Early in the morning, sunlight spilled across the beach at Turtle Hermit's House, and the shimmering sea looked as though it were studded with countless tiny diamonds. Zhou Zilong stood on the beach and took a deep breath of the fresh sea air. The night before, he had mastered the Kamehameha, learning to control its release and draw it back at will. Now he was ready to set out on his journey and wipe out the evil force known as the Predator Mercenary Group.
Zhou Zilong pulled a delicate little bottle from his pocket, pressed the button on top, and tossed it away.
With a "pong," a fighter jet resembling a Saab JAS 39 Gripen appeared on the beach. He had modified it based on a fighter from his original world. It was not only highly maneuverable but also equipped with an advanced weapons system.
"Whoa! Zilong, that plane of yours is so cool!" Master Roshi came out of the house, saw the fighter jet, and couldn't help exclaiming in admiration.
"Master, if you like it, I'll build one for you after I deal with the Viba Legion," Zhou Zilong replied with a smile. He knew that although Master Roshi was a formidable martial artist, deep down he was still like a child, always curious about new things.
"Haha, there's no need for a plane. I wouldn't have much use for one. But if you could make me some fun gadgets, I wouldn't mind having a few," Master Roshi said, stroking his chin, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"Sure! Once I've dealt with the Viba Legion, I'll make you some fun things!" Zhou Zilong promised confidently.
With that, Zhou Zilong climbed into the fighter jet he had built. He deftly pressed a few buttons, and the jet started up at once, its engine roaring with a deep, powerful rumble. At his controls, it slowly lifted off. Once it reached a certain height, it shot away like an arrow loosed from a bow, kicking up a spray of seawater.
As he flew, Zhou Zilong placed the mysterious object the Viba Legion had given him on a device. It was a special decoder he had made, capable of cracking all kinds of complex information and codes.
It didn't take long for the device to display a precise set of coordinates. Zhou Zilong immediately adjusted his course and flew toward them.
As Zhou Zilong headed toward the Predator Mercenary Group, he flew over a place where, inside a huge building, a dog-like fellow dressed in a purple ninja outfit said to a short figure with blue skin and a small round hat, "King Pilaf, I just saw a really cool plane fly over us!"
If Zhou Zilong had been there, he would have recognized them immediately. After all, those fellows had crossed paths with Young Goku several times in the first Dragon Ball series.
Pilaf replied to the dog-like fellow, "Oh? Shu, did you get a picture of that plane?"
Shu answered at once, "Yes. I had Mai take a picture of it!"
"Good. I'll go take a look at the plane right now," Pilaf said. "If it's possible, we'll build one for ourselves and use it to conquer the world!"
Meanwhile, at the Predator Mercenary Group's camp, Golden was leading another training session. He showed no mercy to his soldiers. Under his training, groups of them were sent flying, only to get back up and continue. This brutal training made the soldiers tougher and braver, but it also filled them with awe and fear of Golden.
"Take a ten-minute break, then we'll continue!" Golden said coldly when no one was able to get back up. The soldiers collapsed onto the ground in relief, panting heavily. They knew this was only a brief rest; even more brutal training awaited them.
Just then, a slender man in blue-and-black clothes came running in. "Instructor Golden, our sensors have picked up some kind of flying vehicle coming this way at very high speed. The commander sent me to report it to you!" he said, gasping for breath.
Golden furrowed his brow, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. He looked up at the sky and spotted a blurry shape rapidly approaching. He immediately realized that it might be their enemy.
"Brave warriors! Destroy that unidentified flying object heading our way!" Golden shouted. The soldiers immediately scrambled to their feet and grabbed their weapons, ready to fight.
Five minutes later, a group of well-equipped soldiers had taken up positions around the area and stood ready for battle. They waited tensely for the unidentified flying object to arrive.
Zhou Zilong still had no idea what was happening. He continued flying toward the Predator Mercenary Group, determined to wipe them out!
But after ten minutes of waiting, the unidentified flying object Zhou Zilong was piloting still hadn't arrived. Some of the less important soldiers began to lose patience and let their guard down. They set their combat gear aside and sat or lay around. Some even chatted and joked, as if they had forgotten they were on a battlefield, braced for a tense confrontation.
When Golden came out on patrol and saw those soldiers letting their guard down, he flew into a rage. He marched over and scolded them loudly. "You fools! Where do you think you are? This is a battlefield—a fight to the death! The battle is almost upon us. You can relax after it's over!"
Golden's rebuke made the soldiers realize their mistake. They scrambled to their feet and picked up their combat gear again, and the tense atmosphere returned to the camp.
As Zhou Zilong drew closer, he sat in the cockpit and smiled faintly. He pressed a button marked with an eye. A spherical object, twenty centimeters in diameter, shot out from beneath a section of the fighter's left wing. It traced an elegant arc through the air before heading toward the Predator Mercenary Group's formation.
Before long, an image appeared in the upper-left corner of the plane.
"So this is the grand welcome you've prepared for me. I'll start by giving you a little present!" Zhou Zilong muttered when he saw it.
"Jerry, how long until that unidentified flying object gets here?" Baron asked over his communicator.
"Instructor Golden, the flying object heading our way is less than a kilometer away. At this rate, it'll be here in about twenty or thirty seconds!" Jerry replied over the communicator.
"I hope whoever's piloting that thing has plenty of valuables on him. Otherwise, all this effort will have been a waste," Golden muttered after hearing the answer.
Before you continue