The south had always been harder.
Where Luzon was ruled by dynasties of lawyers and businessmen, Mindanao was a land of warlords. Private armies were larger, loyalty was bought with bullets, and politics was written in blood.
Miguel knew if the Ghost Army wanted true reach, it had to cut into this soil.
The target was clear: The Dimaculangan Clan of Maguindanao.
For four decades, they had owned the province — controlling ports, fuel depots, and a militia of nearly two thousand fighters. They weren't just politicians; they were warlords.
Their power came from three things:
Smuggling routes — guns, fuel, even narcotics.
Private militia — armed to the teeth with mortars and machine guns.
Fear and tradition — their name was law in the villages.
Taking them down would be Miguel's greatest test yet.
[New Task: Undermine a Warlord Clan.]
[Objective: Cripple the Dimaculangan network in Maguindanao without exposing your hand.]
[Reward: Regional Shadow Authority — ability to quietly sway provincial governance.]
Ghost hackers intercepted financial routes. Smuggling manifests revealed that the Dimaculangan Clan was moving fuel by sea at night, feeding both their war chest and their militias.
Two fast boats of the Ghost Navy were dispatched. Disguised as rival pirates, they intercepted the convoy, scuttled the ships, and left behind evidence pointing to a competing warlord clan.
By dawn, the Dimaculangan smugglers were accusing their rivals of betrayal. Gunfire erupted in coastal villages as two warlord clans clashed — neither knowing the Ghost had lit the spark.
The Dimaculangan militia was feared across Mindanao. But loyalty there was shallow; many fighters were mercenaries who simply wanted pay and protection.
Miguel deployed Shadow Influence Protocols. Anonymous text messages, subtle bribes, and staged "rumors" were planted. Soldiers began doubting their paymasters. Some defected, others demanded higher wages.
Weeks later, a platoon of the Dimaculangan militia walked into a Ghost safehouse, weapons slung over their shoulders. Their commander muttered:
"We've had enough. They don't pay. They don't protect. Tell us what you want, and we'll listen."
The Ghost Army grew stronger.
But even with smuggling disrupted and soldiers defecting, the Dimaculangan name still carried power. To weaken it, Miguel needed proof of their crimes.
Ghost drones captured footage of the clan's patriarch meeting with cartel leaders, exchanging crates of narcotics under armed guard. The video was leaked to a southern journalist known for fearlessness.
Within days, headlines screamed across Mindanao:
"Dimaculangan Clan Exposed: Drug Trade and Militias Revealed."
For the first time, villagers whispered openly: "Maybe their power is fading."
The Dimaculangan patriarch responded with fury. He sent fifty armed men to burn down the journalist's office in Cotabato.
But the Ghost Army had anticipated it. Bravo Squad intercepted them in the night, eliminating the convoy on a mountain pass. To the public, it looked like a mysterious ambush by rival clans. To Miguel, it was simply another message delivered: the Ghost is always watching.
The System pulsed:
[Task Complete: Dimaculangan Network Undermined.]
[Reward Unlocked: Regional Shadow Authority.]
[You may now sway provincial and municipal leaders with covert leverage. Influence grows beyond single allies.]
On Miguel's digital map, Mindanao glowed less red. The warlord network wasn't dead, but it was bleeding badly.
Senator Vergara received an encrypted dossier from an "anonymous courier." It contained detailed evidence of Dimaculangan corruption, smuggling, and militia abuse.
She brought it to the Senate floor, slamming the thick folder on her desk as cameras rolled.
"These are not leaders. These are criminals in barong Tagalog. The people of Mindanao deserve better!"
Applause thundered. For the first time, Mindanao's warlords were being named openly in the halls of Manila.
From his hidden command post, Miguel watched the south flicker with unrest. Dynasties crumbling in Cavite. Warlords bleeding in Maguindanao. Reformists rising slowly, unknowingly shielded by his hand.
The Ghost Army was no longer a Manila shadow. It was becoming a nationwide force.
But Miguel also knew one truth: the more ground he took, the more enemies would unite against him.
And somewhere in the dark, he could feel it — the first signs of a counter-force.