The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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Three days had passed since the Rumyx Foundation declared its hunt for the Ariel Group, and the world’s attention was fixated on both factions.

However, there had yet to be any significant clash between the Violets and the Foundation.

The reason was simple: there was no clear target to attack.

“Where on earth are we supposed to hit?”

Violet felt a bit disillusioned at the Foundation’s ease in replacing their executives. She had heard that this would happen eventually, but she didn’t think it would be this extreme. As the Scholarship Officer suggested, it might be better to gather them all in one place and take them out in a single strike.

Or perhaps just set a date to eliminate them all.

[Foundation spokesperson Rainer McCartney condemned the brutality of terrorists regarding the late Director Barkran. “We shall not be broken like this. We will take our revenge.”]

Despite the success of the first airstrike, Violet had to admit they had failed to land a decisive blow. The Foundation’s action, which seemed to expose its own weaknesses to the media, felt more like a provocation saying, ‘Come at me.’

“The troops have definitely increased. Fighting in the city will turn it into a battlefield.”

Clan soldiers hired by the Foundation were roaming the western district, and the mechanical legion observed in the stalemate corridor was beginning to show itself.

[The Foundation revealed its AI weaponry. “The insignificant terrorists will kneel before the advancements of military engineering.”]

“This is strange. Didn’t the Foundation and the Federation’s AI research fail? They seem pretty confident. Looks like they’re showcasing their weapons against our foolish apprentice.”

“Indeed, Professor. I’m curious whether machinery with constraints on Ether can perform their duties. Have they perhaps found a solution?”

The two researchers whispered interestingly while watching the news. Violet recalled the Foundation’s combat power mentioned a few days prior.

The Enforcement Bureau agents and the Foundation’s elite forces, combined with their numerical superiority—a combination known as a high-low mix—from the four major clans—

“Wait, isn’t it three major clans?”

Correction: Such tactical combinations are commonly used by all clans.

Most clans and companies deploy non-awakened troops equipped with exoskeletons and heavy weapons, while the larger clans go a step further by using subpar hunters or students as human shields.

It was a strategy familiar even to Violet—like a hammer and anvil.

According to the Scholarship Officer’s warnings, the Foundation would rely more on unmanned weapons than on humans.

If forces from Laplacian had even joined in, it was likely that shapeshifting monsters would also be deployed.

-Though they might be low-grade monsters like Skullcats or Kroltides, their numbers should not be underestimated. If we encounter them, we must be cautious. We must be careful to avoid civilian casualties!

Violet’s collective intelligence constructed a virtual simulation.

Robot legions armed with railguns and plasma rifles, far exceeding the Federation’s electromagnetic rifles, and hordes of monsters.

And behind them stood elite forces.

“We can’t use magical power, but attach energy weapons? Mechanically, instant output superiority?”

“They are linked with the Nimosis Protocol via quantum communication. Impressive numbers too?”

Violet envisioned battling the strongest foes in her imagination.

“Long live clone democracy! Long live Violet independence!”

“Ahh! I’ve been hit! Nooo!”

They had won once, but they had to consider the worst-case scenario—that things could turn against them.

Even strong girls like Irene might prove to be challenging opponents; Violet was in for a tough fight.

Then what would the solution be? They should take advantage of any gaps that Trist’s people wouldn’t expect.

That is, borrowing the wisdom of great heroes.

Violet’s collective intelligence aimed to draw lessons from history in another world.

The collective intelligence of the stars that had written war histories of past eras gathered in one place.

“Let the Violet strategy meeting begin!”

**

The Violet strategy meeting was conducted in a way that mimicked the greatest intellects in human history through simulations.

This concept was first attempted in Vittorio Arcade against the Vanguard and Vice Student Council President.

Having long forgotten it, Violet deemed now the perfect time to revisit it.

First to appear was the great conqueror Violet, riding atop her white steed. Wielding a bow, she shouted vigorously.

“We will strike like lightning! And then we’ll sweep away anything smaller than our Violet!”

“Hit and run! You mean mobile combat!”

“Exactly! We smash the enemies and tie them to motorcycles! Just imagine the sound of their mothers wailing! They say that laughing while hearing that is the best way to live!”

“…”

The conqueror Violet, overly absorbed in her role, was promptly pelted with stones for her nonsensical ramblings and chased away.

“Ahh! No!”

“Over-immersion treatment complete!”

“Let’s keep going like this!”

The remaining Violets continued their discussion.

“Our Violet is omnivorous! As long as we fill our calories, we can fight on energy bars alone. If we drag it out long enough, the Foundation will tires out first.”

“Let’s deploy Super Medium Tanks! Just like when I crossed the Alps; if they appear unexpectedly, they’ll be completely shocked!”

“Cut the nonsense! Rugilinn’s iron fist is our last resort—use it sparingly!”

“Then let’s plan a mobile operation with the armored vehicles we captured from the naval base…”

“We’ll surround the mansions of the Foundation executives and blast rock music for 24 hours straight! It’ll be so loud they’ll have to surrender!”

The debates continued endlessly.

After a while, Desert Fox Violet and Supply Expert Violet began quarreling with Ancient General Violet.

In the midst of their bickering, a new dark horse appeared: Air Force General Violet, fully clad in her conquest attire.

“Hoo-hoo! Then I can’t help but speak as the Flight Squadron Violet!”

“Gasp! Isn’t that ‘me,’ the pilot Unit 2412 who shot down a Foundation director?”

In an instant, everyone’s attention turned to her. The gravity of having personally piloted a fighter jet was not light.

Feeling the gazes of the ‘me’ watching her, Air Force General Violet declared confidently.

“I consulted with the experts! If we mobilize all our sorties and bomb the places they’re likely to be without rest, we could inflict damage they can never recover from! Let’s send them back to the stone age! From great magical defense missiles to rockets, V-3 cruise missiles, and V-guided bombs!”

“Oh! That’s a plan?”

The Violets whispered amongst themselves, thinking the airstrikes might give the Foundation, which treats them as insignificant terrorists, a serious wake-up call. Plus, guided bombs like one-ton and five-ton options were cheap and easy to produce, ready to be fired in the hundreds or thousands.

Along with a mustached Violet adding his input.

“Then let’s also consider deploying rocket trucks and artillery trucks! While continuously firing V-3 rockets and artillery to harass them!”

“Oooh!”

“Bombardment and shelling are the spirits of the battlefield!”

At that very moment when the Violets were thrilled by the simplest and clearest solution, one Violet poured cold water on the enthusiasm.

“What about the casualties? What do we do about civilian casualties? Have you forgotten when entire apartments were blown away in Circliff?”

“Oh no!”

The Violets screamed. At this rate, they’d almost commit a war crime. Attacking innocent people was certainly not the right thing to do.

“So what do we do now?”

-Slap!

A piercing noise suddenly echoed, and all the Violets’ attention snapped to the source. A Violet wearing a star-studded helmet held a riding whip.

“You idiots! You cowards! We must charge! Charging is the only answer! Until we collapse from exhaustion!”

“Wait, aren’t we going to be annihilated? The enemy’s firepower is no joke.”

Faced with rebuttal, General Violet plopped down onto a chair. With heavy footsteps, she placed her riding boots on the desk.

“There is a way. Use the armor! Just like medieval knights!”

“There’s a knight… Oh! That’s right!”

Two images rushed through her mind; a knight clad in heavy armor and a massive silhouette standing taller than it.

“Think about the supplies we captured from the naval base. Didn’t we gradually acquire some things after Circliff? There’s no need to overthink it!”

“Yes! That could handle urban combat and indoor warfare. Airborne deployment is also possible!”

As the Violets expressed awe, General Violet stood tall on the table.

“Let’s not die at the hands of those foolish Foundation bastards! Let’s make them die for the Foundation!”

“Waahhh!”

The ‘Valiant Knight Tactic’ was unanimously adopted in that moment, and Violet felt as if she had touched the intellect of the stars.

“This is the power of collective intelligence!”

**

As a gloomy vertical takeoff aircraft descended, a group of special forces disembarked.

Warriors clad in optical camouflage cloaks and alloy masks bore the crest of Arshight on their shoulders.

“Administrator Elena has dispatched assassins. However, I question the tactical efficacy of such traditional methods in the current situation.”

Director Quabna observed the Arshight strike team conferring with the armored unit with a cold gaze. Notably, a young man with a nervous disposition drew his attention.

Observing the sight, deep lines creased the luxurious ebony face of the director. He crossed his arms, expressing distrust.

“As the analysis of the remaining data from Circliff suggests, the targets are not mere clones. Our research department’s analysis aligns with Arshight’s. The possibility of unlimited multiplication of hostile entities is confirmed. It’s conclusive that the mechanism is likely derived from Unique Abilities or relics.”

“Director, you are aware that this is a crisis for both the Foundation and humanity. They are a monstrosity that must be eradicated. We cannot let them be.”

Director Quabna sighed under the pressure. As the second director of the Foundation and the overall commander of tactical containment, he harbored anxieties over the upcoming defense operation.

His worries were somewhat mirrored in the chancellor’s demeanor as well.

“The Foundation lacks large-scale battlefield control measures like the Magnavis’s wide-area magical system. They don’t possess an army at the level of Restraid, so they can’t initiate frontal assaults. Moreover, they lack the guerilla warfare and information warfare capabilities of Arshight. Furthermore, the Foundation’s total capacity is concentrated on a single project, such as implementing Grand Mage Polaris’s collective consciousness or Restraid’s colossal project.”

“I wonder what the intention is behind reiterating what we already understand, Director?”

“Why is the time of the hunt announcement now? And is this tactic actually effective?”

“It is effective. It will definitely succeed.”

Although Secretary General Fegan’s expression appeared uncomfortable, his tone was filled with confidence. The director pressed on.

“I would like to remind you that I am a field operative. While I have been loyal to the Foundation’s ideology from the beginning, I do not fully accept its methodology. From a tactical standpoint, proven conventional weapons are more reliable than unstable cutting-edge armaments. The proposals from the chancellor and board often seem very experimental to me and my field staff.”

“I understand your concerns, but they are not unfounded. We’ve partially decoded the Ariel Group’s magical patterns, and the data showed meaningful results. Not only that, the intelligence collected by the Foundation’s research and the agents of the Enforcement Bureau has significantly activated the learning algorithms of their starving counterparts. Thus, the solutions…”

The two directors halted in their tracks.

In front of their eyes, a group of personnel, under the guard of the Enforcement Bureau agents, carefully moved a precise transport cart as if handling an unstable hazardous substance.

The researchers in biohazard suits bore the emblem of Laplacian on their shoulders.

-Thunk!

As one researcher lost their balance on the slippery floor, the senior researcher, looking furious, chastised them loudly.

“Are you out of your mind? Have you forgotten the danger of what you’re handling?”

“My apologies!”

Observing the commotion during the transport of materials, the chancellor spoke solemnly.

“Do you remember my brother, the rogue of Rumyx?”

“A being with both scientific madness and savior characteristics. He resolved the Corbus infection.”

“I remember.”

“Of course. At the moment when a solution for Laplacian was proposed, I was a low-level staff member in charge of the reception and handling of personnel from the involved pharmaceutical companies on-site.”

“Then I’ll omit the detailed explanation. Decades ago, we secured the foolish researchers who were seized by blind passion and made a huge mistake. Some underwent information incineration procedures, and some of the key researchers have been placed under hibernation isolation. Hence, we secured all the research data.”

The special transport containers, clearly marked with biohazard warnings, were sequentially opened.

It took a long time to unlock the seven-sealed boxes inside. This was material that could not be underestimated as a hazardous legacy from the past.

Once the waiting was over, a very small precision vessel emerged from within the box.

The robotic arm in the containment room moved with extreme caution, handling the unstable hazardous material.

“Those rebellious terrorists are no different from a swarm of locusts that will eventually ruin the world. Is there really a need to catch pests like cockroaches and grasshoppers by hand? Pests should be exterminated with pesticides.”

Inside the vessel, a dark red mist swirled.

“They will be exterminated by the power of science.”

**

The V-3 mice scurried around the stalemate corridor, munching on peanuts strapped to their backs.

Recently, the sounds of human footsteps traversing this space had grown more frequent.

“There’s a lot more human scent these days, squeak!”

“There’s an opening; should we try going in? Squeak squeak!”

Just then, Lemon sharply pointed out while passing by the whispering mice.

“Your voice is too loud, Orange. Strawberry! And unauthorized actions are prohibited. Reporting to the chief and receiving approval is our principle, principle!”

“Got it… then I’ll request it…!”

The mouse called Orange immediately sent a communication to the chief. With a positive response from the command center, the mice sprang to action.

“Let’s try testing… infiltration authorization?”

“Okay! I’ll go!”

“Paradise!”

“Let’s draw lots!”

Excited mice drew lots for the infiltration mission. One lucky mouse cheered as it quickly packed its bundle.

“Good luck, Strawberry!”

“Alright! I’m off!”

Following the vast stalemate space, the small mouse dashed away. With every movement, the bundle and multi-tool strapped to its back clinked.

When energy was low, it pulled out pre-prepared feed to eat and replenished its stamina with the water and food stashed at secret hideouts throughout the corridor.

The layout of the stalemate space was constantly changing. However, there was one unchanging rule: the locations of the main entrances.

Interestingly, the scent of the traces left behind lasted a long time.

Though humans couldn’t recognize it due to biological limits or simply dismissed it as unpleasant, it was different for the mice.

“I found it… the marked trace here!”

At long last, Strawberry reached the pre-marked location. Hiding and waiting, it wasn’t long before the space twisted.

The sound of footsteps could be heard, and the mouse quickly retrieved a camouflage cloak prepared specially by its owner from its bundle.

Made from rare materials, it was supposed to block any detection. It prayed not to be found.

Carefully, one step at a time. A clever mouse slipped between the giant feet and wheels.

“Succeeded! Squeak!”

It barely suppressed an excited sound. Strawberry mentally recited the Animal Democracy Code to calm its excitement and began searching for a hiding spot.

Fortunately, human attention was focused elsewhere.

A surveillance camera swept overhead, but it was safe.

“To the ventilation duct… good!”

The ventilation duct was extremely narrow and full of sharp protrusions. Occasionally, when a red beam swept overhead, a hot wave of heat could be felt.

Patrolling mechanical cockroaches exuded mechanical odors throughout the passage.

Each time, Strawberry had to hold completely still and play dead.

“Paradise… Network… I’m a dead mouse… a corpse…”

Gradually closing its eyes and murmuring, its body naturally cooled and the racing heart quieted down.

The approaching cockroaches passed by indifferently. Sighing in relief, the mouse continued exploring the maze-like interior of the Foundation facility.

“That was close!”

The command center responded to the mouse’s report. It was likely a trap set by the Foundation to deter intruders.

They had almost made a foolish mistake and fallen into paradise. To avoid embarrassment as V-3 mice, Strawberry resolved to be even more cautious in scouting the facility.

Then unexpectedly, it encountered a vast space.

“Squeak, what is this…?”

Countless glass test tubes stretched into view. The test tubes were connected to complex machinery, and inside was a person.

“A corpse?”

No, that wasn’t it. The person inside the glass tube was breathing.

Through the animal network, Strawberry thought it resembled a coffin or prison.

Armed guards patrolled around them. The mouse quickly wrapped itself in its camouflage cloak and hid in the corner.

In the final moment, things placed inside the tube caught its eye. Most were children, occasionally mixed with adults.

“Who are these people?”

Near the closest tube lay a black-haired woman, looking displeased.

The mouse didn’t dwell on its thoughts but concentrated on its duty. Strawberry reported directly to the chief, soon feeling a sharp jolt as the network connected in its head.

“Chief! There are humans here! Do you recognize any of them?”

Violet scanned the mouse’s viewpoint, from the nearest to the farthest. They were all strangers.

But this place…

Violet gasped. If her friend had been taken, this would have been one of the possible outcomes.

“This place is…!”

“Prison!”

The Ariel Group had drawn their sword.