Taxes are only within machine gun range!

Chapter 90 "Eye of the Sky"

Upon returning to headquarters, Milton was not happy about conquering new territory; instead, he sat down in a chair and began to ponder.

Brandon wheeled himself closer and asked, "Boss, how did it go? How many did you kill this time?"

“I don’t know, maybe three or four,” Milton shook his head. “But that’s not the key point.”

"What's the key point?" Brandon asked, even more curious. "Boss, I guarantee that once word gets out about what you did today, the scene you told me about—everyone begging you to collect taxes—will really come true! I finally understand what you meant back then."

"Although we didn't make much money from this operation, it established our authority. Unless someone is suicidal, who would dare to rob the shops in the old street? This operation cost a lot of money, but it will prevent many more such operations in the future. In the long run, it will definitely be a win."

"And then there's the issue of tax collection costs, boss... After this incident, we definitely won't need to send people door-to-door to collect taxes anymore, and we won't have to worry about people violently resisting taxes with guns all the time."

“Those gangs collect protection money that seems to be more than our taxes, but in reality, the money they collect has very high costs. It not only wastes a lot of manpower, but sometimes even wastes bullets, and sometimes even costs lives.”

“We collect taxes at zero cost because they will pay us voluntarily. If anyone doesn’t pay, they will become a target for robbery by gangsters, and calling the police won’t help.”

"With a stable business environment, their businesses are likely to improve, and it could ultimately be a win-win situation!"

Judging from Brandon's eager expression, he's probably already itching to go out and embellish the rumors...

However, Milton did need this incident to generate some buzz, as a way to promote the benefits of paying taxes, so he didn't intend to stop it.

Milton gave him a disdainful look: "That's something I said so long ago, and you're only understanding it now? And why are you still in a wheelchair? I think you're almost fully recovered."

"Sigh, there are fewer and fewer holidays... But speaking of which, boss, what were you thinking about just now?"

“I’m thinking that many people in our territory haven’t changed their mindset yet. Even with today’s incident serving as publicity and giving people some initiative, our shortcomings in terms of resources are still significant,” Milton explained. “Suppose, and I mean suppose, those two robbers chose to kill us after the robbery to cover their tracks, what would we do?”

Brandon was taken aback.

He hadn't actually thought about that.

Milton continued, "First, others might be hesitant to call the police immediately for fear of retaliation from the Van Kang gang. Second, even if someone does call the police, we'll get far fewer leads than we would from directly contacting the parties involved."

"If something serious had happened, I would have really lost face today. I can only say that it's fortunate that the robbers from Fan Kang's gang did not choose to silence me."

"The fact that we can't get information quickly and accurately on our own turf is a hidden danger in itself."

Milton's territory is relatively small now, so the negative impact of this potential problem is not yet prominent. However, as the territory grows larger and the controlled area expands beyond these two streets, poor communication will inevitably become a major issue.

Brandon then realized that this was indeed the case, so he nodded: "So, boss, what do you plan to do?"

“Cameras! Surveillance!” Milton thought for a moment and decided to use the solution from his homeland in his previous life. “I will fill the entire old street with my eyes. Unless someone is hiding in the sewers, no… unless he is hiding in hell, his every move will not escape my eyes.”

Camera……

Brandon was taken aback: "This thing must be very expensive, right?"

“Yes, but this is an absolutely necessary expenditure.” Milton nodded. “First, the old streets need to have their power fully restored. This expenditure can be added to the taxes so that everyone can share the burden.”

"Then we need a lot of cameras, we need to buy a lot of tapes, and we need to hire people to do the daily inspections."

Unlike the incredibly cheap high-definition surveillance cameras at the University of Tokyo 30 years later, video recording tools, including tapes, were not cheap back then.

Furthermore, to avoid damage by gangsters, some cameras should ideally be hidden on streetlights, billboards, and utility poles. To accomplish this, a construction team will be needed to carry out the work.

It's all money...

Cameras and tapes are consumer products and can be redeemed using regular points instead of red points on the panel.

But things like construction costs and restoring 24-hour power to the neighborhood will require you to actually pay for them yourself.

"How about we wait a while, until we have a bit more money, before we do it?" Brandon thought for a moment, subconsciously feeling that this wasn't something particularly urgent.

“No, it has to be done now, the sooner the better.” Milton shook his head. He knew all too well how powerful “Sky Eye” was. “At least at the entrance to this area of ​​the old streets, cameras must be installed, and they must be real-time cameras, the kind that are monitored by dedicated personnel.”

"In case someone attacks us or plots against us without our knowledge, this camera is our first line of defense. It can at least give us a few more minutes to prepare."

"A few minutes is enough time to assemble core combat personnel, enough time for us to put on heavy body armor, and enough time for us to prepare counter-fire."

"That's the difference between life and death."

Seeing how serious Milton was making things sound, Brandon also became serious: "Okay... well, I'll go find a few electricians first, and then buy some generators?"

“Go ahead. Chief Pedro cursed at me a couple of times earlier, but the checkpoint was eerily quiet… I don’t think they’ve given up,” Milton said. “Valta’s core strength is intact; he won’t sit idly by and wait to die, much less accept defeat.”

"Valta isn't that idiot Pedro; he's definitely thinking of a way to fight back."

“The more precautions we take, the higher our chances of winning will be. Go ahead and do this whole thing. My budget is around $10… That's more than enough to set up a ‘Skynet’ system in this area of ​​the old streets.”

"I thought your precautions, boss, were to plant a few more landmines outside the streets," Brandon joked.

“Prolonged military control is suicidal; there’s no point in guarding against thieves for a thousand days.” Milton turned to the others. “The rest of you, continue to send sentries to watch every entrance to the old streets; recruit potential combatants to join our ranks.” “Tomorrow we’re going to take over that bar, turn it into a makeshift fortress, and plant a stake in Pedro’s territory. Who’s coming with me?”

Flora, who had been idly sitting on the sidelines, suddenly became very enthusiastic for some reason, raising her hand and shouting, "Me, boss, I can go with you!"

Milton didn't know why she was so enthusiastic, but he nodded anyway: "Sure... Your team is quite professional, you can also give some suggestions on how to fortify this bar."

Flora readily agreed: "No problem! Just call me before we leave!"

However, what was strange was that "Poison" and "Anvil," who were following Flora, had strange expressions on their faces for some reason.

They exchanged a glance and said, "Uh, we have to be on duty in the old streets tonight, so we won't be going tomorrow. 'Bottle' and 'Tax Collector,' you two can find someone to go with you."

Milton didn't care how their internal team allocated their work hours. He nodded and said, "Okay, tomorrow 'Bottle,' Brandon, Lutz, and I will go to the bar, along with two officers to cover the perimeter."

"Alright, that's all for today. Everyone can rest now."

After saying that, Milton got up first and walked out of the room, with Brandon following closely behind.

The others could rest, but Milton planned to first find a few black market vendors to ask about the prices of the equipment he needed, and if they were suitable, he would make a decision as soon as possible.

Things that can't be bought with cash can be made up for with system points.

Milton has 270 million red points and 410 million regular points, which seems like a lot, but it's not actually that much.

The interface has been upgraded, and there are now many more weapons and equipment available for exchange, especially in the vehicle section. It now includes not only wheeled armored personnel carriers (APCs) but also some older models of infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs).

However, the cheapest IFV costs at least 400 million red points, which Milton cannot afford.

Although there are many regular points, they can be used to exchange for ammunition. Ammunition may not seem as impressive as equipment, but once a war starts, it will flood out like a torrent.

No matter how many US dollars you have, it's difficult to import an infantry fighting vehicle. Therefore, Milton's strategy is always to use cash whenever possible, and only use credits when cash is unavailable or when the situation is more urgent.

“We still have to collect taxes!” Milton sighed. “If we can take down the checkpoint, all our troubles will be solved.”

The black market in Malacan is either almost wiped out by Milton or is extremely well hidden. To keep the points income up to par with the consumption level, the only option is to take down the biggest source of tax revenue.

Brandon followed Milton and asked, "Boss, where are we going now?"

“Go find the gun shop owner,” Milton said. “He may sell weapons, but he must have a lot of connections. We can ask where we can buy generators… and while we’re at it, we can also see what he has in stock.”

"it is good!"

Soon, the two arrived at the gun shop.

When the security guard saw that it was these two people coming, he wisely stepped aside.

If the security guard's previous attempt to curry favor still carried a hint of dignity, this time his expression bordered on obsequiousness.

"Oh, it's you two sirs! Please come in, please come in... No, no, no! No need to surrender your weapons, come in, come in!"

Upon hearing that the two had arrived, the gun shop owner, "Ghost Wolf," quickly stood up from his seat: "Mr. Milton, why didn't you tell me you were coming? I've already filed my taxes; I guarantee I've paid taxes on every penny I've earned!"

Milton waved his hand: "It's not a tax issue... I need to buy some things."

Upon hearing this, "Ghost Wolf" gave a wry smile: "There's been a problem with the supply of recoilless rifles from Sweden, so they might not arrive anytime soon... We do have some other ones though, would you like to take a look?"

He knew Milton really wanted to buy the Gustav recoilless rifle, but who knew there would be problems with the supply.

Milton casually found a seat and sat down: "I bought it myself. I didn't come here for that. I want to buy something else and see if you have any connections."

"You bought it?" Ghost Wolf was taken aback. "You, where did you get the connections? Can you introduce me... never mind, never mind. Ask away!"

"I want to buy some generators, cameras, and tapes."

Ghost Wolf suddenly realized: "It's for maintaining order... Well, 'Hell Tax Collector,' I've never seen anyone who really wanted to govern this place before. Now I understand. No wonder everyone is willing to follow you."

"I heard you drove an armored vehicle to catch the robbers? I didn't believe it at first..."

Milton waved his hand: "Stop talking nonsense. Do you know anyone who can help? It's urgent."

"To actually say 'it's urgent' in front of the merchant, that's the kind of confidence you have to not be afraid of being ripped off." Ghost Wolf sighed. "The camera... I'll have to ask my distributor, but the ones I can contact are probably military grade, which you might not want; as for the generator, I'll introduce you to a Russian distributor later, you can negotiate it yourself. I bought the generators for my gun shop from him, and the quality is good."

"However, recently, the price of gasoline in this area has risen without warning. For cost reasons, I suggest you buy a diesel generator."

Milton frowned.

Gasoline prices have risen without warning?

(End of this chapter)