Fellow Prisoners

The groups of clones formed neat square formations. Like a well-trained army, their footsteps beat out a rhythm, making the passageway tremble as though it might collapse at any moment.

Their solemn, cold expressions resembled ice, their dark-blue pupils calm and lifeless. Yet an invisible aura of despair shrouded the entire space.

In the desolate white light, a vast and ethereal hymn seemed to ring out. Accompanied by the clanging of metal, it sent chills down their spines.

Bundless had unleashed its true capabilities, using Raditz and the others to build an even more powerful army. Every clone here had a Battle Power above one hundred thousand, and their repair abilities were extremely powerful. Raditz now knew he could not defeat them.

Taking down one was still possible, but there was no way they could handle an army of that size. Their support was the entire planet; they could not possibly make an enemy of the whole planet! To defeat Bundless, the only option was to destroy the chip directly. The Tumartians had managed it many years ago, which meant there had to be a way to stop it.

First, they had to see the chip...

"Damn it!" Goku took up a fighting stance and clenched his teeth.

Raditz took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Bundless, it's impossible for you to stop me from leaving. I can tear this place apart whenever I want. Try me if you don't believe it!" As he spoke, he raised one hand and gathered an energy sphere.

"My calculations indicate that you will reduce your resistance for the lives of your kind. Therefore, please cease resisting. Otherwise, I will kill this person and the other test subjects."

It could actually threaten them?! Raditz had thought that seeking advantage and avoiding harm was its instinct. Mentioning the destruction of its interior should have forced it to yield, yet it had turned the tables on him instead.

Goku froze for a moment and exchanged a glance with Raditz before finally lowering his fists.

Faced with the masses of clones, Raditz and Goku surrendered without resistance. Piccolo did not fight back either; he had no hope of winning in a direct confrontation, so he could only surrender as well. Nappa struggled twice before being easily captured, while Tien Shinhan and the others were rounded up in one sweep.

They were escorted into another secret chamber for holding prisoners. After all their energy had been drained, they were shackled with electronic chains and placed in separate compartments. Raditz and the others, along with the test subjects in the other individual compartments, received different treatment: they were kept in one enormous cage with iron walls on three sides and a transparent wall on the remaining side.

Having been captured again alongside Raditz, everyone's spirits plummeted. They had thought a hero capable of breaking their confinement had appeared, only to find that they still could not escape the fate of being controlled. Yet they were the ones who had implicated Raditz and the others, and they felt deeply apologetic.

The Tumartians sighed repeatedly, the light in their eyes dimming once more like dying candles going out.

But then, a child among the Tumartians suddenly brightened. She pointed at Raditz and said, "Look, that uncle is smiling."

Though thick metal walls separated them, they could still hear the child's cry. They all looked over and indeed saw Raditz smiling.

He could still smile at a time like this?

"Is... is he all right?"

"Maybe he got hit in the head too hard."

"But he looks really comfortable..."

Of course he was comfortable. Raditz was currently leaning against the side of the cage, enjoying the orange-haired girl's attentions.

When he rescued her, Raditz had casually removed her electronic chains. This time, the machines mistook her for one of Raditz's companions and locked her up with them.

That was exactly what the girl wanted. From the start, she had said she wanted to repay Raditz for saving her life. Hadn't the opportunity come now? While he leaned against the wall, the girl said she would help Raditz relax and immediately reached for his thigh, startling him badly. Was the universe really this open now? Even if she wanted to thank me, there was no need to do something so private in public...

While his thoughts ran wild, the girl's slender, pale fingers had already begun kneading. Her skilled hands pressed against his tired thigh with cool fingertips, making him feel a wave of relief.

Huh? It was a massage.

Raditz's excited feelings calmed down somewhat, and he began to enjoy it.

The others in the same cage did not receive such treatment. Tien Shinhan thought of Chiaotzu, then suddenly thought of Launch, and actually blushed faintly. As for Piccolo and Goku, they simply did not care, while Vegeta snorted in disdain.

Aside from them, the people from the other planets reacted very differently. Seeing how much Raditz was enjoying himself, they sat on the ground and stared longingly, propping their heads up with one hand, filled with envy.

They were all prisoners, so why were they treated so differently?!

We want a big room too! We want beautiful women too! We want massages too!

Raditz saw their expressions and smugly struck an even more relaxed pose, making them even more jealous.

"Yes, yes, right there. It hurt terribly when I fell earlier."

"Here? I'll be gentle." The girl carefully massaged Raditz's waist.

"Mmm... not bad, not bad. Just massage my shoulders later. Don't tire yourself out. Continue tomorrow." Raditz spoke casually, but the girl happily put even more effort into it.

Some people did not know whether to laugh or cry when they heard that. Tomorrow too? Did he plan to live here permanently?

Raditz had only said it casually. In truth, the moment the door opened, his expression had changed. His mischievous grin instantly vanished, and a cold glint rose in his eyes. "They're here again."

A squad of blue, primitive-form robots passed through the door, followed at the very end by a clone. They marched straight past many cages before finally stopping in front of Raditz.

"Test Subject Number 0 proceeding to an unknown area! Test Subject Number 0 proceeding to an unknown area!"

Number 0? Everyone could hear the announcement, but no one had ever heard of a Number 0. It was only when the mechanical soldiers brought Raditz out of the cage that they realized Raditz had been designated Number 0!

Every electronic shackle bore a number as an identification code. On Raditz's ankle, the electronic display within the black clasp flashed a bright yellow number.

It was indeed zero.

"Bundless, do you want to see me?"

"Yes."

The clone spoke on Bundless's behalf, gripping Raditz's shoulder with one hand and escorting him outside. The instant the door opened, Raditz was startled. Besides the clone that had entered, dozens more were waiting outside.

Bundless clearly understood that Raditz's strength could not be underestimated. The blue machines were no match for him at all, so it had dispatched so many clones to prevent his escape. It had certainly made thorough preparations.

But Raditz had no intention of escaping. Instead, he wanted to see Bundless and crack it!

Even if Bundless had not come looking for him, he had planned to make some noise and go straight to it himself.