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

Xu Xin told Cheng Yuan that the association's reward would arrive in a few days and asked him to wait patiently.

Before parting, Cheng Yuan made a special trip to the electronics mall and bought the latest PS25 game console, more than a dozen game cartridges, and a super-large projector, asking Xu Xin to deliver them to that childish silver-horned beast. This was a promise he made in Savage Valley.

Cheng Yuan dragged his tired body home. Hot water washed over him, and the rising steam blurred the bathroom mirror.

He closed his eyes, letting the water wash away the day's fatigue. Just then, his fingertips suddenly touched an unusual spot on his back—a slightly raised patch of skin, cool to the touch.

He turned sharply to look in the mirror, and through the misty haze, a jet-black bat wing mark was clearly imprinted on his back, like a birthmark he was born with.

Cheng Yuan rubbed it vigorously until his skin turned red, but the mark remained unmoved. Even more strangely, when he touched the mark, he felt a slight stinging sensation at his fingertips, as if an electric current was passing through them.

"System, what's with the bat wing mark on my back?"

"Ding! The Dark Seed is currently in quarantine. Do you wish to delete it?"

Cheng Yuan immediately understood. The so-called "isolation" was, in a physical sense, isolation from his skin, and the area on his back was the part that had been attacked.

Since he could be manipulated by the system at any time, Cheng Yuan was no longer worried.

This week's experiences were nothing short of magical for Cheng Yuan—from his adventure in the Savage Valley to facing the evolution of the Demon Beast, every moment was thrilling.

After the intensive training course concluded, Xu Xin completed his mission and will return to his university and his job as a professional animal trainer.

Cheng Yuan will also return to his normal college entrance examination preparation life.

However, Cheng Yuan did not expect that on his second day back at school, he would become a popular figure on campus.

because--

Zhao Lu's essay, "My Class Representative Desk Mate," was posted in the most prominent position on the school's bulletin board.

From morning reading to lunch break, wherever Cheng Yuan went, he could feel the inquisitive gazes and whispers of his classmates. It wasn't until the essay was read aloud with great emotion over the midday broadcast that Cheng Yuan suddenly realized what was going on.

The story depicts the journey of a confused teenager who finds his direction in life after acquiring a Digimon.

From his persistent training to his near-miss in the special training class;

From a poor student to having his grades skyrocket;

From being forced into the role of class representative to becoming a trusted leader during the Savage Valley expedition;

From rescuing baby Digimon to leading the Mischievousmon clan to a miraculous survival...

The words are filled with courage, perseverance, and a sense of responsibility.

The essay concludes by encouraging students to find that light in their lives and shine brightly in any field.

Cheng Yuan, now a campus celebrity, proudly took a photo in front of the bulletin board, ready to go home and show off to his parents—look, your son has become "someone else's child"!

As soon as I stepped into the house, my mother greeted me: "You have a package. It was delivered by several people. It looks quite valuable."

Cheng Yuan curiously took the package, about the size of a cake box. Unwrapping the simple outer packaging, the contents made his breath catch in his throat—

A brand new arc laser machine!

Chapter 79: Arc Light Machine Acquired!

Cheng Yuan's fingers trembled slightly as he gently stroked the brand-new arc light machine.

The silver-gray metal casing gleamed with a cold luster under the light, and the fine patterns on the body resembled some kind of totem.

He noticed that this arc light machine was more refined than the model Xu Xin used, with a blue card slot on the side for inserting enhancement chips.

"This is..." Cheng Yuan was about to examine it closely when he suddenly felt a warmth in his chest. The little dog beast poked its head out from his arms and curiously touched the arc light machine with its nose.

"Woof!" The little beast suddenly perked up its ears, and its holy ring flashed with a dazzling light.

Cheng Yuan then noticed a line of small characters engraved on the bottom of the arc light machine: "Granted to Cheng Yuan, specially made by the Beast Tamer Association."

Cheng Yuan pressed the power button, and the arc light machine immediately began facial recognition on him.

"The Arc Light Machine has detected a Digimon under the name of Tamer Cheng Yuan. Do you want to switch the terminal to the Arc Light Machine?" A prompt popped up on the Arc Light Machine screen, and at the same time, the original Digivice lit up.

Cheng Yuan chose "yes" without hesitation.

As data loading and authentication began, the arc light machine immediately emitted a soft blue light, and the holographic projection interface of the puppy beast appeared in the air.

Unlike the simple data interface of a regular Digimon machine, this projector is covered with complex parameters and charts, and even has a small map function.

"This...this is too advanced!" Cheng Yuan's eyes widened as he slid his finger across the projection screen. He hadn't realized it when Xu Xin demonstrated it, but now that he was experiencing it firsthand, he truly felt the sense of technology.

At this moment, Cheng Yuan discovered that there were three more chips in the box.

Speed ​​chip +10%

Power Chip +10%

Light-attribute chip +10%

There were actually three basic enhancement chips, and one of them was an even more expensive attribute chip!

The light attribute chip was particularly precious. Cheng Yuan was extremely satisfied with the association's reward and couldn't wait to take the little dog beast out to the training ground to experience the joy of inserting cards with his fingers.

"Data loading successful, Digimon authentication successful, activation successful. Cheng Yuan, the tamer, please use it with confidence."

"Little Dog Beast, let's go!"

Cheng's mother chased after her son's retreating figure and rushed out the door: "Come back after playing for a while, be home on time for dinner!"

"Know it!"

The next day, Cheng Yuan returned to the classroom, and Zhao Lu suddenly found him and handed him an exquisite box.

"My dad asked me to give this to you. He said he'd thank you for saving the guardian beast! He also said... you should come visit the police station sometime."

Cheng Yuan was both amused and exasperated; this way of inviting people was truly Zhao Zheng's style.

"I can't accept this..." Cheng Yuan said, rubbing his hands together.

"Please accept this. Dad knows about the reward the association gave you, so you'll definitely need it."

Cheng Yuan opened the box, inside which was a beautiful white storage chip.

He immediately understood its value; after all, he had just received the arc laser machine last night and had searched online for various user manuals and guides.

This type of chip is a storage chip, also known as a blank chip, which can be used to store and use data through an arc laser.

For example, if you purchase a skill pack, you can store it in a storage chip and use it at any time. It can also be replaced with other skills, making it perfect for use with Arc Light Machine cards.

Even more astonishingly, this chip's computing power limit actually supports the level of mature enhancement!

"This is too valuable, I dare not accept it!"

Just then, the phone rang, and Zhao Zheng's voice came through: "Hurry up and accept it. This was seized during the anti-smuggling operation. The report has already been submitted. It would be a waste not to accept it! Also, there are about 20 Holy Crystals left over from last time. They're all stored in the storage chip."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Yuan finally accepted the generous gift.

Life seems to be back on track.

With the guidance of his teachers and Zhao Lu's instruction, Cheng Yuan's grades steadily improved.

In terms of training, he began to actively cooperate with the physical education teacher as a coaching assistant, using the methods and equipment left by Xu Xin to guide his classmates in training.

The other trainees in the special training program were also taking on similar roles, and the training atmosphere throughout the school was at an all-time high.

Standing in the teaching building overlooking the campus, Principal Liu Guoliang observed the positive and upward-looking atmosphere fostered by the students led by Cheng Yuan. Coupled with the financial support gained by Xu Xin's team and the special training class in Savage Valley, he had a premonition that this year's students' college entrance examination pass rate for animal trainers would achieve a historic breakthrough.

On Thursday afternoon, Cheng Yuan's phone rang as he was about to leave school after finishing his physical education training class.

"Xiaoyuan, are you out of school yet?" Cheng's father's slightly nervous voice came from the other end of the phone.

"Yeah, just finished training, about to go home." Cheng Yuan keenly noticed the unusual tone in his father's voice. "What's wrong?"

"It's like this..." Mr. Cheng lowered his voice, "There's a Digimon in the factory that's acting strangely. Don't you know about these things? Can you come and take a look?"

Cheng Yuan's heart tightened: "What Digimon?"

The phone beeped, and a photo was sent to Cheng Yuan. He opened it and his pupils suddenly contracted—it was a gear-like beast that was completely black, its metal shell gleaming with an eerie luster.

"I saw on the news that the black gear-like creature might be infected. We have one here at our factory, but..."

"Dad, don't touch it, I'm coming right away!"

Twenty minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of the Qingtian Precision Machinery Factory. Cheng Yuan jumped out of the car and saw his father pacing back and forth at the factory gate, his forehead covered with fine beads of sweat.

"Dad! Where's that gear beast?" Cheng Yuan rushed over, taking three steps at a time. "Have you notified the police station?"

Cheng's father waved his hand: "Don't rush, the situation is a bit special..." He pulled Cheng Yuan and quickly walked into the factory area, "Come with me."

Passing through the security checkpoint, the sight before him made Cheng Yuan momentarily forget his nervousness. Inside the spacious factory, dozens of automated production lines were operating in an orderly manner, and what was most eye-catching was that on each production line, several gleaming silver gear beasts were working together.

“Our factory mainly produces precision instruments,” Mr. Cheng explained as they walked. “These gear beasts are responsible for the most delicate assembly process, and their mechanical perception is more than ten times that of human workers.”

Cheng Yuan watched in astonishment as these mechanical lifeforms skillfully operated their machines. Their circular bodies rotated nimbly, and their precise gears, as dexterous as fingers, meticulously assembled the tiny parts. The entire workshop echoed with the clattering of metal, like an industrial symphony.

"Besides Gearmon, there's also StagBugmon over there," Mr. Cheng pointed to another production line. "Digimon have now infiltrated every industrial sector—Electricmon in power plants, Tridacnamon in water purifiers, Pangolinmon in mines..."

Cheng Yuan nodded, but his gaze was drawn to a lonely workbench in the corner.

There, a jet-black gear-like beast was working alone, a stark contrast to its silver counterparts around it.

“It’s this gear beast!” said Mr. Cheng.

Unlike its companions with their shiny metallic shells, its surface has a peculiar matte black finish, as if it can absorb all the light around it.

Could it have been infected by the Dark Gear as well?

Chapter 80 Adopting a Gear Beast

“This Gearmon has been working in the factory for over a year.” Mr. Cheng lowered his voice, tapping his fingers lightly on the workbench. “It had a black shell from day one, but recent news says that black Digimon may be infected… and have to be quarantined with their tamers, which led to this child being abandoned by its tamer.”

"Has it not been checked by a digital health checker?"

“It goes through the detector at the factory gate every day before entering,” Mr. Cheng shook his head. “It’s never shown anything abnormal. But its trainer went missing after seeing the news, and the Dinobot was forcibly untied… I’m afraid if I call the police, it will be taken away…”

Mr. Cheng sighed softly, his gaze softening as he looked at the black gear beast: "Although this child is introverted, he is exceptionally diligent when he works. Not only is he 30% more efficient than ordinary gear beasts, but he also frequently improves the assembly process."

He paused, his voice lowering, "Unfortunately, because of its different appearance, the other gear beasts are unwilling to cooperate with it and always isolate it in a corner."

“Oh, right,” Cheng’s father suddenly remembered something and turned to Cheng Yuan, “Do you remember the data cube that my coworker gave you when you first became partners with the little dog beast? It was this kid who saved his own food rations and specially asked me to bring it to you.”

Cheng Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this, and the image of that simply wrapped but heartfelt gift flashed through his mind.

He crouched down and carefully examined the black gear beast in front of him: "If it was this color a year ago, then it definitely wasn't recently infected. Little Dog Beast, help us confirm."

"Woof!" The little dog jumped out of Cheng Yuan's arms, its holy halo shining brightly, and four holy light bullets spun above its head.

"Wait!" Cheng Yuan quickly restrained the eager little dog beast. "Be gentle, I'm not telling you to attack it!"

After a thorough examination, the puppy beast confirmed, "It doesn't have any dark gears inside it! It's just an ordinary gear beast!"

Cheng Yuan gently patted his father's shoulder, his tone firm: "Dad, don't worry. This is just an ordinary subspecies of gear beast. Its black shell is a natural feature, and it's completely different from the viral infection reported in the news."

Mr. Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, but his expression quickly darkened again: "Ever since the news came out, its trainer unilaterally terminated the contract... Now it's an unregistered animal."

Cheng Yuan followed his father's gaze and noticed the torn group photo above the workbench—the young man's bright smile in the photo was now only half there, while the figure of the black gear beast was still completely preserved.

"This beast tamer is simply..." Cheng Yuan clenched his fists, his voice filled with suppressed anger, "What kind of beast tamer abandons his partner like this? Where does this Black Gear Beast live now?"

Mr. Cheng sighed heavily: "According to regulations, stray Digimon must be taken in by a shelter. I felt sorry for it, so I secretly let it live in the factory's conference room..."

He glanced around, lowering his voice, "But this can't go on. The manager has raised objections multiple times. Without a Digivice, it doesn't even have basic identification. What if the Digimon Guild finds out..."

Cheng Yuan looked at the lonely gear beast. It carefully avoided the gazes of its other silver companions, its movements revealing an indescribable loneliness. Even among gear beasts, there seemed to be an invisible barrier between the virus species and the data species.

"According to the Eastern Kingdom's Digimon Management Regulations, that tamer will be held accountable by the association," Cheng Yuan said in a deep voice. "But this Gearmon..."

"What should we do with this child?" Mr. Cheng asked worriedly, looking at the black gear beast working alone in the corner.

Cheng Yuan pondered for a moment: "Theoretically, the most ideal solution would be to find a tamer without a partner to take it in. But in reality..." He shook his head with a wry smile, "Most tamers would rather start raising it from a Digimon egg, as it's easier to build a close relationship that way. Besides, each tamer can only contract one Digimon. Even if someone unfortunately loses their original partner, they wouldn't waste such a precious opportunity on a Gearmon from a factory."

At this point, Cheng Yuan's voice became somewhat heavy: "Is it really the only option... to release it back into the wild?"

He gazed at the black Gearmon working silently, and couldn't help but think of the vast differences in fate among Digimon. Both were Gearmon, but those in the Public Security Bureau enjoyed the best training resources and had ample opportunities to evolve into Guardianmon or police vehicles. Meanwhile, those in the factory could only repeat mechanical labor day after day on the assembly line, with almost no possibility of evolution.

"Dad, you wouldn't be thinking of..." Cheng Yuan suddenly realized something and turned to look at his father.

"I think..." Mr. Cheng rubbed his hands together, his voice trailing off, "Our house is close to the factory, and we have a storage room at home. If we tidy it up..."

Cheng Yuan immediately understood his father's thoughts from his shifty eyes and his deliberate avoidance of the sheriff. This old worker, who had toiled on the assembly line for half his life, had long regarded this diligent gear beast as his "coworker." He felt sorry for its abandonment by the trainer, but also couldn't bear to part with the friendship they had built up over the past year.

"Um... how about... we let it stay with us for a few days? If it gets used to it, then..."

Seeing his father's rare moment of embarrassment, Cheng Yuan couldn't help but smile. He was all too familiar with this expression on his father's face—it was always this hesitant look whenever he wanted to adopt stray animals but was afraid of being scolded by his mother.