Metal Planet

After nearly two days of travel, the spaceship advanced smoothly and unimpeded under super acceleration. Everyone alternated systematically between training and resting. The spaceship had an emergency call device that would immediately sound an alarm in case of any major situation, so they hardly had to worry.

In space, without any reference for time, the outside was always pitch black. They could only determine how much time had passed through the instruments.

Raditz finished his shower and emerged from the private cabin, a bath towel draped over his shoulders, wearing only underwear. He was very pleased with his current robust body, admiring himself in the mirror for a long time.

He walked to the main cabin and gazed out at the scenery through the massive transparent shield, becoming engrossed.

Behind him, Gohan and Goku, having just finished their showers, arrived in the main cabin with Piccolo to rest for a bit.

"Uncle Piccolo, let's eat something!"

"I don't need to eat food to sustain myself."

"I made this myself..." Gohan's excited expression suddenly dimmed.

Piccolo's expression changed abruptly, and he stammered, "Then... I'll eat a little."

Gohan's face lit up with a smile, like clouds parting to reveal the sun, chasing away the gloom.

Raditz, with his back to them, smiled. Deciding to pair Gohan and Piccolo together was indeed the right choice. These two were a natural match. Piccolo was an aloof and unsociable person, usually only speaking with Goku, and their relationship was currently one of rivals and friends. Only Gohan could truly touch the gentle side of his heart.

The two had developed a deep bond during their year of training, and their relationship had progressed very naturally.

"Big brother, aren't you going to eat something?" Goku asked casually, chewing on a square pastry.

"I'm not hungry, you guys..."

Before he could finish, the spaceship's alarm suddenly blared, interrupting him.

Red lights flashed internally, and all auxiliary work programs instantly stopped, including the gravity training room. Everyone rushed to the main cabin, a hint of panic on their faces.

Vegeta rushed to the pilot's seat to check the instruments, while the others looked around, finding no external danger.

"No malfunctions!"

"The spaceship automatically avoids debris in space, and there's no possibility of collision."

"Could it be a sudden explosion?"

"We haven't detected anything."

However, the alarm not only didn't cease but grew louder, and the red lights flashed faster and faster, as if something dangerous was about to happen.

Raditz felt his body plunging downwards. The spaceship's engines seemed to have failed, and the surrounding gravity field was severely distorted, like a giant vortex pulling the spaceship in!

"Look down!" Krillin pressed against the edge of the transparent shield, his eyes scanning a portion of the scene below.

It was a bizarre planet, its oval surface a dark gold, emitting a brilliant radiance. Amidst the dull tone, it exuded a chilling, eerie coldness. Their spaceship was approaching this planet, or rather, being pulled towards it!

They had flown along their trajectory, and calculations showed no such planet existed. How could such a situation suddenly arise!

"Hold steady! Max out the propulsion and get away from here! If we get sucked in like this, we could crash!" Raditz shouted. Even without calculations, he knew that falling at the current acceleration was extremely dangerous.

"We're breaking through the atmosphere!"

The spaceship sparked as it hit the atmosphere, fire and vibration assaulting them simultaneously. Those inside felt violent turbulence, and immense unease washed over them. Encountering such a situation in an unfamiliar cosmic environment was a fatal blow. They should have brought Bulma along! After all, she was an expert familiar with technology and could fix any problems, but now they were too passive.

Vegeta was pushing the propulsion to its maximum, but it still couldn't completely counteract the powerful gravitational pull. The two forces clashed, entering a stalemate. It was as if a colossal hand had grasped their spaceship, pulling it straight down, while the ship, like a bird furiously trying to reach the heavens, struggled to ascend.

The alarm flashed red lights more intensely, its sound sharp and piercing, and the spaceship's hull trembled.

"Right, there's an operation manual! Krillin, where did Bulma put the manual she gave you?" Raditz had a flash of inspiration.

"It's... it's in the box on the control panel!"

Raditz immediately rushed to the control panel, flipping through the manual, pressing buttons on the panel as he read. A string of text and data appeared on the screen. Glancing through it hastily, Raditz's brow furrowed.

The atmospheric composition of this planet was not much different from Earth's, meaning there could be life forms similar to humans surviving here! Strangely, the water content was extremely low, but the metallic reactions were so powerful that they permeated the entire planet.

As they got closer to the planet, they became increasingly astonished because the ground had a metallic sheen. Countless towering structures reaching for the sky, or perhaps mountains, were made of metal! Interlocking steel frameworks formed cities, and shining, unknown metals covered everything.

"How is this possible?" Sweat trickled down Raditz's temple.

"What is it?"

"We need to leave this planet. It's entirely made of metal, and... it's alive!"

At these words, everyone felt a chill crawl up their spines, as if a venomous snake had slithered there.

The spaceship was pulled by a massive gravitational force, as if it were the planet's conscious will. Did it want to devour the spaceship?

A terrifying thought flashed through their minds, unsettling everyone. The barely sustained propulsion was once again overcome by an even stronger attraction, and the spaceship was pulled towards the metal planet!

Raditz made up his mind, quickly put on his clothes, and opened the cabin door.

"I'm going out for a bit. Goku, come with me."

"Is there a way?"

"We can only use the recoil effect of our Ki blasts to propel the ship. The combined energy of the two of us should be enough."

"I see, let's do it then." Goku immediately understood Raditz's intention and nodded.

The two flew to the back of the spaceship, pressed against the outer hull, let out a low growl, and concentrated their energy into their hands, compressing it into spheres.

Kamehameha!

Both were ready to unleash the Kamehameha!

"HAAAA!!!"

With a fierce roar, they simultaneously fired their Ki blasts. The blue light overshadowed the flames spewing from the spaceship, and the immense recoil propelled them into the sky, thereby pushing the spaceship.

No matter how strong the metal planet's attraction was, it couldn't match the terrifying energy of the Kamehameha. The powerful shockwave directly impacted the metal surface. After a dull collision, a roaring explosion sounded, and thick smoke billowed up.

Accompanied by the rising smoke, the spaceship successfully broke free from the restraint!