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

Chapter 82 Knowledge Changes Destiny

"You two get along well, I'll go tidy up the room." Mr. Fang smiled and walked towards the storage room, carrying a small mattress he had just bought specifically for Digimon.

As Cheng Yuan watched his father's busy figure, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips. This family was finally about to welcome its second Digimon.

The gear-like beast hesitated before extending its mechanical arm, and Cheng Yuan stepped forward to meet it, letting the edge of its gears gently touch his fingertips.

Despite the cold metallic touch, Cheng Yuan felt a warmth. In this era where Digimon and humans coexist, ownerless Digimon like these often face a difficult situation.

Since the digital world merged with the real world twenty years ago, a large number of Digimon have migrated to the human world. In addition to the partner Digimon registered with the Tamers Association, many "unregistered" Digimon have integrated into ordinary families.

These Digimon are strictly prohibited from developing military capabilities; if discovered, the entire family will be severely punished.

Digimon are a double-edged sword. If there are no restrictions, anyone can keep them at will, and society will fall into chaos. That's why the Digimon Tamers Association has introduced a series of important regulations.

"Dinner's ready!" Cheng's mother's call interrupted Cheng Yuan's thoughts.

At the dining table, the little dog was wolfing down its sacred data packet mixed with rice, occasionally stealing glances at the gear beast sitting next to Dad Fang—"Waaah, eating 555 batteries for dinner is so pitiful!"

If Cheng Yuan heard this, he would probably retort, "Don't you know that Zhao Lu's Gear Beast X eats high-voltage electricity?"

In the dead of night, the Gear Beast lay in the converted storage room.

The three-square-meter space was tidied up by Fang's father into a warm and cozy place: a small bed, a bookshelf, and neatly arranged old books from Cheng Yuan's student days, ranging from textbooks to comics.

"Get some rest. If you can't sleep, you can read a book." Fang's father gently closed the door. "I'll take you back to work at the factory tomorrow."

""

The red optical lens of the Gear Beast gleamed faintly in the darkness. It turned gently, its mechanical fingers tracing the spine of the book.

Memories of being abandoned by his former master flashed back like fragments of data: the indifference when the partnership agreement was torn up, the alienation from the other gear beasts in the factory, the long nights spent alone curled up in the corner of the conference room...

But tonight is different.

The warm acceptance from Cheng Yuan's family caused its digital core to heat up slightly.

It pulled out a comic book with exaggerated little figures and illustrations, which it couldn't understand, and lost interest after reading a few pages.

Human fictional stories are too abstract for it.

It pulled out a copy of "Introduction to Digital Programming"—the worn spine of which indicated that the book had been frequently read.

When the first line of code entered the optical lens, the data stream of the Gear Beast suddenly accelerated, as if it had found its destined home.

But tonight is different.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" During breakfast, Cheng Yuan noticed the dark circles under the eyes on the Gear Beast's shell.

The gear-like beast shrank back nervously, afraid that its secret study would be discovered—something that would always bring it scolding from its former master.

"It's okay, you'll get used to it quickly." Cheng Yuan handed over a new battery. "If you have trouble sleeping, you can look at my programming textbook. I guarantee it will have a top-notch hypnotic effect."

'

"The Gear Beast felt its data stream suddenly become disordered."

After watching his father leave with the gear beast, Cheng Yuan began to prepare for school.

On the way, he made a detour to a digital store and bought several rows of high-performance lithium batteries—"snacks" for the Gear Beast.

In class, teacher Liu Liuyan was explaining the tactical command input techniques for the Digivice. Cheng Yuan listened attentively while glancing at Zhao Lu beside him out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey," Cheng Yuan whispered, taking advantage of the teacher's pause to write on the blackboard, "what procedures do we need to follow if my family wants to officially adopt a stray Digimon?"

Zhao Lu raised an eyebrow: "Do you have an adoption quota?"

"What indicator?"

"The new policy stipulates that non-trainer families can also adopt Digimon, but they need to participate in a lottery," Zhao Lu explained.

Cheng Yuan's eyes lit up, but the words "lottery" made his face fall instantly. Based on his past luck, he was unlikely to get such a stroke of good fortune.

"A lottery? That'll be a long time coming!" Cheng Yuan scoffed, then winked at Zhao Lu. "Or... could you think of a way?"

In his view, why take the main road when there is a shortcut?

"Well..." Zhao Lu leaned closer mysteriously, her voice extremely low, "I need to ask Dad first. But..." she smiled slyly, "With your achievements in the Public Security Bureau, maybe they can make an exception for you."

Today's training session lasted until evening. After returning home, the little guy was simultaneously controlling the Golden Holy Light Ball and the Purple Shadow Ball, the two groups of energy balls engaged in a fierce five-in-a-row duel in mid-air.

This is a special training method designed by Cheng Yuan—to cultivate the ability to multitask by simultaneously manipulating energies with opposing attributes.

"Quite a progress!" Cheng Yuan noticed with satisfaction that even when the little dog beast was completely absorbed in watching the movie, the energy ball could still autonomously switch between offense and defense. In addition to Gomoku, they also developed various training modes such as Go and drone battles.

Suddenly, an idea flashed into his mind. Cheng Yuan sat bolt upright and quickly opened his laptop: "It's time to try out the 'Swarm Holy Light Bullet Control Algorithm'..."

However, reality quickly dampened his spirits. When he opened the programming software, his fingers hovered above the keyboard but hesitated to fall. Although he had studied programming, his memory of it was as blurry as if it had been pixelated.

"Sizzle—" Three holy light orbs suddenly shot out from the crack in the door, and at the same time a scream came from outside the door.

Cheng Yuan turned his head and saw three purple shadow orbs circling around the gear beast, which stood at the door in a panic.

"Gear Beast, are you off work?" Cheng Yuan softened his tone, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "Want to play with Puppy Beast?"

The Gear Beast shook its head, but its gaze remained fixed on the jumping code on the computer screen.

Suddenly, it turned around and scurried away, slamming the door to the small room shut.

Cheng Yuan couldn't help but wonder if the Gear Beast's personality was a bit too sensitive.

At dinner time, the little dog went to call the gear beast for dinner, but exclaimed in surprise, "Oh dear! Gear beast, you've scribbled all over the wall, woof!"

Cheng Yuan rushed into the room, and the sight before him made his eyes widen in disbelief—

The entire wall was covered with dense code and algorithm diagrams. The two programming textbooks on the bed were worn and curled at the edges, clearly having been studied repeatedly. The Gear Beast huddled in the corner, its optical lens flickering like a child who had done something wrong.

Cheng Yuan crouched down, looking directly at the Gear Beast: "Did you write all of these?"

The gear-like creature nodded timidly, like a child who had done something wrong, its mechanical arm turning nervously, as if afraid of being kicked out of its home for dirtying the walls.

Gearmon's electronic eyes flickered on and off as Puppymon trotted over, carrying two crumpled textbooks in its mouth. The covers of "Introduction to Digital World Programming" and "Algorithm Basics" were covered in creases.

"Woof! It's ruined your 'collector's edition'!" The little dog put the book on the ground, wagging its tail happily.

Cheng Yuan picked up the book, looked at the curled pages and smiled helplessly. This was hardly a treasure; it was clearly an introductory textbook he had casually bought to prepare for an exam years ago.

In the corner, the mechanical body of the Gear Beast was curled up in a ball, its optical lens flashing on and off, looking just like a primary school student caught by his parents reading comics.

Cheng Yuan stared at the metallic figure, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

This abandoned virus-type Digimon repeats the simplest assembly work day after day on the assembly line, without even the most basic evolutionary resources.

Its metal shell is covered with fine scratches, and the rotating gears occasionally make a rough friction sound. In the eyes of tamers who pursue combat power, such a Digimon has no value in training.

But at this moment, Cheng Yuan carefully examined the code on the wall, becoming increasingly astonished. These algorithms, though basic, were structurally rigorous and logically clear, unlike anything a beginner would attempt. Even more astonishing was that the Gear Beast had actually carved a complete flowchart onto the wall using its metal fingers.

In this digital age, programming has become one of the most valuable skills.

From smart homes to digital space maintenance, from automated factories to urban management systems, code builds the bridge for the symbiotic relationship between humans and Digimon. Digimon proficient in programming are a scarce resource that major technology companies are vying for.

"Perhaps it won't shine on the battlefield," Cheng Yuan thought, "but if it could become a Programmer-type Digimon—"

'

His gaze fell on the Gear Beast's precise and flexible mechanical gear hands—those nimble gear joints were practically the hands of a programmer, born for programming.

A Digimon that has mastered programming skills can easily work as a developer in a technology company or enter the digital space maintenance department, which is far more promising than tightening screws in a factory.

Cheng Yuan's voice was gentle yet firm, "My teacher always says that knowledge changes destiny. Would you... like to learn more about programming with me?"

The Gear Beast's optical lens eyes shone with a bright and steady light. It nodded solemnly, and the gears made a cheerful "click" sound.

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