Chapter 110: The Restless Digital Egg

During this period, Qin Fei followed his routine, moving between the DATS training room, the cafeteria, and his dormitory. Occasionally, he would step out to resolve some of the digital incidents that occurred.

Having spent time together, the team gradually grew to acknowledge Qin Fei’s strength. Although he was only about ten years old, his ability to handle digital incidents was subtly superior to that of both Marcus Damon and Thomas H. Norstein. Slowly, everyone began to regard him as a full-fledged member of DATS.

However, contrary to the relaxed demeanor he projected, Qin Fei alone knew the truth. Faced with the impending catastrophe, he felt a sense of urgency and oppression that no one else in this world, unaware of the reality, could fathom.

"Should I just go ahead and finish off Akihiro Kurata?"

Lying in his dormitory, Qin Fei muttered to himself, glancing at Lolo, who was busy tinkering with something by the computer. Even with the stealth capabilities of the Soul-Forgetter Beast, it was still too dangerous. DATS had alarm systems for digital signatures, and he didn't believe a simple cloak could infiltrate a place as critical as the research facility housing Belphemon.

Furthermore, Kurata possessed an army of Gizmon: ATs—artificial Digimon capable of completely destroying a Digimon’s data. Even Mercurymon, one of the Olympus Twelve, had been reduced to shattered data upon being struck by one. Though it had been a sneak attack, it was enough to gauge the terrifying power of those artificial Digimon. And that was not to mention that Kurata held Belphemon, one of the Seven Great Demon Lords, in his possession.

Therefore, until his own three Digimon successfully evolved into Mega forms, Qin Fei had no intention of confronting Kurata directly, nor did he want to draw any unnecessary attention to himself. If he were ever truly marked by Kurata, he was prepared to flee to the Digital World.

However, Kurata’s research must have reached a critical juncture, leaving him with no time to care about such trivial external matters. Qin Fei could continue to play the role of the "Envoy" of the Digital World, Loretta-mon, for a while longer. But when the massive Digimon invasion of the human world began, Kurata would certainly strike. His hatred for Digimon was unparalleled; he even planned a future "Digimon Annihilation Program" to purge them all.

"I’m still too weak. Should I head to the Digital World to train for a while?"

Looking at the faint, grayish-white digital energy covering his palm, Qin Fei could feel that the Digital Soul within him was still far too thin, trailing far behind Marcus and Thomas. While it was said that the Digital Soul was a power born of the heart, Qin Fei didn't believe it appeared out of thin air. He thought of the boy he had encountered in the Digital World: Ikuto Noguchi.

Ikuto’s inner Digital Soul was incredibly dense, which was why, even at barely ten years old, his physique was so agile, allowing him to weave through the trees of the forest with ease. This suggested that the Digital World might have a much higher concentration of Digital Soul than the human world. However, the Digimon there were currently hostile toward humans, making a reckless journey extremely dangerous.

"..."

"The Digital World is vast. The only areas I know of that are hostile to humans are the regions governed by Mercurymon and its surroundings. If you want to go to the Digital World to train, Qin Fei, we could go somewhere else."

Gatomon suddenly jumped down from the bed, offering the suggestion. Seeing the faint anticipation in her eyes, Qin Fei realized that Gatomon missed the Digital World. After all, she was a native of that realm, unlike Lalamon or PawnChessmon, who had lived in the human world since they were Digitama. She felt a strong sense of belonging to the Digital World.

"Mm, when the opportunity arises, we’ll go to the Digital World and have our fill of adventure. And I believe it won't be long now..." Qin Fei rubbed Gatomon’s furry little head, making a promise.

"..."

"Qin Fei, please report to the command center..."

Just as Gatomon was beginning to daydream about an adventurous journey to the Digital World with Qin Fei, the familiar voice of Megumi Shirakawa came through his comms.

"Understood, I'm on my way."

Qin Fei nodded to Lolo, then took out his Digivice to stow Gatomon and Black Dorulumon inside.

"..."

"What happened?"

Besides Megumi and Miki Kurosaki, who were already in the command center, Marcus and Thomas had also gathered there.

"A special digital signature has appeared in District D..." Megumi said, as a red dot pulsed repeatedly on the map displayed on the screen.

"That place is...?" Marcus muttered hesitantly, seeming to recognize it.

"The target location has been confirmed. Let's move out immediately!"

Ignoring Marcus’s confusion, Miki urged the group on, grabbing the car keys and heading out first. The others had no choice but to follow.

"..."

"This is the D101 area where the signature was detected. Everyone, be careful!"

After a smooth drive, Miki’s car pulled up to a house that looked unusually familiar to Marcus.

"Isn't this... my house?!"

After getting out of the car, Marcus’s expression changed. Ignoring the others' attempts to stop him, he rushed inside.

"Mom! Kristy!"

He burst through the front door, shouting into the house with a look of concern. However, he froze, as Sarah and Kristy were staring at him—the son and brother who had suddenly returned and started shouting—with blank expressions, completely unaware of what was happening.

"You guys..."

The three of them stared at each other, not knowing what to say.

"Are... are you okay?" Marcus scanned the house cautiously, as if looking for something out of the ordinary.

"We're fine. But brother, why did you suddenly come back?" Kristy asked, equally confused.

"This..."

Marcus’s eyes suddenly shifted, and he stared in realization at an out-of-place, oval object under his mother’s table... a Digitama.

"Where did that come from?" Marcus asked nervously; having a Digitama suddenly appear in his house was far from normal.

"Oh, this?" Sarah, Marcus’s mother, patted the egg and smiled, explaining, "It just floated down from the sky while I was hanging the laundry. I was actually thinking of using it to make a giant omelet for Agumon."

"A giant omelet!"

Hearing Sarah’s explanation, Agumon, who had just walked in, began to drool. At this moment, Miki, Qin Fei, and the others looked at the Digitama in Sarah’s arms, their tense expressions finally relaxing.

"To think another Digitama has descended into the human world..."

"What? Is that strange?"

Hearing Miki’s curious tone, Marcus blinked.

"Yes, it’s quite rare. The only recorded instances of Digimon arriving as eggs are PawnChessmon, Lalamon, Gaomon, and Agumon..."

It seemed as if by fate, every Digimon that arrived as an egg had found its human partner. So, who was this egg in Marcus’s home meant for...?

"Thump!"

Just as the group was considering how to handle the egg, it suddenly rolled off the table.

"Agumon, don't drop it!" Marcus scolded.

"It wasn't me!" Agumon shook his head vigorously.

"Then how did it fall?" Marcus clearly didn't believe him.

Watching Marcus and Agumon about to bicker, Qin Fei suddenly reached out toward the egg on the floor. However, to the group’s disbelief, the egg moved on its own, swiftly dodging Qin Fei’s hand.

"Don't let it get away!"

The group’s expressions shifted as they lunged forward, trying to catch the skittering egg.

"Crack."

But just then, the egg shattered...