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

As agreed with Zhou Mo, he had to bring his little dog beast to the Evolution Research Institute for inspection every weekend.

So he went out early this Saturday morning and arrived at Pengcheng Evolution Research Institute.

He sent a message to Zhou Mo and quickly received a reply: "There's an urgent meeting. Please wait in my office. I've already informed the receptionist."

Wearing the mask given to him by the receptionist, Cheng Yuan easily made his way to Zhou Mo's office.

As he pushed open the door, a blast of cold air hit him, making him shiver.

"Is this woman using the air conditioner as a refrigerator?" Cheng Yuan muttered, his gaze falling on a gray overcoat hanging on the coat rack.

"I'll borrow it to wear for now."

After putting on the overcoat, Cheng Yuan felt much warmer.

The little dog had already jumped onto the desk, curled up in a ball, and started catching up on sleep.

Watching the little guy quickly blow bubbles through its nose, Cheng Yuan couldn't help but poke its pink nose, which earned him a dissatisfied "woof".

"Okay, okay, I won't bother you anymore." Cheng Yuan smiled and withdrew his hand, deciding to take a stroll while waiting.

The corridor was quiet, save for the occasional hurried footsteps of passing researchers.

With his hands behind his back, Cheng Yuan strolled leisurely like an old cadre, and unknowingly arrived at the laboratory area where he had been inspected last time.

Pushing open one of the doors, he saw three researchers with dark circles under their eyes, busily working around a sophisticated instrument. In the center of the laboratory, in a nutrient tank, lay a sleeping goblin beast, also known as a savage beast.

"We've been working on this for several nights, but still no results," one of them said dejectedly. "No one has ever seen the juvenile form of these Wildman Beasts. Even when exploring the Wildman Valley in the Digital Space of Nanshan District, no one has found a Wildman Beast's Digi-egg or juvenile form. This is why these Digi-beasts have not yet been tamed and become a tamer's Digi-beast partner."

"Even using the latest imported digital egg extraction and replication technology, we were still unable to replicate its digital egg." The three researchers couldn't help but feel frustrated.

"I'm busy." Cheng Yuan greeted him subconsciously, his hands behind his back.

The three of them looked up at the same time and saw a person in a gray coat standing at the door. They couldn't figure out where he came from.

"It's good to be busy, it's good to be busy... The research institute can't do without you pillars of strength."

Cheng Yuan walked in with his hands behind his back and looked at the device that contained the digital eggs.

"Who are you...?"

Cheng Yuan didn't answer directly, but instead moved closer to examine the strange device. The groove in the middle was clearly meant to hold the digital egg, but it was empty at the moment.

"Is it an experiment?" Cheng Yuan asked in a deep voice.

"Yes," one person hurriedly replied, thinking it was a high-ranking official from the research institute. Seeing his interest in the experiment, they immediately explained, "Our group is researching the breeding of Wildman Digimon. No one has ever seen their baby form or their Digi-eggs, making them impossible to tame..."

Cheng Yuan understood; they were researching how to obtain the digital egg of the Savage Beast.

This is indeed an interesting topic. In the previous world, neither the animation nor the official sources have given a clear explanation, so it has always been a mystery.

There have been some leaked "scrap" settings related to goblin legends and habits, but the official sources have not acknowledged them because they are not suitable for children.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad." He nodded. "But sometimes you don't have to lay eggs yourself; it's possible to use someone else to lay eggs." Cheng Yuan casually remarked, recalling the nature of goblins in Western legends from his previous life.

"Using a hen to lay eggs?" The three exclaimed in unison, stunned as if struck by lightning.

Cheng Yuan was startled by their reaction and quickly tried to smooth things over: "You stayed up all night, didn't you? You need to sleep, otherwise you'll be exhausted. Get some rest!"

After saying that, he left with his hands behind his back, followed by excited discussions.

"Please take care, Director." A researcher called out respectfully. The other person's words had made them realize the limitations of their research direction. He must be an academic giant!

Cheng Yuan, who was walking, stumbled and almost fell. Director? When did he become a director?

To avoid the embarrassment of being recognized, he returned to Zhou Mo's office and quickly took off his gray coat and hung it back in its original place.

The group watched as the leader in the gray lab coat left and entered an office not far away. It was Ms. Zhou Mo's office. Gray lab coats were only worn by senior executives in the laboratory. And since he entered Ms. Zhou Mo's office, could it be "him"?

"Using someone else's resources to achieve your goals!"

Academician Zhou is truly my mentor for life.

Then the group immediately threw themselves back into their research with renewed enthusiasm.

Just as she settled down, the office door was pushed open. Zhou Mo walked in, wearing a spotless white lab coat, her ponytail swaying gently with her steps.

"Have you been waiting long?" she asked, her gaze falling on the sleeping puppy on the table. "The little guy is sleeping so soundly."

The inspection went smoothly, and Zhou Mo looked at the data on the energy graph.

"Did you feed the puppy hormones?" she exclaimed, her eyes wide. "This growth rate is outrageous!"

"The puppy has great potential, the resources are in place, and the school has found experts to help guide its special training..."

Zhou Mo carefully recorded all the data. After the inspection, Cheng Yuan expressed his concern: "If the dark attribute surpasses the holy and light attributes, what if...?"

"Don't worry too much," Zhou Mo comforted her. "Didn't we talk about last week? Over a year ago, a Digimon was also corrupted by dark energy and was at risk of going berserk, but it survived. Now it's incredibly powerful, so there's no need to be overly alarmed by dark energy. This tamer is my father's research subject and project; I can introduce you if you need to."

"Your dad?"

"Yeah, my dad works at this research institute too. He's been working like a dog for ages."

Cheng Yuan then realized that her father was also a digital research expert; they came from a family of researchers!

After completing his weekly check-in task at the Evolution Research Institute, Cheng Yuan rushed off to his next destination.

Looking at the address Xu Xin had given him at the Dragon Clan Digital Club, and staring at the large, gilded characters on the building, a wave of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur) washed over him.

As one of the top beast tamer clubs in the country, Dragon Club is renowned for its expertise in training dragon-type Digimon.

Although the branch office can't compare to the headquarters in terms of grandeur, it's still one of the top branches in Pengcheng. After all, in this world, dragon-type Digimon mean stronger physiques and more abundant energy—simply put, they're better at fighting.

This place provides club members with training facilities and equipment, as well as battlefields, sparring partners, and private coaches.

All Cheng Yuan had to do was complete the sparring assignments given to him by the club. Of course, the club wouldn't choose clients with a significant skill gap for him to spar with; his partners were rookies like himself who had just become trainee animal trainers.

Pushing open the revolving door, Cheng Yuan was instantly stunned by the sight before him.

In the high-ceilinged hall, crystal chandeliers reflected dazzling light, and the floor tiles were inlaid with huge dragon-shaped Digimon totems.

In the relaxation area on the left, several animal trainers dressed in custom-made training uniforms are enjoying tea and chatting; in the training ground on the right, all kinds of high-end training equipment are readily available.

Through the glass wall, Cheng Yuan saw a dragon-shaped Digimon testing its strength; the value "299kg" was particularly eye-catching on the display screen.

"Hello, is Manager Lin Ge here? I'm Cheng Yuan, I have an appointment." Cheng Yuan walked to the front desk and said to a pretty receptionist.

"Please wait a moment." The receptionist maintained a professional smile, her fingers tapping lightly on the keyboard.

Meanwhile, in the VIP reception room, Lin Ge was entertaining a special pair of guests. The middle-aged manager, with his meticulously combed slicked-back hair, was currently pouring tea for the portly father and son opposite him.

"Old Lin, don't praise him too much." The fat middle-aged man took a sip of tea and laughed loudly. "I know my son's level. I brought him here today to let him see what a real animal trainer is like."

As he spoke, he slapped his dozing son on the back of the head without any hesitation: "You son of a bitch! What are you daydreaming about! Uncle Lin is talking to you!"

The chubby boy woke up with a start, drool still dripping from his mouth: "Dad, what are you doing! I was listening to Yun Yao's 'Butterfly'! My pangolin's evolution depends on it!"

"What Yun Yao? You're a beast tamer now, why are you still chasing stars?!" The middle-aged man smacked him on the head again.

Although the family has some savings from their business, it would be truly prestigious to train an animal trainer.

It's a pity about this good-for-nothing son...

The chubby boy, still defiant, stuck out his neck and pulled out his phone with Yun Yao's picture on the back, waving it around: "This song, 'Butterfly,' can increase Digimon attributes and speed up Pangolin's growth. You didn't even know that? What a country bumpkin..."

"Me! What beast tamer? Believe me or not, I'll cripple you right now!"

Lin Ge smoothed things over, saying, "What a coincidence, our sparring partner has arrived, and this sparring partner is also a new animal trainer. Why don't we let your son spar with him? This will help us tailor a more suitable course for your son."

"A newcomer?" the obese middle-aged man said. "No, no, we need to find someone more capable to broaden this fatso's horizons."

"Don't you know how strong our club is? And the difference is even more apparent when playing with people of the same age." Just then, the receptionist came in and reported in a low voice. Lin Ge's eyes lit up: "Speak of the devil, and he appears! The sparring partners are here. Shall we arrange a match now?"

The chubby boy took off his headphones and stood up eagerly: "Perfect timing! He'll be the stepping stone for my pangolin evolution!"

On the other side, Cheng Yuan was following the staff through the corridor. Through the glass wall, he saw all kinds of training grounds and high-end equipment, and couldn't help but marvel: How much would the maintenance cost be? Sure enough, you really can't play the animal trainer's game without money.

So it seems the rich rely on technology, while the poor rely on mutations?

"Are you Cheng Yuan?" Lin Ge asked.

Cheng Yuan turned around and saw a middle-aged man in a sharp suit walking towards him.

"I am Lin Ge." After a brief self-introduction, the man got straight to the point. "Since you were recommended by Xu Xin, your skills should be quite good. However, we can't break the rules; we need to have a match first."

He pointed to the chubby boy not far away: "Your opponent is him. If you win 2000, you stay; if you lose 1000, you don't need to come tomorrow. Any questions?"

Cheng Yuan was taken aback: "Wait, the reward is higher if we win? We don't have to pretend to go easy on them?"

"What kind of act are they putting on?" Lin Ge scoffed. "If these young masters really thought they were so great, why would they even sign up for the club's training program!"

Cheng Yuan blinked, speechless. This logic... actually makes a lot of sense?