Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 319 Sauce
Guatemala City Airport.

A Gulfstream GIV business jet slowly descended from the sky and arrived at the airport in Guatemala City.

Just by looking at this plane, many airport staff would know who is on board—this business jet, a symbol of luxury and extravagance, has always been a standard feature of the Ubico family.

This warlord, who controlled the Atlantic Ocean's outlet to the sea, remained completely an outsider in the entire civil war that would determine Guatemala's future, not joining either side.

They seem to be safe now, and they seem to have preserved their strength, but anyone with eyes can see that the entire Ubico family has lost the right to sit at the table.

Now, if we send someone over, they can only talk about how to preserve some things as much as possible.

On the plane, Eunice's pretty face fell slightly as she looked at the documents in her hand and couldn't help but let out another long sigh.

In the struggle for control of the narrative and the decision of which side to take, a massive conflict erupted within the Ubiko family and its allies, completely igniting internal contradictions.

The vast majority of these people are entrepreneurs, bureaucrats, lawyers, and similar professions. Many of them naturally assume that the war will take quite some time to end.

The previous civil war lasted for decades. Even if this civil war is fought quickly, it will still take at least a year to roughly determine the outcome.

Some people were staunchly opposed to Milton and demanded direct intervention in the civil war.

Some people felt that Milton had a great advantage, but it wouldn't be easy to win completely. They had plenty of time to first transfer their interests out of the Arsu government's sphere of influence, and then switch allegiance to Milton.

But no one expected that in less than two months, Milton would tear down Guatemala City!

When news of the fall of Guatemala City and the capture of President Alzú reached cities such as Puerto Barrios and Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla, many people were still tirelessly engaging in verbal battles and pursuing various interests to bolster their own influence.

Immediately afterwards, all dissenting voices miraculously disappeared.

They performed a magic trick of changing their tune in a single day, from demanding a complete severing of ties with Milton and the immediate dispatch of troops to hoping that the Ubico family would find a way to reach an agreement with Milton's forces in a short period of time.

Many people even sent money to the Ubico family, hoping that Eunice would prioritize their interests during negotiations and persuade Milton to show leniency towards their businesses.

“Ha…” Eunice shook her head. “What’s the use of regretting it now? I’m already struggling to protect the family business, let alone others?”

Even though it's winter and she's wearing a lot of clothes, it's still hard to hide her great figure.

"Miss...we've arrived." A pretty female secretary approached and whispered a reminder, "Do you have any specific negotiation plans?"

Eunice casually tossed the documents aside, stepped out of the airplane bedroom, and sighed, "What room do we have for negotiation now? It's hard to say how much wealth I can help the family preserve... But it doesn't matter anyway, Milton will definitely be in charge of the country in the future, and those good-for-nothings are useless to us. Let them go find the 'Hell Tax Collector'."

Go find the "Hell Tax Collectors"? They were still whole when they entered the Presidential Palace, but when they came out, they were probably nothing but blood mist.

"Miss, what should we do? Have you thought of a good solution?"

Eunice stepped off the plane, shrugged, and chuckled: "Isn't the best solution a marriage alliance? Once we become relatives, we can definitely protect a lot of people, and I quite like him too... Otherwise, the family would definitely suffer a huge financial loss."

With that, Eunice boarded a fleet of private cars and left the airport.

The convoy was rented by the Ubico family themselves, and the new government did not send a single person to greet Eunice.

You should know that when that railway construction team came, Milton sent troops to greet them!
Judging from her attitude alone, Eunice had no confidence in this negotiation.

"There's a bit of traffic... I heard they're having some kind of event?"

"Judging from the license plates, there seem to be many tourists from other places. It's hard to imagine that just two days ago this place was shrouded in the shadow of war."

“Miss… the ‘Hell Tax Collector’ is so cold to our arrival, something seems wrong.”

As Eunice watched the presidential palace draw closer, she chuckled again: "Milton did indeed bring the prosperity he promised. In the entire history of Guatemala... no, even in the entire Latin America, he can be considered a first-rate leader."

"Perhaps we are greatly weakened today, but in the future, if we have a strong motherland, we will certainly have the opportunity to rise again."

"Let's go."

The motorcade stopped in front of the presidential palace, and Eunice and her team got out of the cars to enter the palace.

The guards responsible for protecting the presidential palace had already received the news. When they saw Eunice approaching, they immediately stepped forward, raised their hands, and stopped the people behind Eunice.

"I'm sorry, Mr. 'Godfather' has only approved Ms. Eunice's appointment. Other unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter. Please wait outside."

The people who came with her were all high-ranking officials in their own territories and had never been treated like this before. Normally, they would have been furious, but this was Milton's territory after all, so they patiently explained, "We are professional staff who came with Miss Eunice to handle some negotiation details."

The guards didn't make any move, not even a glance.

Eunice raised her hand, stopping her subordinate from speaking further: "I understand, I'll go in alone."

The signal they're sending is very clear... Negotiation? What negotiation? There's only a notification, no negotiation at all!
The so-called negotiators had no need to enter the presidential palace at all.

A country's top leader doesn't need to negotiate with anyone.

Eunice walked into the dimly lit presidential palace and, after being ignored all along the way, arrived at the president's office... Just as she was about to open the door, the office door opened by itself!
A familiar face came into view.

Every Guatemalan knows him.

Arsu...former president.

"Eunice... the Ubico family, huh." Arsu still wore a relaxed smile. "Now you know to come begging for mercy? Where were you before? If you had flown over earlier and licked Milton's boots, maybe you could have stood on the victor's side and laughed at me?"

It's clear that Arsu is very dissatisfied with the Ubiko family's wavering attitude during the civil war.

He also believes that if the Ubico family had suddenly turned against Milton in that decisive battle, the outcome today might still be uncertain.

But there is no if.

Eunice's face turned cold: "Accepting the rule of the victors is better than being dragged off the throne like a dog by some loser... At least I still have a seat in the New World, while some others should worry about how long they can live." Arsu's face darkened instantly, taking a long time to recover before he sneered: "Don't worry, I've already made a deal with the 'Hell Tax Collector.' After I complete the final formalities, I can walk out of here peacefully. Alright, I won't waste any more words with you. Go, go and beg that person inside to grant you a place in the New World."

After saying that, Arsu left the presidential office without looking back, walking further and further away.

"..."

Eunice didn't even look at him. She took a step forward and pushed open the door to the president's office.

She looked up and saw that Milton had already stood up and was packing his things.

As the weaker party, Eunice took the initiative to step forward, came to the desk, and chuckled: "We've talked on the phone many times, and today is finally our first meeting, Your Excellency the 'Hell Tax Collector,' Mr. 'Godfather' of Guatemala. Congratulations, the future you once proclaimed has arrived."

Milton glanced at the beautiful woman, his emotions barely stirred: "That just means you don't know me well enough."

“In the future, perhaps we can have more time and opportunities to get to know each other, and without the involvement of self-interest.” Eunice glanced at the chair next to her out of the corner of her eye. “This is also what our family wants—we will fully support the new government. Father has already given a speech, representing the cities along the Caribbean coast, recognizing that the new government under your leadership is the only legitimate government in Guatemala.”

“Not bad… at least you showed sincerity from the start.” Milton bluntly stated, “But unfortunately, I have more important things to do today and do not intend to negotiate with you.”

Eunice sighed inwardly, but her smile remained: "A new country, a new government, of course we're busy. I'm not in a hurry for a day or two, but I wonder what you're busy with?"

Milton packed his things, still speaking in a businesslike tone: "An event in the capital, open to all citizens, you've probably heard of it... Interested? Come with me."

In truth, with Milton's keen perception, how could he not have noticed Eunice's purpose in coming here? How could he not know that the Ubico family still harbored illusions?
Instead of wasting time on empty talk and back-and-forth at the negotiating table, let's just show Eunice what Arsus's fate will be.

If you directly say that 99% of their assets will be confiscated, many people might be unwilling and it would take a long time to negotiate; but if you say that they would be finely shredded, many people would agree to have 99% of their assets confiscated.

That was Milton's purpose.

It was also an ultimatum to the Ubiko family and the people behind them.

Eunice, who had already given up hope of this "negotiation," suddenly brightened with surprise upon hearing Milton's words: "Is it okay? Shall we go to the event together?"

Milton didn't turn around, but walked straight out of the office: "Come with me."

"it is good!"

Soon, under the protection of guards, the two got into an armored vehicle and drove to a high-end hotel. Milton had made a reservation at the hotel's restaurant, where the municipal park could be clearly seen.

Eunice, who had always been pampered, felt extremely uncomfortable after sitting in the uncomfortably uncomfortable armored vehicle. She could only barely keep a straight face so that others wouldn't notice how uncomfortable she was.

When they finally arrived at the hotel entrance, Eunice felt like she had just been released from prison the moment she stepped out of the car.

Milton, who was leading the way, was clearly used to all of this.

"That's the difference between soldiers and bureaucrats..." Eunice thought to herself, following Milton to the third-floor restaurant. After settling into her seat and adjusting herself, she smiled sweetly again and chatted, "I didn't even know what kind of event it was, but so many people are participating?"

“The details of the event are public, which means you didn’t care at all.” Milton took out a packet of tea he had gotten from the Jinkang Engineering Team and asked the waiter to make him a cup of tea. “But it doesn’t matter, you’ll find out soon enough… Look, that car over there.”

Eunice followed Milton's gaze and looked downstairs.

In the middle of the crowded park, there was a small open space. Outside, police officers were maintaining order and preventing minors from entering. In the very center, the area was cordoned off, and there was a small stage.

A commercial vehicle with military license plates drove up and stopped near the park.

After the door was opened, a face that Eunice knew all too well walked out blankly and looked around.

Eunice was immediately stunned: "Arsus? What is this?"

Didn't we just say that an agreement was reached?

Milton didn't look at Eunice, and explained calmly, "I promised Arsu that the new government would not officially try him. He was the former leader of the country, so let the whole country judge him."

"Everyone can vote to decide whether to let Arsu live or let him die."

“If the people vote him innocent, he will spend the rest of his life in the room I provide. If they vote him guilty… I’ve said it before, the authorities won’t do anything to him, but I can’t control what the people do to him.”

Eunice looked shocked and instinctively asked, "Is this...is this legal?!"

“The law does not punish the masses,” Milton said.

This behavior is certainly unsustainable... but Milton's main purpose is to intimidate Eunice and other forces that are still stirring.

"...That, the knife on the stage?"

Milton continued, “If there are more votes in favor of guilt, then Arsu might have to go through a battle royale and endure some pain. Every extra vote means he’ll have to take another hit.”

Arsu must have been chopped into minced meat!

While still shocked, Eunice cautiously asked, "What if we get too many votes and Arsu dies before we finish cutting him?"

When she asked the question, she found it utterly absurd... Milton said he was going to an event with her, and this was the kind of event it was?!

Milton looked away and turned to Eunice—this was the first time Milton had looked Eunice directly in the eye since they met.

"It's ok."

"Aren't there still so many people from other places who are still not convinced and want to negotiate with me because they have some leverage?"

"Arsu will never get all the knives he'll get, but someone will take them for him, don't you think?"

(End of this chapter)