Even after he reached the station, Dante remained hidden for some time until the train arrived. The red-haired girl was waiting for him on a bench near the entrance. Her expression brightened when she saw him but gloomed after he passed her and walked to the train without saying a word.
Ignoring her call, Dante scanned the QR code at the door, paid the fare, and boarded. The train was desolate. The fluorescent lights lining its interior revealed the filth that remained invisible during the day, and with next to no passengers in each carriage, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.
Dante picked a random spot and sat down. Not a second later, a shadow fell on his face. The red-haired girl, Liliana Eisenberg, stood before him with her arms crossed, a look of deep displeasure on her face.
"Sit down." He sighed. "The train is about to move."
She chose to ignore his warning, and after almost losing her balance when the train took off, she begrudgingly took the spot beside him. Not a second later, Dante slid to the side and put some distance between them. The girl didn’t get the hint, however, and immediately pulled to his side.
"Is this supposed to help us lose the pursuers?" The girl asked after a few seconds, her voice a little high from the embarrassment. "Because I still have some things to do back there."
Dante turned back to his thoughts instead of answering her.
[None of your pursuers have boarded the train.] The AI replied.
"Hey, I’m talking to you!"
Liliana’s voice echoed in the silence of the empty carriage. Shifting in her direction, Dante returned the same displeased look she gave him. His eyes lacked the glint found in hers, however, and being under their gaze was enough to frighten anyone.
"Turns out that guy was after you." He said. "And because you kept clinging to me, he got his buddies to follow me around as well."
"How would you know that?" Liliana furrowed her brows.
"I told them some crazy girl was following me since morning and they left me alone."
"Goddamn it, keep your voice down." A grimace twisted Dante’s face and he plugged a finger into his right ear. This was not a conversation he wanted to have. He was even starting to regret not heading home from one of the other stations.
The girl studied him for a while. When she turned away, her silence didn’t last long, although this time she made sure to not raise her voice.
"I’m starting to think that you hate me..."
"You just figured that out?"
Dante’s reply caused her head to snap in his direction once more.
"What did I ever do to you!!?"
"I would have been much happier if you never crossed my path."
"If anything, I have every reason to hate you! You are the one who has been rude all this time!"
"Go ahead, see if I care."
As insufferable as ever. Street rats were angels compared to the entitled little shits dropped from the elites’ golden behinds. Dante could only curse his luck for having to deal with one of them after so long.
No, the girl wasn’t just another elite spawn. She was a Level 3 Advanced, an Enhanced Individual with the destructive power of a tank. The superiority complex that came with money was without a doubt tripled thanks to the raw power she has on her hands.
"I get it now!" The girl sounded awfully cheerful all of a sudden. "You are looking for it as well!"
"You came to Factory Town because you heard the rumors, and you must’ve found something in that building!"
Dante turned to her with a bewildered look that morphed into a frown when he saw her smug smile.
"I’m right on the spot, am I not?" She asked.
"Listen, Ms. Hero, I don’t know what you’re talking about, neither do I want to know. As you might have guessed already, I don’t want to deal with you or any of your kind. If you understand that, fuck off."
Liliana winced at his reply but didn’t fold.
"I already said I wouldn’t let you go until you told me what you saw!"
"And I told you I didn’t see anything!"
"Trying to hide it from me won’t work! I know you saw something!"
"And how the hell would you know that?"
"My intuition!" She said without a hint of doubt. "And I heard what you said earlier."
"So? Are you going to start talking or what?"
"Seriously, who do you think you are?" Mumbling under his breath, Dante stared at the shifting scenery beyond the window opposite him for a while. "Did you seriously come all the way here just because of some rumors?"
"Well, I could ask you the same question!"
A vein bulged on Dante’s forehead.
"You see, I’m not an idiot who goes around looking for something that doesn’t exist."
"But Catalyst does exist. I have fought villains who used it before."
The faint clatter of the train echoed inside the carriage. With slow movements, Dante turned to look at the idiotically oblivious rich girl, his expression blank.
"Are you sure you should be saying that to me?"
One second passed, then another. As if her brain lagged while attempting to grasp what he said, Liliana’s face changed color one bit at a time, going through different shades of blue.
"You... aren’t very smart, are you?"
The disappointed sigh that followed his remark turned it into a sharp spear that pierced her chest.
[Dante, I’m not sure I understand.] Volcan’s voice rang out in his head. [Catalyst is the name of the drug Michael Jason used to gain temporary enhancements, correct?]
’Bravo. Did you figure that out on your own?’
[Sarcasm is unnecessary. I’m simply asking to confirm whether you believe that to be the case or not since you just claimed that it does not exist.]
’I thought you can tell when I’m lying...’ He said internally.