Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Inverted Pyramid

“I never imagined we’d truly find ourselves inside a world woven of data and networks.”
At night, the children gathered together, unable to sleep. They clustered around the campfire, slowly digesting the conclusion that Izzy had deduced earlier.

Not long ago...

“This is our Earth and its network—now, if we overlap it with this world...”
With a few deft operations on his laptop, Izzy caused two worlds to appear and merge before everyone’s eyes.

And so, an unbelievable truth, impossible to deny, lay exposed before them all... the network layout of the Digital World was identical to that of Earth’s network.
It was as though it were Earth’s very shadow.

“So, you’re saying we’re in a world of data? Just as you said before, have we all become data ourselves?”
“The Digimon are also a kind of data entity...”
“……”

Each shocking revelation did not simply reshape the children’s understanding of the world; it also dispelled the confidence they had only just begun to rebuild.
Confusion and uncertainty tangled in their hearts.

Seeing the downcast faces around him, Qin Fei sighed and decided to share what Izzy would have said shortly: “If we truly are nothing but data, then we must be a vast amount of it.”

“If data so massive can transfer to this Digital World, then surely there must be a way for us to return to our original world. In other words, we can regain our physical bodies, whole and complete...”

“Qin Fei is right...”
Izzy nodded, feeling as though Qin Fei had spoken directly to his own thoughts.

“So next, let’s keep collecting the crests, and according to the legend of this world, perhaps in the end we’ll find a way home after all.”

Looking at Qin Fei and Izzy’s back-and-forth, and the honesty in their expressions, everyone’s spirits lifted somewhat. As long as there was hope of returning, they could carry on; but if there were truly no hope at all, they didn’t know how much longer they could endure.

“If we do get back to the real world, I wonder if we’ll remember the Digimon and everything that happened here. Still, isn’t this kind of adventure fascinating in itself?”
Tai’s adaptability shone through, and upon hearing that this was another world, he was the first to shake off his gloom and even began to cheer up the others.

“Tai, will you forget about me?”
Suddenly, Agumon tugged at Tai’s sleeve, his demeanor tinged with a hint of loneliness.

The other Digimon lowered their heads in sorrow as well.

“I won’t. I’ll never forget you. Even if I return to the real world, I’ll always remember my Digimon partner who has shared these adventures with me.”
Tai realized he had spoken carelessly and quickly ruffled Agumon’s yellow head, offering a reassuring smile.

“I won’t forget Sora either,”
Biyomon said.

“Nor will I forget Mimi,”
Palmon chimed in.

“I won’t either...”
Each Digimon looked at their human partner and spoke with utmost conviction.

“......”
Sora wordlessly embraced Biyomon, closing her eyes.

Tai reached out, high-fived Agumon, then held his hand tightly.

One by one, the children gazed at their Digimon partners. The embers in their hearts seemed to ignite once more.

“I want to return to the real world with Qin Fei,”
Loretta-mon declared, for she had been born in the real world in the first place.

“Yes, Loretta-mon, we’ll go back together, play together, go shopping together, and eat the yummiest snacks together...”
Moved by the children’s emotion, Qin Fei instinctively wrapped Loretta-mon in a hug.

Feeling the warmth of her tamer’s embrace, Loretta-mon’s cheeks flushed with shyness, but she did not resist. Instead, she nestled gently onto Qin Fei’s lap, a look of utter contentment on her face.

“I want a hug too,”
Black Dorulumon, feeling left out, squeezed in tightly beside them in a small huff.

Looking at the childlike antics of Black Dorulumon, Qin Fei and Loretta-mon could only chuckle softly.

“Let’s take turns keeping watch tonight. Everyone should get some rest and be ready for tomorrow,”
Tai announced enthusiastically. After all, only one crest remained, and once they had it, they could continue to evolve and defeat their enemies.

Izzy had already used the program from the sender’s email to link to the mouth of a statue resembling a sphinx.
From the passageway outside that sphinx’s mouth, he had also pinpointed the sender’s location: it was a building shaped like an inverted pyramid. But upon seeing that Etemon had reentered, they immediately abandoned any rescue plans—it was clear this was Etemon’s headquarters.

So, after a brief discussion, Tai and the others agreed to postpone their plan until Etemon left the premises.

“I’m sorry, everyone. In the end, you all have to go after the sender because of my crest...”
Sora watched the children head into the cave one by one to rest, her expression troubled, the unease still evident in her eyes.

“That might not be the reason. I just can’t stand by when someone’s in trouble,”
Tai replied with a smile and a lazy stretch, signaling Sora not to dwell on it.

“Regardless of who the last crest belongs to, we’d still have to find the sender, so don’t worry about it,”
Qin Fei added gently.

Taking in the support from her two companions, Sora finally felt her heart settle a little.

......

The next morning, dawn had not yet fully broken. Under the mingling hues of orange and lavender, everyone woke early.

Tai kept watch on the activity inside the inverted pyramid while observing the route Izzy had mapped out on his laptop.

“There are some hidden passages inside the pyramid.”
A detailed map of the pyramid’s interior was displayed for all to see.

“Our objective this time is to rescue the sender and find Sora’s crest. We must avoid unnecessary battles at all costs,”
Joe reminded those preparing to split up.

“I wish I could go too.”
“Don’t be naughty, T.K.”
T.K.’s curiosity about the pyramid was clear, but after a stern word from Matt, he fell silent.

“With too many people, we risk being discovered. Just me, Sora, Qin Fei, and Izzy will go. The rest of you stay here and support us if needed.”
Qin Fei nodded; in this mission, he seemed to have taken Joe’s place from the show.

“Be careful, everyone!”
“Come back safe!”
“It’ll be fine, really. We’ll be careful.”
“Let’s move out.”

Amid well-wishes from Mimi and Palmon, Qin Fei, Tai, and the others quietly slipped down from the sphinx’s mouth and crept toward the nearby inverted pyramid...

The rolling dunes provided the perfect blind spot. After evading a few Gazimon, the group exchanged glances and flattened themselves behind a sand dune, waiting for Izzy’s instructions.

Only he could use the laptop to find the way.

“There should be a secret passage behind this wall,”
Izzy said, pointing at the pyramid’s stone wall not far from them, based on the map displayed on his laptop.

Everyone nodded and silently moved to the spot Izzy had indicated.

But just as Tai sensed something and tried to peek out, Qin Fei quickly pulled him back.

“No need to look. Etemon just came out,”
Qin Fei whispered in everyone’s ears.

“Aaaah~”
A familiar yawn echoed at that moment.

Sure enough, Etemon had emerged.