"An immortal?"
Bulma froze for a moment, then couldn't help laughing as she lunged toward Korin, wanting to pet the big white cat.
But Korin wasn't about to let her. He was just about to leap away when a sudden aura enveloped him, leaving him unable to move.
Korin looked at Lin Chen, who stood in the distance with his arms folded, and broke out in a cold sweat.
"Fat cat, you're an immortal?"
Bulma stroked Korin's fur, then pinched his chubby cheeks.
"Brother Lin Chen, you lied to me. He's just a cat, isn't he?"
Just then, Lin Chen withdrew the aura holding Korin in place.
Korin immediately came to life, gasping for breath as he cried, "I'm an immortal! Not a cat!"
"Oh! He really can talk!"
"All right, Bulma. I have something to discuss with him."
Lin Chen walked up to Korin. The threatening aura made the fur on Korin's body stand on end against his will.
"You—you're an alien, aren't you? How do you know about this place?" Korin asked, perplexed.
"Not only do I know about this place, I also know you have Senzu Beans. Hand them over," Lin Chen said.
Until the Healing Tank was ready, the Senzu Beans from Korin Tower would have to do.
It was a bit wasteful to use them this way, but compared to being erased by the system, a little waste didn't matter.
"No! I don't know who you are, and I can't give you the Senzu Beans..."
Before Korin could finish, Lin Chen waved a hand, and a huge fish unlike any found on Earth appeared in front of him.
"This is a fish from Planet Vegeta. Give me the Senzu Beans, and I'll give you a hundred more."
"Meow! I'll give them to you!"
The moment Lin Chen finished speaking, Korin changed his tune.
No cat could resist the temptation of fish. Not even an immortal.
"Korin, grow more from now on. I can bring you fish from all over the universe!"
After sweeping up all the Senzu Beans Korin had, leaving only the seeds behind, Lin Chen took Bulma with him and flew even higher.
The Lookout was just above them.
Lin Chen easily passed through the Lookout's barrier and gently landed there with Bulma.
The little girl was hopping with excitement, but she soon got a fright.
Kami, green-skinned, and Mr. Popo, dark-skinned, were waiting nearby.
Lin Chen glanced at them.
Kami, whose true identity was that of a Namekian, looked uneasy, but Mr. Popo beside him remained expressionless.
"Welcome, honored guest from another planet," Kami said, greeting him first.
"Hello, Kami. My name is Lin Chen," Lin Chen replied.
At Lin Chen's words, Bulma looked surprised. "Brother Lin Chen, are they the gods?"
"He's Kami. I'm Popo, the god's servant," Mr. Popo said.
"That's right. He's the god. A little disappointing, isn't it?" Lin Chen said.
"Mm." Bulma nodded, feeling as if her fantasies about the gods had just been shattered.
"Mr. Lin Chen, what brings you here?" Kami asked cautiously.
"I wanted to ask if you could summon Shenron for me directly," Lin Chen said.
"To summon Shenron, you need to find all seven Dragon Balls. But even I have no way of knowing where they are," Kami murmured.
Bulma looked curious. "Brother Lin Chen, what are Dragon Balls?"
"They're wish-granting orbs that can make wishes come true..."
After briefly explaining, Lin Chen said, "If you can't summon Shenron, then never mind. I mainly brought Miss Bulma here for a look around, and to pick up some Senzu Beans."
Kami paused, then said, "In that case, would you like me to show you around?"
"No need. We've been out long enough. It's time to head back."
"Huh? Brother Lin Chen, I still want to look around."
"Come on, Bulma. Dr. Brief and the others must be waiting for us."
Lin Chen took Bulma's hand and was about to use Instant Transmission to leave, but Kami stepped forward and asked, "Mr. Lin Chen! I want to know—don't you have any plans for Earth?"
"Plans?" Lin Chen turned around.
"With your strength, conquering Earth should be easy. But all you've done is make a few deals with ordinary people. I don't understand."
"You don't understand..." Lin Chen smiled faintly. With his current strength, conquering Earth would indeed be easy. But why would he do that?
"Ding! Detected that the host is uncertain about what to do with Earth. The Ultimate Choice is now available."
"Choice One: Unify Earth and turn it into a Saiyan colony. Reward: The Namekian Grand Elder's potential-enhancement ability!"
"Choice Two: Destroy Earth and reduce it to cosmic dust. Reward: Technique: Ki Scythe."
"Choice Three: Make no changes and let the Dragon Ball story unfold on Earth as it should. Reward: Increase battle power by 100,000!"
Seeing the Ultimate Choice suddenly appear in his mind, Lin Chen was a little surprised.
The system was trying to stir things up.
Of the three choices, the reward for the third was practically worthless.
The first two, on the other hand, were much more tempting. One would let Lin Chen complete his current mission immediately, while the other would teach him a powerful technique.
No matter how he looked at it, both were better deals than the third choice.
But Lin Chen didn't dwell on it. He chose the third option.
"System, I choose three!"
As a transmigrator, his familiarity with the story was his greatest advantage. Changing it recklessly would only work against him.
Besides, there were many characters on Earth he liked.
"Ding! The host's choice is confirmed. Reward issued!"
In the next moment, Lin Chen's body grew subtly stronger.
Lin Chen turned back and smiled at Kami. "Maybe it's because I like this planet, and the people who live on it!"
At Lin Chen's words, Kami looked stunned, while Mr. Popo remained expressionless.
After meeting Kami, Lin Chen took Bulma back to West City.
Over the next few days, Dr. Brief and Bulma began working on a replica of the Healing Tank.
Lin Chen also returned to Planet Vegeta. He gave King Vegeta and the others three large vats' worth of Senzu Beans to use, then brought the 50-times-gravity chamber to Earth for Dr. Brief and the others to study.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
One day, Lin Chen arrived at a place called Mount Paozu.
He floated in the air, gazing down below.
Ever since choosing to leave Earth as it was, Lin Chen had thought of Son Goku.
He wanted to see how the main character of Dragon Ball was doing.
Although Planet Vegeta hadn't been destroyed, Lin Chen had told Bardock to send Son Goku to Earth before he fell asleep.
So, just as in the story, Son Goku had arrived on Earth at the same time.
Watching young Goku, still as innocent as he remembered, practice his punches, Lin Chen was filled with emotion.
Just like in the original story, Goku's battle power was only a measly 10.
He lived alone, but wanted for nothing.
Even so, he kept honing his abilities.
Of everyone in the Dragon Ball story, only Goku truly deserved to be called a "martial arts fanatic."
It was precisely that diligence that had allowed young Goku to rise from a low-class Saiyan warrior to one of the strongest fighters in the universe.
Although his own bloodline was superior to Goku's, Lin Chen seemed far less diligent.
He still had many dangers ahead of him.
There was Frieza, missing and of unknown fate, and then there was Beerus, the God of Destruction, who would awaken decades from now.
So many challenges lay ahead.
So I can't afford to slack off anymore!
Before you continue