The elevator doors slid open with a hiss; Cyrus stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the building.
Without hesitation, he once again boarded the shuttle bus and sat down, leaning against the chair.
Noah's virtual image immediately appeared on the screen.
"Destination, Zone 34: Android Production Base."
The shuttle hummed to life as it shot into the distance. Although its speed was incredible, Cyrus sitting inside wouldn't feel any bumps at all; the ride was simply too smooth.
Cyrus just looked out of the window, marveling at the towering structures around him, their surfaces gleaming with metallic silver sheen; these buildings were simply too marvelous.
His eyes caught his reflection on the window staring back at him, and he couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
A few minutes later, the shuttle finally came to a stop in front of an enormous entrance.
The gate immediately let out an electronic voice and slowly opened.
The shuttle entered and came to a stop. Cyrus stepped out of the bus and looked at the giant building shaped like a five-pointed star in front of him; he looked at it for a while before stepping inside the building.
What appeared before him was a vast space, so vast that he couldn't even see its end. This was the Android Base.
Towering structures loomed in every direction, space-like pods gleaming with silver sheen and pulsing with blue light on the edges were arranged in perfect rows; these pods were densely packed.
Cyrus took a deep breath when he saw this; he was a little shocked. "This place is really huge!"
Noah's virtual image appeared beside him as its cold voice sounded.
"Administrator, this is the Android Breeding Base. Do you want to start the breeding process?"
Cyrus scratched his head, calmed down, and then asked slowly, "How much energy points will it take to breed 1000?"
"To breed 1000 Androids will require approximately 109,567 energy points."
Cyrus's lips twitched slightly as he let out a bitter chuckle. "109,567, that's quite a lot."
It's quite expensive; he didn't have many energy points left, but he had no choice. In order to get the Ark up and running, he needed a large number of people; 1000 Androids were just right,not too big, nor too small, but it would do the job for the time being.
He looked at Noah and then nodded his head firmly. "Do it!"
"Administrator, before I proceed with the breeding process, I need to clarify some things. These 'Androids' are not the machines you are thinking about. Although they are named Androids for simplicity's sake, they are more complex,much like human clones."
Noah's cold and emotionless voice sounded across the surroundings.
Cyrus raised an eyebrow and asked, "You mean these Androids are clones? You mean you are using cloning technology?"
"Yes, Administrator. The genetic templates of the Noah Civilization have been preserved. Each Android is an artificial human with flesh, bone, and blood cultivated within the bio-pods. They are enhanced in strength, endurance, and intelligence."
Cyrus's heart raced slightly as he looked at those glowing pods lined in perfect rows in this vast space.
"...Artificial humans, huh!" he muttered under his breath.
"Yes, Administrator."
Cyrus was silent for a while and then looked at Noah and smiled. "That's quite cool. I always thought cloning technology was something made up, but I didn't think it was real."
"If there was no apocalypse, with this technology alone, I could become the wealthiest organ donor in the entire world," Cyrus continued with a chuckle.
He shook his head and then looked at Noah and said, "Begin the breeding process."
As for whether this goes against humanity's morals by creating artificial humans, he didn't give a damn about it. Why? Because in his previous life, Cyrus had lived enough to know the true nature of humanity; the biggest evils in this world are humans themselves.
During the apocalypse, many turned on each other; friends killed and betrayed one another day in and day out. Trust in the apocalypse is a luxury he can't afford; he would rather have artificial humans who are loyal to him than a bunch of animals and hypocrites.
"Initializing Android Breeding Sequence"
The base trembled slightly as a low hum reverberated through the entire chamber.
Suddenly, all the bio-pods lit up as ripples of blue lines pulsed across the entire rows of pods.
From hatches emerged streams of golden solution flowing into the transparent pods filled with luminescent fluid.
In each pod's center, an embryo was gently lowered like fragile seeds planted in soil.
Noah's cold voice sounded through the entire breeding base as dense streams of system notifications appeared on holographic screens in front of Cyrus.
[ Initializing Breeding Sequence ]
[ Selected Personnel: 550 Combat Soldiers, 50 Maintenance Technicians, 200 Medical Staff, 200 Management Personnel ]
[ Estimated Completion Time: 3 Days ]
The holographic screens hovered in front of him as system notifications flashed before him in endless cascade.
Cyrus's eyes were locked on the pods and, inside those pods, clusters of cells were splitting and multiplying at an astonishing speed. Tendrils wove intricate veins forming skeletal outlines, organs, veins, tiny heartbeats, etc.
The screens on those pods showed the information of each of those pods.
It was really breathtaking and terrifying at the same time.
Cyrus gripped the railing of the observation deck, his eyes wide as he muttered, "This... this is like creation."
"That is correct, Administrator. Any technologically advanced civilization in the universe will eventually adopt the cloning of their race over time. There are many reasons: low population, war, talents, etc. There are many reasons, but that is not a long-term solution; after all, the Noah Civilization made that mistake and paid dearly for it."
Noah's virtual image appeared as it looked at the pods and then at Cyrus and said.
Cyrus raised an eyebrow and looked at Noah and asked, "So you mean to tell me I should not be dependent on this?"
"Yes, Administrator. Depending on clones will not do you any good; just use it wisely. Don't overly depend on it, but if you do, you will pay a heavy price for it, just like the Noah Civilization."
"What kind of price?!" Cyrus asked.
This time Noah didn't reply quickly as it usually does,it's virtual image even flickered slightly.
"I cannot say," Noah just said these words and remained silent.
Cyrus fell silent when he heard Noah; he narrowed his eyes and looked at the situation below as he watched the embryos slowly growing, features gradually emerging from the luminous liquid.
Looking at these unfoldings, he couldn't help but feel somehow conflicted.
He had faced zombies, battled beasts larger than mountains, and walked through rivers of blood, but somehow, watching this, watching life being created in a pod like products rolling off an assembly line,it felt quite strange and also creepy as well.
Thinking back to what Noah said and then looking at the pods again, he felt goosebumps all over his body as unease crept across his face.
"Is this salvation or blasphemy?"
He couldn't help but ask himself, but he didn't have the answer to that.
He quickly gave himself a light slap on the cheeks and shook his head; his eyes became firm.
"I don't care," he muttered under his breath, "In a world where family members can butcher each other for scraps, where betrayal is as common as dirt, I'd rather trust a thousand artificial humans bound to me than a single real human who can stab me in the back at any moment."
His words echoed through the deck.
Noah just looked at Cyrus, his expression as cold as ever, but this time something was off in the way he looked at Cyrus,almost like sympathy and pity.
But Cyrus was so absorbed in his own world that he failed to notice it.
A moment later, Cyrus exhaled softly and said, "Three days, huh."
"Yes, Administrator. When the breeding process is complete, all Androids will be at Level 1. Combat Androids possess three times the physical capability of humans and are absolutely loyal to the Administrator. Medical staff and maintenance technicians will be optimized for their respective functions. All Androids will have independent will but are bound to the Administrator and can't betray you."
Cyrus smiled and then nodded his head; he was quite satisfied with this.
He looked at the pods once again and then muttered, "Three days."
With that, he walked out of the Android Production Base.