The previous night had been rather stressful, but eventually, Dante was able to get some sleep. Surprisingly, he didn’t have any nightmares. One would think that being interrogated by a wizard wielding truth magic would leave some scars, but turns out his psyche could no longer be harmed so easily.
"Time to wash dishes, I guess."
He showered, brushed his teeth, then put on some clothes. He then went down to the underground parking lot and opened one of the small garages lining its inner walls, breathing in relief when he found that the Raven was still in its place.
Not knowing if he was being watched, Dante hadn’t risked putting it back into his storage. It had been another source of the anxiety that kept pulling on the back of his mind the previous night, even though Volcan was connected to it and could have warned him if anyone had tried to touch it.
As he was leaving Hollowgrid, Dante asked his resident AI to put the spider-bots in sleep mode to preserve their batteries. He would have to gather them later so he could recharge them, but for the time being, it’s better if they remain in place.
The ride to Blue Ember was rather peaceful. On the way, Dante stopped by a convenience store and got some sandwiches for lunch. He still arrived five minutes early despite that, and by the time the clock hit 09:00, he was already at his sink dipping dirty plates in water filled with odorless soap.
He noticed that the other employees were giving him strange looks, averting their gazes whenever he turned in their direction. It was getting on his nerves a little, but the constant notifications from the productivity enhancement app were getting on his nerves, so he tried to focus on his work and nothing else.
The monotony of the day was shattered by some rather horrifying news from his resident AI. After five whole days, Volcan was finally able to break through the protections surrounding Ember, the main AI governing the entire hotel, including its security system and the productivity enhancement app. That should have been a cause of celebration, but in the current circumstances, it only added to the subtle horror Dante was experiencing.
He couldn’t believe that he forgot all about the original task he had entrusted his resident AI with, and because of that, Volcan continued with his attempts to crack the system, even after yesterday’s interrogation.
’For fuck’s sake, Volcan!’ Dante tried to keep the same impassive face he had been wearing this whole time. ’Didn’t you even stop to think... ugh....’
All of a sudden, he was no longer sure if what happened the day before was because of him using Type 8-3 or because of his resident AI snooping around the establishment’s network.
[Please do not be concerned.] Volcan said, his voice not showing the slightest hint of emotion. [I am confident that I did not leave any traces that might lead back to us.]
’You said they have human Divers monitoring the network, too.’
[Yes, that is why I erased one of the local AIs and replaced it with a copy that is under my control. Using it, I have infected all the other AIs on the network. The Human Divers would not be able to notice anything out of the ordinary because there is none. All local AIs are acting according to their original instructions and have shown no sign of being affected by outside influence.]
’Are you sure about that?’
In the end, Dante still found himself unable to take Volcan at his word. But what could he do about it? He was already under suspicion, and if the hotel’s security found something, then surely they wouldn’t have sat around and done nothing.
’I... I need to get out of here...’
Dante didn’t know if he could take another twenty-four days of this, and the longer he lingered around, the higher his chances of getting caught became. That said, quitting right now would only make him look more suspicious. He considered starting a fight with Ben, the pale goblin, just so he would get himself fired, but that felt far too obvious. He needed a better exit strategy.
The day went on as if nothing had happened, and as he gradually calmed down, Dante began considering the upsides of Volcan having done what he did.
Now that they have the same level of control as they have on the lesser AIs working the surveillance system outside, Dante would be able to enter Ghost Mode while inside the hotel. He would also have access to every device in the building, provided that it’s already connected to the network. He didn’t dare test it at the moment, afraid that a single mistake would ruin everything. That’s why he decided to leave it as a trump card for when he would finally execute his move.
The day reached its end without any trouble. During his first four days on the job, Dante looked forward to the moment his shift ended. Today, he ran straight toward the exit the instant he saw 17:00. His supervisor didn’t even get the chance to chastise him for daring to do his job exactly like he was told.
Three minutes later and he was already on his bike, the engine revving as he rode away.
Dante’s plans for the night were very simple: he would have his dinner at Nobara’s, then he would go home and pretend to watch movies while planning his exit strategy. He had the next day off, too, which should give him plenty of time.
’I might need to move again...’ He thought. ’Or I can just make sure those guards don’t survive...’
As he rode through the City Center, Dante noticed something odd about the streets. The atmosphere felt different, and though it wasn’t unusual for the district to be crowded most times, the people didn’t seem like they were just going about their lives as usual.
Dante soon learned why everything felt odd. He just happened to pass the tail end of the protest march that had passed through the district not that long ago. The new tax reforms seem to have already been announced, and that was likely the reason behind the prickly atmosphere on the streets.
Driven by curiosity, Dante rode his bike along the crowd, observing their expressions and listening to what they had to say. He kept going for some time, but eventually he lost interest and tuned around to leave.
’I guess they didn’t like how things turned out...’
As that thought crossed his mind, a sudden flash of inspiration illuminated his mind.