Kill

Reke's figure rose higher and higher.

Octopus Head did not know what Reke was planning, but he dared not lose focus, his eyes locked onto Reke's every move.

Seeing this, Reke's lips curled into a wicked smile as he spread his hands and placed them against his forehead.

"Solar Flare—"

"Ah!"

A flash of intense light erupted, and Octopus Head clutched his eyes, screaming in pain and terror.

He knew he had been tricked; he had miscalculated by a single move, and now it was truly a matter of life and death.

Reke moved the instant Octopus Head screamed.

He opened his closed eyes and shifted in front of Octopus Head, leaving behind an Afterimage of a punching motion.

His true self appeared behind Octopus Head, hands held to his chest to channel the energy within his body.

The moment Octopus Head opened his eyes, he saw Reke's Afterimage. Without time to think, he fired a blast of ink at it.

Seeing no evasive movement from Reke, he felt a flicker of joy, catching a glimpse of victory.

As the ink passed through the Afterimage, Octopus Head's eyes widened in confusion.

"Hah!"

A violent shout erupted from behind him.

Octopus Head jolted and turned back to see a deep blue energy cannon already right before his eyes.

A look of despair washed over his face.

"No—"

The energy cannon struck Octopus Head squarely, pushing him into the air before detonating.

"Boom—"

Octopus Head was blown to pieces, leaving nothing behind.

Reke lowered his hands, exhausted, and set his sights on a direction before flying away slowly.

In the valley.

The Big-Breasted Woman and her group had turned to stone the moment Reke attacked the spaceship, staring blankly at him, too terrified to move.

When Reke engaged Octopus Head, the Old Granny snapped out of her trance; this was no time to be dazed.

A battle was clearly unfolding, and they needed to start running for their lives.

"What are you staring at? Run!"

At the Old Granny's shout, the group scattered like frightened birds, fleeing in the direction away from Reke and his opponent.

The sounds of explosions echoed incessantly in their ears.

The group dared not stop, continuing their flight until the next day.

"How could there be such terrifying people?"

Six-Arms sat on the ground, still shaken, and spoke.

No one answered him; everyone was filled with confusion and shock. Both Reke's strength and the spaceship had shattered their understanding of the world.

"If all aliens have this kind of power, what are we supposed to do?" The Bald Man began to worry about their future.

Reke had already exceeded his comprehension, and before he could recover, a spaceship had appeared, manned by aliens of such immense power.

"Wait for death, I suppose. Just pray that the young man wins, otherwise, we have no future," the Big-Breasted Woman said, eyeing the Bald Man sideways.

"The battle should be over by now, but who knows who won," the Middle-Aged Man said desolately. This feeling of waiting for death was truly terrible.

"What are your plans for the future?" The Bald Man ignored the Big-Breasted Woman's comment; yesterday's events had given him an idea.

"Do you have something in mind?" the Old Granny asked in return.

"How about we form an alliance? Our goal will be to explore the path to greater strength, gathering more experts together. By becoming stronger, we can also prepare to defend against aliens in the future," the Bald Man explained his idea.

He had reached his own limit; there was no hope of growing stronger on his own, and he believed the other Level 6 adventurers felt the same.

If more people explored together, it would certainly be better than doing it alone.

As the Bald Man finished, the group fell into deep thought, weighing the pros and cons of his proposal.

"Fine. Let's return to the city first. I'll invite a few old friends, and we can discuss the specific details then," the Old Granny agreed first, though she was already laying the groundwork for her own influence.

"Agreed. Let's use our respective connections to bring in as many people as possible. We'll meet again in a month," the Middle-Aged Man concurred. After exchanging contact methods with the group, he left first with his two companions.

While the Bald Man and the others were deliberating, Reke had already reached the city, bought a new set of clothes, enjoyed a grand meal, and was fast asleep in a hotel.

After a good night's rest, Reke felt refreshed. He sat cross-legged on the bed, his mind sinking into his body.

He circulated his energy to treat his internal injuries, ignoring the external ones.

Reke meticulously tended to his organs and viscera. The night passed quickly, and the remaining injuries would not heal in a short time. Whenever this happened, Reke would think of the Senzu Bean.

He envied Kakarot and Vegeta. Not to mention Kakarot, even when Vegeta was injured, he had healing liquid to treat him; they never had to worry about being wounded.

Reke stood up and looked out the window, taking in the myriad facets of life in the city: people rushing to work, others brawling, some stealing, and a few saving lives.

Reke was still quite satisfied with the gains from this trip, even though he had found nothing at G5 Base, and even the items he had brought out were destroyed during the battle with Octopus Head.

However, the battle with Octopus Head had not only increased his combat experience but also shattered his own bottleneck; the Super Saiyan form was now within reach, and his body had entered a growth phase.

That's right, Reke was ten years old now, and he had been out for over half a year.

Logically speaking, he could return now, as it was the perfect time to use the Gravity Chamber to make rapid progress, but he was in no rush; he intended to wait until his injuries were fully healed before beginning his training.

Reke's perception expanded, and the auras he had sensed before the battle with Octopus Head flooded his mind.

It wasn't that he hadn't noticed the danger Pat and the others were in, but as he had said before, cultivation was a personal matter.

He didn't need to rush over to act as a nanny every time they encountered danger; he would have to leave one day, and they needed to face these perils on their own.

As far as Reke was concerned, as long as the events unfolding on this planet didn't threaten the world itself or disturb him, he wouldn't pay them any mind.

The Gravity Chamber Reke left at home was the best option for them to survive this crisis, and Reke wanted to see if they could discover it for themselves.

Withdrawing his perception, Reke stopped paying attention to Pat and the others.

Pat and his group had escaped back to Panxi City with their lives hanging by a thread, and just as they were looking for Reke to deal with the Rock Monster, they were dumbfounded upon arriving at his house.

"Mother, where did Brother Lei go? Something terrible has happened," Lan Xin asked anxiously.

Seeing her son's disheveled state, Uti was filled with heartache.

"Reke went out a long time ago and hasn't returned yet. You should go to the hospital to treat your injuries first."

"Ah? What are we going to do? Did Brother Lei leave any contact information?" Lan Xin's mind was in chaos, and Pat and the others were pacing around in a panic.

No one knew when the Rock Monster would stop its advance or when it would reach Panxi City, and Reke's absence had caused them to lose their composure.

So far, over a dozen people from their team hadn't returned, and it was likely they were in grave danger; meanwhile, those who had managed to escape were no match for the Rock Monster—the gap in strength was simply too vast.