Chapter 142: The Taste of Cards
Chapter 142: The Taste of Cards
A helicopter emblazoned with the KC logo slowly descended onto the helipad on the rooftop of the Foundation's skyscraper, its propellers whirring softly.
You Xuan and Gui Ping exited the aircraft, accompanied by a squad of typical Kaiba Corporation bodyguards in sunglasses and suits, as well as a Duel Advisor wearing a Duel Disk.
Duel Advisors were individuals hired by companies to handle various matters that required Dueling to resolve.
However, the Kaiba Corporation was in a unique situation. Due to their CEO's penchant for personally stepping in to Duel against formidable opponents, the Kaiba Corporation's Duel Advisors often found themselves with little to do.
Leading the security team was the loyal and dependable Jiono, a bespectacled gentleman who had been devoted to the Kaiba Corporation since the DM era.
Although this bodyguard had few lines in the story, he left a deep impression on fans of the original anime. Firstly, the CEO would bring him along wherever he went, even giving the impression that Jiono was the company's sole bodyguard.
Secondly, Jiono's unwavering calmness, even in the most unusual circumstances, was uncanny.
During the Duelist Kingdom tournament, when the three Egyptian God Cards made their majestic appearance and overwhelmed everyone with their presence, Jiono, serving as the judge, remained composed and even casually reminded the participants to focus on their Duel and avoid unnecessary theatrics.
When Mr. Kaiba engaged in a Shadow Game that caused his opponent's body to vanish, Jiono stood by with his signature poker face, as if to say, "It takes more than this to faze me."
There was always a sense that Jiono was the hidden boss who saw through everything.
Now, Jiono had risen through the ranks to become Mr. Kaiba's trusted right-hand man and head of security, personally leading the team. Foundation staff were already awaiting their arrival and, after exchanging greetings, escorted the group into the building.
They walked down a spacious and brightly lit corridor, its walls adorned with exquisite paintings. At the end of the corridor, a heavy wooden door slowly opened to reveal a luxurious and elegant dining room.
Soft lighting illuminated a delicate table set with a plethora of dishes, each one a culinary masterpiece akin to a work of art, filling the air with delicious aromas.
Tenma Yako rose from his seat and approached, extending his hand to Gui Ping.
"Thank you for coming," he said, pausing briefly, "however, it's unfortunate that Mr. Kaiba is unable to join us in person."
"My brother is abroad, but anything you have to say to me is the same as saying it to him," Gui Ping replied. "Now, you mentioned there was a misunderstanding. What's this about?"
"I was just about to explain. But please, everyone, have a seat and let's eat first."
Yako clapped his hands, and immediately servants stepped forward to invite the group to be seated. Each person took their seat, guided by the servants.
You Xuan noticed the card professors standing behind Yako, and among them, he spotted none other than Kaku Dickson, whom he had dueled with online not long ago.
You Xuan smiled and waved friendly, but Kaku just turned away, his face darkening.
Seemed like the kid had developed a bit of a psychological shadow.
Nevertheless, You Xuan felt that crashing this dinner party was well worth it. After all, he was mostly here to observe the drama and, of course, enjoy the fine food.
"The International Illusion Society was invaded by hackers a week ago," Tenma Yako began, "An unknown hacker breached our firewall and stole a large number of cards and research data from our servers."
Gui Ping frowned. "You were hacked? Your security?"
"Yes. There aren't many people in the world with that level of technical skill."
Yako picked up a wine glass and took a small sip.
"Especially when we analyzed the intrusion methods, we noticed some technical signatures that were actually quite familiar to us."
"Oh? Who might that be?"
"The Kaiba Corporation," Yako replied emphatically.
"Impossible," Gui Ping denied immediately. "We have never, and absolutely have no reason to, invade the International Illusion Society's systems."
However, as soon as he said this, he quickly recalled that they did have some history with Tenma Yako from several years ago.
"I thought the same, so today I just wanted to confirm to rule out any possibility. Now I know it has nothing to do with the Kaiba Corporation, and if there has been any offense during this process, the Foundation is willing to compensate for the loss."
"So that's why you intruded into the Link System because it's connected to your Duel Host and you wanted to obtain our data?" Gui Ping inquired.
Gui Ping pondered for a moment. "While we can't really claim any losses, do you believe that this hacker is at least connected to us in some way?"
"I'm aware that the Kaiba Corporation has also been plagued by hacker issues recently," Yako replied without directly answering the question. "There are very few people in this world who can breach the mainframes of our two companies.
Gui Ping was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Nightwalk changed the subject: "The Kaiba Corporation used to be at the forefront of artificial intelligence research worldwide. Your team was once considered the closest to creating digital life, weren't they?"
"Do you mean A.I.?"
Gui Ping shook his head. "Impossible. My brother and I ordered a halt to all research into digital life forms long ago. We shut it down after... that incident."
He paused. "The only thing we're developing now is Duel A.I."
You Xuan could guess that "that incident" was probably the Noah storyline from the DM anime.
The Kaiba Corporation hadn't just come close to creating digital life; they had already succeeded. But it was also during the Noah storyline that A.I. had gone rogue, trying to take their physical bodies, that the Kaiba Corporation had ordered a stop to digital life development.
The A.I. they were currently developing, like the A.I. Kaiba that You Xuan had faced before, was purely a dueling program. They could simulate their subject's thought processes, tactics, personality, and performance in specific duels, but they were ultimately just imitations, devoid of original thought or a soul.
A truly sentient A.I. would be more like Noah, a living, breathing person inhabiting the digital world.
"The only digital lifeform in the world is already dead. It died a long time ago. There's nothing like that left," Gui Ping said gravely.
"That's not necessarily true," Nightwalk said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands. "I'm just offering a possible line of inquiry. Whether or not you believe it and how you choose to proceed from here is up to you."
Gui Ping frowned, deep in thought.
A minute of silence passed. The group quietly ate their meals, and Nightwalk took another sip of wine, wiping his mouth with a napkin that a servant had handed him. "Once again, it's a shame that Kaiba-san couldn't join us. We haven't had a chance to meet since that incident, and I've always wanted to apologize to him in person."
He paused, adding, "Both on behalf of the Illusion Society and as a Duelist."
Gui Ping remained silent.
"In fact, I can more or less guess Kaiba-san's thoughts," Nightwalk said, closing his eyes lightly. "He thinks that it was the Evil Gods who defeated him, not me, right? Now that there are no more Evil Gods, I'm not a worthy opponent for him. Is that how he sees it?"
Gui Ping smiled. "That's not what I said. That's just your interpretation."
But he didn't deny it either.
Indeed, even Gui Ping thought the same. Kaiba had been defeated by the Three Evil Gods, not Tenma Nightwalk.
Like the Holy Gods, the Evil Gods not only had powerful effects in duels but also amplified the fate power of their possessors. Not to mention that Nightwalk's mind had been influenced, and he had been almost entirely under the control of the Evil Gods during the duel.
After Nightwalk was defeated by Yugi, the Evil God cards were said to have been destroyed by Pegasus. So, in Kaiba's eyes, all that remained of Tenma Nightwalk was a vessel for the Evil Gods, not the man who had once defeated him. Even if Nightwalk came back to challenge him again, it would be meaningless.
"Indeed, it's only natural for him to think that way, and I can't deny it," Nightwalk admitted. "But as a Duelist, I can't help but feel a little dissatisfied."
Tenma Nightwalk smiled and then opened his eyes, shifting his gaze to You Xuan, who had been quietly enjoying his meal.
"You are Fujiki You Xuan, a student at Duel Academy, aren't you?"
You Xuan looked up, surprised by the sudden shift in attention.
"First of all, thank you for your guidance to my Card Professors today. I've always told them that there's always someone better out there, but I guess it's more effective for them to experience it firsthand."
"No problem," You Xuan said generously, waving his hand. He thought, 'If you really wanted to thank me, you could let me browse through the warehouse at the Pegasus estate.'
"Dickson had a very unique impression of you, so I did some digging and learned that you were the one who defeated the A.I. that had been hijacked at Kaiba Land. No wonder Kaiba-san has taken an interest in you."
You Xuan rested his chin on his hand.
He could smell the scent of cards.
"So, if you don't mind, I have a bold request."
At that moment, a servant stepped forward and handed Nightwalk a Duel Disk with a pre-loaded deck.
"Would you care to Duel me?"
This chapter might be a bit long and may require two days to complete.
(End of Chapter)
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