The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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For several days, the Violet Operations Team shadowed the middle-aged single lady like a ghost.

The university stated that this project would be a long-term endeavor, and because of that, the professor had to reorganize her entire schedule.

It took a considerable amount of time to wrap up the graduation theses of the students she was supervising, and to finalize the ongoing company work and projects.

Even amidst all this, the professor constantly tried to make me her research subject.

“Hold still for a second, little Ariel Group member. Just let me check your brain structure.”

“What? Get away, lady!”

*Crackle!*

“Ah! I said hold still. I need to know what Laplacian did to your head.”

I was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

“What, how did you know?”

“I saw it on the ship last time. That was a surgical method Laplacian had been frequently using until recently. You thought I wouldn’t know? I caught a glimpse of it, faintly. What kind of surgery did you undergo at the laboratory?”

We froze like ice. Just a casual glance, and she figured it out.

Seeing our serious expressions, the professor wiped the smile off her face and quickly added,

“Put down your weapon! I won’t tell anyone. We’re in this together, right? Isn’t it fine to know this much? Plus, I already know your unique ability is Clone Creation.”

“What? How do you know that?”

“Ha, you’re like an ostrich burying its head in the sand. Even if you concealed it with a disguise and Recognition Interference Device, you wouldn’t have managed to hide it while being attached to me 24/7.”

Did she already catch on to that? I needed to be careful.

I didn’t think she would disclose our abilities, but perhaps our frequent external activities had leaked our existence.

From now on, I must disguise myself more thoroughly and move cautiously.

After checking out from the hotel, I decided to bring this eccentric professor to our house.

For security reasons, our house was the safest, and most importantly, I could find a way to annoy this arrogant intellectual there.

A sudden amusing thought crossed my mind.

“Let’s gift Uncle Yurik a new slave!”

After all this time without a slave, wouldn’t he be a bit bored? I heard him grumbling about the difficulties of research lately.

Moreover, I had another purpose of teasing the professor. Although she calls herself a professor, now that she’s in the hands of our Violet Clan, she won’t escape the fate of being a slave.

It’s uncomfortable to have that glint in her eyes as if she’s dissecting my head, but if I ask the doctor to use her as a graduate student, it will be a huge help.

「Since she’s a brain science expert, it might aid our ability development.」

The opinions of other Violets were also reasonable.

If she doesn’t comply, I could have Seijis threaten her with brain parasites and bombs.

「What if she refuses?」

「We’ll shock her and blackmail her with romantic letters!」

Thinking it over, Bernike was already in our grasp. I could manipulate her however I wanted.

That humiliation of falling from professor to slave? I’ll make sure she tastes it thoroughly.

A faint smile crept across my lips.

—

Bernike, after getting out of the car, stood in front of the shabby factory, guided by the little Ariel Group girl.

“Oh, my real name is Violet. Lady.”

“Violet?”

“Yes, and that over there is our house!”

Bernike frowned. She couldn’t understand how a girl like Violet could consider such a place home.

“How can a person live in a place like this?”

There were some clans or organizations that occasionally resided in cheap buildings, but generally, those who did were often struggling financially or involved in crime.

“Well, she is involved in crime, that’s for sure.”

What kind of story could these odd Ariel Group girls have with their bizarre Clone Creation ability?

Bernike recalled her terribly unlucky cousin. It was announced that Laplacian had officially ceased research on transplanting or combining mutated genes and tissues of monsters into human brains three years ago.

They cited ethical issues and poor results, but perhaps her cousin was still engaging in that madness.

And in an exceptionally brutal and illegal way.

“Still, if Raihan saw this, he might be utterly shocked.”

These clones were definitely communicating with each other somehow. Their actions were highly sophisticated, far beyond merely being controlled.

Not only that, but the movements of this terrorist group she had witnessed were somewhat strange.

There was no clear leader, and the behavioral patterns resembled those of collective organisms like bees or ants more than those of trained soldiers.

“Is it possible for humans to behave like that? There’s no precedent. I’m not sure, but…”

A very slim possibility crossed her mind. Observing these little ones called the Ariel Group, Bernike recalled an idea she thought was impossible.

Suddenly, she felt a thrill that sent shivers down her spine.

Whatever the nature of the ability, knowing the identity of such precious and rare beings was something no one else in academia knew.

This was a valuable research subject that only I could monopolize.

The delightful intellectual entertainment came to an abrupt end as she filled her hands with a strange item.

*Clank!*

“What are you doing? What is this?”

“Well, lady, this is a Magical Restraint! Can’t you tell?”

“What are you planning?”

Violet beamed a broad smile.

“Outside you might not know it, but in this house, we are the presidents! You already know a bit about our abilities, right? So you need to be under more control!”

“Are you out of your mind?”

At the incredulous words of the professor, Violet grinned wider.

“Who knows! Anyway, from now on, you are our slave. Got it?”

“Are you having another episode?”

“Let’s go! Slave!”

Chuckling, Violet half-dragged Bernike into the shabby office. They entered a small office located in a corner of the factory building.

“Professor Albert is out for a walk! Only Uncle is here!”

Doctor Yurik, who had been writing something on the blackboard, felt their presence and turned around.

“Hmm? Boss, who’s that person? By the way, I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before…”

Violet cheerfully replied.

“This lady? She’s Slave Number Two for you! Use her however you like!”

Yurik’s face twisted in disbelief again.

“What? Slave Number Two? This person?”

“Yep, she’s a professor. If you’re bored, just get her to fetch you coffee or something. I wonder if that’ll help with your research?”

A exasperated Bernike shot back.

“Have you lost it? You think I’m a slave? And this? A research laboratory? This dump?”

“This is our home’s auxiliary research lab! So anyway, you’re a slave now. From now on, you’re Uncle’s slave!”

“Nonsense!”

Yurik, who had quietly been watching the scuffle between a girl and a woman, cautiously asked a question. He felt a very familiar vibe from somewhere.

“…Uh, I’m Yurik. And what’s your name? I feel like I’ve seen you at Eckhardt University.”

“Bernike, Bernike Broadman. Why do you ask my name? Professor?”

Upon realizing, Yurik’s eyes widened.

“So you’re the person I know. Do you know Professor Sturgis? I’ve seen you talking about something important with him in the lab about five years ago.”

“Oh, Professor Sturgis. He was a good person. Wait, I seem to remember something now. Were you one of Sturgis’ lab students?”

Seeing Yurik nod affirmatively, a glimmer of joy crossed Bernike’s face.

“Oh, I didn’t expect to meet a fellow alumni here, Professor Yurik.”

“Um, I’m sorry, but I’m not a professor. The professor was someone else…”

Looking around, Bernike’s face darkened. Truly, this place was a complete mess. What kind of research lab were these terrorists running?

“It is indeed true that these days, many are trying to live off any investment they can get, calling it a lab or startup. But to have just one doctor and think it’s a research lab? Just because they are terrorists.”

“Ah, I don’t know about that! Anyway, lady, from now on, you’re Yurik’s slave. Not a professor! Hurry up and work!”

Watching Violet’s retreating figure, Bernike managed a bitter smile, then plopped down in the chair in front of the desk.

As it happened, that was her spot, so Yurik could only awkwardly sit down next to her, looking rather uncomfortable.

“Hmph, so your name… Is this your thesis? Yurik Pereira? What on earth brought you to get mixed up with that bizarre clone terrorist?”

“It’s a long story.”

Tch, Bernike clicked her tongue briefly. She couldn’t believe he kept such a silly person as a researcher.

He was the typical type of graduate student you might see in a university lab. Naive fools living buried in books.

They do as they’re told but lack originality and are merely timid.

With a scruffy beard and wearing a wrinkled t-shirt and pants, he was utterly unkempt and dirty.

She could only imagine the level of the other professors as well. Probably lunatics or slackers.

She felt sorry for Doctor Sturgis, who went missing after participating in the Magnavis research. To think he had such an idiot as a disciple.

To think of starting a research lab with someone of such little intelligence? That was a typical terrorist’s delusion.

“Your expression implies that here, the term ‘slave’ refers to a graduate student. Please do not misunderstand.”

“Of course. I reached the professorial position at a young age. A graduate student? That’s nonsense.”

His cold gaze, like that of a snake, swept across the desk and study. The place was in complete disarray, with materials and data papers scattered everywhere, and the computer was overheating as if it were calculating something important.

The blackboard was covered with complex formulas that had been written just moments before.

Bernike decided to humor this absurd slave play for a moment and began searching the desk thoroughly.

There was a draft of a paper that seemed to be under preparation on the desk.

Alright, let’s see how far I can play this game.

Bernike chose to vent her stress from Violet’s antics by toying with this silly man in front of her.

“By the way, what are you researching here? Let’s see… These are Professor Sturgis’s materials. Wait, is this it?”

“Professor, that’s still a draft. It’s a failure, so I’m rewriting it…”

Oh, well then, all the better. Though it seemed like a lowly matter, today, she really wanted to give it a shot.

Searching for ways to tear down the paper, Bernike eagerly opened the first page.

Hmm, page one, hmmm. It feels similar to Professor Sturgis’s early research. The topic isn’t bad, but…

Page two, page three. Is it really possible? What nonsense!

Bernike’s gaze narrowed further.

Yurik’s shaky gaze, filled with unease as he looked at her, did not bother her at all as she read through the pages as if entranced.

Suddenly stopping midway, she flipped back to the previous pages, reviewing the earlier formulas,

And took another quick look around the study.

Sturgis’s young aspirations, the visions of his later years.

Finally, her gaze drifted toward where Violet would be, just beyond the wall.

The key to this paper.

Next page, the next page. Let’s skim it first and check the conclusion. There might be gaps, but sufficiently…

Her heart raced. When had she last felt such emotions?

The first love letter, the university entrance ceremony, the due date for her master’s thesis, or maybe the day of her first patent registration?

No, even then, she hadn’t felt this level of excitement. Her mind spun, and her heart pounded.

Bernike abruptly halted her hands as she rushed through the paper. Her once snake-like yellow eyes now flickered between the paper and the man in front of her as if she were drawn in.

Unconsciously swallowing, she asked in a quivering voice.

“Did you write this all by yourself?”

“Not entirely alone. I had help with the magical aspects from Professor Albert. As you can see, his name is also on the author list…”

“Answer me this, Pereira. Did this idea come from your own mind? Or did you lift it from somewhere?”

“It’s my own idea.”

Bernike struggled to calm the excitement bubbling inside her as she spat out her next question.

“Pereira, the theoretical foundation you’ve proposed in this paper is quite intriguing. However, I have some questions. Firstly, from an Ether dynamic perspective, do you really believe that the phase transition of the Ether wave function you’ve proposed is feasible? I understand that you modified the Ekats equation, but how will you address the problem of singularities arising on the complex plane?”

Yes, this will be a tough spot. Bernike recalled having previously discussed this matter with Professor Sturgis regarding his early theories in her youth.

The professor had previously acknowledged his limits regarding this aspect.

Ultimately, he gave up.

“I’m not an expert on this part, but if you can’t overcome it, I’ve heard that expanding consciousness for magical power perception becomes impossible. Most companies or clans have abandoned the Ether dynamic approach for biological methods because of that.”

“Oh, is that the part you’re referring to? I devised a way to eliminate the singularities by applying the Zydelet Zeta function to the non-linear partial differential equations. As you see, this formula…”

Yurik gestured to the incredibly complex formulas scribbled on the blackboard as he continued to explain.

Bernike nodded in admiration.

“Impressive. Handling the singularities was key—so, does that mean you’ve excluded the numerical changes caused by non-linearity? The brain structure of the Awakened Ones is inherently more complex than that of a typical neural network. Due to the influence of Ether, unpredictability caused by initial value sensitivity could interfere.”

“Exactly. However, the Ether neural network of the Awakened Ones exhibits self-similarity, allowing finite patterns to repeat despite its complexity. The girl who just brought you here is the hint. If I reverse-engineer this, I believe I can induce phase transitions more stably. As you can see…”

‘Violet?’

Once again, the blackboard filled with Yurik’s unfolding theories.

The two looked as if they were exchanging a ping-pong ball back and forth, continuing the dialogue.

“So, you’re saying that you intend to converge the collective consciousness into a single consciousness through phase synchronization. That’s a groundbreaking idea. So, in this process, the mental entropy that could arise…”

“Entropy generation is inevitable. However, this entropy can actually be utilized as the driving force for phase transitions. This flux of entropy allows…”

Stuck in a deep discussion, Bernike’s eyes suddenly lit up with realization. This man was not the fool she initially perceived. He was truly wise. She felt parched. Why was it so hot?

“Wait, if this theory holds true… you’re not merely intending to integrate and expand the collective consciousness. By applying this, you could extend even to consciousness structures resistant to Ether. Like how falling dominoes topple one after another. This is exactly what Professor Sturgis mentioned—”

The two spoke simultaneously.

“Ascension.”

They exchanged gazes, and Bernike’s breathing hitched a notch.

“It’s a paradigm shift aimed at artificial evolution surpassing humanity’s genetic limitations. Pereira, congratulations. You’ve carved a breakthrough!”

The air heated up.

The drafts of the paper fluttered toward the ceiling.

As the papers danced like flower petals falling, Bernike burst into joyous laughter and approached Yurik.

“So that’s it! There had to be a mad reason behind that crazy idea. Goodness, haha!”

Oh, what a silly-looking man.

Nevertheless, she found him utterly attractive. Her heart raced violently, and her face felt flushed beyond control.

Unconsciously licking her dry lips, she leaned in closer to this inexperienced youth.

“Right, it might be a bit messy. So what?”

With an intelligent man like this, tolerating minor flaws seems worthwhile.

Upon closer inspection, he wasn’t entirely bad either. With proper investment and refinement, he could develop into something quite presentable.

Polishing the rough stone of a diamond would certainly be a delightful task.

Bernike felt something within her begin to bubble hotly from deep inside her.

“Ugh, aaah! One moment! My shoulder!”

Yurik let out a short yelp as Bernike seized his shoulder with a crazed grin.

She leaned in close enough that he could feel her breath.

“Ahahaha! So, you’re eager for my evaluation? Insane, I thought it impossible. Plus, I overlooked several key factors—specifically, the neuroanatomical aspects. There are errors in that regard. However, I’ll tell you this—based on my career and life experience. Your idea is feasible. It’s the very goal Sturgis attempted and later abandoned. You can pull it off! And that’s not all!”

Bernike declared firmly.

“Perhaps, we can mold a god with our hands.”

“Huh? Also, could you give me some space…?”

“Oh dear, I’m sorry! I thought you were an Awakened One.”

While Yurik, worried that his collarbone and shoulder blades might be broken, was caught in anxiety, Bernike pressed her face even closer.

Having never experienced a woman this near, Yurik struggled to draw breath due to his nervousness.

The smell of perfume, tantalizing lips, warm breath…

“I’ll help you with your research. If you need people or funding, I will provide it all. What do you say?”

“Th-thank you!”

These awkward, clumsy moments felt quite endearing in hindsight.

A subtle smile graced Bernike’s lips.

“By the way, you mentioned I’m a slave? It seems highly inefficient and irrational for a genuine university professor like me to become a slave to someone who just graduated with a doctorate. What do you think?”

“W-well, that’s true…”

With a slightly more softened expression, she whispered,

“Then let’s flip it around. Become my slave, Pereira.”

“Wh-what? Yes! I mean…”

“Will you do it?”

“Uh, um…”

Only after Bernike turned her back and walked away could Yurik finally gather his senses.

“Okay then. Let’s prepare to create a world where everyone is a king. First, we need to meet this Professor Albert guy. Afterward, we have work to do…”

“What kind of work do you mean?”

Five minutes later, upon hearing Bernike’s words as she stormed out of the lab, Violet instinctively pressed the electric shock button.

“Violet, may I take a look inside your skull?”

“Kyyaaah!”