Dante noticed the mistake he made a second too late. Looking at the security camera a moment after the red dot disappeared was no different from screaming that he knew the tracker’s connection had been terminated, and that he was aware of someone monitoring him.
In hindsight, it should have been obvious that the shop’s security system was compromised. The stalker was waiting for him nearby, and with decent Diving skills, it wouldn’t be too difficult to gain access.
’Volcan, check the system and see what you can find.’
[Understood... I found a few traces, but none that lead to the infiltrator.]
Once again, the stalker was one step ahead, though it didn’t make much sense. Why cut the connection to both the trackers and the security system? Even if he were to become aware of the latter, Dante had no way of using it to determine the location of their, or so it should have been. Unless the stalker knew Dante had pretty good Diving skills.
Dante’s eyes slowly widened as the realization illuminated his mind. The stalker knew to put trackers on the bikes and Megan’s truck because they had been watching ever since he was dealing with the Simmons brat and the street rats.
If that’s the case, then it would make sense for them to figure out that he was the one who had messed with the bikes’ systems, since Werewolf didn’t seem like the kind to bother with such things, especially after letting the brats escape.
’A smart one, huh...’ Dante thought. ’I bet you still underestimated me...’
Just like they had no way of knowing that Volcan was the true skilled Diver behind everything Dante did, the stalker also wouldn’t know the true extent of what the AI is capable of.
’Volcan, check the surveillance system outside.’
[Understood.] The AI went silent for a couple of seconds. [Here is footage from all the cameras in the vicinity.]
Several screens popped up one after the other, showing roads surrounding Megan’s Wrench.
’Which one is the building the red dot was on?’
One of the screens moved to the center and spread wider. It showed just another concrete block decorated with a bunch of dead signs, looking a bit desolate. In one of the alleys flanking it, a bunch of hobos were drinking around a portable heater, the cable connected to it leading to the neighboring building.
With a few mental commands, Dante switched between the screens and studied the people that appeared on them.
There were two men in suits swaying left and right, clearly drunk. A group of three masked individuals trying to break into a building through a door in the back of a side alley. A couple getting freaky on the third-floor balcony of that same building. A bunch of thugs surrounding a kid who appears to have bumped into one of them.
A group of five women dressed in skimpy outfits, probably making their way to the nightclub in the nearby intersection. A guy getting robbed in another corner. There was a group of thugs every dozen meters or so, like crows perched on power lines.
No matter where he looked, Dante couldn’t find anyone who looked suspicious.
Why would the spy put so much effort into hiding, even after severing the connections to the trackers and Megan’s security system? Their presence being exposed put them at a risk, sure, but they shouldn’t have known that he had a way of accessing the surrounding surveillance systems. After all, government systems weren’t as easy to hack as those of a mechanic shop.
"Dante, is something wrong?"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Dante noticed that Megan was giving him a confused look.
"A-ah, I just spaced out for a moment there." He started toward the exit. "Well, I better get going. Gonna come for my babe tomorrow."
"Make sure it’s within working hours!"
Waving his hand without turning around, Dante left the shop.
Dante didn’t have a solid plan to catch his stalker. The best he could come up with was to walk around while keeping an eye on his surroundings through the surveillance systems. That would only help if the stalker was still around, however.
What if they were so cautious that they abandoned their goals and fled the moment he detected their presence? Surely someone smart enough to hide after their presence gets discovered wouldn’t fall for a simple trap such as the one he was currently setting.
[Dante, you are being tailed.]
’Yeah, yeah, I can see, you know?’
Sadly, one look was all it took to determine it wasn’t anyone who might be the stalker. Dante had passed many groups of street rats since leaving Megan’s Wrench. The last among them must’ve got some ideas, seeing as they left their burrow and were following after him.
With his mood turning for the worse, Dante decided it might do him well to blow some steam. He walked into the next alley he came across, passing another group of thugs who followed him with their eyes but made no moves to follow after him. They let the other group pass without a problem as well.
Dante waited just as his pursuers entered the alleyway before suddenly breaking into a run, signaling that he knew he knew he was being followed. They took off running, too, shouting just as he disappeared around the next corner.
That area was a blind zone, hidden from all security systems in the area. The perfect place to rob someone. The thugs knew that all too well and so they rushed to catch up with him, intending to make use of that place. What they didn’t know, however, was that he was aware of that as well.
Dante had stopped right around the corner, standing in the middle of the alley. Something felt off, but the street rats weren’t known for their quick thinking. The only thing that was on their minds at that moment was relief for having caught up to him.
Tilting his head slightly, Dante raised his chin and fixed them with a glare.
"You need something?" He asked.