Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

The towering alloy watchtowers, the walls under construction, the busy armored vehicle beasts, the patrolling, organized Digimon, and the researchers hurrying by in white lab coats constitute the main theme here.

In the core area of ​​the base, in a makeshift command tent, Xu Xin was staring intently at the holographic sand table, which showed the complex terrain around the Underworld Rift, the distribution of Digimon, and the location of the pioneering team.

He unconsciously twirled a tactical pen in his hand, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

This base is none other than the rift point leading to the Yellow Springs region that Cheng Yuan accidentally opened!

At this moment, countless lines of code flicker at the edge of the rift. Thousands of programmers are working day and night to patch the firewall and stop the rift from expanding, but it still exudes an unsettling aura of death.

He volunteered to be stationed at and take charge of the construction and reclamation of this outpost. His deepest goal was only one thing—to find that rascal who had disappeared in the Yellow Springs Rift! He wanted to see him alive, but he dared not think about him dead.

Suddenly, his personal phone rang in his pocket, and he froze when he saw the caller ID.

He answered the phone almost instantly, and the familiar voice made his insides skip a beat.

In contrast to his mood and expression, he was deliberately controlling his voice, which sounded very calm.

"Who? Class representative, you've finally decided to come back? ...You've gone all the way to the Central Plains to have fun? Okay, I got it. Stop talking nonsense, I'll arrange for someone to come pick you up in 10 minutes."

Cheng Yuan's voice, clearly relieved, came from the other end of the phone: "Hey, okay, Lao Xu, thanks a lot! I'll treat you to barbecue when we get back. And..." Cheng Yuan lowered his voice a little, "I brought back something important from the Yellow Springs region, and I need to hand it over to the National Research Institute. Could you please do it for me?"

"???" Xu Xin's brow twitched violently! He brought back something? This kid managed to bring back "local specialties" from that godforsaken place? It's a miracle he even came back unharmed! And what else did he bring back!

Click!

A crisp snapping sound pierced the quiet command tent. Xu Xin looked down and realized that he had snapped the tactical pen in his other hand!

The moment she hung up the phone, Xu Xin turned around abruptly.

His composure crumbled, replaced by undisguised excitement and a flicker of lingering fear in his eyes. He picked up another dedicated communicator, his fingers trembling slightly from the force, and dialed another encrypted number:

"Hey, Sister Xiaochun, it's me, Xu Xin! The fledglings are ready to return to their nests. Activate the homing plan."

The entrance to the outpost of the Sacred Ruins Digital Space.

Just a few minutes later, a deep and powerful engine roar came from the distant horizon, quickly getting closer!

A sharp, silvery-gray black dot tore through the gray sky, swooping down at an astonishing speed!

Om-!

A powerful airflow whipped up dust from the ground, causing Cheng Yuan's clothes to flutter loudly.

A fighter Digimon with a futuristic design, streamlined fuselage, and a gleaming metallic sheen landed steadily and vertically on the tarmac—it was the military's newest and most advanced Champion-level fighter Digimon: Machinedramon!

The canopy slid open silently, and a handsome young soldier in a crisp dark blue flight suit stood up nimbly from the cabin.

He is Cheng Yi, a rising star among the younger generation of military personnel and an elite animal trainer renowned for his top-notch air combat skills.

He was patrolling the nearby airspace when he received the highest priority mission. He thought he was going to meet some important person, but through the far-seeing system of the Mechadramon, he saw a high school student in a school uniform who looked tired.

"Damn it, what's going on..." Cheng Yi muttered to himself, but maintained the seriousness expected of a soldier.

He waved to Cheng Yuan, his voice coming through the communicator with a hint of businesslike impatience: "Get in! Back seat! We're in a hurry!"

Cheng Yuan was also taken aback.

He knew Xu Xin had great power, but he didn't expect that he could directly mobilize the latest type of mecha dragon beast to pick him up. He also didn't expect that the driver would be Cheng Yi, whom he had met once before in the Time and Space Secret Realm!

To avoid being recognized, he subconsciously lowered the brim of his hat, gave a mumbled reply, and strode toward the rope ladder lowered by the mechanical dragon beast.

Cheng Yi frowned slightly as he watched Cheng Yuan furrow his brows as he tried to hide his climbing the rope ladder, but he didn't think much of it.

However, just as Cheng Yuan had settled into the back seat and fastened his seatbelt, Guan Yan, who was seeing him off at the outpost entrance, suddenly waved vigorously, her clear voice penetrating the roar of the engine:

"Qilin! Have a safe journey! Wishing you success in your college entrance exam! Let's keep in touch online!"

A Qilin?!

These two words struck Cheng Yi's mind like two thunderbolts!

The fragments of memory, obscured by the [space-time disorder] and as if viewed through a thick layer of frosted glass, were completely shattered in that instant!

Qilin... Twelve Divine Generals Reserve... Digital Armor... Armor Evolution...

The identity of "Qilin" is now reconnected with the boy in front of her.

Cheng Yi felt his mind go blank, and his pupils suddenly contracted!

He stiffly turned around and looked at Cheng Yuan in the back seat, who had a "I'm doomed, I've been recognized" expression on his face.

Shock, disbelief, sudden realization, and a touch of awe in the face of a "legendary figure" instantly filled his chest.

Snapped!

Almost instinctively, Cheng Yi straightened up abruptly and gave Cheng Yuan in the back seat a perfect military salute, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"Hello, Commander!"

Cheng Yuan's lips twitched, and he waved his hand helplessly: "Cheng...Brother Cheng, please don't do this. Please, take me to the Shenzhen Qingtian District Digital Arena as quickly as possible, please!"

"Yes! I guarantee to complete the mission!" Cheng Yi's voice was loud and firm, all his previous nonchalance and doubts vanished, leaving only a solemn sense of mission.

He quickly sat back in the front cabin and closed the hatch.

The next second, the engine of the Mech Dragon Beast roared deafeningly, and the powerful push-back force slammed Cheng Yuan hard into the seat!

The silver-gray fighter jet shot up vertically like an arrow released from a bow, instantly piercing the clouds of the Sacred Ruins space and disappearing into the vast sky. Throughout the flight, Cheng Yi was completely focused, his operation as precise as a textbook example, daring not to slacken or become distracted in the slightest, as if he were transporting the most precious national treasure.

The digital arena in Qingtian District is the site of the college entrance examination (Gaokao) competition at Pengcheng No.1 High School.

The huge circular arena was bustling with noise and the atmosphere was lively.

The competitive assessment is conducted by examiners dispatched by the Ministry of Education to various schools, who assess and score candidates in batches.

The machine dragon landed vertically in the parking lot outside the arena, attracting many onlookers.

As Cheng Yuan disembarked and the Mech Dragon Beast took off again, Cheng Yuan's figure disappeared from Cheng Yi's sight, and [Time-Space Concealment] took effect once more.

The identity of "Qilin" was once again separated from Cheng Yuan himself. Cheng Yi only remembered that he received orders and carried a high school student all the way.

Cheng Yuan met up with Xu Xin outside the arena.

"Not bad, no broken arms or legs, looks pretty energetic." Xu Xin looked Cheng Yuan up and down, then lightly punched Cheng Yuan's shoulder.

Cheng Yuan rubbed the spot where he had been punched, looking pained: "What energy? I dozed off on the plane and I'm so sleepy now. I'm afraid I'll mess up the test later."

"Mistake?" Xu Xin scoffed, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery. "Based on that time at the Netherworld Rift when you dared to charge into the Ghost Legion with your Gatomon, you could easily crush a mere early-stage mature-level examiner even with your eyes closed."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Besides, the real elite talents have already been admitted to various beast tamer universities through secret exams before the college entrance examination. Although you missed the secret exam, your double champion scores in mock exams speak for themselves. Getting into any top university won't be difficult for you. The college entrance examination battle assessment is just a formality for you."

Cheng Yuan shook his head: "I promised my parents that I would get good results in the college entrance examination."

Beside them, Wang Lin and the other team members were speechless, their gazes towards Cheng Yuan filled with complex emotions—admiration mixed with bewilderment.

They had witnessed Cheng Yuan's outburst in dire straits firsthand. That Gatomon... no, it was the goat-shaped armored Digimon (Goatmon) that it later evolved into. It could probably hold its own against any of their main Digimon, since it was a support-type Digimon.

Of course, he still falls short when facing Captain Xu Xin.

"I'm going in." Cheng Yuan yawned. Although he had slept for a while on the fighter jet, he was really too tired.

"Alright, stop praising me so much, I'm going to report for duty now." Cheng Yuan yawned widely. Although he had slept for a while on the mechanical dragon beast, the life-and-death escape and the huge mental exhaustion over the past few days had left him physically and mentally exhausted.

The Qingtian Digital Arena also uses a virtual digital space for assessment. This arena can accommodate 2 people, but less than one-fifth of the candidates from Qingtian District are applying for the combat course at the Beastmaster University. Therefore, those sitting in the audience are mostly candidates who are either queuing up or have finished their assessments.

He quickly located the assessment zone where Pengcheng No.1 Middle School was located.

"Everyone looks so energetic!" Cheng Yuan said.

"Hey, Cheng Yuan, the double champion! Why are you only arriving now? You took so many days off, I thought you were going to give up on the college entrance exam." A familiar boy exclaimed in surprise when he saw him.

The association kept Cheng Yuan's whereabouts strictly confidential, and all teachers and classmates who knew about his involvement in the Underworld Rift disappearance signed strict confidentiality agreements. In everyone's eyes, he had simply taken a long leave to deal with family matters.

Cheng Yuan sat down next to him casually, rubbing his sore eyes: "Something came up at home. Whose turn is it now?"

"Look, table number three, Zhao Lu! It looks like she's almost done." The classmate pointed to a battle platform not far away where a fierce battle was taking place.

Cheng Yuan's gaze immediately fell on station number three.

In the virtual space, Zhao Lu's partner, Gear Beast X, is engaged in a fierce battle with the examiner's armored beast.

【Armored Beast】

[Vaccine Type - Ankylosaurus - Maturity Stage]

[Maturity Stage]

[Skills: Million-ton Pressure, Giant Tail Hammer Strike, Heavy Barrier]

[Description: Evolved from Pangolin, its entire body is covered in hardened skin and sharp protrusions, giving it both superior defense and destructive power. Although a herbivorous Digimon, it is brave and fearless.]

At this moment, Zhao Lu's Gear Beast X's performance can only be described as mediocre.

Its [Ultra-High Voltage Lightning Ball] was easily blocked by the Armored Beast's [Heavy Barrier]; the cutting attack of the [Gear Saw] was flexible, but it was difficult to penetrate the opponent's thick armor; the assault of the [Exploding Drill] was also anticipated by the Armored Beast and was smashed away by the [Powerful Charge].

On the command platform, Zhao Lu frowned, but her eyes were somewhat unfocused, clearly indicating that her mind was not entirely on the battle.

The scene from a month ago kept replaying uncontrollably in her mind:

The Netherworld Rift erupted, and the Ghost Legion raged. Cheng Yuan, leading Gatomon, resolutely charged into the hastily assembled pioneering team and stepped into the all-consuming rift...

She was outside the rift and witnessed Cheng Yuan being swept away by the dimensional turbulence.

Then Xu Xin led the real pioneering team to arrive, repelled the ghost legion, blocked the news, and signed a confidentiality agreement...

Cheng Yuan seemed to have vanished into thin air.

If he were here, he'd definitely be in the audience, maybe even wandering over to the conductor's platform, analyzing the examiners' weaknesses in his cheeky tone, offering advice, and perhaps even coming up with some underhanded tricks to help everyone get better scores...

Thinking of this, Zhao Lu couldn't help but sigh softly, her thoughts like a kite with a broken string, impossible to retrieve.

Lacking effective command, Gear Beast X was immediately put on the defensive, suppressed by Armored Beast's tail hammer and forced to retreat step by step, on the verge of failing the assessment.

"Hey! Zhao Lu! What are you daydreaming about? Concentrate!"

Zhao Lu felt as if she heard Cheng Yuan's familiar voice that made her heart stop. Was she hallucinating again? This had happened quite often this month.

"Use an electromagnetic railgun to take it down! It's such a huge target!"

Is this not a hallucination? Zhao Lu looked in astonishment toward the source of the voice, and there sat Cheng Yuan in the audience.

"You...you're back?!" Zhao Lu's astonishment and disbelief were instantly overwhelmed by immense joy. Her voice rose with excitement, even trembling slightly.

Her sudden action and shout to the audience startled both the bewildered audience members and the examiners on stage, who all turned their attention to Cheng Yuan.

Cheng Yuan didn't care at all. He just nodded toward the battle platform with an encouraging smile on his face: "Yes, I'm back."

At that moment, it was as if the gloom that had been hanging over Zhao Lu's heart had been instantly dispelled, and the bright sunshine filled the whole world!

An immense joy and an indescribable excitement surged through her body like an electric current, revitalizing her heart, which had been dormant for a month due to worry!

This intense emotion, like the most fervent catalyst, instantly ignited the bond between her and her partner Digimon!

In the virtual digital space battlefield, Gear Beast X, which was being suppressed to the brink of defeat, seemed to sense the emotional call of its partner. The golden arcs of electricity were no longer wisps, but under the catalysis of its partner's ecstatic and excited emotions, they instantly enveloped its entire body like a surging torrent of lightning!

Chapter 152 Unleashing Potential! The Five-in-One Gear Beast!

In the virtual digital space battlefield, Gear Beast X, which was originally in a state of retreat, suddenly felt as if a dormant volcano within its body had been ignited!

At its core, the X-shaped red stripe burst forth with dazzling light, unleashing a torrent of data far exceeding that of a normal growth period, surging out like a burst dam!

"Snap! Snap! Snap!"

A sickening metallic scraping and reassembly sound rang out! To everyone's astonishment, the two small Gear Beasts that were originally tightly meshed on either side of Gear Beast X instantly multiplied into two brand new small Gear Beasts, just like cell division!

Four small gear-like beasts spun rapidly around the core, emitting a high-frequency buzzing sound, shimmering with silver light, and their energy fluctuations steadily increased!

"What's going on?!"

Is this about to evolve?

"No way! The energy level is still in its growth stage, but the data volume has increased ridiculously!"

The audience and examiners' seats erupted in chaos. This kind of transformation was unprecedented!

A barely perceptible blue glint flashed in Cheng Yuan's eyes, and the system's scan results were instantly displayed:

[Wealth Points -100]

【Gear Beast X】

[Data Seed - Mechanical Type]

[Growth Period]

[Status: Due to the surge in data volume, the core gear continues to split into smaller gear beasts, and these smaller gears are beginning to develop independent consciousness.]