Wood followed the Wild Men and watched the man on the screen, his eyes excitedly followed the opening and closing of the other's mouth.
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are humans, and you deserve to live proudly. I don't want to deceive you. I am in trouble now, and I need everyone's help. We need all of you to take up arms to defend your interests and rights! This might lead to death! But we have a chance to win."
"As long as we have enough people, as long as we can work together to defeat them, then I promise, the comfortable life of being fed and clothed you're experiencing now will continue!"
As Sun Jack spoke, every Wild Man was watching intently, fists clenched tightly.
No one would ask who the enemy was; when tangible benefits were laid out in front of them, pledging loyalty to Sun Jack was their only option.
Soon, every Wild Man began undergoing DNA enhancements and the installation of nervous systems and Combat Prostheses; the pairing of various second-hand Combat Prostheses on their deformed bodies created a kind of wasteland punk aesthetic.
Seeing the massive numbers of Wild Men becoming regimented brought some peace of mind to everyone in Metropolis. As more Wild Men joined, their worries lessened, and they worked even harder to capture more Wild Men.
In the corporate executive lounge, "clink," two glasses collided heavily. Hanks took a sip of alcohol then bit into a large piece of watermelon, mumbling to Steelheart beside him, "I told you, our boss has plenty of tricks, how could he possibly lose!"
"It's not enough! Damn it, we still need more cannon fodder!" Steelheart exclaimed, taking big bites of meat, "We don't have enough time, we need more cannon fodder! Enough to stack up and kill them."
The atmosphere in the lounge, compared to before, was obviously much more relaxed; after all, Metropolis had now found a countermeasure.
"Don't worry, there'll be enough. I found out from the company database that all of Emola's resources are being sent this way. The virus only kills people and destroys networks; it does no harm to the company's production lines or mines," said an accountant nestled in a man's arms.
"Just from the Combat Machinery salvaged from the dead, we have tens of millions, more than enough to arm the Wild Men."
"But isn't that a bit unfair to those Wild Men?" whispered an AA pouring wine for another AA.
"Fuck, how is that unfair? We feed them, and they serve as our cannon fodder. How is that not fair? It's perfectly fair!" Steelheart, saying this, slapped hard on the AA's back, making the AA stumble.
"Do you really think those Wild Men are just cannon fodder? Then you're underestimating Sun Jack," slurred the Poet, leaning back on the sofa leisurely.
"Who the hell is this guy? Why is he here?" Steelheart asked, surprised.
"I don't know, maybe he's Sun Jack's flesh toy? His XP is driving a large truck; I heard this guy gets called into the office every few days."
Unperturbed by the others' discussions, the Poet nonchalantly grabbed some snacks and stuffed them into his mouth.
"Hey, if you have something to say, spit it out. Don't leave us hanging with half a story," Steelheart said, standing up and walking towards the Poet. Just as he got halfway there, a message suddenly popped up in his face.
Seeing the message, Steelheart's expression changed instantly and he hurried outside.
Before the others could figure out what was going on, accompanied by a variety of custom alert sounds, everyone simultaneously stood up and rushed outside.
In the vast lounge, only the Poet remained, quietly lying there. He carefully picked up a small snack from the table and examined it. "Hmm... popcorn chicken? Chicken... Nice, nice... I've been struck by inspiration again. I'm going to compose a poem."
As he spoke, he split his dreadlocks down the middle and began to recite his poetry with great emotion and emphasis. "Ah~ Farewell my friend at the Yellow Crane Tower, singing, dancing, Rap, and playing basketball. The spring breeze greens once more the southern river banks, practicing for two and a half years~~shr~"
The door to Sun Jack's office was violently pushed open, and Steelheart stormed in, furious. "Sun Jack! What the hell are you doing! My men said you released the transformed Wild Men back into the wilderness? Are you fucking insane?"
"Do I need your oversight in what I do? Besides, is this something your duty should involve?" Sun Jack's face darkened as he glared.
"Motherfu..." Steelheart's hand was just about to reach out when it was held down by a hand covered in red fluffy fur—that was Abu's hand. "Then, I suppose I have the right to ask, don't I?"
With the office door slammed shut, only Sun Jack and Abu remained inside. "Jack, I think you owe an explanation, and it's not just Steelheart who has these doubts."
"Wasn't it your idea to use the Wild Men as cannon fodder against FFP? Why the sudden change of heart? You realize this could seriously demoralize the troops."
"Using Wild Men as cannon fodder?" Sun Jack looked puzzled. "Why would you think that?"
"Isn't that the case?"
"Of course not, if that was the case, we'd become the new Holy Grail, and they'd be us, the ones who were once oppressed. I wouldn't do such a thing," Sun Jack stated decisively.
"What does it matter?" Abu asked in amazement. "As long as it can stop FFP's siege, what method isn't acceptable? Don't forget, Metropolis is now your goddamn territory! Do you realize that today, two more nuclear bombs were launched our way—if not for Metropolis's air defense system intercepting them, we'd all be dead!"
"Fighting over territory, using others as cannon fodder? Do you really think we're just a bigger Gang? Abu, you must've gotten used to being the boss of Eighteenth Street, huh?"
Sun Jack stood up, his expression resolute as he addressed her. "I don't need them as my cannon fodder, what I need is their awakening!"
"All of the company technology I have at my disposal, from DNA enhancement to Combat Prosthesis, will be shared unconditionally with all Wild Men, unrestricted access to all information databases."
"These captured Wild Men aren't cannon fodder to protect Metropolis; they are Bearers of Fire. They will spread the flame to every Wild Man on Earth, fanning the flames the FFP wants extinguished into an even greater inferno!!"
"What I truly want is to arm them, not just with weapons for combat, but to arm them with ideas! If you think I'm doing this merely to protect Metropolis, then you're seriously underestimating me. What I want is the complete liberation of the entire proletariat on Earth!"
At these words, Abu's heart leaped.
"The Wild Men see me as a savior, but I know, I am not the savior. I can't save everyone. Only when they awaken, when they understand what is right and what is wrong, can they truly take control of their destinies and save themselves—transform from animals into humans!"