Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 25: There's a garage now!

When the inspector saw Milton, the anxiety on his face eased somewhat, as if he had seen a savior.

"You're the 'Hell Tax Collector'?!"

Don't use such an embarrassing and unpleasant nickname...

Milton inwardly cursed, wishing he could punch Brandon for talking nonsense, but he maintained his boss-like demeanor and replied calmly, "Stand there and talk, don't get agitated, speak slowly."

The fact that they were both prosecutors did not make Milton feel close or safe.

Does anyone know what this person is here for?

There were so many enemies at the checkpoint that they couldn't even count them all.

The prosecutor remained anxious: "Three days ago..."

“Tell me your name first,” Milton interrupted. “Take your time, we won’t be in a hurry.”

He didn't necessarily want the other person to tell him their name first; rather, he wanted to take control of the conversation, establish his position, and use his attitude to calm his colleague down as much as possible.

“You can just call me Lutz…” The other person’s calm and composed attitude did put Lutz at ease a bit, and his tone gradually calmed down. “My colleague who was on field duty with me has gone missing. The last place she was seen was right here!”

My colleague...is missing...

Milton immediately recalled what the three homeless men had mentioned about a policeman who had recently gone missing in the vicinity.

It seems the missing person isn't a police officer, but a prosecutor...

At the same time, Milton also lowered his guard by half towards his colleague.

No one knew where the "boss's" house was beforehand, and it was almost impossible for anyone to arrange everything in advance... But when a message appeared on two different channels at the same time, its credibility increased dramatically.

Of course, some extreme situations cannot be ruled out, so Milton only lowered his guard by half.

“You should call the police, not come to me,” Milton said, his expression unchanged. “I’m not responsible, and I won’t ask anyone for help.”

“No…no!” Lutz became agitated again. “This isn’t a simple disappearance. Veronica just vanished…do you understand? Nobody was surprised, nobody called the police, her colleagues never mentioned her again, and no family or friends came looking for her. It’s like she never existed at the checkpoint.”

Lutz's expression gradually turned sinister and fearful: "If it weren't for someone saying they'd seen Veronica when I was questioning people on 'Green Leaf Street' these past few days, I would have almost doubted whether Veronica actually existed, or if I was just delusional and imagining such a person..."

"She just vanished into thin air!"

Brandon, who was listening from the side, felt his hair stand on end.

Milton pondered for a moment, then asked a crucial question: "Did she investigate anything before she disappeared?"

Milton was slightly disturbed by this disappearance, but not much—he knew that if he died, he would probably suffer the same fate.

Lutz recalled for a long time before uncertainly revealing a detail: "Veronica once complained to me that there had been a lot more homeless people with rotten hands and feet on 'Green Leaf Street' recently, and complained about the charity fund... That's all. We're not reckless, we certainly wouldn't touch any dangerous cases."

Isn't this dangerous? Do you have some misunderstanding about charitable foundations in the medical industry?
Milton was momentarily speechless.

People in small towns generally have lower levels of education... Milton could tell at a glance that there was something wrong with the drugs, and he could deduce what they were doing based on the past of this so-called charitable foundation, but many people were too ignorant to realize this.

In other words, Brandon frequently came into contact with Van Conn's gang and shady drugstores; otherwise, he probably wouldn't have been able to detect the problem so quickly.

This Lutz is investigating in the same direction as Milton... but he doesn't know who his enemy is, so we need to get him on board before he realizes the seriousness of the problem and backs down.

Milton immediately said, "I can try to find someone for you, but you have to do something for me in return."

The missing female prosecutor was likely silenced because she discovered some crucial information about the Qing Teng Foundation. Finding her or any clues she left behind could potentially lead to a major breakthrough in the investigation!

Lutz nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you so much! I'm so grateful for your help... Veronica saved my life during a mission, and her cousin also died of illness. I can't just abandon her. Just tell me what you need me to do!"

“While you’re on your mission, gather any suspicious intelligence for me. Including things like the charitable foundation you just mentioned,” Milton said calmly. “If I urgently need your help, you must drop everything and come to me. Of course, there will be a reward for all of this. Can you do that?”

You can actually get paid for doing work?
Luz could hardly believe that he would hear such a niche term in a place where gangs ran rampant and order was on the verge of collapse.

Even working at checkpoints as a customs collector was unpaid—collectors had to use a search warrant, which was mostly used to intimidate petty thugs, to extort fines and taxes. They had to pay Varta a considerable sum each month, and the rest of their income was their payment.

He thought this "hell tax collector" and "murderous maniac" would just shoot those who didn't listen to him, but he didn't expect to get a reward.

"No problem! No problem!" Lutz thought of his unemployed wife, elderly parents, and newborn child at home, and quickly nodded in agreement, "I'll work for you!"

Luz has become an "informant" and is currently an ally.

Seeing this reminder, Milton finally relaxed his guard. He turned and got into the car, instructing, "Let's talk somewhere else. Stay close to me."

First, collect the two thousand dollars from the assassins from Fan Kang's gang. Then, return to the base, settle the score, and discuss the next steps.

Van Combin won't give Milton much time.

The address provided by the assassin was near the central church. Milton found over $2300 and a Tokarev TT-33 pistol in the room.

After briefly visiting the "boss's" grave at the church cemetery, the three returned to the black market pharmacy on the old street.

The area outside the pharmacy has been cleaned up and a new door has been installed. The partially collapsed staircase at the sewer entrance has been temporarily replaced with a few iron frames and plates, which at least doesn't affect its use.

Milton went down the stairs into the small living room on the basement level. Brandon and Lutz followed behind him and stood on opposite sides of the room, waiting for Milton's instructions with serious expressions.

This scene... finally looks like a small team.

Milton sat on a patched, worn-out sofa, fighting off intense drowsiness, and mentally calculated his current funds—aside from the necessary cash flow to maintain the underground base, he had a total of over $24000 available and a little less than 7 red points.

It will take some time to liquidate gold bars and pharmacy stockpiles of medicine... and it may not be in time.

The good news is that after initially gaining some control over his own forces, Milton no longer needs to use red points to exchange for certain pistol models and all ammunition. The bad news is that exchanging with points is still far less cost-effective than buying with real money.

Milton basically understood that, regardless of what you exchange for, the panel exchange is only for emergencies; the quantity is limited and the cost-effectiveness is not high.

After figuring out all the resources he could access, Milton turned to Brandon and said, "Go find the landlord next door, buy his house, and use it as our garage. Once you've bought it, I'll reimburse you."

The panel now allows you to redeem some civilian cars using regular points, but you must have at least one garage.

So, you need to buy a garage first!
Brandon nodded. "Okay, I'll go right away. I'll also check how much fuel is left in the generator."

Lutz glanced at Brandon as he left, then noticed Milton looking at him. As a newcomer, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

I wonder what kind of mission I'll be assigned? I hope it's not too dangerous...

Milton forced his eyelids open, waved to Lutz, and said, "Get out and close the door behind you."

Lutz seemed a little confused about his task and asked in a puzzled voice, "Huh... huh?"

Milton took a deep breath, pointed to the door, and said, "Get out, I want to sleep."

P.S.: Please, everyone, don't let this book sit unread during the free period. It's a recipe for disaster! Readers who love this book, please, please read it during the free period! I'm begging you! A group has also been created; everyone is welcome to join and discuss the plot and settings.

(End of this chapter)