"I've pulled up all the surveillance footage from the week before Taichi disappeared, but I can't find any clues."
Koshiro widened his eyes, zooming out the surveillance videos and playing them simultaneously.
Two weeks ago, there was a math exam at Taichi's school.
Taichi, who performed poorly, was severely scolded by the teacher and walked out of the classroom dejectedly.
He happened to run into the affectionate Yamato and Sora.
Taichi secretly clenched his fists.
But he still forced out a sickening smile and greeted them hypocritically.
One week and three days ago, Yamato held a dance party.
Because he was too intimate with another girl, Sora got jealous.
So she called Taichi, who was working part-time at a café, and summoned him out.
Taichi treated her to a meal, a movie, and a walk in the park.
While she was satisfied, she looked down on the gift Taichi gave her as too cheap.
In the end, she refused Taichi's offer to walk her home.
The reason was, "I don't want Yamato to misunderstand."
The night before the second-to-last day before Taichi disappeared.
A surveillance camera in a quiet alley captured Taichi's breakdown.
He hugged a lamppost, crying, laughing, cursing, shouting.
No one answered, no one sympathized.
He stayed there alone all night.
It wasn't until the next morning when a worried Hikari came looking for him that she draped a coat over the sleeping Taichi.
Even after watching it several times, anger still surged in Koshiro's chest.
He never expected that the companions who fought side-by-side back then would become like this now.
However, the top priority wasn't to confront that despicable couple.
It was to find Taichi's whereabouts.
"Analyzing the motive, Taichi might have run away from home in a fit of anger because he couldn't stand Yamato and Sora flaunting their relationship in front of him."
"But the surveillance footage didn't capture any action of Taichi leaving his home."
"From June 28th, after Taichi finished dinner and entered his room, he never walked out again."
"No sign of him at the main door, windows, or even the sewer."
Koshiro's expression was calm as he calmly analyzed.
"Then the remaining possibility, no matter how absurd, is the only answer left."
That one place he had missed.
Or rather, deliberately avoided thinking about…
The Digital World.
Ten years ago, seven Chosen Children, in a wondrous space, embarked on a thrilling adventure.
They activated crests representing their respective hearts, united their efforts,
They defeated the evil Apocalymon, and saved the world.
Hah.
Did you think Koshiro would say that?
That's just the child-friendly script, the story through a child's eyes.
All these years, Koshiro had never stopped investigating the Digital World.
As his technology delved deeper, as he excavated the Digital World, Koshiro gradually discovered a terrifying truth.
"Apocalymon cannot be destroyed. He originates from the negative emotions humans vent into the Digital World and the resentment of weak Digimon being eliminated. These things are uploaded and downloaded at a terrifying rate every day."
"If Apocalymon returns, he will only be stronger than before. Moreover, the crisis facing the Digital World now isn't just Apocalymon alone."
Koshiro's expression darkened.
He slowly pulled out a USB drive and inserted it into the computer.
[Digital World Pollution Index: 2.2%. Gennai Virus Index: 57.6%.]
Groups of complex and rigorous data models were generated, constructed, and analyzed.
Finally arriving at a conclusion that shocked Koshiro to the core.
The viral infection of Gennai had been eroding the Digital World ever since they left.
That it had now exceeded half didn't surprise Koshiro.
What truly shocked him was the Digital World's pollution index.
'Once it exceeds one percent, Digimon will intervene in reality, causing minimal impacts on human society.'
'Exceeding two percent means entities from the real world have intervened in the Digital World, causing a bidirectional reaction.'
A calm light flickered in Koshiro's pupils.
Data doesn't lie.
If before, his theory about Taichi's whereabouts was just a guess, something he couldn't confirm, now, he could almost conclude that Taichi had gone to the Digital World!
"Beep! Beep!"
"Warning, the Digital World Pollution Index is rising rapidly."
"2.2%, 2.3%, 2.4%, 2.5%..."
Just as Koshiro reached his conclusion, the data graph on the computer showing the Digital World's pollution index began to fluctuate wildly, rising at a terrifying speed.
The pollution index, which is originally only two percent, skyrocketed to five percent in just one minute!
"Five percent! Could it be another digital crisis like ten years ago, sweeping the globe?"
Koshiro's body trembled violently, his gaze empty, as he muttered subconsciously.
"A five percent infection index indicates that Ultimate-level Digimon are invading the real world while retaining full consciousness."
"With humanity's current capabilities, only military-grade weapons could potentially deal with Ultimate-level Digimon."
"If an Ultimate-level enters a city, it will inevitably unleash a massacre!"