Chapter 138: Moron.
"I let you live, and even spared your AI friend. I tried to be nice, you know. But here you are..."
Dante could only shake his head. The boy at his feet was frozen still, eyes wide with horror. The needle-like feet of his spider-bots dug into his cheeks, threatening to tear his face apart. His arms and legs were bound, and all around him, an army of fist-sized machines crawled. The cables connected to his neck only made things worse, creating a nightmarish scene that would cause anyone who sees it to shiver.
’Now, how should I deal with this little shit... what was his name again?’
[Finn Ward.] Volcan replied.
’Finn, huh...’
He pressed his lips into a line and rubbed his neck, searching his mind for a plan. The most obvious option would be to kill the brat and dispose of him, but for reasons he didn’t understand himself, Dante didn’t want to choose it.
The second one would be to give him what he wants and send him on his way. The Blue Berry was a good weapon, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t get another juggernaut just by looking around. The problem was what the kid plans on doing after the gun falls into his hands. Dante didn’t want to kill him, and that included doing so indirectly by sending him to his death.
As the seconds ticked by, a hint of an idea appeared in Dante’s mind. It wasn’t entirely a solution, but it was a good start. Returning his hands to the pockets of his red jacket, he opened his Storage and took out a certain item. He then knelt in front of the boy and stared at him for a moment, his expression remaining neutral. Letting the silent second stretch some more, Dante finally produced the item he had summoned, fiddled with it for a moment, then turned it to the boy.
"200K," He said. "Pay up."
A digital screen of a small smartphone cast a light that reflected on the boy’s light blue eyes. On it was a simple QR code. The boy stared at the screen, then shifted his gaze to the one holding it. Making up his mind, he went back to staring at the screen. Not long after, a notification appeared on Dante’s OAM.
2000000G had just been transferred to one of his wallets, and seeing the number caused him to smile. After months of being almost broke, his savings have finally passed the million mark once more. If only he didn’t have to burn through most of it in a week or two.