CHAPTER 408: ONLY ONE FLOOR.

The fifth basement floor was the most troublesome of all. It was nothing more than a single corridor with no side paths. There were several doors along the way, but most seemed to be the old type—ones with knobs that must be turned and pushed.

Those couldn’t be remote controlled, meaning he couldn’t have Volcan check if they were locked or not. If that wasn’t bad enough, then what awaited him at the end of the corridor was the bigger problem.

The 3D model showed a long line connected to the end of the corridor. It went down deep, extending beyond the reach of 8-3’s Spatial Awareness. One could tell it was an elevator shaft just by looking. Whatever was down there, it was important enough for the Daggers to hide fifty meters underground, and important enough to station guards at the elevator door.

A simple folding table was placed to the side, and around it, two men sat smoking and playing cards. Going by their attire, it was clear they weren’t a part of the clergy. With only one path forward, it felt like this was going to be the place were he has to stop playing on hard mode and take out 8-3.

Since he was hiding behind the corner near the stairs, Dante knew he would have to make up his mind soon, or else he risked running into someone going down.

’Can you get into their NIM?’

[Regrettably, that is not possible.] Volcan said. [They seem to have their NIMs offline.]

’... guess I have no choice, huh?’

Retreating a few steps up the stairs, Dante changed armors with a thought, putting on 8-3. since the two were from the same Type, the similarities were easy to noticed.

Type 8-1, much like the other Level 1 armors, was mostly made from the black fabric like material, with only some parts having solid plating. That made the change to a higher Level feel like adding more plating to it, but considering how thicker the higher level armors are, one could tell there was a lot more hidden under the surface of the dark outer shell.

’I wonder if Suzuka managed to learn anything...’

At the very least, it didn’t seem like the scan she performed the previous day was a failure. The armor didn’t block the tools she used to look into it, and from the looks of it, the genius Gearhead obtained some data. Dante didn’t get to ask her about any of it, since he had to run, fearing that if he stayed she would force him to humor her again.

That said, a part of him was looking forward to what she might learn. If they manage to recreate the portal technology of Type 8, a lot of doors would open for them, both literally and figuratively.

The corridor to the elevator was over twenty meters, so Dante had to make a stop in one of the rooms on the side before reaching it. While at it, he allowed Spatial Awareness the time to catch gather more data and expand the 3D model, giving him a glimpse of what lays at the end of the elevator shaft. As it turned out, the other end of the elevator was at the center of the floor it led to. There weren’t that many people down there, either, so it seemed safe to go down.

’Still, only one floor...’

Dante had expected to find a lot more down there, so it was a little disappointing to learn that there was only one extra floor. He opened another portal, this one leading into the elevator shaft. He wasn’t going to ride the elevator, so he ignored its car and let himself fall freely.

Just as he was about to land, he opened another portal, which took him into one of the adjacent rooms. It was a little difficult to land without making a noise, but Dante managed.

’Is this... an archive?’

The room he arrived at was a bit cramped. His previous scan didn’t give him enough details, so it was only now that he found out the shapes filling it were in fact file cabins. They seemed a little old, and the identical keyholes only served to strengthen that impression.

In a world where most information is exchanged digitally, only the most important data receives a physical record. For a moment there, Dante considered moving the cabins to his Storage, even if he had to do it one at a time. He also considered taking 8-4 out and making a pocket dimension based on the place, which would create a copy of all documents stored in the room.

In the end, Dante decided against it. He was already wasting the precious time he had with his armor, and putting on one that’s a level higher would only shave more from it. Studying the layout of the 3D model once more, he reaffirmed what he believed to be vault. He used a portal to close the distance between them, and after ensuring that no one was in the vicinity, he opened a second portal, this one leading straight into the vault.

Dante wasn’t expecting rows and rows of shards and gold bars, and he already had an idea of what awaited him inside, but he went in anyway. What met him inside the vault was a shocking.

Left, right, at the center, and near the walls. As if put on display in some store, rows of weapons lined the interior. Identical rifles, each accompanied with three magazines, a pistol, and a bulletproof vest. Near the door were boxes of ammo neatly stacked on a number of tables, as if prepared for people to pick as they headed out.

Rather than a vault, it seemed like he had stumbled on an armory. It contained enough guns to equip a small army, and going by the varied arsenal resting in the far end of the room, with heavier machines lying dormant and crates that contained who knows what, Dante realized that the room in front of him held enough supplies for a war.

[Dante, there seem to be a safe at the north east corner.]

Volcan’s voice snapped Dante out of his thoughts just as he started to wonder why the Daggers had all those weapons sitting around. It was a stupid question, anyway.

’Of course they have weapons.’

The thought crossed his mind just as he started walking to the spot Volcan pointed out. Just then-

CLICK

Something seemed to settle in place, causing a faint but audible sound.