Chapter 489: Cloning
The complete restoration of the STC system marked a qualitative leap in Ryo's research capabilities.
This complete technological treasury, originating from humanity's Dark Age of Technology, possessed value far exceeding any fragmented technology or template obtained previously.
After confirming the system's stable operation and securing near-absolute protection provided by the enhanced security robot, Ryo did not indulge in the satisfaction of his harvest. His logical core immediately pivoted toward the efficient extraction of this endless mine of knowledge.
He had clear objectives and hypotheses urgently awaiting validation, and the STC database was the optimal path to answering them all.
His mechanical tentacles connected to the main console, his consciousness merging directly with the vast data stream.
The retrieval command was issued in binary code with a precise target: searching for a specific technological framework named Cloneskein.
In his memories prior to crossing over and the data gathered since, this technology was not simple cloning or replication; it was one of the apex creations in the field of human biology during the Dark Age of Technology.
It had been widely applied during the glorious era of humanity's expansion toward the galactic core. The descendants of the galactic core mining fleets, known as "Space Dwarfs"—the Hearth-kin factions—relied precisely on this technology to maintain their species' propagation and stability in extreme environments far from the main domains of humanity.
Ryo knew profoundly that the essence of the Cloneskein lay in its transcendence of basic genetic replication.
During the process of manufacturing new individuals, it could actively maintain and simulate the species diversity of natural reproduction through an incredibly complex set of genetic editing and recombination algorithms.
This meant that even after thousands of generations of cloned lineage, the population would not fall into degradation due to genetic homogenization, nor would it become susceptible to devastating blows from specific diseases.
This resolved the fundamental biological dilemma brought about by long-term cloning.
Furthermore, this technology demonstrated near-miraculous capabilities at the level of individual sculpting.
Its genetic editing protocols could systematically enhance the recipient's baseline physiological structure: bestowing a denser skeletal matrix, more efficient and resilient muscle fiber structures, as well as significantly elevating red blood cell oxygen-carrying capacity and white blood cell immune activity.
The result was the creation of augmented individuals possessing extraordinary physical strength, endurance, and regenerative capabilities.
What drew Ryo's attention even more was that the Cloneskein involved deeper interventions into the essence of life—it could subtly adjust an individual's connection to the Warp, lowering the brightness of their "projection" within the Immaterium. This made their souls appear more "dim" amidst the tides of the Warp, rendering them far less conspicuous.
In other words, they were less likely to become prey for the entities of the Warp.
This characteristic held incalculable strategic value for survival in a galaxy filled with hostile Warp phenomena.
And the most critical aspect, which perfectly aligned with Ryo's current research trajectory, was the hidden reversible application of this technology.
Since it could lower the Warp projection, it theoretically meant that through reverse-engineering or specific modulation—under the premise of ensuring stability—one could directionally "awaken" or enhance an individual's psychic potential, thereby producing psykers.
The Pursuit of Ancient Knowledge
The retrieval process advanced rapidly through the colossal database, filtering the massive stream of information.
Within Ryo's processor core, a fragment of sealed memory data flashed by.
Before he crossed over and integrated into this era, back during the distant era of the Great Crusade, he had known of the existence and value of this technology.
He had once envisioned guiding Imperial forces deep into the galactic core to find those isolated Space Dwarfs, aiming straight for their two great technological jewels: the Ancestor Cores that maintained their societal operations, and the Cloneskeins capable of sculpting the perfect physical body.
To this end, he had even deployed the Night Lords Legion, renowned for their cruel interrogations, commissioning them to capture over a hundred Hearth-kin members operating within Imperial borders. He attempted to pry open their mouths to acquire the secret routes leading to the galactic core.
However, even under the chilling torture methods of the Night Lords, those stubborn Dwarfs never uttered a single word containing precise information regarding the routes to the core. This caused his ambitious plan to run aground, becoming an unfulfilled exploration node.
At this moment, holding a complete STC system in his hands, the technology he once sought in vain was now right before his eyes, ready to be accessed, analyzed, and applied at any time.
This cycle of karma—losing at sunrise, gaining at sunset—stirred a faint data fluctuation akin to a sigh of emotion within his logical thought processes.
The path of a plan might be obstructed, but the pursuit of knowledge, as long as the direction was right, would eventually find an answer at an unexpected node.
The retrieval command finally returned concrete feedback.
Deep within the database, categorized under "Bio-sculpting - Population Sustenance Protocols," the complete technological blueprints, theoretical principles, operational manuals, and related equipment lists for the Cloneskein were prominently displayed.
Data streams surged into Ryo's storage arrays like a breached dam. The level of complexity and ingenuity far exceeded the speculations he had formulated based on historical fragments.
He immersed himself in the analysis of the technological details.
The Cloneskein was not a single piece of equipment, but a comprehensive system integrating genetic sequencing, diversity simulation, directed editing, and embryonic incubation.
Its core lay in a dynamic "Gene Pool Model." This model could simulate the flow of alleles under natural selection, ensuring that every newly generated clone possessed a unique genetic combination within the optimal health spectrum.
Following this, his search logic naturally extended to the hardware facilities accompanying the Cloneskein.
He quickly locked onto the blueprints for a massive integrated bio-manufacturing platform named the Gene-Forge.
This was an automated factory that integrated cell cultivation, tissue construction, organ gestation, and even rapid maturation technologies.
Based on the genetic blueprints provided by the Cloneskein, it could efficiently mass-produce complete biological entities. From the embryonic stage to the mature form, the entire process could be completed in a highly controlled and accelerated state.
This resolved the production capacity bottleneck for large-scale application.
The Synthesis of Power
However, the most important discovery followed closely behind.
While browsing the auxiliary technologies and stability enhancement protocols related to the Cloneskein, a technological entry designated Barrier Tech drew his utmost attention.
This technology was described as a "quasi-psychic" or "synthetic psychic" application framework.
Its principle was not to directly excavate an individual's innate Warp talent, but to intervene via external technology, generating a controllable energy field or force that simulated psychic effects.
Detailed data indicated that Barrier Tech could allow individuals with weak or entirely absent innate psychic talents to acquire the ability to unleash pseudo-psychic effects through bio-integrated augmetics—for example, generating kinetic barriers, distorting localized laws of physics, or interfering with energy flows.
This ability stemmed from a deep understanding and application of fundamental physical laws, rather than directly leveraging Warp energy. Therefore, it was theoretically far more stable and unaffected by Warp storms or the whispers of Chaos.
When Ryo cross-referenced and analyzed Barrier Tech alongside the Cloneskein's trait of lowering Warp projections, a clear and powerful application prospect emerged.
The Cloneskein could manufacture stable individuals whose souls were "dim" and unlikely to attract the malice of the Warp, while Barrier Tech could endow these individuals with controllable, psychic-like combat abilities.
The combination of the two could theoretically create something entirely new: special units whose souls were relatively dim and incorruptible, yet simultaneously possessed stable and controllable "psychic" talents.
(End of Chapter)