12: Chapter 12 Unexplained Abundant Wealth? Please Cooperate with Tax Investigation

The next second.

The ferocious expression on Qin Yan's face froze.

Immediately afterward, his facial features twisted together intensely, as if someone had shoved a grenade deep into his brain and pulled the pin.

"Ah—!!!"

A shrill, agonizing scream tore through the night sky of Panjiayuan.

Qin Yan abruptly let go of the dragon fetus imperial seal in his arms and tightly covered his eyes. Two shocking trails of blood and tears flowed down through his fingers, dripping onto the ground.

He curled up on the ground, rolling in agony, his throat emitting a death rattle like a dying beast.

The excruciating pain of his brain being torn apart made him wish he could smash his own head to pieces.

The Special Police were quick-witted, catching the falling dragon fetus imperial seal in one motion and carefully placing it into a pre-prepared shockproof case.

Gu Changan looked down at the convulsing Qin Yan from above, the corners of his mouth curling into a mocking arc.

"Nice eyes."

Gu Changan straightened his sleeve, his tone remaining that infuriatingly indifferent style: "It's a pity you used them in the wrong place."

How could this be? The script shouldn't be like this. According to the tropes in novels, shouldn't this type of official be cannon fodder for him to slap in the face? Why did this guy named Gu Changan possess a pressure that made even his Soul tremble?

"Get him up."

Two Special Police stepped forward, grabbing Qin Yan by the arms from left and right, dragging him up from the ground like a dead dog.

Qin Yan gasped heavily, struggling to open his bloodshot, blurry eyes.

The pain made him slightly clearer-headed, and his survival instinct instantly overwhelmed his dignity.

He couldn't fight back directly. This person was weird, and he even had a gun.

As long as the green hills remain, there's no need to worry about firewood. As long as these eyes were still there, and as long as those top-quality jadeite pieces in his pocket were still there, he could make a comeback anywhere he went.

"I… I admit defeat!" Qin Yan gritted his teeth, shouting through the excruciating pain, "That imperial seal… I'm not claiming ownership anymore! I'll hand it over! I'll hand it over to the state for free!"

He put on an expression of extreme heartache but forced submission, attempting to elicit sympathy from those around him.

"But I have one condition!" Qin Yan panted, his other hand trembling as he reached into his canvas backpack, fumbling for a moment, and pulled out three or four fist-sized stones.

These were the spoils he had swept up from other stalls earlier. Although they hadn't been cut open yet, under his X-ray vision, they were all high-end, glass-species jade, and there was even a rare piece of red jadeite.

"These were bought at other stalls, and there are transfer records for all of them; they are legal transactions!" Qin Yan clutched the stones tightly to his chest, as if holding onto a final life-saving straw, staring vigilantly at Gu Changan. "These aren't cultural relics, right? These are commodities! You have no right to confiscate them!"

He turned to look at the wealthy merchants who had been waving their checkbooks earlier and shouted, "Bosses! I swear on my life that these pieces will definitely skyrocket in value! On-site auction, highest bidder takes them! As long as you give me cash or transfer it to an overseas account, these pieces are yours!"

As long as he cashed these out, took hundreds of millions, and flew far away, he could still live high on the hog abroad.

The surrounding jewelers were indeed tempted. Everyone had witnessed the "Midas touch" Qin Yan had displayed earlier; if these pieces were truly as he described, even if only half were real, it would still be a massive profit.

"Little brother, I'll offer 80 million, I want this one!"

"I'll offer 100 million for the whole lot!"

Just as a few bold merchants were about to crowd forward, Gu Changan simply lifted his white-gloved right hand slightly.

"Clatter."

The firearms in the hands of the Special Police were cocked in unison. Although the dark muzzles were not pointed directly at the crowd, the murderous aura instantly made everyone shrink back.

Gu Changan didn't look at the wealthy merchants; his gaze remained on Qin Yan, the mocking arc at the corner of his mouth not diminishing in the slightest.

"Legal transaction?" Gu Changan repeated the four words, as if he had heard some funny joke.

He turned to the side and beckoned to the shadows behind him: "Section Chief Wang, it's your turn."

A middle-aged man wearing a dark blue jacket with a briefcase tucked under his arm walked out. He pushed up the thick resin glasses on the bridge of his nose, holding a portable terminal device in his hand, followed by two uniformed Tax Bureau inspectors.

That unique professional pressure, as if he could see right through people's wallets, made the merchants present instinctively shiver.

"Mr. Qin Yan, right?" Section Chief Wang walked up to Qin Yan and opened the terminal; data streams were scrolling rapidly on the screen. "I am from the Inspection Division of the Municipal Tax Bureau. According to the backend data we just retrieved, your transaction flow in the Panjiayuan market tonight reached as high as 47 million."

Qin Yan was stunned: "So what? Is it illegal for me to spend money buying things?"

"Spending money isn't illegal, but if the source of the money is illicit, then it is illegal." Section Chief Wang pulled up a spreadsheet with an expressionless face. "According to the System, you have no fixed assets under your name, nor do you have a legitimate occupation. Social security records show that you were still receiving subsistence allowances last month. May I ask, where did the tens of millions in capital you squandered tonight come from?"

Qin Yan opened his mouth, his throat feeling as if it were blocked.

Where did the money come from?

Of course, he won it.

Last night, not long after he had his Awakening of X-ray vision, he went to an underground casino in the suburbs of Yanjing. Relying on his supernatural ability to see through playing cards and dice cups, he raked in 100 million, which gave him the capital for today's arrogance.

But could he say that?

"I… I won this in the lottery! Yes, I won it from buying a lottery ticket!" Qin Yan's eyes drifted, and another layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

"The lottery?" Gu Changan interjected, his tone leisurely. "Which lottery draw? Where are the prize redemption records? Where is the tax payment certificate? According to the 'Individual Income Tax Law,' lottery winnings are considered incidental income and are subject to a 20% individual income tax. Do you have any tax payment records?"

Qin Yan was speechless. How would he know about these things? He thought that with superpowers, money was just a number, and he could have as much as he wanted. Who would bother with taxes or anything like that?

"It seems you cannot produce proof." Gu Changan shook his head, his tone suddenly cold. "According to the 'Anti-Money Laundering Law' and relevant tax laws, tax authorities have the right to conduct a comprehensive audit on individuals with unexplained wealth. We need to verify whether these funds involve money laundering, fraud, or other illegal activities."

He pointed to the few pieces of raw jadeite that Qin Yan treated as treasures in his arms: "Since the source of the capital is questionable, all items purchased with these illicit funds are considered case-related property. According to procedure, we will seize them in accordance with the law until you pay the outstanding taxes, late fees, and explain the source of the funds."

"Seize?!" Qin Yan's eyes almost popped out as he desperately protected the stones in his arms. "On what grounds! These are my things! This is daylight robbery! I'm going to sue you in court! I'm going to find the media and expose you for bullying the common people!"

"Supervision is welcome." Gu Changan straightened his cuffs and smiled indifferently. "But before that, you'll have to go with the comrades from the Economic Investigation Division to explain those abnormal income transactions you had yesterday at the 'Underground Jinsha Casino'."