The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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Chapter 1 – Retribution

“Retribution is an indispensable act to survive in this academy city.”

If an immediate response isn’t made, one is often ignored.

So the Violets wasted no time in seeking revenge.

“Violet Delivery Squad, assemble!”

Before long, the Violet Delivery Brigade arrived swiftly to encircle the scene.

A ruthless attack swept through the residential area.

“Enemies! They are everywhere!”

*Rustle!*

The suspicious group that had been playing gangsters in our grasp was obliterated in under five minutes.

All that remained was one survivor, groaning and spitting blood.

“We did it!”

Unfortunately, the brave pizza delivery personnel failed to achieve their true objective here.

They had exacted revenge but neglected to secure what truly mattered.

“Where’s the pizza? We need to find the pizza!”

“I think it’s over there!”

“What?! The pizza is burnt!”

These ruthless villains had thrown Violet and the pizza into the burning building to eliminate evidence.

All we could salvage was a blackened wreck.

“Damn it! We’re late on delivery! Wait…”

*“Why is it taking so long!”*

“I’m sorry! I’ll be there shortly!”

Holding the crumbled charred pizza, all we could do was apologize to the barrage of complaints from our customers.

In an attempt to relieve our anger, we decided to interrogate these villains.

“Hey! Our pizza got burned! Who the hell are you guys?!”

*Thud! Thud!*

Unable to control our rage, the Violets beat the prisoner just enough to keep him alive.

As we injected him with a restorative potion, the blue-colored drug was absorbed down his throat.

The limp figure slowly opened his eyes.

Of course, it wouldn’t last long, so we had to get him to talk somehow.

“Tell me! Who do you belong to?”

Grabbing him by the collar and shaking him, the man struggled to part his lips.

“…a…”

“What did you say?”

221 was all ears, leaning in close to his mouth.

After a few weak gasps, he muttered.

“…ma…”

“I can’t hear you. Try saying it again.”

“Your… mom…”

“What?”

“You’re all idiots! Your mom!”

Just as incredulity was about to turn into fury, a strange sound echoed.

He bit down on something inside him with all his might.

As he collapsed, the corpses of the intruders exploded in unison and started to blaze up.

The flames spread onto the nearby Violets.

“Ahhhh! The bodies are burning!”

“I’m on fire too!”

As the Violets rushed about to put out the flames, a loud noise split the air above their heads.

“What the…? What’s that…?”

5543 and 2212 looked up as they vanished.

“Airstrike!”

Suddenly, fire rained down from the sky. The explosion obliterated the very ground where we stood.

The Rider Violets gasped and looked up.

There was something unseen in the dark sky.

“Where is it? I can’t see!”

“Just run away!”

The Violets dispersed in a frenzied cloud of smoke, scattering in all directions.

**

“What’s with all this commotion?”

A drone pilot sighed as he watched the grim gray landscape captured by thermal imaging.

The information officer in the situation room turned with a sharp expression.

On the screen, white figures scattered between the buildings like fleeing rats.

The chain explosions from precision-guided bombs raining down had turned the redevelopment area into chaos, resulting in enemies scattering like ants.

Faced with this unexpected situation, the commander’s reaction was textbook.

He was about to cycle through the five stages of grief that a terminal cancer patient might express, in the blink of an eye.

The first stage was denial.

“Is this… the end?”

“Confirmation of casualties: All personnel of the Beta-3 Special Task Force. Many primary targets have escaped.”

The trembling report from the comms officer froze the control room in an instant.

The commander, watching the situation from behind the operation room, finally had to face the harsh reality, and anger surged within him like a volcano ready to erupt.

“Damn it! What are those things? What’s the additional information? What are our reconnaissance assets doing? Reconfirm enemy positions immediately!”

“Commander, we currently cannot track the enemy. They used multi-domain smoke grenades to evade our surveillance and quickly concealed themselves using the complex terrain in the operational area. We have exceeded the limitations of our reconnaissance assets.”

“You can’t track them? Is this some kind of joke? Our elite soldiers are losing their lives — what have you all been doing? Is our high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft just a decoration? Re-verify immediately! Get the Mech Hounds and all other unmanned ground vehicles deployed! All of them!”

The lieutenant’s insignia gleamed ominously under the red alert lights of the control room.

What began as a routine operation to strike an army intelligence hideout had turned into an absurd fiasco due to unexpected variables.

“Damn it! Who are these guys? Find a clue! Activate all intelligence networks!”

The information officer cautiously spoke up in the furious commander’s presence.

“Commander, analysis of the last communication revealed… the codename ‘National Pizza Rider Alliance’ has been confirmed.”

As the words left his mouth, color drained from the officer’s face.

Realizing how ludicrous his information sounded, his eyes trembled with anxiety.

“Are you kidding? I heard it too! Is that all our intelligence officer can deduce? There must be something hidden in it! It could be a new military secret weapon or a local cooperative clan! Analyze it thoroughly! Quickly!”

As he gave orders, the commander collapsed onto his seat like a machine that had powered down.

His psychological state had rapidly transitioned from denial to fury, and confronting the harsh reality of an elite operational team evaporating had thrust him deeply into despair, skipping over the bargaining phase.

A figure in the encrypted communication screen beside him broke the heavy silence.

“-Major Jukovic, are you okay?”

“Do I look okay to you?”

“-That’s why I had warned you. Such shadows are dangerous. There are unexpectedly diverse forces lurking within the academy city’s underbelly. Legends of retired hunters, delinquent students, veteran resolvers from clans… and gangs. So don’t beat yourself up too much, okay?”

As Lihan made a lighthearted remark, Jukovic managed a wry smile.

“Are you saying our elite special forces are less capable than those rabble?”

Watching the chaos unfold in the joint special operations control room, Lihan quietly ended the transmission.

The secretary by his side spoke up.

“Chairman, I’m concerned about the capabilities of the naval special forces. How about providing your planned support to the Air Force’s ground attack unit instead?”

“I know, I know. What’s the military like? They’re all the same. The next Air Force ground unit coming? They’re just as predictable. I’m not expecting much.”

Lihan scoffed at the thought of a strange strike team operating both air and armored units.

His attention turned towards the unidentified delivery crew of armed individuals.

“By the way, those folks look pretty interesting. A gang masquerading as delivery personnel… while they did score with their ambush tactics, their combat power isn’t bad. Wouldn’t they be worth hiring as mercenaries?”

“I’ll attempt contact immediately.”

The naval special ops command and Lihan’s focus briefly shifted to the unidentified enemy.

3213 Violet was about to suffer a pay cut due to tardiness.

“Noo!”

**

Our Violets sprang into action as always.

Although we felt a slight sting from reduced income thanks to the unidentified villains’ antics overnight, our steps remained light.

“What could those guys have been?”

Unfortunately, there was no way to know who they were. The night sky had been pitch-black, and their corpses had turned to ash and vanished in an instant.

No clues to be speculated upon remained.

Through collective intelligence from the Violet Network, we could only deduce two things.

“Could they be from a big corporation or mid-sized to large clan?”

“If so, it has to be a clan quarrel!”

We vowed to avoid getting involved in such bothersome matters again and looked out the window of the airship.

It had barely been a few hours since departing from the rust room, and the land was already drawing near.

“Wow! Airship! This is amazing!”

Enrique, with her nose practically stuck to the window, was cheering loudly.

Every time clouds brushed by and the scenery zipped past, she squealed in excitement.

Having been trapped in the research lab for ten years, everything was new to Enrique.

Of course, not everyone shared in her exhilaration.

“Ugh, it’s too noisy. This is an airship with other passengers. Can you please keep it down?”

Turning toward the voice that sounded strict and irritated, I saw a familiar face.

The one speaking was Ruthlinn, clad in military attire, seated atop crates, with her hair tied back tightly.

“I don’t get why you’re so giddy. This is all a bit frantic, really. Wandering around in an airship is…”

“Hey! Ruthlinn, you’re the louder one! Keep it quiet!”

“Ugh…”

Having said a word to the nitpicking Ruthlinn, she immediately shut her mouth.

Since she’d been revived with the reactor, she’d become a bit more lively and talkative. But then again, being from the military, she had a tendency to be a bit rigid and strict.

“-Violet, why are you so carefree? You’re a hunter. You should set an example for others. Don’t act recklessly.”

-It’s honestly so bothersome. Why do you keep acting so rashly? Self-destruction? You need to think logically.”

As her nagging resonated in my mind unconsciously, I frowned.

“Anyway, with just us and the pilot and crew on here, it doesn’t really matter if we make some noise. Stop being such a buzzkill! It’s no big deal. Just ignore the orders.”

“Fine…”

Pouting, Ruthlinn resigned and faded away from view.

“Thanks to you, I just had my first in-flight meal! So this is what airship travel is like! Thank you!”

Enrique’s excited voice made me chuckle and reply.

“Not really, and that’s not even in-flight food; it’s just a boxed meal!”

“What? Ah, I really wanted to try in-flight food…”

Seeing Enrique’s disappointed expression softened my heart.

“Okay, then I’ll say that when we go back, we’ll fly a plane!”

“Wow…”

Enrique’s eyes sparkled. As I calmed her down, I felt the airship slowly descending.

Gradually, but steadily, the airship quivered.

Soon, a heavy yet smooth sound like the wind whistling was heard, and the airship came to a complete halt.

The ramp of the cargo airship opened.

Warm sunlight flooded into the cargo hold.

As the crew quickly stripped off the waterproof covers from the cargo, an imposing tank hidden beneath revealed itself, glimmering in the light.

“Violet, do you remember how to drive? You just need to take it out from here now!”

Ruthlinn’s voice echoed in my mind.

“Got it!”

The myriad of devices securing the super medium tank were released.

Ruthlinn re-emerged beside the cockpit hatch, gesturing around and guiding the direction.

“Don’t shift too quickly! Press the pedal slowly. Got it? My driveshaft hasn’t had a proper run yet, so be careful.”

“I know, geez!”

As Ruthlinn nagged, she sighed upon seeing Enrique reaching toward the turret.

“Whoa! We’re moving forward!”

“No! No! Don’t poke your head out, get back in! You could fall! If you get crushed, I won’t take responsibility!”

“Alright, alright, fairy girl. Just a minute! It’s my first time riding a tank!”

The tank, now fully outside the airship, followed the directions and exited the airfield.

Now, all we had to do was place it on the trailer.

An unexpected figure was waiting for us at the airstrip.

“Sister Adela? Didn’t you say you were busy?”

The surprise in my voice slipped out without me realizing.

“Ahem, it’s related to Violet, so of course, I couldn’t miss it. This is our domain. I have an obligation to personally guide any guests.”

Sister Adela, accompanied by her attendants, warmly welcomed us.

Lines adorned her soft, fair skin.

Sister Adela’s gaze, which had been welcoming 6021, shifted to the Enrique beside me.

“And… is this the new friend… you’ve made?”

Sister Adela’s voice trembled slightly. I observed her expression closely.

“Hello, I heard you’re the Student Council President of Violet’s school. I’m Enrique.”

As Enrique suddenly offered her hand, Sister Adela’s eyes sparkled.

“Ah… Enrique, so it’s you. I’ve heard about you.”

“Yes. But… huh? What’s wrong?”

“Enrique! Would you consider coming to Aegis instead of Vesperia? Our school has various scholarship policies and benefits for students wanting independence. And there are nasty witches in Vesperia! Do you need any support? I could bring it up to the board. What do you think about re-evaluating? Aegis always welcomes talented students!”

Sister Adela grabbed Enrique’s hands. Enrique looked a bit taken aback as she mumbled.

“Thank you, but I think Vesperia fits me better since they specialize in magical studies.”

“I see… that makes sense. If that’s what you want, I can’t help it.”

Sister Adela stepped back slightly, looking a bit disappointed. She soon composed herself again and returned to her usual elegant and composed demeanor.

“By the way, is that the tank Violet mentioned…?”

Sister Adela’s gaze fell upon the tank on the trailer. In that instant, her movements ceased.

The lavender gaze was fixed upon a girl sitting stiffly atop the turret, adjusting her military uniform.

“…?”

“Violet! That, that girl is…! No way…!”

Sister Adela’s voice rose in a pitch that seemed like a scream, then she quickly covered her mouth.

Her attendants turned away, as if accustomed to this.

Seeing Sister Adela approach, Ruthlinn swiftly dismounted from the tank.

“Excuse me, are you Ruthlinn’s Iron Fist?”

Ruthlinn’s Iron Fist looked puzzled for a moment but quickly assumed a soldier’s stance.

“Yes, that’s correct. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Cascadia. I am Ruthlinn’s Iron Fist, tasked with the tank battalion of the Violet Brigade. How may I assist you?”

With a salute executed with precision, the color fled from Sister Adela’s face.

“C-Cute…”

“Yes?”

Ruthlinn’s Iron Fist tilted her head, puzzled by the bewilderment.