Digital Hackers' Memories

Boom!

In an instant, the surging energy broke through the digital space surrounding SwordKingmon NX.

At that moment, the white flames seized the opportunity to invade, suddenly expanding and engulfing all combustible data and matter near the Sword Emperor Beast NX.

"Stubborn Beast!!!"

An angry growl emanated from the golden and white flames, and Sword Emperor Beast NX immediately recognized the origin of this "fire god".

As mentioned before, the Gutsmon type of Digimon does not pursue evolution.

Or more precisely, evolution is not the primary goal pursued by the Digimon of the Stubborn type.

Physical strengthening, mental training...

To accomplish the impossible, that's what the stubborn beast truly values.

As the founder of this school, the Stubborn Beast naturally strengthened his body and will to the extreme.

This "Vulcan," which is entirely manifested through spiritual power, is the manifestation of the stubborn beast's willpower, equivalent to the spiritual body of half a Royal Knight.

"Dad?!"

Sistermon, equally surprised that Gankomon's "Vulcan" would appear on her weapon, couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.

But she quickly understood the reason. It must be that her father was worried about her safety when he sent her to the human world, so he temporarily placed "Vulcan" on his weapon.

After all, the firewall of the Digital World prevents powerful Digimon from infiltrating the human world.

However, "Vulcan," which is the manifestation of the spirit power of the stubborn beast, is not a Digimon in the strict sense, so it is possible that it could successfully "smuggle" itself in with him.

Moreover, after losing its original form, the Stubborn Beast, "Vulcan" is like water without a source or a tree without roots, possessing only the power to strike in a critical moment.

If it weren't for sensing the threat posed by the Sword Emperor Beast NX, "Vulcan" probably wouldn't have chosen to appear at this moment and break through the opponent's defensive barrier.

[It really is you, Sword Emperor Beast!]

In a daze, those present seemed to hear a majestic and domineering roar—it was the voice of "Vulcan," and also the voice of the stubborn beast whose true form was still in the Digital World.

However, the roar of the stubborn beast had barely been uttered, and before SwordEmperorMonkey could even reply, the tyrannical and arrogant WhiteFlamemon could no longer contain itself and launched another attack.

"Fire Fist!"

The raging flames converged at this moment, bursting forth with a dazzling white flash, almost like a supernova.

Rumble!

From a distance, the semi-digital tunnel looked as if it had been bombarded by a pinpoint missile and had completely collapsed.

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

What happened there?

Amidst the sirens of police cars, Goro Matayoshi, a veteran detective from the "Computer Crime Investigation Division," was the first to arrive at the area and witnessed the entire tunnel collapse in a daze.

Just like a volcanic eruption, the white flames melted all the matter within a radius of tens of meters the moment they erupted.

Cement, steel bars, stone slabs, trees...

Nothing could survive even a second in those inexplicably appearing white flames; they would be completely melted by the near 1,500-degree Celsius heat.

"This kind of flame..."

The intense heat was so intense that even police cars far away were getting hot, let alone the flesh-and-blood Goro Matayoshi.

"This is definitely not some kind of weird 'computer crime'!"

Gritting his teeth and muttering to himself, Yoshiro could only pray that Makiko Date hadn't rushed into the tunnel, otherwise he couldn't imagine how he would face her family.

Yes, Goro Matayoshi didn't believe anyone could survive in that white flame, just as he didn't believe that flame was some kind of "computer crime."

However, it seems as if the world is deliberately going against Goro Matayoshi.

tumultuous!

Just as he picked up his communication device, intending to contact the nearest fire station, a sky-blue humanoid phantom suddenly flashed past in the firelight, completely shattering his worldview.

"Humanity?"

Although the blue phantom, like a legendary ninja, only lingered in Matayoshi Goro's field of vision for less than a second.

But he was quite certain that it wasn't an illusion caused by his eyes, because the flickering white flames were the best proof.

If someone hadn't rushed out of those white flames, those flames wouldn't have swayed and danced as if blown by a strong wind.

tumultuous!

Before Yoshikichi Goro could recover from his shock, the white flames that filled the sky seemed to be summoned by something, and without warning they began to converge towards a certain center point.

Rumble…

Countless steel bars and concrete fell from the tunnel, and the melted concrete road quickly solidified as the flames disappeared.

If the tunnel hadn't completely collapsed and the surrounding area hadn't been a scene of utter devastation...

Yoshikichi Goro simply couldn't imagine how terrifying that fleeting white flame truly was.

Even so, those who did not witness this scene firsthand would probably not believe Yoshikichi Goro's account and report.

"Someone?"

But compared to the report that no one would believe later, what truly surprised Yoshikichi Goro at this moment was the white figure slowly emerging from the depths of the tunnel.

chi chi chi...

Wandering through the mess of steel and concrete, the tall white figure seemed to sink into the mud with every step, leaving footprints tens of centimeters deep on the ground.

A moment later, just as Yoshikichi Goro was about to see the true face of the white figure, the other party seemed to notice his police car and immediately stopped moving forward.

tumultuous!

The next moment, a flash of white light appeared.

Immediately afterward, the white figure vanished from the spot just like the previous sky-blue phantom.

Only a man and a woman, both "unconscious," remained where they disappeared.

Chapter Twenty: Exchange Students in Tokyo

In the blink of an eye, a month has passed since Chen Ze arrived in Tokyo, Japan as an "exchange student".

During this month, in addition to dealing with the occasional phone calls from his lovable parents, Chen Ze also had to respond to the increasingly "frequent" concern from Makiko Date.

Although Chen Ze came to Japan as an "exchange student," he did not choose to stay with any local family in Tokyo.

Leaving aside how his mother managed to do this, as a condition of "not boarding," Chen Ze had to report his situation to his family every day.

In particular, as Chen Ze's "temporary guardian," Makiko Date would frequently visit his rented apartment to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't do anything out of line. She didn't look like she had just come out of the hospital not long ago.

In response, Chen Ze complained to his parents more than once that no one could be more outrageous than this former "bad girl".

He was discharged from the hospital less than a week after admission, and then went in and out of the hospital three or four times in less than half a month after discharge.

Of course, Makiko Date's subsequent hospital visits were not due to her own injuries, but rather because she had taken the suspect she had apprehended to the hospital...

After this happened several times, Chen Ze, who needed to go to the hospital for regular check-ups, finally understood the true nature of this former "bad girl".

Violent, impulsive, fiercely opposed to evil, and with an exceptionally strong ability to "take action"...

If it weren't for her boss, Goro Matayoshi, who took great care of her, even in Japan's seniority-based society, Makiko Date would probably have been fired more than once.

Speaking of this, we must explain Chen Ze's current situation.

In order to completely distance himself from the "tunnel explosion" incident, Chen Ze, like Date Makiko, appeared as a "survivor" afterward.

As for things like "Nun Beast" and "White Flame Beast," Chen Ze said he had no idea what the police were talking about.

According to Chen Ze, he was only worried about Makiko Date's safety, which is why he chose to follow her after she left.

Just as he followed Makiko Date into the tunnel, he could only vaguely hear what sounded like gunpowder exploding ahead. Then he felt a sudden heat in his body and completely lost consciousness.

The police confirmed this with a report from the snack shop owner.

Makiko Date and Chen Ze did indeed leave the shop one after the other, making the snack shop owner think that someone was trying to dine and dash!

The only one who had any "doubts" about this, Makiko Date, after having a conversation with Chen Ze's mother, also accepted Chen Ze's description of being precocious and suspicious since childhood.

In her subsequent interactions with Chen Ze, Makiko Date truly appreciated his precocious intelligence and maturity.

She had thought everything through meticulously, and even though she lived alone, she showed no signs of fear whatsoever, as if she were just going out for a stroll.

If Makiko Date hadn't been absolutely certain that this was Chen Ze's first time in Tokyo, she would have even suspected that he was a seasoned veteran who had lived in Tokyo for many years.

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

"Well, your mother never said you could cook."

Sitting in Chen Ze's temporary residence, having just finished eating, Makiko Date picked her teeth and patted her stomach contentedly.

Judging from her practiced manner, it was clear that this wasn't the first time Makiko Date had come to Chen Ze's place for a free meal.

And that's exactly what happened. Ever since she found out that Chen Ze could cook, Makiko Date has often come over under various pretexts to freeload.

At first, Chen Ze thought the other party was simply trying to complete the "task" assigned by his mother.

But after a while, he realized that Makiko Date had treated this place as a regular "dining hall".

With so much automated equipment these days, even a fool could cook for himself, right?

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Chen Ze, who was gradually getting to know Makiko Date, said this.

In this new generation, different from the Earth of the previous generation, manual microwave ovens and rice cookers have long been obsolete; various more advanced and automated devices are the mainstream of this world.

Especially in Japan, where EDEN network technology is very advanced, as long as you are willing to download a recipe from the internet, your home appliance will make an exact copy of the dish for you.

If you choose a machine that is advanced and intelligent enough, it can even control the ingredients and cooking time on the menu to within an error of 0.1 grams.

"Food that hasn't been processed by human hands has absolutely no soul."

Having spoken so confidently, Makiko Date was already used to Chen Ze's disdain.

"So, that's why you choose not to cook at home?"

What Chen Ze didn't say about Makiko Date's excuses was that even the things you're eating now were created by some "non-human" being.

Just as Makiko Date knew, Chen Ze actually couldn't cook either.

If we were to name the only dish Chen Ze, who has lived two lives, could cook, it would probably be instant noodles, since that's a skill he honed in his previous life.

Therefore, the dishes that Makiko Date is eating now are actually made by the fox spirit using various automated kitchen utensils; Chen Ze is at most just helping her out.

However, in Makiko Date's eyes, it was a dish made by Chen Ze himself, who cooked it and operated the kitchen utensils and equipment.

"That's partly the reason, isn't it? Mainly, it's just too troublesome."

She shrugged nonchalantly. Since high school, Makiko Date had moved out and lived alone. Coupled with her identity as a police officer, she had very little free time to cook.

Therefore, Makiko Date had long developed the habit of eating at roadside stalls and restaurants, which was both quick and convenient.

"Understandable."

Chen Ze glanced at Makiko Date with a disgruntled expression, unsure whether he meant he understood her busy schedule or her laziness.

"Okay, I have to go to work now. See you later!"

After skillfully placing her dishes into the kitchen's automatic dishwasher, Makiko Date smiled and greeted Chen Ze before turning and walking towards the door.

"See you!"

Watching Makiko Date leave, Chen Ze spoke in a tone that was hard to tell whether it was helplessness or a sigh.

"If you're coming over for dinner again tonight, remember to bring a steak. I want to try making one myself."

Chapter Twenty-One: A Lifetime of Dark History

"Makiko is gone?"

A moment later, the fox spirit X, unsure whether Makiko Date had really left, asked, clearly having been tricked by her several times.

Yes, she's really gone this time.

Hearing the voice coming from his ear, Chen Ze nodded affirmatively.

In the preceding weeks, out of concern for Chen Ze living alone, Makiko Date often said she was leaving, but she would actually linger outside the house.

Only in the last few days has Makiko Date truly come to believe in Chen Ze's ability to be independent, and only then has she felt at ease letting him live and come in alone here.

It would be impossible for Chen Ze not to be moved by such meticulous care from Makiko Date.