Dante reached out and pressed a button, turning off the screen in front of him.

"Oh, so you aren't going to watch this time?"

Looking up, he saw a tall, muscular woman by his side. With her log-like arms crossed, she raised an eyebrow at him, the corners of her mouth slowly raised.

"I'm in a pretty good mood today," Dante said. "Don't want to ruin it."

"Guess you would be, huh?" Megan said. "You gonna tell us how you did it?"

"Nothing too complicated, really. I just pulled up and told him to get into the car."

"Really now. You know stuff like this gets streamed all the time, right? I saw the shooting, but none of the trucks I got for you."

"Guess my plan worked as intended, then."

Considering the conditions this time, Dante decided it was for the best if he handled things on his own. Preparing the armored trucks was probably the most difficult part, but with Megan's help, he was able to get what he wanted on short notice. Rose supplied him with gear and weapons from her routes, and after dressing up the white androids, he was ready to go.

Volcan had finished working on the android remote controls the same day after learning how to make them. It would be a while before they would be able to make use of their fighting capabilities, so for this small mission, he had them act as normal soldiers to scare the Black Skull bastards.

The initial plan was to pull up with the trucks, use the androids to kill a bunch of gangsters, grab the target, then get out. Dante made tweaks to it as he continued his observation, and after a while, the idea of using this opportunity to experiment with his pocket dimensions occurred to him.

He ended up using Type 8-4 to create a city block-sized replica of the corner around that Red Lobster diner, then he smoked out the target and some of his lackeys, leading them straight into the portal placed at the diner's door. The blackout and tear gas ensured that they wouldn't notice when they crossed the gate.

The goal of his experiment was to see what it takes to turn the pocket dimension into a livable space. The results would help him take another step toward creating his secret hideout, and so Dante was looking forward to seeing how things turn out a month or two later.

[It seems the target is confused by the questions he is being asked to answer.] Volcan said.

'As expected. Keep making sure he doesn't say anything.'

[Understood.]

Though his plan seemed perfect at first, it had several holes that couldn't be easily patched. The gangsters disappearing into thin air was bound to cause confusion and draw attention, and since he had to deliver the target afterward, there was always the chance of him saying something about the experiment.

For the time being, Dante was having Volcan monitor the captive' NIM to ensure nothing about his dark armor or the pocket dimension gets mentioned. He was doing the same for those who hadn't been at the scene back then. Though he blinded them with a flash bang before opening the portal, there was always the chance someone had spotted the inky black screen covering the entrance to the diner. For the time being, it seems like his suspicion was off the mark.

"Alright, I won't press you about this." Giving up, Megan shrugged, then turned to the old monitor. "Let's just hope your girl finds what she has been looking for this time."

Dante decided to ignore what he assumed was obvious bait and instead focused on the latter part of what she said.

"Say, do you… Do you know why she's doing this?"

The question earned him a confused look from the brown mechanic.

"You mean she didn't tell you?"

"Not the details. I think I have a pretty good idea, though."

Rose's mood hadn't improved at all since their last meeting, and her attempts at hiding it only got worse. Dante couldn't even enjoy her leaving him be.

"You know these things are better heard from the person themselves, right?" Megan said. "You could always ask her. Or maybe you should wait till this is over. Maybe then she would be more comfortable telling you."

"Right…"

~[ ]~

BAM BAM BAM BAMBAM

Heavy impacts echoed through the vast space, shattering the cold silence enveloping it. It came from a corner where a number of punching bags hung from the ceiling through chains. One of them seemed larger than the rest, and much heavier as well. Despite that, it kept swaying, moving left and right as if following a set rhythm.

A large man stood in front of the punching bag, his back hunched and his arms raised. He hopped on his bare feet, making no sound a he switched his stance again and again, as if dodging the attacks of an invisible enemy.

Sweat coated his naked upper half, adding a subtle sheen to his dark brown skin. He was much like a bronze statue that came to life, but considering his strange proportions, and more importantly, the pair of curved horns pointing forward, one couldn't be blamed for thinking said statue was that of a monster rather than a human.

As the punching bag settled back into position, the man's right fist shot out like a cannonball, causing another boom to echo through his surroundings. His left followed, and the rhythm continued.

Sometime later, the sound of explosive blows was replaced by the steady hiss of a shower head and the platter of water droplets hitting the floor. Once done, the man with the bull-like horns waited for the hot air to dry him up, then put on some clothes.

The sun was already rising, which meant the night shift was officially over. No villains came out to cause trouble today as well, so as soon as he was done writing his report, the man planned to hit the sack.

"Hm?"