Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 274 Transport Captain

Quetzaltenango, the zoo.

At that moment, the zoo director was in his office, intently watching television.

The television was showing neither animal documentaries nor various entertainment programs, but the latest news.

Nearly a year has passed since Milton replaced Lopez as ruler of this land, and people from all walks of life and professions originally thought that it was just a matter of the person above them changing their name.

But in less than a year, everyone, including the homeless, could feel their quality of life rising sharply.

This even includes those who have some business to their name.

Milton's purge of the old guard was certainly thorough, but it wasn't a complete sweep of them. Those who had bribed officials to protect their own legitimate interests were not included in the purge.

This also includes the zoo director.

The kindergarten director was surprised to find that what he had previously spent a large sum of money to bribe officials to obtain was now "power" under the new rulers!
In other words, the entire pond has become clear.

Everyone knew that Milton was about to fight a decisive battle with the government forces, and everyone hoped that Milton would win the final victory—people who have lived a normal life absolutely do not want to go back to that kind of life.

Just as the principal was frequently changing channels, hoping to see some news reports about the battle, the phone in his office rang unexpectedly.

The headmaster, showing little emotion, reached out to grab the receiver.

In the past, he would have been somewhat apprehensive, and the sound of the phone ringing would trigger his anxiety... because it likely meant that nothing good was going to happen.

Either an inspection is coming to their door, or the relevant official is short of money.

Although the kindergarten director now has almost no personal relationships with officials, his life is much quieter. Without thinking much, he reached out and answered the phone.

"Hey?"

“I am the Minister of Forestry, Matteo… Government officials will be arriving shortly, and they will be carrying all the necessary legal documents.”

The headmaster was immediately startled, mentally reviewing all the bad things he had done since birth, and cautiously asked, "Sir, what... what did I do wrong? Or did I violate some rule and have to pay a fine? I don't owe any taxes, do I?"

“That’s not it.” Matteo’s tone was also a little strange. “‘The Godfather’ captured two seals on the battlefield and intends to have you take them.”

"A seal on the battlefield?!" The zookeeper was completely dumbfounded. "Why would there be seals on the battlefield?"

Has the government army become so distorted?

"Well... you'll know when it arrives." Matteo didn't elaborate. "These two seals, well, they're a bit different from normal seals. I don't know much about animals, so let me ask you first, what do seals usually eat? Do they eat meat?"

The zoo director immediately replied, "Of course, seals are carnivorous and generally eat fish from the sea, but we occasionally supplement their diet with a little bit of beef to balance their nutrition."

The zoo director was a little confused. Hadn't they captured the seals? Why were they asking about food?

"That's good." Matteo was completely relieved. "The package will be delivered soon. You can contact the staff directly. I'll hang up now."

"Okay, okay, you're busy!"

After hanging up the phone, the park director was in a very good mood—the two mysterious seals were nothing compared to the fact that the call revealed that the "Hell Tax Collector" seemed to be making good progress on the front lines.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to seize inexplicable spoils of war, and they wouldn't have had the time and energy to send the items back.

At least, the front line is in a fairly advantageous position!

The zoo director's mood instantly improved. He stood up, whistling, and as he walked out of the zoo, he called some staff members to prepare to take over the seals, and also to make sure the government officials were treated well.

To this end, they specially cleared a relatively large space, leaving enough room among the tourists for the convoy transporting the seals to move forward.

Ten minutes later, a whole convoy of military green vehicles could be seen driving in from a distance at the zoo's main entrance.

Ahead was an infantry fighting vehicle leading the way, followed by an armored truck that had been modified with armor, and then two jeeps with machine gun turrets.

Seeing this, the deputy director smiled and said, "Director... it seems the situation at the front is not bad, otherwise such powerful equipment would definitely have been placed at the front."

The kindergarten director wholeheartedly agreed: "I just don't know what this convoy is for."

"Anyway, it definitely has nothing to do with us..."

As soon as he finished speaking, those present saw the military convoy turn slightly and head towards the zoo.

The zoo covers a very large area, and any car driving in this direction is 100% heading towards the zoo!
Goodness, the "staff" Matteo just mentioned was referring to this staff member, right?

The kindergarten director was shocked for a long time until he saw the military vehicle stop in front of him and watched the fully armed soldiers jump out of the vehicle. Even though the director was still shocked, he quickly went to greet them.

"Good afternoon, sirs. Have you eaten yet?"

The soldier waved his hand and didn't reply: "The 'goods' we're transporting are quite dangerous. Mr. 'Godfather' has instructed us to monitor the entire process until you finish feeding them."

"Uh, feeding seals with seals?" The zoo director was a little confused. "Is some university's biology department conducting an experiment?"

Milton placed great importance on education, including higher education—he allocated special funds to invest in the Pan Madre University in Quetzaltenango and spent money to recruit various experts.

I heard that they even spent a lot of money to hire many Spanish-speaking experts from various former Soviet republics to serve as professors.

Is this some kind of biological experiment?
The soldier, gun in hand, turned and unlocked the heavily locked military vehicle, pulling out two men who were handcuffed, shackled, and gagged with towels. After checking that the items binding the two men were intact, the soldier turned to the director, nodded, and said:
"Lead the way."

The zoo director and other staff members were stunned. After a long pause, they finally asked the crucial question: "Um, where are the seals?"

The soldier pointed to two men struggling, their eyes filled with fear, trying to scream, and said, "These are the two."

These two are... these two are.

The soldier's words echoed in the principal's mind, repeating themselves over and over.

Two seals, and a human?

The principal's mind was in complete turmoil, and a terrifying thought popped into his head... As one of the relatively wealthy people, he also occasionally watched Hollywood blockbusters.

Many action movies contain related descriptions.

"Seals," could it refer to the Navy SEALs?!
Holy crap... it was a seal!
Amidst bewilderment and shock, the kindergarten director suddenly realized that he might have underestimated the scope of this war, and also underestimated the progress of the "Hell Tax Collectors" on the front lines.

The Navy SEALs secretly went to the battlefield, but Milton captured two of them alive.

It is very difficult to capture these special forces members alive on the battlefield. Two of them were captured alive here, which could very well have wiped out an entire squad on the battlefield!

The "Hell Tax Collector" showed no mercy and was determined to execute the two "seals" on the spot!
The headmaster swallowed hard: "I...I understand."

"By the way, your zoo should have something like a slaughterhouse, right? Remember to have someone record it. Mr. 'Godfather' wants to make sure they are completely dead and there is no trace of them left."

"Yes... I will take you there."

"..."

Click, click.

The metal crushed the still-living bones, the flesh and blood flowing through them, and the body still struggling desperately, producing a sound that surpassed all horror stories and horror movies.

boom!
The sharp blade was suddenly raised and slammed down, striking the bone heavily, but it failed to completely sever the bone. The loud noise drew the attention of some tourists.

They all believed that the zoo was preparing lunch for the carnivores.

Some of the more adventurous tourists tried to go inside, but were quickly stopped and asked to leave by the security guards outside.

"..."

boom! boom! boom!
Click, click...

The seals finally understood the pain and despair of the mother who had been burned alive by her own cubs.

Soon, the zoo visitors saw zoo staff with strange expressions carrying a bucket of food mixed with various meats to the seal enclosure.

"Mom, look! They're eating so happily!"

"Thank goodness for the 'hellish tax collectors,' remember how we almost starved to death a year ago? Now we can even afford to go to the zoo to watch the seals eat..."

"..."

……

Solora, the basement of Solora Hospital, the frontline command post.

Just like the front lines, which were in complete chaos, the command post was now in disarray, with everyone's faces showing bewilderment and fear.

Lieutenant General Reggie Garfield, who had previously been at loggerheads with the SEALs, was now completely panicked.

"What's happening at the front?!"

"What are those Americans doing? Why are they completely silent?!"

In the command center, a flood of messages poured in: "Frontline reconnaissance has been completely cut off, and artillery support for self-propelled artillery hasn't arrived for a long time..."

"The density of artillery fire on our positions has increased significantly!"

"We have lost all useful information about the first and second lines of defense..."

"Milton's army seems to have extremely high morale for some reason."

"A report from the front lines says that Milton's side is constantly shouting 'The Americans are dead!' The morale of the soldiers at the front has plummeted!" "..."

Reggie listened to the news, glanced at his useless staff around him, took a deep breath, and concluded, "No matter how absurd or unbelievable it may seem... we have to make this assumption."

"The Americans have been defeated by Milton. They may still be on the run, or they may have been wiped out, but in either case, they have lost all their fighting capacity."

"This news may have even already spread to Milton's army, which is why their morale is so high."

One of the aides said incredulously, "How is this possible? Who are Milton's men? How could they possibly defeat those monstrous Americans?"

The seals had shown off their skills in front of them!

The difference is so great that they are practically from two different planets.

The people at the Solora command post had considered that the SEALs might be suppressed, or even unable to achieve their tactical objectives, but they never imagined that the SEALs would be wiped out.

Yet, this powerful seal was silently wiped out by Milton.

Based on current intelligence, the SEAL team's annihilation may have happened in an instant... because they didn't even have time to send a single word of warning to command.

It was as if Milton had erased something on the map with an eraser, and the seals immediately collapsed.

30 seconds, no, maybe within 15 seconds...

What exactly happened to them?
Just how powerful is Milton...? Can such an opponent really be defeated? Were their pre-battle analyses truly effective? Can Milton's logistics really only last two or three days? Can their defenses really hold out until reinforcements arrive?

The most terrifying thing is that all decisions made by the command post can only be based on reasoning, because after the SEAL reconnaissance team was wiped out, Milton's side is now completely shrouded in "fog of war"!

An atmosphere of extreme terror settled in the command room.

You only realize how terrifying Milton is when you actually face him on the battlefield.

Because his terror lies in the "unknown".

"What's the next step?" Reggie asked in a deep voice. "Let's stop being silent. Milton is pushing forward every moment. We need a decision, a new decision!"

Milton's current bombardment intensity is too high; almost every moment, generals are requesting support!
An aide next to him spoke up: "I think there are only two paths... retreat, or stop fighting Milton in the field. We should abandon some of our defenses, consolidate our forces and retreat into the city, organize street fighting, and rely on street fighting to stop Milton."

"Urban warfare is unsolvable. As long as we can fight well in urban warfare, Milton will definitely not be able to take Solora in a short time, and we can hold out until reinforcements arrive... But at the same time, our losses will be very, very heavy. The intensity of urban warfare is equally high for both sides."

"Of course, the howitzer will have to be moved further back, and our command post will also need to be relocated."

After listening, Reggie asked, "Do our soldiers have this kind of fighting spirit?"

There was total silence.

Reggie sighed and then said, “I have money, I have dollars, I have gold… Tell the soldiers that if they win this battle, they’ll earn enough to sunbathe on Miami’s beaches for the rest of their lives. Is that alright? I’m not asking you to defeat Milton, just to hold him off until reinforcements arrive. That’s not a difficult goal, is it?”

"Don't forget, we also have some naval forces on the lake, which can provide us with a lot of support."

"The situation isn't that difficult... at least not for you all, it's not that simple, is it?"

Upon hearing that he was rich, many people's eyes lit up.

Many of them were unwilling to fight, primarily because many of their soldiers were essentially "private troops."

It's fine if they can win or get away with a small battle, but once a major battle occurs that may result in heavy casualties and little reward for the officers, their selfishness will begin to take hold.

Who would be willing to sacrifice so many of their own people to fight for "others"?

Unless, unless we see a clear return.

For example, after winning this battle, the officers could earn enough money to immigrate to developed countries.

It didn't matter how many of their men died; they never even considered taking the common soldiers with them.

What a joke! Even their own families might not be able to be brought out together. What does it matter to them whether these soldiers live or die?
Reggie certainly understood the officer-soldier relationship of this old warlord era, and he precisely boosted the morale of the mid-level officers.

As for how they should motivate the lower-ranking soldiers, that's their own business.

One of the officers immediately raised his hand and said, "No problem, I can do it! Tell me which area to guard, and I guarantee that every step Milton's men take will be paid for with blood!"

"Me too……"

"Well, I'll try to talk to the soldiers. It shouldn't be a problem. But my troops have suffered heavy losses, and there aren't many areas we can defend."

"I can take care of the supplies..."

"..."

Seeing the morale starting to recover, Reggie breathed a sigh of relief.

With the financial incentive, they should be able to hold on for a while longer... but this also means that Milton's logistical crisis has been largely resolved.

With the defensive line contracted into the city, the special operations plan completely failed. The artillery positions were moved back, which meant that Milton's offensive pressure was greatly reduced, and the defensive pressure on the logistical supply line was also greatly reduced.

However, it only collapsed halfway, not completely.

Just as Reggie was about to call back to get some money to the front lines, his phone rang by itself.

Very few people know the number on this phone line...

Reggie glanced around, and the officers immediately got up and left.

After everyone had left, Reggie reached for the receiver and said, "Hello?"

"Reggie, why aren't you answering the phone?!" the other person said urgently. "What are you doing?"

This voice...

President Arsu?

Reggie paused, then said, "I'm in a war council. Milton has breached two lines of defense, and I'm organizing the follow-up defenses."

“Ha… General Reggie Garfield.” Arsou’s voice suddenly turned cold. “Is there something else you haven’t told me?”

Reggie was stunned again, but Arsu didn't give him time to answer. Suppressing his anger, he growled:

"All Americans are dead! Don't think I don't know!"

"The SEALs are finished. All the M109s have been destroyed. Two of the front-line defenses were breached in just one night."

"Solola has fallen. You have suffered a humiliating defeat, General!"

Fuck!
Reggie almost cursed. Who the hell has the time to report military intelligence to the president?!

Do you know anything about warfare? Report to him.

Was it a trusted confidant that Arsu had planted around him, or simply an American who had suffered a major loss?
Reggie forced a laugh to make his voice sound lighter: "Mr. President... we are on the defensive, Milton launched a surprise attack, so it's normal for the front line to retreat a little."

"We have lost our self-propelled howitzers and our SEALs are gone, but our towed artillery positions are still there, our main force is still there, the enemy has not yet entered the city, our logistics are complete, and there is support on the lake. We can fully guarantee that the defense line will not collapse before reinforcements arrive."

"Mr. President, you must believe me."

Arsu's voice was icy: "General, you don't seem to realize the seriousness of the problem... I've never asked you whether you can hold Solora before reinforcements arrive."

"They might hold out, they might not. I'm not a military expert, I don't know... But the only thing I do know is that, in either case, the defenders of Solora will suffer huge losses, right? The enemy is an elite force that can even defeat the SEALs. Can you say that stopping them won't result in huge losses?"

Reggie found it utterly absurd: "But war involves losses!"

“We can’t bear this loss.” Arsu raised his voice again. “Reinforcements, reinforcements! Believe it or not, if the reinforcements see that we can still hold on, they will slow down and wait for Milton to take down a few more of our men.”

“If they see us retreating, they will never rush into Solora.”

"No matter how the final outcome of the battle is, we will be the losers, do you understand that?!"

"Retreating now is to preserve our strength. Once we've joined forces with reinforcements, I'll find a way to send their men to their deaths first. This is a political matter, do you understand?"

“This isn’t a game on a sand table where you can just make a move and all the troops will obey your orders. Monte can’t stand Milton winning, but doesn’t he want Milton to kill more of our men?”

"Reggie, you're one of my trusted men, would I harm you?"

Reggie stood there, phone in hand, dumbfounded.

“…I, I understand.”

Arsu listened to his voice and added, "Don't try to fool me. I've already issued a presidential decree that we must retreat and conserve our strength... There are two more fortresses after Solora. There's no need to waste all our strength here."

Presidential Decree...

Reggie closed his eyes: "But retreating is not so easy. We need to retreat quickly, prevent Milton from catching up, and prevent the retreat from turning into a defeat. We may have to abandon a lot of things, including a lot of supplies on the lake. There may be a lot of things that we won't have time to destroy."

Arsu showed no remorse: "Then give them to them... Milton has thoroughly angered the Americans this time. Although they cannot admit that they sent troops to participate in the civil war, they have promised me that they will give me a lot of support. The part we lost will be made up for by more support. What I need now is time, and I need the army to be preserved."

"Besides, didn't I gather those cultists? Didn't the Americans train these people? Aren't they very determined to fight? Let them cover our rear and let them fight street battles with Milton."

"Now, execute my order and retreat to a safe area as quickly as possible."

(End of this chapter)