Chapter 99: It Looks Just Like a Dog

A warm, moist sensation radiated from its head into the depths of Black Greymon’s heart.

So, this is what warmth feels like? It truly is unforgettable.

If only... if only the person before it hadn't mentioned that Agumon, how wonderful that would have been!

Black Greymon looked at Zhao Jie, who stared back with equal intensity. After a few ragged breaths, Black Greymon slowly retreated with a lingering sense of attachment. As Zhao Jie’s hand slid away from its head, his heart sank. Once he realized this Black Greymon possessed self-awareness, his greatest fear was for Agumon. The fact that the creature was retreating confirmed its high level of intelligence. But what of Agumon, who shared this same body? Had his consciousness been devoured by this new entity?

"Tell me, what happened to Agumon!"

Zhao Jie lunged to his feet, his eyes burning with fury as he stared at the retreating beast. For every step Black Greymon took backward, Zhao Jie took one forward, appearing as if he were driving the creature away.

"Kill him! Kill him! Black Greymon, what are you waiting for? End him!"

Zhou Jie watched in disbelief. He could not fathom why a creature of such power would cower before a defenseless human. He shrieked in hysterical frustration.

"Shut up!" Zhao Jie snapped without turning his head, his gaze locked firmly on the beast.

Thump. Thump.

Black Greymon shook its head, its pace quickening. It felt a profound sense of inferiority; under the heat of Zhao Jie’s angry glare, it found even the act of breathing difficult.

*Why? Why? Why!*

Deep within its psyche—in a place where no one else could reach—the soul of Black Greymon was on the verge of collapse. Why did this man look at it with such eyes? Why couldn't he accept it? Why was it born? And why must it endure all of this?

Questions roared in its mind like a tempestuous sea, shattering its composure. The dark energy of Apocalymon continued to surge into its body, and under this dual pressure, its sanity blurred. A sense of absolute, destructive dominance began to coil in the depths of its heart, like a malevolent dragon at the bottom of a well, ready to unleash carnage the moment it emerged.

"ROAR!"

With another thunderous cry, the Black Greymon suddenly stopped retreating. Its eyes flickered with exhaustion and confusion, before it accelerated and lunged toward Zhao Jie.

"Yes! Crush him! Trample him!" Zhou Jie grew ecstatic. The beast’s erratic behavior had unnerved him, and he knew it was triggered by Zhao Jie. If Zhao Jie died, everything would return to his desired path.

Boom!

Black Greymon streaked past Zhao Jie, its massive body crashing toward Angewomon. Without slowing, it smashed through the laboratory walls as if they were soft tofu, disappearing into the distance.

"It looks just like a stray dog," Angewomon murmured, watching it vanish. In her memory, the image of this Greymon overlapped with a Growlithe she had once seen. Growlithe were diligent, gentle, and kind, but they possessed a fatal flaw: extreme patience. They would endure endless attacks from other Digimon, often bullied even by those in their rookie stage, never retaliating until pushed to the absolute brink. She still remembered how that particular Growlithe had slowly torn a champion-level WereGarurumon to pieces before evolving directly into a Hellhound, skipping its champion form entirely.

Black Greymon’s retreating figure looked just as wretched as that cornered Growlithe.

"Why?!" Zhou Jie clutched his head, his face twisted in rage. Why wouldn't it strike Zhao Jie? This was the second time! If once was a coincidence, twice was impossible. "What trick did you use on it?" he glared at Zhao Jie. This was his masterpiece!

In his script, the Black Greymon should have destroyed everything before him and, fueled by dark energy, evolved into the ultimate form: Black SkullGreymon. Everything had started according to plan, but now it was veering off course. He didn't know what madness had taken hold of the beast. He only wanted to create his art. Why did these accidents keep happening?

Zhao Jie looked at Zhou Jie, feeling a hatred he had never known before. Before arriving, he had hoped this man would heal Agumon, but it was all a calculated, malicious conspiracy. A persecution without reason—or rather, a reason born of greed, because Agumon had evolved into Greymon, catching the eye of this madman.

"Angewomon, kill him!"

The cold order left Zhao Jie’s lips. He wanted nothing more than to tear Zhou Jie apart to vent his rage.

"Swish!"

Hearing the command, Angewomon pulled her gaze from the vanished beast and focused on Zhao Jie. She could feel the violent emotional fluctuations of her partner. The Celestial Arrow materialized in her hands; she drew the bow, and a golden arrow manifested on the string.

"Celestial Arrow!"

Whoosh! A bolt of golden lightning tore through the air, appearing before Zhou Jie in a heartbeat. Zhou Jie looked at the arrow with a mocking smirk. He did not fear death.

"Gah!"

At the critical moment, the little Ravenmon threw itself in front of Zhou Jie, taking the hit.

Bang!

The arrow obliterated the creature's chest, and it collapsed in a heap before Zhou Jie.