Chapter 27: The Prelude to the Hunt

The cold wind howled, and countless dark green pine trees rustled ceaselessly under its relentless onslaught, making everyone instinctively pull their clothes tighter around themselves.

At this moment, a group composed of eight children and eight Digimon was trudging with great difficulty through the forest.

“It’s so cold.”

“I feel like I’m freezing to death too.”

Rubbing her arms, Mimi still felt the piercing chill of the wind. Apart from Gomamon and Gabumon, the two Digimon wrapped in thick fur, the other children and Digimon seemed dispirited from the cold.

Qin Fei, however, had brought an extra jacket, so he seemed far more energetic than the others.

“Lucky you. If I’d known things would be like this, I would have brought another jacket too, just like Qin Fei—ah-choo!” Jou glanced enviously at Qin Fei’s long-sleeved jacket and couldn’t help sneezing.

“It was so hot during summer camp that I wanted to peel off a layer of skin. Who would have thought to bring extra clothes?” Yamato shoved both his hands deep into his pockets and refused to take them out again.

“Let’s hope we don’t catch a cold,” Takeru said, hugging himself tightly against the chill.

“In weather like this, it’s not all bad,” Taichi, ever full of energy, remarked. Though he was also in short sleeves, he seemed much more spirited than the rest.

“I’d rather it not be so cold,” Koushiro replied with a grimace, clearly disagreeing with Taichi.

“Oh, don’t say that. Just think—if it snows, we can have a snowball fight!” Taichi’s train of thought was as unique as ever.

“Snowball fight?!”

“A snowball fight, huh…”

“It’s been ages since I had one.”

“Haha, I never lose at snowball fights.”

Qin Fei watched the children’s sudden excitement and wondered if perhaps he was the odd one out. A group of kids in summer clothes, shivering and complaining about the cold, suddenly eager for a snowball fight—were they not worried about catching colds?

“What’s a snowball fight?”

“Is that something you can eat?”

The Digimon, seeing the children so animated, asked curiously about this so-called snowball fight.

“No, a snowball fight is a game where everyone throws snowballs at each other,” Koushiro explained with a smile.

“Has anyone thought about what we’ll do if it stays this cold? We might not even have a place to camp tonight.” Jou, unlike Taichi and the others, was not swept up in the excitement—he was much more rational in the face of such practical concerns.

Qin Fei nodded in agreement—finally, someone sensible.

“And food is a problem too. In a place this cold, if we can’t find anything to eat, we’ll have to go hungry,” Jou said, his expression growing especially serious. “Going hungry in such freezing weather is very dangerous.”

“As the oldest among you, it’s my responsibility to look after everyone. How can I relax in this situation?”

As he spoke, the scenery before everyone suddenly changed.

The dense woods vanished, replaced by a vast snowy plain stretching as far as the eye could see, leaving them unsure which way to go.

“See? I told you this would happen,” Jou said, covering his face as if he couldn’t bear to look.

“So what do we do now?” Mimi asked, worried as she gazed out at the endless snow, feeling even colder.

“There seems to be steam over there. Maybe there’s somewhere we can spend the night. Let’s go check it out.” Qin Fei took off his jacket and draped it over the shivering Mimi, then pointed to the distant, hazy wisps of white smoke.

If nothing went wrong, according to the story, there should be a natural hot spring and a refrigerator over there. And inside the fridge, enough eggs to fill their stomachs.

The children’s noses twitched, and their faces lit up in delight.

“That smell!”

“A hot spring!”

With a shout, everyone dashed toward the source of the steam like wild horses, their excitement unbounded.

…

“The hot spring water is boiling.”

“We can’t bathe in this…”

Seeing the true state of the hot spring, their excitement instantly fizzled out.

“At least it’s not cold here. It’s a good spot to camp,” Qin Fei said as he looked around. Sure enough, there was a refrigerator not far away. Odd as it was, at least they didn’t have to worry about food.

…

That night, as they stared at the fried eggs sizzling on the hot stone, everyone’s mouths watered uncontrollably. It had been so long since they’d had a proper meal.

“Is it really okay to just take the eggs from the fridge like this? If someone owns them… wouldn’t that make us thieves?” Jou looked at the eggs in front of him, his mouth watering but still uneasy.

“Don’t worry. Ever heard of necessity in emergencies? Legally, this doesn’t count as theft,” Qin Fei reassured them, trying to ease Jou’s guilt.

“You studied law, Qin Fei?”

“No, I just saw it on a science and education channel.”

…

With full bellies, everyone grew much more talkative, even discussing the best way to eat fried eggs.

“Fried eggs with sugar and then natto? That’s…”

Clearly, the others were shocked by Mimi’s taste.

“What about you, Qin Fei?” Noticing the others’ disapproving looks, Mimi pouted and turned to Qin Fei.

Seeing he didn’t look as disgusted as the others, she finally felt a little better.

“Fried eggs? Just a bit of salt and chopped scallions is enough for me.” In truth, Qin Fei had never tried natto himself, so he couldn’t relate to their looks of distaste. If Mimi knew, she might have burst into tears on the spot.

“That’s a perfectly normal way to eat them.”

…

“It’s late. Let’s all get some rest. I’ve decided to check out the peak of Infinity Mountain tomorrow,” Qin Fei suddenly announced, handing his extra egg to Loretamon.

It was something he’d planned in advance.

“What? Qin Fei, that’s too dangerous!” Yamato was the first to object—perhaps his way of showing concern for his friends.

“I think Qin Fei’s idea is worth trying,” Taichi supported him, eager for a chance to see Infinity Mountain himself.

“There are lots of fierce Digimon up there,” Biyomon reminded them.

“That’s why it’s too dangerous! We should see if there’s another way,” Yamato protested even more strongly after hearing Biyomon’s warning.

“That’s why I’m planning to go alone first. If it gets dangerous, with Loretamon’s help, I should be able to retreat safely,” Qin Fei said quietly. It wasn’t a request for permission—it was a decision.

Jou’s Gomamon could already evolve, so Qin Fei had been eyeing that horned unicorn Digimon for a while. Loretamon needed battles to grow stronger.

“But…”

“It’s too dangerous, Qin Fei. Going on your own is just too risky.” Even Taichi, who had supported him before, began to object. “Let me go with you.”

Qin Fei looked around—all eyes were fixed on him with worry. His heart warmed and his grave expression softened.

“Let’s rest. We’ll talk about it tomorrow.” Calling to Loretamon, Qin Fei walked alone toward the cave he’d found earlier.

“Qin Fei…” Mimi murmured softly, watching his figure disappear into the darkness.

…

“Loretamon…”

Deep within the cave, the petite figure that had been leaning against Qin Fei lifted her head, gazing at her tamer in a daze.

“Get ready. We’ll give it our all tomorrow.” There was not a trace of sleepiness in Qin Fei’s eyes.