Upon hearing this, Fenrir scratched his head and finally couldn't help but ask, "So, how exactly are you guerrillas resisting the Smoke Mirror Company?"
“This is how we resist,” Todd gestured to the people and scenery around him. “Steal or rob the company’s resources and equipment, occasionally raid the supply lines of subsidiaries and peripheral assets, and rescue a small number of unfortunate people who need help. Those who are able and willing to fight form an army, and the others become the logistics of the base—we are guerrillas!”
Expecting a guerrilla force to defeat a super-evil corporation on its own is clearly a sign of watching too many movies. So, as Fenrir listened to Todd's explanation, he nodded, secretly admiring his students—thinking back to a few years ago, how naive Todd had been, wanting to do something big but not knowing how. Now, as the leader of an underground guerrilla force, he had clearly grasped the importance of pragmatism.
Honestly, if Hayden hadn't met Angela, he probably wouldn't have had the determination to run to the most dangerous place in the world to form a guerrilla force and desperately resist this dark society.
Now that they've done so much here, it's time for Hayden to lend them a hand and let their efforts pay off.
"I've recently come across a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that might completely overthrow the Smoke Mirror Company, or at least drastically change the status quo in South America. Are you guerrillas interested in participating?"
These words immediately made Todd raise his eyebrows: "Tell me about it?"
So Fenrir told Fenrir about the duel between the main gods and his plan to track down the unknown little war god under the Smoke Mirror's command—of course, he didn't mention the details about Hayden's main body and Voodoo's clone, but that was enough.
Meanwhile, Isham, Gustav, and Red Leaf were not involved in Hayden and Todd's secret conversation.
They could have waited patiently outside the conference room, but as Isam looked into the distance and saw the poor people stewing meat and distributing food under the giant egg, and the teenagers, the elderly, and the parents holding their babies... a curiosity that seemed to come from nowhere suddenly flooded her mind.
However, the little girl didn't utter a single word; she simply watched the people from afar.
Gustav? Of course, he wouldn't have noticed. Hayden wasn't around either.
Finally, after watching for a while, Hongye couldn't help but ask, "Miss Amu, if you're so interested, why don't you go down and take a look?"
Hearing Hongye's question so suddenly, Amu was startled and her hair stood on end. After she recovered, she immediately put on a mature demeanor: "Hayden told us to stay here and not cause trouble. I'm not so bad as to not even be able to do that."
“Going down to take a look won’t cause any trouble,” Hongye couldn’t help but chuckle. “Besides, if Master knew you wanted to see more of the people’s lives here, he certainly wouldn’t be angry.”
Although Hongye wasn't entirely sure what kind of god Hayden hoped Isiam would become, this ninja had lived for hundreds of years and witnessed much of the world's hardships, so she already understood one thing:
If you only sit high in the clouds and look down at the human world, you certainly can't raise any good gods.
335: How can there be such a good thing in the world?
Seeing the poor people stewing meat and distributing food under the giant dome, looking at the teenagers, the elderly, and the parents holding babies...
For some reason, Amu seemed quite interested.
Hongye could tell that Amu seemed very interested.
Since the adults were talking and there was nothing else to do, she decided to take it upon herself to take her mother for a stroll through the residential area.
It was around noon, and in the residential area beneath the dome, people could be seen carrying out one large pot after another, steaming hot and emitting the aroma of processed meat. Many more people lined up with bowls to receive their share of food.
"Dinner's ready! Everyone, bring your bowls and get your soup!"
The person carrying the pot at the front was a girl who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, similar to Isham. Although she wasn't particularly beautiful, her loud voice and tanned skin gave her an energetic air.
These underground residents didn't push or scramble; they simply lined up one by one with their bowls to receive food, chatting and laughing as they waited—the atmosphere was truly wonderful. Even the well-traveled Hongye had rarely seen such a friendly "slum."
But then the girl in the lead started ladling soup for everyone with a spoon, shouting, "Today's soup contains vegetables that the soldiers risked their lives to get from the company, so everyone should savor it carefully!"
The underground residents readily agreed and went to find places to eat. The bowls contained vegetable soup that looked like boiled water, synthetic meat, and soybean nutritional supplements printed into bread shapes. However, everyone ate happily, and some even drank six bowls in one go.
These residents living in the guerrilla base weren't just there to eat. After a simple lunch, they wiped their mouths and had to get back to work. The guerrilla fighters needed to fight, strengthen themselves, and train, so there was plenty of work to be done at the base—operating biological equipment, maintaining, modifying, and adjusting various weapons stolen from the company. They even cultivated fungal fields underground!
Seeing their hard work, Hongye felt both emotional and sad, probably because she was thinking of her long-lost hometown.
That being said, what are people's opinions on this guerrilla force?
Needless to say, Hayden greatly admired Todd and his guerrilla group. He was now acting like a veteran, and seeing Todd and his men manage to accomplish something significant even in the most difficult circumstances naturally brought him great comfort.
The guerrilla base was indeed small in scale, with only a couple hundred soldiers willing and able to fight. Their combat strength was roughly at the level of an enhanced human, but they were unlikely to attack any large targets or accomplish anything significant.
However, as the saying goes, "Don't refrain from doing good because it's small," especially since they were risking their lives to do a righteous deed. So Hayden still liked them very much.
But what about the others?
People like Alastor and Hayden get particularly excited when they hear words like "anti-corporation" and "anti-establishment"—but that's clearly not the standard for normal people.
For someone as normal as Gustav, who has experienced many life-and-death situations, these underground guerrillas don't give him any special feeling, even though he now harbors hatred for the Smoke Mirror Company.
The sight of red leaves already evokes a sense of melancholy, so there's no need to say more.
So, what about Isham?
Well, speaking of which, what exactly is her view on the guerrillas?
Given Amy's personality, perhaps she would consider these guerrillas useless? Perhaps she would think that these mortals wanting to overthrow the company is simply delusional?
wrong.
In fact, quite the opposite is true.
As Isham gazed at the guerrilla fighters lining up for their meal, she let out a soft sigh: "I really envy them."
envious?
Hearing this, Hongye, who was still feeling sad, was puzzled: What was she envying?
It's not because they have food to eat; to put it simply, it's quite simple.
"I really envy these ordinary people who can achieve such success."
That's what Am said.
Some people might be even more puzzled upon hearing this: Huh? This guerrilla group was actually quite successful? They were just slightly enhanced ordinary people, and even Amu himself could have wiped them out. What's there to envy?
Indeed, Amun could easily wipe out the entire guerrilla force—after all, she's a clone of Mickett. But true capitalists and rulers don't view things in such rigid numerical terms.
Truly astute investors will think about this phenomenon from a different perspective.
Although Am had only recently arrived in this world and had just emerged from the incubation tank, she possessed Mickett's memories and knowledge. She knew that these giant corporations now wielded greater power of control than any nation or political system in history—after all, almost all life on the entire South American continent was created by the Smoke Mirror Corporation; where in the world had such absolute authority ever existed before?
Looking back at this underground guerrilla force—it started with only nine ordinary people, all half-baked college dropouts. Yet, in just a few years, right under the noses of the Smoke Mirror Company, they managed to develop a guerrilla base of over a thousand people, including nearly two hundred warriors with almost superhuman combat abilities!
By the standards of a large corporation, two hundred enhanced human guerrilla fighters are indeed nothing special. But the key point is that they started with nine ordinary people and, without any corporate investment or support, practically conjured two hundred enhanced humans out of thin air in just a few years!
What incredible operational capabilities!
Not only that, but look at what they're eating—vegetable soup that looks like boiled water! Synthetic meat! Synthetic soybeans! And it's obvious these guerrilla fighters aren't getting paid. They're all dressed in rags like beggars, their equipment is inadequate (they've stolen and looted a lot, but what they've stolen can't be complete), they don't even have a full set of standard equipment. Most guerrilla fighters consider themselves well-equipped if they have a bio-machine gun they've stolen from the company's peripheral assets. Their supplies are clearly extremely scarce.
Think about it carefully. To have two hundred enhanced human warriors receiving such awful treatment and still wholeheartedly risking their lives for you—this is a dream even capitalists wouldn't dare to have! How could such a good thing exist in the world?!
Just thinking about it made Am feel intoxicated. She envied this guerrilla unit so much, and she envied the people who had managed to build it up!
What? You're saying these resources didn't just appear out of thin air, but were stolen and robbed by the guerrillas from the Smoke Mirror Company? Hey, that's not a problem! Being able to steal and rob is a great skill in itself, and even if they can steal resources from a company, it's no small feat for ordinary people to start from scratch and create two hundred enhanced human warriors!
If Am could bring this guerrilla force under her control and let them continue to thrive, wouldn't that be her first and most valuable asset?
A foolish fox like Hongye would never understand this principle!
This kind of capitalist mindset and decisive value judgment prove that Isami is indeed a clone of Mikkert and has the qualities of a great god!
So at this moment, while feeling emotional, Am was also quickly thinking in his mind how he could bring this guerrilla force under his control.
As luck would have it, just as everyone had finished eating and started to leave, the girl with the food in her hair spotted Hongye and Amu watching from a distance. She could tell, of course, that Hongye and Amu weren't from the base, but she still smiled and approached them, asking, "Are you Todd's guests? Would you like to eat together?"
While Hongye was still thinking about how to politely decline, Amu, who was standing next to her, came up with an idea first, so she spoke up:
"You're sacrificing three soldiers just to grab vegetables. Our total number of soldiers is limited, and replenishment is slow. At this rate, it's impossible to have a real, long-term impact on Smoke Mirror Company. This isn't enough."
No one expected Amu to suddenly say such a thing, so even Kureha was stunned for a moment. This ninja was not good at smoothing things over.
The girl who said those words was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Oh, how do you know how many of us died?"
"Because I can see it. I can see the blood and sacrifice on this food."
Am said calmly that she was, after all, a clone of the South American goddess of death.
"Therefore, I cannot accept your food, which is stained with blood, for nothing. Let me do something for you so that you will not suffer even greater losses in the future."
Upon hearing this, Hongye was even more confused: What exactly is Amu trying to do?
It's actually quite simple, but unfortunately, Hongye wouldn't understand.
What Am was after, of course, the guerrilla group itself, and the secret to how they managed to develop from scratch into what they are today.
Although Isam was merely a child pretending to be an adult, lacking the true power of a god, and her imitation of Mikket's speech was far from perfect, the goddess clone possessed an inherent air of authority in her speech. This aura was enough to leave ordinary people stunned. The girl leading the people to distribute the food was no exception. Listening to Isam speak, she was momentarily bewildered.
Compared to the content of her words, Am's voice was perhaps a little too soft. However, even so, judging from their appearance alone, they seemed to be about the same age.
Fortunately, the girl serving the food was no ordinary person. She quickly recovered and forced a smile: "Oh, so Todd invited you here today to discuss business?"
"Business?"
Am raised an eyebrow—an expression just like Mickett's.
"I would say this is more about... mutual learning and cooperation. Who is the leader in charge of your raiding operations? I'd like to speak with him personally."
Normally, it would have been easy to dismiss Amu's words with a laugh, but Amu truly was a clone of God. Her words and authority were powerful, not to be ignored by ordinary people. For a moment, the girl was stunned speechless, not knowing what to do.
On the other hand, Momiji was also bewildered. She couldn't very well stop Am and say, "Oh dear, my child is so ignorant," and then she became even more at a loss—this ninja was sometimes even more useless than Hayden!
As for Amu herself, she was well aware that she had made things very complicated for both of them, but that was exactly what she wanted. Otherwise, if she were truly treated like a child, how could she find any opportunity to profit for herself?
What forces propelled this guerrilla force forward? What forces propelled them from nine ordinary people to two hundred enhanced individuals? These techniques and secrets are crucial. If Amu could learn these secrets, they might become the foundation for her future establishment of divine authority!
(Regardless of whether it actually works, that's at least what she thinks right now.)
She's got a lot of schemes up her sleeve to gain power!
————————————————————————————
Ten minutes later, Hayden and Todd, who were still talking in the office, learned that Isham had actually joined the guerrillas and said that he would go out with them to attack the company's transport team next time.
To be honest, this sounds really absurd. Even Hayden was speechless.
On the contrary, Todd was very happy after hearing this: "Isn't this great? That little girl is a god, right? If we had a god warrior in our guerrilla force, the casualties would be much less."
Clearly, Hayden hadn't told Todd his true identity about Isham, and had no intention of explaining it at all. After all, the matter of Mickett's clone was still too closely guarded secret.
However, after hearing Todd's words, Hayden realized something—if Isham really so eager to get involved with the guerrillas, why not? He hadn't agreed to bring her to South America to keep her by his side.
If gods do not descend to the mortal realm, they will never know the suffering of humankind. Overall, Hayden did hope that Eminem could broaden her horizons. Although he didn't know what wicked schemes Eminem was plotting by getting involved with the guerrillas, letting her actually dabble in things wouldn't be a bad thing.
Even if she really suffers a setback, it's still a kind of learning experience about ordinary life. Besides, Hayden will always be there to protect her.
"Alright, then I'll let the little girl visit your guerrilla unit and learn something. Anyway, it's her own idea."
So Hayden made a decision quickly.
"However, her background is a bit troublesome. I might need to put a mask on her and add some disguise magic. You'd better look after her for me, okay?"
Sigh, he seems to be acting more and more like a father lately.
“Of course, no problem. Actually, we have more than one person in our guerrilla team who can be called a ‘kid.’ I usually try to have them do safer jobs.” Todd shrugged. “But let’s not talk about that now. The focus right now is on the upcoming God-level duel that Smoke Mirror Company is going to have. If this matter is handled well as you suggested, we won’t need to fight guerrilla warfare all the time anymore.”
After all, this duel between the main gods is happening far too quickly. It's in thirteen days. Perhaps once it's over, many of South America's troubles will be resolved.
"It's not that easy." Hayden nodded noncommittally, "After all, I do intend to win."
Todd had no idea what he meant. After all, who would have thought that the duel would actually be Hayden (his clone) fighting in place of Mickett?
Soon, the day of the duel between the main gods will arrive.
336: You don't know, but I do.
Since Hayden (Fenrir) brought Gustav and Isham (plus a ninja Momiji as a bonus) to Todd's guerrillas, everyone has been assigned tasks and busy with various things.
Hayden himself was naturally preoccupied with the duel with the supreme gods; that was his current focus.
Am and Gustav joined the guerrillas to work, and Am volunteered to learn.
Some might wonder, what good could these guerrillas possibly do for Hayden? Amy said she wanted to learn from them, and perhaps she really could learn something. But beyond that? What benefit could Hayden himself gain?
There's a lot to say about that!
First, of course, is the matter of Smoke Mirror and Micket challenging the chief god to a duel: it's no secret that these two gods are about to have a duel to seize the throne of the chief—after all, such things shouldn't be secrets!
So now the whole world knows that in twelve days, the two sides will engage in an epic mythological battle in Aztland.
But as the saying goes, the title can be free, but the content requires payment. All the world knows right now is that Smoke Mirror and Micket will be dueling as gods on a certain day and at a certain place; they only know the time, place, and people involved, but nothing else.
Therefore, one of the conditions for Hayden to provide assistance to Todd's guerrillas was that they help him find out more details about the God King's duel in advance, and to find out what tricks the Smoke Mirror was plotting.
To be honest, Hayden's asking Todd to investigate this was just a side hustle. Hayden never really expected Todd to uncover the secret of the smoke mirror. He simply hoped Todd could help him find out who the little war god who appeared in the factory was, so that Fenrir and Gustav could settle scores with the little war god and retrieve Dolly and the crocodile's souls.
Besides, if Emmerson could gain some social experience and human connection with the guerrillas, Hayden would feel great!
As for the duel between Smoke Mirror and Mickett, that's something he and Voldemort need to worry about; there's no need to bother others!
...At least that's what Hayden initially thought. Perhaps because he's been getting stronger lately, even Hayden sometimes overlooks the potential of those weaker than him.