He had heard what Raditz said and watched the entire argument unfold.
Lin Chuan, who had been enjoying the show the whole time, smiled.
He'd achieved his goal, so there was no need to keep holding back anymore.
When it came down to it, the three of them were still hung up on the 18,000 Combat Power.
Once they reached the right level of strength, 18,000 wouldn't be anything special.
Lin Chuan didn't answer right away, and all four of them turned to look at him—including the timid four-year-old Son Gohan.
Seeing how calm Lin Chuan was, Raditz, who had wanted him to explain things, was suddenly at a loss.
He wondered if Lin Chuan had the same idea as Kakarot.
He thought that was completely unrealistic.
"Hey, hey! Say something! They might not know, but you've got 5,000 Combat Power. Surely you know how terrifying 18,000 is?"
"Even if you're pretty capable, you must still be afraid of Vegeta, right?!"
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have destroyed your Scouter on your own."
Raditz pleaded passionately, as if he wanted Lin Chuan to take his side.
Clearly, as far as Raditz was concerned, Earth was bound to be destroyed in a year. If they stayed, they'd all be done for.
And that was what had Raditz so worried now.
The spaceship had been destroyed by Kakarot's son.
That meant he had no way to leave Earth!
Even if Lin Chuan still had his spaceship, it was probably a single-seat model.
"How should I put this?"
The words reached Lin Chuan's lips as his thoughts turned over and over.
He looked at Raditz, then at Son Goku, Piccolo, and Son Gohan.
Then Lin Chuan took a few steps to the side.
As he walked, Lin Chuan began to speak. "Raditz is right about one thing: 18,000 Combat Power isn't as simple as you think, and it's not easy to surpass!"
"Honestly, for you, even reaching 10,000 in the short term is out of the question. You couldn't easily surpass Nappa, who only has 4,000 Combat Power, either."
"A year is both a long time and a short one! You need to find a way to maximize your strength in the time you have. But in my estimation, even if you work hard, with ordinary training methods, you'll only be able to match Nappa at best... Unless you can discover a far more extraordinary way to train."
At that, Lin Chuan turned to face the four of them.
After hearing Lin Chuan's words, Son Goku and Piccolo took stock of the situation.
They knew it themselves. Reaching 10,000 Combat Power, let alone surpassing 18,000, was nothing but a pipe dream.
But they wouldn't give up. After all, who could know the outcome without trying?
Raditz lifted his chin arrogantly, about to give Kakarot and Piccolo a piece of his mind, but Lin Chuan didn't give him the chance.
Lin Chuan continued, "Of course, to you, even 18,000 Combat Power is nothing compared to Nappa's 4,000. He's already an utterly terrifying opponent."
"But to me, is 18,000 Combat Power really that impressive?" Lin Chuan's teasing words were accompanied by a narrowing of his eyes. The inscrutable expression on his face left everyone stunned.
Raditz, in particular, had no idea what Lin Chuan meant.
"Wait, are you saying your Combat Power is over 5,000? You... Can you control your Combat Power too?"
Raditz's mouth fell open, and he could barely hide the fear on his face.
Without hesitation, Lin Chuan took off the Scouter he was wearing and tossed it to Raditz.
"This thing can indeed measure someone's Combat Power. But numbers are fixed, and people aren't! Once you learn to control your strength and change your ki, this thing becomes useless."
"From the start, I only raised my ki a little, letting you see a Combat Power of 5,000."
As he spoke, Lin Chuan's lips curled into a wicked smile. His confident, imposing air shocked everyone.
Raditz stared at Lin Chuan, eyes wide.
Son Goku and Piccolo drew sharp breaths, struggling to contain their shock.
[So 5,000 isn't even his full Combat Power?! Just how strong is this guy?]
[From the way he talks, and how little he thinks of 18,000 Combat Power, he might even be stronger than that!]
Piccolo speculated silently.
He was beginning to realize that Lin Chuan's true strength was far beyond anything they could imagine.
Perhaps even the so-called Vegeta was no match for him.
Otherwise, knowing that an enemy was coming in a year, and that they were outmatched, Lin Chuan would at least have shown some anxiety.
"S-so you really have the strength to hold Vegeta off?" Son Goku asked, his voice trembling with hope.
If that was true, then Earth's crisis could be resolved.
Honestly, everything he'd seen today had opened his eyes.
His feelings were so tangled that he couldn't begin to count them.
He was awash in conflicting emotions, unable to put them into words.
"No!! I don't believe it!!! No matter how strong you are, you can't possibly be stronger than Vegeta!"
"If you're so sure you're stronger than Vegeta, why were you afraid he'd hear about the Dragon Balls and destroy my Scouter?"
Raditz's expression shifted again and again as he stared at Lin Chuan.
Before he knew it, a peculiar fear had crept into his heart.
"I never said I was afraid of Vegeta and the others hearing the news and coming to Earth. I only said that their coming here was probably unavoidable."
"Raditz! You're a smart man, so you should know that if Vegeta can eavesdrop through your Scouter, then Frieza's people could be listening in on your Scouters too!"
"Unlike the Scouter I gave you, your Scouters are probably linked to each other, aren't they?"
Having given Raditz a warning, Lin Chuan said no more.
"Y-you mean... Gah...!" Raditz felt as if he'd plunged into an icy abyss, and his body began to tremble.
If Lin Chuan's prediction was right, then their every move was being monitored.
If Frieza really learned about the Dragon Balls, things would take a very different turn.
The Saiyans—even Vegeta, with his 18,000 Combat Power—could only bow and scrape before Frieza.
Raditz was relieved, grateful that Lin Chuan had realized what was going on right away.
He didn't know—and not even Lin Chuan knew—that the information had already been sent, and Frieza was already on his way to Earth.
However, according to the course of events, Frieza would never make it to Earth.
By then, information gathered by Vegeta on Earth would lead Frieza to learn that the Dragon Balls had been created by the Namekians, so he would change course along the way and head for Planet Namek instead.
Before you continue