"What?!!! Th-Three-Eyed People are aliens too?!" Bulma, in Lin Chuan's arms, was the first to cry out. She had even forgotten to wriggle free of his hold.
"This... First Goku, then Piccolo and Lord Kami, and now Tien Shinhan..." Krillin was completely dumbfounded.
He was starting to wonder if he was a member of the No-Nose People.
Unlike ordinary Earthlings, he had no nose, yet he could still live just like anyone else.
And what about Chiaotzu? Was he an alien too? His appearance was similar, but his skin certainly wasn't...
To be honest, if he'd heard this from anyone else, he wouldn't have believed it.
But since Lin Chuan was the one saying it, he had no choice but to believe him.
After all, Lin Chuan was incredibly powerful and knew a great deal about aliens. Naturally, he knew far more than they did.
It wasn't just Krillin. Everyone looked at Tien Shinhan in disbelief.
Who could have guessed that Tien Shinhan, whose appearance was closest to that of an Earthling, apart from having one extra eye, was an alien just like Goku?
"I should have realized it sooner! Tien Shinhan really is different from ordinary Earthlings. Earthlings shouldn't be able to grow a third eye. Even if there were some chance of a mutation, there's no way three eyes could be trained to the level Tien Shinhan's are..." Kami Piccolo spoke, but didn't say much more.
It was just a clever-sounding remark. If he'd actually suspected anything, that would be another matter.
"Three-Eyed People... Three-Eyed People... I never expected that I was an alien too!" Tien Shinhan's whole worldview had been shaken.
He had never once doubted that he was an Earthling.
And yet today, the Saiyan before him had revealed his true identity.
"Whether Tien's an alien or not, in Chiaotzu's heart, Tien Shinhan is just Tien Shinhan." Chiaotzu tried to soothe Tien Shinhan's unsettled feelings.
Hearing those words from the person who mattered most to him, Tien Shinhan took a deep breath and quickly pulled himself together.
He accepted it.
He came to terms with the truth as quickly as he could, then smiled at Chiaotzu.
Just as Chiaotzu had said, so what if he was one of the Three-Eyed People?
He loved Earth! Earth was his home! He was an Earthling!
There was nothing wrong with Tien Shinhan thinking that way. He was a hybrid, after all, with half Earthling blood.
"Looks like I've exposed someone else's identity without even realizing it! But you're not a pure-blooded member of the Three-Eyed People. You're probably a hybrid born of a Three-Eyed person and an Earthling, right? Otherwise, your ki wouldn't feel so much like an Earthling's." As he spoke, Lin Chuan looked toward Son Gohan. "Just like little Gohan here. His ki carries the feel of an Earthling because he has Earthling blood."
He explained Tien Shinhan's situation in the simplest terms.
"I see. Thank you for telling me." Tien Shinhan thanked Lin Chuan for the information.
He suddenly felt that the Saiyan before him wasn't evil or frightening after all.
Though Lin Chuan had just unleashed his ki to put them under pressure, he hadn't actually attacked.
It made sense, given the circumstances. If an alien had shown him murderous intent, he wouldn't have let it go so easily either, assuming he was strong enough.
Tien Shinhan looked at Yamcha.
He knew his friend had shown hostility toward Lin Chuan because of Bulma.
But he wasn't one to ignore right and wrong. As Bulma had said earlier, she and Yamcha had already broken up.
If they'd broken up, then Yamcha had no right to take issue with Lin Chuan holding Bulma, let alone question him with murderous intent.
Tien Shinhan had never dealt with this sort of situation before, so he didn't know what to say.
After all, he knew nothing about romantic relationships between men and women.
The focus shifted back to Yamcha.
Only then did Bulma realize that Lin Chuan still had an arm around her waist.
She immediately slipped out of his embrace, though the blush on her cheeks wouldn't fade anytime soon.
Lin Chuan didn't mind.
He had achieved what he'd wanted, for both himself and Bulma.
"Forget it. There's no need to take things this far." Seeing Yamcha struggling under Lin Chuan's pressure, Bulma suddenly felt sorry for him.
After all, she and Yamcha had been together for years.
Yamcha might have spent all his time chasing women and flirting around, but even without romantic feelings between them anymore, they were still longtime companions.
She had wanted to let off some steam, but hadn't expected things to go this far.
She'd have to think carefully about it from now on: were she and Yamcha really right for each other?
Yamcha's actions had indeed been as disappointing as Lin Chuan had said.
If Yamcha had been willing to fight Lin Chuan for her this time, if he'd so much as taken a step forward or said a single word, she would have forgiven him one more time.
But just as Lin Chuan had said, Yamcha hadn't put her first.
"As you wish. But let me make this clear: if you ever deliberately direct murderous intent at me again, I won't pretend nothing happened!" Lin Chuan's gaze sharpened.
He had his limits too!
This time, he'd admit that he'd had ulterior motives and had been far too brazen in making his move.
But they'd already broken up, whether or not it was official, and they'd been apart for a long time.
That was the truth, so he hadn't really stolen her away! He'd only seized the opportunity!
Under Lin Chuan's fixed gaze, Yamcha trembled from head to toe, drenched in sweat.
He really had found the courage just now to win Bulma's heart back.
But when he met Lin Chuan's gaze, he lost his nerve...
Now that he thought back on everything he'd done over the years, he began to regret it.
If only he'd known this would happen, he shouldn't have merely passed by Bulma's house the other day. He should have swallowed his stupid pride, gone inside, explained himself, and promised not to fool around again.
Now it was too late.
It was because he couldn't get what he wanted in that regard that he'd gone looking for other women...
Their eyes met, and Bulma turned away, no longer looking at Yamcha.
Yamcha could only avert his gaze and focus his attention elsewhere.
He couldn't show how displeased he was, or let his hatred of Lin Chuan show.
His mind full of petty schemes, he started plotting, telling himself there was plenty of time and that he'd eventually get Bulma to change her mind.
He never imagined that he'd never get another chance.
Passing Yamcha and everyone else, Lin Chuan walked over to Son Gohan.
He'd returned to Kami's Lookout partly to see Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha, but his real purpose was to take Gohan with him. He didn't intend to waste any more time.
After talking for a while, Son Gohan didn't seem to mind him. On the contrary, the clever little boy had called him Uncle Lin Chuan, making Lin Chuan feel too embarrassed to leave him behind.
If Son Gohan was willing, how could the others stop him?
Even though Son Gohan was still young, his father had entrusted him to Lin Chuan.
And with Lin Chuan's strength, they couldn't stop him even if they wanted to.
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