Knights of the Digital World

According to the information Parado brought, the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gasket is now complete. He tried to snatch it back, but was immediately taught a lesson by Cronus's time-stop attack.

Moreover, perhaps to test Cronus's power, after using Time Stop to beat Parado, Old Dan didn't use Time Stop again, allowing Parado to use the ability to perfectly defeat players to enhance himself. Relying solely on his superior strength and speed, Old Dan beat Parado up again.

It was fortunate that Dan's main purpose in the later stages was to test Cronus's abilities, and he didn't go all out, otherwise Parado would probably have been defeated on the spot. Daigo Emu would also have lost his transformation ability as a result, directly losing two major combatants.

Parado wasn't reckless. In the original story, he was terrified by Cronus's power to arbitrarily take his life. While he wasn't quite as terrified as in the original, he knew he was no match for Cronus. Taking advantage of the fact that Old Man Dan wasn't using Time Stop, he used his Bugster abilities to escape.

To be honest, no matter how much Emu described Cronus's power to the CR members before, they didn't really have a concrete impression of it. However, Parado's crushing defeat this time finally made them understand the power of Cronus.

Fortunately, Parado didn't forget to take the "Prototype All-Around Sports X-Player Original" containing Xiajiao's data with him when he ran away. Everyone still has one last hope: to revive Xiajiao and let him create an invincible, invincible father.

Parado is seriously injured and will need at least four or five days to recover. After a brief discussion, Emu decided that once he regained his strength the next day, he would take Poppy with him to conquer the game and rescue Emu.

Parado was very dissatisfied with this, but time was of the essence. Undoubtedly, Old Dan would release Kamen Rider Chronicles as quickly as possible to solidify his position and the market value of the Phantom Group. Their dragging their feet would only drag more people into the mess.

To conquer this game, the power of the Bugster is needed to digitize people and enter them into the cartridge. With Parado severely injured and unable to continue, the remaining Poppy has no choice but to take on this task.

In this situation, Parado had no choice but to give up the great opportunity to conquer Qing together with Emei.

Kiriya did not comment on everyone's plan to revive Shrimp Dumpling. After the discussion, he pulled Hoshino back to work hard with a dark face, leaving only a few strands of hair slowly falling in mid-air.

Another powerful figure is about to be born.

Old Dan is indeed a man of action. Early the next morning, before Emu and Poppy had even begun their campaign, Old Dan and his team had already released the Kamen Rider Chronicle promotional video, which they had been working overtime to produce.

To be honest, most promotional videos are pretty much the same. The biggest difference between this promotional video and the original work is probably that it didn't include Amasaki Koi, thus protecting most people's stomachs.

Furthermore, Lao Tan has optimized the RidePayer appearance for regular players. Frankly, the RidePayer in the original work is bald and incredibly ugly. To address this, Lao Tan has introduced a simple character creation feature, providing several basic appearances for players to choose from. There are also more customizable settings available only after making a purchase.

That's why Lao Tan is considered a very successful shrimp dumpling. Compared to the original work where Tian Qi Lian only harvested one batch of leeks, Lao Tan, who was wholeheartedly committed to making Huanmeng Group bigger and stronger, must have harvested several more batches, otherwise where would the funds come from?

The only regret that Lao Tan felt was that Kamen Rider Chronicles was too demanding on players; even with careful nurturing, he couldn't harvest a large number of them. Otherwise, he wouldn't have needed to find any partners; with just this one game, Fantasy would be the world's leading game company!

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Revival of Shrimp Dumplings

Old Dan's promotion has been very effective; there is now a lot of discussion about the Kamen Rider Chronicles online.

Putting everything else aside, the groundbreaking gameplay of real people playing Kamen Riders and fighting Bugsters is enough to attract a lot of people.

Just like in Sword Art Online, a large number of players eagerly anticipated the holographic virtual game and flocked to SAO. However, they were unaware that behind the seemingly wonderful and fun game lay deadly dangers.

Players today share the same sentiment and anticipation for Kamen Rider Chronicles. After all, who hasn't dreamed of being a hero? It's just that various objective and subjective conditions haven't allowed it. Now that there's a game that lets them truly indulge their passion, they're definitely going to rave about it!

Moreover, Lao Tan's promotion was very persuasive. He attracted young players by appealing to their gameplay and their latent heroic dreams.

For those mature and stable middle-aged people who no longer easily dream, Old Tan uses tangible incentives. He explicitly states that the ultimate winner of the Kamen Rider Chronicles will receive 0.1% of the shares in the Phantom Group.

This is a huge sum of money for an individual, and it has given many middle-aged people who are struggling to make a living a little more ambition. For life, for their families, and for their future children not to have to work as hard as they have, they want to win!

Compared to Amasaki Ren's promotional methods in the original work, Old Dan's abilities are far superior. The promotional video for Kamen Rider Chronicles has only been released for a few hours, yet it has already garnered over ten million views. The entire internet is discussing Kamen Rider Chronicles, and countless people are eagerly anticipating the game.

Old Dan didn't keep players in suspense and quickly announced on the official website that Kamen Rider Chronicle would be officially released in five days. At that time, he would hold a press conference to publicly demonstrate the game to everyone.

Furthermore, tickets to the press conference will be randomly drawn online from netizens who share the promotional video. Attendees will receive a small gift, including a limited-edition skin.

The announcement by Danzo further fueled the hype surrounding Kamen Rider Chronicle, with countless people sharing the promotional video in hopes of being selected. The video went viral online, and it wasn't just Japanese netizens who knew about the game; people in other countries also learned about Kamen Rider Chronicle and were filled with anticipation.

"Sorry, we can't stop the release of Kamen Rider Chronicles."

Kyotaro Hyuga frowned, his face showing obvious fatigue, and shook his head on the huge screen.

"Hinata-san! Why not!? Kamen Rider Chronicle is a dangerous game! Once a player's Rider Gauge reaches zero, they'll die!"

Jing Feicai said loudly.

Emu and Poppy have already gone to play the game and resurrected Emu. Kiriya is still working overtime with Hoshizaku. Meanwhile, Kagami Hiiro and Hanaya Taiga have teamed up and contacted Hinata Kyotaro, attempting to use government power to stop the release of Kamen Rider Chronicle.

However, Hyuga Kyotaro did not hesitate and directly rejected their request. Faced with Hiiro's questioning, Hyuga Kyotaro closed his eyes, rubbed his nose with his right hand, and calmly asked:

"Do you have any evidence? Do you have irrefutable, reliable, and definitively proven evidence that playing Kamen Rider Chronicles might lead to death?"

"We didn't have that. But that's the truth!"

"If there's no evidence, then it isn't!"

"This is ridiculous! Does someone have to die in the Kamen Rider Chronicles to prove we're telling the truth before the government can take action?!"

Yes, that's right.

Hyuga Kyotaro looked at the doctors, who were staring wide-eyed and speechless with shock, and sighed, saying:

"Now, Kamen Rider Chronicles is more than just a simple game that anyone can control. It has generated so much buzz, not only in its home country but also in other countries."

Furthermore, Dan Masamune isn't without allies within the government; didn't he previously retrieve the prototype cartridge through connections? I'm not a dictator; I can't cover everything up. Without concrete evidence, I can't take action.”

After explaining his considerations, Hyuga Kyotaro found the whole situation both amusing and baffling. But he was powerless to change it. As a member of the government, he had to abide by its rules, no matter how ridiculous they might be.

"That's all for now, I'm hanging up."

Kyotaro Hyuga hung up the call, the screen went dark, and Taiga, who had been silent until now, spoke up:

"The government won't work. By the time someone dies, it will be too late. Nico has collected data from the internet, and many minors and people in their thirties and forties are also very interested in Kamen Rider Chronicles. But their physical abilities mean their skill level is not high. If something goes wrong, a large number of players might be defeated at once. At that point, even if Kamen Rider Chronicles is banned, what good will it do?"

"We're back to square one. Is our last hope for defeating Dan Masamune really Dan Kuroto? How ridiculous!"

Kagami Hiiro seemed to be able to understand Kiriya's unwillingness.

"Hmph, hmph, hmph, do you have any complaints about me? My talent is divine talent! If you want to use my talent, you'll have to see if I agree! After all, I am Kami! Haha ...

A familiar yet arrogant voice rang out, and Dan Kuroto, arms outstretched and an exaggerated smile on his face, swaggered into the CR Center.

Behind him were Emu Dai and Poppy, both looking helpless.

Emu scratched his face, somewhat uncertainly saying:

"Dan Kuroto has been resurrected, but for some reason, he's started calling himself a god. Will resurrecting a human as a Bugster damage their brain? Hiiro, has Hime experienced this?"

"What do you mean 'damage your brain'! I was just telling the truth! I am God! Is there a problem?"

Dan Kuroto roared wildly. After being resurrected as a Bugster, he had completely let loose and pulled out a calligraphy scroll with the words "God Dan Kuroto" written on it from behind his back.

Before Emu and the others could say anything more, Emu, who knew how to deal with Dan Kuroto, waved his hand at them and said:

"Understood, God of War Dan Li. However, gods aren't all talk. God of War Dan Li, how about demonstrating your divine talent by creating a cartridge that can defeat them?"

"You little brat, you have a good eye. You know how to talk, I like that. It's just a defeated cartridge, no problem! Perfect timing, my Kamen Rider Chronicle was stolen, and I've been holding back my anger for a while! Let me see, this place is mine! I'll make the cartridge soon!"

After his resurrection, Dan Kuroto had obtained a lot of information from Emu Dai. He was also very unhappy with Old Dan who had taken away the Kamen Rider Chronicles, and had long intended to help him.

However, it would be somewhat embarrassing for him to take the initiative himself. Now that Emu has given him a way out, he naturally took advantage of it, claimed a piece of land in CR, and directly began the production of the new cartridge.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: New Cartridge in Preparation

Shrimp Dumpling's talent truly deserves to be called "divine talent." No matter how outrageous the cassette tape is, if he wants to, he can make it for you.

The only limitation for Shrimp Dumpling was his lack of inspiration. Compared to his outstanding talent, Shrimp Dumpling completely lacked the boundless imagination of Yong Mengda.

Shrimp Dumpling himself was well aware of this. It was when he saw the amazing game plan sent by Emu that he realized his own weakness, which made him feel intensely jealous of Emu, to the point that he infected Emu with the Bugster virus.

In the original story, Emu worked himself to the bone, sacrificing several lives to create the "Super Invincible Gacha." However, Emu always suspected that what caused Emu's death might not have been the process of creating the Gacha, but rather the process of figuring out and developing the Invincible Gacha's abilities.

After all, he's a creative failure. The appearance of the God Billion Form, which Xiajiao meticulously crafted, is not exactly the same as that of the Extreme Player, but it is completely identical.

Besides Dong Dama's color-changing tricks, the lack of creativity in shrimp dumplings is undoubtedly also an important influencing factor.

However, now that Emu has provided the information, Emu skipped the most difficult stage and went straight to the stage he was most skilled at and proud of: making cartridges. While making them, he wore an arrogant and smug smile, and his hands moved like crazy as he frantically typed on the keyboard, occasionally uttering strange sounds like, "Tremble, this is the talent of a god!" and "Look up to me, mortals! This is the realm of a god!"

In fact, after Xiajiao is resurrected, given his identity as a source of chaos and his 99 lives, he could completely replicate the tactics from the original work. At the cost of one life, he could hide in Cronus's driver, evade his time-stopping ability, and then restrict Cronus's actions, allowing the Extreme Player's "reprogramming" to deliver the final blow.

After all, there was nothing wrong with the tactic itself. In the original work, it failed only because Kagami Hiiro was misled by the possibility of reviving Hime and made the wrong choice.

However, now that Xiao Ji has been resurrected, Jing Feicai has no reason to betray her, and the success rate of the tactic has undoubtedly increased significantly.

However, after discussion, everyone decided to abandon this tactic.

After all, besides the "Pause" ability, Old Tan also has the "Reset" ability. Even if this tactic succeeds, it's hard to say whether Old Tan will be stimulated before the reprogramming, and prioritize activating his ability to reset everything.

At that time, Lao Tan, who already knows everything, will surely be alert, and this tactic will no longer be effective.

What the CR team needs is a stable and feasible plan that can definitely defeat Old Tan and end all of this. Plans that rely on luck are simply not favored.

The original story only devised these tactics due to a lack of intelligence. Now that all the information is available, CR certainly won't gamble on luck anymore.

"Kiriya, Dan Kuroto has been resurrected. He's currently making a super invincible game cartridge, and with the information provided by Emu, he'll add the save ability to it on his first try. If nothing unexpected happens, we're guaranteed to win. You and Seisaku don't need to keep fighting like this. You're a doctor yourself, you should know that if you continue like this, you might suddenly die!"

Taiga pushed open the door to the office where Kiriya and Kohoshi worked, and a foul, rancid smell wafted out. Kohoshi and Kiriya looked utterly defeated, their eyes swollen with dark circles as they hunched over their computers, typing away.

Dawo frowned, waved his hand to dispel the sour smell, and said to Guili.

The information Taiga brought caused Kiriya and Kosei to pause. Kosei looked at Kiriya, somewhat awkwardly, and said:

"Huh? The president's back to life? Then it seems there's no point in us continuing, right? After all, the president is such a talented person, he's bound to make some amazing game cartridges!"

"Never mind that. We've already come this far, wouldn't it be a shame to give up now? You keep going, I'll go out and talk to Dawo."

Kiriya waved to Kohoshi, then got up and pulled Taiga away from the office.

Xiao Xing touched his bald head:

"That's true. After working so hard for so long, it would be a shame not to finish it. Okay, then I'll keep working hard!"

After saying that, he shook off a few strands of his short, twisted hair and went back to coding.

"Kiriya, you don't want to give up? I know you dislike Dan Kuroto, but for now, he's definitely on our side. There's no need for you to hold a grudge."

Taiga looked at Kiriya, who was stretching out in front of him, frowned slightly, and offered some words of advice.

Kiriya smiled, but instead of continuing along with Taiga's words, he asked:

"What about the others? What are they doing?"

"Emu and Poppy have gone to rest. Reviving Dan Kuroto this time has taken a lot of their energy. Young Emu is playing games with Parado. We can't expect them to do anything else, like contacting Mr. Hinata Kyotaro. We plan to defeat Dan Masamune at the press conference and disrupt the Kamen Rider Chronicle. We will need the government's help to isolate the crowd and maintain order."

I was somewhat displeased with Kiriya's avoidance, but I still recounted everyone's movements in detail before continuing my persuasion:

"Kiriya, go and rest. Take Hoshizaku with you. What you should be doing is developing a vaccine to combat game addiction, not wasting time making game cartridges."

"Hehe, how can you say it's a waste of time? Taiga, I know you're worried about me, and I think everyone else is too. However, I've never been the kind of person who cares about saving face. I don't like Dan Kuroto, but I won't refuse when I need to use his power."

If I don't make any progress on my end, I won't keep going. But I've made good progress on mine, and we should be able to finish making the new cartridge in three days at most! Wouldn't it be a shame to give up now?

"Really? You're not lying to me?"

I stared wide-eyed and kept asking questions.

"Of course not. Although I sometimes tell white lies to achieve my goals, I have never lied to anyone on important matters. I can tell you the name of the cartridge I made now: Asura's Wrath Spinning Cartridge. As for its specific abilities, I'll keep that a secret for now."

Kiriya winked at Taiga and said with a smile.