"A personnel request, huh…" The smirk Dante wore slowly widened.

Things already seemed interesting, then she went and said that much. It explained why she insisted on meeting him that night instead of just waiting to receive her corpse.

"So you are starting to have doubts about your place in the world, huh?"

Officially, the Bureau of Enhanced Operations had a much higher standing than Eidolon. It existed long before the megacorporation, governing Enhanced Individuals since the time cyborgs were starting to become more common. When Genomes came into the picture, it expanded to watch over them as well, but there isn't a single person in this day and age who would tell you that a government entity could possibly have any influence over one of the world's biggest corporations.

Caroline Lincoln was the daughter of a very powerful family, hence why she had the fortune of receiving the Genome treatment years before Eidolon opened its doors to lesser clients. Rich women aren't stupid, so she must have realized it pretty early on that she was nothing more than a puppet installed at the top of the BEO to make it more manageable. For a while, Dante was under the impression that she answered directly to Eidolon, but from the looks of it, that might not be entirely the case, and she doesn't seem to be satisfied about being kept in the dark.

"Rebelling against your masters, huh?" He said. "Can't say I don't like that."

"Call it what you want." Said Caroline. "Do we have a deal?"

"Whoa there, slow down. We haven't discussed my payment yet. A price for everything, remember?"

"Money isn't a problem." She said.

"Yeah, I'm not short on cash right now, so it has to be something different."

"How about a pardon for all the crimes you committed?"

"I was thinking of something different," Dante said.

In truth, he didn't have anything in mind at the moment. There wasn't much the BEO Commander could give him that he couldn't get through other means. That should've meant that he had no reason to make a deal, but Dante wanted to leave the door open.

"Since you're asking for info, you can pay me the same way."

"You want info?" Caroline raised an eyebrow.

"Or something of equal value," Dante replied. "This secret organization you want me to investigate, it managed to defeat your Flame Guard, and with Mr. Strongest around, no less. I would be risking my life, so…"

The frown on the BEO Commander's face deepened, and she seemed to start regretting that she had come to him with this.

"I… understand…" She said eventually. "But I'm going to need to see some results first." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Alright." That seemed to be the end of their discussion, so Dante turned around to leave, only to stop a moment later. "By the way, do you want your corpse to be delivered here?"

"The usual location would be fine."

As if she couldn't stand to be around him any longer, the BEO Commander brushed her crimson hair back and walked away.

~[ ]~

The organization distributing Catalyst. Having clashed with two of their partners, Dante was starting to believe that they had a different goal from what he initially predicted. For one, they didn't seem to be trying to sell the miracle drug like what that short bastard from Caligo had told him.

Caroline dropped a big hint during their short conversation. The motives behind the attack on the Eidolon branch in Neo-Vatra had been a mystery so far. Dante had suspected that it was a result of the animosity between the two warring factions, with one aiming to deal a blow to the other while diminishing their forces. As it turned out, the attackers had a different purpose.

'They were looking for something…'

Something Eidolon would be hiding in a branch guarded by some of the most powerful heroes in the world. There were a lot of things the megacorporation responsible for the creation of Genomes could be hiding, and yet, the first thing that came to Dante's mind was the image of an innocent, white-haired girl.

'Right…'

Dante just so happened to have a very similar goal. He was even considering when to take his trip to Polaris Ultima. Unfortunately, unlike the organization that attacked Eidolon, he didn't have an army of Enhanced Individuals to wage war with.

'I gotta give them a name…'

"Oh, hey boss! You up for a drink?"

Before he knew it, Dante found himself back in the Red Oni Club. Inferno's members hanging around when the place was closed didn't seem out of the ordinary, but the same can't be said about the bartender manning the one counter that had its lights on.

"Hey, Lissa. Are you doing well?"

As he walked over to the dark-skinned bartender, nodding at the underlings who stood up to greet him.

"I'm doing great." She said.

"You missed work that much?" Dante asked.

"It just doesn't feel right to be paid even when the club is closed down. Want me to pour you something?"

"Is there anything to eat, by chance?"

"We can always order something. I heard you like Tenebrossan food."

"I sure do."

"It will be here in a couple of minutes."

"Pour me a beer in the meantime."

Though he felt like drinking something stronger, it was better to hold back so he could think properly later on.

"By the way, how's Ross doing?"

It has been some time since he last went to the Bowl of Fortune, so he wanted to take this chance to check on his pals. Glenn seemed to be having heart problems, being forced to handle those sweet, sweet assets Dante keeps bringing in. Jonah's job should have gotten a little easier with Inferno running the streets. That left Ross. Among them, he was the only one who seemed to be struggling all the time, being a single father. He had a fiancée now, but she came with her own child, so it was a little difficult to tell if things had improved for him.

"Pretty good, actually," Lissa said. "The interview went great. If he does well on the next round, he might get the post."

Some of the words jumped out at Dante, and his brows came together in confusion.

"He's looking for a job?"

"Oh, I guess you didn't hear."

One wouldn't fault him for not knowing, but that didn't stop him from feeling like shit. Ross never had a stable job until he joined the city's maintenance crew. It wasn't the best of jobs out there, but at least it paid the bills, and it came with insurance and an entire week of paid leave. Losing it must have dealt a big blow to him.

"Damn… I hope everything goes well for him."

Dante wanted to offer his help, but it didn't feel right to do so without being asked. Ross prided himself on being a survivor, just like everyone else who still chose to make an honest living in this day and age. If he has yet to say anything, it would mean he still had hope of making it his own. Lissa understood this, which is why she tried spinning the matter in a positive manner.

"Ellie is doing fine, right?" He asked.

"Yeah, she's doing fine," Lissa said. "She actually learned how to write her name just the other day!"

"Really? Man, wish I had seen it. It's about time she starts school, if I remember right."

"Preschool, maybe. She would be spending a little more time at the Owl's Lantern."

The food the bartender ordered for him soon arrived via drone. Being an Ascended Cyborg, Dante didn't feel the physical effects of hunger anymore. His bionic digestive system stored nutrients, so he could go for long stretches of time without anything, especially now that his brain was the only part of him that still required them. That said, the very act of eating felt invigorating, almost like scratching an itch that had been too difficult to reach.

"By the way, boss." The Tenebrosan woman leaned over the counter. "Any idea when the club will be open next?"

"Not until we come up with something to deal with the freaks who keep showing up."

The club was serving as the gang's base at the moment, so the best idea they could come up with was separating the two. Dante's office and the gym on the second floor would be moved to a different location, but the problem was the underground fighting club.

As it turned out, they might have to give up on the Red Oni Cage, or maybe change the location to a different spot.

'Somewhere in Joystreet would be better…'

A bit of noise caught his attention as the thought crossed his mind. From the looks of it, someone came in through the front door even when it was obvious that the place was closed. Dante had no plans on interfering, having decided to leave the matter to his underlings while he focused on his food. Someone came to sit beside him soon after.