This is actually easier said than done.
Hayden raised his head, looked into the distance, and said thoughtfully, "So I need to talk to Isham, Todd's guerrillas, and everyone here first."
Since this land (and the deities it has become) are all Hayden's enemies, why not go and ask the people of this land more questions, observe more, and talk more? Perhaps they will have a solution that Hayden could not have imagined.
Hayden knew all too well the suffering that the gods of capital and politics, and the infighting within those rulers, could cause. He had seen much suffering, and his own family was a victim of it.
But then again, can he truly empathize with these South Americans? Unlike the native people here, his understanding of the living conditions and unfair treatment of the South American people is limited to what he has heard and seen recently, but he has never personally experienced the pain of losing his father or mother.
If a leader becomes detached from the masses, the outcome will never be good.
In that case, when you can't find your way, you can simply return to where you started, back to the earth.
"...Speaking of which, Karen, although you dislike Miktikashiva, you don't seem to have any issues with Isham?"
“Because only an idiot would confuse the original with a clone,” Karen said irritably. “A clone is never created voluntarily or made that way voluntarily. She is an innocent victim—why are you asking me that?”
"Nothing."
Hayden answered immediately, swallowing his previous mistakes as he did so: "It's just a feeling, ah, my wife is amazing."
Karen then reached out and poked Hayden hard on the forehead: "You're getting better and better at talking nonsense to me, aren't you?"
Before parting, they chatted about some ordinary things, and then Karen hurried back to New Bud City.
Because at the very moment the couple was enjoying a rare moment of intimacy, the balance of power among the gods and the state of the world were changing due to today's duel between the chief gods. The side trusted by more gods worldwide, the side with the greater advantage, would even see its ruled realm become powerful and prosperous.
After all... they are gods. Divine will alone is enough to shake the world.
That's why everyone says the battle between the main gods is not over.
Therefore, time cannot be delayed.
The duel is still ongoing.
————————————————————————————
Two flowers bloom, one branch each.
Ironically, although Hayden said, "Perhaps they will have their own ways," he actually had no idea what Isham and Todd were doing.
Do you remember before the duel between the main gods, when Todd and the guerrillas helped Hayden investigate what kind of tricks Smoke Mirror was planning?
At that time, they discovered something strange: although Smoke Mirror had been making money everywhere recently, there was still a hidden sum of money and military supplies that were being continuously and specially supplied to a designated location.
The location looked like a hidden small military base, or perhaps a secret research institute. But whatever it was, it was clearly not something a guerrilla force could easily break into. At least not under normal circumstances. These places were guarded by the War God race. Even a few of them could wipe out a mortal guerrilla force.
...Not normally. In other words, it's okay in special circumstances, right?
Now is a special time.
Today is the day of the duel between the supreme gods. All the gods, great and small, from all over the world, along with their avatars or messengers, have come to the capital, Aztland. Smoke Mirror has already deployed the vast majority of his war god forces to the capital.
Even this mysterious little base is no exception.
About two hours before the main god duel officially began, just after Hayden and his men left, Todd led a squad of soldiers, along with Isham, to sneak over to that place.
What are we going to do?
Am didn't mind going out and causing trouble with the guerrillas, but she still knew to ask about the specifics. "Are you planning to take advantage of the smoke goggles to move all the troops away and launch a surprise attack on that small base?"
That sounds a bit crazy.
"Not necessarily. Go and scout the situation first. If the situation is good, switch to direct attack immediately."
Todd was strapping bundles of equipment and guns to his body. He was already as strong as Rambo, and now he looked like he had stepped out of an old movie screen; he was a real macho man.
"Today, Miktikashiva will duel with Smoke Mirror. If he loses, Smoke Mirror will have complete control. This afternoon is our most important opportunity. We must take advantage of Smoke Mirror's absence to conserve more resources for tomorrow."
"Even if Hayden really helps the Goddess of Death defeat the Smoke Mirror, it won't be a guarantee of safety—is the South America ruled by Miktikahiva the kind of society we people want?"
Todd gestured to the guerrillas behind him who were also preparing to move out, and to the underground living quarters not far away.
“It’s not that I don’t trust Hayden, but as the saying goes, you have to verify even what your own mother tells you. No matter who wins today, we need to build up our resources for the future.”
Am was very happy to hear that. The reason she stayed in South America to cause trouble was to gain as many benefits as possible from the struggle between Mickett and Smoke Mirror, and to prepare for the future.
And Am confidently said, "Sounds good. As long as there's no Protoss security, I can handle normal military bases and research institutes."
Todd was immediately delighted: "So you're interested in coming along too?"
“Sure,” Am said with a smile, holding out her hand. “So how much will you give me?”
Todd was truly surprised by her reaction: "...Huh?"
"The literal meaning. I was running around with you before, doing what I could, without talking to you about money, because I was learning, and what I was doing was small, so consider it tuition."
Am smiled smugly as she said this.
"This time, the attack is on the company's military base. Even if there are no Protoss combatants today, there will at least be a battle against the Protoss. This level of risk is very high."
"Besides, the materials and intelligence inside such military bases or research institutes are priceless if invaded. I can't possibly fight this kind of war for nothing, can I? You just said that we all want to accumulate leverage for the future. Of course I want to as well."
The words may be rough, but the principle is sound. So, although Todd was taken aback, he went along with it and asked, "How much compensation do you want?"
Isham immediately raised her hand, giving a response that shocked Tout: "If a battle against the gods occurs, I'll handle the combat portion. But I want 80% of the supplies and valuable data inside. If there's anything you specifically need, you can buy it from me with other things."
"A 20/80 split!?" Todd was truly stunned. "Young lady, we have hundreds of guerrillas here alone, not to mention the civilians in the base!"
“You have hundreds of people, but I am the only god.”
The little vampire puffed out his chest.
“Even if we are cooperating, you would die a terrible death if you encountered the Protoss security without my help. So even though we are cooperating, it is reasonable for me to give you 80% of the resources and you 20% of the resources.”
343: Playing with arcane magic, for tomorrow and for money.
You offer 80% and I offer 20%? You actually dare to say something like that?
Todd almost laughed in anger.
Fortunately, he was a man of experience and wisdom, weathered by life's hardships, and a leader of underground guerrilla forces. This trivial matter wouldn't cause Todd to lose his composure. He simply smiled first, then deliberately adopted a serious expression and said to Isham, "I am the leader of the guerrillas and the underground base. My men trust me, so I won't let them down. If we storm a military base and only bring back a tiny spoils, they will be very disappointed."
Actually, Todd didn't think the little vampire really wanted that much; she was probably just asking for an exorbitant price. She definitely had more to do with it.
Sure enough, upon hearing Todd's words, Am immediately said, "That's no problem. I already said you can trade me other things, like intelligence or data. You can also buy them from me with money."
This conversation was getting increasingly bizarre. Todd couldn't help but ask, "Do we look like we're rich?"
“You could say it’s a loan from me,” Am replied with a smile. “Once we’ve taken down our target, I’ll appraise the supplies, and the resulting price will be considered an interest-free loan to you.”
Wow, interest-free loans! That sounds amazing! But Todd wasn't stupid; he knew that even with interest-free loans, it was still dangerous for mortals to owe money to the God of Capital, almost like being in shackles.
Interest-free loans might only be half a shackle, and this vampire kid is probably just a half-baked god. But Todd is now quite certain (though he thought so before) – she's definitely not an easy girl to deal with.
Now he knew that Isam was a troublesome little vampire.
His expression turned very serious: "Hayden brought you here to learn. If you use this opportunity to blackmail us and make money for yourself, Hayden probably won't be happy to find out."
“Likewise.” Am laughed, looking somewhat smug. “Hayden asked you to help investigate the secrets of the Smoke Mirror, not to take the opportunity to attack and rob his poorly defended secret base—you should have reported this directly to him and let him do it.”
"If he knew that you secretly led a group to attack Smoke Mirror's secret base in order to hoard resources and future bargaining chips, he probably wouldn't be very happy."
That's true. Hayden could have easily infiltrated the facility without risk, simply by taking advantage of the smoke screen's weakened defenses. Todd's raid today, though ostensibly for the guerrillas' long-term benefit, will certainly displease Hayden if he finds out.
Of course, Todd had his reasons for doing so. Hayden wasn't his father, and he also had to plan for his own future and that of his men... but one thing is one thing. Todd never expected Isham to use that to shut him up.
What a little vampire. Even though she looks small, she is still the most dangerous carnivorous predator at heart.
"The loan is waived." So in the end, Todd said, "If there really is such a thing, I'll trade you intelligence for supplies. Our guerrillas have accumulated quite a bit of intelligence over the years; you'll like it."
He could have easily lingered with Amu a little longer. The little vampire's cunning and skill weren't enough to leave Todd helpless. But at least one thing Amu was right about—she was a god, and the rest of the guerrillas weren't.
Even if Amu is just a crippled god, even if she can't defeat the War God squad right now, she's still a god. Theoretically speaking, Amu alone could easily wipe out the entire guerrilla force.
Of course, if Eminem were to actually do such a thing, Hayden would definitely not forgive her when he returns, so theoretically Eminem wouldn't dare; she can only use her strength to intimidate people. In terms of personality, Eminem wouldn't actually do such a thing—there's no benefit in indiscriminate killing.
However, Todd was the leader of the entire underground base and guerrilla force; he was responsible for the lives of thousands upon thousands. Taking the risk of negotiating with Amu, if she were to become enraged and kill indiscriminately, the consequences would be far too great. This is the kind of risk that comes with mortals negotiating with gods—a truly tragic situation.
Besides, who knows how long the duel between the main gods will last? They're arguing about how to divide the meat before they've even hunted the rabbit; what if the tiger goes home? Wouldn't that be ridiculous?
On the other hand, humans have always devised many ways to deal with gods. Todd can simply give Amu some benefits first, and then figure out how to earn them back later. He's not stupid.
Since Todd had conceded first, Am was naturally pleased. Actually, what she really wanted was the debt, because that way she could gradually do some interesting things with the underground base and the guerrillas, even turning them into her own... But that wasn't urgent. She needed to go to Smoke Mirror's secret base and make her first fortune first.
Both sides had their own ideas, so they didn't delay any longer and set off immediately.
Before leaving, Gustav chimed in, "Count me in. Fenrir's busy with other things. I need to go find out about that little war god who appeared in the factory earlier."
No one can have too many excellent enhanced human mercenaries. As a result, Todd took a whole company of enhanced humans with him this time, plus Isam, who is theoretically a god—hey, he wants to see how capable Isam is in real combat.
--------------------------
The small base discovered by the guerrillas was located quite far from the capital, Aztland; in fact, there were practically no other major cities nearby. In this highly urbanized era, this was extremely rare.
However, the smoke mirror consistently and unwaveringly provided it with various high-value resources and funds, which further highlighted its "secret" nature.
As Am followed Todd's group, riding their bio-engineered American buffalo to their destination, it felt almost like another world—the sky overhead was stern and gloomy, and polluted air drifting in from the distant city hung heavy like ink. But everyone knew what a true "wilderness" was like. In other words, compared to normal wilderness and industrial cities, the air here was practically clean, overflowing with the breath of life and spirit.
In this wilderness, which has no ecological control barriers but whose environmental conditions are somehow quite good, there stands a very large object.
It was a hemisphere.
A very large, silvery-white, bowl-shaped hemisphere, about three hundred meters high, lying upside down on the ground.
Then, outside the hemisphere, there was a gray isolation wall, tens of meters high, like a dike, with only one gate for entry and exit. The towering, thick isolation wall was virtually impenetrable without the use of anti-fortress weapons. Hundreds of enormous eyeballs, larger than human heads, grew on the wall, their eyeballs rolling around to ensure there were no blind spots.
The guerrillas could only hide far away behind piles of rocks in the open field, maintaining covert reconnaissance. Infiltrating such a base was clearly not easy.
So Todd gestured to Isham: "Miss, it's your turn to perform."
Am was somewhat surprised: "Didn't you say you'd come to me again when fighting the gods? As long as I get involved, you'll have to take 80% of the spoils, even without the gods' security."
Theoretically, Todd might have thought he should try fighting with his men first, without relying on Amu—but he knew immediately upon seeing the base that it was protected by the Protoss. Even if the Protoss withdrew during the battle, the defenses would certainly be solid. If he went up first and suffered losses, wouldn't it be foolish to then send Amu up to take 80% of the spoils? Since the spoils were going to Amu anyway, he might as well minimize his men's losses.
Am knew what he was thinking, but thankfully she didn't mind. In fact, she was quite happy to show these guerrillas her methods. So now, the others, including Todd, just watched as Am emerged from her hiding place and walked towards the isolation wall.
Am is a god, if you can call her that. So, what kind of divine power does she possess? The guerrillas haven't really seen much of it yet. Now, everyone is eagerly anticipating Am's performance!
She walked towards the isolation wall several hundred meters away. Dozens of large eyeballs were on the wall; these biochemical security eyeballs, cultivated in the factory's biomass tanks, possessed eyesight several times sharper than an eagle's, with perfect perception, even able to see fluctuations in the air. No one's stealth or hiding could escape their gaze, especially since it was midday, and besides, Amu wasn't even stealthing.
At this moment, the security guards' eyes were already scanning towards Am!
What kind of divine power does Amu possess that allows her to escape their gaze? She is a clone of Mikket (although few people know this), and like the clone that fought against the main god, she should be able to unleash a weakened version of Mikket's underworld divine power, right?
Those who know she is a clone of Mickett would probably think the same thing.
And that's when the incredible thing happened.
Isamu didn't use any divine power; instead, she raised her right hand and drew a mark in the air. Powerful and profound magic immediately surged from her body, forming a very efficient and precise spell structure.
She is using arcane magic.
A girl who looks only fourteen or fifteen years old is using her superb skills, which surpass those of ordinary great magicians, plus divine energy, to cast arcane spells!
"Wait, why is it arcane magic? What about divine power...?"
Before the guerrilla fighter could finish speaking, Amu's spell was complete. Her body transformed into a streak of black lightning, hurtling towards the gate of the isolation wall. The security personnel immediately scanned the area, but they saw nothing!
Because Am's left hand had already cast another spell. Her body suddenly became hazy, as indistinct as a dream, and as elusive as the future, allowing her to skillfully evade the gazes of the eyeballs and reach the front of the isolation wall with lightning speed.
These are all magic, arcane arts. The first spell is [Time Acceleration], and the second is [Probability Manipulation]. The latter is of a higher level, but it's something that anyone can theoretically learn and cast—theoretically, the arcane arts of industrialization, modernization, and modularization can be learned by anyone given enough time and resources. Gods can certainly use arcane arts too; in fact, capitalist gods and modern society are driven by arcane arts every day.
Am, this little goddess, is now also using arcane magic, and her technique is incredibly skillful, like that of the most accomplished mortal mage. She rushed to the gate of the isolation wall, reached out and touched it, and immediately began to break the security device; and her technique was quite elegant.
Many different possibilities arise when hacking into a security device, but Am uses arcane magic to glimpse fragments of the future, deftly manipulating probabilities. With a click-clack sound, the gate of the isolation wall slowly opens.
"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!"
At the same time, the buzzer sounded immediately. "What happened?" Four lower-ranking vampire employees in suits rushed out of the inner office. They were all considered gods. Even if vampires were only the lowest-ranking gods, they were still gods.
But Isham calmly waved her hand at them, casting a double spell: "[Time in a Pot] & [Instant Life]".
Everything happened in an instant! "Gurgle!" The three lesser vampires instantly burned themselves out of hunger, as if accelerated by a hundred years.
The remaining lesser vampire was in an even stranger situation. Just as he was about to draw his knife, his hands began to tremble wildly as if they had gone mad, and then, as if they had grown their own brains, they rebelled, suddenly grabbing his own neck!
Fortunately, the vampire wouldn't be strangled, but the scene was still quite bizarre.
"Take me to the security control room." Then Am patted his butt with a smile. The vampire's legs immediately defied his brain's instructions and turned to walk inside!
The guerrillas outside were almost all dumbfounded.
"So fierce."
"If we have to deal with four lesser vampires, at least a dozen of our people will die..."