"Witness the true horror of the Eater!"
Watching that unknown creature completely absorb and digest Meramon's data, the hacker leader immediately burst into wild laughter, his voice brimming with excitement.
As someone who had already seen the terrifying power of an Eater firsthand, the hacker boss knew perfectly well that no mere Digimon could ever withstand a force that symbolized corruption and destruction itself.
"Meramon…"
But unlike his older brother, the younger hacker still mourned the loss of Meramon.
"Why?"
It was uncertain whether his whisper was an accusation or merely sorrow. The youngest hacker stared blankly at that horrifying "monster," a mixture of grief and bone-deep hatred reflected in his eyes.
"Big bro, have you already forgotten how terrifying that creature is?"
Back when the "Hacker Trio" still consisted of more than just three members, their entire group—once famous for infiltrating heavily secured servers for fun—had personally experienced the dreadful power of an Eater.
In that disastrous encounter, their team of over a dozen hackers had been annihilated by a single Eater.
Only the last three survivors had managed to escape, thanks solely to Meramon's timely intervention.
It was after that fateful incident that the trio became aware of Digimon, finally realizing those urban legends might not have been mere rumors after all.
Yet, regardless of how much remorse, regret, and unwillingness they felt afterward, it no longer mattered.
Because aside from the three of them, the other members who suffered attacks from the Eater hadn't merely lost their digital avatars—their real-world bodies had fallen into comas as well.
Yes—even though it was an attack in the digital world, their physical bodies had collapsed into deep, unending unconsciousness. Such was the horrifying power of the Eaters.
When the trio first heard this devastating news, they sat in stunned silence, unable to accept reality.
Later, still in disbelief, the three met up in the real world and went together to visit their comatose friends at the hospital, only then finally confirming the dreadful truth.
"EDEN Syndrome"—that was the official term the outside world gave to this bizarre condition.
To the uninformed, Eden Syndrome was simply an infectious disease that spread within EDEN. Generally, it afflicted heavy EDEN users who spent prolonged periods immersed in the virtual space or illegally modified their cyber-terminals, causing "neurological data overload."
The hacker trio had initially believed this explanation as well.
However, after their own harrowing encounter with the Eater, they became convinced that Eden Syndrome was merely a lie fabricated by Kamishiro Enterprises and the government to conceal the truth.
The real culprits behind this condition were undoubtedly the mysterious Eaters—and Digimon. Only they could represent the incomprehensible "EDEN phenomenon" that humans couldn't grasp.
Maybe it was fear, or perhaps simply a desperate need for Meramon's strength…
The trio eventually obtained a Digimon Capture program, returned to the place where Meramon had appeared, and successfully captured him.
From then on, driven by their desire to awaken their sleeping comrades, the trio began obsessively searching for any information related to Eaters and Digimon—ultimately stumbling upon this special program made from Eater data.
"Why?"
Seemingly in response to his younger brother's muttering, the hacker leader's face twisted into a deranged expression as he murmured to himself.
"If we can capture that powerful Digimon, we'll surely be able to rescue our former friends!"
At that very moment, the hacker leader fervently believed his own words. As long as he could acquire Renamon's power, he was certain he'd be able to uncover the truth behind their friends' comas and restore everything to normal.
"Sorry to disappoint you. I don't know what exactly happened in your past, but Renamon definitely does not belong to you."
Just as the hacker leader prepared to act further, a cartoonish golden fox avatar suddenly popped up on his virtual screen, rolling its eyes at him mockingly.
"An intruder?"
The hacker leader frantically swiped across the screen, attempting to close the "undeletable" pop-up window. Almost instinctively, his gaze locked onto Chen Ze, standing a short distance away.
"It was you?!"
As expected, Chen Ze merely smiled lightly, waving his hand playfully at the hacker leader.
"I don't know whether all EDEN hackers are like this, or if it's just you three…"
As Chen Ze spoke, the cartoon fox avatar mirrored his words perfectly, transmitting his voice clearly through the virtual screen.
"But as hackers, you rely far too much on Digimon, completely neglecting the skill and conviction a true hacker should possess."
Before the duo could react, Chen Ze forcibly disconnected them from EDEN, causing them to vanish abruptly from the digital space.
Not satisfied with merely disconnecting them, Chen Ze activated his own custom-made DDoS attack program, bombarding their terminals with massive streams of junk data.
According to his research on EDEN's terminals, such an overwhelming flood of information would paralyze their equipment, temporarily preventing them from reconnecting.
"Wait, what's this…?"
Just after successfully cutting off the duo's connection, Chen Ze suddenly noticed the files he'd just downloaded from the hackers—detailed information and even parts of the core program relating to the "Eater."
"This…could become a huge problem…"
...
Nerima Ward, Tokyo, inside a private villa.
"Who… Who the hell was that guy?!"
A furious youth, dressed in pajamas, hurled his EDEN terminal to the floor, completely ignoring the anxious cries of his housekeeper as he stormed toward the villa's exit.
He refused to accept it!
He couldn't accept his defeat!
He absolutely couldn't accept it!
Victory had been within his grasp—he'd almost succeeded in capturing that Renamon using the Eater's power—only to be hacked by someone else at the last possible moment.
Even though he was merely a second-rate hacker, being forcibly disconnected and humiliated by an opponent directly invading his terminal filled him with unbearable shame.
But more than rage or humiliation, what he felt most strongly was a sense of utter helplessness.
After spending so much time, putting forth so much effort, and risking his relationship with his companions by capturing Meramon, was this as far as he could go?
If an anonymous newbie hacker could so easily defeat him, how could he ever hope to uncover the truth behind Eden Syndrome and awaken his fallen friends?
"No, I won't give up here!"
He ground his teeth fiercely. Having already resolved to risk everything to save his friends, there was no way he'd surrender now.
"Whether I'm branded ungrateful or become nothing more than a common thief, no matter what, I will never quit!"
---
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