Bzzt… bzzt… bzzt…
When Chen Ze reopened his eyes, he had returned once more to his computer space.
But unlike last time, the gloomy, prison-like space had vanished entirely, replaced by a cozy little room brimming with cyberpunk vibes.
Intricate electronic equipment was carefully arranged in every corner, their messy placement strangely charming in its own way.
Massive electronic screens spanned half of the wall, continuously flickering through various images—some showed classic movie clips, while others displayed real-time footage captured from the external camera.
"What's… going on here?"
Though this was only his second time entering his computer space via the EDEN VR goggles, Chen Ze was certain he'd never had all these chaotic things stored on his computer.
Those refined pieces of "electronic equipment" were understandable; based on their icons and logos, Chen Ze recognized them as programs installed on his computer, merely rendered into tangible form within this space.
But the movie clips and especially the live surveillance footage—he definitely had no memory of saving those. Particularly the latter, captured by his newly purchased high-definition camera, had an image clarity and smoothness incomparable to the built-in webcam of his machine.
"So, the reason you needed a high-performance CPU… was for all this?"
Chen Ze slightly raised an eyebrow. The computer he'd configured for himself was already at a server-level grade.
Yet even under these conditions, Renamon had still insisted on a high-performance processor. Chen Ze had constantly wondered what exactly she needed all that computational power for.
But now, seeing this drastically transformed digital space, he suddenly realized even the expensive CPU he'd bought might not actually be enough.
As was commonly known, software related to 3D modeling, rendering, or video conversion always consumed tremendous computational power and resources.
Before Renamon's arrival, Chen Ze had rarely installed such software, downloading them only temporarily as needed—hence the original gloomy, prison-like appearance of his digital space.
But Renamon clearly couldn't bear staying long in such a gloomy environment. Using various virtualization programs, she had gradually reconstructed this delicate cyberpunk-style room.
Not only that—even Chen Ze's desktop shortcuts and scattered documents were now neatly placed in fixed corners of the room.
While this virtualized digital space wasn't as advanced as the genuine EDEN network, it was already leagues ahead of the traditional internet.
Of course, experiencing this required someone like Chen Ze or Renamon—capable of logging directly into a digital space—to fully appreciate a virtual reality impossible in traditional cyberspace.
Yet accomplishing this wasn't simple. Chen Ze relied on the EDEN VR goggles to log into virtual networks freely.
Renamon, on the other hand, naturally belonged to the "digital lifeform" category, inherently capable of navigating freely between traditional and virtual networks without any barrier.
Neither approach was easily achievable by current national technology standards.
"It just feels like a bit of a waste."
Looking around at the resource-intensive scene rendered all around him, Chen Ze couldn't help but mourn the expensive CPU he'd just purchased.
Heaven knows how long that processor will last, forced to sustain this completely unnecessary virtual space.
Yet, despite this mild regret, Chen Ze wasn't about to blame Renamon for being wasteful.
After all, Renamon spent most of her time inside his computer, only occasionally venturing out to other parts of the network.
In a certain sense, this cramped cyberspace was essentially half of Renamon's home.
It was perfectly understandable to want your own home to look nice and tidy—especially for someone as proud and refined as Renamon.
Chen Ze might be somewhat chuuni, but he wasn't so dense that he couldn't grasp basic priorities.
"It's not really extravagant."
Renamon clearly saw through his implied meaning but showed no hesitation or embarrassment.
"Besides improving my living environment, the processor's main purpose was to enhance your computer's performance."
Usually, a processor's speed directly determined a computer's capabilities. For a hacker like Chen Ze, who depended heavily on computers, high performance was essentially his greatest weapon.
Adding a secondary CPU for dual-core operations was merely Renamon's first step.
Her second step involved optimizing and upgrading the computer's original system, further enhancing the already heavily modified setup Chen Ze had built himself.
This cozy cyberpunk room wasn't deliberately rendered for style—it emerged naturally as a 3D visualization resulting from the optimized and upgraded internal system.
"Try it out for yourself. Your computer's performance should far exceed what it was before."
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Renamon's lips; her expression was elegant and confident.
Though she hadn't been studying hacking techniques for long, her natural aptitude as a Digimon made her ability to grasp data and software concepts far superior to Chen Ze's.
In fact, Renamon believed that if not restricted by the virtual world's rules, she wouldn't be much behind Chen Ze even in hardware modification and custom computer assembly.
By then, aside from his boundless imagination, Chen Ze might find himself at a disadvantage against Renamon when it came to actual hacking techniques.
"How exactly did you manage this?"
With some skepticism, Chen Ze projected a virtual display before himself and began swiping through diagnostic tools. Soon, he confirmed Renamon's words beyond doubt.
Compared to his previous computer setup, this optimized system dramatically improved the performance and operating speed of various software.
This level of qualitative enhancement couldn't possibly have come from merely adding an extra processor.
Renamon clearly had a comprehensive understanding of system software; she had thoroughly modified the original system, significantly boosting all aspects of the computer's performance.
"Though it isn't a fully custom-built OS, this level of modification is already outrageous."
Chen Ze distinctly remembered that before returning from Hikarigaoka, Renamon had only possessed the most rudimentary understanding of hacking basics.
Yet in less than a month—right under Chen Ze's nose—she had rapidly evolved into a high-level hacker capable of independently modifying an entire computer operating system.
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