Chapter Eighteen: The Black Gear

“So this is the culprit, is it?” Everyone, humans and Digimon alike, gathered around the black gear sealed within the ice.

“I think we’d better keep our distance. That thing is far too dangerous,” Asuke said nervously, edging backward.

“That’s right. After I saw that thing fall from the sky, I lost all memory of what happened next,” Flamon replied with a weakened breath. Clearly, the black gear not only made it aggressive but also depleted its strength.

“I’ll study it. What exactly is this thing? How can it affect a Digimon’s mind?” Izumi’s eyes were filled with curiosity as he circled the frozen black gear, examining it closely.

“Do you know what it is?” Tai asked Agumon.

“No, we’ve never seen it before, but none of us like the aura it gives off.”

“What kind of aura?” Sora leaned in, intrigued.

“It feels like a dark presence,” Qin Fei nodded, sensing the conversation was reaching the heart of the matter. He took the initiative, “This doesn’t seem naturally occurring. Who do you think could create such a dreadful thing—Digimon or otherwise?”

“Hm… There are plenty of Digimon on File Island, and some aren’t exactly well-behaved,” Kabuterimon searched his memory, considering the most likely suspects.

Qin Fei felt his hints were already ample, but the others still hadn’t reached a conclusion.

“Which Digimon like to do bad things or are drawn to darkness? Surely you can give some examples.” Qin Fei was a bit exasperated—he didn’t want to spell out ‘Devimon’ himself.

“There’s Phantomon, Ogremon, Devimon, Sukamon…”

Exactly. When Kabuterimon mentioned Devimon, Qin Fei finally gave him a nod of approval.

“This black gear clearly isn’t the work of ordinary Digimon. It looks quite intricate—it must have taken considerable effort. And you say it holds dark energy…” Qin Fei paused, then prompted further, “Which Digimon is the most wicked, cunning, and steeped in darkness?”

“…”

“Devimon?!” Not only Kabuterimon, but all the Digimon exclaimed in sudden realization.

“Thinking it over, only Devimon fits the bill. He’s the ultimate villain among Digimon, and quite crafty, too,” guided by Qin Fei, Kabuterimon felt increasingly certain that Devimon was the culprit.

“Hey, hey, hey—let’s not jump to conclusions based on just this tiny gear. We don’t have solid evidence,” Sora interjected, far more level-headed, perhaps unwilling to judge others—or Digimon—so harshly.

“It’s fine, Sora. We’re just exploring possibilities. Besides, the black gear couldn’t just appear out of nowhere, and it might not be the last one,” Qin Fei waved off her concerns, unfazed by her attempt to temper the discussion. He only wanted to plant a seed in their minds. After all, soon they would have to face Devimon, and it wouldn’t do for them not to even know their enemy.

The Devimon on File Island was special. Though only at the Champion level, his strength was formidable. With the black gear’s assistance, he was perilously close to the power of an Ultimate. In the Digital World, there’s an additional, unstated trait: racial bloodline bonuses. Never underestimate this—sometimes, bloodline bonuses eclipse evolutionary ones and allow an Ultimate-level Digimon to stand toe-to-toe with a Mega.

For example, angel-type and fallen angel-type Digimon are stronger than others at the same evolutionary stage: a Champion-level Angemon can defeat an Ultimate-level Deathmon with Heaven’s Punch, and an Ultimate Holy Angemon can suppress the Dark Four’s Piedmon. While some of this is due to attribute advantages, it nevertheless proves the might of angel-types.

“Wait! The gear is disappearing!” Izumi suddenly cried out in alarm, bewildered as the black gear, once sealed in ice, disintegrated into dust and vanished without a trace.

“We didn’t learn anything at all~” Izumi sighed in disappointment as he stared at the spot where the gear had vanished.

“Well, now that we know such dangerous things exist, we just need to stay alert from now on,” the others agreed with nods.

“Sora~~! Biyomon says Betamon is treating us to food!” Suddenly, Biyomon’s call rang out for everyone, and at last, the children’s spirits were revived. After such chaos, everyone’s stomachs were rumbling.

…

“Huh? Is this all we’re getting?” Sora hesitated as she eyed the contents of her bowl.

“Sora, it tastes pretty good, you know~” Biyomon was eating happily.

Looking at the greenish, rice-like grains in their bowls, everyone wore expressions of reluctance. Only Qin Fei and the Digimon ate heartily—Qin Fei had braced himself, and the Digimon were simply accustomed to the flavor.

“If Qin Fei can eat it, we should try as well.” Qin Fei: “…”

So, the other kids could only force themselves to eat, choosing bad taste over empty stomachs.

“Once we’ve finished and rested, let’s set out,” Tai declared. No one objected. The longing for home burned ever stronger in each of them.

Soon, after bidding farewell to Betamon’s village, Qin Fei once more journeyed alongside the chosen children.

…

Under a blazing sun, eight figures—distinctly different from Digimon—traversed File Island’s plains.

“I can’t go on…” Having walked for who knows how long, Mimi and T.K., the least fit among them, collapsed onto the ground and refused to take another step. In the sweltering heat, everyone’s energy was quickly drained.

“You’re right, we haven’t rested since we set out,” Tai acknowledged.

“All right, let’s look for some shade and rest a bit,” Tai suggested.

“Ah, great!” Fortune smiled upon them, as the children soon found a large tree. Mimi and T.K. hurried to shelter beneath its shade.

“Qin Fei, do you still have water?” Mimi asked hopefully, looking at the boy before her.

“Yeah, here… but ration it,” Qin Fei handed her the bottle and turned his attention to the surroundings.

He was particularly interested in the factory. He had a plan in mind, hoping to use the factory as a test of sorts.

“Really…” Mimi puffed her cheeks in mild annoyance as Qin Fei, after passing her the water, paid her no more attention.

“…”

“It still won’t work…”

“Let me try—just give it a couple taps!” Izumi was still tinkering with his laptop, only for Tai to mess things up with his antics.

Watching Tai get lectured by Sora, Qin Fei could only sigh at their close relationship. Tai, somewhat embarrassed, glanced aside as if to say he didn’t care.

“…”

“Huh? What’s that?” Suddenly, Tai muttered, his gaze wandering, as he spotted something new and ran off to investigate.

Qin Fei’s heart stirred, and he followed.

Soon, a peculiar factory appeared before Qin Fei and Tai.

“Hey, everyone, come quick!” Tai’s excited voice drew all eyes to him.

Qin Fei’s gaze burned with anticipation.