Seven in the morning was hardly a suitable time to get up. This world had, after all, achieved a nine-to-five working schedule. Those who could afford it stayed in bed until at least eight thirty. Those who already controlled their own lives could choose to rise at six to exercise, or sleep until lunchtime. As for the children who got up at six for school, the vendors who left at four to set up their stalls, and the scholars who spent all night organizing their materials, they did it so that one day they could control their own lives-and sleep until lunchtime every day.
When the clock chimed seven times, a terrifying upheaval spread from the Digimon World. Most ordinary people, however, only felt the ground shake. They had long since grown used to it.
Advances in computer technology allowed people to perform all kinds of calculations quickly. Calculating on the scale of an entire world required accounting for so many constants and variables that it exceeded the processing power of modern computers. Still, even partial results could reveal some information about the world. They might not be accurate, but they offered a useful reference. Besides, to those without power, the results they calculated themselves were their own, and therefore trustworthy. They refused to believe judgments the powerful made with their own eyes. Fortunately, this time their conclusions corroborated one another, leading them to agree that the Digimon World was deteriorating.
No matter how fiercely the outside world argued, inside the laboratory, Nanami released Gaomon and said calmly, "Thomas has completed his task. In exchange, I'll give you my power."
Gaomon did not struggle. Thomas and Nanami had devised this plan together. It was meant not only to save Earth from the Digimon, but also to save Earth from Nanami.