Digital Hackers' Memories

"But now, do we still need a reason to pursue the ultimate in hacking technology and enjoy the process of pushing our own limits?"

"Tokyo is the birthplace of EDEN technology and the closest place to the digital world; that reason alone is enough!"

Chapter Twenty-Three: Akihabara

Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, Akihabara in Japan has become famous for its anime and manga culture.

The anime district, electronics district, and secondhand shops are specialties of Akihabara and must-see attractions for any anime and manga enthusiast visiting Tokyo.

Even now, with major shops in Akihabara having established their own digital spaces and related products in EDEN, the importance of this place remains indispensable.

After all, in an era where anyone can build a digital space or open a shop in EDEN, the practice of still maintaining a storefront in reality is itself a testament to profound cultural heritage.

"If you want to buy some electronics, why not just shop online?"

Walking down the bustling streets of Akihabara, Chen Ze simply smiled faintly at the question posed by the fox spirit X.

"Consider it fulfilling a wish of mine! After all, sometimes online shopping isn't as convenient as physical interaction."

In Japan, where EDEN technology is highly developed, few people still go out to buy the electronic devices and products they need.

Generally speaking, once you find a product you like in EDEN's digital space, you can purchase it directly online.

Compared to traditional online shopping, buyers in this era can familiarize themselves with the models and specifications of products in advance at EDEN Digital Space, avoiding a series of return hassles afterward.

As far as Chen Ze knows, some of the more fashionable merchants don't even have physical products anymore.

They only contact manufacturers or use specific 3D printing equipment to create new products after the buyer has placed an order.

Chen Ze remained noncommittal regarding this "order first, then manufacture" business model.

However, it cannot be denied that in Japan today, more and more businesses have moved to the online world of EDEN, and physical industries in the real world have fallen behind the times to some extent.

Only a few nostalgic people, or hackers with special needs like Chen Ze, would actually go to the physical store to take a look.

"An old relic."

In response, Reijou X, who was observing the outside world through a camera, gave his own assessment.

“This isn’t called being old-fashioned, it’s called being cautious.”

Chen Ze smiled and shook his head, not rejecting this new type of virtual reality "online shopping".

In fact, Chen Ze, who has a very high capacity for adaptability, enjoys online shopping most of the time because it saves him a lot of trouble.

But Chen Ze always becomes more cautious than usual when it comes to the realm of hacking.

While EDEN's online shopping is convenient, this almost "customized" online shopping also has a drawback: it can easily expose one's true identity.

From placing a custom order to producing the actual product, not to mention how many times the process involves changing hands, or how much information ends up on the hacker's black market.

The mere fact that the product was "customized" made Chen Ze deeply wary.

Because "customization" means unique, one-of-a-kind, and eye-catching; there is no one else in the world who has the same thing as you.

In contrast, buying standard-issue goods or secondhand items directly from physical stores at least avoids being recognized by others due to the uniqueness of the goods.

If the buyer is someone like Chen Ze with strong hands-on skills, they can even transform the goods they find into something that the original manufacturer wouldn't recognize.

That's how Chen Ze got his personal computer, which had performance comparable to a server, and later the EDEN debugging device.

Unless you've personally witnessed Chen Ze's modifications and understand the underlying principles, most people probably wouldn't even know how he hacked in.

This is a unique ability of hackers who are proficient in electronic components, and a skill that hackers who only study network technology cannot possess.

Ultimately, the so-called network is built on electronic components.

If a hacker has the ability to modify electronic components and circuit boards, even if their networking skills are not particularly outstanding, they are still among the top hackers.

"So where do you plan to go next?"

The camera lens kept rotating as Youkomon X surveyed the surrounding crowds and carefully observed the physical stores that specialized in selling electronic devices or secondhand goods.

"When it comes to Akihabara, besides its anime and manga culture, isn't its most famous thing its used market?"

Unable to conceal the curiosity in his eyes, Chen Ze finally revealed emotional fluctuations befitting his age.

Since his previous life, Chen Ze had always wanted to travel to Japan and experience the atmosphere of Akihabara firsthand.

Unfortunately, Chen Ze was not from a wealthy family in his previous life, and due to his studies and work, he had almost no time or energy to take a spontaneous trip.

In the previous month, although Chen Ze had come to Tokyo, he was unable to find time to come to Akihabara due to transferring schools and regular check-ups.

It was only because today was a rare weekend, and Makiko Date happened to have her own things to do, that Chen Ze was able to take some time out.

Otherwise, given Makiko Date's personality, she would definitely have volunteered to take Chen Ze with her once she learned that he was planning to go to Akihabara.

As a result, Chen Ze's plan to buy some second-hand electronic devices and improve his hacking skills was ruined.

"The secondhand market?"

Having anticipated this, the fox spirit X wasn't surprised by Chen Ze's thoughts; she was just curious about what he planned to buy.

Before heading out, Chen Ze did not explain what he planned to do, but simply obtained all the observation data about Digital Wave from Renamon X.

After a month of observation and recording, Renamon X had already recorded all the characteristics and changes of the Digital Wave within its Digcore.

Theoretically speaking, as long as the rules and mysteries can be deciphered, Renamon X can autonomously complete its digitization.

However, a theory is a theory precisely because the process of realizing it is extremely difficult.

So far, Renamon X has not found any clues.

Therefore, after learning that Chen Ze intended to obtain data related to the Digital Wave, Renamon X's instincts told her that Chen Ze must have come up with a way to decipher the Digital Wave.

Renamon X had no doubt about Chen Ze's intelligence and talent; she had an inexplicable confidence in his ability to decipher the Digital Wave.

Renamon X simply felt that she might be able to learn from the other party's approach and see if she could turn the digital waves from the camera into her own power.

"Yes, that's it."

Suddenly stopping in front of a large secondhand shop, Chen Ze looked at the various electronic devices inside and revealed a long-lost excitement.

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Possibilities of Man-Made Digital Machines

Digital waves are essentially a flow of energy that carries information and data.

The fact that this energy, which exists in the form of "digital waves," can travel between the two dimensions of virtual reality proves its properties.

In the world of Digimon, Digital Waves are a type of data, information, and data that can be absorbed and utilized.

In the human world, digital waves exist as energy, as electromagnetic waves, and are a non-material form that requires a carrier to manifest.

This is also why Swordmon needed the help of the NAVIT robot to assimilate the tunnel into the digital space.

After understanding this, Chen Ze suddenly remembered something that all the protagonists of the Digimon world had—the Digi-Vehicle.

If Digital Waves are the foundation for Digimon to materialize and even evolve, then Digi-Machines are undoubtedly the most external carrier of this power.

If this theory is followed, then converting one's own emotions into information that can be used by Digimon should be the original source of "Digiwave".

Chen Ze certainly didn't know how to transform his emotions into digital waves or data, but he didn't actually need to figure it out.

Because Chen Ze doesn't need to convert his own emotional fluctuations into data to support the evolution of the Digimon, unlike the protagonists of previous generations.

Inside Chen Ze's body, there already exists a clone called "Agumon".

It was a real Digimon, existing in another dimension. All Chen Ze needed to do was "summon" it to the real world he was in.

In other words, Chen Ze didn't need to understand the formation of digital waves, nor did he need to create them.

All he needs to do is transform the "digital core" within his body into a digital wave, and then manifest it in the real world through a certain medium.

This is also the main reason why Chen Ze asked Renamon X for the Digital Wave feature data.

"This method only works for you."

After listening to all of Chen Ze's explanations, the fox spirit X, who had been silent for a long time, said this.

If we can figure out the characteristics of digital waves, then converting pure data into digital waves is not difficult—the two are fundamentally the same thing.

The problem is how to accurately guide the data into the real world after it is converted into digital waves, so that it becomes a real Digimon with a physical form. This is the biggest challenge.

It's important to understand that even a powerful being like the Sword Emperor Beast needs to possess a physical entity like NAVITZ in order to briefly appear in the real world.

Otherwise, even if digital waves could be guided to appear in the real world, without physical support, they would quickly dissipate under the rules of the material world, just like other forms of energy.

This is also why Youkomon X said that only Chen Ze could achieve this.

Because in the real world, Chen Ze's own body is the best vessel; he only needs to solve the process of converting Digimon into Digiwave.

At the very least, before the gate to the Digital World officially opens, Digimon must rely on some real-world substance to appear in the human world.

"Well, that's true."

Chen Ze once again thought of the original protagonists of the Digital World, namely Tai and his friends who went on an adventure to the Digital World in 1999.

In the original storyline, long before Myotismon invaded reality, other Digimon had already appeared in the human world.

However, apart from Taichi and the other chosen children, no one else could see those Digimon.

Only when the gate to the Digital World is opened and the rules of the two worlds begin to permeate each other can the Digimon that officially enter the human world through the gate truly possess a physical form.

Having understood all this, it became clear what Chen Ze needed to do.

It's simply about creating an intermediary device similar to a "digital machine," then letting digital waves erode one's physical body, transforming into a Digimon in the material world.

Undoubtedly, although Chen Ze did not know the principle of the "digital machine", there was a similar technological device in this world - the EDEN device.

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

"Welcome the light..."

As soon as Chen Ze stepped into the secondhand store, a short, androgynous waiter instinctively bowed to him.

"Nogi Yu-san?"

But before the waiter could finish saying "Welcome," Chen Ze, seeing the waiter's appearance, called out his name first.

"what?"

Hearing that familiar tone, Nogi Yu couldn't help but look up, only to realize that the customer standing in front of her was actually her classmate.

Or more precisely, Chen Ze, a Chinese student who transferred to his school a month ago as an "exchange student".

"Ze-jun?"

Completely unprepared to run into someone she knew here, Nogi Yu awkwardly stepped aside.

"I never expected to run into an acquaintance here, Nogi Yu-san."

Chen Ze, who was equally surprised that the other party would be working here, smiled, maintaining a smile that was neither distant nor intimate.

In fact, this is Chen Ze's attitude towards outsiders, and it is also the inherent impression he has in the eyes of most of his Japanese classmates—very polite, but also difficult to get along with.

As an "exchange student" who transferred to the school midway through his studies, Chen Ze does not intend to build any social circle at his current high school, except for some necessary exchanges.

Therefore, apart from some daily studies, Chen Ze mostly kept to himself.

Over time, those students who originally intended to contact Chen Ze naturally gave up and added him to the "untouchable" list.

As for how Chen Ze met Nogi Yu?

That's naturally because of the other person's extremely deceptive "feminine appearance".

You should know that during the self-introduction in the first class, Chen Ze almost mistook Nogi Yu for a shy girl.

It wasn't until the other person stood up to introduce themselves, emphasizing their gender, that Chen Ze realized he might have encountered one of Japan's specialties—a cross-dresser.

Of course, calling her a "cross-dresser" might not be entirely accurate.

As can be seen from Nogi Yu's self-introduction, he doesn't like people mistaking him for a woman, which is why he specifically emphasized this point in his self-introduction.

"I never expected that Ze Jun would come to browse a second-hand store."

Just as Chen Ze had imagined, Nogi was stunned for a moment before awkwardly engaging in conversation with him.

As for the sense of distance that Chen Ze deliberately displayed?

Nogi Yu was already used to it.

In the eyes of most students and teachers, including Nogi Yu, this is the attitude that an excellent "exchange student" should have.

She completed all high school courses on her own except for "Japanese History," and was able to manage everything in an orderly manner even when she was alone in a foreign country.

It would be unbelievable if such a "genius" weren't aloof and indifferent.