Chapter 473.1: Clones Are Also Humans! We Shall Treat Them As Such... Just Maybe With Some Mental Deficiencies...

"This damn bunch of fools... They never think of me when you have fun! They only come running when trouble shows up! Damn it! This grandaddy isn’t you babysitter!” Chu Guang growled in his captain’s quarters on board the Heart of Steel.

He rolled his eyes at the half-assed report on the question of how to handle clones Sideline Slacking had sent.

There was no historical precedent, either in the old world or the new, for capturing entire units of soldiers without full mental development

In typical survivor settlements, the usual approach would have been to bury them and be done with it.

But the New Alliance obviously couldn’t do that!

A disciplined organization had to act according to rules. The correct approach was to create a system and follow it consistently thereafter.

Chu Guang had initially planned to ask Little Seven’s opinion, but its focus landed somewhere completely off the rails.

"Huh? Master’s looking for something fun to do?" Its voice carried a note of surprise, yet also a hint of understanding.

Nearly choking on his spit, Chu Guang coughed, "I was just making an example. Don’t fixate on weird stuff like that. If you’ve got spare processing power, help me think this through."

Little Seven, sitting cross-legged on his desk, rested its chin in its hands and made a thoughtful expression. "Hmm... I’m not sure. There’s no reference for this in the database. But Master, do you think they’re human?"

"Sort of, though they're definitely idiots," Chu Guang replied nonchalantly.

Little Seven continued, "Then how does the New Alliance usually handle the intellectually disabled?"

"They’re treated as disabled persons. Either placed in the House of Refugees or assigned a designated guardian."

As he spoke, Chu Guang’s eyes lit up slightly.

That’s right.

They just needed someone to be in charge of them.

After a moment of thought, Chu Guang spoke. "Clone prisoners will be overseen and disciplined by their original commanding officer. In prisoner of war camps, they’ll work in teams of 10. If one breaks the rules, the whole squad gets punished. If they fail to complete their assigned labor, the team leader will bear the primary responsibility."

He was essentially restructuring the original 10-man squads by removing everyone else and leaving their Decurion in charge of managing those mentally underdeveloped and potentially violent clone prisoners.

The minimum sentence for prisoner of wars in the New Alliance was 10 years.

Unless the Army planned to pay the ransom, most clone soldiers wouldn’t survive to the end of their term. That also saved the Alliance from worrying about their long-term social reintegration and the societal problems that would come with it.

Chu Guang spent 10 minutes dictating additional details to Little Seven, including safeguards against decurions accidentally killing off burdensome subordinates, as well as plugging loopholes in the proposed guidelines.

If used properly, those clone soldiers could be decent laborers, whether in agriculture or mining.

While they couldn’t handle complex tasks, basic and repetitive physical labor should be within their capability.

As for their living standards, it would match other prisoners. They could be given enough to survive.

"Little Seven, did you get all that?"

Little Seven, still perched on the desk, nodded with admiration sparkling in its eyes. "Yup! Got everything memorized!"

A faint smile curled on Chu Guang’s lips as he leaned back in his chair and stretched. The day had barely started, but he already felt he deserved some credit.

There were no new developments on the front lines. Everything was progressing steadily.

Just as Chu Guang was contemplating whether to relax with a few rounds of

Elden Ring

, Little Seven suddenly perked up. "Oh, Master, there’s news from the Foreign Affairs Department. It’s about the Enterprise."

Chu Guang tensed up instinctively at the mention of the Enterprise.

One of the reasons he ran all the way to the frontlines was to avoid their representatives.

Those old friends from the East Coast were generous with funding, but excruciatingly slow on everything else.

The Highest Council had already passed a resolution to support the New Alliance, yet they still hadn’t approved the deployment of the Orca transport planes.

And previously, when everyone had agreed to drive the Army out of Sunset Province entirely, now that the war was halfway done and the Hew Alliance had gained the upper hand, the Highest Council was already debating whether to open ceasefire talks in exchange for prisoners.

Sure, negotiations were possible.

Chu Guang understood perfectly what was a mere ploy and what was the true objective.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The New Alliance’s development would ultimately rely on agriculture, industry, and infrastructure. War could at most be a catalyst. Peace was the long-term plan.

Even so, the proper time to negotiate was after dismantling the Army’s strategic foothold in Sunset Province and crushing their expansionist faction’s ambitions and capabilities.

If possible, Chu Guang honestly preferred if the Enterprise just stuck to wiring funds.

"What did they say?"

"They said reporters from the Distant Times want to interview General Swofte."

Chu Guang sighed, his tone softening. "Isn't McClennan enough?"

Little Seven replied, "Umm... Maybe it’s precisely because the McClennan interview was so effective, they want to interview a few more generals."

Chu Guang blinked. "Effective?"

Mimicking Chu Guang’s usual gesture, Little Seven drew a circle in the air with its index finger as a holographic image appeared above the desk.

It was a news segment aired in Ideal City and recorded by Ample Time.

General McClennan was shown clenching his fists, face flushed with anger, voice trembling with righteous fury.

"I’ll say it again, I didn’t lose to the New Alliance! I lost to the despicable Enterprise! If it weren’t for the Enterprise’s support, there’s no way I would have lost the battle in the River Valley Province, let alone the one in the desert!"

Compared to McClennan’s furious denial, the reporter sitting opposite wore an expression that barely concealed his amusement, biting his lip in mock seriousness.

Once McClennan had finished, the reporter eagerly pressed on. "So you're saying you lost to the Enterprise? Because we don’t see it that way. Whether it was River Valley Province or the south of the desert, it was the survivors’ resistance against oppression that brought victory."

"Nonsense!" McClennan’s eyes bulged as he glared. "When did we ever oppress the locals?! We didn’t even step foot in Oasis No.4! Heroic resistance? What a joke! You think those tanks were built by survivors?"

The reporters raised an eyebrow and mumbled, "Well, we did provide some parts... Like the Model 60 Railgun..."

"That damned railgun! Without it, the New Alliance could never have pierced the Conqueror 10s armor! And that flapping-wing plane... Without that, I wouldn’t have lost to a bunch of horseback savages! If they’ve got guts, why don’t they fight me instead of hiding behind stupid tricks and gadgets?!" McClennan ranted.

Unbeknownst to him, the more agitated he became, the happier the reporter looked.

Once McClennan was truly riled up, the reporter cut himself out of the frame entirely, zooming in on McClennan who was screaming to his heart’s content.

The interview soon wrapped up. Having gathered all the material he needed, the reporter smiled politely. "Thanks for your time. That said, you really should thank the Enterprise. Without pressure from the Highest Council, you'd either be hanging from a rope or buried in a coal pit."

McClennan’s face froze. "In your dreams!"

Death before dishonor.

He’d rather die than thank the enemy.

But the reporter didn’t care. He even gave a close-up of McClennan’s frozen expression before cutting the feed.

Staring at the stubborn general on screen, Chu Guang was momentarily stunned, then let out a helpless chuckle.

Well, damn.

No wonder the reporters wanted to interview more generals.

None of those officers, who had been beaten black and blue by the New Alliance, would admit they lost to it. Each insisted it was due to poor logistics, or losing to the Enterprise’s superior equipment.

Even though deep down they knew a few weapons didn’t determine the outcome, blaming gear and the Enterprise was still better than admitting defeat to a bunch of savages.

At least they could pretend to be the true heirs of the fallen Federation.

The Enterprise had become the last shield for their pride. The reporter was clearly exploiting that, goading McClennan to say exactly what would make for good propaganda.

From the perspective of Ideal City’s residents, Chu Guang had to admit, it probably made for pretty satisfying views. Frontline war news had likely been trending hard on their networks recently.

After less than two minutes of thought, Chu Guang said, "Approved. Let the Distant Times send their reporter."

Keeping the neighbors entertained wasn’t a bad thing. It might even undercut support for the Highest Council’s push for a ceasefire.

As the interview played, Chu Guang’s eyes suddenly lit up. Turning to Little Seven, who had nodded in confirmation, he added, "Have them conduct the interview near Hill 330. And let them film the clones too. Don’t tell them to do anything, just let them see the clones for themselves."

A life that burned out at eight times the normal speed... That was an evil technology.

That bunch, incapable of anything besides eating, shitting, and fighting, would surely evoke sympathy from Ideal City’s citizens.

The New Alliance, in all their generosity, could take in those poor souls affected by the war, appealing to their bleeding hearts.

As long as they were willing to fork out a few CR to sympathize with those clones...

In doing so, the clone soldiers wouldn’t just become productive labor for rebuilding the Wasteland, they’d also earn the New Alliance some subsidies!

It was basically win-win!

The more Chu Guang thought about it, the more brilliant it seemed. He couldn’t help but grin and shake his head.

"Shit. This doggy developer in the eyes of all the players is truly heartless..."

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