A large number of people.
Hawk grabbed a cloning chair, which looked like a VR device, raised an eyebrow, and then placed it on his head.
Instantly.
Images flickered rapidly like slides: a newly born baby abandoned at the church door, a child singing with the church choir, a kid living in a foster family, followed by a boy kneeling on the ruins, shouting powerlessly, vowing to become stronger...
This was his memory.
But...
It had been modified, seemingly real yet not, as if someone had meticulously investigated his past and then crafted it based on the collected data.
Hawk took off the helmet and tossed it aside.
He could only describe this fabricated memory with two words.
Idiot.
At that moment, blinding red light instantly filled the entire memory cloning area.
Hawk, with a thought, disappeared from the spot in an instant.
In the next second.
Boom!
A violent explosion, like a volcanic eruption, instantly destroyed the entire memory infusion area.
"Did it succeed?"
In the most concealed silver room that was like a spider web connecting the entire mountain, a gigantic screen displayed the memory infusion area engulfed in flames.
A bespectacled man, appearing somewhat refined and wearing a white coat, the tall and thin Dr. Merick, immediately inquired.
The technician sitting in front of the computer said nothing but pulled up omnipresent surveillance from the memory infusion area, capturing Hawk, who was in place in one frame and gone in the next once the explosion occurred. Turning to look at Dr. Merick, who, amidst his panic, showed a trace of expectation, he shook his head.
"No!"
"Where did he go?"
"...Hibernation area."
The technician's hands were on the keyboard, constantly switching from one surveillance area to another, finally locking the huge screen on the clone hibernation area.
Hundreds of clones stood silently in transparent pods, completely nude, much like museum exhibits or tools waiting to be used, breathing slowly, with erratic heartbeats maintained at the lowest level to ensure they wouldn't die.
And Hawk, the real Hawk, was in the hibernation area.
Hawk sped through the warehouse-like clone hibernation area, finally standing at the center, scanning the surroundings with his gaze, the densely packed hibernation pods, and himself, seemingly asleep inside them.
At this moment.
With a buzz.
Hawk instinctively looked up towards the sudden noise.
In the next instant.
Dr. Merick's voice resonated over the clone hibernation area's sky through a loudspeaker.
"Mr. Hawk Phoenix, didn't expect you'd really find this place."
"...Merick?"
"It's me."
"Heh."
Hawk laughed lightly, looking towards the direction of the voice: "You're quite something, I thought by now, you'd already be fleeing for your life in panic."
Dr. Merick laughed.
"Why should I flee, you may be terrifying, Mr. Phoenix, but I have God's guidance, I serve God."
"Really?"
"Yes, otherwise, how do you explain the success of my cloning technology, while others' don't? Because I've received God's oracle and guidance, this world is tainted, God has come, He wants to evolve the whole world."
"Then you'd better pray that when I catch you, your God will come to save you."
After Hawk spoke, the Phoenix Beam shot out, piercing through the speaker hanging on the wall with a bang, then lowering the Phoenix Beam to begin an indiscriminate sweep.
One after another, the clone hibernation pods were vaporized on the spot by the Phoenix Beam, including the clones within maintained at the minimum survival conditions.
In the blink of an eye, the warehouse, which a second ago was filled with densely packed clone hibernation pods, became empty enough to run a horse the next second.
"Hiss!"
Dr. Merick, who was commanding at the Eden Base command center, took a deep breath looking at Hawk standing in the now-empty warehouse on the big screen, and without hesitation, immediately ordered.
"Activate Hydra Captain."
"Yes!"
"Put on the replicated Iron Battle Armor."
"Understood."
The Hydra Captain was thus far their most successful Hawk clone research. Initially, there were six other clones, but all exploded at the moment of successful activation due to varying cloning parameters.
Subsequently, all their cloning experiments were based on the now perfectly cloned Hydra body.
Soon.
Just as Hawk finished sweeping another area and was about to turn and leave, suddenly, not far away, the ground cracked, revealing a hidden underground clone hibernation pod.
As vapor gushed out from the pod, the Number Seven android suddenly opened its eyes.
In the next instant.
As Number Seven walked out of the hibernation pod, the ground cracked again, opening an armor in equal proportion towards Number Seven.
Hawk paused his departure at this scene, observing before him, the clone donned in Steel Holy Armor, its eyes glowing green focused on him from beneath the visor.
Dr. Merick's voice echoed once more.
"Mr. Phoenix, allow me to introduce, Hydra Captain, my Hawk!"