Chapter 537: Clone Legion

The aircraft carrier's hatch opened, and the guide lights all lit up. "I am Commander Wu Hao of the Fifth Fleet. On behalf of all the warriors of the Fifth Fleet, I welcome the Hunters' triumph~~~"

As the vanguard fleet, the Fifth Fleet had borne the greatest sacrifices. When he learned that Li Hao intended to resolve the issue of these five monsters with just a group of Mobile Suits, he actually hadn't believed it, because if they failed, the Fifth Fleet would suffer tremendous losses. His suggestion had been to directly clear away the floating debris on the surface; as a commander, he had to be responsible for the lives of the fleet's countless warriors. But for the sake of the big picture, the Command Headquarters had still decided to execute this special baiting operation.

For this battle, the Fifth Fleet had actually endured a lot, and he had also prepared himself for sacrifice. As a commander, he had constantly questioned Li Hao's judgment and ability; there were too many S-Tournament Champions, and that didn't count for much in the military. But this moment had completely overturned his view on power. The Golden Zone had opened up a new era, and this was something a commander had to keep up with.

This battle had also provided the latest meaning to war. Whether it was the enemy or themselves, Mobile Suits were no longer auxiliary, nor were they just for cleaning up the battlefield; they had grown into the assault force of a new style of space warfare.

The improvement and rapid development of the Golden Zone, as well as the use of the K23 Element, meant that Mecha were no longer just tools for humans to adapt to the environment, but had been elevated to the point where individual combat power could exert strategic significance. Commanders like Makemu had all realized this problem; if they still used old-fashioned perspectives and treated them as a small supplement in war, they would be making a huge mistake.

"We need to adjust our strategy. I propose moving Plan B to the primary position," Makemu said. Having seen the powerful combat strength of Li Hao and the group of Mobile Suit pilots, their confidence was different now.

"I think it's very feasible. Nangong Yuhang might still be hiding stronger biochemical weapons, but we aren't weak either. I think we can communicate this with Li Hao. He is on the front line and has the most intuitive judgment of the enemy's combat power. We cannot sit in a well and look at the sky, being self-righteous," Wu Zang said. If they still only used Li Hao as a mere warrior at this time, they might miss many opportunities.

"I agree. Li Hao's own strength is solid, and his judgment is precise. I've thought highly of him since the S Tournament," Pang Pai nodded. It was a pity; other than the fact that he wasn't a Martian, there were no other flaws to pick out.

"Haha, Pang Pai, it's rare to hear such words from you," Wu Zang laughed. The hardest thing about a Martian is their mouth.

"Deserved, Makemu. It's a good thing you let Li Hao form the Hunters. If it weren't for that month of special training, the result might have been different," Pang Pai laughed nonchalantly. As long as they could win, anything was fine.

Makemu nodded. "I was also very surprised. I didn't expect it to have such a big effect at the time; I just wanted to ease the relationship between the ground pilots and the air combat pilots. This kid had exceptional cohesion back in the S Tournament; he's born to be a leader. I propose promoting him to Colonel."

"With the credit for this battle, Major General is also enough. The strategic significance is huge," Pang Pai laughed.

"Don't be in a hurry. After all, he's still young, and we have to consider the feelings of all parties," Wu Zang said. With Li Hao's S-Tournament results and his meritorious service in the expedition, there was no need to worry about the future, nor was there a need to force growth. "I propose he be given full command of the Hunters. It is impolite not to reciprocate; we should also counterattack."

"Agreed. Strike while the iron is hot; the plan can be set in motion. Let's make it tomorrow," Makemu also expressed his approval. "Get all the fleets moving."

A full-scale attack was about to be launched. If they didn't dampen the arrogance of the insects, they would think human civilization was made of mud. During this period of probing, human collection and reconnaissance activities had not stopped for a single moment. Having assessed the overall combat power of the Giant Insects, they were definitely going to launch a wave of full-scale attacks. The various fleets of the Expeditionary Army began to mobilize. The main force, the Hanxing Fleet, supported the Fifth Fleet, while other fleets were positioned on the two flanks. Countless starships began to enter designated space anchor points, delineating their planned operational ranges.

Li Hao and the others had no time to rest. They followed the spacecraft to transport the captured Sa Wutian to the Hanxing Fleet's space fortress. Li Hao, Maxis, and others escorted him personally. Basta and the others had suffered some minor injuries, but their spirits were very high.

"Nangong Yuhang probably never dreamed he would suffer such a crushing defeat in this situation," Dumela laughed. She was already a little fan of Li Hao, and now she was even more infatuated.

"You can't say that. I think he should have considered this aspect. Fan Liweite and the others were just his test subjects to understand our combat power," Li Hao said. "Of course, this wave must have been a huge loss for him."

"So what if he understands? What kind of waves can he still make? With you here, we aren't afraid of anyone!"

"Don't brag for me, you guys. I only have one life!"

"Second Brother, you are his nemesis. We are all full of confidence and can't wait to get on the battlefield immediately!" Luo Bi said. This battle had been satisfying. The more powerful a team was, the more they needed a powerful leader they could rely on; who could be more suitable than Li Hao? "Zuo Xiaotang, that was beautiful. Those shots of yours saved my life."

Zuo Xiaotang scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He liked taking potshots the most; the enemy's trajectory and psychology somehow became very clear to him, but what gave him the biggest headache was one-on-one combat.

"Li Ge, I really didn't respect you before, but now I do. You and Arths are a perfect match; I concede!" Anluo Dan said. This was him actively showing goodwill; Moon People knew how to let go, and there was no point in continuing to entangle himself.

"Ah, ah, ah, what's the situation?" Many people didn't know, and they immediately got a huge piece of gossip.

"Forget it, Anluo. Second Brother and Sister-in-law were already together before the S Tournament. What are you dreaming about!"

"Exactly. It's normal that you guys didn't know, but us old Hunters all knew!"

"Holy crap, really? That's impossible. I heard Li Ge was living pretty miserably before the S Tournament; it seems he was often at the bottom of his exams."

"I don't believe it. If you're talking about now, I believe it. Before? Absolutely not. Is the goddess blind?"

Nothing builds friendship better than going through life and death together. Once everyone heard such huge gossip, they instantly became energized. The news of A Youyou and Li Hao hugging spread at the speed of light after the battle ended, but at this moment, no one felt it was inappropriate. The strongest human Mobile Suit pilot and the most beautiful Arths—this was a match made in heaven. But before...???

"Honestly, I was truly shocked at the time. Hao Ge is a good person, but to say he's worthy of our goddess... he was still a billion points short, right?" Even Zuo Xiaotang, who was closest to him, expressed his thoughts at this time. "Now, it's barely enough."

"Actually, I also find it quite magical." Wu Zang, the straightest of straight men, also expressed his lack of understanding, which immediately resonated with countless people. "Hao Ge is a good guy, but he has never been very attractive to girls."

Even those around him were like this; everyone joined in the teasing, discussing Li Hao's unique skills.

Li Hao was rolling his eyes. These bastards were completely, nakedly jealous. Shouldn't he be a perfect match in every aspect?

"Sa Wutian feels like he's about to kick the bucket. Will there be a problem?" Basta wasn't interested in the gossip. Li Hao finally felt there was a normal person here; a kindred spirit.

"He probably won't last much longer. The crystal on his forehead is a life form; it feels like a biological chip and is the core of control. The K23 Crystal in his chest is the energy core, and the energy patterns on his skin are silicon-based energy meridians. In terms of structure, it's really quite good. It's a mass-producible biochemical weapon. We can't afford to drag this war out."

"But the foundation of these monsters is our human powerhouses. The number shouldn't be that high, right?" Dumela also raised a question. "Could it be they want to capture them alive through war? This efficiency is too low; it won't affect the outcome of the war."

"Cloning technology?" Zhou Naiyi suddenly said.

Li Hao nodded. "Extremely likely. Noah's Ark is very proficient in forbidden technologies of this kind. Cloning a powerhouse's genes doesn't necessarily mean a powerhouse identical in every way will be born. The soul is something that has certain causality and growth conditions, but if the quantity is large enough, there is still a chance."

Causality is also a probability from a certain perspective. If the quantity is sufficient, it can be extracted. With Nangong Yuhang's meticulousness, he should have had a backup plan long ago.

At this time, on Kepler Planet.

The Giant Insects were busy like diligent ants, while Polina was like a queen ant, taking care of the babies in the tanks one by one. In the endless rows of tanks, clones, modified humans, artificial humans, and orcs were being cultivated. Whatever was forbidden—the more humans prohibited it, the more interested Noah's Ark was. Cloning technology was even more mature here. It contained random samples of all the contestants from the S Tournament, including Li Hao's. Come to think of it, it was funny; the Meraphis Family had gotten them quite easily at the time.

Although it was genetic replication, most of the replicated people did not possess the peak state of Maxis and the others; they only looked similar on the outside. But they had the advantage of numbers. If a few excellent ones appeared, they could be made into Insect God Generals, and the rest would all be made into the Insect Human Legion. As long as the war was dragged out, the defeat of humanity was only a matter of time.

As a scientist, Polina also had some regrets, which was that she discovered a strange problem during cloning: Li Hao could not be replicated. All the clones died during the cultivation stage without exception. It didn't conform to science at all. What kind of secret power was contained within?

Another one worth cloning was Xilian, but Xilian was now Nangong Yuhang's true body, and he wouldn't allow it. Polina had no choice; it might involve a field she didn't know about.

Nangong Yuhang certainly wouldn't allow it. He was currently using Xilian's body, and his soul had already merged. From the perspective of human science, cloning was a simple replication, but given the power Nangong Yuhang had come into contact with and his understanding of the soul, the repeated appearance of the same gene had a certain subtle connection that would affect the original soul, or rather, causality. In a situation where he couldn't judge whether the impact was good or bad, Nangong Yuhang certainly wouldn't use himself to conduct experiments. But for others, it didn't matter, so whether Fan Liweite and the others died was of no consequence. A new batch of test subjects would soon be out of the oven. Even if the quick-finished products were reincarnated, they were relatively fragile; their lives might be very short, and their stability was also poor, but it didn't matter. They were consumables to begin with. The victorious humans and Li Hao must be feeling smug and full of drive. In this situation, they were bound to launch an attack, and he also wanted to see the combat power of his Giant Insect Legion. Watching while waiting was also a wonderful thing.

Moreover, Sa Wutian could provide so much information. With Li Hao's ability, he could 100% obtain some of what they wanted. He knew this Second Brother very well; he looked lazy, but deep down, he was extremely radical and adventurous. If he didn't make a move, he would look down on Li Hao...

This was a game between him and Li Hao, and the stake was the fate of humanity. How exciting.

(End of chapter)