The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

New joys had come to the mundane life of the Red Zone. Puppies, to be exact.

“Woof! Woof!”

“Ha ha ha!”

Their fur came in all colors.

There were black and white puppies, but most of them were adorable little ones with soft, butter-like yellow fur.

A friend told me they were hunting dog breeds.

They were trained to fetch birds and were known to understand human commands quite well.

That wasn’t wrong. These guys really obeyed commands.

“Hey! Play with me! Throw the ball!”

“Master! Master, let’s play! Woof!”

The puppies raced around the rough terrain of the Red Zone, undeterred by the environment.

Behind them, the Violets in charge of walking took one puppy each and ran alongside them.

The speed of the magically enhanced V-Puppies could rival the monsters! They likely had similar strength.

Even though they were just little puppies, I was curious how strong a fully grown dog would be.

“Suddenly there are puppies in the network?”

“Yeah! Puppies are wandering around Violet Plaza.”

These puppies, who suddenly appeared during an animal rescue operation, were the epitome of cuteness!

At first, I thought, ‘They might be friends with the bad guys!’ and was cautious, but once they were materialized, they were so obedient.

“You’re such a good master! The best!”

More than anything, they said they preferred it here over the laboratory. I wanted to raise a puppy, and things were going smoothly.

The only problem was that a few of them were in pretty rough shape.

“My little brother is sick…”

As I watched puppies frolicking around the large monster nearby with the Scholarship Officer, they suddenly stopped playing and brought up their sisters.

They were taking a break after pushing back a horde of monsters that had gone berserk in the Red Zone, just like always.

“Master, help me…”

“My friend is still sick! A-woof…”

I remembered what Cocoa and the other monkeys had mentioned.

Among the test subjects, there had been one that played the role of the leader of the revolution.

The moment I saw that puppy, I was in shock.

Most of its fur had fallen out, and its flesh was rotting away. We and our colleagues realized the terrible state it was in.

“Anyone can see they’re Corbus infection test subjects.”

“It seems so! How pitiful!”

It was a heartbreaking reality.

Those who died during the experiment and were resurrected, or those who lost their lives fighting for freedom, returned through the network healthy and thriving.

The other rescued animals were in the same boat. Seeing their wounds oozing with pus and blood suggested they were definitely in a serious condition.

“That’s strange, why are they alive? Shouldn’t it be normal for them to die like us?”

“Need more investigation on that, but if they survived the disease, it’s worth noting. Weren’t the memories of the animals you saw like that? They were isolated in one place for a long time.”

“That’s true.”

“That means the Foundation must have regarded those animals as somewhat important. Of course, judging by the fact that they tried to kill them the moment a rebellion broke out, they probably weren’t the top priority.”

The next afternoon, upon returning to the continent and checking on the new V-animals in the safe house, Daphne shared a similar opinion.

“I’m not an expert veterinarian, but this looks like it needs treatment right away. They seem to barely hold on with magical power. I can’t say they’re healthy at all.”

“Then treat them!”

In an instant, warm green magic enveloped the animals.

Moments later, the animals’ bodies became clean. The rotting flesh regenerated, and lost body parts sprouted back.

“New fur is growing!”

“They’re healthy! Woof! I’m full of energy!”

The appearance of the new V-animals recovered faster than I expected.

I didn’t know what their insides were like, though.

Besides treatment, there was something else I needed to do.

“Alright, free V-animals! Listen up!”

As the command was given, the animals raised their heads in confusion.

I had decided to give them two options for their health, but I first needed to explain the situation I was in.

I detailed everything that had happened so far.

Through the network, I vividly conveyed the battle scenes and various situations to the new V-animals.

“Whoa… this happened!”

“Geez! The Foundation was indeed a bunch of trash!”

As I observed them, I fell into deep thought. Our Violets pursued equality and freedom, but it seemed that subordinate networks were unintentionally creating a hierarchy with the emergence of disparate networks.

The very fact that I had to deliver information personally was evidence of this.

“Having the animal network as our subordinate can be troublesome.”

“Yeah! If we don’t give them information, they won’t be able to accept ours.”

It generally assures freedom of thought and action, but just looking at Rugilinn’s Iron Fist or this time’s animal friends, when the will is driven strongly, it’s possible to control them like a puppeteer manipulating a puppet.

Of course, it doesn’t happen often.

“Is the opposite not possible?”

“That would be impossible.”

We had discussed the possibility.

According to the professor and doctors at the Violet Laboratory (tentative name), it ultimately was deemed impossible.

-I can’t tell if the metaphor is accurate, but the connection between upper and lower networks is similar to the blood-brain barrier. Only what’s authorized can rise up, while the rest is blocked. -No! That’s an inappropriate analogy. You’re making the common mistake ether engineers do. It’s better to explain it with basic physics, not biology. You see? It’s about water pressure. The pressure of the Violet Network is stronger than the rising pressure of the lower network. Got it?

Upon deeper consideration, it seemed that the Violet Network was simply much more powerful, and once connected, had overwhelming penetrability.

Nonetheless, I emphasized the urgency of developing a vaccine to combat the Foundation’s biological weapons.

“So, I’m giving you two choices!”

The first is to commit suicide and regenerate.

“By doing this, you’ll be completely liberated from the virus! Then, you can play to your heart’s content and fight against the enemies of freedom.”

At this enticing suggestion, the animals were swayed.

For those suffering in the laboratory, it must have been a sweet choice.

“The second is to maintain your current state until a vaccine or treatment is available. The treatment will be the same as the first choice, but experiments like blood draws will continue.”

Restlessness spread among the V-animals.

“After escaping the lab, I’m stuck having to experiment again…”

“I really hate being hurt…”

My heart was heavy, but I decided not to force them.

If I commanded through the network, they could not refuse, but that wasn’t what I wanted.

“That’s tyranny!”

“Exactly!”

Free Violets genuinely care for and look after their subordinates. That’s how it should be fair.

Tension hung in the air as the animals’ emotions relayed through the network.

There was no sense of betrayal or disappointment, but there was a mix of unease, fear, and hesitation.

Just then, one animal stepped forward.

“Master! Me! I’ll do it!”

The first to raise its paw was the revolutionary puppy.

It hesitated for a moment but then wagged its tail and barked in a confident voice.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yeah! Thanks to you, I got to see my lost friends again and gained freedom! Now, I want to live for the Violets and the Ariel Group!”

The puppy’s determination seemed to inspire courage in the other test subjects, and one by one, they began to step up.

“That’s right! We gained our freedom thanks to the Violet!”

“I’ll surrender my life to the Violets!”

“We’ve already experienced death once! If we can be reborn anyway, I will gladly sacrifice this one body for the Ariel Group and animal democracy!”

I felt my heart swell at the sight of the animals stepping up voluntarily.

I had thought they were just ordinary animals, but who would have thought they held such noble spirits of sacrifice.

“Let’s definitely take revenge on the Foundation bastards!”

I was moved to see almost all the animals willing to volunteer for the experiment.

“The grace of the animals!”

“Let’s never forget that!”

We, the Violets, vowed then and there.

Once the fight with the Foundation was over, we would create a better future for the V-animals.

These brave and wise creatures would be the founding heroes of the Violet Nation that would come to be.

“Let’s also establish a special autonomous zone for the V-animals!”

If possible, I wished for it to be shaped more like a pretty girl.

“A town of free animal girls!”

Thus, with the beginning of August, the self-proclaimed Violet Biological Laboratory opened a new chapter.

The lab had two main purposes. To disable the Foundation’s surveillance system and to formulate countermeasures against mutant biological weapons.

Looted valuable items from the Foundation were being properly disposed of, and with the influx of donations and investments from sponsors, financial issues were resolved in no time.

Yurik couldn’t be happier about the situation.

“Are you really that pleased?”

“Professor, please understand!”

Yurik’s eyes sparkled.

“How can I not be glad? Do you know how I feel? This place truly looks like a real laboratory! Plus, at my age… and I’m the head here? Wow…”

The three-story building overlooking Eckhart University was small but impressive with its clean exterior.

Apparently, it used to be a space that some small company used for academic cooperation with the university.

Yurik found it hard to believe his circumstances. Kidnapped at only 30, and suddenly thrust into this bizarre situation through a series of unimaginable coincidences.

And now, one year later, he’d become the head of such a place.

Of course, it was temporary and real power lay elsewhere, but his official title was Laboratory Director.

It still felt like a dream to him.

As he watched numerous equipment and newly purchased items from Rumyx flow into the lab, Professor Albert clicked his tongue briefly.

Although he resembled an excited child receiving a birthday present, he chose not to interfere.

‘I was the same when I was young…’

His brief reflection was abruptly interrupted by the sharp sound of an engine cutting through the street.

A sleek black sports car smoothly entered and came to a soft stop.

Click, and the door swung open.

“So, how does it feel moving into the new building, Captain Pereira? Huh?”

There was a gray-haired woman, someone who certainly drew attention at least once. She had a model-like, slender figure dressed in a white blazer over a black turtleneck, the white pants accentuating her long legs. The outfit was as striking as her presence, flawlessly pulling it all off.

She smiled at him.

“What? Uh, I mean…”

Bernike, seeing Yurik staring blankly at her, smiled coyly.

Looking at this man fumbling his words reminded her of those science undergrads back at the university. The ones who couldn’t even hold a girl’s hand without getting flustered.

Yet soon enough, that feeling shifted to an inexplicable sort of cuteness.

Suddenly, a mechanical tentacle sprouting from her torso thumped against the back of Yurik’s neck, snapping him back to reality.

“Wow, um… yes! Professor Bernike? So, what do you want to discuss…?”

“No, Professor Albert is waiting for you.”

Bernike glanced at her wristwatch.

“Let’s hurry up. I don’t have much time. I’ve had more than ten days off, but who knows when I’ll have to go back in?”

Trying to hide his fluster, Yurik quickly pivoted to another topic.

“Oh, speaking of which, you mean the test subject rampage incident? I heard the psychological damage was quite severe…”

“That’s right. The woman who was the leader took the hit first. She was a mage-engineer from Magnavis brought in by the federal inmate management program; she sustained for a long time against that monster’s meme attack but ultimately ended up screaming and slitting her wrist. An Awakened One can’t die from that level of injury, though.”

“Oh dear… whoever it is, that’s unfortunate.”

Bernike muttered with a sigh.

“Yeah, it is unfortunate. Because of that, the joint laboratory project got delayed somewhat. That thing took out half of our team. We got confirmation that the monster is especially sensitive towards our Ariel Group. At least we learned what the Foundation was up to.”

“Mouse? It’s high time to switch your master. We’ll be starting on the medical treatment.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a sound like a slithering was heard from her back as Broka stretched out.

A pure white mechanical tentacle spread its pincers wide and pulled a mouse from Yurik’s pocket.

The mouse squirmed and exclaimed.

“Peep! The leader can still handle a lot of calls!”

Tsk, Bernike hissed as a voice came from behind.

“Professor, even if your words are rough, it seems you care about our student here. Connecting the location, items, and personnel is truly appreciated.”

“Hehe, I can’t afford to lose the world’s most precious and rare test subject, can I?”

As Albert had been staring intently with his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed slightly. Unfazed, Bernike continued her speech.

“Anyway, others will arrive soon. Those clan hunters are all verified experts in the industry who are obedient and smart. And…”

Her eyes sparkled.

“That genius high school girl and her team are said to be coming too?”

“Genius high school girl? Peep? That lady?”

By now, the Violet connected to the V-Mouse was asking Bernike in disbelief.

“You wouldn’t know. In the old days, the search for prodigies was all the rage on TV. That girl was a frequent guest there; ‘Genius girl who conquered science at a young age!’ or something like that. I still remember when I was in middle school.”

No sooner had she finished her statement than a small bus came to a stop at the roadside. Research staff disembarked under the watchful eyes of the clan hunters.

Among them, a youthful girl stood at the forefront, scanning around until she spotted someone and beamed widely while approaching. It was Phoebe.

“Wow! Yurik brother! How have you been?”

“Ah, yes! I’ve been doing well. Doctor, how about you?”

While the mouse was looking bewildered, something resembling a black-haired girl chuckled mischievously and waved.

“That ‘someone’ you were referring to? Doctor? Hey, brother? We’re not strangers, so why don’t you just call me Phoebe, okay?”

“No, Doctor. This is a formal occasion, so that’s… kinda…”

Phoebe, reveling in Yurik’s embarrassment, suddenly noticed the stiff expression on the woman behind him and frowned.

After a moment of thought, she seemed to realize something and grinned.

“Oh, you must be that person we’ll be working with this time! Nice to meet you, Sister Broadman!”

“…”

As Phoebe lightly stuck her tongue out and left, Bernike opened her mouth.

“Professor Albert? May I have a word with you? Could you watch the mouse for me?”

Her chilly tone made the V-Mouse sensed something was off and turn its head. Upon meeting Albert’s gaze, he shook his head.

Bernike gently gripped Yurik’s hand with both of hers, pulling him slightly closer.

A chilling sensation wrapped around his palm. Yurik stared in suspicion as he was led away.

A sudden question flew out.

“Captain Pereira, what is your relationship with her?”

“That girl? Well, um… it’s not what you think! She seems to have quite the backstory, so I just wanted to lend a few ears… Professor?”

“Captain Pereira, do you know how much I care for you?”

“Yes, yes. That’s quite clear, but why are you…?”

Bernike swiftly continued, her tone soft.

“I expect big things from you, Captain Pereira. Your research could refine and develop your mentor’s ideas beautifully, bringing revolutionary change to this world. That’s the reason I hold you in such high regard.”

“Yes, I remember that. It’s a bit embarrassing, but thank you for praising me-”

“But Captain Pereira, if you’re to do great things, you will need to interact with many people…”

Bernike’s voice became even softer.

“Unfortunately, some prioritize reputation over logical consistency. And you know that woman and her group… as you might guess, they’re seen in the worst light in the current Rustroom. Do you understand? It’s better not to get too close.”

Yurik opened his mouth to protest.

“Professor? I feel like they might have been wrongly accused by the Foundation. That’s not something you could just speak carelessly about—”

In an instant, Bernike’s previously firm expression softened. She leaned in closer, whispering.

“Hehe, Captain Pereira, you’re such a warm-hearted person, aren’t you? I understand. You may feel pity for them… I’m not here to condemn anyone. Just, take care.”

“You are a truly special person.”

“…”

“I apologize if I caused any misunderstanding. I just want to help. You realize I’m doing this out of concern for you, don’t you? You don’t know much about that person yet. You understand what I mean, right?”

Her raptor-like yellow eyes stared unblinkingly at him.

Yurik, previously hesitant, blinked and nodded.

“Yes, yes, Professor…”

“What I’m saying is to maintain some distance. You are smart, so I’m sure you got that. Hehe…”

With her face glowing, Bernike turned to take her leave.

The Violet mouse, watching her figure depart, mumbled.

“That’s kind of scary.”

“You really saw it correctly, Violet.”

Albert responded in a heavy tone.

“I find it awkward that those two strange women are on our side. I can accept the professor, but that odd lady… I admit she is smart but…”

He exhaled.

“If I keep them close, I’m sure they’ll cause some bizarre incident.”

“Incident?”

“…There’s such a thing.”

Violet somewhat understood the professor’s concerns, but thought he might be overreacting.

“That’s strange; they already implanted chips in their heads and cast security spells.”

Violet contemplated, thinking if they ever betrayed or caused a problem, they should be eliminated.

**

Twenty-four hours later, Albert’s fears took a different direction but were surprisingly close.

“I saw your theory! It’s truly revolutionary!”

Phoebe Drexler couldn’t contain her excitement the moment she learned about the existence of Violets.

Of course, before obtaining that information, she had to sign off on all kinds of sanctions and threats, from confinement to murder, and even a dive in a drum.

“Can I help out a bit? Huh? Huh! Let me join!”

Bernike interjected with a voice mixed with irritation.

“Dr. Drexler. Remember that you’re primarily here for research on Corbus infection countermeasures. Don’t forget that, without results, you could be confined again. You know it’s not the time for this discussion?”

“Hey, hey, sis, why are you like this? I get it, you know?”

“Besides, your research method is already an artifact of the past. Retroviruses through reverse transcriptase-based genetic manipulation? Inducing awakening at the cellular level via micro ether manipulation? The current paradigm of artificial awakener research focuses on brain enhancement and stimulation, proven by Laihan and me. This Violet is a living testament.”

“Right! Whatever you just said, I heard it, okay? So you should stop blabbing about your sister and get to work! Make my vaccine!”

As the consecutive attacks brought the Violet mouse into the fray, Phoebe puffed up her cheeks and pouted.

Though her attitude seemed inappropriate for her age, Professor Albert felt a surge of anger as he was about to stand up, just when Phoebe changed her expression and sharply pointed out.

“Yeah! I’ll admit, sister. Modern science is truly amazing and fascinating! But! Can we really just expand our minds by injecting collective intelligence and enhance neural connections? Shouldn’t we dig deeper? Plus, your current method involves manually correcting each individual, right? For those countless Non-Awakened? You’ll have to sit them in chairs for dozens of minutes? Eugh! That’s way too inefficient!”

“…Go on.”

“With your method, it’s like just sticking a 220-volt plug into a 110-volt socket! Didn’t your report say that? Most go berserk due to network pressure, either turning into Violets like the sister or simply dying, or nothing happens! You don’t want to create ghouls bound to the network, do you? Am I wrong?”

Yurik found himself nodding along without realizing it. That was indeed the problem. A faint glimmer of interest sparked in Bernike’s gaze.

“So what’s your conclusion?”

Phoebe’s mouth curled into a victorious smile.

“What we need is a medium that connects the brains of Non-Awakened to the network and works intricately at the very tip of every neuron! Something that connects beings with different consciousness and personalities, like an adapter? I believe if we can acquire something that can control ether at the nano-level, down to the cellular and molecular processes, voilà! There’s our solution! We could produce a significantly larger number of Awakens at a much cheaper cost!”

“Oh, really?”

The Violet mouse, who didn’t understand what they were discussing, chirped in frustration.

“Stop beating around the bush and just say it! What do you mean?”

Phoebe quickly pivoted her head toward the mouse and innocently smiled.

“Sister just needs to think of it simply. A virus that can turn anyone into a Violet without lifting a finger. Or maybe a prion would be even better. How about it? Isn’t that totally revolutionary?”

The mouse’s eyes widened in awe.

“Wow. A V-Virus?”

“Ding ding ding! V-Virus! Correct!”

As Bernike, who had been silently observing with cold eyes, subtly lifted the corners of her mouth.

“That’s a truly insane notion.”

“But isn’t it interesting?”

The eyes of both women crossed in an instant.

Bernike fell into deep thought.

One second, two seconds, three seconds…

A strange sparkle shone in her eyes.

“Yeah, it does sound fun. When do you want to start?”

Yurik shouted in shock.

“Professor!”