“Very courageous, but Gustav, we don’t even know who that little war god is.”
After thinking for a while, Fenrir spoke.
"The Smoke Mirror Company has at least dozens of minor gods, and almost all of them are skilled at killing. This target won't be easy to find."
Gustav fell silent as expected. But he didn't give up; instead, he began to think. This time, he sat motionless on the steps of the safe house for several seconds, and Fenrir didn't urge him on.
But then Gustav, lost in thought, took out a ration bar, took a bite, chewed it, and swallowed it. The way he chewed the oat rations so vigorously made it seem as if he were making a decision.
Then he said, “You’re right. So I’m going south, to Aztland. It’ll be easier to find clues there; sitting here won’t do any good. I’ll ask the old driver later if he’s interested.”
As expected, he didn't have any reliable plan at all. That's normal. It's impossible for a mortal to come up with a good plan to find the true god and kill Him all at once. If he did, he'd probably be going crazy.
So Fenrir nodded and said, "I'll help you too."
This was somewhat unexpected by Gustav: "Ah? Aren't you and Xiaoyu agents from other companies in the North?"
“Helping you deal with the smoke goggles is also beneficial to our company,” Fenrir said seriously, and he wasn’t lying. “Besides, just because I’m an agent of another company doesn’t mean I haven’t been genuinely trying to be your friend these past two months. Right?”
Gustav couldn't help but smile wryly. He found it difficult to answer this question. He didn't hate Fenrir, certainly not, it was just—it was a complicated matter.
So all he could say was, "Thank you, Fenrir. We all owe you two lives."
"What would I do with your life?" Fenrir smiled slightly. "Just consider it as each of you owing me a drink. The best and most expensive drink."
If Hayden wanted to kill a minor god now, would it be difficult?
It's definitely not difficult. Hayden can now defeat even god-level opponents in a one-on-one fight.
But Hayden is no longer suited to get involved in this matter. The situation has changed; his true self now needs to work openly with Mickett and Smoke Mirror, rather than assassinating a minor god.
That's why this task should be left to Fenrir (his clone).
...You ask why Fenrir should be involved in something that seems to offer Hayden no real benefit? The answer is obvious. It's because Hayden believes Gustav and his group deserve and should be helped. That reason is sufficient.
If you simply live in a messed-up and hopeless world, that doesn't count as cyberpunk at all.
It is precisely because of the desire to rise up against an evil world in such a hell on earth that it can be called cyberpunk!
————————————————————————————
Meanwhile, Hayden himself, inside the safe house, also gained some insights from what was happening outside.
It's important to understand that events both internally and externally are happening simultaneously. Hayden himself is also aware of what's happening on Fenrir's side.
Having gained some insight, he looked at the still bewildered clone again and said to her, "Okay, I'll give you a name now."
This should sound like a good thing, because as Hayden once said, life must have a name to define itself; without a name, it is not a true birth.
However, the clone immediately became alert and somewhat nervous upon hearing this: "Giving a life a name is tantamount to giving its existence a new definition. Hayden, if you want to use me against the original, you can't just give me a new name. Don't do anything reckless!"
In the end, she was just a child who had been forcibly brought into the adult world. When faced with situations she couldn't keep up the act or handle, she would immediately panic.
"Is that so?" So Hayden smiled and reached out to touch her forehead. "But I said I don't want to use you against the main body. And even if I wanted to, I don't think I couldn't give you a name. So it doesn't matter."
The clone had nowhere to escape. After a desperate sigh, she pitifully closed her eyes, looking utterly helpless. But Hayden knew this was also a vampire's camouflage. It was a child's desperate attempt to protect herself out of fear.
But it doesn't matter, because these fears and anxieties will never come again.
“Little girl, newborn child of death, you who were unborn had neither name nor definition.”
So Hayden used blood and secret fire to draw a mark on the vampire girl's forehead.
"Therefore, I will now give you a new real name."
The little vampire had pretty much resigned herself to her fate; she couldn't possibly resist anyway, and she knew Hayden wouldn't kill her no matter what. But she was still puzzled, wondering what Hayden wanted to turn her into.
Hayden repeatedly claimed he didn't want to restrict her or exploit the child. However, for powerful magical beings, naming is itself a process of defining, limiting concepts and directions. Ancient Mesoamerican peoples, such as the Maya, would have priests, not parents, name their children because they believed a person's name could even determine their future temperament, destiny, and career.
How could a name not restrict her?
That's because she lacks imagination.
"From this day forward, your name will be,"
Hayden had already drawn a mark on her forehead.
【Islam】
In the ancient Mayan language, "ix" is a prefix that represents femininity or womanhood.
The meaning of "Am" is even simpler: it means "tomorrow"—and of course, it can also represent "the future".
Named the Little Goddess of Tomorrow, this is the infinite future, the wonderful possibility without any constraints, and Hayden's greatest blessing to children.
As soon as the words were spoken, the runes were written, and beyond the myriad phenomena of the universe, behind the curtain of the cosmos, the gears of fate began to turn with a clanging sound.
No longer Mikmet, Isham opened her eyes wide, both astonished and deeply enlightened by the truth of that moment. The past was gone; she was reborn. All old constraints were erased; she was now the child of tomorrow's possibilities. No one could bind her direction, as long as she so desired.
This gift is truly enormous.
The silence lasted for quite a while in the safe house.
Hayden waited contentedly for Isami to process this incredible miracle. However, he hadn't expected that after a long silence and hesitation, Isami would utter these words: "...So, Mr. Hayden, should I call you Dad from now on?"
"...People will think I'm a pervert. I'd better forget about it."
Faced with this terrifying social death, Hayden quickly retreated in fear.
As luck would have it, he had just finished doing all that and venting when a new message arrived. It turned out to be Micket's true form, asking him to come over immediately, saying it had something important to tell him.
Fortunately, Hayden had just hurriedly finished dealing with the most important matter concerning the clone; otherwise, the original might have found his lunch in Hayden's hands, and even been modified by him. However, the current situation doesn't seem to be much better?
“I don’t know what Micket wants from me to go over there. But don’t worry, you have a new real name now, and as long as she doesn’t see you in person, she definitely won’t be able to find you.”
Hayden put down his phone and said to the still somewhat confused Eminem,
"I'll teleport you to Newbeam City first, then I'll go see Micket. Anyway, you'll live a good life there from now on—"
However, before Hayden could finish speaking, Isham realized what was happening and immediately shook her head: "I refuse!"
Hayden was completely bewildered: "Refuse? Why refuse?! Didn't you want a stable life where you no longer had to be afraid?"
But Am refused, and strongly resisted: "Mr. Hayden, please don't send me away! At least let me stay in South America for now!"
Why is that? Are all kids this disobedient?!
Hayden needs to hurry up and negotiate with Miktikahiva, but he can't get entangled with Am.
"Alright, we'll talk about this when we get back. Hongye, you take care of the little girl for now."
Left with no other choice, he could only pass the buck to Momiji and ask the female ninja to take care of the child while he hurriedly teleported to Mikket with Angela.
Interestingly, Momiji accepted the assignment without hesitation and didn't complain at all. Could it be that this ninja really knows how to take care of children? —But let's leave that for later.
Hayden has now brought Angela back into Mickett's meeting room.
The last time he came, Mickett was all smiles, full of confidence, and you could even say he was domineering.
This time, although Mickett's power was not weakened at all, anyone could see that her expression was much more solemn, and she was not as domineering or happy.
It seemed that this was a seller's market for Hayden, so he first bowed to Micket and said, "You haven't been to South America for two months, how come your complexion has changed so much?"
“Please don’t play dumb, Mr. Hayden.” Mickett frowned and actually saw through him, “I know you’ve been posing as a gladiator and competing and loitering around my territory lately. I just haven’t bothered you.”
Oh dear, as expected, Micket had already discovered his true form. However, Hayden didn't care. He deliberately let his true form carry Angela around to provide cover for his other two clones; as long as the two clones weren't exposed, it was fine.
...His two clones shouldn't have been exposed yet, right?
In any case, Micket continued with the topic she wanted to discuss.
“When we last met, Mr. Hayden, you said you hoped I would shut down the Undead Biofactory and stop forcibly converting people, as a precondition for cooperation. You’ve seen quite a few things on my land recently, so I’d like to come and talk about that as well.”
She spoke in a polite, but flat and monotone voice.
Hayden raised an eyebrow at this: "What do you want to talk about? Are you willing to stop tormenting the people?"
“No. Quite the opposite.” A faint smile finally appeared on Mickett’s lips. “You have been wandering my land for so long and have seen so much. Now, can you understand this truth—that blood sacrifice and immortality transformation are actually necessary for the people of this land?”
This topic is quite interesting. And Hayden, having seen so much here in three bodies, actually understands what Mickett is trying to say.
Blood sacrifice and immortality transformation have indeed long been part of the consciousness and industrial reality of this nation.
--------------------------------
This is an illustration of a vampire loli (Isham) created using AI by a reader. I forgot to upload it when I scheduled the update yesterday, meow.
330: Clever and cunning!
“Mr. Hayden, I have tried my best to understand your requirements and thinking over this period of time. Now I roughly understand that you want my company to reduce the harm to the general public during the production process.”
"This is not as important as it is to you in my value system, but even so, after traveling through my territory for a while, you should be able to see that this requirement is contradictory. Blood sacrifice, clone production, and of course, the social system of immortal transformation are all essential to the people of this land."
Mickett picked up a wine glass from the long table in the reception room, took a small sip, and then continued.
"Leaving aside how important the energy from blood sacrifices is, the primary reason is that the population changes and class mobility brought about by large-scale blood sacrifices give every ordinary citizen of Aztland a chance to climb the social ladder. Mr. Hayden, you are well aware that if people in the middle and upper classes don't die regularly, the result is class stratification. And this kind of thing doesn't happen in South America."
In South America, people die easily, and gods die easily—that's certainly true. Mikert's territory was even considered relatively stable because she didn't allow people to waste resources.
Conversely, people in South America are also more likely to become gods.
Yes, you're likely to die, but what if you succeed? What if you survive? You could become an immortal god, or even more. You'll become a legend of a mortal ascending to godhood, the protagonist of a story passed down through generations, living a life of your own, not just surviving, but living a vibrant one—provided you're lucky enough and willing to pay the price in blood.
Because blood is the most valuable thing in this land.
“You need to understand, Mr. Hayden, Mitra is now promoting the ‘Skill Chip’ all over the world. Soon, ordinary people around the world won’t even be able to sell their lives for a price. Soon, the blood of ordinary people will be worthless. Eternal mediocrity, eternal bondage—don’t you think that kind of world might be even worse than South America?”
Micket raised an eyebrow as he said this.
Her words weren't entirely without merit. Because the widespread availability of [Skill Chips] would ultimately render everyone's own abilities meaningless. Coupled with [Reincarnation] dominating everything, even the courage and will to sacrifice one's life would become utterly meaningless.
"The people of this country believe that sacrifice brings success, and hard work brings wealth and status. This is their belief, their own choice, and what they want—it cannot be denied. You can't just wave the banner of justice and say that this is wrong. Besides, we are going to fight a war against Mithra. How can we fight a war without mobilization, without bloodshed, and without civilians suffering?"
To put it more bluntly, what Mikkelsen said above basically means this:
Yes, we South Americans do have a cannibalistic society—but so what? God doesn't care, and the poor like it, because blood and death are tied to their hopes!
Besides, in modern society, who doesn't eat people and drink blood? All economic operations in modern society are based on the sacrifice of a portion of the population. It's impossible for anyone living in modern society not to eat people and suck the blood of the poorer!
Not to mention war. If a country is attacked by an enemy, there's nothing that can be done; after all, when attacked, one must resist and fight back, and the entire nation, from top to bottom, must endure hardship. But what if the country initiates the attack? Even if it invades someone else's territory, the first thing to do is conscript soldiers from the civilian population. Secondly, even if they aren't conscripted, in a wartime environment, the lives of civilians can never be as comfortable as in peacetime.
Not to mention, the lives of ordinary people are not actually that comfortable.
...In short, that's roughly what Micket's flowery words and her underlying meaning were.
So what does Hayden think now?
The answer is simple. After two months and seeing so much on Mickett's turf—Hayden has stopped worrying about it!
He had been somewhat conflicted lately because he saw that South Americans seemed unafraid of death, and their views on life and death seemed different from those outside. Happiness is a subjective thing, and if Hayden imposed his own correct views on others simply because he felt their views on life and death were different, that seemed a bit wrong.
However, today, Hayden (in Fenrir) witnessed the reactions of the clones Isham and Gustav, and heard what they said, and finally realized—are South Americans really born without fear of death? Are they really born believing that death is not scary as long as it is reasonable? How could that be!
They were simply because:
1. They are all product people who came out of the incubation tank naked, without families or much attachment.
2. Everyone starts on equal footing, and everyone is willing to climb to the top, so there's nothing to complain about if you die.
3. Although death is terrible, even after you die, your flesh and soul will return to the great cycle of life, and your life will ultimately have value.
They all live in this kind of social environment and accept this kind of value system from the moment they are born, and to some extent these values are true, which is why their views on life and death are different!
In contrast, Isamim, a clone child who was just created and possessed only memories and knowledge but lacked actual spiritual experience, did not support this kind of South American value system. She clearly did not want to be eaten by the original body.
Then look at Gustav. He's an adult, a mercenary accustomed to life and death. But his fearlessness stemmed from the belief that sacrifice was rewarding, that even failure had value; he didn't see living in South America as paradise. Now that the gods have killed his family and friends and taken his soul, his sacrifices and suffering have lost their meaning. Isn't Gustav about to rebel too?
Hayden only truly understood after witnessing these events today—hey, values and culture, at their core, are still business issues. Sacrifice must be rewarded, and investment must yield returns. People might accept the risk of investment failure, but if the value of the sacrifice cannot be guaranteed, no one will believe in any ideology.
So now Hayden has come to terms with it and no longer feels that his meddling is an interference with the South Americans' free choice. Hearing Mikert's words, he smiled instead and asked, "Why did you only talk about dealing with Mitra this time, without mentioning defeating the Smoke Mirror at all?"
Mickett's expression changed instantly, somewhat taken aback—how much did Hayden know?
Actually, Hayden was just speaking on instinct. After all, he had seen Smoke Mirror send Little God to the factory to steal things, and even a little common sense told him that Smoke Mirror was definitely up to something with Mickett. Thinking further, it wasn't even dawn yet, and Mickett was in such a hurry to call Hayden for a chat; clearly, it wasn't to talk about that nonsense he'd just been spouting, but to ask for his help.
As Sun Tzu's Art of War states, if an enemy's envoy comes to you with a very imposing manner to negotiate terms, it indicates that there may be problems within their ranks.
Similarly, although Mickett may not necessarily be Hayden's enemy, judging from the way she started by spouting a bunch of nonsense... Hayden isn't stupid.
So he asked again, "You've talked so much but haven't gotten to the point. What are you worried about? What happened with the smoke mirror?"
So Mickett sighed and replied, “I have declared my intention to challenge the leadership of the Smoke Mirror, and the board has still approved the proposal to begin preparations for the duel ceremony. Yes, Hayden, you are right about one thing—the struggle for leadership does not necessarily have to involve the general public.”
"However, this principle only applies to our Aztland; the so-called 'civilized' world outside doesn't follow this rule."
Ah, this is indeed somewhat unexpected for Hayden. He never imagined that Smoke Mirror Company had become like this.