Digital Hackers' Memories

"That's the new thing. If he really changes, you'll probably find it hard to get used to."

......................................................................................................

"you……"

Listening to Takumi and his partners' complaints with a dark expression, even Sanada Shin, who was rarely serious, couldn't help but glare at the three guys.

In the face of a formidable enemy, what kind of situation is it to expose the secrets of one's own comrades?

If Yugo weren't such a cool and aloof character, his fighting spirit would probably have increased several points just from listening to Takumi and the other two's吐槽 (tu cao, meaning sarcastic or witty remarks).

"Companions...?"

While silently watching the interaction between Takumi and Arata Sanada, Yugo's heart was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

We... are comrades.

Deep within YUGO's heart, a girl's voice suddenly appeared, along with some memory fragments that YUGO shouldn't have been able to see.

Those are the memories of a girl named "Yuko Kamishiro," who, along with Arata Sanada, Nokia, and Takumi, enjoyed all the delicious food in Nakano in the real world, chatting and making fun of each other.

In that memory, "YUGO" and the three of them—Sanada Shin, Sanada Shin, and Sanada Shin—were friends, companions, and also clients and clients.

It was with the help of these three that "YUGO" was able to uncover the power struggles within the Kamishiro Group and the darkness hidden beneath the EDEN network.

If it weren't for the fact that they were trying to conquer the Valhalla server, "YUGO" would have continued to maintain this friendship with the three of them.

No, they are your companions, not mine.

After a brief silence, YUGO mentally refuted the girl's statement.

My partner is Fei, a member of ZAXON...

In reality, the person who becomes friends with Shin Sanada and the others is Yuko Kamishiro, the legitimate daughter of the former CEO of the Kamishiro Group, not the strongest hacker who surpasses all other hackers—YUGO.

YUGO never clearly realized this, so clearly that he finally distinguished himself from "Yuko Kamishiro".

[I am YUGO, a personality created by Yuko Kamishiro using the EDEN device in her quest to become the 'strongest hacker'.]

My true nature is not human, but rather artificial intelligence born from the online world.

Compared to humans, my form of existence is closer to that of a Digimon.

In a daze, the Infinite Dragon Beast seemed to sense something and let out a low roar.

As beings that have transcended their own era, Mugendramon's heart is resonating with YUGO's.

However, to Yuko Kamishiro, this unusual resonance was a sign that YUGO intended to summon the Infinite Dragon Beast and forcibly attack Nokia.

[Stop! You are just my data avatar; you absolutely cannot harm Takumi and the others!]

Unable to hear YUGO's inner call, the personality that reawakened as "Yuko Kamishiro" instantly regained control of the data avatar.

"you?"

Sensing YUGO's change again, Sanada Shin was about to say something when the "YUGO" in his eyes suddenly began to sob in a tearful tone.

Why are you stopping me?

Unlike the previous two instances of YUGO, what appeared before Sanada and the others this time was not Yuko Kamishiro disguised as YUGO, nor an artificial intelligence born from a data avatar, but the personality that truly belonged to Yuko Kamishiro herself.

"I just want to protect the dream world my father left behind..."

She lacks the cold, aloof personality of the real YUGO, and also the restraint of Yuuko Kamishiro when she was disguised as YUGO...

Beneath Yuko Kamishiro's cool and aloof exterior lies just an ordinary girl who wants to enjoy delicious food and chat about everyday life with her friends.

"Hey, why have you suddenly become so effeminate?"

Startled by YUGO's sudden change, Shinichi Sanada seemed somewhat at a loss for what to do.

"Also, what's this about the 'father' you mentioned?"

Because he possesses a "data body," Takumi experiences the changes more acutely than Arata Sanada.

Takumi sensed that YUGO, who had been resonating with the data of the Mugen Dragon Beast and undergoing some kind of mutation, suddenly returned to his previous state, becoming even more fragile than before.

This vulnerability is not only reflected in YUGO's own datafication, but also in Infinite Dragon Beast.

Most obviously, the hostility and anger that Infinite Dragon Beast showed towards Nokia disappeared, replaced by a cold and empty expression, like that of a real machine.

"YUGO, Yuko..."

For some reason, Takumi suddenly remembered Yuko Kamishiro, who often commissioned the detective agency to do some "weird food tasting missions".

Takumi doesn't deny that there are indeed some truly top-notch dishes among those foods, but most of the food on the mission list, like Anzu's coffee, is a deadly "dark cuisine".

"What exactly is going on?"

Just as Sanada Shin and Takumi were deep in thought, a sudden loud noise echoed throughout the entire Valhalla server.

Boom!

In an instant, a massive data stream swept across the entire server in the form of tangible fluctuations, followed by a "natural disaster" that seemed to cause the entire network world to crack apart.

Suddenly, the space above and below the hackers collapsed, and dark cracks appeared out of thin air, from which indescribable black and white tentacles extended.

Chapter Fifty-Six: The Beginning of the Tragedy

Rewind to a few minutes earlier, to the outskirts of the battlefield.

"What exactly is that Digimon?"

When Keisuke, Chitose, and Ryuji work together to avoid the attacks of various hackers and reach the core battlefield, the first thing they see is Omegamon appearing and then punching TigerBeemon.

Its overwhelming power makes it hard to believe that Tiger Bee Beast is actually one of the top Ultimate forms in EDEN today.

Even Ryuji, the strongest member of the Butterfly Organization, couldn't guarantee that his CyberDragon would be able to defeat his opponent.

After all, while Ryuji is certainly better than Fei in terms of hacking skills, in this day and age, Digimon are the key to determining a hacker's status and ability.

The level difference between the ultimate form and the complete form is beyond what ordinary hacking techniques can bridge.

Yet this TigerBeemon, which even Ryuji couldn't easily defeat, couldn't even withstand a single punch from Omegamon, demonstrating the vast difference in their strength.

"That's... Nokia's Digimon?"

Chitose looked on in disbelief. Was that majestic Omegamon really the same creature as the two gluttons she remembered?

"Nochia defeated Fie?"

As Fei collapsed to her knees in despair after the tiger bee beast disappeared, even Long Si couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief.

As the head of the Butterfly Group, Ryuji, despite having a falling out with Chitose, still keeps an eye on everything that happens after she "runs away from home".

In particular, Ryuji, intentionally or unintentionally, investigated the "rebel" team that the other party had joined thoroughly through the channels of the Kamishiro Group.

In particular, after a thorough investigation, Ryuji was shocked to discover that Nokia, the leader of the group, seemed to have some close connection with the legendary "cyber detective".

Naturally, Ryuji took this girl named "Nokia" to heart.

However, aside from the good luck, naivety, and occasional impulsive actions mentioned in the data, Ryuji doesn't remember that Nokia had the strength to defeat Fie.

Boom!

Just as the Butterfly Trio was shocked by Omegamon's unfathomable power, the server's dome suddenly collapsed and shattered, from which countless indescribable black and white tentacles emerged.

"That was... a monster that once appeared in Kowloon!"

Having personally encountered the Corruptors, Keisuke immediately issued a warning.

That indescribable being, like a nautilus, can erode the mental data within an account, plunging real-world humans into a vegetative state.

Prior to this, Keisuke had taken the opportunity of visiting Erika to visit the patients diagnosed with "EDEN syndrome" at the Kamishiro Central Hospital.

In Keisuke's mind, being attacked by these monsters was no different from being truly dead.

"Hey, hey, hey, this is getting a little bad..."

Realizing the seriousness of the problem, Chitose's expression immediately turned serious, because he understood the horror of these monsters better than Keisuke.

In theory, humans logging into virtual networks through EDNE devices are absolutely safe.

Leaving aside the protection of mental data by the EDEN network, the mere fact that the physical body exists in the real world makes humans almost invincible in the virtual network.

However, these seemingly harmless monsters defied this "common sense," as they could turn real-world humans into vegetative states devoid of mental data simply by attacking the user's data account.

To be honest, if I hadn't witnessed these monsters attacking humans with my own eyes, I would never have imagined that such illogical beings existed in this world.

Faced with these monsters, the hackers' "privileges" in the cyber world were shattered, and they became ordinary people no different from those in reality.

"What do we do now, Ryuji?!"

Instinctively, Chitose turned his gaze to Ryuji, who was standing at the front. Knowing Ryuji's character well, he could only silently pray that Ryuji would not act impulsively.

"Ryuji?"

But things unfolded exactly as Chitose had predicted. Ryuji simply stared blankly up at the invaders descending from the sky, as if he hadn't heard a word she said.

"What's this……?"

"Is this... what that woman made...?"

His tone was filled with regret and self-blame. Ryuji had never expected that Rie Kishibe would be so crazy as to summon such a terrifying being, which could be described as a "catastrophe," within the Valhalla server.

"Was I... also involved...?"

"In that case, Erica will..."

As if suddenly realizing something, Ryuji abruptly understood a fact.

Since Rie Kishibe is so crazy, does the so-called "solution to cure Erika" that she mentioned actually exist?

Or to put it another way, what will happen to Erika, who needs exorbitant medical treatment, if the three of them are unable to return safely?

Should we pin our hopes on Rie Kishibe's non-existent "conscience"? Or should we let Erika fend for herself?

"Be careful!" X2

Just as Ryuji was stunned, a huge shadow suddenly appeared above him, and at the same time, two urgent shouts came from behind him.

"Varied……"

He couldn't help but look up at the sky again, and what came into Ryuji's view was a huge spatial rift, and a huge tentacle emerging from the spatial rift.

Staring at the distance that was so close, Ryuji felt an unprecedented fear rising in his heart—the fear of impending death.

"You old-fashioned..."

In the blink of an eye, Chitose, standing behind Ryuji, didn't have time to think and pounced on him, knocking him to the side.

"Sooner or later I'll die..."

Before Qian Sui could finish speaking, his voice disappeared completely.

"Long live the Emperor!!!"

So, when Ryuji and Keisuke came to their senses, what they saw was the scene of the eroder descending from the sky, engulfing Chitose in its belly, and then swallowing her whole.

Gulu...

The giant invader, just like a real nautilus, swallowed Chitose whole in two simple movements: a coil and a swallow.

As a result of obtaining a set of human mental data, this original species of invader began to upgrade and transform, quickly shedding its original form and becoming a more advanced humanoid invader.

clack clack...

It sounded like gears turning, or like bones rubbing together...

As the humanoid invader slowly stood up, a smile that seemed familiar to Ryuji and Keisuke gradually appeared on its indescribable face.

That was the smile of a thousand-year-old, a smile of a thousand-year-old's hunting spirit and cynical attitude.

Chapter 57 Keisuke's Digimon Army

"...disappeared."

The time he had spent with Chitose began to flash through Ryuji's mind.

Whether it was joy or sorrow, it seemed that Chitose had always been by my side since I could remember.

"Chitose disappeared... Juede too... my companions too... everyone disappeared."

In the beginning, it was at the urging of Chitose that Shin Sanada and Ryuji, who shared the same ideals, founded the JUDE organization.

However, due to his stubbornness, JUDE disbanded after failing in his first attempt to conquer the Valhalla server.

Former like-minded friends have become strangers who never see each other again, and once inseparable partners have lost contact offline...