Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 256 Murder and Silence

As they watched the flames disappear into black smoke ahead, the agents in the vehicle finally felt a chill run down their spines!

Death is already knocking at the door!

One of the SADs was silent for a moment, then said, "At least there's some good news. The person we killed must have been quite important to Milton, otherwise he wouldn't have gone so crazy."

"The biggest question is, how was he able to catch up with us? How were we discovered? How did he lock onto us?"

Judging from the performance of the enemy attack aircraft squadron, Milton probably didn't know their exact location yet, but he accurately grasped their movements.

The people on the bus reviewed the situation for a while, but they still couldn't figure out where the plan had gone wrong.

How was Milton able to track their movements?

"Can you feel it?" a SAD agent said with a wry smile. "I've said it before, Milton is no easy opponent, and the pressure of carrying out a mission against him is immense... We don't even know where we went wrong."

In the past, only Castro could put so much pressure on the CIA in Latin America.

Now, Milton is also on the list. All missions related to this "Hell Tax Collector" are high-risk—including those missions that do not directly participate in combat but only attempt to infiltrate his territory and gather intelligence. These missions are extremely dangerous, and few people want to take the initiative to come.

“This is not the time for debriefing,” a former SEAL interrupted. “Now we need to think about how to get out of Milton’s encirclement. There’s going to be a huge traffic jam ahead, so we have to abandon the car immediately and get a Plan C out in the shortest amount of time.”

"Is it the same as last time, just drop off the car and then hike?" a SAD asked. "We're not far from the state border now. If we break out again, we can leave safely."

The situation had become extremely critical, but the special forces team remained confident that they had a considerable chance of escaping.

“Let’s discuss as we go,” the SAD captain said. “I think this breakout can’t be like last time, where we abandon all equipment and only pursue speed… The reason is simple: Milton is sticking too close this time, and if we want to leave, we might really have to engage in some firefights.”

“A firefight…” another SAD couldn’t help but repeat, “Even if we bring weapons, can we engage Milton’s forces in a firefight? This isn’t Somalia. Milton can destroy us in an instant.”

When Black Hawk Down, Delta Force soldiers were each capable of taking on more than ten men, like war gods... But in Milton's hands, they were top-equipped regular troops. Their individual skills might not be top-notch, but their discipline was extremely high. If they were to overwhelm the enemy as a whole, the special operations team would probably be mercilessly crushed without even being able to kill a single person.

“We definitely can’t win in a fight, but don’t forget, we’re running away!” Captain SAD opened the door and got out of the car, picking up the equipment boxes disguised as luggage. “The pursuers are behind us. What we need to do is escape the state border before they catch up with us, despite all the obstacles.”

“As long as he leaves the state border, even by just one meter, Milton cannot cross it! With the number of people Milton has, half of Chiapas is his limit. He would never dare to cross the Chiapas border without authorization or legality.”

“I have contacted my local colleagues, and the local state police will be waiting for us near the border.”

A former Navy SEAL, carrying his gear, found a secluded spot and began donning body armor and various tactical equipment. He said, "So, the enemy we're facing is aerial fire and Milton's airdropped snipers, is that right?"

"Yes...it's a race now, a race between us breaking through Milton's defenses faster and Milton catching up with us faster."

"We broke out in skirmish formations to avoid massive casualties from a single large-scale artillery bombardment and bombing by the enemy."

"Casualties are inevitable. Good luck to everyone."

They stopped talking, split into five teams, drank some water to soothe their throats, swallowed a stimulant, abandoned all the remaining food and water, and began to break through towards their target.

In the sky, they could already see one tactical transport plane and helicopter after another flying by. Milton must have used all available air transport resources to airdrop personnel and equipment over.

To be honest, if this squad hadn't been so fast and reacted so quickly, escaping Milton's monitoring range and only being able to locate them again after Milton took control of the more forward towns, the airborne troops would have already begun to assemble.

Of course, this deployment also made the CIA team more certain that Milton was almost certain of their exact location.

Without knowing the exact location, setting up a defensive line would require a massive number of infantry units; otherwise, there would be gaps everywhere, and anyone could easily find an opening to slip through.

"Ha... If we can't beat the regular army, we can't beat this small group of paratroopers?" The effects of stimulants were already showing in a former Navy SEAL. "Let's go, let's just rip them apart and show them what real elites are!"

Under his leadership, the squad maintained rapid and quiet maneuvering for quite some distance.

And they were not shot at, nor were they stopped in any way!

They didn't even hear any noise, only the rustling sound of the breeze.

It was as if this were a gap in the enemy's defenses, which they could easily slip through.

The former seal unconsciously quickened his pace slightly... then he felt himself kick something very thin, like a rope.

boom!
A sudden, deafening roar erupted from the ground, and orange-red flames surged in a fan-shaped pattern. Thousands upon thousands of steel balls and shrapnel rained down on the seal. Even though he was wearing a bulletproof vest, his neck, face, and all other unprotected areas were swept away by the storm of shrapnel.

All tactical electronic equipment was destroyed.

pat...

A corpse fell to the ground, still clutching the HK MP5 in its hand.

Claymore mines!

While the others were still stunned, a SAD member lowered his voice and growled into the walkie-talkie: "Run... away from the explosion point, watch your step! Watch out for landmines!"

A landmine explodes; even a deaf person can hear it. How could Milton's people not hear it?

As he spoke, he looked down at the ground, avoiding anything suspicious that might contain landmines or tripwires, and fled at full speed.

After silently counting to 12, SAD lay down on the ground, curling up into a ball as much as possible.

Sure enough, three seconds later, shells rained down from the sky, and large-caliber howitzers bombarded the area and its surroundings for a full minute!

More than 10 shells plowed up the area where the Claymore mine exploded, turning his comrade's body into pieces!

"...Two self-propelled guns. Milton has gone so far as to use two self-propelled guns to hunt us down." The SAD silently picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Anyone still here? Answer me."

"Number 3 is alive and in good condition."

After that brief response, there was no further sound from the walkie-talkie.

SAD agent remained silent.

In other words, in just 15 seconds, a four-person assault team was reduced to half its original size.

They hadn't even seen a shadow of the enemy yet.

As one of the most elite special forces in the United States, he experienced a profound sense of powerlessness and despair for the first time.

No one could have imagined that Milton would use such a powerful force to pursue their small, strategically worthless squad!
From now on, anyone who dares to assassinate Milton's men will have to think twice about whether they can bear such retaliation.

SAD agent paused for a moment, then turned on the walkie-talkie and reported to his captain: "Squad 2 reports, the enemy has deployed anti-personnel mines, resulting in two casualties. Over."

"..."

The captain's voice then reached his ears: "Milton is also racing against us... One part of his team is advancing along our route, laying minefields along the way, while the other part of his team has gone directly to a place not far from our destination and has begun to set up defenses."

"They are slowing us down, giving us time to reinforce our lines and time for Milton's main force to catch up with us."

"We need to speed things up."

As the SAD agent slowed down and cautiously walked forward, watching the ground carefully, he asked, "How...how did you know about the objective?"

“I initiated diplomatic procedures a long time ago,” the captain said calmly. “Until it is completely safe, the authorities cannot recognize our identities, but it is not difficult to do some activities… The boss is standing right next to the state border with a team of Oaxaca state police, watching as a defensive line against us is deployed.”

"Milton is too arrogant..."

"Let's keep going."

The scattered squads advanced once again, but this time, due to anti-personnel minefields and the possibility of ambushes, their pace had to be slowed down.

Everyone felt a sense of panic and anxiety, an anxiety that even stimulants couldn't suppress—the "Hell Tax Collector" was already following behind, dragging the scythe of death.

What's even more disheartening is that SAD's several attempts to revise his route and avoid the minefield all failed.

The enemy forces were few in number, and the number of landmines airlifted down was also limited. Yet, they could sense such a high density of mines laid. There was only one answer: the enemy knew their route precisely, even if they changed it!
What level of informationized military force is this?
How could Milton's army be so elite?
The closer SAD got to his destination, the more pressure he felt.

The continuous, high-intensity trek and immense mental pressure eventually led the elite team members to make another mistake.

Another team member triggered the tripwire of the Claymore mine!
boom!
Ten seconds later, the large-caliber howitzer landed!
Moreover, what followed the fall of artillery shells included not only howitzers but also mortar shells. Milton's forces were equipped with M29 mortars, with a range of no more than 5 kilometers…

In other words, they are about to be caught up by the main force.

Captain SAD took a deep breath, got up from the ground, and said, "Continue forward..."

Snapped!
Before he could finish speaking, a large hole suddenly appeared in his chest, and shattered bulletproof plates, bones, and flesh sprayed out from behind him!
"Crack!"

Immediately afterwards, the classic sound of an M24, muffled by a silencer, rang out, and SAD from Team 2 felt a chill run down his spine, instinctively twisting his body.

Then he suddenly realized just how dangerous his action was!

The SAD agent fell backward, and almost simultaneously, a bullet grazed his tactical helmet and struck a thick tree trunk.

Milton's blocking force has finally made its move!
The final battle has begun!

He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could, dodging possible tripwires while finding a rock to use as cover, and returned fire in the direction from which the gunfire was coming.

A fierce gunfire erupted, and tree trunks and leaves were flung everywhere by bullets, but in just that instant, the enemy had already successfully disappeared into the complex environment.

Boom boom boom!
Elsewhere, very brief sounds of gunfire began to be heard.

After a round of gunfights, the SAD agent's mood sank to the bottom once again—even with an absolute advantage, the enemy was still firing one shot and moving to another location, without revealing any weakness.

This surprise attack even occurred when the captain was killed and the command system was temporarily offline.

It's hard not to think that this was a tactic Milton intentionally devised.

Fortunately, in such a noisy place, he could keep his voice down using the walkie-talkie so that it wouldn't make much noise.

"Continue the retreat!"

Boom boom boom!
The SAD squad fought their way through, engaging in firefights with elusive enemies who had already occupied advantageous terrain, while also having to watch out for potential landmines.

Even the most elite troops inevitably began to suffer casualties one after another.

Almost every squad lost a member.

SAD agents from Squad 2, who took over command, accidentally kicked a well-hidden tripwire while fighting, directing, and clearing mines.

boom!
Squad 2 was completely wiped out!
Boom boom boom…

As they approached the final line of defense, the sound of machine guns finally rang out, and a dense barrage of bullets began to sweep across this elite special forces unit, which was now at its last gasp.

Even the attack aircraft in the sky have started strafing the ground with machine guns!

Almost one-way transparent information, hidden sniper units ready to launch sniper attacks at any moment, enemy machine gun positions in advantageous terrain, absolute numerical inferiority, and absolutely outdated equipment...

Everyone knew that the chase was over.

But the SAD team did not give up, and a voice came from the walkie-talkie.

"Charge! Get out of here!"

"God bless us!"

They had reached this point, where the enemy had set up a defensive line. No matter what tactics they used, it would be useless. All they could do now was grit their teeth and charge toward their destination, praying that no bullets would hit them as they rushed through.

Our destination is just ahead!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Squad 2 is no longer responding."

"Squad 5 is no longer responding."

"Squad Leader #4 has been killed in action..."

"Team 1..."

The sounds of machine guns firing, landmines exploding, the occasional shockwaves from artillery shells, teammates falling one after another, and the side effects of the stimulant gradually wearing off made the remaining SADs increasingly numb.

After an unknown period of sprinting and fighting, when the SAD agents of Squad 3 could no longer receive a response on the walkie-talkie... the continuous gunfire and explosions suddenly stopped.

He paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked up.

Did he escape?

……

"There may be some misunderstanding here. We implore you to cease fire and let them leave. We are open to discussing any conditions."

"If all else fails, I can get them to lay down their weapons. We can offer you terms you can't refuse in exchange for these innocent security guards from the security company."

"Believe me, they are not the people you are looking for."

“We can show them their identification to prove their identity.”

"..."

On the border between the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, a state trooper has crossed the state line, hands raised, and is practically being escorted to the perimeter of the defensive position.

Several soldiers from the "Protect the Law Army" looked at him with extreme hostility—they had come to avenge their company commander!
"Do you think our scouts are idiots?" one of them roared. "Is this how you deceive your own countrymen for the sake of the Americans?"

The state trooper gave a wry smile: "...They could be anyone, as long as you let them go. Let's stop this. It's better for everyone than to make a big fuss about it."

“If you keep killing, you'll really have a complete feud with that security company.”

"You didn't lose many people, did you? Have you vented your anger enough? You killed almost 10 people, isn't that enough?"

As they spoke, the machine gun emplacement continued firing, and they saw two more SAD members fall.

“‘Hell Tax Collector’ said this isn’t a math problem, not a game of you killing me and me killing you.” The artilleryman replied coldly, “Tell your ‘master’ this is a war of life and death. If you kill one of my people, I will kill ten, a hundred, and your whole family.”

"You think killing 10 people is enough to end this?"

"Wrong! The 'Hell Tax Collector' tells you, killing 10 people isn't the end, it's not even the beginning of the end. It's the end of the beginning!"

“Go back and tell that big shot in the CIA what the ‘Hell Tax Collector’ said. Let him experience for himself the despair of not being able to save even one of his men’s lives no matter how hard he tries.”

"Of course, the 'Hell Tax Collector' also said that the official story would be that the DEA, in conjunction with the local interim government, was cracking down on a group of foreign drug traffickers. The words above were just baseless angry words spoken by a heartbroken soldier like me."

After saying that, the artilleryman glanced into the distance.

Just then, the gunfire and explosions stopped.

The artilleryman looked back and saw that only SAD was left on the battlefield, running forward numbly.

At that moment, any machine gunner could have taken his life.

But everyone stopped.

It wasn't that they were merciful and intended to spare SAD's life, but rather that Milton's pursuers had arrived.

An armored vehicle charged forward aggressively, blocking the path of the last SAD member. As soon as the door opened, several heavily armed men jumped out and immediately subdued the last SAD member.

One of the women took off her helmet and kicked SAD in the face without any politeness, easily finding several "stimulants" on him.

DEA's Winnie turned around and, almost provocatively, waved something in her hand at the distance.

On the other side of the state border, an American watched this scene with a cold expression, his face so dark it was almost dripping with gloom.

His entire SAD squad was beaten to death right in front of him by a warlord from some unknown, cesspool country!

(End of this chapter)