[hp] When the devil meets a hooligan

A few bolder children immediately raised their hands, expressing their desire to join the game.

Tom looked at it with a green face.What's the situation?Who said he was going to be a brain?He wants to take the lead!Also, the brigade he imagined was not something that any cat or dog could join.Hey, little Anna is only five years old this year, what can she do?To wail the enemy to death? !

First separation

"How about a centipede, or a mosquito?"

"Why don't you say cockroaches," said Tom gruffly.

"That's right, why didn't I think of cockroaches! The vitality is tenacious, and the taste is also good," Kyle said with a smile on his face. "How about making our logo a cockroach?"

Tom is horrified to see that Kyle is serious, "Are you crazy?! I don't want to get cockroaches tattooed on me!"

Kyle waved his fist triumphantly, "Whoever has the biggest fist, I will listen to him. Obviously, I have the biggest fist here."

"Then we'd rather quit." Tom struggled to maintain his dignity, "Kyle, no one here is willing to use cockroaches as symbols except you!"

Kyle looked at the other children and found that everyone's spirits were not very high, and he couldn't help feeling very frustrated.

"I like ponies," said a little girl with short hair and a runny nose, inarticulately.

Kyle gently rubbed the girl's hair, and said insincerely, "Okay, I will consider putting horses in my options."

Horses are not much better than cockroaches, how could he choose a herbivore as a symbol?Tom cast a look at a tall, thin, brown-haired boy opposite him. The latter swallowed his saliva and said bravely, "Well, how about the dragon? A powerful black dragon."

Kyle had to admit that dragons sounded far more handsome than cockroaches.So he announced loudly that the logo of the new organization was a black dragon, and that he himself was the leader.As for the name of the organization...

"It's called the Shadow Brigade, that's it." Kyle said cheerfully, "Now, Tom, let's celebrate your birthday!"

In the new year and new weather, Mrs. Cole suddenly found that the children in the orphanage suddenly became extremely united. Even the big boy who used to like to bully the children the most started to help them with work.

"Am I dreaming, Andy, you're helping little Anna with the dishes?"

The boy named Andy by Mrs. Cole straightened his back nervously, and stammered, "Yes Ma'am. Of course I have repaired the leaking roof according to your request..."

Mrs. Cole immediately noticed a bruise on Andy's forehead, but since the pain did not interfere with his labor, she ignored it.Boys are easy to get hurt.

In fact, all the self-righteous orphanage "little bullies" were educated by Kyle in turn.When January was almost over, Kyle had become the little leader of these dozens of children, and his "Shadow Brigade" had grown to nineteen people.

Kyle is quite happy with the situation, but Tom is clearly not.

"Nineteen people? Kyle, dragons don't have nineteen legs. You have taken too many people!"

Kyle didn't think there were too many people at all, "It doesn't matter, although the dragon has only two legs, it has many scales."

"Well," Tom decided to put it another way, "you took Andy and Joe because they were tall, and I can understand that. But what about Anna, what else would she do but cry?"

"She's smart," Kyle said gravely. "She can read."

"Being able to identify the salt shaker and the sugar shaker doesn't mean she knows everything," Tom didn't even bother to hide his contemptuous look. "It's just a coincidence!"

It's a pity that Kyle is a stubborn guy, and Tom ultimately failed to persuade his leader to reduce the number of members of the Shadow Brigade.On the contrary, the number of brigades grew, and even a few homeless people from the street joined in.

"Sean Goldfinger", "Colin the Big Stomach", "Jamie the Mouse" who is familiar with all the sewers in the whole city... These famous-sounding characters are actually children of the same age as Kyle and the others, but Their early independence makes them more worldly and cunning.Conquering these people is not as simple as winning over the children in the orphanage. Without Tom's plan, Kyle would never be able to conquer any of them with his fists.

"Look for their desires, and then satisfy them," Tom smiled slyly, "and with force, you can easily make them follow you."

Kyle kept nodding and listened very seriously, "Aha... no wonder you asked Andy to find out Jamie's preferences... However, we haven't shown the strength of the Shadow Brigade yet, how could he agree so easily? ?”

"Don't you know?" said Tom triumphantly, "the name of the Shadow Brigade has been spread all over London—I mean, among the bums at least... I see what you mean now, Kay." Hil. Even a few bedbugs, if there are many of them, are enough to terrify the hounds."

Kyle nodded pretending to be calm, "That's right, that's it." In fact, he just enjoys the feeling of being the boss so much that he just accepts people...

Tom also liked the game more and more.For the first time, he discovers that he can solve problems without even using his mystical powers, but with his wits.He had also recognized the essence of Kyle long ago—that guy's brain was full of muscles.

No wonder Kyle even thinks that Anna, who can only recognize labels, is very smart. It turns out that Kyle himself is completely illiterate.Orphanages are perpetually underfunded, but even so, the children receive weekly literacy training.Not to mention Tom, even Billy can use charcoal to write swear words on a white wall.

Unfortunately, no matter how stupid Kyle is, Tom can't think of any way to deal with him for a while.In the face of Kyle's absolute power, all conspiracies and tricks will have no effect.Tom even secretly designed Kyle to be surrounded by three big-waisted bar thugs in an alley. After a quarter of an hour, Kyle stepped on the bare heads of the thugs and forced them to join the Shadow Brigade one by one.

But as Tom's contact with Kyle got longer and longer, his thoughts on dealing with him became weaker and weaker.On the one hand, Kyle is like a smelly and hard stone, no matter how hard you beat him, it can't leave him with a single scar.Kyle, on the other hand, is indeed a good helper.He can easily cross the high wall of the orphanage with Tom on his back, sneak into the library at night, and let Tom greedily absorb all the knowledge he is interested in.In fact, no matter what Tom asks of him, Kyle will try to meet it.

"Hey, you take care of me, and I take care of you. That's only fair." Kyle explained, "What's more, you are much smarter than me. The development and growth of our Shadow Brigade depends on you."

Under the guarantee of Kyle's strength and Tom's genius planning, this small organization formed by children almost playfully grew up rapidly.A boy selling newspapers, a shoe polisher, a hatmaker tailor... The identities of the members of the brigade are becoming more and more complicated. Almost all the poor children living in London are more or less connected with the organization.

Of course, the biggest activity that Kyle has led the brigade so far is nothing more than fighting, fighting in groups, and then confiscating the spoils of the defeated party: a few beautiful glass beads, candy wrappers sprinkled with gold powder, and a sturdy slingshot...

Tom keenly discovered the convenience of organizing information collection.Adults always think that children can't understand them, so they reveal too much information in their speech.The little girls seem to have a natural talent for capturing sensitive words, and they are also very happy to share gossip with the beautiful black-haired boy Tom.Many little secrets were discovered by Tom in the chat.

"Mrs. Cole likes old Charlie?!"

Kyle thought the world was a wonder.But after thinking about it, that's right, hey, no wonder Mrs. Cole can always be seen in the kitchen, and every time she comes, she will order Kyle to go out to run errands.

"Well, uh, I will definitely avoid her when I see her in the kitchen," Kyle said.

"Apart from this, you didn't think of anything else?" Tom had long since abandoned his hypocritical respect for Kyle. "Don't you think about your future?"

"What future?" Kyle asked inexplicably, "Hey, let me open the vegetable cellar door by the way..."

Tom followed Kyle into the vegetable cellar, and continued, "Kyle, the orphanage only accepts children under the age of 14. Once anyone reaches the age, they have to find their own way."

Kyle finally realized the problem. He straightened up and turned to Tom. "Oh, I can't help old Charlie all the time?"

"If he hires you, yes, but if Mrs. Cole wants to save some money, she'll kick you out and find any other boy to work for them for free," said Tom, "so you should try to get them Can’t, or even dare not hire you.”

Kyle scratched his head, not panicking at all, "It's okay, I can live anywhere anyway, some guys at the dock said they welcome me to work at any time, and the captain of the Red Rose asked me if I wanted to be a sailor with..."

Speaking of the latter, Kyle even brought a trace of longing, "I heard that there are pirates in the sea!"

Tom was stunned, he had never thought that Kyle would not miss his current life.In Tom's imagination, Kyle should pass the time carrying sacks in the kitchen.

"Are you going to leave the Shadow Brigade behind?" Tom asked unwillingly, "And the first batch of dragon scales from the brigade, Anna will definitely miss you too."

"It's not that I won't come back," Kyle looked at Tom with pity, and rubbed his black hair, "Just give me a year