The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

Chapter 7: The Research Lab – Violet Will Find a Way! (1)

I peeked out from under the blanket and looked outside.

The corridor beyond the glass door glowed faintly under the emergency lights.

There were no signs of movement anymore.

I glanced at the surveillance camera above my head.

Apart from the occasional flicker of a red light, the pitch-black lens coldly monitored the room.

What might the person behind that camera be doing?

Based on my experience in a military office equipped with surveillance cameras, it was rare for anyone to monitor every single screen in real-time.

“Hey, private, wake me up if the duty officer comes in. Got it?”

“…Yes, understood.”

Eight out of ten duty officers in my unit used to slump in their chairs and sleep through the night.

One time, though, a sergeant got caught by the division commander, who happened to barge in that night, and got completely chewed out.

Heh.

Hopefully, the guards here are cliché, doughnut-eating security types straight out of American cartoons.

If so, a little nighttime movement wouldn’t immediately bring someone rushing in.

“Of course, this is a different world, so I need to be careful.”

I reminded myself not to let my guard down.

The guards here might be dedicated to their duties.

Since this is a corporate re

I had spent too much time quietly crawling through the narrow ventilation ducts, observing this and that.

It seemed I would have to call it a night.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

The ventilation duct was narrow.

While I could move forward in a straight line, it was impossible to turn my body around.

So, to pass the time, I continued moving forward.

After turning a few corners, I spotted a grate emitting a red light directly ahead.

Usually, ventilation grates are on the floor, allowing me to look down at the scene below.

But this one was on the wall, or more accurately, it was loose enough to be called a grill.

The duct was slanted, requiring me to climb upwards.

Unable to resist my curiosity, I moved forward.

Peering through the grill, I saw a strange room, different from the rest of the lab. Research facilities typically have pristine white tiles and walls painted in a sterile mental hospital style.

This was the opposite.

A confined space with rough concrete walls, large and small exposed pipes, and various tools scattered around.

“What? Crazy!”

As I looked down, I let out a short gasp.

Directly in front of me was a woman with her arms chained to the wall.

A short-haired girl with pink locks and androgynous features.

At first glance, she could easily be mistaken for a beautiful boy.

I knew this woman.

Even though her cartoon-rendered graphics had turned into lifelike visuals, there was no mistaking her!

Her name was Kalia Blaze, one of the main characters in the first act of the story alongside the protagonist.

That’s right, a playable character.

‘Wait a minute! You’re a main character! What are you doing here?’

Just then, my clone began to dissipate.

Oh no! Not now!

Kalia, who had been hanging her head as if in despair, suddenly looked up.

Our eyes met through the grill, her green eyes widening in surprise.

Excited, I waved at her energetically.

“…Hi there!”

Suddenly, my vision went dark, and I found myself back in bed.

What just happened?

Inside the crude and rugged confined space, Kalia recalled the crimson-eyed girl who had appeared through the grill on the wall moments ago.

The girl had startled her so much that she couldn’t say a word.

The girl had shouted “Hi!” and waved before vanishing suddenly.

“A ghost?”

Kalia wondered if she had been hallucinating.

It was dawn.