Digimon: I reached the top using the Knight item.

After a brief silence, she turned aside, making way for the doorway.

"Please come in."

"Whatever you want to know, as long as I know it, I will tell you."

Bai Yu followed Makino Rumiko into the impressive house.

The living room was simply decorated, but at this moment, Bai Yu had no time to look around. He went straight to the point and asked the question that concerned him most.

"Auntie, on the day Ruki disappeared, did she leave home as usual? Or did she leave in a hurry, as if she had some urgent matter?"

Upon hearing this question that the police had asked before, Makino Rumiko answered directly, "Rukie went out normally."

"Ryuhime is very independent and often goes out at night, so we didn't pay much attention to her going out that night. Who would have thought..."

By the end, Rumiko Makino's voice was choked with uncontrollable sobs.

Going out normally...

Upon hearing this answer, Bai Yu's brows furrowed slightly.

Chapter 34: Why do I have to go find the Fox Demon Beast?

"Then, Auntie, do you know where Ruki was planning to go?" Bai Yu continued to ask.

Upon hearing this, Rumiko Makino's face showed a hint of helplessness and self-reproach, and she shook her head slightly.

“I don’t know. In this family, no one ever cares where Ruki goes.”

“She has been very opinionated since she was a child. She never tells us where she wants to go or what she wants to do.”

Bai Yu silently agreed with these words in his heart.

This is indeed something that Ruki would do.

Moreover, as a famous model, Makino Rumiko is usually very busy with work and is not often at home, so she doesn't have much time to take care of Ruki.

Just as Shiraha was pondering, Makino Rumiko added, "Although I don't know where Ryuhime is going."

"But after the police came, they retrieved nearby surveillance footage."

"We determined the direction Ruki went by by analyzing the surveillance footage."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yu's eyes lit up instantly.

Having a direction is good; knowing a direction is much better than searching aimlessly like a headless fly.

Having found a direction and having no other questions, Bai Yu had no intention of bothering her any further.

Bai Yu stood up and said solemnly to his mother, whose face was full of exhaustion, "Auntie, don't worry, I will do my best to find Liu Ji."

Rumiko Makino also stood up, and looking at the calm and reliable young man in front of her, the flame of hope in her eyes was rekindled.

Rumiko Makino nodded heavily and escorted Shiraha to the door.

Just as Bai Yu was about to leave, he suddenly paused, hesitated for a moment, and finally turned around to ask Makino Rumiko another question.

"Oh, right, Auntie, I have one last question."

"Has Ruki brought back a... well, you know, that white, cute-looking doll these past two days?"

Bai Yu asked this question not on a whim.

He was testing whether the Ancient Beast had also disappeared.

If we can find the Ancient Beast, we can also figure out whether the target is Ruki or the Ancient Beast.

However, what Bai Yu did not expect was...

The moment he asked the question, Rumiko Makino's expression changed instantly.

That expression was no longer simply one of worry and sadness, but rather one of realization and a complex look of "I knew it."

Rumiko Makino looked at Shiraha, a bitter smile curving her lips, and said softly, "No wonder, Ryuki became your friend."

"That white doll you mentioned, it must be one of those legendary creatures called 'Digimon,' right?"

Now it was Bai Yu's turn to be surprised.

I never expected that Rumiko Makino would know about Digimon.

In Bai Yu's memory, the parents of these children were probably unaware of all this in the early stages, and would only gradually come to know about these things later in the story.

Seeing Bai Yu's astonished expression, Makino Rumiko's bitter smile deepened.

"Ryukie did bring back one of those white dolls you mentioned."

"She insisted that it was just a doll, but... I'm not blind, after all. How can a doll move on its own and run around by itself?"

Rumiko Makino's words carried a hint of a mother's helplessness.

"Besides, there shouldn't be more than just that white doll around Ruki, right?"

“There’s another one that’s been following Ruki for a long time, right? A golden one, like a fox…”

Well, Bai Yu had to admit that he had underestimated his parents' observational skills.

How could parents not care about their children?

No matter how secretive or careful Ruki usually is, how could she possibly not be found out if a living "being" suddenly appeared in her home?

Bai Yu suppressed his surprise and his tone became serious: "Auntie, I can't explain much to you, but what you're talking about is indeed a Digimon."

"However, I can assure you that the fox spirit that has always been by Ruki's side is her companion and will never harm her."

Actually, there's no need for Shiraha to emphasize this; Makino Rumiko herself is well aware of it.

Otherwise, when she discovered an unidentified creature with her daughter, she would have already called the police, instead of silently accepting its presence as she is now.

Rumiko Makino paused for a moment, then said, "Before Ruki went out, she left that little white thing at home."

"When I later realized that Ruki hadn't returned, and went back to her room to check, that little white thing... I don't know when, it just disappeared."

From Makino Rumiko's words, Shiraha instantly grasped a key fact.

The Ancient Beast did not go out with Ruki, and although its whereabouts are currently unknown, the enemy's target should not be the Ancient Beast.

So, is the target really Ruhime? Or is there some other unexpected twist?

After bidding farewell to her worried mother, Shiraha headed in the direction the police had deduced Ruki had gone, as she had told him.

Night had fallen, and the streets were nearly deserted.

As Bai Yu walked, he quickly sorted through all the clues he had just obtained in his mind.

For now, we don't need to worry about the whereabouts of the Ancient Music Beast.

That little guy should be fine.

The most critical problem now is Reikomon.

If Princess Ruki has disappeared, what about the fox spirit?

To take Ruki away, the prerequisite is definitely to deal with the fox spirit. So, is the fox spirit dead or alive now?

A cool night breeze ruffled Bai Yu's hair as he walked along the empty street, the streetlights casting long shadows.

Suddenly, a thought appeared in Bai Yu's mind, tearing through the chaos like lightning.

"Wait... why do I absolutely have to go find the fox spirit?"

Bai Yu clenched his fist and slammed it into his other hand.

"I could easily make Renamon come to me on its own!"

"As long as... it's still alive."

This sudden thought swept away all the pent-up emotions in Bai Yu's heart.

Bai Yu immediately took out his phone and dialed Yamaki Mitsuo's number.

The phone was answered quickly after only two rings.

"It's me, Bai Yu."

"How's it going? Have you found any clues?" came the deep voice of Mitsuo Yamaki from the other end of the phone.

"Not yet," Bai Yu said directly, "but I have an idea that I need your help with."

Yamaki Mitsuo remained silent, seemingly waiting for Shiraha to continue.

Bai Yu didn't keep anyone in suspense and revealed his thoughts in detail.

After listening to Bai Yu's plan, Yamaki Mitsuo on the other end of the phone said, "Your idea... is very good."

Yamaki Mitsuo first affirmed Shiraha's plan.

But then he abruptly changed the subject, saying in an unquestionable tone, "But no."

This sudden rejection caused Bai Yu's expression to freeze, and she asked in surprise, "Why? What's wrong with that?"

Mitsuo Yamaki's voice came through clearly, with a hint of helplessness: "Shiraha, you have to understand, although there are already many rumors about Digimon."

"But our intelligence agency's current objective remains to minimize the impact of an incident as much as possible, rather than actively expanding it."

"So, you need to change your plan."

Hearing Yamaki Mitsuo's explanation, Bai Yu's initial surprise gradually turned into understanding.

Well, it's not time for 'The Chosen Children' to go viral yet, and Mitsuo Yamaki's principles are not wrong.

"Then how should we adapt?" Bai Yu humbly asked.

Yamaki Mitsuo said, "You don't need to worry about that. Just find a place to wait, and I'll send someone to deliver the things to you."

After saying that, Mitsuo Yamaki hung up the phone.

Chapter 35: Goodbye, Ancient Music Beast

Bai Yu obediently found a place to sit and wait; not far away was an empty basketball court.

A night breeze blew by, carrying a hint of coolness.

This wait lasted for more than two hours.

Just as Bai Yu was getting sleepy, the roar of an engine came from afar, interrupting his drowsiness.

A van slowly came to a stop in front of Bai Yu.

The car door opened, and two people got out from the driver's seat and the passenger seat.

Bai Yu knew at a glance that they were from the 'Special Network Investigation Department'.

That iconic black suit made him look like a secret agent, making him incredibly recognizable.

Bai Yu secretly cursed in his heart, this uniform was definitely designed based on Yamaki Mitsuo's personal hobbies.

Two men in black quickly walked up to Bai Yu, looked him up and down to confirm his identity.

"Mr. Bai Yu, the department head asked us to bring you what you requested."

"It was made in a rush, so I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

"It's alright." Bai Yu waved his hand, stood up, and walked straight to the truck.

Bai Yu opened the back door of the truck, and inside, boxes of fireworks were neatly stacked.

The box didn't even have any outer packaging; it was obvious that it was a product rushed out of production.

"Come on, lend a hand," Bai Yu called to the two men in black.

"Move all these fireworks to the basketball court over there."

Working together, the three of them quickly moved more than a dozen boxes of fireworks to the center of the empty basketball court.

Bai Yu lit a box.

"call out--!"

With a sharp whoosh, a burst of fire shot into the sky and exploded violently in the dark night!

The dazzling fireworks scattered, but instead of forming the usual patterns, they outlined a lifelike image of a fox demon in the air.

Looking at the familiar golden fox pattern in the night sky, Bai Yu instantly understood what Yamaki Mitsuo meant by "flexibility".