Chapter 40: The CEO Remembers a Name
Chapter 40: The CEO Remembers a Name
A helicopter emblazoned with the "KC" logo of the Kaiba Corporation glided through the air. Within its luxurious interior sat the legendary figure of the dueling world, Seto Kaiba, his legs casually propped up as he took a tablet from an assistant.
"CEO, the emergency situation at the amusement park has been resolved." The assistant reported.
"A young duelist at the scene successfully defeated the hijacked Duel AI, unlocking the arena. The staff are currently inspecting the equipment and investigating the cause of the system intrusion."
"Mmm." Kaiba acknowledged with a slight furrow of his brow as he unlocked the tablet.
Another incident like this... Of course, he remembered a similar occurrence from years ago.
Back then, when the first KaibaLand was inaugurated, they had held the KC Cup Dueling Tournament to commemorate its opening.
During that tournament, his former business rival, Zigfried von Schroeder, had infiltrated their systems, locking down the dueling arena and taking control of the Duel AI, creating a situation where the only way to unlock the arena was to defeat the AI.
Fortunately, that detestable game↑boy↓ had been present in the arena and swiftly defeated the AI.
And now, history seemed to be repeating itself.
But who could it be this time?
Could it be Zigfried again? No, that was impossible. The reason Zigfried had succeeded during the KC Cup eight years ago was solely due to the element of surprise; Kaiba had been completely unaware of this hidden adversary. After the KC Cup, Kaiba had certainly not given him any opportunity to rise again.
Moreover, KaibaLand was no longer in its early construction phase. The system vulnerabilities that Zigfried had exploited back then had long been patched and fortified. Kaiba was confident that even if that guy tried again, he wouldn't be able to breach their systems.
Then who could it be?
"CEO, the duel recording with the AI has also been sent." The assistant said, "Would you like to take a look?"
"Send it to me." Kaiba swiped through the tablet.
Everything else could wait; he would never pass up the opportunity to watch a good duel.
Especially when one of the duelists was the Duel AI he had personally supervised the development of—a replica of his own dueling prowess. That AI, like the game AI, was supposed to be a closely guarded secret.
However, now that the opportunity presented itself, he was curious to see how this random kid who happened to be in the dueling arena managed to defeat his replica.
The recording loaded, and the duel began.
Hmm, so it seemed his AI was going second. A fairly standard opening, starting with Dominance and Dragon Piper to summon Blue-Eyes and Crystal Dragon. Kaiba gave a slight nod, thinking that the AI had at least not embarrassed him with its opening move; this field was passable for now.
Now, let's see how his opponent responds...
Yuxuan in the recording: "Continuous Trap—Dragonic Seal Pot, change all Dragon-Type monsters to face-down Defense Position!"
Kaiba pondered.
Hmm, interesting. This inevitably reminded him of his duel with Pegasus in the Duelist Kingdom, where he had been tormented by Seal Pot's effects until he went berserk.
Kaiba let out a slight chuckle.
That was in the past. He had long since surpassed Pegasus, and such tactics no longer worked on him.
He continued to watch as Yuxuan in the recording made his next move.
"Dragon Rider, gain control of 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'! Then, Tribute Summon 'Dragon Slayer'!"
Kaiba's smile gradually faded.
"Shining Mirror Force, negate the effects of all Light Attribute monsters!"
Kaiba fell silent.
"Trap Card 'Infernal Assembly,' take control of your 'Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon'!"
Watching the AI in the recording get pummeled, its image distorting as it was overwhelmed by the Burst Stream of Destruction from the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Kaiba silently closed the screen.
"What's the name of the boy who won this duel?" Kaiba lifted his head and asked.
"His name is... Fujiki Yuxuan, from the city's Dueling Dojo. He recently passed this year's entrance exam for the Duel Academy and is expected to enroll this year." The assistant replied.
"Oh?" Kaiba's expression grew intrigued.
So, he was somewhat of a student under his wing.
He had remembered the name.
Yuxuan accompanied Seto Kaiba into a limousine that was over six meters long, heading towards a branch of the Kaiba Corporation.
"To actually be able to beat my brother's AI, you're quite something." Guiping chatted in the car, "That's our group's self-developed top-notch AI, able to effortlessly wield various tactics."
"It was a fluke."
Yuxuan chuckled, thinking to himself that their AI still had a defect—its temper didn't seem too good, as it broke down after just a few hits.
Speaking of which, it seemed like he had helped them discover another design flaw. Should he ask for more money?
"Speaking of which, what a coincidence that you guys are nearby?" Yuxuan asked.
After all, the headquarters of the Kaiba Corporation wasn't located here, and yet Guiping had arrived so quickly, obviously because he happened to be in the city.
"Yeah, I had some business to take care of. My brother and I will be staying in the area for a while, so there's no harm in telling you."
Guiping said seriously.
"Recently, it's better to be careful when going out at night. We've heard that there might be some dangerous guys in this area who often like to attack duelists, especially some skilled ones. Those guys are all outlaws."
Yuxuan immediately thought of the coincidental encounter he had the other night.
Hmm, thanks for the reminder. I've already been attacked.
That guy's deck is still with me.
"Are you saying that Kaiba-sama is also in the city? To deal with those Dark Duelists?"
"Yes. We want to find the boss of those guys because they have something we need... Ah, I'm getting sidetracked."
Guiping smiled, seemingly not intending to delve further into this topic.
"In any case, don't underestimate those guys. They're called 'Dark Duelists', and you might have heard some related rumors, but I assure you that their actual abilities are definitely stronger than what you've heard."
"I've heard about them." Yuxuan had also seen some rumors online before, "It seems that there are rumors that someone has been pressuring the Kaiba Corporation to produce equipment that weaponizes Duel Monsters?"
It was only natural that such an incident would occur. After all, the Kaiba Corporation had originally made its fortune in the arms industry, and up until Kaiba Seto took over the group, it had been one of the world's largest arms suppliers. Now that they had transformed, they were also one of the world's leading entertainment companies in Duel Monsters, with half the planet using the Dueling Systems they produced.
"But don't worry, that won't happen." Guiping smiled, "The Kaiba Corporation gave up the arms industry when my brother took over, and we're not going back to it.
Duel Monsters should bring smiles to people's faces, not be tools of war and destruction."
Duel with a smile, I know this one well. Yuxuan nodded in deep agreement.
Those who watched him duel often ended up with smiles on their faces.
However, while it was impressive how Kaiba-sama had the guts to cut off the arms development division, Yuxuan still wanted to point out that the times had changed, and printing cards was so much more profitable than building planes and cannons.
"Wait, stop the car."
Guiping suddenly seemed to have noticed something.
The driver obeyed and pulled over.
"What is it?" Yuxuan asked.
Guiping frowned and looked at his watch. Yuxuan then noticed that it wasn't actually a watch but some kind of electronic device independently developed by the Kaiba Corporation, and the screen was flashing.
"What is that?"
"It's a detector that can monitor Duel Energy, and the current reaction... might be a Dark Duel!"
Guiping finished and jumped out of the car.
Yuxuan thought for a moment and followed him out.
Turning down the alley and around a few bends, the black mist ahead grew thicker. As they progressed, it seemed like they had run into an invisible barrier.
Looking in that direction, there indeed seemed to be two people playing cards.
He didn't recognize the one across, but the one on this side seemed vaguely familiar.
Dinosaur Ryuzaki?
Why would he be in a place like this?
(End of Chapter)
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