At Last, We Can Sit Down and Talk

"Krillin, that uniform looks pretty stylish on you." Zhang Wutian teased, looking at Krillin in his Red Ribbon Army uniform.

"Don't try to buddy up to me. Are you the one causing trouble here?" Krillin remained unmoved, staring at Zhang Wutian with a serious expression.

"Take it easy. I don't want to fight you. I've had enough fighting for today," Zhang Wutian said. "I think you're someone who can calm down and have a proper conversation with me."

"Talk?" Krillin frowned at Zhang Wutian. "What do you want to talk about?"

"To put it simply, I'm from another world, with no connection to this one. I'm from a different universe!" Zhang Wutian blurted out.

"Huh?" Krillin stared at the self-proclaimed visitor from another world, looking completely out of his depth and a beat behind.

"I'll show you some proof." As he spoke, Zhang Wutian took out his Tomato Phone again and brought up the group photo taken after the World Martial Arts Tournament.

"This is... me as a kid? And Yamcha and Puar are beside me. Wait, why is that guy in the picture too?!"

"That guy?" By now, it was impossible not to have guessed at least some of the truth. From the bits and pieces he'd learned through all kinds of information, Zhang Wutian had more or less figured out what was going on here.

"You mean her?" Zhang Wutian pointed at Son Wukong on the screen. "Her name is Son Wukong. She's our friend."

"Her? You're saying she's a girl?"

"That's right. She's an honest, kind girl, and full of energy, too."

"I can't believe it. The me in the photo and that guy are both wearing Turtle Hermit School uniforms. Does that mean she's a student of the Turtle Hermit School, too?"

"What are you talking about?" Zhang Wutian delivered the final blow. "Isn't Master Roshi in the photo as well?"

"C-could it be that old woman?!"

Zhang Wutian had been looking forward to this reaction for a long time. Suppressing a laugh, he nodded.

"So that lecherous old man is a woman in another world... I wonder if she likes handsome boys over there..."

Unlike Dr. Brief, Krillin already believed Zhang Wutian's story for the most part. But the matter was too serious for him to let his guard down.

"Who are you waiting for? Yamcha, or Master Roshi? They're here, too, right?"

"You figured it out?" Krillin said, making no effort to hide it.

"After all, the Krillin in my world is great at using his head. He's the sharpest person in the whole Turtle Hermit School."

"The Turtle Hermit School... There isn't really a Turtle Hermit School anymore."

As Krillin spoke, someone else dropped from the sky and landed beside him and Zhang Wutian.

"Why aren't you fighting? Why are you chatting with the enemy instead?" The newcomer, who had three eyes, coldly questioned Krillin. It was Tien Shinhan, who hadn't yet made his debut in Zhang Wutian's world.

"If he isn't lying, then he shouldn't be our enemy."

"Tien Shinhan of the Crane School?" Though he shouldn't have met Tien Shinhan, in theory, everyone knew what Zhang Wutian's background was.

Tien Shinhan fixed Zhang Wutian with a cold stare. "I don't know what you told Krillin, but I'm not so easy to fool. Don't think you can deceive my Third Eye."

His tone was irritating, but since Tien Shinhan really was stronger than Zhang Wutian right now, Zhang Wutian didn't argue. He simply resolved to get stronger and pay him back for all of it.

And he'd have to pay him back twice. Once here wouldn't be enough; after returning to his original world, he'd have to get him again at the next Martial Arts Tournament.

"Can you tell me what's going on here?" Zhang Wutian ignored Tien Shinhan and spoke to Krillin. "Our monkey girl is a boy in this world, right? What did he do?"

Zhang Wutian's words made Krillin sigh deeply.

"I envy your world."

Then Krillin told him how things had unfolded in this world.

At some point, a tailed monster had appeared in the world, destroying cities and killing people. The human armies had mobilized to fight it, but the long-weakened forces were no match for the monster and were slaughtered. After the armies tasked with protecting humanity were wiped out, the more powerful Red Ribbon Army stepped in. They took over the armies' role, went to the front lines, and kept resisting the monster's attacks.

"The Red Ribbon Army used to be an evil organization with grand ambitions, but they were still human. If humanity were wiped out, they wouldn't survive either. So, to stay alive, the Red Ribbon Army has become humanity's last line of defense."

"So you and the Crane School joined them, too?"

"We had no choice. That monster is simply too strong! Master Roshi, Master Shen, Yamcha, and many other great martial artists were killed by him. Only by uniting all of humanity and getting the support of a powerful organization can we barely hold him back!"

"You keep calling him a monster. Doesn't he have a name?"

"Who knows? He's the only one of his kind in the world, so there's no need for a name. There was someone who called himself King Piccolo, but the monster wiped him out in no time."

"King Piccolo was killed?" Zhang Wutian was stunned. "When he died, did he spit out anything like an egg?"

"An egg?" Krillin looked at Tien Shinhan, who shook his head.

"Do you know about the Dragon Balls?"

"The Dragon Balls?" Krillin was taken aback, then said, "The Red Ribbon Army found records of them in some old documents. But in a certain underground tomb, they found only a stone ball, proving they were nothing more than an elusive legend."

"That's bad..." He'd been hoping the Dragon Balls might help him fix things, but King Piccolo in this world had been useless. He'd been killed almost as soon as he showed up, leaving the god who shared his life with the Demon King no chance to appear.

With God dead, the Dragon Balls had turned to stone, so making a wish was out of the question.

"I understand the situation now. What a tragic world." Zhang Wutian thought for a moment, then said to Krillin, "I have an idea, though it's not fully formed. I need to go back to my world and test it. If I'm lucky, I might be able to save this world and bring everyone back to life."

"Absurd! How could that be possible?" Tien Shinhan growled before Krillin could respond.

"If you don't understand, don't spout nonsense." Zhang Wutian glanced at Tien Shinhan, then turned back to Krillin. "I'm going back for now. Once I've tested it, I'll come find you again. Let's hope my idea works."

"Can you travel freely between the two worlds?"

"I think so, though I haven't tried it yet." As he spoke, an impossible black hole suddenly appeared behind Zhang Wutian. No light could pass through it, and no one could see what lay within.

"Well, that should do it."

As he spoke, Zhang Wutian turned around and leaned halfway into the hole.

"I'll be off, then. See you later."

With that, Zhang Wutian climbed all the way inside. The hole closed before Krillin and Tien Shinhan's eyes, narrowing to a thin line before finally vanishing into the air.

"Am I dreaming? Is there really another world?"

"My Third Eye tells me that wasn't an illusion or some kind of trick..."

Master, Uncle Mercenary Tao, Chiaotzu... Will I ever see you again? Tien Shinhan stared gravely at the place where Zhang Wutian had disappeared, his fists clenched tight.