From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 600 "You will see the true strength of Kamino."

The moment the hatch was fully opened, Leon straightened the collar of his black suit and stepped out first.

The custom-made dress was neatly cut, with the silver emblem of the Imperial Investigation Department pinned on the left chest, gleaming coldly under the gloomy sky of Kamino.

He stepped out of the cabin steadily, and the anti-slip grooves of his special leather boots made a unique friction sound when they came into contact with the wet metal platform.

The entourage behind him maintained a perfect diplomatic distance——

David's dark grey three-piece suit was exquisitely tailored, and the badge on his tie that looked like a decoration was actually a micro data storage device equipped with a quantum encryption system.

Lucy had her long silver hair tied up into a rigorous low bun. The tiny communicator disguised as a pearl on her earlobe swayed slightly with her steps, reflecting a rainbow-like luster.

Even Bates, who was usually careless and a bit sloppy, changed into a black empire suit.

Chirrut was as elegant and calm as ever, wearing a black robe similar to that of a Jedi Knight.

At the front of the welcoming team, a female Kamino official in an indigo rippled robe stood out.

She was ten centimeters taller than her peers, with carefully arranged silver lines on her conical head, faintly visible under the dark clouds. This seemed to be a biological mark unique to high-level Kaminoans. The hem of her robe was made of a special fluid material that could remain incredibly still in the sea breeze.

When Leon's boots fully stepped onto the platform, the Archon stepped forward with the precision that was unique to Kaminoans, and every fold of his robe seemed to be calculated.

"Welcome to Kamino, representatives of the human empire." Her voice was like a finely tuned instrument, with every syllable being just right. "I am Chief Genetic Archon Terra Coe, and it is an honor to receive you all."

Surprisingly, she spoke fluently the official language of the Human Empire, with only a barely perceptible hint of the guttural tone of aquatic races.

"Leon S. Kennedy, thank you for your warm reception."

Leon nodded slightly, his voice as steady as the deep sea.

He keenly noticed that Terra Coe's gaze passed over his shoulder and the focus of his pupils changed subtly.

The Chief Gene Archon's sight was firmly locked on the fully armed Spartan warriors in the rear.

Five Spartans deployed in a standard tactical formation. The surface of their Thor's Hammer power armor had been specially treated to give off a matte sheen in Kamino's never-ending wind and rain.

Douglas was holding a modified Gauss rifle with several "positive" characters engraved on the gun, and each mark represented an important kill.

Kohl's sniper-type Gauss rifle had a slender barrel, and the optical lens glowed faintly blue in the darkness. Even the most jumpy Myron went into alert mode, holding the smart Gauss machine gun tightly in both hands.

The appearance of this team of super soldiers caused visible fluctuations among the people of Kamino.

Those pale conical heads leaned forward, and their slender fingers unconsciously crossed and separated. This was their way of expressing shock.

Terra Ko's pupils dilated and the transparent subcutaneous blood vessels in his neck glowed slightly, indicating a rare state of physiological excitement.

"These fighters are not clones."

There was certainty in her words, and her long neck tilted forward slightly.

Terra Coe's eyes "greedily" recorded every detail, such as the scar on the left shoulder of Douglas's armor that was melted by an energy weapon, the hand-carved pattern on Kohl's sniper rifle, and the childish smiley face painted on the side of Myron's heavy machine gun.
Rain flowed along the outline of the Spartans' Thor's hammers, forming tiny whirlpools around their magnetic boots.

Terra Ko unconsciously took half a step forward, an action that broke diplomatic etiquette and exposed her inner urgency.

Behind him, three Kaminoans in scientific research uniforms had begun tapping the recorders hidden in their sleeves with their fingertips.

Leon smiled slightly.

This meeting had only just begun, and already the Kaminoans had shown more interest than expected.

"cough."

He coughed lightly, bringing Terra Coe's attention back to reality: "Your Excellency Archon, I think we have a lot to discuss."

Terra Coe's slender fingers gently brushed across the wrinkles on his forehead. This elegant movement perfectly concealed his previous gaffe.

"Of course, Mr. Kennedy." Her voice regained its precise rhythm. "Please follow me to the Council Chamber. We have prepared some information that may be of interest to you."

Everyone stepped onto the high-altitude transparent corridor leading to the main building. The reinforced glass under their feet displayed the surging sea view without reservation.

A hundred meters below, Kamino’s unique indigo blue water formed countless whirlpools, and occasionally the shadows of giant marine creatures flashed by.

What was amazing was that despite the heavy rain outside, the interior of the corridor was as solid as a rock, and not even the slightest vibration could be felt.

"Air pressure stabilization system."

Terra noticed Leon's watchful gaze, and ran her slender fingers across the almost invisible cracks on the wall. "Our buildings can all withstand giant ocean storms."

As she explained, everyone's clothes, which were wet by the rain, seemed to be drying at a speed visible to the naked eye. A faint fragrance filled the air, and the nano-level dehumidification system was working silently.

David's fingertips slid across the wall without leaving a trace, and the material analysis data was immediately displayed on his electronic eyes.

He raised his eyebrows slightly and gave Leon a meaningful look.

This seemingly ordinary corridor wall is actually made of some kind of biopolymer, and its technological content far exceeds that of most civilizations in the universe.

"This corridor connects to our main facility." Terra's voice echoed in the corridor. "The total length is about 1.7 kilometers according to your human empire's calculation method. It adopts bionic design."

She pointed to the dome's supporting structure, those branching metal beams that really did grow naturally like bones.

And Lucy's electronic eyes captured an interesting detail.

Every hundred meters or so, there are almost invisible monitoring nodes, and the scanning beams they emit are intensively sweeping across the Spartans' power armor.

Lucy pretended to fix her hair, but actually activated anti-reconnaissance mode.

However, the Thor's Hammer armor developed by Halsey is not something that ordinary civilizations can decipher.

“Very impressive.”

Leon responded at the right time, then glanced at a giant creature that suddenly jumped out of the sea outside the window. Its streamlined silver body was also covered with glowing patterns, so he asked:

“Your marine aquaculture project?”

A barely perceptible hint of pride appeared on Terra's lips. "The carrier of the KT-77 biological computer can assist clients of the same ocean civilization and provide a full range of services."

The group of people walked and talked.

At the end of the corridor is a pearly door with patterns on its surface that look like DNA chains.

Terra pressed her palm on the identification area, and the door slid open silently, and a cold breeze with a special smell of disinfectant blew towards her.

"Welcome to the core of this place," Terra's voice suddenly became solemn, "cloning matrix." Looking through the open door, the scene in front of him made even the experienced investigation department agent hold his breath.

In a spherical space with a diameter of three kilometers, tens of thousands of culture chambers are arranged in a honeycomb pattern, and clones at different stages of development are floating in each chamber.

The blue nutrient solution resembles liquid gem under the illumination of optical fibers. Countless automated robotic arms shuttle between the cabins, performing precise genetic adjustments.

"There are currently 70,000 clones in operation." Terra led everyone to the central observation platform. "From basic infantry to special commanders, the entire series of products are being continuously optimized."

Following Terra Coe's introduction, Leon discovered that most of the clones in the incubator were in the state of infants, and some were not even humanoid.

Apparently, with the rapid collapse of the Galactic Empire, the Kaminoans, who made their living by exporting biological weapons, have once again experienced a large-scale economic recovery.

Jerome's helmet screen switched to tactical analysis mode, showing that there were different differences in the muscle density and nerve reflex data of those clones.

"We note the uniqueness of your warriors."

At this time, Terra Coe suddenly turned to the Spartans, her pupils dilated a little, and she showed great interest and said, "Perhaps we can discuss some kind of mutually beneficial technological exchange?"

"of course can."

Lyon naturally had no objection to this.

Then the group continued to move forward, passing through the observation platform, and a spiral passage extending downward appeared in front of everyone.

The walls on both sides of the passage were covered with bioluminescent patterns that changed color as they moved.

Terra Ko led the way and reminded everyone: "Next, we will enter the core production area of ​​the cloning factory. Please follow my steps and do not touch any equipment."

At the end of the passage, a huge biological metal door slowly opened, revealing a shocking scene inside—

Thousands of automated production lines are in operation, and countless clones are on the assembly lines, undergoing final genetic adjustments and memory implants.

In the center of the factory, a huge holographic projection displays the real-time status of the entire clone army, with each light spot representing an active clone unit.

"This is the pride of Kamino." Terra opened her arms, with a voice full of pride that was difficult to conceal, "The most perfect clone soldier production line in the galaxy."

Lyon stood on the observation platform, his eyes sweeping over the well-organized cloning production facilities below.

Tens of thousands of culture chambers are neatly arranged, and each chamber is connected to sophisticated monitoring equipment.

Kamino's technology was indeed impressive, the clones' muscle texture was clearly visible in the blue nutrient solution, the robotic arms were making subtle adjustments, and the holographic projections displayed each unit's vital signs in real time.

This reminded him of the cloning factory of the Imperial Biological Department.

The equipment there is not as sophisticated as here, but its efficiency is several times higher.

The Biological Department regards clone soldiers as consumables, and it only takes thirty standard days from breeding to deploying them to the battlefield.

And these Kamino clones in front of us were obviously enjoying the treatment of "high-end products", with separate nutritional rations, personalized combat training, and even psychological state assessments.

“It’s amazing the resources you put into each unit,” Lyon commented.

Terra raised her slender fingers elegantly: "For us, this is not a simple commodity production, but a work of art."

As she spoke, she pointed to a clone that was undergoing memory implantation, "Each unit has its own unique personality traits and tactical style."

Leon nodded slightly.

Kamino's economy is almost entirely based on the export of clones, so it's no wonder they are so demanding, and the human empire only needs a steady supply of "flesh shields".

"I'm curious." Leon stopped in front of a gene sequencer, "How do you ensure the absolute loyalty of the clones?"

Terra's fingers danced on the holographic keyboard, calling up a complex code: "We have embedded obedience instructions into the base gene chain, like this-"

She zoomed in on a set of DNA sequences that she showed were markers of some kind of psychological suggestion.

"interesting."

Leon nodded.

The method adopted by the Human Empire is more brutal, which is to implant a control chip directly into the clone's brain, and each clone is roughly equivalent to a "living dead", with no independent thoughts and consciousness at all, let alone a soul.

After the visit, Terra Coe proposed a formal meeting.

Leon winked at Lucy, and the entire group immediately understood and stayed in the reception area, while the Spartans stood in the corner like sculptures.

The accompanying Kaminoans also dispersed, some providing drinks and desserts to the entire group, or going to other areas to work.

Leon walked into the conference room and sat down at the fixed table.

The conference room adopts the fluid architectural style characteristic of Camino, and the walls change transparency as the light changes. Terra poured Leon a glass of glowing blue drink.

"We hope to conduct joint research on biotechnology with the Human Empire," Terra said straight to the point, "rather than simply doing business."

Lyon remained calm on the surface and took a sip of the drink, which tasted metallic, "carbonated" and bitter.

However, he said to himself in his heart, "That's exactly how it should be."

Because the Empire wants to bring the Kaminoans under its rule in a "gentle" way, it needs to let the other party take the initiative to propose the concept of "joint research".

Then he took out a data chip from his briefcase and said:
"This is the clone soldier data of the Imperial Biological Department." The chip projected detailed technical parameters on the desktop. Of course, it was the data of an obsolete product, and continued:

"We hope that you can use this as a basis to develop 100,000 fully upgraded clones."

Terra took the chip and tilted her conical head slightly: "Is this a test?"

"The premise of cooperation is mutual understanding." Leon said calmly, "If the results are satisfactory, we can consider deeper exchanges."

Terra inserted the chip into the reader of the "Universal Interface", and the holographic projection immediately displayed detailed technical requirements -

Bone density increased by 40%, nerve reaction speed increased by 25%, life cycle extended to fifteen Coruscant (Earth) years, and product delivery must be completed within one Coruscant year, etc. Each indicator far exceeds the existing product performance of Kamino.

"It's a very challenging goal." Terra said, then looked at Leon and said sincerely, "But it's not impossible to accomplish."

Leon noticed her long fingers trembling slightly under the table.

For the people of Kamino, this is both a test and an excellent opportunity to come into contact with advanced technology.

Before Leon could continue to say anything, Terra Ko took the initiative and said, "Three Coruscant moons. Give us three months and you will see the true strength of Kamino."

(End of this chapter)