal games. However, he had a certain "cheat."

The advantage of this "cheat" was that Phipps' personal information was largely exposed to David. By using this information strategically, he could also turn the tables and leave his opponent embarrassed.

In the Washington D.C. Headquarters, upon hearing the first part of David's response, Donald initially wanted to refuse. But after hearing the second part, his expression changed, and he followed up with, "Are you certain you can make him stumble?"

"I am certain," David affirmed.

"Wait a moment, I'll get back to you with an answer," Donald replied.

Donald made the call from the headquarters' conference room and, after hanging up, immediately shared David's proposal with the others, finally asking, "What do you think?"

"If we can make the other side stumble as well, it would indeed be a good choice!" one of them said.

"Yes, it doesn't matter if we falter. If we can make the other party do the same, then the audience's support definitely won't lean towards one side. This is indeed the best approach at the moment," another agreed.

"This plan is indeed the best option currently, but the precondition is whether David can really pull it off. It would be problematic if he couldn't deliver after going on the TV show," someone cautioned.

The top-level strategies discussed at the headquarters, none of which could perfectly resolve the current crisis, saw David's proposal, though not perfect, as the best option under the circumstances.

Of course, the precondition, as they said, was that once on TV, the plan had to be executed without a hitch, or else it would be troublesome.

"We all should know what kind of person David is after all this time. Since he is sure he can do it, he must be confident," Donald voiced.

Donald's remark was met with no objections, even from high-ranking officials like Rohan, who had previously been critical of David.