Chapter 152: Another day on the job.
The previous night had been rather stressful, but eventually, Dante was able to get some sleep. Surprisingly, he didn’t have any nightmares. One would think that being interrogated by a wizard wielding truth magic would leave some scars, but turns out his psyche could no longer be harmed so easily.
"Time to wash dishes, I guess."
He showered, brushed his teeth, then put on some clothes. He then went down to the underground parking lot and opened one of the small garages lining its inner walls, breathing in relief when he found that the Raven was still in its place.
Not knowing if he was being watched, Dante hadn’t risked putting it back into his storage. It had been another source of the anxiety that kept pulling on the back of his mind the previous night, even though Volcan was connected to it and could have warned him if anyone had tried to touch it.
As he was leaving Hollowgrid, Dante asked his resident AI to put the spider-bots in sleep mode to preserve their batteries. He would have to gather them later so he could recharge them, but for the time being, it’s better if they remain in place.
The ride to Blue Ember was rather peaceful. On the way, Dante stopped by a convenience store and got some sandwiches for lunch. He still arrived five minutes early despite that, and by the time the clock hit 09:00, he was already at his sink dipping dirty plates in water filled with odorless soap.
He noticed that the other employees were giving him strange looks, averting their gazes whenever he turned in their direction. It was getting on his nerves a little, but the constant notifications from the productivity enhancement app were getting on his nerves, so he tried to focus on his work and nothing else.
The monotony of the day was shattered by some rather horrifying news from his resident AI. After five whole days, Volcan was finally able to break through the protections surrounding Ember, the main AI governing the entire hotel, including its security system and the productivity enhancement app. That should have been a cause of celebration, but in the current circumstances, it only added to the subtle horror Dante was experiencing.
He couldn’t believe that he forgot all about the original task he had entrusted his resident AI with, and because of that, Volcan continued with his attempts to crack the system, even after yesterday’s interrogation.