Knights of the Digital World

"Whatever you want. But like I said, take care of your health. It would be ridiculous if you died from overwork while making the cartridges."

"Don't worry, I'm a doctor too. I'm heading back now, so please look forward to my new cartridge!"

Kiriya waved his hand and swayed back to his office.

"A new cartridge? I kind of want one too. But never mind, I'll go home first. Nicole asked me to buy some groceries."

I muttered a couple of things under my breath, patted my head, and left.

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Press Conference

Time flies, and before we knew it, the day of the press conference announced by Dan Masamune arrived.

"Tenzaki, is everything arranged?"

Tan Zhengzong, dressed in a sharp suit, stood by the window of the president's office with his hands behind his back, looking at the crowded and noisy crowd below the Huanmeng Group building, and casually asked.

Amasaki Ren sat across from the desk, still wearing his white suit, holding a small mirror in his hand, combing his shiny hair.

Upon hearing Dan Masamune's question, he wiped his hair and revealed a greasy smile:

"President, you can rest assured about my work. The press conference venue on the first floor has been set up, the security personnel are in place, and the invited reporters have all been taken to the second floor and taken care of... In short, everything is ready!"

Dan Masamune didn't turn around, but simply nodded slightly. He had confidence in Amasaki Ren's abilities. In the original story, Amasaki Ren's ability to become the president of the Genmu Group already demonstrated her competence.

Tan Zhengzong set up the press conference on the first floor of the Huanmeng Group building. The lucky players who were selected gathered downstairs early in the morning. Players who lived far away even traveled a long distance to attend after being selected.

Even players who weren't selected came to watch out of curiosity. Even if they didn't get any limited-edition skins, they could still connect with other players and have more company when the game started.

As a result, a large crowd had gathered at the foot of the Huanmeng Group building, and the noise was so loud that even Tan Zhengzong could hear it from his office, which was more than ten stories high.

"It seems the players are getting impatient. It's almost time. Have the staff announce that we can start letting people in. Oh, and have we contacted the photographer? We can't let our big screen outside the building go to waste. With so many players here, we can't let them down."

Tan Masamune smiled and said in a cheerful mood.

The popularity of "Kamen Rider Chronicles" has spread overseas, and some people have already contacted him in an attempt to obtain overseas distribution rights.

He had been holding back his agreement, intending to use today's press conference to further fuel the fire, show people the popularity of "Kamen Rider Chronicles," and attract more people to compete!

The fact that so many people have come proves the success of the press conference. As long as nothing goes wrong, it will perfectly fulfill Tan Zhengzong's expectations.

In Masamune's mind now, everything is fast-forwarded to the point where "Kamen Rider Chronicles" is being snapped up by countless overseas distributors and sold all over the world, and the Phantom Group has become a leading global corporation...

"I've arranged everything, President, don't worry. I'll go inform them now, President, you should get ready too."

Amasaki Ren tossed her head, hummed a little tune, and danced a strange dance as she left the office.

By this time, Dan Masamune had regained his composure, his intelligence once again taking over. He took out the "Kamen Rider Chronicle Administrator Gadget," rubbing it with his right thumb, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Speaking of which, the CR group of doctors haven't made a move. But that shouldn't be the case. Parado must have colluded with them, after all, there's Emu Hojo... So, they should be well aware of the potential consequences of 'Kamen Rider Chronicle,' yet they haven't taken any action... This doesn't make sense... If I were them, what would I do?"

As Dan Masamune pondered, his right thumb suddenly paused, and a cold expression appeared on his face:

"How could I forget... Isn't the press conference their best opportunity? Delaying it any longer will only put those players in a life-or-death situation, which those doctors can't accept. But... I can't accept them ruining my press conference either!"

"Hmph, Hmph, Hmph! Hosho Emu, Kagami Hiiro, Kujo Takayuki, Hanabe Taiga... you'd better be sensible, or their power is no joke!"

Tan Zhengzong chuckled coldly twice, put away the Fault Driver II and the Administrator Card, straightened his clothes, and left the office.

Next, a press conference awaits him.

…………

"Everyone, are you all ready?"

Holding the invincible cartridge that Dan Kuroto had made overnight in his hand, Emu (the elder) asked solemnly.

"Hahahaha, of course I'm ready! I told you, I'm a god! The cartridges I make are invincible! Even if someone else were to challenge me! Hosei Emu! You don't need to worry at all!"

Dan Kuroto was the first to grin widely and let out his signature loud laugh.

This time, he had a particularly comfortable time making the cartridge. He didn't need to rack his brains thinking about the settings or abilities; he just needed to follow the steps to produce it. It perfectly avoided his weaknesses and brought out his strengths, making Dan Kuroto incredibly excited, and he even wanted to make it again. Even now, he is still in a state of high spirits.

Standing next to Dan Kuroto, Kiriya gave him a disdainful look, as if he were an idiot, and calmly said:

"I'm all ready too. Xiaoxing and I have prepared a big gift that we're sure won't disappoint."

"Hmph... You've been recklessly producing cartridges behind God's back. I'll let you off this time, but if there's a next time, I'll definitely erase your cartridges!"

Upon hearing Kiriya's words, Dan Kuroto's expression fell, and he issued a warning to Kiriya.

He naturally knew about Kiriya and Koho's collaboration in developing game cartridges. However, for the time being, they were comrades on the same side, so even if he was very unhappy about this behavior of making cartridges behind his back, he couldn't do anything about it and could only give them a verbal warning.

"Yes, yes, as long as you're happy, Shrimp Dumpling."

Guili was very perfunctory.

"Call me Tan Li Dou Shen! Show some respect to a god!"

"Dan Lidou said angrily."

Yongmeng (the eldest) shook his head, ignoring the two clowns, and turned his gaze to the others.

Fei Cai and Da Wo shrugged together and said:

"We are ready. However, our cartridges haven't been upgraded, so LV50 might not be very useful in this battle."

"I'm ready too! Emu, this time you must avenge me, and crush him!"

Parado raised his right hand and shouted.

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

Emu (the elder) offered a word of comfort and then turned his gaze to the last, smaller figure:

"Xiao Yongmeng, what about you? It's too dangerous in the match, why don't you stay in CR?"

Emu quickly waved his hand, strongly objecting:

"No, no. I went through the danger before too. This time we're going to fight the final boss, how can I be absent? Don't worry, I have my own trump cards! Don't worry about my safety!"

Emu (the eldest) scratched his head:

"Alright then, let's go together. But please remember to be careful!"

Emu nodded and gave an "OK" sign.

After asking everyone his questions, Yongmeng (the eldest) turned to look at the live broadcast on TV. The press conference was already underway, with players flooding into the Huanmeng Group building. Without further hesitation, he waved his hand and said:

"Everyone, let's go!"

"We will change the fate of the players!"

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Disrupting the Press Conference

"Hello? Everyone, please keep quiet and take your seats according to the information on your tickets. The press conference is about to begin."

Amasaki Ren held a microphone in her hand, tested the sound, and then shouted, directing the players who were still running around and making noise in the lobby to return to their positions.

Hearing that the press conference was about to begin, the players stopped chatting and quickly grabbed their tickets and took their seats. The chaotic crowd gradually became orderly, the noise subsided, and the hall became quiet.

The invited media outlets were well-prepared, and the photographers seized the opportunity to take several pictures. Meanwhile, the invited television staff officially began the broadcast.

Seeing that everything had become orderly, Amasaki Ren nodded slightly, quite satisfied.

He picked up the microphone again, a standard business smile on his face, and said:

"First, let me introduce myself. I am Tianqi Lian, the head of the publicity department of Huanmeng Group, and also the host of this press conference. Here, let me first welcome everyone here and thank you all for your support of Huanmeng Group! Thank you!"

As Amasaki Ren spoke, she clapped her hands vigorously. Everyone at the press conference joined in, and the loud applause echoed throughout the hall.

Amasaki Ren waited until the applause stopped before continuing:

"The purpose of this press conference is to allow everyone to better understand our new game from the Fantasy Group, a groundbreaking game that everyone is eagerly anticipating, 'Kamen Rider Chronicles'! Now, let's have Mr. Masamune Dan, the president of our Fantasy Group, introduce it to you! Please give him a round of applause!"

Amasaki Ren clapped and stepped aside. Neither the players nor the reporters expected the Dream Group to get straight to the point so quickly, without any preamble, and were momentarily stunned. However, they actually preferred this approach to a long, rambling explanation before getting to the point. Soon, loud applause once again filled the hall.

Amidst applause, Dan Masamune, with a smile on his face, slowly walked to the center of the stage and made a downward pressing motion with both hands, causing the applause to gradually subside.

"Hello everyone! I am Tan Zhengzong, the president of Huanmeng Group. I believe my experiences have been reported by many media outlets and are familiar to you all. Returning to this group that I have dedicated my life to, I have many feelings I would like to share with you all."

However, I also know that everyone went through all that trouble to get here, not to listen to some old man spouting platitudes. So, we'll save those words for later.

Now, let me introduce you to the newest game from the Fantasy Group, a groundbreaking work—Kamen Rider Chronicle!

Wearing a microphone on his head, Dan Masamune continued Amasaki Ren's previous style. After a brief opening, he went straight to the point, pulling out a mass-produced "Kamen Rider Chronicle" cartridge with his free right hand.

"As everyone knows, our group's new work, 'Kamen Rider Chronicles,' allows every player to become a hero in the real world and fight against the terrible Bugster virus."

However, some people have questioned the reliability of the promotional video, believing it to be fake special effects that could never be achieved in reality. Well then, let me demonstrate for you. Hen-sh!

With a confident smile, Dan Masamune pressed the button on the cassette in his hand. His body lit up slightly, transforming into the basic Ride-Pyer.

"Wow!"

"Sri Lanka No. 1!"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell. Those who had come to the press conference trusted the authenticity of the promotional video. However, after witnessing this amazing scene with their own eyes, they couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

Dan Masamune smiled inwardly and dropped another bombshell:

"Please be quiet, everyone. To enhance credibility, I will randomly select ten players on the spot and give them game cartridges. I just hope these players can transform right now and prove to everyone that 'Kamen Rider Chronicles' is not a scam or a gimmick, but a genuine, timeless game!"

When Dan Masamune said this, the press conference erupted. Everyone raised their hands and shouted, hoping that luck would fall on their heads.

Masamune Dan's tricks aren't new, but when paired with a game like "Kamen Rider Chronicles," they can definitely ignite the atmosphere in an instant.

Just as Tan Zhengzong was secretly pleased with himself, the door of the Huanmeng Group building was kicked open, and doctors led by Yongmeng (Da) walked in aggressively in white coats.

Even Emu was assigned a white lab coat. Although she was a bit short, her gaze was firm and her expression was serious, so she didn't look out of place among them.

"Dan Masamune, stop your ridiculous performance!" Emu (the eldest) shouted, his usual gentle and sunny smile gone, his face hard.

"Did you tell the players that this is a game where life is at stake? Once you 'Ga Over,' it means death! Did you explain the dangers involved?!"

Emu's (Da) words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly cooling down the originally heated press conference. All the players stared at Dan Masamune with their mouths agape, waiting for his answer.

Kamen Rider Chronicles may be a groundbreaking game, piquing everyone's interest. But if it involves risking your life, you should think twice.

Dan Masamune deactivated his transformation, tossed the cassette tape aside, and his face darkened noticeably. He was clearly displeased that the CR doctor had come to interfere.

"Dr. Hosho Emu, you need to provide evidence before you speak. You just say whatever comes to mind, but I have to spend time proving it. That's not true. Today is an important press conference for my company, and I don't want to argue with you anymore. Leave now, and I can pretend nothing happened!"

Emu (the eldest) gave a cold laugh and raised the Invincible Gacha: