Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 201: Unbridled Imagination Regarding Milton

Go out and scout ahead...

Honestly, after seeing Grey being torn apart by the angry mob, Iker didn't want to go out and scout ahead.

But staying in this basement without going out is also a form of slow death. After much deliberation, Iker finally nodded and stood up.

He managed to scrape some ash off the wall and smear it on his face to disguise himself as best he could before turning to leave.

Lopez added from behind, "If you can't get away, or if you feel there's danger, come back and bring back any news you've gathered from the outside."

Where has Milton advanced to now? Is the takeover of the city going smoothly? Has there been any reaction from the outside world?

Wait a minute, information that could originally be obtained simply by turning on the TV or asking any of the subordinates has become incredibly difficult to obtain.

Iker ate one last bite, then turned and left the cramped basement, gently closing the door behind him.

The secluded basement fell silent once again.

Lopez glanced around blankly, then slumped into a different position, wanting to take a good rest.

In just a few days, he had experienced the coldness of human relationships—the money and food that should have protected him and were the resources he relied on for survival almost became the murderers who killed him after the defeat.

"Ha! I will have a chance to rise again... Just wait, you beasts! Especially Milton, even if I go to Australia, I will use all the resources and connections I have left there to fight you to the end."

Wow...

As Lopez was muttering angrily to himself, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching and the sound of something being accidentally knocked to the ground not far from the basement.

Startled, Lopez immediately fell silent, turned around, gripped his Colt python tightly, and pointed it at the doorway.

At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder if Iker had betrayed his location in exchange for a chance to escape.
Could it be that even Iker has betrayed him?

Putting yourself in Lopez's shoes, if he were in Iker's position, he might also have betrayed him...

I should never have let him go out. No, we should have gone out together...

Lopez listened to the footsteps recede into the distance, felt a sense of relief, and gradually drifted off to sleep amidst his fear and unease.

A few hours later, at night, the basement door suddenly made a slight turning sound.

Lopez reacted immediately, instinctively pulling out his pistol and pointing it at the doorway.

Lopez finally breathed a long sigh of relief when he saw that the figure emerging from the darkness was Iker. In this situation, having a companion, or even just one companion, made him feel safer than being alone.

More than a hundred times more.

"How's it going?" Lopez casually placed his pistol on the shelf behind him. "Is the situation outside alright?"

Iker shook his head with a wry smile and coughed twice: "Almost every small street is occupied by different gangs, some of which are... our soldiers. From a distance, it's fine, no one notices me, but as soon as you get close and try to move to another area, you will definitely be strictly checked."

"I've observed for a long time, and no one can escape it."

“Some tried to sneak away, but they were all caught. If they were lucky, they ran into a gang with more resources and were shot on the spot. If they ran into a gang with fewer resources, they would likely end up on the dinner table.”

Lopez angrily cursed, "Milton, that destructive madman! Look what he's done to my city!!"

Iker picked up a bottle of water, took two big gulps, and then said with a wry smile, "Then, I was lucky enough to find today's morning paper. You... can take a look."

To expedite the flow of news to Quetzaltenango, Milton's airdropped supplies also included newspapers from various media outlets.

Lopez quickly got up, reached for the newspaper, and started reading.

Daily News

The civil war, which began on November 13, 1960, and continues to this day, has taken a major turn at this moment.

In the decisive battle in Huevetenango province, at least 500 Guatemalan soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Brigade and Guatemalan Special Forces, along with all air force and armored units, were completely annihilated. According to pessimistic estimates, no more than 300 survivors will escape.

[The rebel leader Milton's army has taken full control of the provinces of San Marcos and Retaluleu, and has intensified its siege of Quetzaltenango, directly leading to the complete collapse of the military government in the region, which is also the newly elected congressman López's regime. López's whereabouts are currently unknown.]

After 30 years of setbacks, the resistance has achieved its greatest victory since the start of the war, and has now almost secured a stalemate with the government forces in the civil war, no longer facing the risk of annihilation.

Local order has completely collapsed, and Milton has become the de facto "president," or rather, "king," of these three provinces.

【…】

Several cities with large populations were reduced to ruins, with heavy casualties and complete breakdown of order... However, Milton's army managed to bring the situation under control after entering, and reportedly distributed limited food relief.

[The local appeals court declared the military government unconstitutional, and the judge was executed on the spot. Milton claimed to have evidence of their corruption and crimes… However, some scholars pointed out that this was still a serious regression in the spirit of the rule of law, and strongly condemned Milton's lynching and procedural injustice.]

The following day, an anti-military demonstration broke out in San Marcos, reportedly organized by local pharmacists, lawyers, and gang members. It was suppressed by troops dispatched by Milton, and the death toll is still being tallied.

Milton himself declared that the corpses of the oppressed should be refined into oil, made into soap, and airdropped into Quetzaltenango. President Arsú claimed he could not imagine that a regional ruler would utter such insane words.

However, opinion polls show that Milton currently enjoys over 30% approval rating nationwide, and even if the public does not support him, they generally do not dislike this brutal military government.

[Our reporters are still following up on this news...]

【…】

In just four months, Milton transformed from a prosecutor being hunted by gangsters into a super-armed team with a large army (Milton calls himself a tax police officer), artillery, tanks, helicopters, and even fighter jets, once again solidifying the 'Pan-Madley Cartel's' reputation as the most powerful cartel among all the major cartels.

He was a true butcher—according to incomplete statistics, Milton caused the direct deaths of at least nearly 10,000 people in just a few months, once again using incendiary weapons with unbridled ruthlessness on the front lines, employing methods of killing that were unprecedentedly horrific. Even the notoriously cruel drug lords felt that Milton's madness far surpassed their own.

According to government soldiers who fled back to the battlefield, Milton refused to accept surrender and carried out indiscriminate massacres of enemy troops—even foreigners. It is said that at least 10 Americans were brutally executed by Milton's group. When their bodies were found, they were dead, with a 'ticket' stuck to their faces.

Milton claimed he came to fight drugs, corruption, and the ills of the old government, but in reality, his arrival brought more killing and bloodshed to this already turbulent land, revealing his blatant ambition.

At the very least, these reasons are definitely not the reason why he ignited the civil war and pushed its intensity to a new level.

[Perhaps for a long time to come, armed groups in various regions will step up their arms purchases in order to cope with an even more unpredictable future situation.]

This concludes our report.

Lopez looked ashen-faced after reading the entire report.

The last attempt to thwart Milton's hopes through nonviolent means was shattered—and shattered very easily.

Milton, who used to rack his brains to frame his enemies for his bad deeds, directly attacked the judge at the courthouse entrance.

"Ha ha……"

Lopez glanced at some other news reports, then shook his head in boredom, thinking of opening a can of food to eat.

Iker asked worriedly, "Can you tell anything?"

“The entire report appears objective, but it is clearly biased.” Lopez shook his head slightly. “And the part about me was almost entirely glossed over… What does that mean? It means I have truly been completely abandoned.”

"Using my defeat to buy time and space for alliances, development, and military expansion, Arsu, and the warlords who control other regions—what a brilliant scheme, hahaha!"

Just as Lopez was about to open a can, a series of noisy footsteps suddenly came from the basement above!

And unlike before when they passed by, this time their target was very obvious!
"Boss, I swear, I just saw it! Someone disappeared around here... There must be food hidden here, hehehe!"

"He thought he was hiding well, but I noticed he was suspicious at a glance and followed him the whole way!"

"That damned homeless man dared to secretly hide food, he deserves to die!"

Lopez, his hand trembling as he held the pistol, exclaimed, "Iker! You came back with a tail?! Are you trying to get us killed?!"

Do you know how difficult it is for us to safely move our supplies?

Iker's face turned deathly pale: "This, this is impossible..."

"You idiot!!!"

"Get your guns out, and keep your voice down!"

After groping around for a while, the group finally followed the various marks to the entrance to the basement.

Then he kicked the door open, and several people rushed straight in.

Bang bang bang!
Iker and Lopez simultaneously pulled the triggers of their revolvers. The fierce and unexpected firepower instantly turned the two men who had rushed in into sieves.

"Damn it, sons of bitches, they have guns!"

"They have it? I still have an AK, let's charge in!"

A burly man charged down again with an AK-74—this time, having emptied the magazine, the two men were finally powerless to resist.

Boom boom boom!
Iker, who was ahead, was shot several times and immediately fell into a pool of blood.

A bullet grazed Lopez's ear, and Lopez, terrified, dropped his gun, clutching his head and screaming, "Stop shooting! Stop shooting! I surrender! I surrender!!!"

"Boss, this beast killed two of our brothers!"

"Why don't we sell him?"

"Sell my ass! Do you know that organ matching takes at least two days? Milton has already infiltrated the market. If you miss, then keep doing this kind of business."

"Kill him..." Lopez panicked completely. He ignored Iker, who was still breathing and bleeding from his mouth, and scrambled to the men, pleading, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I have money, I have a lot of money. If you spare my life, you'll be rich!"

The burly man spat, "Who the hell are you trying to fool? If you're really that rich, you can afford to be in a place like this?"

"I am Lopez!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man finally froze.

Lopez?!

That Congressman López Obrador, who was offered a bounty by the "Hell Tax Collector" and whose whereabouts have been unknown for a long time?!
The big man didn't fire. He waved his hand and ordered his men, "Turn on the lights. I want to see his face. I want to see if he really is Lopez."

Once the lights were on, the big man grabbed Lopez's face and examined it closely under the light.

Three seconds later, he suddenly flung himself away, bursting into laughter: "Holy crap, it really is Lopez, hahahahaha! Lopez, hahahahaha!!!"

Lopez felt a humiliation he had never experienced before, and he gritted his teeth and asked, "Is it funny?"

"Lopez, you fucking fell into my hands!" the burly man sneered. "Do you remember me?"

Upon hearing this question, Lopez felt a chill run down his spine.

He certainly didn't remember who the big man was, but anyone who could ask such a question must have a deep grudge against him.

Before Lopez could guess, the big man spoke first: "About 10 years ago? Your organ selling was exposed. At that time, you weren't so powerful... So you made me take the blame for all the crimes, saying that you would give me a large sum of money after I was released from prison, and promised me a position as a small boss."

"And what happened? After I got out of prison, I couldn't even see you, I couldn't even get through the door!"

"Hahaha! Since you don't recognize me, it means you've done this kind of bad thing countless times!"

"Didn't expect that, did you? You ended up in my hands?"

Lopez's face turned pale and then purple: "You... How could I possibly remember something from 10 years ago? I was probably one of your men back then... Besides, what's the point of saying all this now? You won't get the money even if you kill me!"

"Who said that?" the burly man laughed wildly. "I can cut off your head and give it to the 'Hell Tax Collector' to exchange for a bounty!"

"you?!"

"And, esteemed Mr. Lopez, have you forgotten? You yourself were a match, and I have already spent some money to buy all the matching data from the hospital... Your organs are unfortunate, but they are actually quite valuable."

As for handing the man over to Milton alive, the big man had never considered it—because he himself wasn't clean, and if Lopez turned on him, Milton might not let him off the hook.

Therefore, it would be better to directly exchange heads for the bounty.

"Get them on the bus!"

"Hehe, boss, I happen to have some powder here..."

"What kind of powder do you want?" the burly man sneered. "Just dig it out like this. Oh, I see our councilor is making quite a racket. Pull out his teeth first, so he'll stop being so noisy. Oh, and later, give the councilor a bath with the soap that the 'Hell Tax Collector' airdropped over, so he can feel the love of our new emperor, hahahahaha!"

Lopez, who was grabbed and dragged into the car, tried to struggle: "Wait, wait!"

"Let's record a video too. The esteemed 'Hell Tax Collector' must hate Lopez to the core." The big man thought for a moment and then said, "If he sees Lopez performing tooth extractions, organ transplants, no, excisions without anesthesia, he might be very, very happy, and giving him a bigger reward wouldn't be out of the question."

“No, no…”

"Ah, ah!!"

"don't want--"

"what!!!"

……

Guatemala City.

In a rather unremarkable club, only four people were gathered.

One of the voices sounded familiar; it was the voice of someone calling Milton on behalf of President Arsou.

“It’s really not easy for the four of us to get together. Heinz Ubiko Castaneda, I thought you wouldn’t come.”

Heinz said coldly, “Milton, that madman… must be eliminated, that’s our consensus. My grandfather, Jorge Castaneda, known as the ‘Napoleon of Central America,’ wasn’t as insane as this madman.”

The Ubico family came to power through military means, implemented a repressive regime, and supported the United Fruit Company of the United States. Although they were overthrown, they still maintained their influence in the Northeast, controlled Guatemala's access to the Caribbean Sea, and held sway over the country's economic lifeline in the Atlantic.

The four people gathered here are clearly representatives of several major warlords in Guatemala!
They all seem to be united!
All for one name, Milton.

Warlords who controlled the Atlantic Ocean outlet and the border with Belize, warlords who controlled the border with Honduras, warlords who controlled the border with El Salvador...

And President Arsu, who controls the country's largest port, strongest economic city, and administrative power!

Among them is the Rios family, the former president who directly initiated this civil war that lasted for more than 30 years, resulting in the deaths of nearly a million people and carrying out a brutal genocide!

If the situation of the civil war had not changed, the members of this family would have been tried after the war, but it was almost a perfunctory trial, and they could be said to have had a completely peaceful end.

A woman's voice rang out: "I just want to do business... but Milton has really gone too far this time. By buying so many weapons, he's making it impossible for anyone to do business."

“We must unite, or Milton will wipe us out one by one and annex us.”

"Now everyone can see how big Milton's ambition is—he wants to build an unprecedented Pan Madre Group that spans the entire Latin America, a super-armed group. He will never give up control of Guatemala!"

"Perhaps we should also contact the cartels in Mexico and ask them to join us in curbing Milton's development."

"We've already contacted them, and they'll be taking action soon."

"What about the Americans? Did they say anything?"

"These greedy Americans, seeing Milton develop like this, are finally getting anxious... Heh, they're finally willing to allocate some funds and provide some equipment. We don't know what specific measures they'll take yet; perhaps they'll take some action after the midterm elections."

"November 8th is coming soon, less than a month away."

"It's getting cold..."

"But we can't just sit here doing nothing during this time. We must cause some trouble for Milton, especially before he's settled into his position."

The man representing the president laughed immediately: "Don't worry—that good-for-nothing Lopez left Milton with a big enough problem before he died."

“That’s right. I’ll also be thinking of some plans, perhaps economic, perhaps small-scale military conflicts, or even using a cult to corrupt his people… In short, I won’t let Milton get away with this.”

“Actually, what I’m most worried about is the list Milton has—given Milton’s personality, the fact that he agreed so readily not to release the list means what? It means that the list he has is real, and he really knows those names!”

"Yes, if Milton uses this to blackmail us or make demands, I would suspect that he is trying to trick us."

The group was initially skeptical of Milton's so-called list, even though the American technicians had proven that DNA matching technology was indeed mature and reliable.

But they were not convinced that he really had the list until Milton gave a completely out-of-character answer.

"This is an American matter!" The woman present slammed her hand on the table. "Let them gather their own intelligence and figure out how to use special forces to remove Milton's list!"

"Stupid Americans, they came up with some DNA technology and didn't even tell us! I'd never heard of it before, I almost thought Milton made it up. How are we supposed to protect ourselves if they don't warn us?!"

"Okay, enough complaining..."

Let's each prepare.

"I can't offer much help on this side of the Atlantic, but I can help you smuggle some things..."

"How to suppress Milton's port is up to His Excellency the President."

"We absolutely cannot give Milton any breathing room."

"..."

……

Two days later.

Outside the city of Quetzaltenango.

A carefully wrapped gift was presented to Milton.

"What?!" Milton stared at the gift, enraged. "He killed Lopez?! What does that mean?! Who told him to kill him?!"

“Uh, boss…” Brandon said cautiously, “It seems like you said it yourself, that you didn’t care whether Lopez was dead or alive, in order to make sure Lopez was 100% sure he couldn’t escape.”

"Damn it!" Milton was genuinely heartbroken now. "He had so much money, so many secrets, and he just died like that?"

"If it were just an ordinary person who couldn't afford to eat coming to collect the reward, that would be one thing, but they even sent me a video of an operation—do these organ traffickers think I'm stupid?!"

“Sigh…” Brandon comforted him, “At least Lopez died a really terrible death, and the secret he kept won’t stay hidden for long. Our people in Quetzaltenangori have their eyes on an important figure in the lobbying group. He definitely knows the relevant secrets!”

Milton was finally exasperated: "I'm furious... Hurry up and get into the city, I need to know what Lopez 'sold' by tomorrow!"

P.S.: I went to a top-tier hospital and it turned out to be a serious inflammation and infection. The emergency room doctor I saw before was really irresponsible; he actually said I was recovering quite well... I got an IV drip and felt a little better, but when they changed my dressing, the nurse forgot about me and had to have a tube of blood drawn from me to go back home. Ugh.

(End of this chapter)