An energy wave was sent out in the middle of nowhere during the night, signaling the success of an operation.
[Got your message 2c, expecting status in 30 - k]
In front of 2c stood another copy of itself, with slight variations.
Covered in a thin, viscous, glue-like texture, 2c peeled it away, revealing a mirrored version of herself. Blasting several energy lines directly into the new clone's skull initiated a connection. The third clone was now conscious.
2c handed a wardrobe to the newly awakened specimen, which immediately understood the situation and began dressing.
* * *
It surprises me how many people have almost immediately returned to the city after moving out. I've had my clones monitor local news, feeding me anything noteworthy. After just a few hours of research, we identified hundreds of dangerous power users in Tokyo. We drafted a rudimentary map to highlight "probably shouldn't go there" zones. It's crude, but enough to be safer.
I've kept 2c operating at 90% consciousness using my partitioning technique, dedicating her to job hunting. Unfortunately, with so few people venturing outside, market managers aren't hiring. So much for clean money. Time to move on to Plan B.
In this new world dominated by power rather than wealth, conflict is inevitable. The government is struggling, and citizens are too scared or unwilling to help reinforce order. Even the police have stopped using lights and sirens, knowing they'll be hunted down the moment they confront a strong power user.
The latest underground trend involves drugs that temporarily boost abilities, amplifying them up to twentyfold, depending on the user and the drug. Using the dark web and illegal forums, I acquired formulas for common variants. Most ingredients can be naturally grown, and these formulas are still in their infancy, leaving room for improvement—and profit margins.
I've taken precautions to mask my online identity. Given the current chaos, I doubt the feds have the manpower to track me down.
Before risking my clones on drug deals, I sent 2c to a secluded area under the cover of the night to create a new clone. This one will serve as the group's strategist, tasked with devising operational plans and conducting research. I've slightly improved the cloning process to enhance logical and computational capabilities.
I wonder how many attempts it will take 2c to produce this clone.
* * *
The explosion hurls Shouki and Akie through the air, crashing into debris as a wave of heat and noise washes over them. Shouki groans, pushing himself upright, and spots Killer stepping out of the store. His marble figure is eerily smooth, metallic, and featureless, betraying no sign of the chaos surrounding him.
"How… is he unscathed?" Shouki mutters to himself, his gaze shifting to Akie.
Killer moved on, unaffected, his footsteps deliberate, as though the devastation was nothing more than an inconvenience. Cries of the injured echoed in the aftermath, as he disappeared into the night without so much as a glance.
Akie lies nearby, blood soaking her sleeve from a deep gash on her arm. "Shouki," she gasps, her voice trembling. "I scanned him."
Nodding, he scrambles to her side, hooking her arm around his shoulders to help her stand. Together, they stumble away from the wreckage, their movements unsteady but urgent.
"I'll get you to a hospital."
* * *
Meanwhile, in the middle of the western desert, out in the oasis, lives a man and his cattle.
Bah! The sheep said.
"Hello, cow." the man spoke to the sheep. "It's time for milk this morning." He said during the afternoon.
Bah bah bah bah bah
The whole cattle was distressed, this hasn't happened before.
What could the cows be stressed about? Thought the man before looking behind him, where the sheep were screaming at, to see a massive ball of flames approaching him through the air extremely fast. He dodged it instinctly and moved out of the way, to which he noticed the massive lava globe was flying directly at his cattle, and before he could react, the ball crashed and turned the entire cattle into a blood stream.
He ran to see what the flaming ball of rock was, to his surprise it was a woman, at least it is from the lower half of the body, with her head in the sand like an ostrich. She was wearing what seems to be some Chinese clothing style.
He went closer to see if she was conscious, she wasn't moving. He patiently waited five minutes to see if she would respond. Nothing.
The man decided to do something about this case and asked, "Are you alright?" Calmly. That didn't seem to work.
Then he had a genius thought, what if the woman couldn't hear him because her ears were in the sand?
Instead of needlessly wasting his voice, he thought of the fastest way to remove the sand from her ears. The man got closer and kicked his right foot behind and forward into her stomach to get her out of the sand. To his surprise, the woman launched five feet in the air and fell back down, choking on the sand she accidentally inhaled and coming back to her senses.
The woman coughed for a while before proceeding with words, "Wat-water please." She said with a slightly high-pitched tone and Chinese accent before passing out.