Chapter 108: Tactile Sensation
The lunch at Tomma’s house was really quite good.
After bidding farewell to everyone inside, Qin Fei emerged from Tomma’s home with a satisfied look on his face and a round stomach, followed by BlackGatomon and Gatomon, who wore equally contented expressions. As for Lolo, she remained as calm and unreadable as ever, as if she had not taken part in the free feast at all.
But do not be deceived by that serene, effortless expression of hers. In truth, Lolo had eaten the most today.
Not only had she gained an extraordinary new power, but at the lunch Tomma had carefully prepared, most of the food had ended up in her stomach.
She ate quickly and in great quantity, yet without any sign of gluttonous haste.
From her appearance alone, it was hard to imagine how much she had just consumed; her small belly still looked perfectly flat.
Chika had already made up with her brother, Daimon Masaru. After all, with Qin Fei and the three shameless gourmands at his side providing such an obvious contrast, the embarrassing behavior Masaru had shown earlier was no longer worth mentioning.
The Digiegg of Soulmon was temporarily left at Tomma’s house, and Qin Fei was quite pleased with that arrangement. Since the goal had been achieved, the Digiegg was of no further use. If Tomma was willing to take the trouble of bringing it back to DATS, what reason did Qin Fei have to disagree?
...
“Lolo, try this card’s power.”
On a quiet, deserted path, Qin Fei could barely contain his eagerness as he quickly took out Soulmon’s card.
Lallaimon nodded as well. Thinking of Soulmon’s ability from before, she had already begun to understand faintly what this card was for.
“Card Slash! Soulmon...”
With eager anticipation, Qin Fei swiped the card across the D-Arc in his hand and looked up toward Lolo beside him.
But the figure before him was suddenly gone.
“This... it worked?”
In the blink of an eye, Lallaimon’s form had vanished without a trace, leaving not the slightest sign behind.
“That... should mean it worked, right?”
Qin Fei muttered in confusion, then called out, “Lolo, where are you? If it worked, say something. I can’t see you...”
Soulmon’s invisibility ability was indeed remarkable. When applied to Lallaimon, it increased her threat level enormously. Whether for assassination, ambush, escape, or evasion, it was immensely convenient.
The only question was how long it could last.
“Lolo, stop fooling around and come out!”
Qin Fei called again, but the surroundings remained silent. It seemed as though Lallaimon had truly vanished into thin air.
“No way. Soulmon’s card shouldn’t have this kind of effect.”
He waved toward Lolo’s original position, but beyond the unreachable air there was nothing at all.
Alarm rose in Qin Fei’s heart, and he grew uneasy. Could Soulmon’s card have some side effect he did not know about?
Once such suspicions began, they were hard to stop. Qin Fei hurriedly took out another card, intending to replace Soulmon’s power first.
“Card Slash! D...” “Huh?!”
Just as Qin Fei was about to swipe the card across Lallaimon’s D-Arc, a tiny hand as insubstantial as mist suddenly grasped his wrist, halting the card in place.
Then, a soft sensation brushed his lips and vanished at once, swift as a fleeting illusion.
“...”
“Heehee. This kind of power really is perfect for doing bad things.”
Lallaimon’s voice finally came, so close it seemed to be right beside him, even carrying a faint, cool breath.
Qin Fei found his wrist released at last, and Lallaimon’s face, smiling with a sly and knowing air, appeared before his eyes once more... She stood exactly where she had been, as if she had never left.
“...”
“What... did you just do?”
Qin Fei asked dazedly. That fleeting, dreamlike touch made him wonder whether he had missed something...
...
“Is this the place?”
On a rare day off, Qin Fei did not rush back to DATS. Instead, he suddenly suggested taking Lolo and the others somewhere nearby to relax.
As for the little episode not long ago, it seemed they had all tacitly agreed to forget it and said no more.
“Mm. I heard there’s a very tasty bun shop here... though that was back then...”
Qin Fei nodded, though from the way he looked, he did not seem to have come merely to buy a snack.
“Back then?”
Lolo glanced at him, somewhat puzzled.
Qin Fei did not answer Lallaimon’s question. Instead, he looked at the shop sign before him, which read White Bird Hermitage. If he had not mistaken the place, Impmon and DemiDevimon would soon appear here.
“Are we going in?”
Seeing Qin Fei suddenly stand motionless at the entrance of White Bird Bun Shop, Lolo asked.
“No. Impmon probably won’t show up today. The trigger hasn’t...”
Looking at the somewhat downcast middle-aged man inside the shop, Qin Fei shook his head and decided against going in after all.
“Beep... beep...”
Just as Qin Fei was about to turn and leave, the vibration in his earpiece suddenly interrupted him.
“Qin Fei, there is a weak Digimon signal in District C307. Since you are very close to the target area, please go investigate.”
White River Hui’s voice came through the earpiece, making Qin Fei feel a little surprised, because the timing was off.
“Understood...”
Though puzzled, Qin Fei still acknowledged the mission through the earpiece.
“Do not act rashly this time. If you find any trace of Digimon activity, report back immediately. We will send Tomma and Daimon Masaru to join you. Safety first.”
Hearing White River Hui’s concerned reminder, Qin Fei gave a soft response but said nothing further.
“Let’s go, Lolo.”
Lowering the hand pressed against his earpiece, Qin Fei looked once more at the White Bird Bun Shop.
“Are we going in?”
Lallaimon seemed to sense the renewed look in Qin Fei’s eyes, and asked.
“Yes, but not from here...”
Qin Fei nodded, then bypassed the front entrance and came to the inner courtyard, blocked off by a ring of tall walls.
He intended to slip in from there.
For a ten-year-old child, the wall was indeed far too high, but Qin Fei’s recently trained agility was another matter entirely.
After a short run-up, he leaped hard, caught the top edge of the wall with both hands, and with a push hoisted himself silently into the courtyard.
Lallaimon had it even easier. With a light hop of her own, she arrived just as quietly beside Qin Fei, without even touching the wall.
“Card Slash... Soulmon.”
Seeing Lallaimon’s figure vanish once more, Qin Fei spoke as if muttering to the air. “I’ll keep watch outside. You go take a look in that storeroom.”
“...”
No one answered him.
It was only after a long while, when he saw the storeroom door slowly opening before him, that Qin Fei knew Lolo had already gone inside.
...
“There’s a strange statue in there. It’s ugly.”
Not long after, Lolo’s voice came again beside Qin Fei’s ear.
At once, Qin Fei understood that the Digimon had been found.
“That statue, and three DemiDevimon. Make it clean and quick.”
Qin Fei spoke toward the empty air beside him. In her invisible state, Lallaimon making short work of those unsuspecting Digimon would be no difficult matter.