Ribs picked up the glass and drank it all in one gulp, full of sincerity.

Governor Morgan smiled complacently: "Haha, Speaker Reebs, you are too polite! Can we old guys let our friends be bullied by outsiders? Don't worry! Harold's despicable tricks can't cause any trouble! Mr. Sterling of the IRS will handle it impartially, and President Eberhart will also support you!" He patted his chest and made the assurance, as if he had already grasped the victory.

Sterling remained calm: "We will act in accordance with the law, Mr. Speaker, please rest assured."

The atmosphere at the dinner was harmonious, and the clear support from the three big guys relaxed Reeves's tense nerves a lot.

…

A few days later, the intelligence director of Harold's family presented an investigation report to Harold.

"Sir, we've verified this. We've cross-corroborated this information with the Treasury Department's Office of Internal Revenue Policy, the Manhattan District Internal Revenue Commissioner's Office, and the Senate Finance Committee," the intelligence director's voice was steady and precise. "Reeves doesn't have any meaningful connections within the IRS system. His claim of 'backing' is pure nonsense."

A cold smile appeared on Harold's face.

"Hahaha..." A cold laugh echoed in the study. "Good, very good! Ribs... this upstart who crawled out of the quagmire of Chicago, he's bluffing, and I was almost fooled by him!"

He slammed the table, shaking the crystal glass slightly. "If that's the case, then there's nothing to worry about. Let those hungry wolves at the IRS take good care of this Chicago upstart!"

Harold pointed to a prepared document bag on the corner of the table and said, "Submit this immediately to Brennan of the IRS's New York Special Investigations Unit. He is always... passionate about investigating the tax issues of 'emerging industry leaders.'"

"Yes, sir. Investigator Brennan has a good personal relationship with a distant relative of ours. He knows the limits and understands the value of this information." The butler nodded knowingly, picked up the briefcase lightly but swiftly, and retreated.

The contents of this document bag - the core evidence of the crimes committed by the Ribbs Foundation over the past five years - are enough to ignite a fire that will destroy everything.

Chicago, on the top floor of the core financial center of the Ribbs Group.

Alfred stood behind Ribbs, his voice stern:

"Speaker, the Thorne Group we acquired has experienced a chain reaction due to the suspension of work on five core projects in New York. We just paid four large liquidated damages and late fees, totaling $87 million. Add to that Governor Morgan's $150 million donation of helicopters, the cost of your private jets and helicopters, and various recent expenses... The Foundation's current fully available cash flow has fallen below the critical threshold, barely maintaining around $230 million."

Reeves leaned back in his high-backed chair, sneered, and scanned the numbers on the screen with his eyes. Far from being panicked, his eyes flashed with an almost cruel ambition. "If you lose money, you can make more. Harold thinks you can strangle me with this little trick? Naive! When I get through this, completely conquer New York, and break the bones of these ignorant old money one by one, this little money? I can make it back in a few nights! By then, all of New York will be my wallet!"

However, the storm came faster and more precisely than he expected.

At the same time that the anonymous material was delivered to the IRS New York Special Investigation Team, Reeves received an urgent contact from the Black Rabbit Security New York branch.

"Speaker!" Eugene's voice was filled with unprecedented urgency. "We've just received news that Derek Brennan of the IRS's New York Special Investigations Unit has issued a preliminary investigative warrant with temporary freezing authority! Based on the anonymous tip-off, they've officially initiated an 'emergency audit and asset preservation' of all foundation funds in your name! The first batch of freezing orders... may have already been issued!"

Ribs's eyes flashed: "Freeze?"

Before he finished speaking, the tablet in Alfred's hand also received several high-level alerts from different banks!

"Speaker!" Alfred's voice wavered for the first time. "Confirmed! Our main funding pool accounts with First National Bank of Chicago, Bank of New York Mellon, and two offshore banks in the Cayman Islands... have just received preliminary freezing orders from the IRS! The reason... is suspected large-scale tax fraud and money laundering! The initial freeze amount... is as high as $60 million! Subsequent... more is expected! The flow of funds has been substantially restricted!"

Sixty million! For Reeves, who only had a little over two hundred million in liquid funds left, this was like cutting off his financial resources!

The most alarming thing is the name "preliminary freeze order" - this is just the beginning, and more stringent restrictions will surely follow.

"Harold! That old dog! He's so quick!" Reeves slammed his fist on the table, and the solid mahogany tabletop made a dull sound. "Quick, contact Governor Morgan!"

Alfred immediately nodded in agreement and used the encrypted communication in his hand to contact Morgan's private mobile phone directly.

After the call was connected, Reeves' voice remained calm on the surface, but his speaking speed increased significantly:

"Governor Morgan, Harold has taken action! Someone named Brennan from the New York IRS Special Investigations Unit has issued a preliminary freezing order! Sixty million has been frozen in several of our main accounts! Mr. Sterling and General Dynamics must intervene immediately!"

Governor Morgan's calm, soothing voice came from the receiver: "Don't panic! This preliminary freezing order is standard procedure. They're applying pressure and giving the whistleblower an 'explanation.' This is all to be expected! It's just a formality and won't really affect you. Don't worry, with the three of us here, this little inconvenience won't cause any major problems. At most, within a week, they'll complete the necessary superficial review process, the funds will be unfrozen, and everything will be back on track."

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