There are seven of you in total, not counting each person's Digimon partner. You slowly cross the city, ever-wary of the encroaching bots. The pillar of light from your last expedition has long since faded, leaving only the imposing Tower as a beacon of authority. Wind glares at it defiantly, as you all assemble by the edge of a plaza.

"Down there."

You're a few blocks from the mall that the DarkTyrannomon incident took place in. This region has plenty of shops that are disused and unpopular, including one that's selling televisions. These televisions send and receive news broadcasts, but can also be used to access shopping channels, play games, and receive messages. This means that they're a perfect entry point for Network Jumping.

The Scanner Partition is off in the distance, and you can see the giant swiveling dish. You've never really taken note of it before, but now that you're targeting it, it stands out with its constant motion.

"It's kinda far." Says Gizamon guy.

"Shorter." Bella replies.

"Huh?"

"It's shorter within the Network." You clarify.

Wind leaps over a railing and f1oats down to the bottom, skipping the stairwell in his urgency. You all follow his lead, raining down on the empty street one after another. He heads towards the mall entrance, passing by several shoppers and bots, and then enters the television store. He holds the door open for you, and you slide in after him, observing the numerous screens that surround you from every angle. It's unstaffed, which was likely the reason for choosing this spot in the first place.

"Cameras?" You ask.

"Disabled remotely."

"What about the shopping enhancement protocols? Are we flagged?"

"This mall doesn't have them."

"Really? At all."

"At all. It's a sort of... independent venture, I guess. The people here didn't want to accept assistance. So it's not going well for them."

You look outside at the surrounding stores. True enough, there's not a single one that's run by a servitor. The ones that exist are being used as staff members by human owners. This mall isn't getting any help from the usual algorithm that drives customers and encourages their success. No wonder it's so empty. It must be demoralizing to work in an environment with so few shoppers. Most people would either abandon their dreams of starting a store and selling their own goods, or move to a mall where they could enjoy the handicap.

"Mr. Lash actually had a cafe here a few years ago."

"Mr. Lash?"

"Yeah. Our Barista. VVV. The guy who let us set up illegal tech in his bathroom."

"Oh! I never did get his name."

As you thought, this mall is soul-killing. It stands to reason that someone who was disillusioned because of this place would move on to more unsavory activities after. Just like all of you rowdy punks.