Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 239 Have you eaten? If not, take my punch!

Boom!
call out……

At a checkpoint spanning between the government district and the Pan Madre Group, a considerable number of people and cars were queuing up.

In the distance, artillery shells can be seen being used for training firing...

The vast majority of them moved from the direction of the Arsu government towards the direction of the Milton government.

There's no way around it... Don't be fooled by the fact that López was once a warlord and seemed to be on equal footing with the president; at least they were allies, and at least the "border" was open.

The fall of Quetzaltenango, the country's second-largest economy, and the port of Ciamperico may not have meant much to the comprador Arsu, but for those at the bottom of society, the decline in their quality of life was palpable.

A large amount of trade disappeared, a large number of jobs vanished, the middle class who were once doing well quickly fell back into poverty, and those who were already poor were reduced to homelessness...

Arsu's hoarding of grain also drove up the price of grain in the areas he occupied to an alarming level.

And they don't have Milton's official exchange rate for grain!

As a result, a large number of people had no choice but to leave and go to the territory of the Pan Madre Group to see if they could find a way to make a living.

"I heard that you can still find something to eat here at the 'Hell Tax Collector' place..."

"The war doesn't seem to have caused them much damage."

"..."

A man dressed appropriately, but not excessively so, sat in his car with the window half-open, listening to the noisy conversations outside.

The man still looked conflicted. He rolled up his window and asked the driver in front, "Are you sure Milton's territory is safe? I don't want my head to become a trophy, chopped off and put in a museum..."

The driver and the boss inside the car were both members of the "Red Tea Gang," a gang recruited by Arsu to print counterfeit money.

The only difference was that the "driver" was of a lower status; he was among the first batch of people sent to Milton's territory to sell counterfeit money, serving as "cannon fodder" to scout ahead.

There's no way around it; everyone knows that even CIA agents won't get any advantage going to Milton's territory.

Most gangs are still quite different from the CIA, and they wouldn't dare to risk their lives.

"Hehe, boss, don't worry..." The driver stepped on the gas and drove forward a little. "A few of my brothers and I have all made it through. It's perfectly safe. Don't worry too much. Look at me, I've already sold a batch of goods and successfully made it out of Milton's territory. Nothing happened to me, did it?"

"The money we brought over was genuine, indistinguishable from real money. Even the banknote detector couldn't detect the problem. What can the border control do to us?"

"Is there anyone who doesn't welcome others bringing money?"

"Don't worry, boss."

The high-ranking gang leader in the back seat nodded slightly: "Alright... I hope we can make money this time."

To be honest, this counterfeit money business is more profitable than I imagined, even more profitable than drug trafficking!
Generally speaking, the most traditional way of smuggling drugs is for a small-time boss to buy a batch of drugs from a big boss, then raise the price, subcontract the drugs to his subordinates, and bring them to the United States in smaller quantities to be sold at retail prices.

In other words, drug trafficking also has costs!

If you lose the boss's goods, it's okay if you have a deposit, but if you don't, the consequences won't be good.

But counterfeit money... the printing plant gives these counterfeit bills to these bosses for free! In other words, it costs them almost nothing!

The money we received was almost identical to the real currency!
Such a terrifying profit margin is enough to tempt someone who was originally terrified of Milton to risk his life.

The car soon pulled up at the checkpoint.

The border control officer checked the two men's driver's licenses, scrutinizing them carefully several times, and casually asked, "What are you here for?"

“We’re here to do business!” The “Red Tea Gang” leader in the back seat took a Cohiba short horn from his bag and tried to hand it over. “You know… the fighting has been too intense lately, business is tough. We’ve heard there are a lot of opportunities here at ‘Hell Tax Collector’, we’re here to invest.”

The border control officer, flashlight in hand, quickly inspected the interior of the vehicle. He then opened the trunk, looked at the two suitcases inside, and asked, "Two large suitcases... what's inside? You say you're here to make investments, what proof do you have? What kind of investments do you plan to make?"

The leader of the "Red Tea Gang" had prepared this kind of talk countless times: "I heard that the price of grain here is relatively high... I plan to invest in some farmland and some agricultural equipment, so that I can make money and solve the grain problem at the same time."

"One suitcase contained clothes and other luggage, while the other suitcase was full of money. This money is the evidence!"

Border inspection officials opened the two boxes and, sure enough, found bundles of brand-new 100-yuan "border region currency" banknotes in one of them.

A whole suitcase, completely full!
At a cursory glance, there's at least 300 million inside!
"So much money?" The border official picked up a stack of bills and examined it. "Why is it so new? Where did you exchange it?"

“We have a black market over there too… Hey, sir, you don’t know yet, ‘Borderland currency’ is very popular now, it’s just as good as the US dollar.”

Border officials brought two different banknote verification machines, randomly selected some banknotes and put them in for verification, and they all turned out to be genuine.

He held the banknotes up to the sunlight and examined them carefully, but he couldn't find anything wrong with them.

"Alright, let's go." The border official didn't take the cigarette, waving his hand. "There are other people waiting."

That simple?!

The small-time leader could hardly believe his eyes; he had simply crossed the border and arrived in Milton's territory.

The checkpoint didn't take a single penny from him!

In other places, if border officials saw so much money, they would at least take a wad of it.

"See!" the driver said smugly. "Boss, I told you, it's very safe here, really very safe, and the people here are all stupid—if it were me, I would definitely try to get some money."

"Heh, are they stupid? I don't think so." The foreman shook his head. "Is it possible that some border officials have tried to take some money, but ended up at the 'Museum of the Kings' in Malakum?"

"Uh...this..."

The two continued their journey in their car, and several hours later they arrived at the center of Milton's regime, Quetzaltenango.

"The construction is quite good. It's hard to believe this place has just been through war." The foreman nodded and praised, "What's that big construction site over there for?"

The driver, who had lived in the area for some time, replied directly, "I heard it's a train station... Milton plans to build a railway to connect all his cities."

"They really are rich..."

The driver then asked, "Boss, shall we book a hotel now, and then go to the bank to deposit the money?"

Yes, members of the "Red Tea Gang" discovered that these well-made counterfeit banknotes were so sophisticated that even bank tellers and bank machines could not identify them!

Want this money to flow into the market? It's very simple: bring the cash to the bank, complete the deposit transaction at the counter, and you're done.

Then, following the instructions above, they purchased some grain, exacerbating the Milton regime's food crisis...

Once the most basic tasks are completed, the remaining money has a huge amount of room for maneuver.

300 million Border Region Currency is equivalent to 40 US dollars! After bribing officials and deducting the expenses of completing the mission, you can still get at least 20 US dollars!
Seeing such profits, no one could resist.

But the leader of the "Red Tea Gang" held back. He coldly said, "Don't be too greedy! Suddenly, so many banknotes appear at the same time, exceeding the original printing scale. Do you think Milton and his men are fools who wouldn't notice?"

"First, find a suitable place to invest in farmland and agricultural equipment. Go there and pretend to inspect the land for a while, complete all the formalities, register it legally, and then deposit the money in a local bank. Do you understand, you idiot?"

"I got it, boss!" The driver quickly started the car. "Hehe, I'm really looking forward to the day we make all the money and leave!"

"Maybe some damned old man or woman will work so hard for so long, finally saving enough money for their child's tuition, only to be told on the day of payment that the money in their hand is fake, hahahahaha!"

"It might just infuriate them to death, and tear a family apart."

"And we take their money, sunbathe on Miami beaches, and watch beautiful women... Hahahaha!"

"..."

The two dreamed of their future life together, left Quetzaltenango, and arrived in a small city called Coatepec.

It is said that during the great battle, Milton bypassed the defenses López had set up here and went straight for Champellico Port...

This area is one of the few relatively flat places in Guatemala, making it suitable for growing crops.

After making a show of inspecting the place and renting a room, and getting to know the people around them a little better, the two "red tea gang" members finally felt at ease and decided to go to the local "Pan Madre Bank" to deposit all the counterfeit money they had.

Although this small town is not as bustling as big cities, the bank's security is still very good.

At least so far, there have been no reports of bank robberies in Milton's territory.

Upon arriving at the local bank, the leader of the "Red Tea Gang" picked up a whole box of money and walked into the bank.

Seeing the somewhat crowded interior of the bank, and noticing everyone carefully guarding their cash while queuing, the foreman frowned: "Why are there so many people, and they all seem to be here to deposit money... I remember this bank's interest rates aren't that high?"

Why do locals trust Milton's bank so much?
Generally speaking, in more turbulent areas, many people prefer to keep their valuables in places they can see and touch, or simply exchange them for something else that holds its value better, such as US dollars or gold.

The fact that so many people came to deposit money is enough to show how much the locals trusted Milton, a ruler who was clearly so terrifying.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen!" The receptionist at the bank entrance greeted them with a sweet smile as they entered. "What kind of business do you need?"

As she spoke, she prepared to enter the number into the small machine in her hand.

Taking a number and queuing is the local bank's rule, which greatly increases efficiency. "Come deposit money," the foreman said sternly. "There are quite a lot of people here..."

"Sorry!" the receptionist explained while entering the number. "Today is Friday, payday, so everyone's here to deposit their money. You can wait a little longer... If you really can't wait, you can make an appointment for tomorrow. Leave your number, and we'll let you know when it's ready. You won't have to wait in line then."

But the underling didn't think so. He weighed the suitcase in his hand, raised his voice, and emphasized, "I'm here to deposit money, but I'm different from them... This time, I brought 300 million in cash. Isn't that much money enough to warrant a special passage for me?"

The voice wasn't particularly loud, but it was just loud enough for most of the people in the lobby to hear.

300 million!
Sure enough, many people turned around in surprise to look at the two of them.

In a place where most people can only earn tens of thousands after a year of hard work, 300 million is a lifetime's worth!

These two people actually managed to pull out 300 million yuan in cash in one go?
Even the receptionist was stunned: "300 million...is that...is it Border Region currency?"

“Of course.” The foreman thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being admired by thousands and said smugly, “Now, do I still need to wait in line?”

"No need, no need..." The bank teller quickly came over, "There's a VIP room over there, please sit down and wait a moment! I, I'll go get the bank manager, please wait a moment! There are snacks and drinks there, please feel free to help yourselves!"

As he spoke, the receptionist quickly ushered the two into the VIP room.

Meanwhile, two security guards arrived at the scene and stood at the entrance, seemingly to protect the personal safety of important clients.

This kind of treatment pleased the junior leader greatly.

"Heh... typical small-town folks. Hearing about 300 million, they don't even bother to check if we're telling the truth." He shook his head and chuckled. "What if someone's trying to scam us out of food and drinks?"

"Boss, that shouldn't be the case. I think the bank's security guards are all armed," the driver whispered a reminder. "They're all employees of 'War Wind Company.' I don't think anyone will cause trouble."

"Oh, that's okay."

For services requiring armed security, almost everyone in the area turns to "War Wind Company".

Everyone knows the background of this company, and knows that Milton is a major shareholder. Getting them here is a guarantee of safety.

The two chatted and ate and drank as they went. During this time, the receptionist came over to explain that the bank manager was out on business and had rushed back upon hearing that there were important clients. He asked the two distinguished guests to wait.

This gave the two gangsters an even greater sense of being respected.

A full 20 minutes passed before a bank employee who appeared to be of a higher rank hurriedly entered the room with a bright smile: "Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen. The bank manager has specially prepared an executive-privilege 'zero-distance counter' for you. We will not handle your business at the front desk, but in a special room in the back, so that you two distinguished guests can finish your business comfortably."

"Please follow me, both of you... Um, we'll have to go through a security gate. You two don't mind, do you?"

"I don't mind at all!"

The leader of the "Red Tea Gang" and his driver got up together and, under the protection of security guards, passed through the security gate smoothly and arrived at the back of the bank.

After passing through a heavy security door, the two entered a luxuriously decorated room with a sofa and television, all decorated in gold and red tones.

"The bank manager will be here shortly, please wait a moment... There's Häagen-Dazs in the refrigerator, please feel free to eat as much as you like!"

"..."

With that, the receptionist left, leaving only the two of them in the room.

"This treatment, wow!" The little boss was enjoying himself immensely. He picked up a cup of Häagen-Dazs, ate it, and shook his head with a smile. "Now I understand why our bosses try so hard to whitewash their money after they've made it, saying they've 'gotten their due'."

Living this kind of life is much more comfortable than fighting and killing all day long.

Three minutes later, the doorknob of the room was turned.

The bank president has finally arrived?

The leader of the "Red Tea Gang" chuckled rather rudely and said, "Mr. Bank Manager, you must be a very busy man. You've finally shown up? Looks like you're not too short of 300 million?"

As he spoke, the leader put down the cup of ice cream and looked up.

However, his gaze froze when he saw the face of the person who had come.

The person who arrived wasn't some bank manager, but Milton!!!
Milton?!

Why is he in this place?
The two members of the "Red Tea Gang" were completely dumbfounded. Their minds went blank, and they just stared blankly as Milton walked into the room and sat down in front of them as casually as a real bank manager.

The two security guards who had been following him the whole time stood straight at the door without changing their expressions.

Protecting VIPs?

They're clearly not letting those two get away!

Milton looked at the two dumbfounded people in front of him and forced a emotionless smile: "I am Milton Mings, and I will now provide you two with 'service'."

Ever since those two idiots entered the country, they've been taking Milton around, wandering from place to place, and even doing "inspections" and sightseeing along the way, which almost drove him crazy.

Milton would have arrested them long ago if he hadn't been worried that arresting people in the street might alert the suspects and cause those who didn't want to be tortured but had important information to commit suicide.

Milton picked up a cup of Häagen-Dazs, took a couple of casual bites, and said to the two ashen-faced gang members, "What you need to do next is to tell them what you need to do within the specified time, otherwise... understand?"

The two had already heard various rumors about Milton, and at this moment they didn't dare to speak, they could only nod frantically.

Milton took a bite of his ice cream: "First, I need to know who you are, how many people you sent to transport the counterfeit money, and what the identities of these people are."

“We, we are from the ‘Red Tea Gang’…” The leader was so frightened by the thought that Milton was sitting in front of him that he could barely speak. “Yes, it was Arsu who made us do this. If we don’t work for him, he will kill us. We are innocent.”

Milton raised his hand: "Answer my questions. If you take matters into your own hands again, I'll find you a tenured job at the museum."

The gang leader cried out in fear: "The people who came at the beginning were all, were all low-level members of the gang... In the last few days, there have been gang leaders among them."

"Like you?"

"Uh-huh!"

Milton nodded, then left his position to issue arrest warrants to officers in other locations.

After completing the operation, Milton sat down again and took out a map: "Since you're the boss, do you know where your counterfeit money printing den is? I need the exact location; point it out on the map for me."

That ringleader got the 300 million counterfeit bills directly from the counterfeit money printing plant, so how could he not know where the printing plant was located?

He still tried to struggle: "I... I was really forced, 'Hell Tax Collector'! I... I'll confess anything, just please spare my life..."

Milton sighed, clapping his hands with a mixture of relief and satisfaction.

The door to the reception room was quickly opened, and Brandon came out with several soldiers.

Milton asked simply, "Is the storage room ready?"

"Reporting, boss, everything's ready!"

"beat."

"Yes!"

Several soldiers pounced on them, pinned the two gang members to the ground, and slapped them across the face before they could even shout, forcing them to swallow all their words.

The two members of the "Red Tea Gang," who had just been incredibly arrogant and showing off in front of everyone, were dragged into the storage room.

"what!!!"

"Ah—ah!! Stop hitting me! I'll talk, I'll confess, I'll tell you everything!"

A sinister laugh rang out: "Too late! Mr. 'Hell Tax Collector' just gave you a chance, but you were too useless!"

"Weren't you just enjoying your ice cream? Did you come over without eating? No problem, even if you haven't eaten, you can still take my fist!"

"what……"

"..."

……

Two hours later, Milton finished another cup of Häagen-Dazs, looked at Brandon who walked in, and asked, "So, did you tell him?"

“I already told you,” Brandon said excitedly, pulling out a map. “The counterfeit money printing plant is right here, boss. Look, it’s a small valley very close to the coastline! Maybe we can take the sea route and bring the equipment back.”

“What about the others who were arrested?” Milton asked. “Was the information cross-verified?”

“It’s all been verified, no problem… To prevent them from colluding beforehand, I’ve already arranged for a drone to take off and check it out on-site,” Brandon said. “I don’t think there will be any issues!”

“Very good, my printing press is finally secured.” Milton nodded. “Let someone else handle the interrogation. Have Flora come to me. Once the drone brings back the photos, we’ll devise an attack strategy.”

"The news of the 'Red Tea Gang's' capture will soon reach Guatemala City. We must take action, and immediately... This is a special operation. Once the enemy becomes alert, it will be very difficult to succeed."

(End of this chapter)