Clockwork Bride

Page 267

So he rubbed his head, his voice finally sounding somewhat sad: "Then what do you think I should do?"

"Sit down and continue thinking. Master, you're being too hasty."

Angela said, appearing quite calm and even adept at handling the situation.

"When have I ever made a judgment or evaluation based on the first day I saw your world? You've been in South America for less than a month, while I've been by your side for several years and haven't even written down my final assessment yet. Some rules don't change just because the object is different, and a month of observation is not enough to determine the fate of an entire country."

"Keep looking, keep thinking, experience more. You've only seen a little bit of Ms. Miktiti Kahiva's country, and South America is still very large."

That might make some sense, but Hayden immediately sensed something strange about it: "...You mean, just by seeing enough, you can decide the fate of an entire nation?"

Angela smiled.

"It's too early to talk about that now. In any case, you need to spend more time listening and watching, my dear master. Watch first and then propose various solutions. Only after that... will you need to choose from the different methods."

318: New Year, New Trends

In the blink of an eye, the new year has begun.

Angela urged Hayden to listen and observe more throughout the year, to learn more about the situation in the country, so that he could decide how to solve the problems of the South American people.

Hayden admitted that Angela's words did make some sense. He was now in three places at once, pretending to be a lower-level god working for a large company, using his clones as mercenaries, and killing people in the arena... Although these things didn't sound very "ordinary," Hayden still vaguely figured out some key points from them.

How is life for people in South America?

It wasn't too bad, at least not. At least in the territory of the goddess Mikk, they lived in a relatively orderly manner.

Hayden used his "Fenrir" clone to subtly probe the mercenaries of Gustav's squad several times, trying to find out their views on life. The result, well, was unsurprising.

"Not bad."

Gustav said this with great pleasure.

"Since you joined the team, our income has increased by more than half. If things continue like this, and we can maintain this for ten years, our entire team might be able to afford to be promoted to Undead!"

He was a good person, even a naively good person, because Gustav genuinely intended for everyone in the team (including Fenrir and Jade, who had only been there for a month) to save money together and advance to become Undead at the end of their mercenary careers. He even prepared a team-wide "retirement plan" for everyone, allowing them to save a portion of their earnings in a special account that no one could access without permission.

No one can be a mercenary forever. No matter how experienced they are, life and luck will eventually wear them down. No one can be lucky forever, and for ordinary people, a single blow can be fatal when luck is against them. Time is always on the side of death.

That being said, someone like Hayden, who had been a mercenary for a long time, knew that most mercenaries didn't have a retirement (or career change) plan. Most mercenaries either fooled themselves into thinking they could live forever, or they never expected to live long in the first place, just living one day at a time—at least that's how it is in North America, where Hayden was used to it.

Strictly speaking, it might not just be mercenaries; as far as Hayden knows, the vast majority of ordinary people in the world are like this. In this day and age, most ordinary people have no "future" to look forward to. At least 99% of the world's population will starve if they don't work, forced to struggle every day for their basic needs, subjected to various forms of exploitation and oppression, unable to afford housing, marriage, or medical care, and destined to a life of toil.

No one wants to work their whole life, but how many people can retire peacefully and enjoy their later years? Not to mention mercenaries who earn money on the edge of a knife.

However, Gustave genuinely intended to elevate him and the entire team to a higher level, and to leave together, prosper together, or die along the way. This spirit truly inspired Hayden's deepest respect.

So, is this spirit of selflessness a personal trait of Gustave, or a cultural trait shared by many South Americans?

To find out the answer, Hayden simply used his non-working body to personally visit the bars frequented by ordinary working people, buying drinks for each person, chatting with them, and asking, "What is your daily life like? How do you feel?" Then he tried his best to listen to their stories.

Surprisingly, this clumsy, field-based approach actually worked.

He discovered that the Product People under Miktikahiva's rule, although they were treated like beasts of burden like people elsewhere, had a much better mindset. At least they didn't have to worry about retirement or their old age, and since they didn't have families anyway. A small number of ambitious Product People would strive to climb the ranks and try to be transformed into the Undead, but most of them just worked until they died.

Moreover, almost everyone among them gambles in blood sacrifice gladiatorial combat. After all, gambling is an excellent form of entertainment, and if they strike it rich, they might even be able to transform themselves into a god.

As a result, although the people in the proletarian factories were treated as expendable resources and exploited in various ways, they didn't feel that they were being oppressed too badly. They would even say to Hayden in unison, "Our lives are much better than in the South!"

"The south is in chaos. There are gangs and criminals fighting and killing each other in the streets all the time."

“There is no free blood therapy in the south. Medical expenses are exorbitant. You can’t afford to get sick or suffer injuries.”

Hey, when it comes to how miserable life is for people in the south, they don't seem tired at all!

Hayden treated them to drinks and listened to them talk animatedly. On one hand, he found it somewhat amusing, but on the other hand, he also gained some insights.

In principle, the Smoke Mirror Corporation has a high degree of class mobility. Because the undead do not reproduce, their "offspring" are all selected from living people for transformation. In itself, they have neither the intention nor the ability to transfer power to "their" descendants; they can only choose heirs and new brethren from among the living.

So what are the criteria for the Undead to select people? That's hard to say. Theoretically, any mortal could be chosen—any ambitious person who demonstrates sufficient ability and poses no threat to the company could one day be selected, transformed, and promoted. Regardless of your original job, even if you were just a highly skilled worker, as long as the company believes that promoting you would be beneficial to its overall operations and production, you could become a new member of the Undead; there is no discrimination based on status, no birthright princes, and no privileged family background.

This is much more "fluid" than the territory of other large companies. Although the undead are still just employees of the company, this is still a kind of advancement!

So the proletarians of the Smoke Mirror Company had nothing to fear, nor did they consider themselves oppressed. As long as the Smoke Mirror Company stood, they would be produced batch after batch from the factory, working and dying century after century, never spontaneously rising up in rebellion—in truth, they would never realize they were being oppressed.

But in Hayden's view, they were being permanently exploited by the Smoke Mirror Company.

...This is really interesting because from the perspective of these product people, things are obviously not so bad.

Hayden hasn't had a chance to go further south yet, so he doesn't know if the other states of the Smoke Mirror Company are really worse or more chaotic than this. However, he's already starting to get a headache. At this point, Hayden can't even say that what Mickett is doing is necessarily wrong, especially since people themselves seem to like it.

What could Hayden do then? This was clearly a difficult problem to solve.

Ironically, after a month or two of tinkering in South America without finding a solution, Hayden actually benefited greatly from the social system created by the goddess Mikt. Fenrir's mercenary work went more and more smoothly, even giving Gustav the confidence to retire the team; Hayden himself, of course, never encountered any problems fighting in blood sacrifice gladiatorial combat, since it was impossible for a god to actually come and fight him.

As for the "Vodim" clone, after working at the bio-factory in Bogota for two months, he has already become a junior manager—because promotions, demotions, and deaths at the Smoke Mirror Company happen very quickly. Since a single mistake can demote a Protoss, then conversely, even a little merit can elevate "Vodim."

But these achievements were clearly insufficient for Hayden to solve his problems. He came to South America in search of greater power, only to discover that South America itself had a major problem that required even greater power to solve.

Meanwhile, while Hayden was researching the Smoke Mirror Company in South America, the situation elsewhere was becoming increasingly complicated.

"Several months have passed since the advent of the Reincarnation Magic. The Mitra Group and several other large companies have not yet officially broken off relations, but the fact that the large companies will eventually go to war is already common knowledge among the general public."

Today, during the routine briefing, Alastor told Hayden,

"Many busybodies and speculators are speculating about when Mitra Group will actually take action against other large companies."

Hayden nodded, rubbing his temples. "Which company looks like it might be the first to get attacked? Mitra isn't so aggressive as to wage war on the whole world at once, is it?"

"Of course, the eldest should beat the second eldest first."

Alastor replied,

"The Mitra Group and the Mars Group appear to be on good terms now, but there have been numerous conflicts behind the scenes. Subsidiaries of both companies are engaging in malicious commercial attacks against each other, and informal battles frequently occur between mercenaries. Last night, an arms cargo ship belonging to a Mars Group cargo subsidiary was hijacked by pirates in the Pacific Ocean and towed directly to the Middle East. However, a Mitra Group branch in Europe was also attacked by anonymous free agents a few days ago. These are clearly informal battles fought behind the scenes."

It seems that the conflict between these giant corporations is not so different from the wars between ancient nations. Before a formal war breaks out, ancient nations would often engage in "informal skirmishes," causing losses of resources and profits to each other. Meanwhile, the high-ranking officials of the gods would maintain a smiling and harmonious facade, outwardly refraining from conflict—until the formal war began.

The fact that mega-corporations have grown to their current state may essentially represent a larger and more unreasonable form of nation-state.

Hayden may lack political and economic knowledge, but even he knew: "If things continue like this, sooner or later one side will be unable to withstand the losses from these subsidiaries and peripheral businesses and will be the first to declare war. At that time, whichever side strikes first will make the other companies and ordinary people all over the world feel insecure."

War, especially a world war between mega-corporations ≈ superpowers, will inevitably bring suffering to people worldwide, regardless of victory or defeat. Ordinary people always suffer the most in war. Add to that the deflation caused by the Mitra Group's recent "Reincarnation" and "Skill Chip" schemes, and it's likely that things will get even worse…

"Huh, so when you calculate it this way, it turns out that the South American people who are manufactured in factories and sacrificed at the age of fifty or sixty are actually living relatively safer lives!?"

After careful consideration and comparison, Hayden was shocked to come to this terrible conclusion.

“That’s not quite right. What if Smoke Mirror Corporation also joins this world war? They might decide to sacrifice most of the ‘useless’ factory workers on a large scale as war resources.” Alastor raised an eyebrow in the encrypted communication channel. “Gods usually have more time to plan and prepare than mortals, but even so, there are limits. After all, we live in a capitalist society.”

The gods are often incredibly patient with time; waiting for the right moment and making preparations are nothing to them. However, in the details, they exhibit an extremely precise sense of time. This is truly terrifying.

"So Hayden, as the true leader of our team, you need to give us a direction for action as soon as possible."

This is the main reason why Alastor came to see Hayden Communications today. How will the group in Newbeam City, or rather, Karen's Flower Magic Company, as a nearly independent force, participate in this global corporate war? Will Hayden ally with Smoke Mirror Company or Goddess Micket, or will he take advantage of the chaos while the two leaders are fighting to devour Smoke Mirror Company?

Given New Sprout City's current strength, it's not impossible for it to grow from a small player to a large one.

They now have the power to choose, which is why Hayden is troubled. Worrying when you have no choice is just creating trouble for yourself, but now that Hayden does possess at least a small portion of the power to change the world, he hesitates even more. Some leaders can lose tens of millions of lives due to a single wrong decision—this is no joke. Decisiveness can sometimes be foolish for the people.

On the other hand, it would be foolish to ruin things because of indecisiveness. Everything else in the world will continue to move forward while you're away.

So in the end, Hayden said to Alastor, "You guys should allocate the resources for the assault first. But I don't think we should strike first and turn the current situation into a...military situation."

"Do you think the world can continue to be at peace?" Alastor asked sarcastically. "I'll tell the others to prepare for war with the Smoke Mirror Company, and I dare say it will happen."

Sadly, he might be right.

The next morning, at Hayden's Fenrir clone's location, mercenary captain Gustav happily announced some news to everyone: "I've received a very good job from a trustworthy middleman; it's a one-night job only."

Before Fenrir could even complain, one of the crocodile warriors in their team muttered, "Isn't that synonymous with 'difficult'?"

"Can you please not say things like that?" Gustav replied with a wry smile. "I admit this job is a bit dangerous, but the reward equals the risk, everyone understands that."

“We’re all so familiar with each other, boss, can’t you just tell me directly?” The driver leaned back in his seat, his tone dismissive, as if to say that Gustav was being tedious. “We trust your judgment on the job. You might as well just tell us what the job entails.”

This shows that Gustav's efforts to be a good person were not in vain. He genuinely wanted to lead the entire team to progress and advance together, and as a result, he earned the loyalty and trust of the entire team—Fenrir and Jade, who were obviously just infiltrates, don't count, but even so, Hayden also greatly admired Gustav.

Yes, this is a cyberpunk world of moral decay and distrust, but it is precisely in such a morally disordered era that normal people yearn to befriend someone who is trustworthy and ethical.

"Okay, then I'll just tell you."

So Gustav began to explain the work to everyone.

"Our mission this time is to infiltrate the city's bio-factory and secretly copy its production plan data for this year. We need to sneak in, copy the data, and leave without being detected. As long as we transmit the copied data to the employer, we will each receive 10, and we have already received a deposit of 5 each."

As Gustav spoke, he tossed four bundles of cash onto the table with a thud. The mercenaries exchanged bewildered glances at the pile of money. For a one-night job, this employer was incredibly generous.

The only problem is... infiltrating the city's biological factory? That's the Smoke Mirror Company's biological factory!

Even Fenrir was slightly taken aback when he heard this. Only he knew that "Voldemort" was currently working as a junior manager in that factory.

However, on the other hand, just wanting the production plan of a city-level bio-factory under the Smoke Mirror Company this year, they offered a commission of 600,000 yuan in one go. Just who is this employer?

Why are you so generous?

319: Absolutely foolproof!

The Gustav Mercenary Squad—codenamed "All-Round," a name he apparently came up with himself—is comprised of four regular members, excluding Fenrir and Xiaoyu, who recently infiltrated the group.

Since it is called "all-rounder", these four mercenaries naturally each have their own strengths and unique skills.

For example, their pilot, although he didn't perform well when Fenrir first arrived and was shot in the head by the enemy, was actually quite skilled.

It's important to understand that "driving" in this world isn't an ordinary skill, but a specialized magical technique. Many vehicles are actually manned golems. The advanced bio-vehicles produced by Smoke Mirror Company require a unique bio-control technology, distinct from other companies, to operate. However, this driver from the [All-Round] mercenary team can not only operate normal bio-trucks—he even seems to have some way of controlling military bio-warriors and bio-armor—a very rare skill. He truly deserves the title of "All-Round."

In addition, this driver knew the maps of Bogotá, its suburbs, and even several surrounding cities like the back of his hand. He also had the ability to drive the bio-truck through narrow alleyways and even onto walls. He was a true veteran driver—so everyone in the group called him "Old Driver."

Anyway, freelance mercenaries rarely use their real names; most mercenaries are used to using nicknames.

However, the driver is ultimately just a transporter; other team members are needed to get the job done. And any mercenary team needs a tank who can charge into the enemy ranks and a powerful melee attacker. In [All-Round], that person is Crocodile (of course, that's also a nickname). He's a tall, tough guy with short hair, as muscular as a wrestler—tough enough by mercenary standards. As long as you don't bombard him with military-grade firepower, Crocodile is practically invincible. Moreover, he's equipped with numerous combat bio-engineered modifications, allowing him to instantly grow various horns, fangs, bladed tails, and other organs, tearing enemies to shreds with a single pounce.

But one melee fighter isn't enough to solve all the problems a mercenary group might encounter. That's when Dolly, the little mage, comes into play. She's a rare breed among the South American populace—a proper mage with specialized knowledge, and proper mages rarely become mercenaries. A magic arrow fired to the chest, a fireball thrown in the face—Dolly can do all that, and she can do much more. Battlefield repairs, providing cover for rapid retreats, breaking and countering magic, illusions… she's basically an all-around mage, and one with incredibly strong intuition.

Hayden even admired the young girl, feeling that she was about the same level as himself when he had just been a mercenary for four or five years, and Hayden's mercenary skills back then were excellent.

Finally, there's Gustav, the leader of the all-around mercenary squad. He's the face of the team. He's not the most skilled fighter, nor the most technically proficient; in fact, he's a jack-of-all-trades. He can fire a few shots and temporarily fill in for others. Yet, the entire team trusts him implicitly, like a candle in the darkness. Gustav genuinely wants to lead the team to a higher social standing and a better life. Strength isn't just about wielding weapons; command and guidance are his role within the team.

This is a really great team.

The recent addition of Fenrir (Hayden) and Xiaoyu (Red Leaf) to the [All-Round] team has further strengthened this mercenary group. Fenrir usually presents himself as an exceptionally skilled and knowledgeable scholar-type Norse mage, while Xiaoyu sees herself as a pure and powerful street fighter—but even if they conceal most of their abilities, their actual skills far surpass those of ordinary mercenaries. Now, the [All-Round] team isn't just getting wings, but rather like a tiger on a jet engine, with their overall capabilities significantly enhanced.

They were undoubtedly the most formidable free agent mercenary group in Bogotá by now. That said, their current mission was to infiltrate the Smoke Mirror Company's city-level biological factory. Thinking of this, Gustav's companions fell silent.

Security measures at a bio-factory are, of course, extremely stringent. Ordinary mercenaries need to enter and exit that place without being detected by anyone, leaving no trace, and without being discovered by the Smoke Mirror Company… This is incredibly difficult. If the company discovers that someone has infiltrated their security system, the consequences would be unimaginable.

No matter how much preparation you do in advance, it's still an extremely difficult job with a survival rate of no more than 50%.

But at the same time, this is also a great opportunity for the [All-Round] team to further advance their ranks, perhaps even to become gods. Perhaps they can stop engaging in these high-stakes, risky businesses and instead live a more luxurious, wealthy life…

"Desire destroys humanity."

"The crocodile murmured."

"What's the point of saying this nonsense?" the veteran driver spat. "There's only one important thing: to answer or not to answer?"

One sentence is enough.

“I think I can take it,” Dolly said, raising her hand first. “I want money!”

The experienced driver naturally replied, "Me too."

"I agree too."

“Well,” Fenrir said, seeing that everyone else agreed, “since everyone agrees, Xiaoyu and I will naturally follow suit.”

He tried his best not to interfere with the [All-Round] team's decisions, after all, the two of them were just sneaking in for on-site investigation. Fortunately, Gustav didn't think there was anything wrong with it, only that it was the reserve of foreign experts.

So Gustav happily said, "Then it's settled."

Infiltrate the Smoke Mirror Company's biological factory and replicate their production plan for this year without being detected. Having decided to undertake this high-risk, high-reward mission, everyone immediately began preparations.

The experienced driver needed to prepare the vehicle to quietly approach the team, and the crocodile also needed to get himself into top physical condition beforehand. Dolly needed to go home to get the complete set of magical items, as did Gustav. Seeing them quickly preparing to get started, Fenrir (Hayden) also stood up.

...He and the ninja Momiji didn't need to prepare anything beforehand; they were ready as long as they were dressed.

Hayden was actually considering that his golem clone, "Voldemort," was working as a junior manager at the bio-factory. If the [All-Around] team was going to cause destruction, Fenrir might advise everyone against taking on such a deadly job—if "Voldemort" actually tried to stop them, the mercenaries would definitely be wiped out tonight. But if they didn't stop them, wouldn't Voldemort, the one on duty, be responsible for being beheaded by the Smoke Mirror Corporation?

However, since they haven't been discovered at all, it doesn't harm Hayden's overall investigation plan. Besides, Vortimore couldn't possibly infiltrate and work at Smoke Mirror Company for long anyway.

Thinking of this, he actually decided to ask Voldemort to create an opening for the [All-Round] team. After all, Hayden quite liked them. Why not?

So Fenrir said, "Before that, I need to go home first."

"What's wrong?" Gustav was taken aback and looked worried.