The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

Chapter 148: Violet Got Caught in a Conspiracy! (1)

A good tree doesn’t make toothpicks. This was an old proverb from a now-destroyed nation.

This saying carries the meaning of not wasting precious resources and time on useless things, and it was often used to depict the contemporary attitude that looked down on soldiers.

Perhaps because of the trend of belittling soldiers, this nameless nation was the quickest to fall during the First and Second Dimensional Invasions.

Interestingly, even after the war, when the existing national systems were integrated and reorganized into a federation, this proverb continued to survive and was used among the Awakened.

Currently, this phrase is used by Awakened officers as a form of self-deprecation and satire in response to the situation where capable Awakened individuals do not volunteer for the federal army.

In truth, capable Awakened individuals have no reason to join the military unless they have a special motivation.

If they have the skill, they can join a large clan and enjoy income and benefits far higher than those of an officer, and if they dislike clans, they can live freely as freelance hunters or private contractors.

As a result, the only talents the federation can recruit are usually the scraps left behind by clans and corporations.

When some unscrupulous Awakened officers’ civil issues and scandals were widely reported by media outlets sponsored by clans, public opinion turned against them. At some point, people agreed to call Awakened soldiers "toothpicks" in reference to the proverb.

Sadly, the man standing in front of the Aegis Academy students, Major Marius, was an exemplary "toothpick" in a bad way.

A former B-class pull-up hunter, he was now interrogating students in a high-handed manner.

"Can’t answer right now? What affiliation are you with? Why are you here?"

A dark gun barrel loomed ominously in front of a male student’s eyes. The EM-27 electromagnetic pistol was much larger and more intimidating than expected.

"I’m really a student! I showed my student ID!"

The male student bravely protested in front of the barrel.

Unfortunately, the words of the student sounded to Major Marius’ ears like, "How dare a lowly ’toothpick’ from a minor clan be here!"

"How can you prove that? How can a student be active in such a deep area? Tell me!"

Reflecting his uncomfortable mood, the servomotors of the exoskeleton attached to the major’s limbs hummed threateningly. Around them, soldiers carrying large rifles also pressured the students just as much as their superior.

"I told you I came for a tour..."

"We are currently conducting a special military operation. We received intelligence that suspicious people like you are collecting dangerous relics and plotting a conspiracy. Why are you near those relics?"

Major Marius pointed at the sawtooth orb placed in the corner of the building.

"Was that a relic?"

One female student spoke up with a confused expression. Annoyed, the major slapped her across the face.

"Shut up! Who told you to answer without permission?"

"Eeek!"

Though the shock was absorbed by the Ether Barrier, the girl, who hadn’t expected violence, shrank back in surprise.

"If you don’t cooperate willingly..."

Major Marius didn’t finish his sentence. A group of armed soldiers walked over from the alley.

-Ah, ah, mic test! Hello!

The loudspeaker turned on. Soldiers in black clothing walked toward the Federation Mobile Unit.

With Violet’s Squad deployed, I was dumbfounded.

"What kind of idiots are these?"

A group of soldiers was taking the poor students and interrogating them. I felt a sense of déjà vu.

"Ugh! Imperialism!"

"Japanese Empire! Nazis!"

Even though the Awakened are a powerful force, surrounding dozens of students with soldiers and then immediately beating and threatening them was inhumane.

They were surrounding the students just like the mercenaries who ambushed Irene in the past, with tanks and armored vehicles.

"What kind of mentality is this?"

Just in case, I created more troops beyond the alley. A company-level force was deployed.

"Stop! Stop! Identify yourselves!"

They were on guard as they noticed us. I briefly whispered to Irene.

"Can I borrow your clan’s name?"

"Of course. If not here, then when else would we use it?"

Not wanting to sound unconvincing, I decided to make use of the prestige of my friend’s clan.

I spoke into the loudspeaker.

"We are the 10-6-8 Operation Team from the Helios Frontier Service, Ariel Group! We have received a student rescue request from Aegis Academy and are carrying it out! Who are you?"

"What? Helios? Ariel Group?"

The soldier who had been most actively bullying the students earlier, wearing a beret, stepped forward.

He looked like a soldier with a frustrating expression. A strange insignia was attached to his beret. It wasn’t a national military insignia, so I didn’t know who he was. What kind of person was he?

"I am Major Marius, commander of the 60th Mobile Combat Unit. Who is your highest-ranking officer?"

Ah, a major. That’s a bit higher than I expected.

I shrugged, and Irene, wearing a mask, stepped forward and carefully handed over her ID card.

The aide standing next to the major quickly snatched it and examined it.

"Hmm, is this real?"

"Irene Solstice, Team Leader. Those students over there, can we take them?"

The major snorted in response.

"No, this is our jurisdiction. We can’t release them. Do you have any proof that those are students?"

"The identity can be verified by Helios and Aegis Academy. Any further issues can be discussed outside the dungeon. Now, will you release them?"

"We also have photos!"

I showed the list and photos that Adela had given me. The major scowled.

"They’re probably similar to the ones in the photos! Besides, do you see that relic? They carelessly touched the relics we’re investigating. This is a serious national security threat!"

"No! We thought it was just a statue or something!"

"We just took pictures out of boredom. What’s the problem?"

The students behind us protested.

The standoff between Irene and the major continued.

“We will take responsibility for escorting the students.”

“You can’t take them! What do clans know anyway?”

Ugh, that wretched guy. Always nitpicking about security or credentials whenever something happens. And he calls himself a major?

I recalled my faint memories of military life before my possession. There was a guy just like him back then.

"He must’ve been a major or a lieutenant colonel too!"

"A guy who harassed soldiers, bullied officers, and got his promotion blocked!"

That guy, who missed his stars, eventually got caught drunk driving and was relegated to a desk job. The resemblance between him and this major was uncanny.

To think such officers existed across dimensions. Truly, the enemy of the world!

As the guy kept spouting nonsense, Irene’s tone grew increasingly irritated.

“If that’s the case, our clan and the academy will have to take action against the ten coercive and inhumane acts committed against students earlier. This includes violations of the three agreements between the Federation and the Academy City, infringements on the autonomy of the clan, and the Federal Army’s breach of military law concerning the safety guarantees of academy students.”

“What did you just say?”

I didn’t stay idle either. I pointed at the black boxes attached to Irene and myself.

“We recorded all of it. We’re ready to expose it to the media. Can you handle the lawsuits?”

“…Ha! Who do you think you are, little brats, daring to mock the army?”

The man grimaced and muttered loudly enough for us to hear. The soldiers behind him stirred. The humming from their exoskeletons grew louder.

"You little...!"

Refusing to lose the standoff, I deployed the Violet Squad. Soldiers and officers of the Federation visibly panicked at the sight of black-clad Violet units emerging from various corners.

“What... what is this? Where did such soldiers come from?”

The startled major was met with Irene’s firm retort.

“Helios and Aegis Academy respect the Federation’s authority in the city and dungeons, and we appreciate your service and sacrifices. However, should such actions persist, we will have no choice but to remind you of the academy agreements.”

“And the Cascadia family as well!”

“You bastards!”

As the major angrily reached for his sword, a screeching sound erupted as a car sped in and came to an abrupt stop. A man, seemingly an officer, jumped out and rushed over to stop the major.

“Urgh! Let me go!”

“Commander! I just spoke with the academy representatives. These are the students! Please lower your weapon!”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”

The major, having lost his justification, fumed but ultimately had to back down. The students were disarmed and handed over to us.

“Tch... just delete the photos! That’s all I ask!”

“We’ll do that. Whoever took the pictures, could you show me your phone?”

The students deleted the photos of the relics they had taken. Major Marius, his pride wounded, collected the relics and departed with his subordinates. The officer who had stopped the major approached us and the students.

“I’m Captain Klein. I... sincerely apologize for what happened earlier. There’s no excuse for the way the students were treated.”

The officer even bowed his head in apology.

“Well... um...”

It’s such a troublesome world when subordinates have to clean up the messes of their superiors.

“Thank you so much!”

“Well, it’s not really something to thank us for. Save your thanks for Adela!”

After retrieving the students, we loaded them into vehicles and sent them to the coordinates Adela had mentioned.

“They said they got lost and wandered into the industrial zone. Out of curiosity, they took photos, and the Federation soldiers happened to show up and picked a fight.”

Irene explained.

“Terrible, aren’t they? And they call themselves soldiers? Those guys are supposed to be defending against monsters swarming beyond the barriers. This world is doomed.”

Kalia spat in the direction the Federation Mobile Unit had left.

“Other students aren’t facing the same kind of treatment, are they?”

Daphne asked worriedly. I reassured my friend.

“Don’t worry! Unless someone’s reckless like Alex, they shouldn’t end up in trouble.”

And my words proved true.

After rescuing the first group of students from the soldiers, we continued exploring the industrial area and found another group. They were hiding quietly inside a building.

“Thank you so much! A Noxterror appeared…”

These students had encountered a high-level beast while lost and had fled in a panic, ending up in an unfamiliar location.

After finishing our exploration of the industrial zone, we were on our way back for a break when we encountered a third group of students. They were surrounded by ghoul soldiers.

-Tatatatata!

“We’re saved!”

“Adela’s been looking for you guys. Follow us!”

After finding the last group of students, the day passed in that manner. The Violet team carried another flag and headed toward the safe zone. Since no one was waiting at the coordinates, we decided to escort the students directly to the entrance.

This time, I planned to rest properly at the accommodations in the safe zone. A cozy bed!

And then, I abruptly witnessed the fanatics recklessly imitating Violet’s secret techniques.

“Salvation is upon us!”

A deafening roar shook the ground and ceiling of the dungeon.

“What? That’s our technique!”

I watched with my team as the massive elevators leading to the gate began exploding.

“What?”

“It’s collapsing!”

“Ahhh!”

“Kyaaa!”

Amid the screams, the elevator in the safe zone toppled. What remained was a massive vertical cliff.

“Why does every dungeon we enter end up like this?”

Don’t tell me we’re trapped again?