I've Got It So Hard

Vegeta's face had turned bright red with rage, and the golden flames around him had grown wild. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Do you still think I'm the same as I was before?"

His strength had increased countless times since his first fight with Li Lin.

Back then, he couldn't even become a Super Saiyan.

Li Lin remained calm and said slowly, "As far as I can tell, you're no different from back then!"

"Damn you!" Vegeta's pride couldn't take it. He shouted, "Then let's see!"

Vegeta charged at Li Lin, his powerful fist already swinging toward him.

With a loud BANG!, Li Lin met his punch head-on.

Vegeta's arm went numb, and the force sent him stumbling back several steps, leaving him looking thoroughly disheveled.

What just happened? That was the only question in his mind.

Li Lin didn't pause for a moment. He charged straight at Vegeta, moving incredibly fast.

Bam, bam, bam!!! Several more muffled impacts rang out. Vegeta felt a sharp pain in his chest as he was sent flying and slammed heavily into the ground, blood running from the corner of his mouth.

Li Lin landed slowly, looking down at him. "You lost!"

Vegeta was completely stunned. He muttered to himself, "I lost? I just lost like that?"

Li Lin had been right. He hadn't needed more than a few seconds to deal with him.

In fact, the entire fight had lasted less than a second.

Trunks, standing some distance away, had seen everything clearly. He was utterly shocked.

He swallowed hard and murmured, "So this is Mr. Li Lin's strength? It's terrifying!"

Li Lin continued looking at the devastated Vegeta and said calmly, "If there's nothing else, can I leave?"

"Impossible! This can't be happening! How could I lose?" Vegeta didn't answer. He was on the verge of breaking down, stubbornly refusing to accept the truth. "I won't accept it! Again!"

He got to his feet and charged at Li Lin once more.

Seeing Vegeta's madness, Li Lin shook his head helplessly.

In this state, Vegeta was no match for him. Li Lin had already reached Super Saiyan 2 level when he first arrived in this world.

After a year of training, he had no point of comparison, but his level had definitely surpassed the Super Saiyan 2 standard.

Even if Vegeta broke through to Super Saiyan 2, he still wouldn't be a match for Li Lin. Besides, he hadn't even reached Super Saiyan Grade 1 Full Power.

Li Lin watched Vegeta draw closer and said coldly, "I advise you to give up. You might still make it out alive. But if you keep this up, you're as good as dead!"

"Stop talking! Just watch me kill you!" Vegeta lunged forward and reached Li Lin.

His fist was raised high, ready to strike.

But before he could bring it down, Li Lin kicked him in the stomach.

Thud!

Vegeta shot away like a cannonball.

"Dad!" Seeing Vegeta fly off, Trunks' heart lurched. He hurried after him.

To his astonishment, he couldn't catch up, even at full flying speed.

That showed just how powerful Li Lin's kick had been!

Splash! Vegeta plunged into the sea.

Trunks hurried into the water to pull him out.

Now that the trouble had finally been dealt with, Li Lin didn't want to stay any longer.

He walked over to Android 18 and said calmly, "It's over. We can leave."

Android 18 nodded slowly, her eyes full of admiration for him.

Cell had been such a powerful opponent, yet Li Lin had sent him flying with one punch.

Vegeta had been able to beat Cell to a pulp, and yet Li Lin had still kicked him into the sea.

Was this man's strength really that absurd?

Li Lin walked behind a rock and asked Android 16, who was sitting on the ground, "Can you still fly?"

Android 16 nodded. "If it's not too far, I think I can."

And so, Li Lin left the island with Android 16 and Android 18.

His first stop was Capsule Corp in West City. He wanted to take Android 16 there for repairs. He was sure Bulma would be interested in the way Android 16's body was built.

As for him and Android 18, they decided to spend some time together on Earth.

After all, they had both developed feelings for each other. If they spent a little more time together, things would probably work out happily for them both!

On the island.

Trunks hauled Vegeta, soaked from head to toe, out of the sea.

The seawater had washed away most of the blood on Vegeta's face.

But his energy was extremely weak. Without immediate treatment, he could die at any moment.

"Mr. Li Lin really went all out," Trunks complained helplessly.

Fortunately, he had brought along the Senzu Beans Son Goku had given him before he left.

Otherwise, Vegeta might truly have been on the brink of death.

What Trunks didn't know was that Li Lin had held back considerably when he attacked.

Otherwise, Vegeta's fate wouldn't have been much better than Cell's.

After all, though Cell had lost half his body, he had Piccolo's cells and could grow it back.

Vegeta didn't have that ability. If half his body were destroyed, he would probably die on the spot!

A little while later, Vegeta ate a Senzu Bean and recovered completely.

But his expression was still dark, and his clenched fists creaked!

"Aaaah!!!"

Vegeta suddenly grabbed his head and let out a roar. Golden flames erupted around him.

Even though he had recovered, he still couldn't accept his crushing defeat!

His powerful energy spread across the entire island. The ground shook violently, and the air itself grew turbulent.

"Th—" Trunks raised a hand, wanting to say something to calm him down. But after opening his mouth, he couldn't think of what to say. In the end, he closed it and silently watched his father.

While Vegeta was still raging, a figure rose from a small mound of earth not far away.

"Whew. I almost didn't make it." The speaker was Cell. Li Lin's punch had blown away half his body.

But thanks to his unusual body, he wouldn't die as long as his core remained unharmed.

In mere moments, he had restored his body completely.

Cell had also confirmed that Li Lin was probably the powerful fighter he had sensed earlier.

He felt that things were just too hard for him.

In the future, he had tried to absorb the Androids, only to be taken down by Trunks before he could do it and forced to flee to this era.

He had planned to spend some time growing stronger, but Piccolo had chased him relentlessly along the way.

After barely managing to stay alive, he had been pummeled by Android 16, who had suddenly appeared.

He'd thought that absorbing Android 17 would make him invincible, but then Vegeta had beaten him to a pulp.

Just when he'd convinced Vegeta to help him absorb Android 18, that man had nearly beaten him to death with a single punch.

Thinking about it, Cell's eyes grew a little moist. His start in this era had been so rough. Why couldn't things be a little easier?