Chapter 352: Digital Locations.
’That’s... insane...’
Turns out Spatial Pocket had one effect Dante never could have imagined. Hearing what his resident AI said caused the gears in his head to turn, and in a matter of seconds, he began weaving plans for how he was going to make use of the insane ability.
’So, it replicates anything inside a selected space, right?’ he asked. ’Does that mean I can use it to create duplicates of anything I want?’
[That is correct.] Volcan replied. [Please note that the duplicates can only exist in the pocket dimensions they are created in. It is impossible to move them into the original dimension.]
’... oh...’
All of a sudden, the ability no longer seemed as impressive. Dante didn’t get the chance to feel bad, however. He could no longer ignore the strain from 8-4, so he quickly stepped through the portal, waited for the 3D model to update, then dismissed the armor after confirming that no one was around.
Feeling relieved now that his body was no longer being pulled apart, Dante went through what he had just learned and compiled questions he needed answers to.
’What happens if I create a pocket dimension of a space with people in it?’
[Living organisms are not a part of the space. The pocket dimension will replicate everything within the space except for living organisms.]
’I see...’
Dante didn’t know how he would feel about cloning people with the ability, so he was glad it didn’t have that kind of effect. That said, the fact that no living organisms can be replicated sounded like it was going to be a problem. No living organisms meant no disease-causing microbes, but those weren’t the only things that would be gone. Dante didn’t know enough to determine the effects, but he was sure that a space with no life wouldn’t be livable for humans.
’The air is a problem, too...’ That was another problem he would have to find a solution for. ’Electricity, water, plumbing...’
The more he thought, the more upset he became, which is why he decided to push all of it to the back of his head and look at the bright side for one. He now had the ability to create the perfect hideout—a secret lair no one can find, and no one can access. A place literally out of this world.
As he thought about it, the corners of his mouth began to rise.
~[ ]~
Dante immediately began working on his new hideout. After discussing everything with his resident AI, they quickly came up with solutions for all the problems pocket dimensions might face. A few texts and phone calls were all it took to put things into motion, so it would only be a few days before they had everything to start working on the project.
In the meantime, they needed to keep an eye on how their plans were progressing.
"You cut the connection?"
"Yeah..." Finn answered, a frown twisting his expression.
As it turned out, both the Daggers and Black Skull had realized that their systems had been infiltrated by a Diver. The leads had been there, so it wasn’t strange for them to notice.
When caught, the right thing a Diver must do was to clear out any traces on the network and cut the connection then sever the connection. Ensuring they don’t get tracked was the absolute priority, and that went twice for someone like Finn.
’Volcan.’
[My connection is untraceable.] Volcan replied.
’Good.’
Dante didn’t have the same worries. He could always just kill anyone who comes after him, but it was always better to avoid the headache of being forced to do so.
"They must have restarted everything by now." Said Finn. "It will take forever to dive through everything once more."
"You mean... we would have to go in and redo everything?" Dante grimaces.
[That will not be necessary.] Volcan said. [As I have both the physical and digital locations of the Enemy, I will be able to reestablish the connection shortly.]
’Right...’
Dante regretted his previous reaction almost immediately. Now he had to come up with a good excuse instead of just telling the boy that he still had his connection and that there was no need to infiltrate those places once more. In the end, he realized that the best strategy was just to tell him the truth.
"The physical and... digital locations?"
"We know where each of the access points is, right?"
"Well, yeah..."
"And we know what part of the network they lead to," Dante said, repeating what he was hearing from Volcan. "We might have redirected our connection so we can Dive from a distance, but we still know where the original access points are. All you have to do is find those points on the internet, and you are back to business.
"That’s... literally impossible." Finn scowled. "I would be Diving for hours and still not find those access points. There is a reason why we have to establish a connection up close first, remember?"
The internet was a vast ocean, and trying to find a single device in it was like trying to find a specific grain of sand at its bottom—a grain of sand that no longer looked the same. Volcan was capable of doing it since he memorized the currents leading to each grain, and could locate them both on the data ocean and the real world. Human Divers, on the other hand, rely on automated programs to maintain their connections, and those automated programs are incapable of recognizing the grains of sand once something about them is changed.
"... you need to up your game."
Dante had just revealed he was capable of something most Divers couldn’t dream of doing, and realizing that, he quickly put on a taunting grin and pretended it was just something that needed a little more skill. Finn wasn’t too happy about that, of course.
"Just... let me ride on your connection." He said. "I will figure out how to do it on my own... one day..."