The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 104: Violet Agreed To Hide Someone

Violet drove the truck frantically.

She maneuvered through the city streets into alleyways, then from alleys back onto the main roads, twisting her route repeatedly.

An hour passed in no time.

As she drove, the shock and fear she had felt earlier subsided significantly.

Still, that scene would be something she could never forget for the rest of her life.

Suspicious-looking riders on motorcycles circled the truck.

They were rider Violets.

Three dispatched motorcycles, pausing their delivery work, were escorting the truck while keeping a set distance, checking for any tailing threats.

“Is the explosive ready?”

“I packed it, but we’re low on stock since we blew up that facility in the dungeon earlier.”

The role of the escort team was simple.

If any pursuers showed up, they were to fend them off, and if that wasn’t possible, they would use self-destructive measures to block them.

“Hey, Violet? I don’t know where you’re heading, but Lucian and the others in the back don’t look so good.”

Daphne, sitting in the passenger seat, asked anxiously.

She glanced worriedly at Lucian’s party riding in the cargo area.

“Shouldn’t we take a break?”

“We can’t stop right now.”

Their condition as seen through the rearview mirror seemed psychologically strained.

Nonetheless, I shook my head firmly.

Although I had destroyed that research facility with a bomb, I hadn’t completely finished off that student council president.

I didn’t have the capability to do so at the time.

“They must have realized by now that the security guards who were chasing us were annihilated, right?”

“Our priority is to get as far away from the academy as quickly as possible.”

The Violets exchanged information, discussing what to do next.

While pondering where to hide those three students, Irene, sitting between Daphne and me, pointed forward.

“I get what you’re worried about. But relax. You don’t have to be so tense from here on out.”

“Oh, really?”

The road sign ahead indicated that we had already entered the central district.

Although we had left the Magna Nabis Clan’s management range, we couldn’t be sure yet.

No. 2 turned to the motorcycle escort team circling the truck and asked,

“No one has been tracking us so far, right?”

“Not at all!”

If that was the case, there was no need to worry for the moment.

To clear our heads, we needed to take a break.

Coincidentally, my stomach growled.

Spotting a fast-food restaurant nearby, I parked and went inside.

“Let’s eat!”

We ordered a ton of hamburger sets and chicken nuggets.

Irene decided to handle the payment.

Having a wealthy friend comes in handy during times like these.

She handed her card to the cashier.

A moment later, the cashier returned the card with a perplexed look and said,

“Ma’am, this card isn’t going through.”

“What? That can’t be right.”

A baffled Irene tried paying with another card.

The result was the same.

I stepped forward. I couldn’t stand to watch my friend struggle anymore.

“Please use this to pay!”

I covered the meal costs myself.

“Ah, sorry about that. I wonder what’s going on.”

“There’s no need to apologize! I’ve got plenty of money.”

I grinned to reassure her so she wouldn’t feel awkward.

To be honest, us Violets were well-off.

We had taken a huge sum of cash from the gang in Stygian Lane last time.

The burgers, nuggets, and ice cream were brought to the table.

I placed them in front of the five students sitting there.

My friends began eating, but Lucian’s group seemed to have no appetite, barely touching their food.

“Do you not like burgers? Should we go somewhere else?”

“…Not really. Do you have wrappers? Don’t throw it away; I’ll eat it later.”

Lucian barely took a bite of his burger before setting it aside and sipping on his drink.

The others picked at their food in a similar disinterested manner.

“Eek!”

Levi suddenly shrieked.

Her dark eyes trembled at the sight of ketchup splattered on the wrapper.

“Oh, sorry!”

I quickly cleaned up the ketchup.

Granite’s expression wasn’t great either.

The horrors they had witnessed back at the lab seemed to have left a scar in their minds.

In the end, I was the only one who finished their meal properly.

Seeing how everyone seemed to be in bad shape, I led them to a nearby hotel, booked rooms, and let them rest.

They weren’t in a state to talk any further today.

I even secured rooms for the escort Violets before stepping out of the hotel.

Irene stood outside, holding her phone, a perplexed look on her face as she made a call.

“Is there a problem?”

I asked as her call ended.

Irene hesitated before replying.

“Not really, it’s just some issues with my card and account. It’ll be resolved soon! Anyway, what’s your plan now?”

“I’ll talk with Lucian’s team tomorrow. They can’t return to the academy in their current state.”

“You’re right. If what you say is true, those three directly witnessed the crimes. Crosell even saw their faces himself. He’ll try to silence them no matter what.” R̃âꞐȫ𝔟ĘṦ

It was a pity.

Being marked by a murderous student council president meant their fate was sealed.

Given the terrifying events of today, even my friends decided to stay at the hotel instead of returning to the academy.

For now, we could only wait and see how things unfolded.

The next day, six youths sat around a table in one of the hotel rooms after breakfast.

It was time to discuss what hadn’t been covered yesterday.

Lucian’s group looked slightly better than the day before, but their faces still carried visible worry in different ways.

Irene began the conversation.

“As you all probably realize by now, going back to the academy is no longer an option.”

“Yeah, I get that. But why? The student council president slaughtered people alongside the Magna Nabis soldiers!”

Lucian, frowning, replied sharply.

Smart as he was, he understood the situation quickly.

“We’ve stumbled upon some major secret of a big clan. The academy must be involved too.”

“Exactly.”

“Ugh, what do we do now…”

Levi, who had been quietly listening, looked on the verge of tears.

Granite hesitated but spoke up.

“Isn’t there a way to report this externally? To a news outlet or the inspectorate?”

Lucian glared at him incredulously.

“Idiot! We’re talking about the four major clans here. The media won’t listen to us. Without evidence, why would they believe us? The inspectorate is just a bunch of useless bureaucrats wasting taxes. Don’t you get it? We’re screwed!”

Well, mostly true, but not entirely.

Not everyone in the inspectorate is incompetent.

The Chancellor siblings might actually take this seriously.

I had confirmed the presence of Saiges during my last visit to Aegis Academy, so perhaps I could send an anonymous report later.

“Lucian’s right. You’ve seen something you shouldn’t have. It’s better to lay low for now.”

Irene summarized the situation.

The three fell silent.

Accepting the harsh reality, they seemed to come to terms with their predicament.

“But, you guys… why are you so calm?”

Lucian crossed his arms and questioned us.

His sharp gaze darted between Violet and the two girls.

“You know something, don’t you?”

“I’m not answering that right now.”

Irene clammed up.

Even as Lucian persistently pressed with more questions, she ignored him.

There was too much we couldn’t disclose at this point.

Frustrated, Lucian eventually gave up asking.

The focus shifted to deciding where to hide.

“Where should we go? I have no idea.”

“You’re all brawn and no brain. The best option is to hide in some slum or other.”

“But, we don’t have any money.”

“We could hit up a low-level dungeon and make some quick cash. Oh, but we can’t use student IDs or accounts anymore, can we? Damn it, then what do we use to earn money…”

Everyone mulled over the issue of finding a safe haven.

But at times like this, there’s always a way.

“How about staying at my place?”

“Your place? You mean the dorms?”

“No, I have a house in the central district. I own lots of buildings! There are empty rooms, so why not stay there for now?”

“Buildings? What nonsense is this? A student owning buildings?”

Lucian’s face was filled with disbelief.

He didn’t seem to trust me.

But the Violets were legitimate landlords, even if most of their properties were old warehouses or abandoned factories.

Irene turned to me, hurriedly whispering.

“What are you talking about? I was planning to let them stay at my place.”

We briefly huddled and whispered amongst ourselves.

“That’s not a bad idea. Your house is big and spacious. But Irene, the student council and board are already watching you. If three first-years disappear without a trace? They’ll suspect you first! Besides, I really do have a house.”

“Wait, a house? In the central district?”

“Yup! If you’re curious, why don’t you come see it? Think of it as a chance to visit my place.”

I left the suspicious woman behind and made a suggestion to the three people.

“Come to my place first and think about it! What do you think? I’ll let you stay for free. There’s a fridge, a TV, a computer, and even a gaming console! I’ll provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll get your own private room too!”

“Hmm, if you’re telling the truth, then I won’t have to worry about rent. But isn’t that too much?”

“Is… is that really true? You’re not just trying to pressure us, are you?”

“Hey, this is no pressure at all!”

Lucian, doubting my enthusiasm, interjected with a skeptical remark.

“Stop saying such nonsense. Do you even know how expensive housing in the central district is?”

“Don’t believe me? Come and see for yourself first. If you don’t like it, look for somewhere else!”

Seriously, it’s true, but no one believes me.

“Alright, everyone! Calm down. Let’s go check it out first. If it doesn’t work out, we can look for another place. Got it?”

With Daphne taking my side, Lucian grumbled but didn’t push the argument further.

Perhaps he felt it was inappropriate to argue with the person who had just treated his injuries.

And so, after some back and forth, the three of them decided to visit my house later this afternoon.

Being ordinary students, they didn’t have many options.

“Alright, that seems settled. Now, there’s one more important topic we need to discuss.”

“What is it?”

With the conversation wrapping up, Irene cleared her throat and, with a serious expression, asked Lucian’s team a question.

“This is urgent, so I need an immediate answer. Do any of you have family in Rustlum?”

Her words left the three of them puzzled, as though they didn’t understand what she meant.

After a moment, the faces of the two younger ones, excluding Lucian, turned pale.

It seemed they had only just realized the possibility that their family could be targeted by academies or clans.

“Uh… you don’t mean that, do you?”

“Oh no… oh no, what should we do…?”

Irene pressed on.

“Granite, right? You’re thinking correctly. Tell me immediately. Do you have any family or close relatives staying in Academy City?”

“No, I don’t. My grandparents live outside the Rustlum Archipelago.”

“Me neither. My relatives aren’t here either. I came to study abroad.”

“That’s a relief. For now, there shouldn’t be any immediate problems. Outside Rustlum, the Federation has a strong influence, so even the Four Great Clans wouldn’t dare act so openly. I’ll also make arrangements through my clan.”

Hearing the assurance from the successor of the Helios Clan, the two of them sighed in relief.

“What about you, Lucian?”

“Me? You don’t need to worry about me. I don’t have any family.”

“Oh…”

Irene’s golden eyes flickered uneasily, perhaps shocked by his sudden revelation of being an orphan.

For that matter, I hadn’t known Lucian was without a family either. It seemed we shared something in common.

I felt an odd sense of camaraderie.

“You don’t have a mother either, huh!”

“What? You, you idiotic jerk, what did you just say…”

“Ah! Sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean anything bad.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“I mean, I don’t have parents either!”

The five people sitting around the table widened their eyes as if they couldn’t believe what they had just heard.

“Vi-Violet, what do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. I don’t have a mom or dad!”

I answered cheerfully.

Everyone’s faces froze.

Even Daphne, who already knew the truth, looked at me with pity.

Lucian’s expression twisted into an awkward grimace.

“Uh, um…”

“It’s fine! It’s all in the past.”

Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.

After finishing all the minor discussions, Violet’s truck headed to the outskirts of the central district.

There was a lot to do today.

As I was driving, a message came in.

“Number 15, take this call.”

“Got it. Is it Leslie, the boss?”

Number 15 read the text. It seemed the broker was finally starting to do his job.

<“Sir, I’m contacting you because the tasks you instructed have been completed!”>

<“The trade appointment has also been arranged. You should be able to make contact soon. Please let me know when it’s convenient!”>

The tasks I had assigned were broadly twofold: investigating people and securing weapon trade routes.

Whether this person had done their job properly remained to be seen.

“The timing’s not bad. Remember the level of the chairman and his underlings? We need to secure heavy weapons quickly!”

“Is that guy even human? He launched orbital bombardments! We can’t handle him with just a company-level force.”

“It wasn’t orbital bombardment. Let’s just call it an airstrike.”

“It’s the same thing!”

Having witnessed yesterday’s chaos, the Violets were filled with a sense of urgency.

The chairman was a monster beyond imagination.

Charging recklessly would only get us roasted by the lasers raining from the sky.

Even the mage underlings wearing those ridiculous fishbowl helmets were terrifying.

Sure, I could bomb their buildings or kill some people with a terrorist attack, but that wouldn’t be enough.

To take down the academy, we might have to face the entire Magna Nabis Clan.

That meant we’d eventually have to fight them head-on.

This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēnovelkiss.com.

Based on the knowledge I had before my possession, there weren’t many cases in history where the weak defeated the strong and achieved their goals.

Maybe exceptions like America defeating Britain or Vietnam expelling France?

These cases had something in common: they employed strategies and tactics and mobilized armies to crush their opponents.

Terrorism alone wouldn’t suffice.

Sustained, hit-and-run attacks over years might be enough to destroy a clan or corporation.

But that kind of victory wouldn’t be enough for what I wanted to achieve.

I needed an army.

And those three people who would soon crash at our building could fill the gaps in our Violet unit.

Superior magical skills, long-range bombardment, and powerful close-quarters combat abilities—things we lacked but could cultivate.

They could add variables to our otherwise monotonous Violet forces!

“That depends on what they decide.”

“Who’d be crazy enough to fight against a clan?”

Of course, it was unrealistic for now.

Even among the Violets, many saw this as merely wishful thinking.

For now, there was only one thing to do. I had to introduce Kalia to my friends.

It would be her first time meeting the others.