"Sample 53276 failed again. Our experiments keep running into the same old problem."
"If we enhance the body too much, its powerful flesh nurtures the mind, and the body we cultivate soon gives rise to a brand-new soul."
"But flesh that is too dull and rigid cannot sustain a powerful soul. Soul and body complement each other."
"Besides, flesh that is too dull has no right to become our new bodies. Its capacity for learning and creativity are far too poor. It could never inherit the knowledge and technology we have accumulated over tens of millions of years."
These were records Cheng Mingrui had found in the various pieces of experimental equipment. He did not know whether Afentis had left them or someone else had.
"Sample 157963 failed."
"Sample 269857 failed."
"Sample 479041 failed."
... Almost everything that followed was another failure.
"Why is this so difficult? We have already accumulated so much expertise in genetic technology, yet it is still this hard! All we want is a body with above-average potential and a slightly resilient soul."
"The Old Ones... how utterly loathsome..." Cheng Mingrui could almost feel the Necrons' soul-deep hatred for the Old Ones radiating from the words.
"The races they casually uplifted received everything we could only dream of! The Aeldari and Orks are blessed beyond measure! Not only do they have powerful bodies and resilient souls, but their intelligence and innate talents are exceptional too. This is unfair!"
"Today, I destroyed the last Aeldari specimen in my possession. I knew that experiment would never succeed, but I did it anyway. Watching that Aeldari's beautiful body suffer and collapse from the genetic drugs I injected gave me an inexplicable sense of release."
"All organic life in this universe deserves to die! The Old Ones deserve to die,