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

Cheng Yuan sat up straight with a start.

Zhao Lu asked him for money? Could it be a telecom scam? But then he thought, given Zhao Lu's personality, she would never ask unless absolutely necessary.

"No problem, how much?" Cheng Yuan asked readily.

"Let's talk when we meet," Zhao Lu said, her voice barely audible.

Steam filled the rice noodle roll shop on Saturday morning. Cheng Yuan was pouring soy sauce over the rice noodle rolls when Zhao Lu rushed in, panting, her ponytail all messed up.

"I'll pay you interest!" she said hurriedly as soon as she sat down. "I can pay you back when my dad gets back!"

Cheng Yuan noticed that her fingers were twisted together, and her knuckles were white. As a top student with excellent grades and conduct, she was somewhat proud, but if it weren't for the interest, she would feel even more uneasy.

"No problem. What's wrong with Uncle Zhao?" Cheng Yuan tried to start a conversation to help her relax.

"He is a professional animal trainer who goes on missions every now and then."

"You're really busy."

"Yes, but this time, he's been in the dark area for over a month and hasn't come back yet. I can't contact him, otherwise I wouldn't need to borrow money from you."

"The dark area?" Cheng Yuan's heart tightened. Wasn't that the most dangerous place Xu Xin had mentioned?

The Dark Zone is the greatest threat to human survival, and Zhao Lu's father is likely carrying out a dangerous guarding mission there.

"How much do you need?" Cheng Yuan asked directly.

"28." Zhao Lu's voice was almost inaudible.

"Pfft—" Cheng Yuan almost spat out his soy milk.

You know I received a text message asking for money, right? You haven't really been scammed, have you?

Zhao Lu should have also received the same payment notification. This was the money that Xu Xin's team deposited into their account after they finished processing the harvest in Savage Valley.

"What do you need so much money for?" Cheng Yuan asked calmly.

Zhao Lu took out her phone and opened a picture: "Look at this."

On the screen is a crystal-clear spherical crystal with red digital codes flashing inside, forming a striking "X" shape.

X Antibody!

Cheng Yuan's pupils contracted sharply, and he almost cried out in surprise.

This was a legendary enhancement artifact in the Digimon series of the previous life!

The crystal-clear sphere before him, even the red data codes flowing inside, were exactly the same as the game illustrations he remembered.

Zhao Lu really got lucky.

The concept from the anime in his previous life immediately came to mind: the X-Antibody could resonate with the Digicore, allowing Digimon to gain a new "X-Form" while maintaining their original growth stage. This was not a simple accumulation of data, but a reconstruction and sublimation of the essence of the Digicore.

Cheng Yuan suddenly remembered the joke he had made with Zhao Lu before—that she should evolve her Gear Beast into a "Three-in-One Gear Beast." Little did he know that his words would come true, as the X Antibody was the key to achieving this special evolution.

Even more coincidentally, it appeared in front of Zhao Lu by sheer chance.

But on the surface, he merely raised an eyebrow: "This is...?"

"This is called X-Crystal," Zhao Lu explained. "It comes from the Dark Zone. It was put up for sale last night at a temporary shop in the Digital Center. There was only one..."

She told Cheng Yuan that, according to her father, Digimon in the virus-filled fog of the Dark Area must "absorb" this substance before moving around, otherwise they will be infected by a kind of chronic virus. Although using it can provide some boost to combat power, its main purpose in the Dark Area is to prevent infection.

"I need to get in line before the doors open," Zhao Lu said, biting her lip, her fingers unconsciously twisting together. "This will help me prepare for the college entrance exam."

She admitted that very few people knew this information, and she wouldn't have known it if her father hadn't been a professional animal trainer. The reason she was willing to share it with Cheng Yuan was because the puppy beast was strong enough—it no longer needed these external forces.

Cheng Yuan was stunned—"Smoking?"

He mentally screamed, "The X-antibody is supposed to fuse directly with the digital core, okay?"

A startling thought crossed his mind: Could it be that in this world, people's understanding of the X antibody is still at such a rudimentary stage? Have they not even mastered the correct way to use it?

It seems there are more X antibody resources in the dark area.

Cheng Yuan calmly nodded on the surface: "I can lend you the money, no interest required, but I have one condition!"

Zhao Lu looked up warily: "What are the conditions?"

"You need to write an essay praising me, such as 'My Class Representative Desk Mate,' which must be no less than 800 words, sincere, and touching, and then submit it to the school bulletin board."

"..."

Zhao Lu's expression was as if she had swallowed a fly whole: "...I'd rather pay interest."

"I suppose writing an essay is something as simple as that, so it shouldn't be difficult for you."

After all, your book, "My Sheriff Dad," is on the honor wall. I just wanted to experience what it feels like to be on the wall; I thought that would definitely change my parents' impression of me as a poor student.

Zhao Lu's ears turned slightly red: "...Deal."

He asked for Zhao Lu's bank account number and transferred the money directly via mobile phone.

Cheng Yuan: "Okay, let's go, hurry up and grab it, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Wait, let me get a taxi."

After the transfer was completed, the two rushed to the digital center. In the taxi, Zhao Lu talked about her Gear Beast.

"One-third of the digital eggs distributed this year are CyberBeasts," she said softly. "Elementary schools are even offering mechanical care classes now."

Cheng Yuan nodded, but his thoughts drifted to a more distant place.

In this digital age that is deeply integrated with the real world, electronic Digimon like Gearmon have long since transcended their simple combat purpose.

Through the efforts of countless animal tamers, their evolutionary paths have exhibited astonishing diversity:

Guardian beasts patrol and perform their duties on city street corners, mechanical vehicle beasts shuttle through the streets and alleys to undertake transportation tasks, and infrastructure beasts swing their steel arms on construction sites.

Even more striking were the military-grade evolved forms—the tank beasts, their heavy armor roaring across the exercise field, and the cannons of the armored vehicle beasts gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Recent news reports have even mentioned that the military is secretly developing missile-like and fighter-like beasts with aerial combat capabilities.

Cheng Yuan couldn't help but sigh, this had completely surpassed the simple combat partner setting in the animation of his previous life.

Here, the deep integration of cyberbeasts and human technology is reshaping how society operates. From urban security to transportation, from infrastructure to national defense, the various evolved forms of the Gearmon have permeated every link in the social industrial chain.

"The Beast Tamer Association's efforts have been indispensable," Cheng Yuan thought to himself. It was the association's tireless promotion that made data-type electronic beasts like Gearmon so popular. Compared to the virus-type Gearmon that emitted black smoke in the anime of his previous life, the silver Gearmon of this world clearly had a brighter future.

"Cheng Yuan, do you know what?!" Zhao Lu suddenly asked. "My dad chose the Gear Beast."

Cheng Yuan: "What's the problem?"

Zhao Lu gazed out the window, gave a soft, bitter smile, and said in a voice as light as a feather, "But...I never wanted to be a sheriff..."

These words stunned Cheng Yuan. In his memory, Zhao Lu had always been a model student, the pride of a family of police officers. But now, this girl, who always had a bright smile, showed a hint of confusion in her eyes.

"So what do you want to be?" Cheng Yuan asked subconsciously.

After a long silence, Zhao Lu shook her head with a bitter smile: "I don't know. From childhood to adulthood, my father has only ever given me one path."

Cheng Yuan suddenly remembered his past self before he transmigrated—his parents arranged for him to go to school, take exams, and attend tutoring classes, and he never thought about what he really wanted.

"I'm only 16," Zhao Lu muttered to herself, "Why should I decide what I'll do for the rest of my life now?"

silence.

The worst thing is when the atmosphere suddenly falls silent.

An awkward silence fell over the carriage. Cheng Yuan racked his brains for words of comfort, such as "I am in charge of my youth" or "Life cannot be defined," but they all sounded awkward and he couldn't bring himself to say them.

"Are you... alright?" he finally asked dryly.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Zhao Lu said, "I'm thinking about how to write my essay."

Cheng Yuan: "..."

Uh, so you're actually starting to plan this.

Zhao Lu couldn't help but laugh: "I've been thinking, ever since you got a Digimon and became a Tamer, you've become a completely different person."

Zhao Lu looked at Cheng Yuan with her big eyes.

Cheng Yuan's heart tightened: "W-what's different?" Would he be discovered to be a time traveler?

"You used to be like a hedgehog," Zhao Lu tilted her head, "wrapping yourself in quills, refusing everyone's help, and not letting anyone see your vulnerability. When I heard that you and Little Dog Beast had entered the special training class, I simply couldn't believe it."

"And now?"

"Boldness and confidence are like a beam of light ahead, making people's heads spin and want to chase after you..." Zhao Lu's voice trailed off as she spoke, and she saw Cheng Yuan looking at her.

"Hmph... Anyway, you're very different now than before." Her expression turned serious. "Alright, that's enough. We're at the digital center."

Cheng Yuan watched Zhao Lu's hasty retreat and touched his nose. Light? He looked down at the little beast in his arms; the little guy was winking at him, its sacred halo reflecting the morning light.