"Actually, I could've tracked down his identity without your interference."
Chen Ze glanced with a bit of pity at the greasy uncle still wailing in front of his computer, then turned his head toward Renamon, who was currently "occupying" a corner of his screen.
"I know. I just wanted to test out the hacking techniques I recently learned."
Renamon's cartoonish laughter instantly turned into an elegant smile. She gazed at the hacker on the other side of the world with interest, not feeling the slightest bit that her actions had been excessive.
"Or are you unhappy because I snatched away your 'prey'?"
Seeing Renamon, who now seemed to have learned how to joke, Chen Ze could only roll his eyes helplessly.
"I just feel like your current image is a little damaging to my reputation."
In the hacker world, although the name "Pale War God" was undeniably chuuni, no one could deny the mysterious and formidable reputation behind it.
But Renamon's blatant way of "showing up" might just add another rumor alongside the existing ones—like "That guy is into fox girls"—to his already chuuni name.
"My image? I actually think this way is pretty good."
Compared to simply warning opponents via pop-ups, Renamon felt that appearing as a "golden fox" more vividly showcased the Pale War God's strength.
"It's too flashy. Are you worried others won't be able to find me?"
Despite saying that, Chen Ze didn't force Renamon to change her current approach.
After all, what's youth without a little chuuni? While Chen Ze didn't like being in the spotlight, occasionally doing something outrageous without revealing his real identity could be pretty interesting.
"Forget it. Let's put that aside for now—what exactly do you plan on buying?"
Quickly scanning through the messy list of goods on the dark web, Chen Ze soon left the greasy uncle's matter behind.
He didn't risk logging onto the dark web this time just to mess with some random hacker; he had more important business to handle.
"I need a more efficient CPU. Your computer's space is far too small."
Seeing this, Renamon immediately shifted her attention and began browsing the merchandise alongside Chen Ze.
Admittedly, compared to official shopping websites, the dark web really did sell some strange items. Various unidentifiable electronic devices were openly displayed, available for curious buyers.
Renamon even noticed an item labeled as a "high-definition camera removed from a discarded military satellite."
"If possible, I'd also like an HD camera."
Even without seeing Renamon's expression, Chen Ze could vividly imagine her current state—eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
"That's fake. Just a scam."
He rejected Renamon's request without hesitation, feeling annoyed. Ever since Renamon learned how online shopping worked, she'd become more and more like a shopaholic housewife.
"And another thing—I understand you wanting a CPU, but what exactly do you need an HD camera for?"
Lowering his voice intentionally, Chen Ze glanced nervously toward the door behind him, afraid his parents might overhear his apparent talking to himself.
Even though this era already had highly advanced remote communication and AI technology, the existence currently speaking with him was clearly no ordinary artificial intelligence.
Chen Ze understood the basic truth of the phrase, "An ordinary man is innocent, but holding treasures makes him guilty."
He didn't know how many people in this world were aware of digital lifeforms like Renamon, but he was certain an ordinary person like himself definitely wasn't qualified to get involved with something like this.
Moreover, given his long-time dabbling in hacking, Chen Ze himself wasn't exactly clean.
Even now, secretly accessing the dark web was clearly forbidden. After all, this unregulated black market sold far more than just illegal electronic equipment.
"…"
After a brief silence, Renamon spoke again.
"I just want to see the world you live in."
Ever since the Hikarigaoka Incident, Renamon had yearned for another connection with the physical world.
Unfortunately, their previous return to the original timeline had relied on Mireis power. Naturally, after returning to their original world, Renamon found herself once again confined to Chen Ze's computer.
The scariest thing wasn't never having something—it was having it, then losing it again. Renamon understood this very clearly now.
Before she had experienced the human world herself, she'd been curious but never overly attached.
Yet after personally feeling the drastic difference from the Digital World, Renamon suddenly found the networked space she inhabited unbearably narrow, unbearably fake.
"The network humans created may be rich, but it's still modeled after the real world. After seeing too much of it, it inevitably grows dull."
Perhaps this was the first time Renamon had expressed her wishes so explicitly. Listening quietly, Chen Ze couldn't help but feel a touch of empathy.
"An HD camera isn't illegal or restricted. There's no need to buy one here."
Chen Ze sighed lightly, knowing he might never fully understand Renamon's feelings, but that wouldn't stop him from granting her this "not-exactly-extravagant" wish.
"Once I finish buying the EDEN debugging equipment, if there's enough DCEP left, I promise to buy you the best CPU and camera."
Digital Currency/Electronic Payment, abbreviated DCEP.
This was the first officially recognized digital currency issued by the government—also the official Chinese currency of Chen Ze's current era.
It held equal value to RMB and could be freely exchanged.
More importantly, DCEP could even be used without internet access, just like physical cash.
And unlike decentralized cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, which were based on blockchain technology, this currency was issued by the central bank, linking its credibility directly to national reputation.
In fact, in the China that Chen Ze came from before his transmigration, widespread adoption of electronic payment methods like Alipay and WeChat had already led to an essentially cashless society.
DCEP was simply the perfected evolution of this trend.
Setting aside its potential impact on reducing issuance costs, speeding up circulation, controlling inflation, and macroeconomic management, just speaking from Chen Ze's personal experience, the advantages of fully digital currency outweighed any disadvantages.
At least, in this lifetime, Chen Ze no longer had to worry about encountering merchants who didn't accept Alipay or WeChat, or slow network speeds causing inconvenience during transfers.
Using DCEP, he could swiftly and conveniently complete transactions without concern over his personal data falling into the hands of third parties outside of the central bank.
Of course, due to his hacker instincts, apart from normal DCEP usage, Chen Ze also exchanged some decentralized, globally tradable cryptocurrencies.
However, whenever he used these unofficial, high-risk electronic currencies, Chen Ze was always extremely cautious, making sure never to leave behind any traceable personal information.
Especially when transacting on the dark web…