Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 182 He dares to use my methods against me?!
Milton's sudden and seemingly inexplicable series of orders put the camp, which had been somewhat basking in the joy of victory, into a tense atmosphere as they began to carry out his commands.

No one knew why they were doing this, but everyone carried out the orders without hesitation.

Several soldiers hurriedly took out a few spare gas masks from the base, turned around and rushed out, intending to subdue the woman.

Milton's reminder still lingered: "Try to avoid direct physical contact with her, including her clothes!"

"Soldiers who have had direct contact with the infected person should be prioritized for medical treatment."

"Cameras, make sure the cameras in the military camp aren't malfunctioning... and call that reporter, Olya, over here too!"

"Roger that!"

Soon, the soldiers in the camp were divided into several squads and began to carry out Milton's orders.

The soldiers didn't know what poison was, so they could only find a water pipe and disinfect the woman named Sally from head to toe, while continuously covering that direction with water mist to prevent anything from drifting over.

Sally was immediately locked in a room with all the ventilation turned on, and everyone else was evacuated.

After finishing everything, the soldiers who had had direct or indirect contact with Sally also entered the isolation room.

"Sir, what happened? Should we shoot that guy dead?"

Milton looked closely at Sally, who was also looking extremely bewildered in the distance, and shook his head slightly: "No, no need... The person who was sent here probably doesn't know much about this either."

As a high-ranking official in the government, it would be virtually impossible for her to carry out this type of assassination.

She was likely just a pawn that was pushed out to be sacrificed.

But Flora was more interested in something else: "'Tax collector,' what I'm most curious about is why you would suspect this person."

Milton remained silent for a moment, and after a long while, he said with a cold face, "First, I feel something is wrong from the message the soldiers just passed on... Intelligence has shown that Lopez's army has found a port to land at."

"This port is within President Arsu's control area—the route from the port to Quetzaltenango also passes through the capital."

"In other words, the government and Lopez have reached a very friendly agreement, and it would not be an exaggeration to call them allies to some extent."

"But just now you said you wanted to have some kind of comprehensive cooperation with me?"

"Perhaps in such a critical moment when both sides are fighting to the death and the outcome is about to be decided, it is logical to try to profit from both sides. But as long as there are doubts or possibilities, we must take precautions."

“I have a reasonable suspicion that this Sally came with malicious intent, and since the soldiers said they didn’t find any lethal weapons on her, it’s very likely that she was carrying some kind of poison.”

Flora blinked, glanced at the others around her, and asked, "Just because of this one point of doubt? Aren't you being a bit too cautious?"

“Also, I just remembered that my intelligence officer told me not long ago that an abandoned CIA safe house was discovered in the city,” Milton added, making up an excuse. “A lot of important stuff inside was moved… Do you think all of that stuff is safe? Aren’t there any weapons?”

"Where are these weapons located? Could they be used against me?"

"These are all obvious problems."

"Besides, after this victory, I see many people are getting a bit cocky... as if they've completely forgotten what kind of enemy we're facing. Let's make a big deal out of this and conduct a live-fire exercise so that these soldiers won't be caught off guard if they encounter the same situation in the future."

Milton went on and on, and finally, the people around him showed expressions of sudden realization.

Oh, it was just a drill...

Just as the atmosphere was starting to lighten, the doctors who had arrived, dressed in professional protective suits, began urgently conducting examinations with their equipment.

Everyone else at the scene was also wearing a gas mask.

After a while, a doctor glanced at Olya, who was being filmed, and then turned to Milton.

The others were already waiting for the order to end the exercise.

Then, the doctor's words exploded like a bomb among the crowd.

"It has been detected. The preliminary diagnosis is Novichok, a neurotoxin. It has been highly diluted, but close contact for more than 10 minutes can still pose a serious risk to life."

"That woman... Sally, has already started showing signs of poisoning. It's hard to say whether she can survive. You'd better ask her any questions you have quickly."

"After you finish asking the questions, if you have time, it would be best to come to the hospital for a more comprehensive examination."

"..."

After saying that, the doctor turned and left—taking the soldiers who had been in close contact with him with him.

Only Flora, Brandon, and the rest of the officers and soldiers remained, all looking completely bewildered.

Three or four seconds later, Flora jumped up: "Holy crap! It really happened?! Those lunatics, did they really poison it?!"

"Fuck!"

"..."

Many soldiers looked at Milton as if he were a prophet.

In a place with a strong religious atmosphere and low levels of education, Milton's performance today has already taken on a mystical element in their minds.

Milton showed no surprise. After checking his protective suit, he walked toward the room where Sally was isolated and said coldly, "The most insidious thing about this is that, whether we notice it or not, the CIA can absolve itself of all responsibility."

“If Sally dies here under mysterious circumstances, we will have no way to defend ourselves, and we can easily imagine what they will say about us.”

"Even if we are lucky enough to uncover the poisoning, it will be difficult to trace the source—because even the poisoner himself may not know anything, and they can still slander us."

"This is clearly a decapitation strike, and if it fails, they can still smear us. Damn it, the CIA, they actually dared to use my magic against me..."

Flora clenched her fist: "So, the cameras in the military camp did us a big favor, right?"

“Yes, that’s why I called Olya over immediately.” Milton pointed to the camera. “The video must not be interrupted. We need to find the source of the toxin… As long as we can get through this crisis, we’ll have examples to use when we encounter similar situations in the future, and we can shift the blame onto others.”

Milton paused after speaking, then shook his head: "No... I want to do that kind of thing in the future, and then throw mud at other people."

"As long as we can solidify this evidence, I guarantee they'll suffer in the future."

Flora: "...I doubt anyone would have imagined that you would find a perfect solution to this assassination attempt, right?"

"Enough with the nonsense." Milton entered the isolation room and looked at the woman named Sally. "Let's ask her first and see what we can get out of her."

If we don't ask someone soon, we might die.

The others knew the seriousness of the situation, so they put on the lie detector and the interrogation began immediately.

Just as Milton had guessed, after a few questions, everyone realized that Sally was almost completely unaware of the assassination attempt, and didn't even know that such a so-called poison existed.

Seemingly in an effort to prove that she had absolutely no connection to the assassination, she cooperated with the interrogation to an extreme degree.

The lie detector never detected anything.

From the moment she received the assignment to the moment she arrived and was detained in the isolation ward, she recounted almost the entire story in a brief manner.

Milton tapped the table and asked the most crucial question: "As far as I know, this poison takes effect very quickly. Even if the government intends to sacrifice you, if they don't control the dosage properly, you will die prematurely, or even die on the way."

"Even if the poison is diluted, my last-minute change of plans might cause you to be delayed by ten or twenty minutes on the road, resulting in the assassination failing."

"So, they must have calculated a very precise time to poison you without your knowledge, and then come to me at a time that can be predicted almost exactly."

"When do you think you unknowingly completed the act of poisoning?"

After Milton finished asking the question, his gaze was fixed on Sally.

Sally's poisoning reaction is mild; she is currently only slightly drowsy—she is receiving continuous intravenous injections of atropine and pralidoxime, and her vital signs are temporarily stable.

Whether they survive or not depends entirely on luck.

She thought for a long time before saying, "I have a habit of spraying perfume first thing in the morning... On the day I came here, I got up at the hotel, washed up, changed clothes, sprayed perfume, and then took my luggage to the hotel restaurant for breakfast."

"I set off after I finished eating."

"After arriving at your camp, I was inspected. Your soldiers found my perfume, and to eliminate any threat, they asked me to spray it on myself. So I did, to prove that it was safe."

"Maybe, maybe someone secretly switched my perfume while I was having breakfast?"

"..."

Milton raised his hand to interrupt her, then turned to Brandon: "Have the doctor test the perfume ingredients immediately."

"understand!"

Not long after, under the watchful eyes of several cameras, the test results came back. "It's confirmed that this perfume contains Novichok... This perfume is the source of the poison."

Milton was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "They took advantage of the fact that my security checks are very strict, and that they took advantage of my cautious nature?"

“Don’t blame your soldiers either,” Flora quickly said. “They really didn’t expect it to turn out like this… The right thing to do is to check her personal belongings and then put them far away. Don’t add any steps like ‘spraying’ them to prove they’re safe before that.”

The biggest problem with this step is that if the other party is there to take us both down with them, or if they don't know what's inside the thing, it will have the opposite effect.

So all we need to do is optimize the program; the soldiers have really done a pretty good job.

“I know, I don’t mean to blame them.” Milton shook his head. “Today’s incident should be considered a lesson. We must bring in real experts to conduct a comprehensive review and fill any gaps in our security measures.”

The panel can rely on contraband detection to predict most assassinations in advance, but Milton will eventually expand his territory and go to the front lines, which are not yet considered part of his territory. At that time, he can only rely on himself.

“Now you know how formidable your opponent is,” Flora sighed, patting Milton on the shoulder. “Even if you have no family, no hobbies, no hometown, nothing at all, they can still find a flaw that isn’t really a flaw—the CIA can even exploit your caution.”

"Moreover, this assassination didn't even leave a trace of exposure. In other words, for the CIA, this operation was practically cost-free."

"The CIA probably didn't even think this assassination would be successful. Even if it failed, they could still send you a message: from today onwards, you can expect a series of assassinations and a life where you can't even sleep well."

"That's why I say, never underestimate the CIA just because of one victory. The victory of annihilating the SAD team is certainly glorious, but you can beat the CIA countless times, but you can't lose even once."

Milton stood up, his tone icy: "Then I'll show them what it means to win countless times while they can't win even once."

Violence creates many problems, but extreme violence can solve them.

Flora was stunned: "...You really are that stubborn?"

Milton said, "Let's go, get a check-up, and then we should think about how to deal with Lopez's last counterattack."

"Uh, what about this woman?"

"What else can we do?" Milton said helplessly. "Let's get him to the hospital first and hope he survives."

If Sally survives, we can use her for many things.

Unfortunately, even with such timely rescue, Milton estimated that her chances of survival were at most 50%, and even if she did survive, she would suffer lifelong aftereffects.

Epilepsy, abnormal heart rate, digestive system disorders, abnormal sweat gland secretion, lung disease, sensory function decline... and so on.

Even if they survive, they will need lifelong treatment.

Soon, the group arrived at the hospital, where a doctor was already waiting downstairs.

Milton underwent a thorough cleaning and disinfection, and then asked, "How are my soldiers?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. 'Godfather,' I can't give you an answer right now." The doctor gave a wry smile. "But his life should be saved. As for the aftereffects, we'll have to see how his treatment goes."

“Very good. If there are serious problems later, treat it as a disability, transfer to logistics, and record the merit.”

"it is good!"

"..."

While being inspected, Milton took the opportunity to reopen the panel and calculate the gains from the capture of the port.

His primary concern was unlocking the radar system.

information!

This thing is absolutely crucial.

[Radar system exchange unlocked]

[Air search radar unlocked: meter-wave early warning radar system]

[...air defense missile fire control radar, low-altitude radar, ground guidance radar, counter-battery radar...]

Inside, there was a dazzling array of models—the JY-11 three-coordinate radar, the AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar, and even the Chinese YLC-16 radar.

finally come!

Milton breathed a long sigh of relief.

We must fill the territory with these radars, and we also need to exchange a special radar set for the port to monitor the coastline.

As for counter-battery radar, it was of paramount importance to Milton.

It's important to know that among the weapons Lopez sent ashore were several large-caliber howitzers, and they had absolutely no idea that Milton also had something like a counter-battery radar.

If Milton dares to use it, he dares to scrap it!

The tank exchange system is now unlocked.

Type 59, T-55...

Tanks were so commonplace that Milton didn't bother to read through the list one by one.

His biggest concern now is something else entirely—due to various tactical requirements and practical constraints, the military's equipment has inevitably begun to move towards a "mixed bag" approach.

This is a huge disaster in terms of logistics, maintenance, and operational efficiency.

Milton really didn't want to develop himself into the Indian army.

As for military ships, everyone knows how precious the navy is. They don't need them right now, and they can't afford to replace them, so they haven't gone to replace them.

I've redeemed everything I needed, including the most crucial anti-tank radar, and Milton's inspection is almost complete.

The doctor nodded gently: "Sir, your condition is very good. You are not poisoned and do not need any treatment."

"very good."

Milton nodded and walked out of the hospital.

Brandon and Flora also finished their tests and came out—they were both indoors at the time and quickly put on gas masks, so they did not inhale any toxic gas.

Flora, still shaken, quickly asked after leaving the hospital, "What are your plans next?"

"First, the government must provide a reasonable explanation for this assassination attempt. If they cannot provide a reasonable explanation or give me a satisfactory account, I will take retaliatory measures."

"This needs to be done now; I need a response within 24 hours."

"Then there's the front line. One question is, which way will Lopez's desperate gamble go—attack the port or ignore it altogether and launch a full-scale assault on the rebels?"

"Flora, what do you think?"

“I won’t analyze the motives, let’s just analyze the current intelligence. According to the information we’ve received from the resistance front lines…” Flora began, “their offensive over there hasn’t stopped at all.”

"According to our intelligence network in Quetzaltenango, Lopez has transferred a significant portion of his remaining garrison to the front lines."

"In summary, Lopez chose a route that was tactically easier to win but less strategically significant—to continue the offensive against the rebels and prevent them from being drawn back by us."

"But for us, this is the toughest battle yet."

"We cannot lose the strength of the resistance, otherwise the situation will still be very bad, and we will still be surrounded by enemies on three sides."

Milton nodded: "Then... let's go and see the front lines."

P.S.: Due to something really difficult, I was a little late today and only wrote 5000 words. I'll make up for it tomorrow.

Some people say that the CIA didn't just use VX missiles (poison gas bombs) to bombard the protagonist's port, and that the CIA is naive if they don't do that, and that I deliberately let the protagonist live.

All I can say is that there are so many flaws in this that I don't even know where to begin criticizing it. A dozen or so people died, and the US just launched a strategic strike against another country, right?

1. Procedure. The use of VX missiles requires a very complex process—the CIA submits a report to the Pentagon, then it goes through the congressional approval process, finally the president signs it off, and only then can the US military deploy it. It's not like a CIA agent can just press a button and shoot whoever they want; that's child's play.

2. Compared to declaring war, there is a very high probability that the director will be ousted. The star quota isn't something I made up; trying to cover up this kind of loss is their consistent style.

3. Do not personify the nation.

4. The garbage CIA doesn't have that kind of energy.

5. Consider geopolitics and draw an analogy to how the United States reacted after suffering similar losses in the past.

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(End of this chapter)