Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 315 is about attacking passenger planes.
boom! boom!
After learning the specific details of President Arsu’s plane, Milton knew that time was of the essence and the mission was urgent, so he immediately ordered two F-5Es to take off from the airport and monitor the entire process.

One of the pilots asked, "'Godfather,' what should we do if this plane insists on not changing its course?"

This is indeed a problem...

Of course, fighter jets could catch up, could certainly pin down this civilian flight, and could relay messages to it—but Arsu could choose not to listen.

His personal guards, armed to the teeth, probably already had their guns pointed at the captain and the rest of the crew. Even if there were fighter jets outside, the captain might be coerced into disobeying orders.

Given Arsu’s shamelessness, he might actually take a gamble, betting that Milton wouldn’t dare shoot down a commercial airliner.

Milton considered for a moment: "If Arsu refuses to cooperate, then let's shoot out one of the plane's engines—note, not shoot down the passenger plane, but shoot out one engine without the passenger plane crashing. Is that possible?"

The Airbus A300's engine system is redundantly configured, meaning that if one engine fails, the other can still maintain basic thrust. Its hydraulic, electrical, and flight control systems are all designed with dual redundancy to ensure that critical systems can still function normally in a single-engine configuration.

Shooting out one engine will not cause the aircraft to lose thrust and fall from the sky.

The A300 can continue cruising for more than 3 hours in the event of a single engine failure.

However, doing so also carries very high risks—just because an airplane can fly with only one engine doesn't mean you can destroy the other engine at will.

If a missile were to hit it, destroying the engine and wings along with it, even a god would have to crash the passenger plane and turn it into a pile of scrap metal.

If the fuel tank is accidentally set on fire, it could turn the entire operation into a disaster.

Arsu cannot escape, but it will also put enormous pressure on the new government that is about to take office.

Therefore, it was necessary to be precise and only shoot down the aircraft's engine without damaging other parts in order to intimidate Arsu and his personal guards.

If they obediently submit, Milton will only punish Arsu; the others have a good chance of escaping death, but will be imprisoned and forced to grow bananas... Continuing to resist means certain death.

A hearty laugh came from the other end, coming from a former Soviet pilot: "Don't worry, Mr. 'Godfather,' we are pilots who served in the Soviet Union! Have you heard of the Barents Sea aerial scalpel? That was done by our colleagues. Today's mission is much simpler than the aerial scalpel, so you can rest assured."

The so-called aerial scalpel is a technique that uses the vertical tail of a fighter jet to cut forward from the belly of an enemy aircraft, creating a large gash in the enemy's engine like a scalpel.

Milton was dealing with domestic flights, not foreign planes. As long as the final outcome was good, he didn't need to worry about "who fired first."

An aircraft cannon will suffice.

Milton nodded: "I remember, attacking the No. 2 engine on the right side of the enemy aircraft can preserve the integrity of the airliner's dual hydraulic systems. The A300 has two hydraulic systems, but we try to minimize the possibility of any accidents to the aircraft."

The pilot then asked, "What if, even after that, the enemy still refuses to submit?"

Milton sighed: "Then let's try to organize a special operation in the future and find a way to take down Arsu... We can't actually shoot down a civilian airliner, the impact of that would be too bad."

"Roger that!"

"The plane has taken off."

"..."

At this moment, everyone in the command center, as well as others who knew about the mission, couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Although an undeniable victory had been achieved on the main battlefield and the old government had collapsed, President Arsu was not entirely useless.

His presence or absence does not affect the establishment of a new government. The only problem is that if such a legitimate president of the previous government is allowed to leave, there is a legal basis for either establishing a "government-in-exile" or requesting "international aid."

Even if Milton's subsequent offensive conquered the entire territory of Guatemala and established the undisputed legitimate government, Arzu could still flee to the United States and continue to plot things there.

The US invasion of Cuba was an operation planned by a group of reactionary elements abroad.

If a former president were to lead the charge, the consequences would be dire.

Only by eliminating Arsu and all the prominent figures in the previous government who were considered high-ranking successors to the presidency can the new government avoid facing so many problems.

Boom boom boom...

Two F-5Es flew overhead, leaving a sonic boom cloud as they headed straight for the A300.

……

buzzing...

Inside the cabin of the Airbus A300, Arsu was frowning and occasionally opening his mouth to relieve the abnormal sensation in his ears.

This is the difference between a passenger plane and a private jet... Even if you're sitting in first class, the pressurization level of the plane is no different from that in economy class.

The overall comfort level is not as good as that of a private jet.

"Oh well... everything will be fine after the plane lands, it won't be flying for long anyway." Arsu comforted himself. "I already transferred the money to an overseas account, Milton won't beat me so easily."

"..."

Arsu was about to close his eyes to relieve the mental stress he had been under recently when, for some reason, a commotion suddenly broke out in the economy class behind him.

For some reason, a passenger screamed.

"what!!!"

"Look out the window!!!"

"Is that... is that coming towards us?"

"..."

What is that? What's outside the plane?
Arsu was startled, and subconsciously reopened his eyes, looking out the airplane window.

Buzz!
A fighter jet with a narrow and long fuselage, wings swept back into a neat triangular shape with sharp edges, and two engine nozzles at the tail end emitting a faint blue flame flew over from a position slightly lower than the passenger plane!

The fighter jet was flying sideways, with its left wing almost parallel to the passenger plane's window. Two missiles were mounted under the wing, so close that even the arrangement of rivets on the wing surface was frighteningly clear!

Before the engine sound reached his ears, the window vibrated first, a very low hum. Arsu's mind went blank. When he looked up again, the fighter pilot's helmet was vaguely visible in the cockpit, the dark mask facing the direction of the passenger plane.

At that moment, Arsu even felt that the pilot was looking at him.

"F-5?! Fighter jet?!"

The only fighter jets that could appear here so quickly are those under Milton's command!
Arsu ignored the noisy screams inside the cabin, staring intently at the outside, his fingers trembling—even the vice president and the guard commander were oblivious to everything else, their faces filled with terror as they looked at the terrifying fighter jet outside.

Even a fool could tell that Milton had found them! Precise targeting!

"Where did he get his intelligence from?!"

The captain of the guards had a very gloomy face. At this moment, he felt that the gun in his hand was so powerless: "Perhaps, there is a mole within our ranks."

"Who is it?! Do they really think Milton will let him off easy?! Becoming a traitor means being looked down upon for the rest of his life!"

The commotion inside the plane spread to business class and first class, and some people recognized Arsu!

"Arsu!"

"President... My God, are these planes here to see the President?"

"what should we do?"

"What else can we do but follow the fighter jets to land... Ugh, what bad luck to be on the same plane as this wretched thing. A president of a country, beaten up like this by a mere border inspector, isn't that shameful?"

boom!
"Shut up!" The security captain, having lost his patience, raised his gun, aimed it at the back row, and pulled the trigger. "All of you, get back to your seats! Anyone who utters another word, I'll shoot them dead and throw them off the plane, understand?!"

The entire plane fell silent immediately, and the passengers, who were all somewhat well-off, obediently shut their mouths and returned to their seats.

It can threaten passengers, but it does not resolve the crisis.

While the captain of the security detail was hysterically expressing his emotions to the passengers behind him, the F-5E was already in action. The left wing first lifted up, the fuselage followed, and the missiles under the wing also swayed.

Before the passenger plane could react, the right wing lifted up again by the same amount. After the fuselage returned to normal, both wings began to swing rapidly, once per second, with the amplitude gradually decreasing, repeatedly signaling "Pay attention to me".

Arsu rushed into the cockpit, saw the captain being held at gunpoint, and watched the F-5E fighter jet that had flown ahead smoothly turn in front of the passenger plane while continuously swaying its wings from side to side.

He tensed up immediately and asked, "What does Milton mean by this? Is he threatening us?"

The captain, who had been holding a gun to his head, took a deep breath and said with a wry smile, "This is the standard aviation intercept signal of the Convention on International Civil Aviation, which means that we are required to follow them... Should we do it?"

Do as instructed?!
"Do as I say!" Arsu said, blustering but cowardly. "If I fly back now, do you think Milton will spare my life? Never mind him, keep flying. I don't believe Milton would actually dare to launch an attack!"

"I'm on the plane, Milton, go ahead and fire if you dare!"

"There are so many passengers on the commercial airliner, would he dare to shoot us down? Does he know how many eyes are watching? Does he know how heinous it is to shoot down a commercial airliner?!"

“He had nothing before, which is why he dared to do whatever he wanted without restraint… Now he is about to own an entire country. He has gained a lot, but he will also be completely bound by these things. It is not worth it for him to sacrifice the benefits he has already gained for the sake of me, a president who has already been defeated.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a cold voice suddenly came through the airplane's radio.

"A300, immediately adjust course to... maintain altitude... speed... follow immediately, or face the consequences. Mr. Milton has promised to spare the death penalty from everyone except a few ringleaders. You know he always keeps his word. Stop making futile struggles. Over."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Arsu's expression hadn't changed yet, but the two soldiers pointing guns at the captain's face changed first.

Shouldn't they be considered among the "chief culprits"?
Perhaps giving in would be a better option, at least you wouldn't perish in the fire along with the plane?
Arsu looked at the two of them coldly and said, "Don't overthink it. I've already said Milton wouldn't dare shoot down a commercial airliner. He's just trying to scare you."

The two men's eyes snapped back to reality: "Yes, Your Excellency President."

"Continue flying along the original route, ignore those two fighter jets!"

"Fly along the original route!"

Seeing that the passenger plane showed no intention of following its flight path, the fighter jets ahead seemed to abandon their guidance and slowed down to the rear of the passenger plane.

As the intimidating fighter jet disappeared from view through the windshield, Arsu breathed a long sigh of relief.

It seems that Milton indeed did not have the courage to shoot down a commercial airliner.

"See... Ha, Milton gave up even faster than I thought. I thought he would continue to threaten and intimidate me to get rid of me."

"He left as soon as he couldn't fool anyone. Milton is really a pragmatist."

"I……"

boom!
A terrifyingly loud explosion was heard.

Before he could finish his last sentence, the entire plane was suddenly pulled to the right by a tremendous force—not a smooth tilt, but a violent yank, as if someone had grabbed the right wing and was yanking it downwards. Arsu lost his balance and crashed into the left wall of the cockpit!

The loud noise was completely different from the continuous low hum of the passenger plane's engine. It didn't come from outside the plane, but rather from deep within the plane's structure, right under his feet!
The first thing that pierced my ears was the shrill alarm. The high-frequency noise of "beep beep beep" drowned out everything. A large number of malfunction lights lit up on the dashboard instantly. The malfunction light of the right engine flashed the most violently. The white words "ENGINE 2 FAIL" (engine number two failed) flashed on the screen. With each flash, the engine body trembled.

A strange sound came from engine number 2. The steady roar was gone, replaced by a "putt-putt" sound.

Arsu, enduring the ringing and pain in his ears, first tried to stand up in the violently shaking and altitude-dropping cabin—what he saw was chaos. Two soldiers were barely able to stand up, squatting on the ground to pick up their guns, their hands trembling so much that they couldn't grasp them several times. Behind them, passengers were screaming, and the oxygen masks overhead had already been lowered...

What's going on here? !

"Right engine! Right engine gone!" The captain's voice trembled. "The hydraulic system is affected! The rudder is veering to the left! We're losing altitude! We're under attack! The fighter jets are firing!!!"

"They actually dared to shoot down a commercial airliner! That's Milton! That's the 'Hell Tax Collector'! What wouldn't he do? Who wouldn't he kill? It's just a commercial airliner... Milton eats more than that at one dinner!"

Arsu looked up, feeling dizzy, and instinctively looked in the direction where the F-5E had just disappeared—the right-hand window.

The sight almost froze his blood.

Behind the right wing, where he could see, what should have been a huge and powerful No. 2 engine was now just a black metal belching thick smoke.

Arsu's mind went blank; his composure and sense of relief from moments before had completely vanished. He had assumed Milton was being cautious, that the commercial airliner and the hostages were his protection, but now the black smoke from the engines was right before his eyes, and the vibrations of the fuselage were growing more and more intense.

Everything proves one thing—Milton doesn't care about these so-called hostages at all. He can kill whoever he wants, as many as he wants!

That fucking lunatic!

The captain and first officer remained silent, oblivious to what was happening behind them, focused on doing everything they could to salvage the aircraft and attempt to level it.

"Your Excellency President... what should we do now?"

Just as Arsu was trying to calm the troops down, he suddenly noticed a very obvious wavering in the eyes of the two soldiers who had asked the questions.

He suddenly realized that even though they had picked up their weapons again, the two soldiers were no longer pointing their guns at the crew as before!
(End of this chapter)