"Then… what should I do?"
Lucy asked, exhaustion written plainly across her face. "Should I go hunt those newly born Dark Data instead?"
"I wouldn't recommend it," Xiao replied calmly. "Plankton is weaker than Snowballmon. For now, your priority should be finding normal data to feed your Digimon. At the very least, let it grow to the juvenile stage before attempting any serious combat."
"Alright," Lucy nodded. "So… how do I get normal data?"
Xiao didn't hesitate.
"Money."
He continued matter-of-factly, "Any kind of data inside the cyber dimension is extremely valuable—especially normal data. To Digimon, it's basically the highest-tier delicacy imaginable. And food like that? It's never free."
His words struck Lucy like a thunderclap.
And for some reason, a familiar feeling welled up inside her—the exact same sensation she got whenever she watched corporate ads.
"…Hold on," she said slowly. "So I work for you, and I still have to pay you? Do you even have shame?"
The more she listened, the stronger that unmistakable corporate stench became.
Xiao simply shrugged.
"As you wish~"
Then he turned toward the communicator and shouted,
"Kiwi, hurry up and deep-dive to help Lucy. The super-cool hacker chair I ordered for you just arrived!"
"Okay!"
Kiwi answered instantly, without the slightest hesitation.
At the moment, Kiwi wasn't actually in her shabby rented room. She had been waiting quietly downstairs. When she sensed Lucy entering a deep dive, she finally headed upstairs at an unhurried pace.
After spending the entire previous day observing Xiao, Kiwi had already formed a rough impression of him.
There was something about his temperament that felt completely incompatible with this era.
A kind of laid-back ease, a laziness that seemed to seep from his bones—as though nothing in the world could disturb his inner calm.
Even high-ranking corporate executives, buried under endless work and pressure, rarely possessed such an air.
Kiwi didn't believe Xiao was a bad person.
At the very least, she was certain he harbored no ill will toward her.
After all, a man who could casually spend tens of thousands of euros on a single meal clearly didn't lack anything worth coveting.
If he truly wanted to kill her—or was merely playing with her—he wouldn't need tricks. A snap of his fingers would be enough to summon mercenaries eager to serve him.
Kiwi understood one thing very clearly:
As long as she didn't cross his bottom line, he would never harm her.
When the gap in status between two people became too vast, any potential hostility simply ceased to exist.
Yet one question lingered stubbornly in her mind.
Was it really just luck?
The coincidence of receiving such a high-quality job from Rogue…
The coincidence of meeting such a strange yet captivating employer…
Was it fate?
Or mere chance?
Either way, this experience would remain unforgettable.
And this employer—Mr. Xiao—felt less like a client and more like a gift unexpectedly granted by God.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this rare encounter that an unseen, subtle connection had begun to form between them.
With Kiwi's assistance, Lucy was finally able to fully display her abilities in the cyber dimension.
The two worked together seamlessly, methodically clearing out waves of Dark Data.
As time passed, the cyber dimension gradually regained its clarity.
Though darkness continued to grow day by day, it was no longer as oppressive or eerie as before. A faint brightness had returned.
Still, both Lucy and Kiwi knew the truth.
Their work was far from over.
As long as the cyber dimension existed, their mission would never truly end.
Because as long as human desire remained, Dark Data would continue to be born—endlessly, inevitably.
However, at least for now, the two of them were more than enough to maintain peace.
Their Digimon had fully stabilized, each possessing complete forms and remarkable strength. Against newly awakened Dark Data, still ignorant and unstable, victory came easily.
After more than a month of intense battles, both Digimon had absorbed vast amounts of data nutrients.
Finally—
They evolved.
Lucy's Digimon followed its evolutionary path:
Plankmon (Infant I) → Digomon (Infant II) → Patamon (Rookie) → Angemon (Champion).
When the dignified, radiant Angemon appeared before her, Lucy felt as though a beam of holy light had struck her straight in the face.
She stared in stunned silence, eyes wide with awe.
Majestic. Sacred. Beautiful.
It was exactly the angel she had imagined—now standing before her in reality.
Meanwhile—
Kiwi nearly vomited blood.
Because when her beloved puppy finally matured…
It turned into a giant cat wearing sharp, tiger-claw gloves.
All her expectations shattered instantly.
There was no cruelty greater than comparison.
On one side: a glorious, winged angel radiating holiness.
On the other: a big cat.
A very big cat.
Kiwi's mental state collapsed on the spot.
"WHY?! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?!"
She lunged forward, straddled Xiao's waist, grabbed him by the collar, and shook him violently in pure indignation.
At that moment, Kiwi felt that the Digimon system he designed was deeply unfair.
Her heart burned with resentment.
"Haha," Xiao laughed helplessly. "Dilumon is a late-bloomer. Its final form is a far more powerful Archangel Digimon."
He added casually, "But that also means it needs to accumulate much more power before evolving."
Originally, Xiao hadn't planned to reveal Digimon evolution paths.
Surprises were part of life, after all.
But rules were made by people.
And he made these rules.
What was wrong with spoiling his own woman a little?
This past month hadn't been wasted.
Under Xiao's overwhelming romantic strategy—also known as throwing money at the problem—he had thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of companionship.
After all, the master-and-disciple hacker duo hadn't exactly escaped the palm of his hand.
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