BLOOD MUTANT SYSTEM.-Chapter 441: CH: REPLACEMENTS?

[Planet Grania]

[Gravax’s Warehouses]

Three massive warehouses stood side by side, housing nearly three hundred thousand cylindrical containers. Each container held a Granian clone that had been grown and refined until it was deemed perfect and ready for battle.

The clones—a testament and living proof of Gravax’s brilliance—floated within the green fluids that filled their chambers, absorbing nutrients from the substances steadily pumped into their bodies.

As grand as these creations were, these weren’t the only things the Granian Lord had spent his time on.

There was something else.

Something he had prepared specifically for the Blood Prince. In fact, it had been created to address a problem Ace would soon face now that he had regained consciousness.

"Follow me, Human," Gravax said, motioning forward. Behind them, the two cylinders housing Ace and Cherry’s Granian counterparts glided along, following their creator like obedient attendants

Gravax led Ace toward a secured chamber at the rear of the warehouse. Eight armed soldiers guarded the entrance while heavy blasters were mounted along the surrounding walls.

The only entrance was a massive steel door that could be opened only through a three-step verification process.

First came the password, known only to Gravax. The code consisted of Granian letters, numbers, and metric symbols he himself had invented.

The second step required a retinal scan of both of his eyes simultaneously.

The final step required Gravax’s blood. After the first two verifications were cleared, a needle extended from the door, pierced his skin, and collected a small sample before unlocking the mechanism.

’What could possibly be behind that door that requires this much security?’ Ace wondered.

As the steel doors slid open with a deep metallic hum, clouds of dry ice spilled across the floor, spreading like a blanket of white fog. Beyond it, bright rays of blue and white light illuminated the chamber as Gravax, Ace, and the two floating containers entered.

"I assume the first thing the system notified you about was the loss of Jim and Anya, correct?" Gravax asked.

He walked toward a large object concealed beneath a beige cloth. With the enthusiasm of a child unveiling a gift, he pulled the cloth away, revealing two more cylindrical containers.

"Blood Mutant," he declared proudly, "I present to you the newest addition to your Blood Mutant army."

’My God...’

Submerged in the green liquids of the container were two identical clones cloned in the image of Jim and Anya. Looking at them felt like seeing the real pair standing there.

"Gravax," Ace struggled to find the words, "what happened to Jim and Anya that pushed you to make clones of them?"

"Thanks to the disgraced Grim, the Ethisians seized Jim, Anya, and Grim’s mate, Helda," Gravax replied calmly. "This happened shortly after you lost consciousness, I suppose."

"So because the Ethisians now have them," Ace said slowly, "you opted to make clones of them?"

"We had to, there was no other option," Gravax replied, his tone tightening, "I’m sure your system told you you lost control over them, didn’t it? Why do you think that happened? Can you tell me what you believe caused it?"

"I...I’m not sure but..."

"But nothing, Ace," the Granian interrupted sharply. "Jim and Anya are now in Ethisian hands. And since the Ethisians already possess our first two Blood Mutants, what do you think they have done to your friends?"

He turned to the containers and tapped the monitors mounted along their sides. Their contents began draining, and slowly, the clones stirred.

"I don’t know whether the Ethisian Mutants have killed Jim and Anya or not," he continued, this time making sure not to lose his temper with Ace, "but what I know is that you, Ace, can give these two a second chance. With the addition of our clones, we will need all the help we can get from you, Blood Mutants, and at the moment, we’re short."

He gestured toward the awakening figures.

"But with these two, you can give them a second chance to fulfill Jim and Anya’s purposes."

’Purposes?’

Ace glanced sideways at Gravax.

’Of course. To them, we’re nothing more than tools.’

"My abilities limit me from turning them into mutants," Gravax continued, "but I can create for you as many clones as you need to make an army that’s under your control."

The statement Gravax made was as shallow as it was pointless. The fact that the Granian Lord thought Ace would need clones to make an army was redundant.

The Blood Prince already had a Blood Army that consisted of a little bit over five hundred thousand Blood Soldiers.

"That’s enough, clone."

Ace looked back and met eyes with...

"Gravax?" The Blood Prince wondered. "How’s this...have I been talking to a clone this whole time?"

"Indeed, you have."

The Granian Lord, at least the one Ace hoped, walked into the room with other Gravax lookalikes following behind.

"Lord Grania entrusted me with the responsibility of advancing our species’ cloning technology," he explained. "For a task of this magnitude, I could not rely on others. So I created clones of myself first. They assist in my work."

He studied Ace carefully.

"I am glad you have awakened. I see you’ve learned how to levitate. Took you long enough..."

"If you’re the real Gravax," Ace interrupted coldly, "then tell me what happened to Jim and Anya."

Instead of answering immediately, Lord Gravax acquired one of the guns from the soldiers standing outside the chamber and pointed it at the Jim and Anya clones.

Before anyone could react, he fired.

Both clones—Jim and Anya—collapsed lifelessly. Even the Gravax clone responsible for creating them stared in shock.

"Sorry you had to see that," he apologized calmly and then shot his clone. "My clones contain only eighty percent of my knowledge, meaning they tend to do things I wouldn’t deem morally acceptable. The task was to create only Granian clones, not human clones.

"And just as the clone said, I assume, Jim and Anya are now the Ethisians’ property, and it’s going to stay that way until the war ends."

"What’s that supposed to mean?" Ace asked.

"The same way the Ethisians turned our first Blood Mutants against us," Gravax replied, "is the same way they’ll turn Jim and Anya against us as."

His gaze shifted toward the prototypes resembling Ace and Cherry.

"You and your sister are the last we have. But not to worry, with the creation of those two, we won’t ever have to worry about losing you two to the Granians."

With that said, Lord Gravax drained the liquids from the containers and woke Ace’s clone up. The creature’s eyes opened, and immediately, it stared directly at the Blood Prince with no thought behind its reptilian eyes. The only thing it looked like it wanted to do was...

"Please come with me, both of you. It’s time to run some tests."