CHAPTER 276: OUT OF SUGAR.

If there is one thing almost everyone fears in this day and age, it would be a Diver skilled enough to infiltrate one’s NIM. Installing an implant right next to one’s brain was scary enough, but knowing that someone can set it on fire was a different kind of horror. Supposedly, there are countless safeguards to prevent that from happening, but most people didn’t have the courage to believe they would be enough.

Dante might have sent only one message, but with it came several meanings. Whether the idea got across or not depended on the recipients, and from the looks of it, they were smart enough to understand what he was implying.

Without saying a word, the one who opened the door rushed back to the driver’s seat and started the engine. Seconds later, the rusty van took off, disappearing behind the nearby megacomplex.

’What a bunch of morons...’ Watching them for a moment, Dante thought aloud. ’Keep an eye on their position.’

[Understood.] Volcan replied. [It appears you were able to deduce their objective from with little information. May I ask what it was?]

’What?’ Dante raised an eyebrow as he began walking again. ’You warned me about them without knowing what was about to happen?’

[They were armed and preparing for an assault. As I was unaware of their true target, I chose to designate them as a threat.]

’Well, good choice. They were probably going to attack the station.’

Though there were quite a few shops and restaurants around, Dante didn’t believe those four were planning a robbery, and that’s for a simple reason: there was nothing worth stealing in the area. The products wouldn’t fetch a big sum, and with all transactions being done digitally, trying to rob someone of their money was like creating evidence against one’s self.

Even if the shops dealt in Gold, which is untraceable by the authorities, trying to rob them would be pointless, since it’s one of the most known methods that guarantee Gold Rust, which is when Gold vanishes from one’s wallet without a trace.

If there’s nothing to rob in the area, the next obvious target would be the police station.

’I thought things went quiet recently...’

Despite being one of the poorer districts in Neo-Vatra, Hollowgrid didn’t have any major gang ruling it. That’s mainly because the last two had taken each other out a couple of years ago, and ever since, no one has been able to build a big enough presence to plant routes in the area.

The police had played a big part in ensuring it wouldn’t happen, but with how few resources and manpower they have, it was only a matter of time before they got overwhelmed.

Stepping into one of the buildings, Dante took out the lunch box, using that moment to check on the map in the top left corner of his vision. He had expected the idiots to tour around the block and come back later, but from the looks of it, they drove pretty far away.

’I should probably take care of that later...’

Though he knew they were targeting the station, their reasons and goals were still unclear. Making some guesses in his mind, Dante continued toward the police station. An old lady met him at the reception desk, asked for his ID, and the reason for his visit. Once she heard that he was Jonah’s acquaintance, she became visibly relaxed and made a quick call.

"Kid! Where have you been!!?" An old officer soon rushed into the lobby.

"Hey, Mr. Johanson. It’s been a while." Dante raised his right arm, striking it against the old officer’s. "Here, grandma said to bring you this."

"Oh? OH! A lunch box! Excellent! I haven’t eaten anything since morning!"

Jonah’s tired face regained some vitality the moment he recognized what was in the bag. One look was all it took to recognize that the old officer was in a bad shape. The bags under his eyes were bigger, and the wrinkles littering his dark skin seemed to have gotten worse. It was almost as if he were the one who had been bedridden for weeks, and not Dante.

"You don’t look too good, Mr. Johanson. Are you taking proper care of yourself?"

Jonah looked up from the bag, seemingly surprised by the question. The next moment, he gave a toothy grin.

"I can ask you the same, kid. You look like shit."

"Yeah, this is what happens when you fight a rabid dog."

"Damn, what kind of jobs you keep taking?" Letting out a chuckle, the old officer turned in the direction he came from. "Want some coffee? It’s basically the one thing they still supply us with."

"Sure, I can have some."

Following Jonah inside, Dante greeted some of the other officers they passed on the way and observed the interior. For a police station responsible for handling about 15% of the district, its size was rather small, and that wasn’t in reference to the space it occupied. Dante counted twenty people inside. Even if the majority of the force was out on patrol, it was still a small number considering the duties they had to handle.

It was a little difficult to remember that Jonah was a Captain, seeing how he always acts as if he is the average patrol officer. Because of that, Dante was a little surprised to learn that he had his own office. Jonah left him there and went to get the coffee. After taking in the interior, Dante leaned back into his chair and stared at the ceiling.

’Volcan, mind checking the detention room?’

[Right away.]

"Sorry for the wait." Jonah returned soon after, carrying a paper cup in each hand. "I hope you like it black, cause we ran out of sugar."

"Just the way I like it."

[Dante, I believe this is the room you are looking for.]

In the new screen that appeared, about five men were scattered around a large room, each lying on one of the benches bolted to the walls. They looked like your typical thugs, with scars, tattoos, and piercings. Two of them had visible cyberware on their body, and a third one had a bionic arm, which he was trying to show off by only wearing a tank top in this cold weather.

’That guy... I think I have seen him somewhere...’

"Kid, you with me?"

Dante snapped out of his thought at Jonah’s call.

"Sorry, I spaced out for a moment." He smiled apologetically. "You were saying..."

"I didn’t say anything yet," Jonah said.

Watching the officer sip from his cup, Dante glanced at the screen he pushed to the side.

"I heard things aren’t getting any better." He said. "Did another gang move in or something?"

"If it were just one, we wouldn’t be having this much trouble," Jonah replied. "Remember Riot?"

"The loser from Red Hill?" Dante raised an eyebrow. "He’s still causing trouble?"

"Yup." Nodding, the old officer looked down at his cup. "Don’t know how, but he keeps coming back. What’s worse, the noise he makes is attracting rats from other districts. I’m afraid things won’t be as quiet anymore."

"It was only a matter of time, I guess."

Raising his cup, Dante took a whiff of the strong aroma wafting from it before having a taste.

"Dante, there is something I’m wondering if you could help me with."

It didn’t escape Dante’s notice that the old officer had called him by his name, which alerted him to the seriousness of the request.

"If it’s something I can do then sure, ask away."

Jonah must not have expected him to agree right away, hence the surprise on his face. Smiling, he gulped more of his drink, unbothered by its temperature, then placed the cup down.

"We are a little short on hands, you see. And the punks keep popping out regularly." Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on the desk and joined his fingers. "There is a limit to how much we can do on our own, so I want to delegate some of the work to an external party. Nothing dangerous, of course. We only require information that would help us focus our efforts a little better."

Contemplating his words for a moment, Dante turned to him with a question.

"What do you want to know?"

"Which gangs are trying to expand into Hollowgrid, who has the upper hand, and if possible..." Pausing for a moment, the old officer sighed. "I would like to know where this Riot is hiding, and who is backing him up."

It has been less than two months since the failed gang leader moved to Hollowgrid, hoping to start over, and though he hadn’t made much progress, the fact that he hadn’t been caught showed how much of a pain he was to deal with.

"As you might have guessed, there isn’t much we can offer in terms of payment." Said Jonah. "But... we still have a few things we confiscated over the years locked in the evidence vault. If you bring in any useful info, I will let you pick any three items of your choice."