Crack!
Accompanied by the brittle sound of the server's hard drive fracturing, a pungent, burnt odor rapidly filled the entire surveillance room.
"How…how can this be?!"
The security officer's hands shook uncontrollably, eyes wide in horror as he stared at the monitor. He couldn't believe what he was seeing—the server was completely fried?!
The Metropolitan Police had spent an astronomical amount on acquiring these computer servers... and now they were utterly destroyed, just like that?
"There's no way this was done by a hacker! No hacker could have caused damage like this!"
Silence. A deathly silence spread through the heart of the surveillance room.
The suddenly blackened screens, the instant destruction of the hard drive, and the security officer's stunned expression—even the most ignorant person would clearly understand the outcome of this "battle."
Not to mention, the officers at the Metropolitan Police Department were experts at reading faces; none of them would dare speak now and risk attracting the commissioner's wrath.
Quite the opposite. Each one of them desperately wished they could sink into the floor, vanishing completely from the commissioner's sight.
And as the one responsible for this disaster, Tanaka's face was ashen—he knew very clearly that his career as a police officer was finished.
...
After escaping from the Metropolitan Police server, Renamon and Deputymon entered the wider, far more dangerous battlefield of the internet.
No longer confined to a single data center, their battleground now encompassed every computer in the Hikarigaoka region.
Along the endlessly expanding network, the battle between Renamon and Deputymon didn't slow—it only intensified.
Bang!
After another short volley of gunfire, Deputymon decisively abandoned his position, swiftly retreating before Renamon could strike again.
"[SPIN KICK]!"
But Renamon was far craftier than Deputymon anticipated. As though predicting his actions from the start, she suddenly kicked out from the side.
Meanwhile, the other "Renamon" who had been evading Deputymon's shots with ghostly ease instantly dissolved into an afterimage, vanishing from his view.
"[JUSTICE BLASTER]!"
In this perilous moment, Deputymon stopped retreating and instantly rotated his torso, aiming directly at Renamon who was flying toward him with a kick.
BOOM!
An enormous bullet erupted from the revolver barrel on Deputymon's chest.
Born from firewall data and possessing the special attribute of a "Virus Buster," this Vaccine-type Digimon wasn't just filled with innate righteousness—he wielded an ability specifically designed to delete viruses.
Wherever the massive bullet passed, the network trembled violently. Countless messages darting through cyberspace, yet to reach their destinations, were instantly erased.
Of course, limited by firewall programming, Deputymon couldn't indiscriminately delete all data; he simply eliminated whatever his scans identified as malicious.
And Renamon, unquestionably, was the primary malicious data target in Deputymon's sights.
"As expected from a brute force creation—a total fool."
A faintly disdainful voice rang out as yet another "Renamon" appeared behind Deputymon.
"That was fake too?"
This time, even Deputymon, despite his peerless battle instincts, widened his eyes in shock. Instinctively, he spun around to defend against the attack he presumed was coming.
But contrary to his expectations, the Renamon that appeared behind him did nothing, instead flashing a cryptic, mocking smile.
"Who said I was fake?"
At precisely that moment, the Renamon who had dodged his shot dashed forward again.
"Real battles always blur reality and illusion. When you're 'reborn' at Primary Village, I hope you'll understand this."
Even as her voice faded, Renamon's sharp claws tore through Deputymon's back, leaving behind nothing but shock and disbelief on his face.
"Justice… always prevails!"
But at this desperate juncture, Deputymon proved even more decisive than Renamon imagined.
Without even turning around, he once more spun the revolver barrel in his chest—but this time, he didn't intend to fire outward. Instead, he sealed the barrel shut with his hands, causing the bullet to explode inside.
BOOOM—!
In an instant, the violent blast swept through the nearby network.
"Virus Buster Digimon really are all insane!"
Caught too close to Deputymon, Renamon couldn't react in time and was engulfed by the explosion, prompting her—a Digimon who had always prized her elegant demeanor—to curse aloud for the first time.
"But do you think you can kill me with something like this?"
"I'm a fox spirit with nine lives!"
...
"Do all Vaccine-type Digimon have such insane resolve?!"
Watching Deputymon willingly blow himself up to take Renamon down, Chen Ze, who had also been ejected from the server, only managed to mutter a quick curse before he, too, was caught in the digital explosion.
"That Renamon…is definitely a walking disaster!"
Chen Ze's current body was already on the verge of collapse due to the Overload Program, and after Deputymon's self-destruction, it shattered instantly into countless fragments of data.
Even worse, most of these fragmented bits were corrupted beyond salvage, unusable even for absorption by other Digimon.
This meant Chen Ze couldn't reincarnate through the Digital World's cycle; like Digimon who failed to evolve, he faced genuine oblivion.
I hate this feeling.
Chen Ze had no idea whether his consciousness would return to his original human body or if he'd move onto yet another reincarnation once this digital avatar died.
All he knew was that he wasn't going to sit back and wait helplessly.
So what if this digital incarnation was destroyed and his data vanished?
This wasn't Chen Ze's first time creating a digital avatar. He was confident he could use his hacking skills to rebuild the damaged and missing data, fully restoring a true "Agumon.SMS" program.
The priority now is getting the hell out of here!
Taking one last glance in Renamon's direction, Chen Ze didn't dare linger. He swiftly separated the remaining intact data from his collapsing body, whisking it away in a flash towards another corner of the network.
—Renamon didn't need saving, after all. The only person he could rescue right now was himself.
Chen Ze had never been clearer about that reality.
And he also realized that if he genuinely wanted to enter the mysterious realm known as the "Digital World," he'd have to maximize the potential of this current Agumon avatar.
Just wait, Renamon—I'll be back for you!