Digitize: Rebirth of the Silver Death God

Chapter 171: Startling News

It didn't take long for Nero and Ryu to arrive on campus; having traveled with the other students from the Gutter Zone, they had already gotten wind of quite a peculiar situation. News of unique powered humans called Super Normals, sparking the beginning of a grand commotion to those of Rambruck and even those beyond the Levier Sector.

The disturbance even caused an emergency briefing from public officials in the separate governing bodies, trying to quell its swell, but sadly, even such attempts were proving useless.

"I urge all citizens to be at ease; this is nothing more than a fictional video meant to sow discord amongst our people. Sources have linked this detail to a well-known digital terrorist who the UEG's Special Forces Division (SFD) have already apprehended as we speak, we are slowly beginning to crack down on the rest of his a"

A voice said over from a tablet device held by a student who walked on the well-paved path towards the classrooms. Glancing at the device's screen, one would notice a middle-aged man in a business suit speaking with a calm expression as a video played behind him. One of a cuffed man with speed deprived eyes, an unshaven beard and casual clothing was being pulled into an SFD van.

The student had an angry look on his face as he saw the video; he pressed a button to halt the feed as he shouted in discontent.

"That's bullshit! We all saw it; I refuse to believe that what I saw on that Itube channel was just a fluke!"

"Exactly! Hmph! These authorities must take us for fools; no one is going to tell me that what I say wasn't right!" A teenage girl said.

"You know those rumors from those times; this proves that most things said by those individuals weren't so far off from the truth." Another person added.

"I know right, my dad had already warned me about such things since I was small, he even went out of his way to tell me never to speak it in public, or they'll punish me like those guys." A senior student said.

Listening to all the noise around the Nero sighed as his eyes soon caught sight of the source of the commotion, a video feed on another student's mobile phone. On it was a scene akin to fantasy, as the scenes of the battle between Doppleman and Screwgelman were shown.

Although both had been suppressing their strength by a drastic degree, the sight of Doppleman turning into endless clones, as Screwgelman used specialized combat skills to destroy them left a lasting impression on those who witnessed it.

"This is crazy!" A student said, having only now caught sight of the video.

"Hehe, that's right, you're lucky that you've got me to see it; they've already taken down this video from its source." A cheeky teen said as he puffed up his chest.

More and more students discussed this event, but unlike them, there were only two who walked through them, moving towards their classroom with a calmer expression.

"How troublesome... if they've kept it hidden for so long, why would they even let such a thing slip up? They're only going to disturb the rest of our normal lives if this thing picks up." Nero muttered as he saw this news; he knew that things would not be so easy to quiet down now that such a thing had spread out.

"That won't happen," Ryu said with a definite look on his face.

Nero glanced at him with a strange look as he asked, "And why so? The situation has already come this far."

Ryu made a faint smile as his eyes that naturally locked onto his phone screen, shifted up towards Nero as he replied with another question.

"What did you think happened in the era of the Great Shift?"

'Huh? Wait, that's right... how did they suppress such a thing?'

Nero thought with a look of surprise on his face; only now did he remembered that they were capable of such a thing. He looked at Ryu's face and saw nothing more than calmness as if the matters around him were nothing but the air that would soon fade.

'I've been distracted by all that's happening before. But I must not forget to keep a keen eye on those of the government.'

Nero concluded as Adult Nero nodded in satisfaction while pondering to himself. 

'Good thinking, but... blindly watching will get you nowhere. The conflict between our kind and our very own people isn't as simple as one-two-three, even more so once those Bit Hunters and their masters genuinely take action, tossing the earth into the start of a dark age.'

While thinking such thoughts, Adult Nero's eyes narrowed as if he could recall the scenes of his future, but he soon shook his head, clearing away his negative emotions as he made up his mind.

'Even if it flows a bit different from the norm, I'll have to do my best to prepare him enough in case of the unexpected. Heh, who knows? Maybe he'll even be able to make a few better choices than I did.'

Adult Nero thought with a faint smile on his face, he was about to close his eyes and sleep, but at this time, he suddenly shifted his eyes to the side, noticing two figures that were walking a pathway parallel to Nero's and Ryu's. 

The duo was none other than handsome youth Velmon and the hawk-nosed Jason.

'Him again... it's strange that I can't recall much of him, but yet he's a digitizer whom even Elly recognizes. I'll need to keep an eye on him a little longer...'

Adult Nero thought while peering at Velmon's figure deeply. Still, soon, the latter had already vanished from his sight, entering the halls directly opposite the current one which Nero and Ryu had walked.

The two continued to walk along to their classrooms, ignoring the rest of the discussions around them as they faded into the building. Yet, as they did so, Velmon and Jason had an odd conversation on the other side.

"What do you think, Velmon?" Jason asked with a smile.

"Of what?" Velmon asked.

Jason gave him a deep look and asked again, "What do you think of the current rumors?"

Velmon halted his steps at this moment, his purple eyes emitting a vague light as he stared at the sky from the entrance behind them. After a short moment, his lips curved into a smile as he answered, "Rumors will only be rumors to the end..."

After saying those words, Velmon then continued on his way, heading to his classroom as if nothing had changed. 

Jason gave him a good stare before following along in silence, his thoughts unknown to the world.

***

In a towering building at the center of Rambruck, within a room sealed off from its inside. A familiar man sat with his arms crossed. He wore a sleeveless shirt that revealed his muscles, along with shorts, sippers, and a conical hat, and had curly black hair that flowed down his oblong-shaped face.

As someone didn't like his manner, an icy woman's voice sounded, adding further to the gloominess, "Reil Levier, it's time for you to explain this mess that sprung out of your sector." 

The air in the room grew dark as Reil stared at a holographic display with a group of well-dressed middle-aged men and women standing before him. Most notably, the female hologram shrouded by the dark said, her clothing having a cross highlighted at her core.

'Such an annoying bitch, it looks like this will be a truly annoying meeting...' Reil thought as he looked at the individuals before him in silence, knowing that it was the start of a grueling war of words.