Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 131 It's you who wants to fight in urban warfare, not me.
Akoch Town, Hill Street.

In mountainous areas, locals like to name their streets in this way.

Beth Miguel was in the kitchen, sealing various foods with salt and trying to hide them—that damned robber Lyman hadn't even bothered with the most basic pretense these past few days, and had started openly robbing people in town!

In the past, at least Lyman's men had some scruples and would use some indirect methods to rob people!
This forced her to find a way to hide the food.

Hearing the terrible sound quality of the old-fashioned black-and-white television outside, with its occasional piercing electronic noises, she angrily picked up a fork and slammed it hard on the baking tray several times.

bang bang bang!
"Baram! Stop watching TV and come help move things. And you, Ricardo, your father is being unreasonable, but aren't you unreasonable too? Come here and stop watching TV."

What's so interesting about these news stories?

At this moment, the television was broadcasting Malakham TV—a small television station in a town in the north, which was usually unavailable, but when it was, the content it broadcast was always extremely sensational.

This meant that the Balam family had to check if the Malakan town television station was on every time they wanted to watch TV, and they would even talk about the station in their daily conversations to avoid accidentally missing any good content.

"Keep this for now. This is Malakham TV; we have to watch it!"

At that moment, the television screen was showing a battle scene that looked like a blockbuster movie.

Gunfights, artillery battles, those "tanks" firing machine guns, bombarding with cannons, and attacking "tanks" with RPG rocket launchers... In their imagination, this might be what world war looks like.

It's absolutely amazing to watch.

It's even better than a movie!

But the best moments always pass very quickly. A few minutes later, these battle scenes ended, and the scene returned to the host sitting in the broadcasting room reading his script.

"Dear viewers! This is an emergency special report from Malacan TV! Yesterday afternoon around 6 pm, our reporter risked his life to follow Mr. Milton's special operations team and documented this shocking joint enforcement operation!"

"During a tax audit, Mr. Milton, the tax officer, discovered a large criminal gang involved in human and organ trafficking. The gang was well-organized and heavily armed, and the local police encountered many difficulties in enforcing the law."

"Therefore, today, Mr. Milton organized an independent armed force within the tax bureau and conducted joint enforcement operations with the police..."

"The tax bureau dispatched several armored vehicles..."

"..."

"Breaking news! The smugglers have surrendered! The first hideout has been raided, and the tax team is counting the bodies—no, the 'individuals incapacitated during law enforcement'!" Mr. Milton gave a brief statement.

Soon, the scene was switched back to the "scene".

Balam and a teenager were engrossed in watching the screen and chatting with each other.

"Alas, I wonder when the esteemed Mr. Milton will be able to come to our side?"

The woman in the kitchen, while tidying up, asked curiously, "Why did you bring him here? I always see him fighting and killing; isn't he too violent?"

"His violence has always been directed at armed men, gangsters, and drug dealers. When have you ever seen him launch a violent attack against civilians? Not once, right?"

"Furthermore, when you watch TV, don't always stare at the center of the screen; you should also learn to look at what's outside the screen."

Balam spoke at length, like a political commentator.

"Didn't you notice? Milton only controlled the town next door for a little over a month, and the content shown on the screen is completely different. Before that, their lives were similar to ours, and everyone was basically in a state of near starvation."

"And now? Didn't you notice when Milton went to the church to check taxes last time? There were quite a few townspeople gathered far away from the cordon, and several of the children were holding snacks! Snacks!"

"And when they saw Milton's team, they didn't scatter in fear. Think about how we were when Lyman's team arrived. Think about it carefully."

“At least in that town over there, we can definitely find food and work. Sigh, if Lyman keeps robbing like this, we might as well move to the next town. It's not that far, and it's easy to scrape together the travel expenses.”

The woman frowned at the mention of moving: "What if we run into gangsters and get robbed? Forget it... Besides, you're a police officer here, which is respectable. Are you sure you can find a better job over there?"

"Hmph!" Balam sneered. "Is being a police officer such a good job? Just these past two days, our respected chief has been forcibly recruiting people from the station, saying that some gang from Mexico is coming to rob a small town on the border, and we need to take their place."

"I think it's probably because he or Lyman had a conflict with some gang and needed to urgently gather manpower to resist... Luckily I'm smart and found an excuse to get away with it."

"If I'm not mistaken, a lot of people must have died over there."

Beth smiled, but still jokingly retorted, "Tch, coward! How could you say something like that in front of a child?"

Balam laughed and pinched his son's cheek: "I don't want my child to become some great hero, I just want him to live a good life."

While chatting, they continued watching the television screen.

The scene was chaotic, with several injured people lying on the ground receiving emergency medical treatment. One of the most seriously injured was even urgently lifted onto a helicopter and transported away.

At that moment, Balam's expression suddenly changed.

"Wait, wait a minute!" Balam jumped up, took a few steps forward, and pressed himself against the TV screen. "A corpse's face just flashed by! It looked so familiar! Was that that annoying Jamie?!"

"You must be mistaken," Beth said casually, hiding a jar of cheese. "How could Jamie possibly be on TV?"

"No!" Balram's voice, now closer to the television screen, was tinged with horror. "Are we seeing things? Look here, this is Tom, it's definitely him. He has a long scar on his neck, and he even tried to lure me in, saying Lyman would make a lot of money..."

Beth was also a little puzzled: "But didn't Milton say he was investigating human and organ trafficking organizations? How come he's targeting Lyman's people?"

"Besides, didn't Lyman say he was hiring people to take down the Mexican gang?"

After the question was asked, the room suddenly fell into a strange silence.

The answer to the question is so obvious that even a fool could guess it.

In the silence, Milton pulled a bloodstained note from a corpse, looked at it for a moment, and then pointed it at the camera.

"He used to be a thief, a complete bad guy."

"Today, however, he is willing to sacrifice himself for the cause of justice..."

"Think about it, how many hours do you work a day, yet you're still poor, still burdened by high-interest loans, still unable to afford even bread... and they say you're not working hard enough, that you need to work even harder..."

"They were omnipotent until we took up arms!"

"I hereby appeal to..."

"..."

The television signal was cut off after Milton finished his speech.

Unlike before, Balam did not sit at the table with relish, eating and chatting about what was on TV.

They ate in silence, trying their best to control their thoughts, but the images and Milton's words kept replaying in their minds.

They had this question for a long time: why were they so poor despite working so hard? Why couldn't they make money? Why were people like Lyman so rich?

The answer has been there for a long time, but they just dared not think about it.

After a long silence, the roar of engines suddenly filled the air outside.

The couple exchanged a glance, then quickly went up to the low second floor, opened the tin door, and looked outside.

That's... Lyman's convoy! And his elite troops!
Why did he bring his convoy and strongest fighting force into the town?

Screams echoed from the more important houses, where homeowners were roughly dragged out, and some were even shot dead by Lyman for simply saying a few words.

Several people were about to rush into Balam's house to rob it.

The next second, several orange fireballs exploded in the direction of the checkpoint. Several seconds later, a very slight but extremely shocking explosion came from that direction.

boom! ! !
The inspectors who reached for the door were so frightened by the sound that they dropped to the ground and scrambled onto the vehicle in a panic, pushing and shoving each other as they got in and sped away.

They moved so fast it was as if some terrifying demon was following them, about to take their lives.

“Milton really called… The ‘human trafficking organization’ he mentioned is Lyman!”

"Lehman Raid wasn't going to wipe out any gang, but to defend against Milton's attack!"

"Lyman's men were defeated, utterly and utterly defeated. His supplies were destroyed, his checkpoints couldn't be held, so he retreated to the town, which is why he's so desperately robbing the townspeople! He's going to fight Milton in street battles!"

A look of struggle and fear crossed Balam's face, as if he were making a decision.

After several dozen seconds, he suddenly turned around, looked at his wife and children, and said, "Take the food and hide under the bed. Don't come out, you must not come out."

As he spoke, he opened the shoe cabinet, took out a very old Remington M870 pump-action shotgun, and loaded it with all the bullets.

His wife used to mock him as a "coward," and she wasn't wrong. He always had a high sense of danger and had once rejected several missions that ended in heavy casualties based on his intuition. The deputy director once "praised" him, saying, "Just live, who can outlive you?"

So what is he going to do now?

Beth looked terrified: "What, what are you going to do?!"

Balam loaded the shotgun as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and said, "I'm going to help Milton kill that son of a bitch Lyman."

Beth, who had just been mocking her husband for being a coward, put down the child, suddenly grabbed his sleeve, and shook her head vigorously, saying, "No, didn't you see the TV? That's a cannon! You'll die! Lyman has gone mad, a lot of people will die. Think of the children, just stay home!"

Balam laughed, took off his police badge, placed it in the child's hand, and patted him on the shoulder: "I used to be afraid of dying because I knew who I was going to arrest, and my fights were for Lyman and the chief's interests. But today is different, this fight is really different!" "This is a fight for ourselves. Milton alone may not be able to take the town; he may be defeated in street fighting!"

"For our lives, I must go out and fight this time. Remember, I am a police officer."

Seeing that his wife was about to say something, Balam smiled slightly and said, "Do you remember what Mr. Milton just said?"

"If you dare not charge with the flag, then carry your shield and follow closely; if you are too weak to even lift your shield, then stand on the sidelines and cheer for your soldiers; if you don't even have the courage to cheer, then sit at home and silently wait for victory to arrive."

"But in any case, do not block our way, do not mock us, because Milton is risking his life to help us fight this battle."

"I'm going to charge forward with the flag, my dears, you stay home and wait for victory."

Beth said nothing more, just looked at her husband with tears streaming down her face.

Balam scratched his head and sighed, "Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I have many friends in the police station. We'll figure out a way to take over the police station first and distribute the weapons inside..."

"Well, although I don't really believe in that word, but... for freedom, long live freedom!"

After saying that, he pushed open the door and rushed out.

……

Akoch Police Department.

"Damn it, Milton's attacking! He's bombing the checkpoint! He'll take it in half an hour, half an hour!"

Police Chief Akoch's eyes were wide open as he angrily pounded his fist on the table.

If Lyman weren't his boss, he would have loved to call Lyman a pig.

Three lines of defense, more than 150 people, so many guns and so many cannons, and it collapsed in a day and a half?

So they were driven to the checkpoint?
Even if you pour a bunch of shit into these three lines of defense, it should at least hold off Milton for three days, right?

It means that people like Lyman are even worse than shit!

"What do we do now?" The deputy chief was covered in cold sweat. He looked around frantically, trying to find a safe place to hide. "Staying in the police station isn't a solution either. Milton will definitely attack here immediately."

"What are you afraid of!" the chief roared. "The police station is in the center of town. It won't be so easy for Milton to break in."

“Mr. Lyman said that he would fight Milton to the bitter end. If we can hold out for a month, Mr. Lopez will come to our aid with weapons that Milton will absolutely not be able to resist.”

"Alright, let's start with street fighting. I'll give orders to my officers right away."

"I have a house on Liusha Street that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. I will retreat there after I give the order."

"Quickly call your officers over here."

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the police station.

The people present looked up and saw that it was Officer Balam and some other officers.

“You’ve come at the right time.” The deputy chief stepped forward, looking at the coward with some “contempt”, and ordered, “You guys are responsible for guarding this street in front of the police station. Do everything you can to keep Milton out. If you succeed, I promise to give you a bonus of $20.”

“'Coward,' you’re not allowed to refuse this time.”

Balam and the three officers behind him looked at the deputy chief with half-smiles and said with a smile, "Chief, Deputy Chief, I promise I won't refuse this time."

"very good……"

boom!
Before the deputy director could finish speaking, Balam drew his shotgun with lightning speed and pulled the trigger amidst the bewildered gazes of the crowd.

Countless shrapnel burst forth, turning the still-speaking deputy director into a pincushion!
boom!
Another shot rang out, and the deputy director's head exploded like a watermelon.

The men standing behind Balam also pulled out their guns almost simultaneously and opened fire on the "high-ranking officials" who they had never dared to talk back to before.

The entire police department's top brass instantly turned into a pile of corpses, and the conference room reeked of blood.

When the other officers pushed open the door and rushed in, they saw a mess on the floor and several menacing men, the former cowards.

It's more unsettling to see this expression on the face of a coward than on a person who's always been aggressive—because it means the other person is about to fight to the death!

"Baram, what, what happened?"

"Hey! Don't be impulsive, tell me why you're doing this, okay?"

Balam, gun in hand, said coldly, "Didn't you watch TV? Didn't you hear the explosion? Milton is about to break in, Lyman is finished!"

"Yes, but..."

Balram roared, "There are no 'buts'! You, Paul, have you forgotten that your wife was raped by the chief?"

"I……"

"And you, Pierre, have you forgotten how the deputy director docked your pay that time?"

"I……"

Balram continued, “It’s time to pick up a gun, it’s time to overthrow Lyman! I’ve had enough of his rule, I’ve had enough of being oppressed by him! Do it or not? Tell me! If you’re a coward, if you’re going to die for the man who raped your wife, then say no! Go back and tell your wife!”

Paul's face flushed red, and he shouted, "Fuck it! Who said I'm not doing it anymore! If I don't make Lyman shit himself today, I'll... I'll... I'll consider him clean!"

"Then let's go. Open the police armory and distribute the weapons! This town is full of Lyman's enemies!"

"Come on!"

Balam raised his arms and shouted, "After we finish this battle today, we can finally live a good life with our wives and children! We all have the right to live a good life!"

"We may not have the courage to charge forward with the flag, but we are definitely not cowards who dare not even raise their shields!"

“Go, go, go!”

Soon, the police station doors were opened from the inside, and Balam picked out a PPSH-41 submachine gun from inside.

That is, the famous PPSh.

"Everyone, maintain order! Everyone has a gun, and everyone can get bullets!"

"If any of Lyman's men dare to enter my house, I'll kill them! The wind and rain may enter, but Lyman is not allowed!"

"Any grenades? Give me a grenade, I want to blow all those Lyman and his gang to smithereens! Damn it, he robbed me yesterday, he even stole Madonna's poster..."

"Do you know how to use grenades? You might blow yourself up. Let the police officers use these."

"..."

Soon, the police station's arsenal was emptied of weapons by the enraged townspeople, including those very old guns that were probably still inoperable—Barram hadn't expected the crowd outside to be so large.

There aren't enough guns!
"Come on!"

The excited crowd, armed with weapons, suddenly became bolder and decided to turn back and cause trouble for Lyman.

Balam, however, remained clear-headed at this moment. He immediately shouted to stop them, "Everyone, don't be impulsive! Don't forget that Lyman has machine guns, armored vehicles, and better weapons. There's no chance of winning if we just charge in!"

"Hide in a corner, hide in the shadows, hide in every corner you can think of, hold your breath, wait patiently, and shoot them when Lyman and his men least expect it!"

"Victory will surely belong to us, victory will surely belong to every citizen of the town!"

"Good luck to you all. I hope to see you all in the bar after the town is liberated."

"..."

After saying that, Balam grabbed some spray paint and sprayed "Damn it, Lyman!" onto a police car. Then he and his brothers got into the police car and sped off towards the outskirts.

They weren't the townspeople with little combat experience who could only hide in a corner and be the sixth brother.

Balam's task was simple: storm the building!

The police car was carrying a lot of grenades, and they also found several soft bulletproof vests. The men didn't really understand things like bulletproof ratings, so they just put them on anyway.

In any case, we must at least take the first street into the town to give Milton's approaching army a safe enough foothold.

"Baram, I heard they have machine guns. Will our body armor stop those machine gun bullets?"

"It can't stop my ass. At least I don't think it can. I've seen machine gun bullets penetrate the armor of bulletproof vehicles with my own eyes. There's no reason why they can't penetrate what we're wearing." Balam laughed. "Just fool yourself."

"Are we going to get ourselves killed...?"

“No.” Balam said, sounding somewhat unconvinced himself. “First of all, my spray paint was on the back of the car; we wrapped it from behind them, so they couldn’t see it…and they wouldn’t immediately suspect that the officers had betrayed us.”

"Okay... I'll reluctantly believe you. What's the second point?"

After racking his brains for a long time, Balam said, "Secondly, we are righteous, and Lyman is evil. To hell with Lyman! The cause of justice will prevail!"

(End of this chapter)