Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 85: From Defense to Offense
A day later, in the restaurant at the base camp, several people were eating and watching TV.

With money, and spare cash, Milton immediately set about improving the living conditions at the base.

A television is an absolute necessity—not only for entertainment and relaxation, but also for getting a general idea of ​​what's happening in a region through various news reports.

Although it sounds absurd and ridiculous to obtain information by watching TV, listening to the radio, and reading newspapers, in a country like Guatemala, being able to obtain intelligence in this way is actually considered a privilege.

Who has that much money to buy a TV and a radio?

Furthermore, Milton firmly believed that a comfortable and safe environment could greatly boost the morale and morale of combat personnel.

He also plans to gradually demolish the original surface structure of the illegal pharmacy and replace it with a sturdy reinforced concrete structure.

At this moment, Brandon was still recalling the conversation between Milton and Pedro the day before.

"Holy crap... Boss, I thought those reports were just fooling myself. This actually influenced a congressman?"

The alliance between Fan Kangbang, the police station, and the checkpoints was not completely shattered by the enemy's attack; in fact, there was a glimmer of hope that they could reunite.

However, this alliance was completely destroyed by a single sentence from their "superior".

What influenced this legislator's decision was actually those absurd and laughable reports.

Olya and Flora showed little surprise—in a country where elections are not so fair, where members of parliament overturn tables, and where election results are manipulated at great cost by violence, this is considered a good outcome.

They've never seen what it's like for a real politician to be swayed by votes.

For the sake of those votes from drug addicts, members of parliament and even heads of state can make the decision to legalize drugs!

“These reports only seem absurd to people in Malacan,” Milton began. “To people elsewhere, these reports seem perfectly true and perfectly reasonable.”

“We have photos from the scene, a true reconstruction of the event, and the target of our frame-up is a Mexican gang. Who wouldn’t believe us?”

“In places where there are no other channels for information dissemination, controlling traditional media is very important; it can really effectively divide and weaken the enemy. Even if a few people from a town occasionally leave here and go to other places, their voices will not have any impact on the overall situation.”

As a reporter, Olya took a bite of the stew in her bowl, her brows immediately relaxing as she said, "After so many years as a reporter, I've come to realize something... If you want to spread a fact, sometimes you can't be bound by the process."

If we focus solely on the process, then the fact that the Qing Teng Foundation conducted human experiments and that Fan Kangbang committed murders in the town will never be known in this lifetime.

And now?
The Fan Kang Gang has now become a true urban legend.

They committed murder, arson, and all sorts of atrocities, creating several horrific tragedies in just a few days...

The group chatted for a while, and soon the TV news anchor finished reading the previous script and prepared to move on to the next segment of the report.

"Good afternoon, residents of San Marcos..."

"One day ago, at 7 p.m. local time, a serious terrorist attack occurred in Malacan, a border town in the San Marcos province, resulting in 26 casualties, including several police officers and border control personnel."

"It is understood that the case is related to a transnational criminal group."

"Witnesses said the perpetrators detonated a large number of explosives and homemade biological weapons, resulting in the immediate death of local police deputy chief Otto."

"Local police and checkpoints issued statements at the same time, indicating that they would organize a joint operation to establish a joint border patrol team to control the highway leading to Tapachula, Mexico, until all the criminals are apprehended."

"Prosecutor Rosa Morales of the Public Affairs Department (Prosecutor's Office) will be involved in the investigation."

"Our special correspondent found one of the border inspection officials involved and interviewed him..."

Brandon got excited and exclaimed, "They're here! They're here!"

Milton swallowed what was in his mouth, sighed, and said, "What's there to get so excited about..."

"We're on TV! My childhood dream was to be on TV, and even be interviewed by such a big TV station!"

The television screen switched to Milton, dressed in military uniform, sitting upright in front of the camera, with Brandon, who made no attempt to hide his serious injuries, and several guards holding weapons beside him.

Although Brandon's injury was not caused in this battle, Milton never said that, and it's entirely up to the audience to decide what they think.

Off-screen, Olya's voice came through: "Thank you, Commander Milton, for taking the time to grant us this interview despite your demanding 24-hour schedule. The public is eager to know what happened and how things are progressing."

Milton did not read from a prepared statement, but looked directly at the camera and began to speak:
“All members of the Van Con gang who participated in the attack that night have been killed, but the gang’s headquarters are located in Mexico, which makes our law enforcement operation more difficult.”

"There is now sufficient evidence to show that Fan Kangbang smuggled a large number of illegal drugs, participated in the smuggling of blood products and other human organs and tissues, and was involved in drug smuggling."

“Our compatriots have suffered greatly at their hands. The once fertile land has been turned into ruins because of their arrival… This morning, the widow of the police officer who died in the line of duty came to give her husband his badge with her newborn baby, which made me extremely heartbroken.”

"It is extremely disheartening that current evidence suggests the enemy even possesses biological and chemical weapons, as well as weapons of mass destruction, while the annual per capita equipment budget for police stations and checkpoints is only 420 qchar." "There are many difficulties and arduous tasks, but my compatriots, please do not despair, do not be afraid, for these are the darkness before dawn. Freedom will be born from oppression, and the more insane the enemy becomes, the more it shows they have reached their dead end!"

"The gangs have taken our taxes, our money, our food, and stolen the fruits of our great labor. But I promise, I promise! After they are dealt with, bread and money, dignity and greatness will be returned to the hands of all the people of Malacan."

"On behalf of my comrades Chief Pedro and Station Chief Varta, and on behalf of the police department and checkpoints, I hereby formally declare the start of the war against the Van Con gang. We will not accept peace talks, we will not accept compromises, and all officers and prosecutors will fight bravely until the Van Con gang is completely wiped out!"

"God bless this beautiful land! May Malacan become great again!"

After he finished speaking, the camera switched back to the television station.

The others had already lost their patience.

Even though they already knew the contents of the interview, they were still amazed once again.

"Boss, you're representing Pedro and Varta again, hahaha! I almost burst out laughing when I was next to you."

"Most importantly, the foundation for the Van Kang gang's survival in Malacan was completely destroyed. Legally, they are criminals who should be hanged; in terms of strength, others may not know, but the townspeople know that the Van Kang gang can't beat the boss; and in terms of benefits, the boss has promised bread and money."

“It’s not a promise,” Olya shook her head and corrected, “It’s about taking back what rightfully belongs to them—the bread and money. That statement is far more powerful than a direct promise of money.”

Anyone with a shred of spirit who has been working hard but whose life hasn't been going well will immediately roar with excitement upon hearing this, especially with the added pep talk.

Flora nodded in agreement: "Anyway, I think the boss really understands the media."

"Without realizing it, Fan Kangbang has become a bird with all its feathers plucked. This is the Godfather's method! Boss, you are indeed suited to be the Godfather!"

"After taking down the Coco Gang, the core combat strength of the Fan Kang Gang actually improved, but now I feel that they are not as scary as before."

Brandon thought for a moment and asked, "But after we take down Van Kang's gang, who will we ask to take the blame?"

“If you want, there’s no one who can’t take the blame for you.” Milton shook his head. “That’s not a problem at all. Now that the Van Con gang is completely isolated, we can prepare to wipe out all their businesses in Malacan.”

“Our development cannot be confined to the old streets. It is time to take advantage of Pedro and Varta’s weakness and expand our influence outwards.”

And those businesses owned by Fan Kang were the most suitable targets to take action against.

The goal is to cripple this transnational armed gang, forcing them to cower on the Mexican border, confiscate their assets, and use these industries as hubs and bases to expand their sphere of influence outwards, gradually controlling more industries in the town and creating a virtuous cycle.

Now it's Milton's turn to be on the offensive.

"Alright!" Everyone was highly motivated because of the generous profit-sharing arrangement. "Boss, shall we go now?"

Milton sighed, "One by one, what's the rush? We have money and equipment now, but why is your thinking still so backward? Wouldn't it be better to wear night vision goggles, cut off their power at night, and then break in?"

"Walking past like this in broad daylight, aren't they afraid of being ambushed? Armored vehicles aren't tanks, what if they're carrying rocket launchers and coming after us?"

Moreover, Milton spent a lot of money to exchange several sets of ABA four-stage circuit boards from the system, completely replacing the three-stage circuit boards that everyone was currently using.

Unless it's heavy firearms or a hail of bullets, there's basically no chance of their lives being threatened.

Even heavy firearms like the M2 Browning, with the NIJ IV ballistic protection standard, are very likely to be able to barely stop a .50 BGM round from a relatively long distance without being penetrated.

Moreover, Milton was preparing to exchange for the recoilless rifle he had been longing for—if it could blow up the enemy's base in one shot, there would be no need for CQB.

When dealing with enemies hiding in fortifications, rifled cannons are far more lethal than rocket launchers.

“That’s true. Let’s see which industry we’re going to target first.”

Just as everyone was about to randomly pick an unlucky person to replenish their wallets, the phone rang not far from the room.

"Quite a few phone calls lately," Milton chuckled. "When you gain power, you definitely get busier."

“I think we should hire some clerical staff to join our team. Now that we have more and more businesses, the accounts are becoming more and more difficult to manage... If we are not professionals, it is easy to make mistakes.”

After mentioning it casually, Brandon walked over to the phone and answered it.

"Hey?"

"Uh...you're saying your things were stolen and you want to call the police?"

P.S.: I'll post more later.

(End of this chapter)