Chapter 369: Won’t Cut It This Time.
The car Dante trapped in his first pocket dimension contained two individual. Both were male, and both were Level 2 Intermediate cyborgs. He quickly realized it was only a matter of time before they suffocated in the enclosed space, so he was forced to find a solution of some kind.
In the end, he settled on giving them air tanks used by scuba divers. He had to go though back alley channels to find ones that could last more than twelve hours. Those were usually used in smuggling things underwater and cost a hefty sum.
Dante didn’t reay care about the price. He was currently performing an experiment, and keeping the two prisoners alive was an important part. The first time he checked on them, the two still had enough spirit to try fighting him. That spirit was lost when he erased a chunk of their car with a touch from his hand.
The two spent the first day in the sewer tunnel, but once he created other pocket dimensions, he moved them to one that replicated a normal apartment. To ensure they don’t go insane, he left them with a lamp and a few batteries, and whenever he came to replace their air tanks, he brought some for them.
The bizarre occurrence had pulled on their nerves, causing their sanity to deteriorate much faster than expected. Oxygen almost running out on several occasions contributed to that as well, and right now, Dante began to fear that they might just kill themselves.
’Maybe I should move them to Hollowstreet.’ Dante thought.
[That might be for the best.] Volcan replied. [The open space would allow them to move around and exercise. That would reduce the negative effects on their mental health.]
Once he was done visiting the prisoners, he opened a portal to a different pocket dimension, this one being an exact replica of his apartment. From there, he created another portal, and once he passed through it, he was back in his real apartment.
As he experimented with Spatial Pocket, Dante discovered that he can travel between pocket dimensions without having to return to the the original. That gave him the idea of creating pocket dimensions all over the world so he could reach any place he wants at any time. Of course, he would have to travel around first, but with his target being in Neo-Vatra, he had no intention of leaving the city.
Back in his room, Dante went over the unread mail and messages he received. There was no reception in Hollowstreet or the other pocket dimensions, so until he returned to the original, he was totally unreachable. Nothing happened during his training session, so after taking a shower and having some dinner, he plopped down on his bed and prepared to sleep.
Before dozing off, he took out a bottle of RED and swallowed one of the pills. Lately, he had grown so used to the strain deal to him by the armors that he could just ignore it most of the time. That said, the damage dealt to his body still accumulated, which forced him to take the medicine from time to time. As his mind drifted to sleep, all he could think about was when he would finally have a body that doesn’t crumble after a few minutes of wearing a Level 3 armor. Thankfully, he would be taking anther step toward that goal the next day.
~[ ]~
Waking up in high spirits, Dante went through his morning routine then stuffed himself to get rid of the hunger caused by the recovery enhancement drug. Done with that, he equipped a fresh outfit and headed out.
On his way down to the ground floor, he went abut sending the same message to his acquaintances, informing them that he might be unreachable for the next few days.
A shurt bike ride later, Dante arrived at an alley sandwiched between two buildings near Hollowgrid’s border. Putting away the Raven, he went down the familiar stairs and stood in front of a familiar blastproof door. He sent a quick message saying he had arrived, and seconds later, the door opened for him. This time, no one was there to greet him.
’Guess he got lazy.’
Knowing his way around, Dante walked through the old hallways until he reached an office. Inside, Larry leaned back in a chair with a mug in his hand. He seemed to be staring at empty space, but going by the movements of his free hand, he was probably looking at something projected through his OAM.
"Well, doc," Dante said. "Are you ready yet?"
Shifting his gaze, Larry frowned and spoke in an irritated tone.
"I am ready. Are you?"
From there, Dante went through the same preparations he underwent before implanting his subdermal armor, and that included the laser bath. He stepped into the operation room dressed in a blue hospital gown. Larry was waiting by the operation table, and on the workbench right beside him, a gray box was left open.
Peering inside, Dante smiled as he saw his shiny new implants, which caused Larry to frown.
"Shouldn’t you be more nervous about this?" Said the underground doctor. "This is completely different from implanting a subdermal armor."
"Who said I’m not nervous?" Dante replied with a smile. "Besides, didn’t you say your success rate is 100%? What happened to your confidence?"
"That was before you showed me that thing. Where in the world did you get something like that?" The question wasn’t meant to be answered, but Larry couldn’t help but ask. "Anyway, there is something else we need to discuss."
Dante raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"The ice bath." Said the Doctor. "ou asked for it this time as well, meaning you’re going to do... that, right?"
Understanding what the doctor was referring to, Dante replied with a nod, which earned him a sigh.
"I knew it." Larry said, shaking his head with a hand on his forehead. "You don’t need me to tell you that cold water wont cut it this time, right?"