Digital Hackers' Memories

"I think the reason you didn't prepare a human data avatar in advance is that you planned to just buy one on the black market in EDEN!"

Although it is a question, Chen Ze used an affirmative tone here.

"It seems I was right."

Noticing the momentary stunned expression on the fox-like beast's face, Chen Ze smiled, then swiped his hands to project a virtual screen into his field of vision.

Immediately afterwards, a series of data flashed across the virtual panel, with many tampered linked files appearing one after another.

"Is this the address? The black market on the EDEN network?"

After quickly browsing through the linked files, Chen Ze finally focused his attention on a generic data link file labeled "Dark Web.UDL".

How did you obtain these documents?

Looking at the increasingly familiar data, the fox beast blinked, its face showing an expression of disbelief.

How did I obtain these documents?

Upon hearing this, Chen Ze simply smiled indifferently, as if he were talking about something insignificant.

"In the end, I'm a professional hacker. Why should you be the only one to hack into me?"

Chapter Fifteen: The EDEN Black Market

Just as Chen Ze had imagined, the fox spirit hadn't been doing nothing but staying in its computer space for the past month.

In order to counter the obstruction of the hypothetical enemy "Mirei Mikagura", Renamon not only collected relevant data about the EDEN network from all corners of the Internet in just one month.

Later, through some less-than-honorable means, they obtained some hidden links in the EDEN network world.

After all, no matter how advanced the EDEN network is, it is still within the scope of the network and has certain connections with the traditional Internet.

While internet users in other parts of the world may not be able to log in directly with a virtual avatar like residents of Japan, they are not entirely ignorant of this network.

In fact, in addition to the secure and realistic digital space, there are also some areas on the EDEN network that lie between the traditional network and the virtual network, allowing outsiders to enter without a data avatar.

These online spaces, which already have the rudiments of digital space, are usually relatively private chat rooms or forums.

These cyberspaces do not require real-name registration or physical presence; users can freely enter and exit using any cartoonish avatar.

In terms of security, these private chat rooms, while not as secure as EDEN's public areas, are far safer than the "free zones" that require a digital avatar to access.

Even if a user is hacked, they won't lose too much, and their accounts won't be completely exposed.

During this month, Renamon fully utilized its Digimon characteristics, relentlessly attacking a large number of chat rooms and forums to obtain sufficient data.

The only thing that surprised the fox spirit was that the chat rooms and forums did not investigate it afterward, but instead pinned the blame on Chen Ze.

Or more precisely, those in the hacker community recognized the "dynamic golden fox" image and linked it to the turmoil on the dark web.

— "Pale War God," that chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) guy, has made a comeback and exposed the addresses of other hackers to the cyber police.

—That idiot couldn't possibly lie low for long; he's already caused such a commotion.

—That guy seems to have become a kemonomimi (animal girl) enthusiast, and he's been attacking a lot of chat rooms and forums on the periphery of the EDEN network using the image of a "golden fox".

Similar news spread throughout the global hacker community in just one month, making Chen Ze quite famous without his knowledge.

Although Chen Ze himself may not have wanted to become famous in this way, the actions of the demon fox beast were indeed related to him, so he had no choice but to silently take the blame.

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

Ten minutes later, in a secret little digital space.

Just like all the hackers who quietly arrived here, Chen Ze and the fox demon also appeared silently in a corner.

Is the hacker community in Japan always this lively?

After leaving the EDEN public area, Chen Ze once again dressed in black, including black clothes, black pants, a black trench coat, and black sunglasses, resembling the "Matrix" style.

Compared to the stringent authentication systems in public areas, the authentication system in this small digital space is practically nonexistent.

Chen Ze doubted that even if he appeared in Agumon form, he wouldn't cause any disturbance here.

In those short ten minutes, Chen Ze had already seen far too many bizarre and outlandish hacker images.

Compared to them, a small dinosaur image, though peculiar, is not exaggerated—because there are many hackers that are far more exaggerated.

"Are all hackers as 'chuunibyou' as you?"

After silently scanning the hackers around him, the fox beast realized that compared to those hackers who dressed themselves up as punk, cyberpunk, or half-robots, Chen Ze, dressed in black, was the most normal type among them.

"How can this be called being a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur)?"

Faced with the increasingly sharp and venomous tongue of the fox demon, Chen Ze simply shrugged, unfazed.

"This is clearly what men call romance."

Just like gamers who enjoy creating their own characters, how could a hacker who can freely modify their own data possibly pass up the opportunity to DIY a "skin" for themselves?

Leaving aside other regions, Japan is a country known for producing "chuunibyou" (a Japanese term for adolescent delusions of grandeur), so it would be strange if it didn't have so many bizarre hackers.

In any case, as long as you don't tamper with your real data, these strange data avatars can be treated as "disposable" consumables.

"Besides, you're the kind of person who's a 'chuunibyou' (a person with delusions of grandeur), but to outsiders, you actually look pretty 'chuunibyou' yourself."

After looking Renamon up and down, still in its Digimon form, Chen Ze refuted its words as always.

For Chen Ze and the fox demon, this way of teasing and mocking each other had become a daily routine, and they had long been accustomed to such conversations.

"Do I look like a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur)?"

Shaking its head, seemingly unsure whether to agree or disagree, Renamon stopped arguing with Chen Ze and instead pointed to the very center of the digital space, speaking softly.

"If we want to get real personal accounts, we have to go there."

Following the direction the fox spirit was pointing, Chen Ze discovered that it appeared to be a huge market, where hackers from all over Japan, disguised in different avatars, freely entered and exited.

However, unlike what Chen Ze had imagined, those interconnected "entrances" were not "landing points" like the EDEN public area, but rather "pipes" that resembled sewers.

Only through those interconnected "pipelines" can outsiders truly enter the core area of ​​this space.

"The creator of this space really has a twisted sense of humor."

Even if it's a shady hacker who can get here, Chen Ze still doesn't know how to evaluate the original builder for turning the intersection into a sewer.

"I actually think that builder is quite interesting."

Raising her eyebrows slightly, the fox spirit strolled forward—she was now eager to know what kind of developments she would encounter in this black market teeming with "chuunibyou" (middle school syndrome).

"We're only here to buy personal accounts, so please don't cause any more trouble."

After such a long period of contact, Chen Ze finally gained a general understanding of the fox spirit's personality—this guy is a walking jinx.

Generally speaking, events that arouse the "curiosity" of this fox-like beast are usually accompanied by "disaster".

Mitsuhiko's experiences, and the series of encounters the two had afterward, all illustrate this point.

Chen Ze didn't want to encounter any more inexplicable events because of the fox demon's excessive curiosity.

Chapter Sixteen: Selling Personal Information

After a long and complicated process, Chen Ze and the fox spirit finally entered Snowden, the largest hacker black market on the EDEN network.

This is a shadowy area hidden beneath the EDEN network, and even the entire internet.

Hackers from all over the world use their skills and methods to conduct illegal, unethical, and even morally questionable dark transactions here.

Although this was just one of Snowden's sections in Japan related to the sale of personal information, the shocking transactions there still stunned ordinary people who were unaware of it.

Here, basic personal information is sold publicly at a very low price.

Name, gender, date of birth, home address, personal information, account password, salary, expense records, and even monthly hotel booking records...

Most of the hackers Chen Ze saw were either selling this personal information or selling homemade software that could access it.

The sources of this personal information are very complex. Some are stolen through Trojans, some are obtained by directly intruding into servers, and some audacious hackers retrieve it directly from government archives.

"This scale of information transactions..."

Staring dumbfounded at everything before him, Chen Ze was still surprised by what he saw, even though he knew that the information network was very extensive in this era.

Do you have personal information about Tokyo locals?

With the silent fox-like beast by his side, Chen Ze walked directly to the nearest young hacker and got straight to the point.

"Besides the address being in Tokyo, do you have any other requirements?"

"Why would I ask Chen Ze for his personal information?" the young hacker opposite him asked skillfully.

"Gender? Age? Salary? And class level?"

Seeing the other party's professional demeanor, Chen Ze didn't hold back and made his own request.

"Ages between 16 and 18, male, preferably a student who cannot spend too much time online."

"Hmm, it would be nice if I were a little taller."

The first few requests were all fine, but when he heard Chen Ze's last request, the young hacker opposite him was clearly surprised, and then looked up at Chen Ze thoughtfully.

"Takagi Soichiro, 17 years old, is an active high school basketball player and currently lives at XX, Nakano-dori, Tokyo."

With his hands moving rapidly across the virtual screen, the young hacker quickly found a matching target from his vast database.

“He meets all your requirements. If you are not satisfied, I can find you someone else.”

At this point, the teenage hacker sent Chen Ze a photo: a picture of a high school student named "Takagi Soichiro" practicing basketball.

Judging from the shooting angle, this seems to be a candid photo. The lighting and environment are not very good, but you can still tell that the boy in the photo is very sunny and handsome.

"No, this one is too dazzling. Do you have someone with a more ordinary appearance?"

Chen Ze frowned slightly, clearly not quite used to this communication style of "transmitting data without saying a word" since it was his first time using a data avatar.

Fortunately, Chen Ze had used Agumon's body before, so he pulled up a virtual screen in front of him and began filtering the identity data he "preferred".

"Someone with an average appearance?"

This time, it was the young hacker's turn to frown. He had bought so much personal information here, but this was the first time he had encountered a buyer like Chen Ze.

Being both tall and having an average appearance seems like a mismatch, or even contradictory, requirement.

"Yes, it's the kind of appearance that doesn't attract much attention."

Looking up at Chen Ze again, the young hacker standing opposite him really wanted to say something like, "Someone your height is impossible not to attract attention, okay?!"

However, adhering to the principle that the customer is always right, the young hacker could only silently complain in his heart before starting to search through the massive database for a suitable target.

"how about this?"

"Nakai, an unemployed man near Tokyo Bay, who also seems to be a part-time hoodlum?"

The young hacker pulled out another detailed personal data file, sent one of the photos to Chen Ze, and then tentatively asked a question.

"In every respect, he meets your requirements."

"The only possible flaw is that he has a lot of 'authority'."

Although he was a hoodlum, the guy named "Nakai" didn't seem to be short of money, so in addition to his detailed personal information, his data also included a considerable amount of other personal information.

Such as "access privileges" as account passwords for certain private clubs or premium memberships at EDEN Kabukicho.

"Let me make this clear beforehand: I do not offer to sell individual pieces of personal information."

Seemingly recognizing Chen Ze as a newcomer, the young hacker emphasized his own rules.

"If you want this guy's information, you have to buy all the information under his name at once. I guarantee I won't resell it."

This is also the biggest difference between directly seizing someone else's data avatar and using someone else's information to create an avatar.

Compared to directly seizing someone else's data avatar, creating a data avatar by purchasing personal information is merely an infinitely realistic "high-quality imitation".

In theory, the more complete the similar information, the more perfect the data avatar that a hacker can create.

If hackers are skilled enough, and happen to have the original owner's bank information, they can even create a data avatar that can fool the bank's system.

Therefore, even though it is not the original data avatar, as long as it doesn't happen to run into the real person, such an avatar is enough to fool any identity recognition system.

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

"..."

Standing quietly behind Chen Ze, the fox demon watched with great interest as Chen Ze bargained with the hacker.

She didn't know if it was just the fox spirit's imagination, but she always felt that Chen Ze was very "cute".

Having witnessed Chen Ze's genius hacker side so often, the fox demon always found it hard to reconcile the two when it saw him haggling like this, full of street-smart charm.