Chapter Ninety-Five: News

“How was it?”

“How was what?”

“The battle between Tai Kamiya and Agumon against Garurumon...”

“Very rewarding.”

Qin Fei glanced back at Samo and laughed without a trace of tension. He knew this man had already figured out where he was. After all, the evolution of Black Dorumon had unleashed such a massive surge of energy that Samo, who had been keeping watch over this area, could not possibly have missed it.

Samo nodded and looked at Qin Fei. “That’s good.”

“If you have any questions, you can come ask me directly.”

At those words, Qin Fei blinked. He could not shake the feeling that this man was being a little too considerate toward him.

“Mm, I will. Thank you, Captain Samo.”

“Nothing to thank me for. But the training has to continue. Can you still hold up?”

“Of course...”

“...”

The day passed in the blink of an eye, and Qin Fei was drenched in sweat from exhaustion inside the training room.

This had been his own request. He wanted to record how his body changed day by day after obtaining Digital Soul.

The changes were obvious. With the help of Digital Soul, his strength and speed had already drawn near those of an adult man, yet he was still only a ten-year-old child.

And Captain Samo had also been shamelessly roped in as both his trainer and sparring partner, since Qin Fei had heard that the man had once served as a detective.

“That’s enough. We’ll continue tomorrow.”

Seeing Qin Fei gulping down lightly salted water, Samo rejected his plan to keep working out.

No matter how much Digital Soul helped replenish his physical stamina, his body was still that of a child.

Today’s session had merely been to test Qin Fei’s limits, so he had been left to his own devices. Once formal training began, the intensity would be reduced considerably.

Ten years old was still far too young; he was right in the middle of physical development, so the training could not be too strenuous. Otherwise, he might suffer injuries that could never be repaired. Even with Digital Soul inside him, moderation was essential.

From then on, his training would focus mainly on running and boxing, with martial arts fundamentals taught occasionally to improve flexibility.

Qin Fei was very satisfied with that arrangement. Joining DATS had truly been the right choice.

He could search for Digimon with Lolo, fight them, absorb data to strengthen his power, train his own body to accelerate the growth of Digital Soul, and even learn a few combat techniques to protect himself.

Most importantly, not only were his meals fully provided, but he was also paid.

“Thank you, Captain Samo...”

There was not the slightest trace of falsehood in that gratitude. This man, cold on the outside but warm at heart, had surely been recognized by Sleipmon, one of the Royal Knights, for good reason.

“Don’t thank me yet. You still have to keep training. And once you join DATS, dangerous incidents involving Digimon will be everywhere. If you are not strict with yourself, you may very well lose your life.”

The implication in Samo’s words was clear: when Qin Fei was forced to undertake missions and found himself in danger, he would only be able to rely on himself.

“Since I chose this path myself, I won’t give it up so easily.”

“Good. Go rest. Come back tomorrow morning. Besides training, we’ll see whether there are any suitable tasks for you.”

Watching Qin Fei leave, Kudamon around Samo’s neck slowly opened its eyes.

“Samo, you seem to think quite highly of that child.”

Samo removed his sunglasses and wiped them clean. “Perhaps. On that child, I seem to see hope that humans and Digimon can live in peace... and the merging of the two worlds.”

“...I hope so.”

...

“Qin Fei, how was training today?”

“Not bad.”

He tossed his sweat-soaked shirt into the washing machine and prepared to take a shower.

The DATS dormitory was actually pretty comfortable, with its own bathroom and toilet. At Qin Fei’s request, they had even added two more beds... though they were bunk beds.

In the dorm, Lolo was lying on Qin Fei’s bed, absorbed in the game console he had bought.

Having come from the future, Qin Fei had long since been spoiled by games with high-end graphics and great freedom. Naturally, he had no interest in the crude characters and awkward gameplay of the consoles in this world.

But that did not in the least dampen Lolo’s enthusiasm. Gatomon and Black Dorumon leaned out from either side of Lorettamon, peering over with eager curiosity at the little figures moving across the screen, as though waiting for their turn to play once Lolo either cleared the stage or failed...

Still, looking at those sharp claws of Gatomon and Black Dorumon, Qin Fei could not help wondering how long the console would survive in their hands.

As for Lolo in human form, her delicate hands were no different from those of any human girl, and she held the console with delighted focus.

After washing away every trace of sweat and sour odor from his body, Qin Fei changed into a newly bought short-sleeved shirt. Though the weather in this world had already turned cold, with the support of Digital Soul he did not feel it very deeply.

He had already advanced part of his salary early, after a bit of shameless pestering toward Captain Samo.

Besides the game console in Lolo’s hands, Qin Fei had also bought some spare clothes.

And then some snacks.

But when he came back just now, he had discovered that the entire box of snacks was already empty.

“Looks like you’re all skipping dinner, then.”

Glancing at the empty box that had once held the snacks, Qin Fei took out the laptop he had nearly spent all his salary on.

The pay at DATS was high, but this laptop had not been cheap either. The funds on him were now almost gone.

Fortunately, food and lodging were no longer concerns.

“What’s that?”

“A laptop.”

Qin Fei shot a sidelong glance at Lorettamon, who had come up beside him at some point, and continued slowly adjusting the network card.

“What’s it for?”

“It lets me learn about this world’s information.”

Watching the loading icon spin on the screen, Qin Fei explained without turning his head.

“That sounds interesting.”

“Mm.”

At last, the website opened before him, and Qin Fei finally let out a breath of relief. It looked like it would work.

So, under Lorettamon’s curious gaze, he began browsing skillfully, searching through the news.

“...”

“As expected...”

“What is it?”

“As I thought, it’s not just in Japan. Strange incidents have been appearing all over the world lately. Though everyone says they are related to natural disasters or human calamities, I think they are connected to the Digital World.”

As Qin Fei spoke, he pointed to the news on the laptop.

A report said that an opera house in the United States had suddenly suffered a terrorist attack, but... in one corner of the red curtain, the shadow of what looked like a huge frog with a horned head could faintly be seen.

“It looks like Frogmon.”

Gatomon suddenly ran over as well and crouched by Qin Fei’s leg, watching the laptop screen with keen interest.

Seeing how quiet the room had become, Black Dorumon put down the game console too and came closer, joining the commotion as it stared at the screen with them.

“Someone from DATS in the United States should have handled it. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have made it into the news.”

Qin Fei said this because he knew DATS had a flash device that could erase people’s memories, like the one from Men in Black. Otherwise, there could not have been no witnesses at all.

“...”

“Everyone should get some sleep. Samo said he may assign us a mission tomorrow.”

After closing the laptop and shepherding the Digimon behind him back to their own beds, Qin Fei switched off the light and tiredly climbed into bed as well.

After a full day of training, his body was indeed feeling a little overwhelmed. He had only been holding on with the help of Digital Soul a moment ago.

“...”

In the darkness, a rustling sound slowly drew near, then wrapped itself tightly around his arm.

Feeling that familiar soft touch, Qin Fei instantly knew that Lorettamon had climbed up again.

But he only sighed. His exhausted mind made him too lazy to drive her away once more. He could only let her squeeze in beside him. After all, in the Digital World, the two of them had always spent their nights this way.