Clockwork Bride

Page 272

In theory, every Protoss in the Smoke Mirror Company commands their own Night Axe Warrior fighting army. They are feudal lords, and naturally have their own troops. Therefore, theoretically, any Protoss could potentially send troops to do this.

But Micket wasn't stupid. Now that things had come to this, it was clearly the work of the Smoke Mirror. He must have planned it all along, deliberately choosing this time to call everyone for an emergency meeting and distract Micket. Although the True God could be in two places at once, the Smoke Mirror had deliberately confronted her during the meeting, using feigned confrontation and deception. Now Micket realized that this was definitely to prevent her from being distracted.

(After all, Smoke Mirror is definitely stronger than her. What if her main body gets distracted and gets punched and blown to pieces by Smoke Mirror?)

If it were any other god stealing a clone of her under normal circumstances, Micket would certainly be annoyed, but not too worried. A clone alone couldn't do anything to her original self. If other gods could so easily harm her with clones, Micket wouldn't be making clones for herself in the factory every week; she would have spent more money to build a separate secret laboratory.

...However, the one who stole her clone was Smoke Mirror, the most cunning and bizarre god in South America, and at this particular time. Micket dared not be careless at all. She couldn't imagine what Smoke Mirror could do with her clone, but it was meaningless—Smoke Mirror only needed a richer imagination than her to do things she couldn't imagine.

Moreover, Mickett's imagination is by no means particularly outstanding. She needs an ally who is more adept at playing tricks, shrewd and cunning, and perhaps even comparable to Smoke Mirror.

"Ugh."

With a sigh, Micket teleported back to her office, making a decision.

"Alright, let me see what I need to sacrifice in exchange for a collaboration opportunity with Hayden."

————————————————————————————

The most ironic part, however, is that at the same time, Hayden got an opportunity to no longer need to work with Mickett.

Meanwhile, the all-around mercenary squad suffered a crushing defeat in the biological factory, with 2.9 out of four members dying. The veteran driver was waiting for his teammates to come out in the forest, but when Fenrir (Hayden) and Xiaoyu (Red Leaf) emerged, they brought with them the remains of Gustav, Dolly, and the crocodile, along with a strange clone.

This really startled even the experienced driver.

"Don't panic, step on the gas!" Fenrir had no choice but to preemptively criticize him. "Gustav can still be saved! You guys must have prepared a safe house for hiding, right?"

As the saying goes, a cunning rabbit has three burrows. Any decent mercenary who has survived for two years will prepare at least one safe emergency hideout for himself. Even someone as crazy as Hayden had a hidden little safe house when he was a mercenary. He rented it with a not-so-bad street gang from the next district, but he never had the chance to use it after Angela came.

[All-round] The team didn't have Angela, so they naturally had a more commonly used safe house, located on the outskirts of the city near Bogotá. It was an empty single room, but large enough to fit a pool table and have enough space to play, as well as enough space for a doctor to save someone who was about to die.

It didn't take long to revive Gustav. Fenrir pieced Gustav's body back together, breathed life force into it to restore it, and ignited the secret fire. He was revived in a few minutes, though he remained in a deep sleep on the table.

Dolly and the crocodile's bodies, their souls drained, were beyond saving. Fenrir could only piece them back together and place them on the blanket.

After dealing with the most important part of the rescue, he turned around to face the real problem he had encountered that night:

A white-haired, red-eyed 2P Miktti Kashiva™ clone is currently in a dormant state, lying in the corner of the room with its eyes closed.

The experienced driver was kicked out of the room by Fenrir on the grounds that "the wounded should not be disturbed," but Xiaoyu (Hongye) remained in the room with Fenrir. Moreover, she was well aware of what this heterochromatic version of Micket was all about, and was now clearly very uneasy.

“My lord, it’s possible for the true god to detect the location of the clone through blood ties.” So she tried her best to persuade her monarch, “Although we didn’t steal this clone, if Miktikashiva finds it, we definitely won’t be able to explain ourselves!”

But Fenrir shook his head: "I've set up anti-detection barriers as much as I can. My magic is quite effective at hiding from the eyes of the gods. Even if there's a risk of being caught, the current situation has advantages that outweigh the risks."

What benefits could this situation possibly bring compared to the risks?! — Hongye didn't say this directly, but Fenrir could tell from her expression that this was the meaning. So he had no choice but to continue explaining: "With this clone in hand, we might be able to take over her power and resources, and even the entire Smoke Mirror Company's resources, without cooperating with her original body."

Hmm, his ambitions are getting bigger and bigger lately!

"Master, the clone with the different colors will definitely not be treated as the original!" Hongye still didn't understand. "Moreover, even I can see that this clone's power is much weaker than the original, and it may not even be stronger than me!"

Creating a true god naturally requires corresponding resources and costs. No matter what, Micket couldn't possibly create a true god every week to consume. That's simply unaffordable. Her clones, of course, aren't as powerful as true gods.

But Fenrir nodded, then countered with, "What if we let this clone eat the original?"

It took Hongye two seconds to understand what he meant, and then she was genuinely stunned.

“Mictor’s constant cloning and eating of himself is probably a kind of upgrade method for a predatory species. Eating oneself naturally leads to the best digestion and absorption. Conversely, having a clone eat the original body is the same.”

Fenrir continued calmly.

"Moreover, there has always been a major conflict between us and Mickett, which is that she refuses to be resurrected by me. A few years ago, when I resurrected you, I suggested that she be resurrected as well, but she refused. Because she was worried that resurrection would make her lose the power of death."

In fact, this contradiction is one of the main conflicts that Mikt and the South American gods must contend with against Mithra. Their power originated from the environment of the old era. If someone wanted to create a new era, wouldn't that be tantamount to undermining their very existence? It would be difficult to prevent them from rebelling.

But Hayden's mind worked quickly. The moment he saw the clone, he realized there was a huge loophole he could exploit—he could revive the powerless clone first. After all, she didn't have much power to lose, so she shouldn't resist a resurrection ritual like the original would.

After being resurrected, the clone can devour the original Micket, allowing her to gain all (or at least most) of the original's power. Then, Hayden only needs to leverage the power of the other clones to seize control of the entire Smoke Mirror Corporation, thus acquiring control of this mega-corporation.

Hayden could indeed do that now.

He has Kallen behind him, and several gods and great deities. If these powers are used properly, it's entirely possible to make this happen!

After explaining it to Hongye in a simple way, he couldn't help but feel a little proud: "Even by my standards, this is a very brilliant cheating plan."

However, after hearing his plan, Hongye felt even more uneasy. But this Japanese fox was quite careful with her words when speaking to her lord, so she had to indirectly criticize: "My lord, your plan is indeed astonishing, and it should succeed. But what if this clone eats the original and then refuses to cooperate?"

“Based on my understanding of Mikite’s personality, her clones have no reason not to cooperate with a plan that would benefit her so much,” Fenrir replied thoughtfully. “She won’t lose anything; on the contrary, she can gain everything. Don’t be fooled by Mikite Tikashiva’s terrifying vampire goddess persona; she’s actually quite rational. In fact, it’s precisely because of her rationality that she’s so terrifying.”

“If this clone doesn’t cooperate with us, she has no way to survive. The original Micket will only eat or destroy her. She has no connections, no money, and not even an identity. If she uses a little logic, she should cooperate.”

No matter how you look at it, she has no reason not to cooperate!

That being said, the most crucial person in question is still fast asleep on a blanket in the corner of the room, just like Sleeping Beauty. So Fenrir, who had already devised a plan, went over to prepare to pull some tricks to wake Sleeping Beauty up.

But as Fenrir applied the spell to the clone, he noticed something strange: "Hmm? Why does this clone seem to be connected to some other consciousness?"

As the saying goes, plans can never keep up with changes.

327: This isn't what I expected!

While Hayden's raw power wasn't particularly strong—he certainly couldn't match a true god in a direct magical confrontation—his insightful observations were always highly regarded. Often, he would inexplicably discover things that even gods carefully concealed.

For example, right now, he reached out and touched the sleeping Micket clone, intending to cast a spell to wake her up, but he discovered that the clone seemed to be connected to some other consciousness.

In those invisible realms, there seemed to be a thin rope binding her to something. And Fenrir looked toward the other end of the "rope" (which was of course just a metaphor, not a real rope), but could not see it clearly. She could only see it stretching longer and farther in the ethereal phase.

Fenrir had no choice but to stop and stop casting spells on the clones. After all, it would be foolish to mess around in this situation.

As a clone of the Heart Beast, Fenrir is naturally better at combat than reconnaissance. This kind of thing should really be left to Hayden's main body to handle.

Soon enough, Hayden's main body teleported over along with Angela. The experienced guard outside the safe house, already on edge, was now even more shocked and furious: "What's going on!?"

"Fenrir (my heart beast) is rather rough around the edges, please forgive him."

Hayden explained as he handed the experienced driver a wad of cash.

Unexpectedly, the experienced driver got angry and slapped the money away: "Why are you giving me money?! Damn it, I don't know what kind of conspiracy you gods are plotting, I just want my teammate back!"

Regardless of whether Hayden is a Protoss or whether he and his group orchestrated this incident, the fact that the veteran was daring to challenge and speak out against the "Protoss" without understanding the situation clearly shows that he was desperate and reckless.

So Hayden certainly wasn't angry. He was actually feeling conflicted. Even if he hadn't caused it, two innocent people had already died.

Some might say that those who volunteer as mercenaries are risking their lives for money, and have no right to complain if they die. But Hayden, using his avatar Fenrir, spent over a month with Dolly and the Crocodile. Therefore, Hayden knew very well that they couldn't be simply described as "mercenaries." To him, they were human.

So Hayden seemed to be at a loss for words for a moment, but he quickly shook his head. He would deal with the matter later.

Justice will prevail in due time.

But for now, he could only have Fenrir quickly come out to appease and deal with the angry old driver—he didn't want to use the word "deal with," but that was the truth.

At the same time, Hayden's main body entered the safe house and looked at the Micket clone that was sleeping on the blanket.

Then he fell into deep thought again.

Many people separate different ideas when thinking, letting them debate within their own minds. Many people imagine different voices within their heads, offering differing opinions—Hayden's alter ego is simply something similar, only more magical. In other words, his alter ego isn't a split personality, but merely another mode of thinking and role-playing.

(A psychotic version of dissociative identity disorder is far more severe than this.)

But Fenrir had just proposed a terrifying plan—to have the clones devour the original, thus seizing control of the entire Smoke Mirror Corporation. This was not the kind of plan Hayden would normally consider.

Now, after rethinking it, Hayden realized that he had indeed started to get anxious, which is why he came up with this riskier, more daring, and more daring idea on a whim when playing Fenrir.

Because he was genuinely anxious!

South America is likely to descend into chaos. His premonition sensed that if things continued this way, many would die, and this wasn't just a matter of life and death for ordinary people. If South America descended into chaos and the Smoke Mirror Company lost its power, how could everyone unite to fight Mitra?

But then again, even so, is it really okay to let the clone eat the original and use it as a puppet?

Where exactly does the real solution lie?

"Forget it, let's not think about it too much for now. After all, we don't know what this clone is thinking yet."

Thinking this, Hayden scratched his head and looked again at the strange mental "string" on the clone's body. As the original, he could see farther than Fenrir. By focusing his gaze, he could see that the string led to some higher and more distant place, yet it was not completely detached from this land.

Looking closer, Hayden soon sensed something on the other side of the connection. He probed with his perception, and what he saw next astonished him.

He discovered that he had actually entered an ocean formed by spiritual energy.

Beyond the boundless horizon where no boundaries can be seen, Hayden saw a spiritual sea constructed from tens of millions, hundreds of millions, or even more thoughts and consciousnesses.

Moreover, in this sea of ​​countless thoughts and spirits converging and mixing, he could even see a network-like "knot." The scale of that "knot" was so vast that it distorted one's sense of distance, as if these millions upon millions of spirits were woven into a bundle, floating in the abyss of thought.

The thin string Hayden saw on the Micket clone was also connected to this "knot," like a fetus connected by an umbilical cord. Hayden, who was quite knowledgeable, had never seen anything like it before, not even in any literature!

"What the hell is this!?"

Gazing at this sea of ​​spirits, Hayden couldn't help but grumble. But soon, the answer jumped into his mind on its own:

This is probably a dead knot that has been tied in the minds of all living beings in South America and Aztland in the realm of consciousness.

People in ancient times had a belief in feudal order, and modern people have a belief in money; their collective beliefs can also form something similar in the spiritual world. The Mitra Group even used this principle to develop the Astral Network. Hayden and his team also did something similar in New Sprout City—but Hayden was certain that there was definitely no such knotted black ball of thought in the spiritual consensus fields of other places!

Why does this kind of deadlock exist in the realm of collective consciousness?

And why is this dead knot connected to Mickett's clone in a line?

Hayden gazed at the black, dead knot. It was enormous, and as impenetrable as solidified darkness, even beyond his sight—a truly remarkable sight. This part of the South American consciousness realm seemed to be fixed in place by a powerful collective will.

Moreover, there wasn't just one line emanating from this black sphere, but two. One connected to Mickett's clone, while the other disappeared into the vast sea of ​​consciousness, its source nowhere to be seen. But Hayden simply couldn't understand why Mickett's clone would be directly connected to this "knot" at the center of this realm of consciousness.

It's normal to be connected to the realm of consciousness; everyone is, in fact, like that. However, that "knot" is clearly abnormal. Because Hayden, merely by looking at it mentally, felt a pain that also originated from the mind, like being hit on the forehead with an awl.

To be honest, this was all rather frightening. Hayden didn't even know who to ask what was going on—he couldn't very well ask Micket's true form, could he?

So Hayden could only frown and stare at this realm of consciousness, trying to unravel more of its mysteries.

However, staring into the abyss for too long is not a good idea.

In the blink of an eye, before Hayden could even use his spiritual vision to glean more information, the black "knot" suddenly unleashed a chilling killing intent at the impudent spy! Without even the most basic warning, the power of the dark sun—a power even more terrifying than that of a god—flowed along the thin rope, like a solar storm formed by dark light, and directly bombarded Hayden!

"Depend on!"

Hayden was adept at controlling situations, but he was easily killed by such a brute-force attack without warning. In desperation, he could only summon his strongest weapon within his mental sea, shouting, "Sever that thin rope!"

The sharp words flowed from his mouth, severing the thin rope connecting the clone and the "knot" with a single stroke! Now, in the boundless sea of ​​consciousness, which had no distance or direction, even the most powerful solar storm could not find its target, let alone reach Hayden's side.

...At the same time, Hayden, who had to urgently cut the thin rope, looked around and began to break out in a cold sweat.

Although it was done out of necessity, isn't this random cutting of lines a bit of a disaster?

"Angela, do you know how to fix this rope?"

The answer he received was even more unexpected.

Angela leaned closer, also examining the black "dead knot," and looked at the severed rope. Then she said, "I don't think it's necessary to fix it. She truly deserves to be called one of the best among the unborn, possessing such a vast and chaotic self. Master, prolonged exposure to this power is not good for your mental health; perhaps you should stop looking at it."

Hayden couldn't pretend he hadn't heard what she just said: "You're saying this is the clone's self? That huge knot!?"

“To be precise, this is the source of their self,” Angela explained. “The vampire lady and her clones are only able to have self-awareness and intelligence because they are connected to the spiritual realm of this country through a ‘knot’. Otherwise, they would just be unborn beings, things you’ve seen before, Master. How can something that has never been born have thoughts and a self?”

Unborn

This was indeed something Hayden had fought in the Fallen City, and he had even resurrected it as his sister-in-law (though she hadn't hatched yet). Later, Hayden spoke with Micket about the Unborn, and Micket acknowledged that she was also an Unborn, an undead creature who had never known life. She died before being born and became the Goddess of Death as a dead one.

Back then, Mickett said that she had spent thousands of years devouring millions of blood sacrifice souls and experiencing countless coincidences before finally shaping herself and obtaining her current thoughts.

However, Hayden had never truly understood the meaning of this statement before. He had previously thought that the so-called "shaping" referred to Micket digesting the blood sacrifices and souls she had consumed, fusing and transforming them within her body into a "hybrid self" of her own.

Seeing this knotted black "ball of yarn," and with Angela revealing the truth, Hayden suddenly realized—ah? So Miktikashiva's self, all along, has been hanging in the "clouds"?!

Growing over a thousand years, devouring the blood sacrifices and souls of South America, the "self" that eventually became "Micter Tikahiva" doesn't actually reside within Mikter's body, and there is no soul within Mikter's body at all.

In reality, her "self" has always been trapped within the vast, shared spiritual realm of South American society, a massive "dead knot" tied together by thousands of years of blood sacrifices and consciousness. Her thoughts and will were probably "downloaded" into her body from this "knot"... Hmm?

Hayden, upon thinking this, suddenly felt something was amiss. If that were truly the case, what use was Mickett's brain? Why would she eat her clone's brain? Her brain couldn't have been just for show, nor could it have been merely hardware. When Mickett ate the clone's brain, she must have absorbed some spiritual essence from it.

...And now, the situation has returned to its most troublesome state.

Hayden turned to look again at the severed rope and the unconscious clone lying on the blanket—and then he finally started to panic: "I used [Sword of Words] to cut the connection, did I turn this clone into a vegetable?!"

Angela tilted her head: "I don't think so. In fact, she should wake up soon."

Hayden was taken aback: "But I've already cut the wires, so what is this thing that's woken up? Is there still some remnant of her self in her body? Or will she go into offline mode?"

“That’s not the problem, Master. Your thinking is too mechanical.” Angela sighed instead of being bothered by Hayden. “You usually love the poor, sympathize with the victims, and try your best to help and save them. That’s good and makes me proud. But why are you always so wary, repulsive, and cold when you’re dealing with someone like a vampire lady?”

Hayden was even more confused: "I know that the line between morality is sometimes uncertain, but even by the most lenient standards, Micket is definitely evil. Besides, she has not allied with me, and I don't owe her anything."

"Even so, I'm still hesitant about whether to let the clones eat the original and use them as puppets. Even though they are the class that created this hell on earth and are my enemies, I'm still considering what to do and I feel that I shouldn't resort to any means necessary—how much more lenient can you expect from me?"

But Angela shook her head: "This is not a matter of tolerance, Master. But they are really not your enemies."

what?

Coincidentally, just as Hayden and Angela were arguing, and at this point in the argument, the Micket clone on the blanket suddenly began to whimper softly. She seemed to be waking up.