CHAPTER 411: HOW DO I BREATH.

Dante went about gathering what remained of the crab-like bots, moving them to his Storage one by one. Shutting their signal receptors prevented them from being affected by Ghost Mode, which is why they were able to target him. That meant they must have recorded him, and he didn’t want that to fall into the hands of his enemies.

’Good thing I kept 8-1 on the entire time.’

He wasn’t so delusional that he would believe the enemy didn’t catch a glimpse of him sneaking around. He considered blowing up the entire place using Type 1-4, but he gave up on the idea, seeing as it would only expose him more instead of hiding his presence.

[My apologies.] Volcan said. [It was my failure to discern the offline capabilities of the security in this location.]

’Don’t worry about it.’ Dante thought. ’No, it’s my fault for not taking into account that they might be prepared for us.’

He had been operating under the assumption that his enemies didn’t know where he might strike, much less how to lay a trap for him. Turns out they knew a lot more than what he expected them to know in the worst-case scenario. That’s the only explanation for how they knew to rig the vault with offline sensors.

’I’m more concerned about that Ghost moniker.’

Since he came up with the name for Ghost Mode himself, it shouldn’t have been strange for others to give him something similar based on its effects. The problem was that he didn’t have enough encounters with the Daggers for them to give him that name. Even if he took into account them somehow getting info from Black Skull, it still wouldn’t be enough.

’Maybe we should capture them and do some interrogation...’

Turning his focus to the strain he was feeling, Dante guessed that he only had twelve more minutes with Level 3 armor. That time would be halved if he were to switch to 8-4 and use its Spatial Pocket ability to create a replica of the church and its underground, but going by the size, he wouldn’t have enough energy to portal everyone inside the building. There was always the chance that whoever was talking through the speaker wasn’t here to begin with.

’This is starting to sound like a pain...’

[Indeed.] Volcan replied. [I recommend retreating for the time being. Your plans are built on the foundation of the two factions being unaware of your involvement. If you remain here for too long, you risk exposing yourself more.]

’I think it’s already too late for that.’

[There is a high likelihood that the enemy has called for reinforcements. Even if they are only vaguely aware of your capabilities, there is a big chance that they might take extreme measures. They might even resort to using the new weapon that has been discussed before.]

’Are you trying to convince me to stay or something?’

As he continued to consider his options, Dante recalled the reason he came all the way there to begin with, which prompted him to look at the corner where a bunch of safes were stacked together. He didn’t hold his breath while approaching it. The enemy knew he might pay them a visit, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to leave anything there.

Tempering his expectation, he picked one of the safes and shaved off the lock using Spatial Severing then pulled the door open.

’... well, that’s to be expected...’

Though he already knew he wouldn’t find anything there, the disappointment still struck him hard. He went through the other safes just in case, so he ended up ruining his mood even further.

CLICK

The sound came at the worst possible time, or maybe the best. It drew Dante’s attention to the air vents near the ceiling, which had been closed until a moment ago. He guessed that the air inside the room was being circulated to get rid of the sleeping gas. Since it hadn’t affected him, Dante forgot all about it right away.

’Come to think of it,’ He thought aloud just as the vault door began to move. ’How do I breathe inside your armor?’

As far as he could tell, all of them were airtight. He could breathe just fine, so the armors clearly had a way to provide him with air, but Dante was curious where it came from.

[All armors are capable of producing the air necessary for bodily functions by default.] Said Volcan. [It is the most optimal solution to avoid depleting any reserves in case of operating in a vacuum.]

’Ooooh... so I would still be fine, even in space?’

[Yes.]

Looking at the translucent 3D model on the left side of his field of view, Dante saw that several figures were waiting just outside. Zooming in on the dots turned them into red figures that overlayed with his vision, allowing him to watch their movement even with walls between them.

The instant they seemed to move, Dante enhanced his perception and reflexes. He arrived at the door just as the first one peeked his head inside the vault, pointing a rifle forward. His face was covered in a mask, and he was wearing a headgear of some kind.

The last thing he saw, if his brain had processed it in time, was a palm heading straight for his face. The rest of the armed squad saw a crimson fountain suddenly erupting.

’Volcan, give me an evaluation.’

[... Five hostile entities detected.] His resident AI replied after a short pause, almost as if lagging behind. [Mostly Level 2 Intermediate Cyborgs. The weapon they carry do not provide a significant boost.]

’A bunch of Level 2s, huh?’

Several rifles snapped in Dante’s direction just as the thought crossed his mind. Someone yelled something, and the corridor was suddenly assaulted by the cacophony of raining gunfire. The silence returned seconds later.

’This... really sucks...’ Clicking his tongue, Dante kicked one of the headless corpses at his feet. He then turned to his right, looking in the direction of the only elevator. ’Let’s hope they have something good on the way.’