Chapter Twelve: The Wilderness Camp

"Taiyi?" Qin Fei looked in surprise at the child before him.

He never expected that someone would actually come looking for him, especially in such a dangerous place as the Shellmon's territory.

"Taiyi said you would definitely come here. I believe in Taiyi, so I came along too." A small, yellow, big-headed dinosaur suddenly popped out from behind Taiyi and waved at Qin Fei. "And I evolved into Greymon and defeated Shellmon before! If we run into Shellmon again, I can protect you!"

Seeing Agumon's proud expression, Qin Fei quietly put away the G Defense Component card.

"Mm, who's that behind you?" Suddenly, Taiyi noticed the creature behind Qin Fei and studied her, his face revealing a strange expression. Although she looked like a little girl, Taiyi couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't human.

Her skin lacked human pores, her covered eyes still seemed to fix him with a clear gaze, she had sharp fangs, and her long, clean, and fluffy silver twin-tails nearly trailed on the ground. Compared to ordinary people, there was an inexplicable sense of discord.

"She's my partner... the evolved form of Blackfangmon, Loretamon. She's a Digimon, just like Agumon."

"Wow, your Digimon evolved too? That's awesome! But she looks so human." Hearing Qin Fei's explanation, Taiyi sincerely felt happy for him; after all, their group had just become stronger.

"Taiyi, this Loretamon is strange. I keep sensing a dangerous aura from her." Agumon suddenly wore a confused and cautious expression, his whole being instinctively wary, as if by nature.

However, Agumon didn't act rashly—he seemed to suspect he might be mistaken, since she was also a Digimon partnered with a human child, though he hadn't seen her on File Island before.

"It's fine, Agumon. We're all companions—there won't be any problems." Taiyi patted Agumon and spoke with his usual easygoing carelessness. Qin Fei, after all, was another human child from the real world, just like him—someone naturally trustworthy.

"This child is a bit dangerous, but don't worry. She's absolutely trustworthy because we're partners," Qin Fei added, smiling at Loretamon and signaling her to greet Agumon and Taiyi.

"Hello, I'm Loretamon, Qin Fei's Digimon partner." After introducing herself in a simple, cold tone, Loretamon returned to her position behind Qin Fei, leaving him a little embarrassed.

It seemed there was some antagonism between virus-type Loretamon and vaccine-type Agumon, as if they were natural enemies.

"Alright, no need to be so reserved! Agumon will definitely get along with Loretamon," Taiyi said, still optimistic and unconcerned about Loretamon's aloofness. After glancing at the sky, he suggested, "Let's get going. We've already found a place to rest—there's a cable car that's perfect for shelter, and if we hurry, we’ll reach it before dark."

Looking at the sunset's golden halo shimmering across the waves, infusing the air with a languid, weary mood, Qin Fei realized it was indeed getting late.

He nodded, agreeing to Taiyi’s plan. In the Digital World, being alone was extremely dangerous. Though there was a Seadramon nearby, staying with Taiyi and the others should be much safer.

Besides, he also wanted to see how Gabumon would evolve into Garurumon.

"Oh, right! These are for you." Suddenly recalling something, Qin Fei handed his backpack to Taiyi.

"What's in here?" Taiyi took it curiously and peeked inside.

His face lit up instantly. "Wow! This is amazing—emergency rations and compressed biscuits, and so much of it too! Now Koushirou and the others won't have to go hungry!"

Clutching Qin Fei’s backpack, Taiyi bounced with excitement, nearly wanting to hug him. Their Digimon had run into trouble before because they were starving; if Agumon hadn’t evolved, Shellmon might have finished them off long ago.

"Hahaha... Come on, Qin Fei, Agumon, Loretamon—let's go share the good news."

Qin Fei shook his head with a wry smile. These rations would only keep the children going for a few days, but at least it was a timely relief.

Moreover, only when the Digimon had enough to eat could they successfully evolve.

Although Qin Fei worried that his actions might interfere with the Chosen Children's Digimon’s natural evolution, he wasn’t stingy when it came to helping them grow stronger.

...

Night had finally fallen.

The good news was that as darkness settled in, Taiyi and Qin Fei reached the children’s rendezvous point beside a beautiful lake.

Sparse, broken power towers jutted from the water, remnants of lost civilization. A half-new electric railcar stood on a small island in the lake, seemingly still operational.

The trolley, the signs, the towers—all scattered through the primeval forest, lending the place an eerie, surreal atmosphere.

“Hey everyone, come see what Qin Fei brought us!” Even before reaching the camp, Taiyi couldn’t help shouting to the others.

The children in the distance instantly stirred with excitement.

“Taiyi actually found him?!”

“I knew it!”

“That’s wonderful—Qin Fei, are you alright?”

...

Everyone was genuinely happy that a companion had returned safely.

After all, they were all children, stranded in this strange and dangerous world together; it was only natural to feel a sense of kinship.

“Qin... Qin Fei, are you okay? I was so worried... ah, I mean, we were all worried about you.” Mimi approached, her voice a little hesitant and shy as she saw him safe and sound.

She recalled how, when they'd run into Kuwagamon, this boy had dragged her along to escape and protected her. Thinking of the time in the little hut during the snowstorm, when he’d handed her a tissue—and his handsome face—a strange feeling stirred inside her.

...

All the children, seeing Qin Fei unharmed, offered their heartfelt congratulations.

And when they saw the contents of his backpack, their impression of him improved even more.

“Finally, something decent to eat!” Clutching the backpack, Joe was genuinely moved to tears. There were fish in the river, but no seasonings and not even the means to clean the fish properly. Roasted fish was hard to stomach for these kids.

“Hey, Gomamon, I always wanted to ask: your Marching Fishes—are those fish edible?” Qin Fei suddenly remembered a question he'd had for years.

In the anime, Gomamon could use Marching Fishes to summon schools of fish. If that was the case, shouldn't these kids never go hungry? As long as Gomamon used his skill, they could eat their fill.

“My Marching Fishes aren’t real fish. That’s just my special move; the fish disappear quickly after being summoned.” Hearing this, Qin Fei finally resolved the doubt that had puzzled him for years.

“Huh, who’s this child? She’s dressed so strangely,” Mimi suddenly asked, looking at Loretamon behind Qin Fei with surprise.

She remembered that when they’d crossed into this world, she hadn’t seen this child. Was she blind? Why was she wearing a blindfold? And why did she give off such an odd, discordant feeling—her skin so smooth, her teeth so sharp, her hair moving as if blown by a phantom wind? What was her relationship with Qin Fei?

In fact, the children had already noticed Loretamon earlier, but the excitement over the emergency food had pushed her from their minds. Mimi, however, was especially sensitive to the girl at Qin Fei’s side.

Now that Mimi mentioned it, the others gradually realized as well.

“She’s Qin Fei’s Digimon partner, just like our own. She’s the one who was Blackfangmon before—she evolved,” Taiyi explained cheerfully to everyone.