Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

The once majestic guardian beast now lies on a specially made hospital bed, with 90% of its armor removed, and black patterns crawling across its exposed mechanical structure.

The most shocking part was the right shoulder area—the entire right arm and half of the chest had disappeared, and black oily substances kept oozing from the tear, dripping onto the collection dish and making a "sizzling" corrosive sound.

"The wounds left by Devimon's dark energy," Zhao Zheng said hoarsely. "Every time a part is replaced, it gets infected immediately. The Dark Gear has already corroded to the edge of the Digicore..."

"Uncle Guardian Beast!" Zhao Lu's hands trembled as she stroked its armor. Seeing the Guardian Beast, who had accompanied her as she grew up, hanging by a thread, tears welled up in Zhao Lu's eyes.

Cheng Yuan stared at the writhing black matter, a chill running down his spine: "Is this the power of ink?"

“Go ahead, try it with divine energy,” Xu Xin said to Cheng Yuan.

The puppy beast walked to the guardian beast's side, and following the method Xu Xin had taught it before, its little paws were gradually enveloped in a layer of soft, holy white energy, looking like a pair of glowing little gloves.

It leaped lightly and landed on the guardian beast.

"That's it. Try to remove the Dark Gear, but be careful not to damage the Digital Core!"

The little dog's paw, glowing white, was like a precise scalpel, gently inserting into the center of the black oil. It carried holy energy as it entered the gears of the guardian beast's internal mechanism, but when the holy light touched the dark gears, the surging holy energy was like mud entering the sea, without any reaction.

Suddenly, a stream of black oil shot out and nearly entangled the little dog's front paws.

"Retreat!" Xu Xin grabbed the little dog beast and shook his head: "The energy level difference is too great. This is semi-complete level dark energy, and the little dog beast's current holy level is not enough."

"Bang!" Zhao Zheng's fist slammed against the wall, blood seeping from his knuckles.

Just as Zhao Zheng was about to say something, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded. An urgent report came through the communicator: "Captain, the 38 Gear Beasts from the Public Security Bureau have started rioting again."

“Devimon has started calling for Dark Gears again.” Xu Xin’s face darkened. “Cheng Yuan, Guardianmon can’t handle it, so you’re in charge of the other Gearmon.”

But those are 38 Gearmon... Cheng Yuan and Puppymon exchanged a glance. Looking at Puppymon's exhausted appearance, Cheng Yuan said with heartache, "Puppymon, I know you're tired. This is hard, but Devimon's Gear crisis is upon us. We all have the responsibility to protect our families and our homes. With great power comes great responsibility. Although I'm just a human, all I can say to you is to hang in there and persevere. But I will always be with you. I'll buy you some Holy Data Snacks. Can you just hang in there a little longer?"

In fact, Puppymon was about to collapse. The attempt to remove the Dark Gear from the half-complete Devimon had already exhausted most of its holy energy. It still had to heal dozens of others. Could the little Puppymon withstand such a burden?

"Cheng Yuan, I'll listen to you, woof." The little dog took a deep breath and nodded resolutely.

"Why are you filming an inspirational drama?" Xu Xin interrupted. "Why are you buying snacks? Such a huge expense, the Public Security Bureau won't reimburse you, they'd be embarrassed themselves."

"Of course, of course..." Zhao Zheng said hurriedly, "The Public Security Bureau will reimburse all expenses."

“Go for it. Using and outputting this way to the extreme, and then absorbing and compressing the sacred data energy, is even more effective than ordinary training.” Xu Xin patted Cheng Yuan on the shoulder: “Besides, the Public Security Bureau is an official body. You don’t usually have access to such good things.”

"What good stuff?" Cheng Yuan asked, puzzled.

At this moment, Zhao Zheng directly called the finance department: "Hello, finance department, this is Zhao Zheng! Immediately allocate all the sacred data crystals and send them to the medical department, yes, all of the inventory!"

"Holy Crystals? The entire stock?" Cheng Yuan's eyes widened, and the little dog beast perked up its ears and wagged its tail involuntarily, showing no signs of its previous near-death state.

"The Public Security Bureau has a reserve of sacred crystals worth 1.5 million, which were seized in a previous crackdown on smuggling. We'll use them now, and I'll submit a report later."

"One and a half million! System, can this be counted as wealth points?! Calling the system! System!" Cheng Yuan almost bit his tongue; this number was a bit beyond his expectations. One and a half million wealth points was enough to raise the attributes of the little dog beast by several levels.

"Ding, because the ownership of this resource belongs to the Public Security Bureau, the host cannot sell or resell it, and it cannot generate wealth points."

Everyone was stunned to see Cheng Yuan's initially excited expression suddenly turn into a cold shower, his rapid change of expression leaving them speechless and wondering what he was thinking.

Zhao Zhengxin understood and said, "If you can deal with the gear beasts here, I can leave the rest to you. I'll report back and think of a solution."

Cheng Yuan instantly regained his composure, raising the little dog beast with high spirits: "Mission accomplished!"

Xu Xin smiled, glanced at his wristwatch, and said, "The association has tracked down Devimon. I'm going to hunt him down."

The medical staff of the Public Security Bureau brought up a holographic projection, displaying a floor plan of the Public Security Bureau's underground area.

"All thirty-eight infected Digimon have been quarantined, including 31 Gearmon and 7 other Rookie-level Digimon. We have categorized the infected into three levels based on the severity of the infection..."

Cheng Yuan followed Zhao Zheng and the staff to the third basement level. The moment the elevator doors opened, Cheng Yuan was stunned by the scene before him.

The entire underground level was transformed into a temporary isolation area, with dozens of restraint beds neatly arranged, each bed with an infected gear-like beast bound to it.

The air was thick with the smell of rusty metal, and the clattering and groaning of the gear-like beasts echoed throughout, sending chills down one's spine.

Perhaps summoned by the Dark Gear of Devimon, they no longer obeyed the commands of the nearby security tamer and struggled incessantly on the restraint bed.

Chapter 68 Divine Purification

“Let’s start with the mildly infected Digimon.” The female expert turned and pointed to the first row of restraint beds. “These have only recently been infected and should be easier to treat.”

Cheng Yuan crouched down to be at eye level with the little dog beast: "Remember our previous method, but be more careful this time. Stop immediately if you run out of energy."

The little dog nodded solemnly, its tiny paws gleaming with a pure white light. This time, the light was more solid than before, like liquid light flowing around the tips of its paws.

On the first restraint bed, a geared beast was struggling frantically. Black spots had appeared on its silver shell, and although its core gears were still turning, its movements were clearly erratic.

When it saw someone approaching, it twisted even more violently, and the restraints creaked as they were stretched taut.

"We need to get it under control first." Cheng Yuan looked around. "Is there anyone who can help?"

The sheriffs present exchanged bewildered glances. Their Gearmon possessed the ability to use electric shock devices, but they also had a natural resistance to them.

"Is that so?" Cheng Yuan thought for a moment, then called Zhao Lu over. "Let Gear Beast X come over."

Zhao Lu asked, "But my Gear Beast X is also an electric shock device."

Cheng Yuan laughed and said, "Isn't yours an ultra-high voltage electric shock device? As long as the power is large enough, there's nothing it can't paralyze."

The main strategy is to inflict paralysis with a powerful attack.

Upon hearing this, the other sheriffs involuntarily took a half step back. Extremely high pressure? These two went too far.

The junior sheriff, accompanied by the first Gearmon, curiously examined Gearmon X's special form, but their strict discipline prevented them from asking any further questions.

As Gearmon X's three gears simultaneously charged up, a blinding arc of electricity flashed, and the infected Gearmon immediately convulsed, short-circuiting, with mosquito coil rings appearing in its eyes, temporarily losing its ability to move.

"Short circuits are a minor issue; dealing with the Dark Gear is the priority." Cheng Yuan indicated that they could begin.

The puppies' claws emitted an even stronger holy light, and the liquid-like light slowly seeped into the core of the gear beast.

Cheng Yuan held his breath, watching the divine energy flow along the gear pattern, causing the black spots to fade away wherever it passed.

Compared to its initial awkwardness, the little dog beast now wields divine energy with ease.

With a soft click, a tiny dark gear was completely removed, turning into black smoke and dissipating in the holy light.

"Success!" the young researcher cheered. The gear beast, now fully conscious, emitted a cheerful hum, and its shell regained its silvery metallic sheen.

Then it was sent for repair due to a short circuit.

Over the next half hour, Puppymon purified three Rookie-level Digimon in succession. However, Cheng Yuan noticed that as the purification progressed, Puppymon's movements became noticeably slower, and the light emanating from its body also diminished.

"It needs to rest." Cheng Yuan picked up his partner with heartache and found that the little guy's fur was soaked with sweat.

Just then, the elevator doors opened again. A staff member pushed in a trolley full of golden data crystals, which emitted a warm glow in the dim light.

The little dog's eyes lit up instantly, and it squirmed restlessly in Cheng Yuan's arms.

"Don't rush." ​​Cheng Yuan chuckled, pressing it down and turning to Zhao Zheng, "I plan to use this crystal..."

"Use them freely." Zhao Zheng waved his hand. "Since we've already applied, as long as we control this infection, it doesn't matter if we use them all up."

No... whatever's left over is mine...it's all potential wealth.

Once granted permission, the little dog pounced on the crystal pile and began crunching away like it was eating a cookie.

As the crystal was swallowed, its radiance recovered at a visible speed, even becoming brighter than before.

"The effect is so good?" Cheng Yuan checked the data of the Tyrannosaurus Rex in surprise and found that the sacred energy reserves of the Puppy Beast were rapidly recovering.

"Woof!" The little beast let out a satisfied burp, and the energy released by the Holy Ring became even more condensed. It couldn't wait to rush to the next batch of infected, eager to consume its energy so it could continue its "extra meal".

These sacred crystals were not immediately digested, but temporarily stored within the body. Consuming them during the purification process both expands the capacity for sacred energy and hones the ability to control it.

The purification process proceeded smoothly. Every five Digimon treated, the puppymon would replenish its Holy Crystals. Cheng Yuan was surprised to find that as the purification continued, the little guy's absorption speed and conversion efficiency of the crystals were increasing.

As time went on, more and more Digimon were purified. Before each session, Gearmon X would deliver a high-voltage electric shock, which horrified the sheriffs—they were both amazed by the two Digimon's incredible energy reserves and shocked by their ruthless methods.

The little dog beast's movements became increasingly skillful, and it even developed a new technique—the ability to simultaneously control six holy light bullets to clear away the surrounding dark energy.

As the energy was replenished, the sacred energy surrounding the little dog beast became even purer and more condensed. Although this energy was used for healing, Cheng Yuan could sense that the little guy's capacity for sacred energy was quietly expanding.

"It's like breaking through a bottleneck," Cheng Yuan explained to Zhao Lu. "Each time you exhaust your divine energy, it's a special training session that helps your Digimon achieve a qualitative leap."

The same goes for Gearmon X; a high-voltage cable charging station has been installed in the underground warehouse to continuously replenish its power. With ample energy supply, both Digimon demonstrate amazing endurance, whether it's Holy Crystals or electrical energy, the main feature is abundant and plentiful power.

As darkness fell and the clock struck seven in the evening, they arrived before the last five Digimon.

At this point, the Gearmon had stopped struggling—it seemed that Xu Xin and the others had once again successfully interfered with the evolution process of the Devimon.

This feud has really taken a big turn.

"I've already notified your parents." Zhao Zheng handed them a hot cocoa. "He said you're assisting the Public Security Bureau with an emergency. Don't worry about going home."

Cheng Yuan nodded gratefully, looking somewhat tired. The little dog was also exhausted, its tongue lolling out, but its eyes remained firm.

At this moment, Xu Xin, looking travel-worn, returned, his clothes still bearing the marks of battle.

The last five Gear Beasts were the most severely infected, their original appearances unrecognizable. Their entire bodies were covered in viscous black oil, and the Dark Gears were deeply fused with the Digital Cores. Only the occasional flashes of light proved that they were still "persevering".

"Can these five... be saved?" Zhao Lu asked softly, unconsciously hugging her gear beast tighter.

“Conventional methods won’t work,” the female expert shook her head. “The Dark Gear is already fused with the Digital Core; forcibly removing it will damage the Digital Core…”

After carefully examining the puppy, it suddenly pricked up its ears. It turned to Cheng Yuan and began to whisper to him.

"What? Using the power of the Shadow Sphere?" Cheng Yuan asked in surprise. "How did you come up with this method?"

The little dog shook its head, pointing its tiny paw at its head: "It's as if... a voice is telling me that this method will work."

"A sound?" Cheng Yuan's heart tightened. "Wasn't the Dark Gear already cleared? What... what is this sound?"

Chapter 69 The Ultimate Form of the Guardian Beast

"The Dark Gears have clearly been cleared, so what's with this mysterious voice?" Cheng Yuan frowned, but now was not the time to delve into it.

“This is the only way, no matter what.” He turned to the five sheriffs and beast tamers. “Regular purification methods have failed, but we’ve thought of a special method that might bring about some unknown changes…”

"Could things get any worse?" Zhao Zheng smiled bitterly.

The five animal trainers exchanged glances and said in unison, "We accept whatever the outcome."

"Okay, little puppy!"

A resolute glint flashed in the little beast's eyes, and dark gray light gathered at the tips of its claws, a power completely different from divine energy flowing around its body.

"Dark energy!" exclaimed the female expert named Wang Shu. "It can actually manipulate two opposing types of energy simultaneously..."

The operation has begun.

The shadow energy transformed into the most precise scalpel, each cut precisely piercing the point where the Dark Gear and the Digicore clashed. Even more astonishingly, the puppymon was able to fill the gaps in the Digicore with its own stable shadow data, forming new energy circuits.

"This...this is unbelievable..." Wang Shu's voice trembled so much it was almost inaudible. She stared intently at the fluctuating data curves on the monitor. "It's gradually replacing those violent, dark data with stable shadow energy...These two energies, though from the same source, are completely different in nature..."

She excitedly turned to her colleagues: "Look! The dark energy within the puppymon exhibits an unusual stability, which I would call 'Shadow Energy.' This energy retains the characteristics of the dark attribute without triggering data rage. My goodness, what kind of Digimon is this? It can perfectly balance the two opposing forces of Holy and Dark!"

As the last piece of dark fragment was replaced, the puppy beast suddenly exerted its strength. The viscous black oil on the gear beast's shell quickly dissipated like the receding tide, revealing a brand-new black metallic shell that gleamed coldly under the light.

"The attributes have changed..." Expert Wang Shu took off his glasses and rubbed his red eyes vigorously. "It has transformed from a data species into a virus species, but has completely broken free from the control of the Dark Gears..."

The subsequent treatment proceeded like an assembly line operation. By the time the fifth gear beast had completed its transformation, the eastern sky was already turning a pale white, and the first rays of dawn streamed into the laboratory through the windows.

Cheng Yuan carefully picked up the exhausted little dog. The little guy curled up in his arms and fell into a deep sleep, a satisfied smile on his lips. Although he had exhausted all his strength, Cheng Yuan knew that this extreme operation would surely lead to a qualitative leap in its energy capacity and control.

Before the remaining sacred crystals could be counted, a series of hurried footsteps shattered the laboratory's tranquility. A young researcher rushed in, panting, "Commander Zhao! The guardian beast's vital signs are rapidly declining!"

Inside the intensive care unit, the oppressive atmosphere almost solidified.

"At most... we can hold on for another day." Expert Zhou Qin's voice seemed to come from a great distance, each word striking everyone's heart heavily.

Cheng Yuan looked around and saw that everyone's face was filled with despair—in the Eastern Kingdom, the scarcity of mature, sacred-type digital beasts far exceeded expectations.

"There are only eighteen registered Sacred Code Beasts in Pengcheng, all of them in their growth stage," expert Wang Shu said, pulling up the data. "The only one close to maturity, the Tube Fox Beast, evolved into a Wind-type Rift Beast two months ago..."

"Holy type evolving into wind type?" A young medical worker couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "This evolution attribute is too jumpy, it's just outrageous..."

Zhao Zheng scratched his already messy hair in frustration: "Isn't there a Pegasus in Victoria Harbour City?"

"We've already made contact. He entered a digital space in another province three days ago to carry out a mission, and his whereabouts are still unknown."

Cheng Yuan's heart sank to the bottom. He knew Devimon's strength—even Pegasusmon would have difficulty contending with it. In his memory, it would take multiple Champion-level monsters plus Angemon to match it, but now…

“Yangon, a country in the West, is a gathering place for holy type Digimon.” Expert Wang Shu smiled wryly. “Not only are there angels, but also holy beasts… and their cathedrals house holy type Ultimate level Digimon.”

"Distant water can't quench a nearby fire." Zhao Zheng slammed his hand on the monitoring device, which emitted a piercing alarm. "The approval process for foreign-related matters alone takes two weeks, and then there are layers of review by the International Digital Beast Cross-border Transportation Security Committee..."

A deathly silence fell over the room. Cheng Yuan recalled the news from last week—Yangon had just rejected a batch of vaccine-generating Digimon's export applications, citing "national security" concerns.