Vegeta had believed that after training in the Gravity Chamber, his strength should have risen to the point where even the Ginyu Force would fear him. Dealing with this kind of robot should have been child's play, but reality was completely different from what he had imagined.
That thing could actually absorb his energy and convert it into its own strength!
After a barrage of attacks, the Metal Giant suffered only minor damage but absorbed a massive amount of energy, growing an entire size larger. With a single punch, it sent Vegeta flying.
"Damn it! I'll tear you apart!" Vegeta flew at the giant again. Unable to use energy blasts, he simply prepared to fight it hand-to-hand.
But the Metal Giant had no intention of fighting him. It retracted its body and sank back into the cavern, taking those Mechanical Arms with it, until the crack in the ground closed.
Scattered fragments still remained on the ground, but the main body had vanished. Vegeta lunged at nothing and clicked his tongue in frustration.
"What's going on?" Raditz muttered, utterly perplexed. Turning around, he saw the spaceship descending and stiffened in alarm. "Could its target have been this spaceship all along? What exactly is wrong with this planet?"
Countless questions surfaced in Raditz's mind, but he had no answers.
Piccolo was also deep in thought. As he surveyed the dead-silent Metal Planet, a wary expression appeared on his face.
"Why is the spaceship landing, Raditz?" Vegeta flew over, his tone full of accusation. He had been humiliated while fighting the Metal Giant, yet he had still failed to get the spaceship away. Naturally, anger rose within him.
"The power system overheated. It can't fly for the time being."
"Damn it!"
Goku scratched his head. "Then how long do we have to stay here?"
"Probably another five hours. The system has to run a self-diagnostic process, and the mandatory safety procedures can't be skipped." Raditz gazed intently at the spaceship as it landed steadily. "But the problem is, we can't guarantee it'll be able to take off once the power system recovers. Besides, we still don't know what the Metal Planet wants. Everyone, be careful."
"Hmph. If that thing shows up again, I'll take it down."
Vegeta made that bold declaration, but he knew it would not be so simple. Their brief exchange had shown him a deeply shocking fact: the Metal Giant was connected to the entire planet! Aside from absorbing his energy blasts, he had watched damaged areas rapidly fill with fresh metal at an astonishing rate visible to the naked eye!
If that was the case, destroying it would be equivalent to destroying the entire planet.
"We'll talk about it later. Let's head back and get some rest first." Raditz could not determine how the situation would develop, so they could only make long-term plans.
Goku and Piccolo exchanged a glance and followed him. Vegeta came last. He turned back to look at the crack in the ground, struggled with himself for a long while, and ultimately did not act rashly.
The spaceship rested quietly behind the metal pillars. Its surface was not badly damaged, mostly bearing scratches. The rear thrusters and the energy panels on top were overheating, but otherwise it was fine.
The people inside also disembarked. Although the temperature, gravity, and atmospheric composition were not much different from Earth's, everyone still shivered for no apparent reason as they faced the desolate Metal Planet.
After all, this place was far too bizarre!
"This damn place... we have to stay here for five hours..."
"It'll pass in a flash. Everyone, just bear with it."
"It seems like it hasn't done anything since it pulled us here."
Everyone discussed it among themselves, but none dared to explore on their own. They could only wait and see.
What Raditz could not understand was that the spaceship had already fallen into its hands, yet it had not made a move for so long. What was going on?
Just as he was wondering about that, Tien Shinhan suddenly cried out, "Look! There are people!"
With his exceptional eyesight, he pointed straight ahead. Beyond several towering buildings made of alloy, there were indeed a few moving shadows. But no one could make out what they were.
Krillin strained his eyes as he peered over. "Are they really people? They aren't more of those machines, are they?"
"I wouldn't be mistaken." Tien Shinhan was extremely confident in his eyesight.
Raditz gritted his teeth and flew into the sky. "I'll go take a look. If they really are humans, I'll come back and tell you." He knew that unless they understood the truth behind this bizarre planet, escaping would be difficult even if the spaceship regained power. Whether they made contact with the planet's machines or its people, it was necessary!
He flew above those figures and looked down at them, pausing slightly in surprise.
They really were humans!
They looked almost exactly like Earthlings. Their limbs, facial features, and builds were all similar. There were tall and short, fat and thin, old and young, men and women among them. The only difference was that electronic chains bound their hands and feet, leaving them able to shuffle forward only slowly.
There were more than twenty of them, trudging ahead in a long line, accompanied by several armored tracked machines.
"Are they criminals? No matter what, this proves there are people on this planet. Even if they're criminals, there should be someone here to judge them, right?" Raditz muttered to himself for a while before deciding to ask them.
After all, everyone in the Dragon Balls world spoke the universal language of the universe. Local languages like that of the Namekians were rare exceptions, and the major races could communicate with one another. Come to think of it, although the Supreme Kai was not much use otherwise, he had made quite a contribution to cultural development!
Raditz smiled faintly. Showing up like this would definitely be abrupt. I should try to seem friendlier.
The moment he landed, he raised a hand to greet them.
He waved his hand twice in front of him, and the people were indeed startled. They hurriedly cried, "It's actually a human!"
"Quick! Run!"
For a moment, Raditz did not understand. Thinking he had frightened them, he was just about to explain when the machines beside them extended long gun barrels, every black muzzle aimed at him.
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!!!" Crimson fire blossomed amid thunderous cannon fire. Bullets poured continuously from the muzzles like an endless dragon, blasting crater after crater into the hard ground.
"Hey! I'm not trying to break anyone out of prison... ptooey, I'm not trying to free prisoners!"
"Stop shooting!"
"How do I make them stop? I was wrong! I was wrong!"
Raditz was chased by the machines, running back and forth. The machines seemed to follow some kind of programmed pattern as well, lining up behind Raditz and running back and forth while firing nonstop.
"Damn it! If you've got the guts, fly too!" Raditz leaped high into the air and simply hovered there. He could tell that although these heavy tracked machines had offensive capabilities, they definitely could not take to the sky.
But three seconds later, he was dumbfounded.
The bulky machines, with armor deeply embedded around their frames, let out a series of grinding gear noises. Amid the screech of metal, those things actually transformed... Their tracks came apart, their gun barrels retracted, their heavy armor lifted, and they gradually stood upright, taking on humanoid forms.
"Holy crap, Transformers? Cybertron??"
Raditz stared in utter disbelief, frozen as though he had been turned to ice.
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