Chapter 124: My Brother Du Sheng Has the Makings of a National Champion (Fourth Installment)

The cafeteria was deathly silent. Neither the crowd gathered inside nor those who had swarmed in from outside said a word. Dozens of eyes were locked onto Greymon and Leomon.

No one had expected Leomon, who had always been accustomed to acting with arrogance, to suffer such a crushing defeat—least of all the regulars in the cafeteria. They had witnessed the entire encounter from start to finish. If Greymon had won a hard-fought battle, they wouldn't have been so shocked. But the truth was that Leomon had been completely and utterly dominated. From the moment Greymon appeared to the moment Leomon was brought to his knees, less than a minute had passed.

"Leomon!"

Du Zhongping’s voice rang out through the cafeteria, snapping everyone back to reality.

"Clack, clack."

Before Du could make a move, Gatomon, acting on Zhao Jie’s signal, blocked his path.

"Greymon, bring him over here," Zhao Jie said, sparing a glance at Du before turning his attention to his Digimon.

With a heavy thud, Greymon strode over to Leomon. He grabbed the beast with his powerful, muscular arms and dragged him, unresisting and humiliated, toward where Zhao Jie stood.

*What is he doing?* The question hung in the air, but the answer soon became clear. Zhao Jie walked unhurriedly toward the person responsible for distributing the Digimon food.

"Y-you, what are you doing?" the distributor stammered, his face turning pale. Although he was a Tamer, his Digimon stood no chance if Greymon could dismantle Du Zhongping’s Leomon so easily.

Zhao Jie ignored him and looked down at the Leomon being held in place by Greymon.

"Since you like cutting in line to get food so much, I’ll indulge you today. You’re going to eat all of this food. If you finish it, I’ll let this matter go."

Zhao Jie did not lower his voice; those standing nearby heard him clearly.

*Gulp.*

The pile of food was substantial. If Leomon were forced to eat it all, he would likely be half-dead by the end. The onlookers turned their eyes to Du Zhongping, curious to see how he would handle a situation that had spiraled so far beyond his control.

"Don't push your luck!"

Du Zhongping’s already grim expression twisted into a mask of pure malice. "If you know what’s good for you, let Leomon go. Otherwise, I promise you’ll regret this. Believe me, freshman—I’m not joking."

As soon as he finished speaking, voices of "advice" began to ripple through the cafeteria.

"Hey, come on, we’re all classmates. His older brother is a reserve member of the school team and has mastered Super Evolution. Maybe just let it go?"

"Yeah, that’s right. It’s not a big deal. You’ve already taught him a lesson. If you keep pushing, his brother’s Leomon—no, his *WhiteLeomon*—will show up. That’s an Ultimate-level Digimon."

The crowd continued to whisper, inadvertently revealing Du Zhongping’s greatest source of confidence to Zhao Jie. *So, he has someone backing him. No wonder he’s so arrogant,* Zhao Jie thought. A flash of realization crossed his face, but his expression remained indifferent as he continued to look down at the groveling Leomon.

"What? Not eating? Do you need me to feed you myself, Leomon?"

A collective gasp went through the room. The cafeteria fell silent once more. Was this guy fearless, or just plain ignorant? Even after being warned about Du Zhongping’s brother, he was still forcing the issue.

Du Zhongping had initially breathed a sigh of relief, assuming that any rational freshman would back down upon hearing about an Ultimate-level Digimon. Zhao Jie’s words shattered that expectation.

"You really don't care about my brother at all, do you?" Du spat, his voice trembling with fury.

"Hey, we’re talking about us. Why are you dragging your brother into this? Though, if you insist on bringing him up, that’s fine by me," Zhao Jie replied calmly. "Today, your Leomon is going to eat this food, no matter what!"

Zhao Jie signaled, and Greymon shoved the food toward Leomon.

"Eat!"

The cold command made Leomon shiver. Under Greymon’s crushing suppression, he couldn't muster an ounce of strength and could only look toward his master with desperate eyes.

"Looking at him won't help. I told you to eat!"

As Zhao Jie spoke, Greymon grabbed a handful of the Digimon food and forced it into Leomon’s mouth.

"Cough! Cough!"

Leomon choked, his entire body trembling violently as he struggled against the forced feeding.

"You! You!" Du Zhongping watched the scene, his rage burning white-hot. He wanted to rush forward for a physical confrontation, but Gatomon’s gaze was sharp and predatory. He didn't doubt for a second that if he took one wrong step, the cat-like Digimon would strike.

"Classmate, don't be so angry! It’s just some food for a Leomon who loves to cut in line. I’m feeling generous—I won't even charge you a service fee."

The words sounded familiar. When the crowd thought about it, it was exactly the same sentiment Du Zhongping had expressed earlier. This guy was truly one to hold a grudge.

"He’s here! Du Sheng is coming with his Leomon!"

"He’s here to back up his brother!"

"That freshman is finished."

"It’s too late now. Du Sheng has arrived."

All eyes shifted to the entrance. There stood a Leomon with golden fur, and beside him, a young man with a dark, brooding expression. This was Du Sheng, Du Zhongping’s older brother and a member of the Xiang University team. While only a reserve, rumors suggested he was on the path to becoming a full starter this year.

"Brother!" Du Zhongping cried out in anguish. "Brother, you have to stand up for me! This guy is bullying me and my Leomon!"

It was the classic case of the guilty party playing the victim. The crowd curled their lips in disgust—everyone knew exactly what kind of person Du Zhongping was. He was the one who usually did the bullying, never the other way around.

"You’re dead, kid," Du Zhongping sneered at Zhao Jie, his confidence surging back to life now that his brother had arrived. "My brother, Du Sheng, has the potential of a national champion! If you’re smart, you’ll get down on your knees and apologize right now!"