Digital Hackers' Memories

"I don't know if all EDEN hackers are like this, or if it's just you guys..."

The cartoonish golden fox spirit is synchronized with Chen Ze in real time, transmitting all his current words through a virtual screen.

"But as hackers, you rely too much on the power of Digimon, neglecting the skills and beliefs that a true hacker should have."

Before he could finish speaking, the hacker duo was cut off from contact by Chen Ze and disappeared abruptly from this digital space.

Furthermore, to prevent the two guys from reconnecting and continuing to cause trouble, Chen Ze also used his self-made DDoS attack program to send a massive amount of junk messages to the two hackers from his server.

According to Chen Ze's research on the EDEN glasses, such a massive flow of information was enough to paralyze those two guys' terminals, preventing them from reconnecting to the network temporarily.

"Wait, what is this?"

However, just after Chen Ze successfully cut off the possibility of the duo going online again, he suddenly saw the records and core programs about the "Invaders" that he had just downloaded from them.

"We're in big trouble now..."

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Inside a small private villa in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, Japan.

"Who...who exactly is that guy?!"

Angrily, he threw the EDEN terminal in his hand. A boy in pajamas ignored the nanny's calls and turned to walk out of the villa.

He doesn't agree!

He was not convinced of his defeat!

He was not convinced of his defeat at all!

He was confident of victory and was just a hair's breadth away from capturing the demon fox beast using the power of the invader, but at the last moment, someone hacked into his system.

Even a second-rate hacker like a teenager felt a profound sense of humiliation after the enemy had directly breached his terminal and forcibly disconnected him from the internet.

More importantly, in addition to his anger and embarrassment, the boy also felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

After all this time and effort, even risking being scorned by my companions to capture the Flame Beast, is this all there is to it?

If an unknown hacker who is new to Nordens can easily defeat himself, can he really find the truth about "EDEN syndrome" and wake up his companions again?

"No, I will not give up so easily!"

Muttering through gritted teeth, the boy had already risked everything to save his companions, and naturally he was unwilling to give up here.

"Whether it's ingratitude or banditry, I will never give up!"

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PS: To be honest, this release came a bit unexpectedly. It was released after only two recommendations, which seems a bit exaggerated.

However, there's no way around it; given the current situation, the outlook for the future is not optimistic.

I originally planned to offer a reward when the story reached 200,000 words before releasing it.

After all, I only signed the contract this month and haven't had full attendance.

It seems that this is the only way to release it now. Of course, there will still be a surge in popularity, but the number of drafts saved up may not be as much as originally expected.

As for the originally planned bounty, it will still be offered next month if there are enough subscribers.

Chapter Twenty-One: Widespread Forced Logout

The scene returns to the Nordens Digital Space, which is now the battlefield between Renamon and the Invaders.

"What the hell is this?"

Unaware that Chen Ze had already used hacking techniques to force the hacker controlling the Invaders offline, the Fox Beast's current focus was entirely on that unknown creature.

Unlike Digimon, although the Infiltrator is also made of data and can mutate by absorbing different data, it has no self-will.

In other words, the invaders will endlessly assimilate and erode all the data they can access until they have made the whole world a part of themselves.

The most obvious manifestation of this terrifying characteristic in attack is that the Corruptor can directly corrupt its targets, strengthening itself by absorbing their power.

boom!

In a mere instant, the Invader not only destroyed the three clones of the Demon Fox Beast, but also swept away a large number of bystanders who had no time to dodge.

"Damn it! What the hell is this thing...?"

"Ahh! My data avatar..."

"Run! The thing's gone mad..."

……

Shouts rose and fell from the crowd of onlookers. These hackers had tried everything they could, but they still couldn't stop the invaders from eroding their data.

Moreover, what they didn't know was that as their data avatars were lost, their will would also enter the body of the invader, completely losing the possibility of waking up in reality.

Because the invaders absorb not only the information and permissions related to the data avatars, but also the mental data stored within them by the hackers.

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

"Good luck to you! I'm taking my leave now!"

Seeing that the scene was completely chaotic, the young hacker didn't care about anything else. He patted Chen Ze on the shoulder, jumped on the spot, and disappeared from the space.

"Running so fast."

Seeing this, Chen Ze gave up the idea of ​​continuing to question the young hacker and instead turned his attention to the increasingly humanoid Invader.

Having just hacked into the hacker leader's terminal, Chen Ze also took the opportunity to download some data from the other party's terminal, including intelligence about the "Infiltrator".

So even without getting any specific information from the teenage hacker, Chen Ze still understood the terrifying nature of the Invaders, these unknown creatures.

It absorbs all the data it can access and, based on that data, evolves abilities that are more powerful than those of ordinary Digimon.

Even without the "special attack" attribute specifically targeting Digimon and humans, this ability alone is enough to overwhelm ordinary Digimon.

Not to mention its erosion and assimilation abilities, which are even more exaggerated than the Star Absorbing Technique; any form of contact could make the eroder even stronger.

Putting aside the Digimon, humans who come into direct contact with these invaders can develop "EDEN syndrome," causing them to fall into a coma in reality!

"We must not get close to that monster!"

Although he desperately wanted to take the fox spirit and leave this dangerous place immediately, Chen Ze couldn't bear to leave after seeing the hackers lying unconscious on the ground.

Ultimately, the Invader's rampage was directly related to himself; he didn't have the habit of running away after causing trouble.

"Forget it, explaining to them one by one is too much trouble. Let's just make them all log off!"

So, just like he had forced the hacker duo offline before, Chen Ze began indiscriminately attacking all the hackers nearby, intending to force them to leave.

"What the hell?! Who the hell is attacking me?!"

"What's going on with this cartoon fox? Who's invading my space?"

"Oh no, I've been forcibly offline!"

"It's that guy, he's attacking us!"

……

Amidst the astonished and angry curses of the surrounding hackers, Chen Ze's actions were quickly discovered, and he naturally became the target of public criticism.

However, the hackers' curses were completely meaningless. Chen Ze continued to attack their terminals relentlessly, forcing them offline.

After all, highly skilled hackers like the young hacker, who were aware of the danger posed by the invaders, had already voluntarily left this digital space that was about to fall into ruin.

The remaining hackers are either technically incompetent or lack a sense of crisis.

Faced with Chen Zedu's sudden and fierce attack, only a few hackers reacted in time. Most of the others were forced offline before they even had time to curse.

Hackers who were closest to the invaders and had little ability to resist became Chen Ze's primary targets.

As for the hackers who defended against his attacks, Chen Zhe believed they didn't need his "rescue."

Because the sharp-eyed Chen Ze had already noticed that among the hackers who realized the danger, others had successively summoned their own Digimon.

Those Digimon might not be able to defeat the Invaders, but they would be more than capable of protecting themselves.

In fact, those hackers who realized the danger did just that. In order to protect themselves, they drove their Digimon to actively attack the Infiltrators.

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

"A pushover."

The fox spirit hiding in the shadows noticed Chen Ze's actions immediately. Although she didn't know exactly what he had discovered, she quickly realized that he was rescuing these hackers.

This scene reminded the fox spirit of the time in Guangqiu when Chen Ze, facing a pair of human siblings in a similar predicament, also chose to rescue them without hesitation.

"You're not going to save anyone by doing this."

The fox-like beast, which had silently appeared behind Chen Ze and regained its elegant demeanor, spoke softly.

"That monster is dangerous, and what those hackers are doing now is just making it stronger."

After witnessing firsthand how the Infiltrator assimilated several hackers and Digimon, gradually becoming more humanoid, Renamon made its own judgment.

"No matter how many people can be saved, we must save them."

If Chen Ze hadn't known about "EDEN syndrome," he could have easily made a clean getaway.

But after learning the true nature of the Infiltrators, Chen Ze couldn't simply walk away, especially since he himself had caused this "loss of control."

"A meaningless act."

The fox demon murmured something in a voice only it could hear. Although it couldn't understand Chen Ze's actions, it instinctively began to think of a way to resolve the current crisis.

"We must deal with it before that thing actually takes on a 'human form'."

Everyone present could see that the invader was reconstructing and assimilating the data it absorbed, transforming it into a stronger form.

Theoretically speaking, the only way to end this disaster is to eliminate the invader before it completes its transformation.

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PS: If all goes well, tomorrow's chapter should be available for purchase and updated after 10 PM.

Author's Note on Launch (Conditions for Massive Updates)!

I'll post this tonight, not tomorrow.

The book will be available tomorrow morning, so the 7:00 AM update will be postponed, and the first update will be at 11:00 AM.

Since I only signed the contract this month and haven't had full attendance bonuses, nothing like razor blades will work on me, and the reward will have to be based on subscriptions.

I'll add another chapter for every 300 initial subscriptions. That's not too much to ask, is it? (I'm not sure)

Add more automatic subscriptions!

As for the monthly pass and blade bounty, I can count myself as having perfect attendance next month and then start offering the bounty again (if there are many subscribers by then)!

Chapter Twenty-Two: Is That Guy a Digimon? (First Update)

EDEN Free Zone, Kowloon, 4th Floor

"Humans are indeed a bunch of lunatics."

After carefully navigating through several layers of redirects, the teenage hacker who had previously sold personal information finally arrived at Kowloon, one of the most dangerous areas of the EDEN network.

Just as the traditional network has a dark web that exists outside the normal network, the EDEN network also has dangerous areas that are not regulated by any organization—free areas and abandoned areas.

It is neither a public area strictly controlled by the Shindai Corporation and the government, nor a "pan-free zone" that is outside the control and constructed by other private individuals or organizations.

The real free zone is actually a dangerous place, full of dangerous hackers.

Most of the Digimon that drifted from the Digital World to this place are hiding here.

Kowloon in the Free Zone is an even more dangerous place, not only because it is home to all sorts of unknown Digimon, but also because the hackers who dare to come here are all highly skilled individuals.

The fact that the young hacker dared to go here alone shows that he was confident in his abilities.

Kowloon may seem dangerous to others, but in the eyes of the young hacker, even the most dangerous free zone is not as dangerous as the previous Invader.

Not to mention that although Kowloon is dangerous, it also harbors many powerful individuals. Even if that Invader successfully evolves, there are definitely formidable opponents here who can deal with it.

"what?"

Just as the young hacker was about to venture deeper into Kowloon, he suddenly realized that he seemed to be being tracked.

And it seems like he's being followed by more than one person?

"Is it that newcomer?"

The young hacker quickly figured out the identity of one of the stalkers, who turned out to be the same "new hacker" who had previously possessed the fox spirit.