Perhaps it was because it was the final day, or perhaps it was because her big sister had finally given her a name.
Little Silver Wolf had always been clingy, but now she was taking it to a whole new level.
It got to the point where, come evening wash-up time, the little girl was blushing and tugging at 'Silver Wolf's' hand, insisting that her sister accompany her for a "fragrant bath."
She even babbled about soaking in the tub together.
Unable to withstand the little girl's earnest pleas—and mindful of the fact that she really was leaving soon—'Silver Wolf' gave in to her selfishness.
While 'Silver Wolf' held the sweet, soft child in her arms as they drifted off to sleep, the storm outside was only intensifying.
First, there was the matter of that physical sculpture and the "mountain of sh*t" code in the digital world.
No matter how you looked at it, the outer layers of protection resembled the unique Aether Editing used by Silver Wolf, yet the difficulty was on an entirely different plane.
Crucially, the code didn't feature overly complex encryption or heavy-duty firewalls.
This implied one thing: there was a chance they could parse out some of the source code for this new version of Aether Editing from those protective layers.
But there was a catch.
The imagery and materials were clearly designed by their opponent to humiliate them.
Most hackers wanted to look away and pretend it didn't exist, but now they simply couldn't afford to.
This new technology was sitting right there; if you didn't study it and someone else did, you were finished.
To study it, however, the hackers had to face that insulting sculpture and the garbage-pile code head-on. Those who had their Aether Cartridges stolen felt their blood boil just catching a glimpse of it from afar.
The problem was that having lost their cartridges, their strength had plummeted.
These "losers" were exactly the ones who needed to bolster their skills as quickly as possible.
Otherwise, in a place like Punklorde, staying weak for too long meant being eaten alive until not even the scraps remained.
Driven by threats from all sides, the hackers had to hold their noses and take a bite of this "delicacy." And it wasn't just a quick taste; they had to savor it, trying to glean every secret hidden within.
They couldn't even use brute force, because if they violently tore down the firewall, their only source for "stealing" these new techniques would vanish.
It was the ultimate disgust: they hated every second of it, yet they had to give it a thumbs-up and call it delicious.
Of course, as to whether it was actually possible to learn something from it—'Silver Wolf' thought it was.
When she set it up, she purposely left a small window of possibility. She hadn't locked it down completely; she'd left it for them on purpose.
After all, one has to give them a little hope.
But to put it bluntly, while Aether Editing Pro was powerful, its difficulty was immense.
Little Silver Wolf only learned so quickly because of her natural talent and 'Silver Wolf's' personal guidance. These other hackers had no teacher and lacked sufficient talent; it was anyone's guess how much they could actually grasp.
While the hackers of Punklorde were displaying such a sudden, intense "academic atmosphere," the Interastral Peace Corporation arrived on the scene like sharks scenting blood.
As a world of long-standing fame, Punklorde naturally had ties with the IPC.
However, the planet was relatively insular and xenophobic, and since it lacked significant mineral resources, the IPC hadn't done anything too drastic there.
That said, the IPC had been eyeing Aether Editing technology for a long time. Unfortunately, no matter how much they researched it, they just couldn't wrap their heads around it.
It was as if the skill was hard-coded into the DNA of Punklordians, which was a constant headache for the Corporation.
Now, an upgraded version of Aether Editing had appeared with a verifiable, terrifying track record.
The IPC figured that even if they couldn't understand it, they had to show up. What if they actually learned it this time? Even if they didn't, gathering more intelligence was better than nothing.
Thus, Pearl of the Strategic Investment Department was temporarily reassigned by Diamond to head to Punklorde.
Her mission: investigate the recent chaos, verify the rumors of this new Aether Editing, see if anyone had mastered it, and find out who the creator was.
Lately, the Strategic Investment Department had been in an unrivaled position of power.
For one, Diamond and Sparkle—the Head and Deputy—were both formidable in their own right, each with their own vast networks of influence.
On the other hand, their rivals in the Marketing Development Department had lost two of their main pillars in quick succession, causing their influence to crater.
With no one left to annoy Diamond or block his path to a seat on the Board, and with his public status as an Emanator of Preservation, the Strategic Investment Department was entering a period of rapid expansion.
The other departments weren't necessarily happy about Diamond's growing power, but given his current momentum, no one wanted to be the first to stick their neck out and cross him.
If Pearl could secure that upgraded Aether Editing technology, it would be a massive achievement.
Upon arriving in Punklorde, she had been wondering how to start her investigation, but she found a lead almost instantly.
It wasn't even a lead—it was a blatant announcement to the world of who was behind the farce.
Pearl looked at the massive sculpture standing ahead and the plaza cordoned off by the private forces of various local power players. She tapped the communicator on her ear and requested a channel to Jade.
A moment later, Jade's voice came through:
"Pearl? This is a surprise. If I recall correctly, didn't you just arrive in Punklorde for your mission? Why are you calling me?"
"Because I've found a lead, Jade. I found the person who issued the challenge to Punklorde."
"Oh? So fast? You should have only just stepped off the ship."
Jade couldn't help but marvel.
Although Pearl, like Screwllum, was an Intellitron, the efficiency of finding a major lead the moment she arrived was staggering.
"And besides, if you found something, shouldn't you report directly to the Head? Why contact me?"
Jade had been busy with investment projects in Amphoreus and its surrounding areas lately; she hadn't been back to headquarters in quite a while.
"That brings me to my next point," Pearl continued.
"The person who challenged countless hackers and stole their Aether Cartridges calls themselves the 'Phantom Thief Zagreus.' Their appearance matches the description you once provided of the former Trickery Titan of Amphoreus."
As she spoke, Pearl sent a bundled file of data to Jade. It included visual records of the sculpture and relevant information filtered from the Punklorde network.
"..."
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Pearl pressed on:
"According to the locals, the hackers were recently obsessing over how to catch a 'Digimon' from Amphoreus to keep as a pet."
"Then, not long ago, a cyber-intrusion occurred in Amphoreus, and someone followed the trail right back to their doorstep. Since you've been handling the Amphoreus project, I was hoping you could help me verify the truth of these claims."
"...I see. I'll look into it for you."
After scanning the files, Jade recognized some very familiar elements.
She was fairly certain she knew who had gone to Punklorde if this was the case.
Still, to be safe, she decided to confirm the intel.
If Amphoreus held the key to this upgraded Aether Editing, it would be a good thing. At least the people of Amphoreus were easier to deal with than those lawless hackers.
"Pearl, according to your data, besides the two 'Digimon' from Amphoreus, there is a local who has mastered the new Aether Editing, plus a 'Big Boss' and a 'Teacher' working behind the scenes. Who do you think they are?"
"There are too many possibilities. Any of those Geniuses, the last two Rational Titans of Amphoreus, or even that certain Aeon... any of them could be capable of this."
Pearl knew Jade had a hunch, but as an inorganic lifeform, baseless speculation was nothing more than noise to her.
Since she didn't yet know the ceiling of this new technology, anyone she mentioned was a valid candidate.
"Besides, most of this is conjecture with no physical evidence. It is entirely possible this 'Teacher' doesn't even exist."
"Fair enough. You're right. I'll investigate on my end and let you know when I have news."
With that, Jade cut the call.
Pearl began a deeper investigation.
As a specialized Intellitron with a unique origin, her technical capabilities in network security were exceptionally high—monstrously so.
Combined with the IPC's resources, it was doubtful if a hacker could be found in all of Punklorde who could stand as her equal.
Her only real "flaw" was her inability to directly interfere with reality the way Aether Editing could.
Yet, despite her prowess, as soon as she attempted to touch that firewall, Pearl realized something.
She couldn't learn it.
She couldn't grasp the logic of this technology through self-study alone.
After a few brief attempts, Pearl abandoned the tempting "wonder." While the hackers were still hyper-focused on the spectacle, she turned her attention elsewhere.
Soon, her persistence paid off. She found a few faint traces left by the "Phantom Thief."
They were slight—not enough for a reverse-trace—but she could use them to create an early-warning program. The next time the Phantom Thief appeared, she would be the first to know.
"Compared to the illusions of the Oasis Zone, this upgraded Aether Editing is clearly superior. I truly wonder what kind of person created it."
Pearl paused. She dearly wanted to meet the creator of this craft.
But she knew that if she couldn't even catch the rookie hacker, meeting the mastermind behind them was nothing but a pipe dream.
"One step at a time," she murmured. "I hope I can meet that creator one day."
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL