Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 127 Go ask God if you'll get shot.
Wow…

The town, which hadn't seen rain for over a month, finally got some rain this evening, and it wasn't just a light drizzle, but a moderate downpour.

In the sunset, the whole town was shrouded in a hazy glow.

Under the intense headlights of various vehicles, the raindrops were clearly visible.

Armored vehicles, police cars, and various other patrol vehicles roared out of the police station, surrounding the central church from different directions around the town.

Milton even brought his own helicopter, carrying a high-powered searchlight, and had several officers provide him with aerial support.

Soon, the encirclement was reduced to a very small area.

Even though it's evening now, and even though the town has just recovered from the collapse of order, and everyone is exhausted from working every day, many people still brave the bad weather to take a walk or pray near the church.

In this country, 70% of the population is Catholic and 20% is a different form of Christianity. Many of them are not fanatical believers, nor are they really convinced that there is a God; it's just their way of life.

Moreover, it should be noted that, in theory, the bishops of the various Catholic churches are subordinate to the Vatican. A sudden attack on them could potentially lead to some unforeseen consequences, which is one of the reasons why China has never established diplomatic relations with the Vatican.

But Milton doesn't care about any of that.

The Pope? How many divisions does the Pope have? How many churches worldwide ignore the Vatican?

Soon, the entire central church was completely surrounded.

Many townspeople looked bewildered... Hadn't the town already returned to peace? What was the "Godfather" doing?
Could there be something hidden inside the church?

Inside the church, Father Raymond George was still standing on the platform holding the Bible: "The Lord said: I am the Alpha, I am the Omega..."

"..."

boom!
With a loud bang, the church doors were violently pushed open.

Those who had been quietly listening to the Bible inside the church were startled and turned to look at the door.

Two LAV-25s were parked outside, their cold muzzles dripping with rain, almost reaching into the church to see what was going on inside.

You can even see helicopters hovering at low altitudes through the entrance!
A team of heavily armored police officers first carefully checked the entrance to ensure there were no anti-personnel mines or booby traps, before storming into the church and quickly taking control of all the blind spots inside.

Every line of fire will prevent friendly fire and will allow potential enemies to be attacked from both sides.

"Police! Don't move!"

Among the people attending church services was even a "ghost wolf." He was so bewildered by the scene that he raised his hand in confusion, thinking back on what he had been doing lately, and realized that nothing seemed wrong.

The sheriff, his helmet dripping with water, aimed his rifle at the priest and said coldly, "Everyone except Raymond, leave in an orderly fashion under the supervision of officers and go to the police station for questioning. Those who do not cooperate will be considered accomplices of the criminals."

At this moment, Olya, the fearless war correspondent, rushed in and began filming with professional equipment.

On stage, Raymond calmly read the contents of Revelation 1:8: "...is the Almighty who was, and is, and is to come."

Then Raymond put down the Bible and asked Milton kindly as he came out of the rain, "Mr. Milton, what brings you here?"

Milton looked at him coldly, then said in a very blasphemous tone, "You should call me 'Godfather'."

Milton used the Spanish word "padrino" instead of the English "godfather" for the "godfather" in this sentence, which carries a stronger sense of humiliation.

It could even be said that this directly negated Raymond's priesthood, explicitly stating "you are not worthy to be the father of everyone's souls," which is the ultimate blasphemy and humiliation for Catholic clergy.

Sure enough, Raymond's eyes widened immediately: "You..."

But when Raymond saw the cannons outside and the police officers in the church watching everything with cold eyes, he calmed down.

“Officers, this is a sacred place; you are all children of God. Under the Lord’s watchful eye, are you going to do something so blasphemous? Oh… Ronan, have you forgotten? I even officiated at your coming-of-age ceremony.”

Milton stepped forward, carefully checked the area with his instrument panel to make sure there were no dangers, and then took out his M29 revolver, twirling it on his finger.

"I've been in town for so long, and I actually forgot about this godforsaken place, forgot you didn't pay my taxes," Milton chuckled coldly. "And even if I forgot, you didn't bother to pay your taxes? What do you take me for?!"

“Mr. Milton.” Raymond put down the Bible, left hand below, right hand above, his hands folded at the edge of the altar. “According to secular law, the church’s income is all donations from the servants of God and is not subject to taxation.”

Milton said coldly, "But here, it's necessary. Search me."

As soon as he finished speaking, another team of police officers entered the scene. They immediately took action and searched the entire church, including the area around it.

Soon, large quantities of gold, US dollars, and quorum were found. Some officers even found women's underwear in Raymond's bedroom.

Rainwater streamed down the face of the statue of the Virgin Mary, making it look as if she was weeping.

The last shred of faith, respect for the mysticism, and illusions about the holiness of priests that these police officers had once held vanished in an instant.

Raymond stood straight with his chin slightly tucked in: "The Lord is merciful and gracious to His people. If this money can help you, then take it."

“Really?” Milton said casually. “You’re very generous.”

“If you are satisfied, please leave.” Raymond lowered his head, as if he were a faithful believer willing to endure great humiliation for his faith. “Next time you come, just repent in your heart. The Lord will hear, the Lord knows, the Lord forgives.”

Milton didn't say anything more, but turned around, found a bench, sat down, and asked with interest, "Otherwise what?"

Otherwise...

Raymond was taken aback; he really hadn't expected Milton to ask such a question.

The charlatan relies on something that is neither falsifiable nor verifiable, so what does it mean that Milton is now putting in so much effort to make him prove it?
To be honest, Raymond knew that Milton was probably after him because of the ventilation quote he gave to the Lyman checkpoint, but he believed that he had done everything perfectly and hadn't left any evidence, so Milton couldn't do anything to him.

At most, they'll confiscate the cash, humiliate him a bit, and expose the underwear he keeps in his room.

so what?

These are not capital offenses.

Once things calm down, he can find an excuse to leave the town and withdraw his savings—this cash wasn't his main savings.

"The Lord doesn't care..."

"Oh." Milton nodded in realization, waved his hand, and Flora walked in from outside, handing over several receipts in a plastic bag. "'Lord' is such a kind person, isn't he?"

"The Lord is of course the most benevolent and omnipotent being."

“Hmm…” Milton looked at the documents under the helicopter’s searchlight and nodded. “Luckily, I confiscated a lot of people’s bank accounts and also checked their remittance records.”

Even if Milton couldn't find this evidence, he wouldn't let Raymond off the hook, but he really didn't expect these people to use such simple and violent methods to transfer money and such low-level money laundering techniques.

Some of the so-called "money laundering" was simply a matter of transferring money through a few bank accounts under his control.

They actually found transfer records for Pedro, Varta, Raul, and Raymond, and the amounts were not small.

Of course, the most important thing is not these... but the transfer records between Raymond and the old dean.

The church was indeed in cahoots with the hospital, engaging in human, corpse, and organ smuggling.

"On [date], 1992, the case file reported that a recently buried body had gone missing from the church cemetery. At the same time, you received a bank-to-private transfer from the clinic."

"1992 years..."

"1993 years..."

"In 1994... the 'boss's' body was stolen, and around that time, you received a remittance from Raul's account."

“You have done so many bad things, yet you have not been punished... There are only two possibilities: either your master is an evil god, or your master does not exist.”

"I regret to inform you that your actions constitute tax evasion, and I will legally seize all your and your God's property as compensation and a fine."

After Milton finished speaking, he threw the photocopies of the documents on the ground, smiled, and said nothing more.

No other words were spoken at the scene, but an indescribable anger slowly accumulated.

Countless relatives and friends have disappeared because of this. They learned about the hospital's practices through previous live television broadcasts.

But they didn't know that the church they frequented and prayed in was also a den of iniquity.

That priest who talks about doing good deeds all day long and reads the Bible with great emotion has actually participated in this kind of smuggling!

Many of the officers present were victims; if Milton hadn't been standing in front of them, they would have torn Raymond to pieces!

Raymond's face turned deathly pale, and he opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word.

Milton stood up and approached Raymond, a mischievous glint in his eye. He gripped the revolver with both hands, as if in prayer.

“Father, what did you just say? You said your Lord is all-knowing and all-powerful, and you are your Lord’s agent on earth, is that right?”

"you……"

Milton raised his index finger to his lips, making a "shh" gesture to signal the priest to be quiet: "Then may I ask you a question for me to ask your Lord?"

Raymond had a bad feeling, but he still forced himself to ask, "...What do you want to know?"

Milton, with a mischievous grin, asked, "Since God knows everything, why don't you ask him for me if you'll get shot today?"

Raymond finally couldn't bear to maintain his religious posture any longer. He took two steps back and roared, "I am a priest, I am a Catholic priest! Do you know what happens to Pablo after he kills a cardinal?! You can't kill me!"

Milton raised his gun: "Will it or won't it?"

Raymond thought that Milton would be wary after he brought up Pablo's example, so he gritted his teeth and said, "No!"

boom!
Milton suppressed a laugh and shattered Raymond's kneecap with a single shot.

Then turned and left.

"I'm just a tax officer. Your tax issues are resolved. Now, let the police deal with your crimes."

As soon as he finished speaking, Brandon walked to the door and waited for Milton to come out.

As he was leaving, Milton whispered to Brandon, "Brandon, ask him that question again later, and shoot no matter what he answers."

Brandon was a little confused: "Uh, boss, why?"

"Never mind, it's a ritual, you know?"

"As ordered!"

Milton returned to the rain and looked up at the magnificent, brand-new church, so out of place in the poor town. The various ornate statues, crosses, and stained glass windows were dazzling in the setting sun.

Soon, Brandon announced from inside the church: "Raymond George, you are guilty of murder, smuggling, drug trafficking..."

After the reading was finished, a neat "whoosh" sound came from inside the church.

All the officers raised their guns.

“Oh, right,” Brandon said, remembering Milton’s advice, “didn’t you say your Lord is all-knowing and all-powerful? Ask him if you’re going to get shot later?”

Raymond gave a bitter laugh and said, "Of course I will..."

boom!
"Accurate!" Brandon, following Milton's instructions, directly crippled Raymond's other knee, while praising him.

After the fight, Brandon turned around and asked, "Boss, how are we going to execute him?"

Milton thought for a moment and said, "Since he is so devout, let's reward him with the most popular punishment in the Middle Ages."

"Perfect timing. I've disliked this church for a long time. What kind of place is this where people live better than me?"

"Take that cross upside down, tie Raymond upside down on it, and burn him to death with napalm."

"Olia, film the whole thing."

Aurelia considered the potential impact of the story once it was reported, reflected on her career reaching its peak, and nodded, saying, "Okay, Mr. 'Godfather'."

Soon, the officers found some nails, nailed the wailing Raymond to the cross, and then placed the cross upside down on the ground.

"Set it on fire! Burn this church down!"

boom! boom! boom!
"what--"

"what!!!"

Soon, raging flames engulfed the church in the rain, igniting Raymond's desperate struggle on the cross.

Looking at the flames that ignited the twilight, and at the cross that burned in the fire, its shape beginning to distort, Brandon sighed, "It seems that his Almighty Lord did not come to save him."

Milton wiped the rain off his face, pointed to the sky, and said, "Perhaps it has already arrived."

"However, the people I want to kill cannot be saved even by God."

Flora opened the door of the armored vehicle and asked, "Boss, the spy has been eliminated. When are we going to attack Lyman?"

Milton got into the car and said, "Tomorrow."

"Huh?! Wasn't tomorrow's announcement supposed to be fake news for Lyman?"

(End of this chapter)