Knights of the Digital World

"Never mind. Let's go check on 'that thing'." Yongmeng sighed twice and walked towards the white chess beast.

He hasn't been idle these past few days!

Chapter Nine, The Idea of ​​Hand-Crafted Cassette Tapes

"White Chess Beast, how's the thing I asked you to do coming along?"

Yongmeng walked behind the white chess beast's chair, pressed one hand against the back of the chair and supported the other hand on the table, and asked.

The white chess beast didn't speak, but nodded and opened a folder on the computer.

Despite their quiet demeanor and low profile at the DATS base, Whitemon and Blackmon are surprisingly skilled computer whizzes. As operators, they don't usually need to fight, so they dedicate themselves to improving their computer skills and contributing their expertise in another area.

As White Beast manipulated the screen, a semi-transparent model appeared on the computer, alongside a row of rapidly flowing parameters. The appearance of this semi-transparent model was reminiscent of Gundam, a popular character even in the Digital World!

To be honest, although Gundam is very popular, even people who haven't watched it know some related information. However, Emu hasn't watched the Gundam anime series, so his understanding is insufficient. The reason he commissioned White Beast to build the Gundam model was because of Emu's own conjecture.

So far, apart from the Extraordinary Action X Gadget which was a system-given bonus, all of Emu's Gadgets have been automatically generated using Infinite Gadgets, based on Digimon data he acquired. Judging from the system's prompts for each Gadget generation, it seems that having the right data is sufficient to generate the corresponding Gadget.

However, all of this data comes from Digimon. Emu is also unable to determine whether Digimon played any role in the generation of the cartridges.

If Digimon weren't a necessary factor, then Emu wouldn't need to worry about being taught by Hypnomon. He could use the power of DATAS to construct a data model with sufficiently powerful capabilities, thereby generating Gadgets and elevating his strength several levels.

The Gundam model constructed by the White Beast is one of Emu's attempts.

"Thank you, White Beast!" Emu took out a USB drive and copied the model onto it.

"If Parad comes back to me, just tell her I went back to my room. Thank you for your help this time." Emu put away the USB drive, in a good mood.

The white chess piece nodded silently, appearing very reliable.

Emu wouldn't experiment with the Gadgets in the base's main hall. This place is crucial for monitoring Digimon fluctuations and directing team members in battle. Before the reliability of the Gadgets is confirmed, reckless experimentation in such a location could lead to serious problems.

Back in his room, Emu took out the Infinity Cartridge and USB drive, and said with a smile, "Alright, let me try it out now! Infinity Cartridge, read!"

Under Emu's control, the Infinity Cartridge lit up, and a blue line pierced through the USB drive. The next moment, a stream of data flowed from the USB drive, traveling along the blue line into the Infinity Cartridge.

The data volume for modeling the Gundam model was considerable, but it was still far less than that of a Perfect-level Digimon. In just about two seconds, all the data was loaded into the Infinite Gacha.

The cassette tape disconnected from the USB drive, its light flickering intermittently, as if it were nurturing something.

"So slow... The cartridges used to be completed very quickly, why is it taking so long this time?" Emu looked at the constantly flashing Infinite Cartridge and had a bad feeling. The Infinite Cartridge was taking too long to generate a new cartridge, which was unusual. Perhaps this attempt was going to fail.

As Emu grew anxious, a system fragment sent him a notification: "Host, you have completed the Gundam cartridge (fake)."

"It actually worked! But system, what does 'pseudo' in parentheses mean?" Yongmeng excitedly pumped her fist, but quickly realized what she meant and asked.

"I am a system fragment, not the system! Please show me some respect, host!" the system fragment protested indignantly. It was always so persistent in this inexplicable place.

"The Gundam cartridge that the host has completed so far is based on a model built by the host himself. Therefore, this cartridge cannot possess the 'idealistic' attributes of Gundam, and only has combat power within the constraints of data. It provides a small boost to the host's strength. After use, the host can transform into a level 2 Gundam action player."

"What the hell? It can't even reach level 3? What's the point of me building it?" Emu shouted in disappointment. He had high hopes for the Gundam cartridge, but now its power was clearly not up to expectations.

"Fragment, why is the power of the Gundam cartridge so low? Explain it to me."

"Yes, host!" The system fragment seemed pleased that Eternal Dream was finally calling it by fragment instead of system, and its tone even rose a little.

"The key issue is that Gundam cartridges do not possess 'idealistic' attributes. And 'idealistic' attributes are the most important component of cartridges; data is merely an external manifestation. The reason why cartridges converted from Digimon were fast and powerful in the past was because, in the worldview of the Digital World, Digimon are special beings with biological characteristics and emotions; they naturally possess 'idealistic' attributes. When making cartridges, this information is automatically added, thus obtaining suitable cartridges."

When it comes to spirituality, Digimon truly reigns supreme. In the first two seasons, the power of Digimon evolution stemmed from the children's spiritual qualities. In the third season, it was about spiritual connection and empathy, culminating in fusion and transformation. The fourth season wasn't as explicitly shown, but the scene of the children merging with the Ten Warriors before obtaining their Digimon Souls hinted at this spiritual convergence. The Digimon Souls in the fifth season were, in fact, products of a shared consciousness.

Not long ago, Emu even witnessed Chickenmon forcibly evolve due to an outburst of inner emotion. This is actually the subjective nature of Digimon. Their strength is not a constant value; it can change with fluctuations in their emotions.

Gundam actually possesses this characteristic as well. The pilot's intense emotions can boost the Gundam's combat power. It's not that Gundam is merely a cold, impersonal machine that simply competes in performance. The pilot's conviction and resolve are also crucial components of a Gundam's combat strength.

Unfortunately, Emu currently lives in the Digital World. Under the rules of that world, Emu easily acquired the "idealistic" attribute when creating Digimon-related cartridges, without needing to consider too much.

However, Gundam is not a product of the rules of this world. In the Digital World, Gundam is also a virtual existence. The rules of the world do not grant it "idealistic" attributes; Emu has to figure it out himself. Therefore, the Infinite Gacha can only create a Gundam Gacha (fake). A Gundam that has lost its idealistic qualities cannot truly be called a Gundam.

"Fragments, is there a way to give Gundam cards the 'idealistic' attribute? I'm still a little unwilling to give up like this!" Having figured out the reasons, Emu still made a final struggle.

"...After testing, the host can share the 'idealistic' attribute in the Extraordinary Action X cartridge, and transform the Gundam cartridge (pseudo) into a Gundam cartridge." The system fragment replied after conducting a period of testing.

"Can we share them? Can I share my other cartridges too?" Emu suddenly perked up. He actually had a lot of cartridges, but out of greed, he hadn't used them much. He could share all of them.

"Host, please abandon your unrealistic ideas. Apart from the Extraordinary Action X-Card, all of your other Cards are converted from Digimon data. Because the similarity of the data exceeds 95%, they can be considered alternative Digimon existences, and thus have been given the 'idealistic' attribute by the world's rules. This attribute is unique to this Card and cannot be changed, discarded, or shared," the system fragment said bluntly.

"I see... So, how many times can the Extraordinary Action X cartridge be shared?" Emu thought of another question.

"The Extraordinary Action X cartridge has been adjusted by the system to be specially adapted to this digital world. Its 'idealistic' attribute can be shared once, and then locked. If the shared cartridge is damaged, it cannot be shared again. Please consider this carefully."

"Only once?" Emu stroked his chin, somewhat hesitant.

The current Gundam model is just one he randomly chose for experimentation, so it's not a particularly powerful model. Furthermore, the nature of the cartridges means this model is permanently locked, making upgrades impossible. In this situation, wouldn't it be more appropriate to create a data model of a more powerful model to generate the cartridge?

"System, could you tell me the maximum level that a Gundam cartridge can raise Ex-Aid's power to?"

“Please call me Fragment!” the system fragment corrected again.

"Okay, fragment, answer my question first."

"Based on calculations, the Gundam cartridge that shares the idealistic attribute can transform the host into a level 5 Gundam action player, with the strength initially reaching the ultimate level."

"So, what if I build an even more powerful Gundam model?"

"Please note, host, that the maximum value of the Gundam cartridge does not depend on the Gundam's stats, but on the Idealist attribute. Provided that the Extraordinary Action X cartridge is not destroyed, the maximum Idealist attribute that can be shared is level 5."

Emu realized that for Gundam cartridges lacking a spiritual attribute, the sheer power of the data was merely for show; ultimately, the level of ability depended on the spiritual attribute shared within them. Other Digimon cartridges, however, had their spiritual abilities entirely granted by the world's rules; the stronger the data, the more it could contain. In this case, the key lay precisely in the strength of the data itself.

Since that's the case, Emu stopped worrying about it. Since spending time building a second model wouldn't break the ceiling anyway, she might as well just use the current one.

"Fragments share the same idealistic attribute!"

"The idealistic attribute has been shared!"

As the system fragment notification appeared, a white light emanated from the surface of the Gundam cartridge, revealing a tall and cool image of Gundam.

"Congratulations, host! You have obtained the Gundam cartridge!"

"Using the Gundam cartridge, you can transform into a Level 5 Gundam Action Player!"

Chapter Ten, The Kurata Arrest Plan Begins!

Emu's idea of ​​hand-stamping cartridges failed after testing.

Due to his idealistic nature, Emu abandoned all sorts of unorthodox tactics and refocused his attention on Digimon.

Fortunately, this experiment was not without results. After sharing the idealistic attributes of the Extraordinary Action X-Card, Emu obtained a Gundam Card that allowed him to transform into a Level 5 Gundam Action Player, and his strength initially reached the Ultimate level.

Once Emu possesses Ultimate-level combat power, he can gradually collect data through battles against Ultimate-level Digimon, even if he can't defeat them. As long as he battles enough times, the accuracy of the data will continuously improve, eventually leading to the acquisition of a complete game cartridge.

During the month he trained intensively with Dark Beast, he completed 50% of Dark Beast's cartridge. The reason he didn't achieve 100% completion was simply because his strength wasn't sufficient; Dark Beast wouldn't use its full power in battle. Therefore, many of Dark Beast's data points couldn't be accurately obtained.

Emu had hoped that Darkmon could transfer data to him like Zudomon did, so that he could complete the Darkmon Gacha. However, Darkmon believed that Emu's strength was not yet sufficient to control his Gacha and refused to transfer the data.

If Emu wants to obtain the Dark Beast's cartridge, the only way is to defeat Dark Beast, or at least be on par with it. He needs to acquire Dark Beast's data during the battle to complete the cartridge. Only then will Dark Beast recognize Emu's right to use its cartridge.

Over the next few days, Dats continued to travel around for Digimon matters, just as he always had.

It's worth mentioning that Yamato and Toma are now very close. After applying, Toma also joined Yamato's team.

At this point, Thomas also discovered Big's goofy nature. However, because Big had left a good impression on him beforehand, Thomas's choice was no longer the simplistic approach of kicking Big out of the dats as in the original story, but rather to patiently persuade him.

Da didn't harbor the same resentment towards Thomas as he did in the original story. On the contrary, after sparring with Thomas and witnessing his skills, Da admired him even more. Coupled with Thomas's genius and their friendship, Da also reflected on his own actions.

Of course, brute force is still necessary. The Great Digital Soul is unique; it can't be lured out except by physically assaulting the opponent. However, with Thomas joining the fray, Thomas's command significantly reduces the Great's danger. It's no longer a matter of life and death, fortune or misfortune, a matter of luck.

The first Digimon crime case that Yamato and Toma collaborated on was the Drillmon incident from the original work.

This time, the Digizmon wasn't as lucky as in the original story. It was hit by both EarthGreymon and GaoGamon, getting smashed like a ping-pong ball, leaving it with a head full of bumps. Forget about running back to the Digital World, it didn't even get to burrow underground before being knocked back into its Digi-Egg.

This experience greatly boosted their confidence in cooperating. Over the past few days, they've worked together to complete several Digimon retrieval projects, their teamwork has improved rapidly, and they've become very close friends.

At first, Shuno was delighted by Dai's growth and thought that Toma's addition was a great thing. But gradually, Shuno realized that she seemed a bit superfluous in the team. In the original work, Shuno was more focused on mediating the relationship between Dai and Toma, but the current Shuno certainly didn't need to do that. For a while, Shuno couldn't find her place in the team.

However, Yoshino is, after all, an elite member of DAT. Ralamon's evolved form is also quite powerful. In particular, Sunflowermon's ability to fly is unique among the three. After a period of confusion, Yoshino regained her place and became an indispensable part of the battle.

Captain Satsuma has been increasingly busy these days. The plan to capture Kurata is about to begin, and there are many things that require his coordination.

In fact, the higher-ups were initially unwilling to arrest Kurata, and even wanted to increase their investment in him after hearing that Kurata had developed so many cutting-edge technologies.

These high-ranking officials have always been wary of the Digital World. Even the "doves" who advocate peaceful coexistence know that they must have the power to defend against a Digital World invasion; otherwise, so-called peaceful coexistence is just empty talk. Whether or not there is peace depends entirely on the other side's mood. Therefore, DATA was established. This was both for the purpose of recovering Digimon and as a safeguard in the event of a potential war.

While the "hawks," who advocated striking first and defeating the enemy before they could attack, also supported the formation of DATA, they felt it wasn't aggressive enough to maintain control of the situation. Therefore, they continuously sought new forces. Kurata's development of so many advanced technologies wouldn't have been possible without their support.

However, Kurata had his own plans. Having wielded such immense power, after destroying the Digital World, would Kurata relinquish it? Impossible. He would use this power to realize his own ambitions. Therefore, Kurata had never revealed the progress of his research.

After Captain Satsuma first revealed Kurata's research progress, the "hawks" were overjoyed, feeling that the power they had been waiting for had finally appeared. Their long-standing habit of holding high positions made them completely overlook Kurata's personal ambition, believing that as long as they gave the order, Kurata would obediently hand over the technology.

Fortunately, these people who were able to reach high positions were not incompetent.

After Captain Satsuma intercepted their orders, the men snapped out of their initial euphoria and suddenly realized that Kurata was getting out of control.

Take a look at the power Kurata currently wields: Gizmon, Bio-Digimon, and Belphemon, one of the Seven Great Demon Lords.

Even the weakest of them, Gizmon, possesses the combat power to kill Champion-level Digimon. A single Gizmon is comparable to dozens of ordinary soldiers. Moreover, unlike the undisciplined Digimon, Gizmon, as artificial Digimon, have an extremely high degree of obedience and execution of commands. They are essentially soldiers who follow orders without question. And their commander is clearly only one, and can only be one: their creator, Kurata.

As for the others, Kurata outwardly relinquishes command, but secretly issues orders without anyone noticing. When Kurata needs it, he can rally the Gizmon to rebel en masse. This is entirely possible.

The only thing currently holding Gizmon back is that Kurata is short of funds and unable to create a massive number of them. If these higher-ups were to foolishly increase their funding, Kurata could easily create an army of Gizmon large enough to sweep across the entire territory of Japan. At that point, he wouldn't listen to orders from the higher-ups; he would launch a modern-day uprising that would be impossible to suppress.

Other countries generally don't get involved in such matters; at most, they strongly condemn it and then just stand by and watch the show.

As long as Kurata isn't stupid, he won't provoke other countries again. If pushed too far, even two more nuclear bombs wouldn't be enough to withstand the attack from the Kizmon. He only needs to manage his own small territory to already stand at the pinnacle of power on Earth.

As for those high-ranking officials, who cares about their fate?

This only accounts for the power of Gizmon. Kurata also possesses even more advanced bio-engineered Digimon technology, as well as the power of Belphemon, one of the Seven Great Demon Lords at the pinnacle of the Digital World.

Kurata is currently lacking funds and can only proceed step by step, gradually acquiring resources in the Digital World. Why were there only three Digimon Hunters in the original story? It's because they were poor and couldn't afford more!

If Kurata were given a large amount of funding right now, he could really take off. Whether he could destroy the Digital World is hard to say, but sweeping through Japan would almost certainly be a certainty.

The threat of Digimon is significant, but they haven't attacked yet; that's something to consider later. Kurata's situation, however, is very immediate!

Admittedly, there are many noble individuals among the higher-ups who care deeply for humanity, but most are more concerned about their own power and position. Faced with Captain Satsuma's reasoned arguments and explanations, the higher-ups finally decided on a plan to arrest Kurata and destroy the relevant documents.

Of course, that's true. Many high-ranking officials will definitely try to intercept relevant information, but they will only pretend to destroy it on the surface, while secretly studying it.

Captain Satsuma was fully aware of this situation. However, capturing Kurata required the support of higher-ups, so he pretended not to know. In short, he needed to capture Kurata first, and then consider the data. With the help of Digimon, secretly destroying the data would be easy. All the Digimon in the Digital World would be accomplices in destroying the data!

………………

"Something's not right...something's really not right..."

This is a spacious office, fully equipped with a coffee table, sofa, desk and chairs.

A middle-aged man with a shifty face and round-framed glasses, sitting in a tall executive chair, stroked his chin and kept muttering, "Something's not right."