“I know you’re no ordinary child,” he said to Amu. “If you can prove that, I certainly won’t keep bringing up that you’re a child. Now that things have come to this, what do you think you should do?”
Isham closed her eyes.
Five seconds later, Am, who looked slightly like Miktti Kashiva, opened his eyes again.
"Because you cut the connection, the main body should no longer be able to track me. But the smoke mirror may still be able to track me, and it clearly wants to get its hands on me."
Hayden nodded: "But I can send you to New Sprout City, or even to the Peacock Palace. I bet even the most audacious Smoke Mirror wouldn't dare to run to the Peacock King's territory to snatch someone. The Peacock King is the strongest deity, while Smoke Mirror is the weakest. If he were to run to the Peacock Palace to snatch someone, he might actually be stabbed to death by the Peacock King."
That would solve a lot of problems. Unfortunately, Hayden didn't think the smoke-glasses were that stupid.
“Yes. But Mr. Hayden, consider this from a different perspective.” Am tilted his head. “Smoke Mirror clearly wants to tamper with the clones. Knowing what the enemy wants to do makes it easier to win. If you send me to Newbud City or even Peacock Palace, Smoke Mirror might give up on this idea and switch to other plans, but we won’t know what those plans are, nor will we be able to defend against or take advantage of them.”
"On the contrary, if you take me to the south, perhaps the Smoke Mirror will send that little war god to capture me again, and you will also want to settle accounts with him. Isn't that what you want most? If this matter drags on for too long, that little war god may consume or sell the two souls, and they may never be found again, and there may be no chance of resurrection."
Hayden stared at Amdo for a while after hearing this—interestingly, this time her words were indeed somewhat convincing.
But Hayden still said, "Using a child as bait to save two people increases the risk of something going wrong. It might make mathematical sense, but it seems a bit foolish in practice. Don't you think?"
“This is my own choice, my own judgment. Besides, I’m not really that weak. I’m not a helpless child, not a weakling to be bullied.” Amu frowned. “I have the power I had before I became a god. I might not be able to beat a minor god, but I can at least hold out for a while. If you really want to calculate it, I might even be stronger than that monster ninja by your side.”
Hongye was caught in the crossfire for no reason and looked embarrassed.
Hayden, however, began to find it somewhat amusing: "Hongye is still very strong among non-gods; those stronger than her are almost all true gods, so you can't say that. Besides, whether it's you or Hongye, if you were really attacked by Yanyanjing personally, you wouldn't be able to withstand it for even a second, right?"
“If the Supreme God were to attack personally, you wouldn’t last two seconds,” Amu said coldly. “Besides, the Supreme God doesn’t act rashly. All the Supreme Gods in the world are watching each other. If Smoke Mirror really dares to act personally, haven’t you thought about how to take advantage of the opportunity to deal with Him?”
Hayden finally couldn't help but grin.
"Finally, there's the value of the information I can offer you. You're heading to Aztland, the territory of the Smoke Mirror, but you don't really know much about it." Am said, leaning slightly forward. "Who can you ask? Who can you get information from? My physical body? That's definitely not suitable, and she might not tell you everything. But I know everything she knows, and I can tell you everything about the Smoke Mirror. Sending me to Newbeam City to ask me remotely is definitely not as good as taking me with you to the south."
"If I don't guide you, do you really intend to search for a needle in a haystack in the unfamiliar land of Aztland, looking for a little war god whose name you don't even know, and still hoping to find clues to the Smoke Mirror conspiracy?"
Seeing Isham's serious expression and her tense little face, Hayden finally couldn't help but laugh.
This made Amu even more unhappy: "Are you laughing at me?"
Actually, Hayden wasn't laughing at her. He just felt that Isham's serious and reasonable manner made her seem less like a "child" and more like a "little adult," like a child who had been dragged into the adult world by her environment and forced to mature.
Hayden didn't know what Miktikashiva looked like a thousand years ago. But if she existed in a different environment, absorbing different things from that environment, growing up without eating or killing anyone, would she have become, or developed into, a completely different person?
Hayden didn't know, and probably no one else did either. If he really wanted to know, the best way was probably still to send Isham to Newbud, to a peaceful and stable environment.
However, before that, Hayden had to solve another problem.
“Actually, I have other connections in South America. I’m not like a headless fly without you.” He shook his head and said, “What you said makes sense. But you still haven’t explained one thing—why do you want to stay in South America? If you don’t explain this, I definitely won’t let you stay. Don’t try to lure me in with just benefits.”
However, whenever this topic came up, Amu didn't want to talk. She just frowned, pouted, and huddled in the safe house, refusing to say a word.
After hearing what she had just said, Hayden realized that this girl wasn't stupid. She was quite clear-headed after calming down, and she was truly willing to speak and use the knowledge of Micket's true form. If he really took Amu south, she would definitely be of use to Hayden.
The problem is, Hayden can't just take a child to a dangerous place because she might be useful, right? And then there's the second problem: she absolutely refuses to say why she wants to go south. If Hayden takes her there without a second thought, then Hayden would be the fool.
The two of them remained in the safe house like that. As dawn approached, Hayden finally said, "If you don't tell me soon, I'll just send you to Newbud City. I have many friends there, each with their own unique talents and teaching methods. They're sure to give you many surprises."
Am had no idea how much of Hayden's words were true; after all, she wasn't the real Mikkert. Seeing Hayden wave his hand, as if to teleport her away, Am finally began to panic. As Hayden raised his hand, about to cast a spell, she looked increasingly tense—perhaps because Hayden was still smiling.
So in the end, it was América who confessed in great frustration: "...I only had a chance if I stayed in South America."
opportunity?
what chance?
Hayden didn't think Amm was talking about "a chance to survive" or anything like that. Recalling his own previous plans, Hayden immediately realized: "You still want to eat people?"
"I want to regain my strength... though it's not really about regaining it."
Am replied, looking sullen.
“Just a few hours ago, I had invincible power and authority in my ‘memories,’ but now I’m not even as powerful as a minor god. It’s only natural that I want to regain my power, right? In South America, I can regain my power immediately by consuming one or two gods.”
Ah, she really is still very much like Mickett. However, Hayden couldn't say that her thinking was entirely wrong, and besides, unilaterally suppressing a child's thoughts might not necessarily be effective.
If—he only came up with this idea suddenly—if Hayden really hoped that Isham, as a clone, could become a better god than Mikkert, then obviously she would also need to see more of the human world.
So after a moment's thought, Hayden decided not to dawdle or hesitate any longer.
“Alright, I’ll take you to Aztland, but listen carefully.” He straightened his back. “I have one condition: while you are in Aztland, you must obey any of my orders immediately and without question.”
Am immediately retorted, "That doesn't sound like a good offer... but I agree. I don't have any other choice anyway."
“You could always choose a stable life and leave these things behind. But you’ve clearly chosen not to.” Hayden shook his head. “But I have no right to criticize you. In five minutes, you, my Fenrir clone, Red Leaf, and Gustav will set off for Aztland. As I said before, I have connections there that I can use, so I don’t necessarily have to rely on you for that.”
"What kind of connections?" Amu asked casually, seemingly not very concerned.
"You don't know me even if you tell me."
Hayden turned to look south, but his smile was somewhat subtle.
If it weren't for what happened today, Hayden would probably have forgotten that he had a connection in South America that he could use to gather intelligence and even do some very complicated things for him.
————————————————————————————
And so, before dawn, Hayden's main body returned to Mickett to help her strengthen his second avatar, Voldemort.
Fenrir, along with Isham, Momiji, and Gustav, headed towards the headquarters of the Smoke Mirror Company, located on the sacred island of Aztland in central South America.
However, they didn't teleport directly to Aztland Island. Before that, Hayden had secretly sent a message to Alastor, inquiring about some things. Then, Fenrir quickly led them to the slums outside the city.
Indeed, on the outskirts of the Holy Land, on the shore outside the island in the lake, lie slums built around the lake. Although Aztland is a world-class developed city, with towering skyscrapers radiating the light of civilization, its surrounding slums do not enjoy such a pleasant environment. The stench of these vast shantytowns was so strong that even Fenrir's wolf nose would ache.
Knowledge is just knowledge, and downloaded memories lack a sense of reality, so this was the first time Isamim had ever seen a place like this. A bleak crowd, befitting the term "slum," thronged here. The polluted air, while harmless to the gods, was certainly not to their liking. This environment clearly seemed incongruous with Isamim, a doll-like girl, causing her to frown, yet also appear thoughtful.
However, Hayden was a seasoned city mercenary, accustomed to the dark and sorrowful corners of society. Gustav and Red Leaf were similar. While Amu was still pondering the scene, Fenrir had already led them to the lakeside. Various barriers and enchantments could be seen along the lake, preventing impoverished people from sneaking into Aztland, but nearby stood a large, seemingly long abandoned rainwater inlet.
Without a word, Fenrir led them into the drain. The passage was quite dark, but someone had carved steps into it. They descended, and by the time they reached level ground, they were completely enveloped in darkness. However, these beings, who were either gods or enhanced humans, all possessed the ability to see in the dark and could see signs of habitation—garbage heaps, discarded food wrappers, and even human excrement. After descending another three hundred meters or so through the maze-like pipes, they encountered several shacks built from scrap wood, plastic sheets, and other materials, and the deeper they went, the more numerous these "structures" became.
After descending five hundred meters underground, Isham suddenly realized that the surrounding dark walls and roads had somehow transformed into a silver, rust-resistant metallic coating. And further ahead, at the end of the road, stood a massive, gray steel gate, large enough for a chariot to pass through!
Am finally realized what was happening and was somewhat surprised: "...This is an abandoned military facility from the old and new wars?"
"exactly."
The person who answered her question was not Fenrir.
The heavy steel door, with a thickness measured in meters, opens to the left and right.
The person who walked out from behind the door was someone that no one present recognized except for Fenrir (Hayden).
However, Hayden had indeed not seen him for several years.
"Welcome to our South American guerrilla base, Comrade Hayden and distinguished guests!"
Todd, the top disciple of Alastor whom Fenrir hadn't seen for several years, who used to be a chubby student hacker but is now a muscular hunk, grinned at Fenrir.
333: Guerrilla Force Part 1
Todd walked at the front and entered a password on the keyboard. At the end of the corridor, a double sliding door a meter thick opened—and not just one, but five in total.
Passing through five heavy iron gates, one can enter a place at least five hundred meters below the earth, or perhaps even more, and step into a world so vast it is almost unbelievable.
This is a huge, egg-shaped spherical space, with the highest point of the dome reaching 150 meters. The round hall is filled with lights, probably powered by stolen energy from somewhere. At the base of the giant egg are many shacks—though they are called shacks, they look quite sturdy, reinforced with scrap plastic steel and various metals, giving people a strong sense of security.
Moreover, these shacks and huts were not built haphazardly; on the contrary, they were orderly and clean both inside and out. On both sides of the plaza at the bottom, you can see two drainage ditches, as well as public bathhouses and public toilets, and there is no garbage on the ground—these are the most remarkable features.
Looking around at the surrounding residents, many were busy at work. Fenrir immediately noticed some people preparing food with cooking equipment. The equipment was old machinery, probably secondhand products imported from North America; many were damaged in appearance but still usable. For some reason, most of the food being cooked was meat.
Although these people were dressed in tattered clothes, they were all clean. While they couldn't be described as strong or happy, they were at least full of life. It should be noted that such a vibrant atmosphere is extremely rare in all of South America.
Fenrir and his group entered through the main gate on the upper level of the giant dome and stood there overlooking the underground base. The sights were truly eye-opening for them.
The walls of the giant egg were covered with various slogans and some nearly erased signs, all of which looked very ancient. While looking around, Fenrir noticed an old notice board written in Nahuatl (the official language of Aztec society), which read: "Doomsday Shelter - Sixth Epoch."
Fenrir then suddenly understood—no wonder Amu had said this was an abandoned military facility from the war between the Old and New Gods. However, it wasn't a military base; it was probably a refuge the Old Gods had originally planned to hide in.
"This is a modern version of the pyramids, abandoned tombs left by the unburied gods."
At this point, Todd spoke up.
After several years, Todd, the once chubby student, has transformed into a muscular, rugged man, as imposing as Rambo, with a tanned bronze complexion. Judging by appearance alone, Todd now looks even more impressive than Hayden—after all, Hayden has a superhuman physique, appearing fair and clean-cut.
Moreover, Todd’s voice was still strong and powerful: “More than four hundred years ago, during the war between the old and new gods, many of the old gods in South America were worried that the war would destroy the world and level the earth. They hoped that they could survive even in the worst-case scenario, so many old gods built refuge bases underground.”
"Of course, as we all know from history, these refuges were never used in the end. The king of gods, Quetzalcoatl, was betrayed by the Mirror of Smoke, the throne changed hands, and the new gods gained the right to rule the world. Most of these many refuges were forgotten and abandoned."
Fenrir nodded and casually asked, "Don't spirits need blood sacrifices to maintain their intelligence? If they just hide underground, won't they all become mentally impaired after a few decades?"
“Yes. So there are biological mother machines in this shelter. They were originally prepared to create human sacrifices, but we use them to produce cloned beef. Most of the food in this base now comes from them.” Todd pointed to the people cooking in the plaza below. “Of course, we still have to find our own way to get energy.”
That being said, even if Todd had stumbled upon a refuge from the Age of Gods, it was still quite impressive that he could establish such a guerrilla base. However, Fenrir looked down at the crowd and noticed something strange.
There are teenagers here who are fifteen or sixteen years old—this is normal, as the production age of the people manufactured in the South American bio-factory is roughly that age.
But Fenrir scanned the area with his gaze and keen insight, and also spotted some older people. Thirty, forty, fifty… um? Sixty? Seventy!?
There are product manufacturers in South America who live to be seventy years old?! And they weren't killed or sacrificed?
Not only that, Fenrir then saw several women carrying babies walking between the shacks.
Babies?! You can actually see babies in South America?!
If this is a guerrilla base, then there are far too many people who don't seem to be combatants. And there are even elderly people and babies? Where did they come from?!
“To be precise, this is certainly not just a guerrilla base.” Noticing Fenrir’s surprise, Todd explained with a smile, “This is a home for those abandoned by society, and our comrades here are not just soldiers.”
For example, people who are old but don't want to die.
For example, there are people who, through various coincidences, want to have their own children—in fact, South American society doesn't prevent product managers from having children. The smoke mirror company would love for its product managers to have children. But then again, how will the company treat these children?
Some parents who fear their children will suffer misfortune or be forced to separate may choose to flee the city.
In addition, there are also people who simply dislike or resist the social realities of South America and are unable to integrate into this society.
All these "minorities" couldn't accept the order and fate they "deserved," so they had no choice but to leave. But after "leaving," they still needed a place to live, so they went underground. It wasn't just the base where Todd and his group were located; in fact, many unused underground infrastructure facilities were hiding homeless South American slum dwellers.
"A South American version of a subhuman?"
Fenrir first thought of this concept, but upon closer examination, he realized it wasn't quite the same. South America was an excessively harsh land. Even if the people there escaped conventional society, they couldn't possibly create tribes like demi-humans underground. Therefore, they didn't even have the chance to develop into primitive humans; they would all die out sooner or later.
However, Todd has managed to build a sizable underground city here and maintain it, which is no small feat. But what exactly does he want to do?
"Todd, you brought eight students to South America to form a guerrilla force, and several years have passed since then. What exactly have you been doing?"
Hayden, well, he's the kind of person who just asks whatever comes to mind.
Todd gave a wry smile and calmly replied, "That's a long story. If you want a simple explanation, then we're just trying our best to save people."
After all, under the watchful eye of the Smoke Mirror, it's impossible for a few hot-blooded youths who aren't even at the level of a god to accomplish anything significant. Back then, Alastor managed to pull off a slightly bigger feat, and was almost immediately crushed by the company.
But Fenrir waved his hand: "It's alright, I came here this time hoping to help each other out. Tell me the details."
Strange, is Hayden really that familiar with Todd and the others...? But since things have come to this, Todd could only continue to lead Fenrir and the others into the base with a wry smile, while telling them about their situation in South America.
334: The Guerrilla Force
A few years ago, nine college dropout hackers, including Todd, arrived in South America. Their first instinct, of course, was to witness firsthand just how hellish it was. It's no exaggeration to say that it was ten to nine times worse than North America.
So in the very first year, two students died.
It wasn't the Smoke Mirror Company that killed them, at least not directly. After all, Todd and his team weren't foolish enough to go against the local rulers as soon as they arrived in South America. They were very cautious when they first arrived, intending to listen and observe more, to probe and understand the situation and temperament of the place before finding a way to rebel against the company.
Unfortunately, they made a mistake: the company is actually everywhere.
The minor gods do not represent the Smoke Mirror Corporation. Within the pantheon, they represent subsidiaries, peripheral assets, or puppet facilities outside the main domain of the corporation. Many minor gods' subsidiaries are so small they don't even warrant a glance from the major gods. They don't even have their own combat god armies (many minor gods don't have their own combat god armies; maintaining them is too expensive)... Sounds like they're easy to bully? Quite the opposite, because it means these minor gods will do everything in their power to protect almost anything they want to protect. If you go after a small corporation, you might not encounter the kind of thing the big corporations would use against you, but you'll face another weapon just as dangerous as combat god armies: an angry minor god personally coming to kill you.
The experts aren't that free, but the lesser experts are a different story.
So in the first year, two of Todd's comrades were killed. While they were tentatively engaging in criminal activities, they inadvertently impacted the interests of a human resources company owned by a minor figure. Upon learning this, the minor figure killed the two students with a single, decisive action.
So Todd and his team realized that in South America, if you obstruct the company's work, a god will jump out and kill you.
They swallowed the bitter lesson, survived, and became even more resilient and stronger. Later, two more students sacrificed their lives while fighting local criminal organizations. But if you were to calculate, the five survivors are now no less powerful than top-tier ordinary mercenaries, like a renowned V team.
"Hmm?" Fenrir found this rather strange. "I thought the Smoke Mirror Company was very concerned about the lives of its people. Are there gangsters here?"
Todd shook his head: "Focusing on life is only in the north, in the territory of the goddess of death, Miktiti Kashiva. She cares about control over life and economic planning. Other gods, big and small, hardly care about social order, or only about their own small territory. If you don't count the north, only about a quarter of South America's population lives in areas with daily police patrols and security response units. If other lower-level workers die, the factories can just make more."
Because police patrols and security systems cost money. Mickett had calculated it and concluded that maintaining order was more cost-effective, even if it meant higher profits. However, other South American figures might not think or calculate it this way. The result is that, outside of major cities, this vast land has an insane number of slums. These places are mostly maintained by drug gangs, or rather, many slums were originally established by poor people who then began committing crimes. These criminal organizations frequently engage in unimaginably violent battles, with dozens or even hundreds of drug dealers dying every week.
Conversely, it was precisely because of the chaos here that Todd and his men had room to form a guerrilla force. If they had tried to form a guerrilla force elsewhere, they would have been crushed long ago, just like Alastor was back then.
“This underground shelter we have now was originally a base dug and used by smugglers. Later, we seized it and transformed it into a normal town, which also became our guerrilla base.”
Todd makes this process sound simple, but it's definitely incredibly dangerous in reality.