Chapter 128: Demanding an Explanation

"Not a single bite. Is the bait that bad?" the bald man remarked with a straight face as he reeled in his fishing rod.

"What a mysterious guy," Marcus Damon muttered. He looked at the bald man with a sense of genuine joy; after all, this man could be considered his mentor, and Marcus had always been grateful for his help at critical moments.

"Heave-ho!" After stowing his rod into the carrier on his back, the bald man stood up and said, "Alright, it's this way... follow me."

"You know where Mercurymon is?" Marcus asked urgently, watching the man prepare to lead the way.

"Didn't I just tell you to follow me?" With that, the bald man began to walk forward on his own, as if he were about to face an old rival and a dear friend.

"What should we do?"
"I'm not sure if we can trust him..." Yoshino and Thomas whispered, looking hesitant.

"I trust him!" Marcus clenched his fist and said firmly, "We must get to Mercurymon. Since that's the case, I believe this man can find his palace."

"That's right! Staying here won't get us anywhere anyway..."

With that, Marcus and Agumon, acting in perfect sync, immediately caught up to the bald man. Qin Fei nodded to Yoshino and Thomas, then stepped forward to join them. Seeing this, Yoshino and Thomas finally lowered their guard and followed behind.

Before long, the group reached a smooth, jade-like ice wall before sunset. There, a triangular opening waited for them in silence.

"This is the entrance," the bald man said, coming to a halt.

However, just as they were about to step inside, his expression suddenly turned stern. His eyes narrowed, and he subtly gripped his fishing rod.

*Swish!*

A fishing line shot out from the bald man’s rod, snagging a small, hidden figure lurking behind them, before he decisively flung it far away.

"What was that?!"
"Is that the Digimon Qin Fei warned us was spying on us? I didn't think there would be one here too!"

Clearly, thanks to Qin Fei's warning, Marcus and the others were now aware of the abilities of the Jellymon.

"Alright, stay alert. Let's keep moving," the bald man said with a casual laugh as he reeled in his line and headed inside first.

They hadn't walked far when the man in front stopped again, as if he had discovered something else.

"What... what is it?" Marcus asked, startled.

Following the man's pointing finger, the group felt their scalps tingle. A dense, uncountable swarm of Gotsumon was approaching, possessing a momentum that seemed to blot out the sky.

Though the sight was terrifyingly vast, Qin Fei seemed to dismiss it. He pulled out his Digivice and whispered to Lolo beside him, "Let’s harvest all this data!"

"Digi-Modify! Sea Dragon Ice Arrow!"

Lalamon leaped up, and with a wave of the red folding fan in her hand, she instantly froze the swarms of Gotsumon in mid-air.

*Crack!*
*Boom, boom, boom...*

As she closed the fan, the ice shattered, triggering a rain of Digi-Eggs.

"Oh, damn..."
"Quick! Let's get out of here! Ah, ow, ow, ow!"

Everyone had to scramble for their lives amidst the rock-hard rain of Digi-Eggs. They looked as disheveled now as they had appeared cool and composed during their attack moments ago.

"My mistake. I didn't think getting hit by Digi-Eggs would hurt this much. Sss..."

Once they finally escaped the dark cave, the others looked at the complaining Qin Fei with speechless expressions. While they were shocked by his power, they now considered him somewhat unreliable.

"Look!" Yoshino suddenly exclaimed, pointing ahead.

A breathtaking palace, seemingly carved from crystal, appeared before them.

"Is that... Mercurymon's palace?" Marcus's surprise was no less than Yoshino's.
"It's so beautiful! Like a palace made of ice..." Yoshino murmured, unable to help herself; perhaps it was in a woman's nature to love beautiful things.

"Let's go. Now isn't the time to be admiring the view."

The group nodded and proceeded cautiously toward the ice palace. Halfway there, a Digimon composed entirely of stone suddenly blocked their path, roaring with a ferocious expression: "I will not let you pass. I will not let despicable humans fool Lord Mercurymon again."

"We aren't here to fight..."
"..."

Qin Fei stepped forward. Instead of looking at Gotsumon, he shouted toward the ice palace: "We are here to solve the problem and bring you answers. Both the Digital World and the human world need to understand each other; we cannot let the destroyers continue to run wild."

"Shut up, despicable human! Our Lord Mercurymon is not so easily deceived!" Gotsumon yelled, clearly uninterested in listening to human nonsense.

"..."
"Wait... bring them here. I wish to hear their answers."

Just as Gotsumon was preparing to unleash a powerful attack, Mercurymon's commanding voice echoed from within the palace.

Gotsumon froze, its skin—which had been shimmering with a metallic luster—instantly dimming back to a rough, gray stone.

"Yes... as you command."

Reluctantly lowering its arms, Gotsumon stepped aside with a glare.

"Let's go..." Qin Fei smiled at Gotsumon, then looked seriously toward the palace and walked forward. He knew the most critical moment had arrived.

...

"Long time no see."

To everyone's shock, it was Mercurymon who spoke first, greeting the bald man.

The bald man smiled, completely unsurprised, as if he were truly an old friend of the Digimon. "Indeed. It’s been ten years, hasn't it? I’m surprised you still remember me."

"What?! You actually know Mercurymon?!"

Watching the two converse so familiarly, Marcus and the others were stunned.

"What on earth is this..."
"So that's it... Are you one of the members of the Digital World Exploration Team from ten years ago?!" Thomas realized, staring at the bald man in disbelief. He had never expected the man to be an elite from that legendary team.

"..."
"You adopted a human child?" the bald man asked curiously, looking at Keenan, who was watching them blankly from the side.

That question made Keenan’s heart skip a beat.

"..."

Mercurymon looked at the boy who was watching him with such nervousness and sighed. Finally, he spoke: "Keenan is like a son to me... It was a human who taught me the bond between father and son..."

This hit Keenan hard; Mercurymon’s words were, in effect, an admission to the bald man's question.

"Then why are you still attacking the human world?" the bald man asked, taking a deep breath to voice his question.

The atmosphere inside the palace instantly solidified. A murderous aura erupted uncontrollably from Mercurymon. It glared at everyone present and roared in fury: "Silence! Weren't you humans the ones who struck first?!"

It was like the wrath of a god.