Digital Hackers' Memories

The reason why the hackers didn't care about the existence of this humanoid fox demon was simply because of their own "chuunibyou" (adolescent delusions of grandeur) tendencies.

However, judging from the current situation, the reason why the hackers in Nordens don't care about Renamon is simply because they mistake Renamon for a Digimon captured by Chen Ze.

Although such a blatant display of Digimon in public could easily attract the attention of malicious hackers like the "Three Musketeers".

However, Japanese hackers are a group with a very strong sense of adolescent angst, so it's not hard to understand why a few mavericks occasionally appear.

Did the fox spirit know all along?

Chen Ze didn't know how the fox demon felt after learning that its kind had been enslaved by humans, but he finally understood why the fox demon dared to make no pretense.

Besides her overconfidence in her own abilities, it was probably more because she already knew some of the relevant information.

"Forcibly enslaving Digimon, this is quite different from the Digital World I imagined."

Whether in the anime and manga of his past life or in Chen Ze's limited interactions in this life, the relationship between Digimon and humans should be one of mutual cooperation and progress.

It's worth noting that even during the Hikari-gaoka incident where Agumon went berserk, it never harmed Kari or Taichi.

Moreover, even the Parrotmon, who appears as the "main villain," consciously avoids directly attacking humans.

"The digital world? Imagination?"

"Imagination and reality are not the same."

Seemingly having overheard Chen Ze's mutterings, the young hacker paused for a moment, then revealed a cold smile.

"Aside from a minority like you, enslaving Digimon is the mainstream in this world."

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P.S.: If any experts have recommendations, please vote for them!

Chapter Nineteen: The Natural Enemy of Digimon

"Pathetic fellow."

Leaping high like a ninja, the fox beast gazed at the impotent and furious fire beast beneath it, and the cold smile on its lips gradually turned into pity.

Actually, Renamon didn't feel much when she first learned about the plight of the Digimon that had ended up in the EDEN Network.

Even in the digital world, the law of the jungle, rule, and enslavement are very common occurrences.

Especially for a fox spirit that grew up alone, she had no extra compassion to spare for those weaker kind.

It wasn't until he actually encountered the Flame Beast that the Fox Beast suddenly realized that things seemed to be a little different from what he had imagined.

It's not about empathizing with the enslaved Digimon, because the fact that Flamemon could be captured by humans indicates that it must have some kind of flaw.

It's a bit of a shame that Renamon, despite possessing such immense power, is unable to fight against a Rookie-level Digimon like itself because it is controlled by humans.

"Let me end your pathetic life!"

A fierce glint flashed in its eyes. Facing the powerful fire beast, the fox beast decided to end its tragic life in its own way.

Silence!

In a daze, the Flame Beast, sensing a deadly threat, only had time to raise its head before seeing three "Fox Beasts" descending from the sky, aiming at its vital points from different directions.

—Fox Transformation!

Using sorcery as a cover and illusions to distract the enemy, this practice of creating several clones at once is one of the common tactics of the Fox Beast.

Back in Hikari Hill, Renamon's illusionary clone technique, which created a clone of the real creature while simultaneously creating a fake one, proved invaluable in defeating Angemon and Revolvermon, two powerful Champion-level monsters far surpassing their Rookie stage counterparts.

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

"That Digimon... how is it so powerful?"

Just then, the two hackers who had left the center of the battlefield stared wide-eyed at the fox beast, which had split into three and was now in a dominant position.

Whether it was the claw attack that could tear through flames and strike the very essence of a fire beast...

Even now, with illusions that are almost like clones, blurring the lines between reality and illusion, their understanding of Digimon has been shattered.

In the hacker duo's mind, although Digimon possess various amazing abilities, only a few can truly be like Renamon.

In most battles, the Digimon controlled by the hackers will attack each other, but the attack method is similar to a turn-based battle where you use a powerful attack and I use a powerful attack.

This was the first time they had encountered a Digimon like Renamon, who possessed a clear mind and rich combat experience.

In fact, not only the "hacker trio," but even the other hackers watching from the sidelines were shocked by the aggressiveness and autonomy displayed by the foxmon.

Compared to the controlled Flame Beast, the agile and nimble Fox Beast is like a real living being, choosing different attack methods based on its own judgment.

That unique vitality of life can never be compared to a "program" that suppresses wisdom and instinct.

In fact, what these hackers didn't know was that Digimon are real life forms, and Renamon is one of the best among them.

"No, we can't continue like this."

The leader of the trio was the first to realize that if things continued like this, Flame Beast would end up like its former defeated foe, being bullied and killed by Fox Beast and having all its data absorbed.

"She must be killed!"

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and the hacker leader immediately opened his virtual screen, intending to launch one of the programs within.

"No! The Flame Beast will disappear!"

Seeing this, the last hacker reacted quickly and stopped his boss from doing so.

"So what if Flamemon is gone? As long as we can capture that fox-like Digimon, its sacrifice will be worthwhile!"

The hacker leader glared fiercely at his underling, ignoring the latter's almost pleading look, and insisted on activating the program he had accidentally obtained.

The next moment, a devastating disaster was born!

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"what?!"

The keen intuition of the fox beast allowed it to immediately detect the change in the fire beast, and the three fox beasts in the sky retreated in the opposite direction at the same time.

Meanwhile, the demon fox beast, which had been hiding in the shadows, instantly teleported outside the battlefield, intending to observe for a while before making any moves.

As it turned out, Renamon's intuition was correct; the Flamemon at this moment was indeed no longer the Flamemon it had been before.

"what!!!"

As some inexplicable program was activated, the fire beast, which had been like a puppet, once again let out a painful howl.

Moreover, this scream was far more painful than before; even bystanders could feel the fire beast's anger and despair.

clack clack...

A few seconds later, the fire beast, whose flames had already died down, stopped howling. In its place came a strange, mechanical sound.

It sounds as if some unknown thing has "parasitized" the Flame Beast and is trying to be reborn through its body.

"What it is?"

All the hackers, including Chen Ze, stared in astonishment as they watched the unidentified creature tear open the fire beast's chest and slowly emerge from its body.

clack clack...

From its appearance, it was an unidentified creature that resembled a nautilus.

It has a single, mechanically indifferent eye on its side, and vertical, tentacle-like limbs at its front.

From a distance, it looks like an alien that has descended from the world of Cthulhu. Combined with the eerie black and white patterns on its surface, it gives people a genuine sense of grotesque distortion and weirdness.

Moreover, perhaps because it had absorbed the data of the Flame Beast, the twisted limbs of this unknown creature had taken on a somewhat human-like appearance.

"Oops!"

Unlike the other hackers, the young hacker next to Chen Ze seemed to recognize the true form of the unknown creature, and in his shock, he even forgot that Chen Ze was still beside him.

"How could those three idiots have something like this?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ze first glanced at the two hackers who had already run far away, and then lowered his voice to ask.

"Do you know about that unidentified creature?"

Because after that unknown creature appeared, Chen Ze's Digicore had already started to alarm – it seemed to be a terrifying existence specifically designed to target Digimon, or rather, network data.

Without needing any verbal description, Chen Ze, who was essentially an Agumon, already understood that the thing was definitely the natural enemy of Digimon.

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PS: The main story boss has finally appeared.

Chapter 20: The Infiltrator's Abilities (Available Friday)

"Taste the power of the invaders!"

Seeing that the unknown creature had completely absorbed and digested the data of the Flame Beast, the hacker leader shouted excitedly.

Having witnessed the corrosive power firsthand, the leader of the hackers knew perfectly well that a mere Digimon was no match for the power that symbolized corruption and destruction.

"Flame Beast..."

Unlike his older brother, the other hacker was still grieving the disappearance of the Fire Beast.

"why?"

It seemed like a question, yet it also seemed like simply sadness...

The youngest hacker looked at the terrifying "demon," his eyes revealing not only sadness but also a deep-seated hatred.

"Brother, have you already forgotten how terrifying this monster is?"

Even before the "hacker trio" consisted of more than three people, this hacker group, which used to "enjoy hacking into heavily defended servers," had already encountered the terror of such intruders.

In that horrific catastrophe, a hacker group of more than a dozen people was wiped out by the Infiltrators.

Only the last three were rescued by a fire beast that happened to be passing by, and luckily escaped from the clutches of the invaders.

It was after that that the hacker trio realized the existence of Digimon and that the urban legends circulating might not be just rumors.

However, since things have come to this point, no matter how frustrated, regretful, or unwilling the trio is, it is all in vain.

Because apart from the three of them, the other team members who were corrupted not only lost their original data avatars, but their physical bodies also fell into a coma.

Yes, it's terrifying that even though you're only attacked by an unknown program in the online world, your physical body also falls into a coma.

When the hacker trio first heard the devastating news, they were stunned for a long time.

Later, the trio, who didn't believe in the superstition, met in real life and visited the other members who were in a coma in the hospital, which confirmed the authenticity of the news.

"EDEN syndrome"—that's what people call this particular disease.

To the uninformed, it appears to be an infectious disease outbreak in the EDEN space.

This condition is usually caused by heavy EDEN users who immerse themselves in the virtual world for extended periods or illegally modify their digital devices, leading to a specific symptom of "brain nervous system data overload."

Prior to this, the hacker trio had always held this view.

After personally experiencing the "Eroder Incident," they unanimously concluded that it was just a hoax spread by the Kamishiro Corporation and the government to cover up the truth.

The biggest reason for this disease is those invaders and Digimon, because they are the only ones who are truly incomprehensible to humans as "EDEN mysteries".

Perhaps it was out of fear, or perhaps it was simply a need for the power of the Flame Beast...

The hacker trio then used their newly acquired "Digimon Capturer" to return to the location where Flamemon had appeared and successfully took control of it.

Then, in order to awaken their sleeping companions in reality, the trio, with the help of Flamemon's power, began a frantic search for any trace of the Invaders and Digimon.

This special program, composed of data from the Invaders, was something the trio obtained by chance during this process.

"why?"

As if hearing his underling's murmurs, the hacker leader muttered to himself with a ferocious and crazed expression.

"As long as we can get that powerful Digimon, we will definitely be able to save our former comrades!"

At this moment, the hacker leader was absolutely convinced of his idea: as long as he could obtain the power of the fox beast, he would definitely be able to find the culprit who made his companions unconscious and restore everything to normal.

"I'm sorry, although I don't know what your past is like, the fox beast is destined not to belong to you."

Just as the hacker leader was about to do something, a golden cartoon fox suddenly popped up on his virtual screen and even rolled its eyes at him in a lifelike manner.

"Intruder?"

With his hands swiping rapidly across the screen, the hacker leader glanced at the pop-up window that displayed "cannot be deleted" and instinctively turned his gaze to Chen Ze, who was not far away.

"It's you?!"

Just as the hacker boss had predicted, Chen Ze was smiling and waving at him from the other side.