"This is definitely the place."
After sprinting wildly through the darkness for more than ten minutes, Chen Ze and Renamon finally arrived at the spot where the data had last "landed."
It appeared to be a huge network relay center, specifically designed for handling network traffic in the Hikarigaoka area. Telephone lines and internet gateways all extended outward from this very location.
"We're too late—it's already gone."
Chen Ze, sharply noticing that the nearby electronic equipment was now flickering chaotically with random numbers, spoke with certainty.
That data stream which "overflowed" from the Digital World must have entered the servers of this network center and, by now, had likely traveled along the internet into someone's home.
This wasn't particularly surprising. Before physically manifesting, the data itself existed purely within the network and could reach anywhere on Earth via the internet.
It was fortunate that internet technology in this era wasn't advanced enough yet—uploads and downloads were heavily limited.
Had it been his previous life's 5G era, or even the age of EDEN after his reincarnation, who knows what corner of the globe the data might've reached by now.
"What do we do next?"
Hearing Renamon's question, Chen Ze momentarily blanked out—right, what exactly do we do next?
The only reason he had chased after that data stream earlier was due to memories from his previous life, but he hadn't considered what to do after catching it.
Let alone now, when they'd completely lost track of it. Chen Ze truly had no idea what to do next.
"Um… Maybe we should find something to eat."
Chen Ze unconsciously touched his now completely empty stomach. Only then did he realize that despite the incredible abilities granted by his "Agumon" form, he still had to follow the fundamental laws of physics.
Movement meant energy consumption, and energy consumption required replenishment—this was an eternal truth in any world.
"If I'd known this would happen, I would've eaten dinner before logging in."
He wasn't sure if there was any connection between his "Agumon" form and his human self, but right now, Chen Ze missed even his father's notoriously questionable "dark cuisine."
As long as it filled his stomach, forget mere dark cuisine—he'd even eat it raw without complaint.
After all, Agumon's exceptional physical abilities were clearly built upon immense energy expenditure. Just ten minutes of running had already left Chen Ze famished.
No wonder every single Agumon in the anime had that ironclad 'glutton' trait. So this was why…
"Food?"
Standing atop a traffic light, Renamon briefly hesitated before glancing downward, noticing her own stomach—she also seemed to have gotten hungry faster today.
Just like any living organism, Digimon from the Digital World also possessed the concept of "food," though their need for sustenance wasn't nearly as strong as regular creatures.
After all, the Digital World was filled with enormous creatures easily hundreds of meters tall. If all of them relied solely on physical food for energy, they'd probably spend the majority of each day hunting yet still remain hungry.
However, after transitioning from the Digital World into the physical one, their energy consumption adjusted accordingly, following normal biological rules.
Renamon's current hunger was proof enough of this change.
In the Digital World, Renamon rarely got hungry. With special training, she could even temporarily suspend her own "data" activity, significantly extending her endurance.
"But in the human world… where do we find food?"
Because she'd spent all her time in Chen Ze's computer, Renamon's knowledge about the human world was entirely from the internet. She knew about international cuisines, even bizarre dark dishes, but had no idea how to actually find something edible here.
Putting aside the money issue entirely, right now both she and Chen Ze were real Digimon. Ordinary restaurants surely wouldn't welcome these two "customers," would they?
"Don't wor—"
Just as Chen Ze opened his mouth, intending to reassure Renamon, the electronic devices nearby—which had just settled down—suddenly flickered back to life again.
Exactly as before, when that data stream appeared, every electronic device nearby fell under the influence of a mysterious magnetic field, their displays flickering chaotically once more.
Yet this time the fluctuations were clearly more intense—so obvious that even the traffic light beneath Renamon's feet began rapidly alternating colors.
Soon, all the surrounding devices capable of displaying information ceased their flickering and simultaneously displayed a symbol representing infinite possibilities: ∞.
Boom!
In the next instant, exactly as it had occurred earlier, the sky above Chen Ze and Renamon was swiftly filled with countless zeros and ones.
Then, a dazzling white beam of light abruptly descended from the heavens like lightning, directly striking the ground in front of them, its brightness forcing them to close their eyes briefly.
Only after the intense light faded away and their eyes reopened did Chen Ze and Renamon clearly see that along with the white beam had come a Digimon they'd both seen before—
"Angemon?!"
The tall figure landed in a half-crouched position, the six enormous wings on his back wrapped protectively around him like an eggshell.
Though this newcomer appeared somewhat disheveled, the half-crouched posture effectively minimized the impact of his abrupt descent from the Digital World into the human realm.
Even from afar, Renamon immediately understood that this was a Digimon of immense power.
And she wasn't wrong—this newly arrived Angemon represented an aspect of "God," a six-winged existence embodying infinite holiness, closest among Digimon to the Archangel itself.
The steel helmet, bearing the shape of a cross, completely covered his face, symbolizing that the true visage of divinity was beyond mortal sight. It also represented Angemon's commitment to forsake personal bias and judge all things impartially.
In his hand, he grasped a golden holy staff, an emblem of his strength and authority—proof of his status above ordinary Digimon.
"..."
Slowly rising to his full height, the nearly three-meter-tall Angemon unfurled the six wings on his back, casting a solemn, intimidating gaze toward Agumon and Renamon.
"This world does not welcome us."
His voice, austere and commanding, resonated with extraordinary majesty, as if conveying the will of heaven itself.
"Return with me!"