"What!?"
Bulma, who had been sitting on the ground playing with Little Trunks, stood up in shock.
Tien Shinhan had pushed himself to his limit, enduring his injuries as he raced to the Heavenly Temple.
Completely drained, he collapsed face-down on the ground, his chest heaving.
Noticing the commotion,
Lazuli and Lapis hurried over as well.
"Both Android 17 and I are here. How could Cell have reached his Perfect Form!?"
Lazuli and Lapis exchanged a glance, each seeing the confusion and disbelief in the other's eyes.
Tien Shinhan looked at the two of them and shook his head.
"I don't know, but Cell really has reached his Perfect Form. Piccolo is struggling to hold him off alone."
Tien Shinhan got to his feet and looked around the Heavenly Temple, but the two men were nowhere to be seen.
"Where are Wang Shen and Vegeta?"
"We have to go help Piccolo right away, or he may not make it!"
Lazuli explained,
"They went off to spar."
At that, Tien Shinhan's brow furrowed, and a trace of frustration appeared on his anxious face.
Android 17 stepped forward and suggested,
"We androids can't sense energy. You go find them, and Android 18, Android 16, and I will go help Piccolo."
"No!"
Bulma immediately objected.
"Cell is after you and Android 18. If he absorbs you two as well, then no one will be able to stop him."
At her words, everyone fell silent.
Cell had chosen the perfect moment to appear.
Son Goku was in seclusion.
Wang Shen and Vegeta were away.
None of the three Saiyans were here.
They couldn't even get in touch with Trunks for now.
Just as everyone was at a loss, Android 16 stepped forward.
His imposing figure immediately drew everyone's attention.
Pointing at Tien Shinhan, he said in a deep, rumbling voice,
"You go find Wang Shen and Vegeta. I'll deal with Cell."
Of everyone there, Android 16 really was the strongest, even stronger than Piccolo.
"This is our best option. We can't waste any more time. Go!"
"Bring Wang Shen here before Cell causes even more damage to this world."
Without waiting for Tien Shinhan to reply, Android 16 activated the anti-gravity device inside him, rose into the air, and sped east.
Seeing this, Tien Shinhan acted at once. He focused and sensed Wang Shen and Vegeta's energy, then flew after them.
Rumble!
The earth shook as another mountain collapsed. The nearby creatures scattered in every direction!
A towering cloud of dust engulfed the area, only to be swept away moments later by Vegeta's surging aura.
Wang Shen launched himself from the air, his right fist wrapped in golden flames. A burst of explosive sound rang out.
"Time's up. Let's end this fight."
Vegeta's aura sank as he surged upward and threw a punch of his own. The enormous recoil blasted a crater into the ground.
Their attacks sent violent waves of air in every direction, uprooting an entire forest!
Vegeta hurtled toward the ground even faster than before.
The huge crater he had made earlier became his hiding place once again.
Wang Shen pressed his advantage, forming energy spheres in both hands and firing them toward the crater like a machine gun.
This time, he wasn't going to sit back and wait for Vegeta to strike. If he said he was going to teach Vegeta a lesson, he was going to keep him in line for a while.
Otherwise, Vegeta would keep challenging him every day, and Wang Shen was getting sick of it!
Under Wang Shen's relentless barrage, the mountain range had long since vanished. A thousand-meter-deep pit now yawned before him.
"Karotis!"
Vegeta roared as he charged in from another direction.
He seemed tireless, his aura even stronger than before.
His fight with Wang Shen had clearly stirred his fighting spirit. His pride had pushed his potential even further!
He refused to lose to Karotis a second time.
As Wang Shen watched Vegeta come straight at him, he prepared to counter. But then Vegeta suddenly vanished from sight.
Wang Shen raised an eyebrow and drove his elbow backward, meeting Vegeta's whip-like kick at just the right moment.
Wang Shen changed his grip, caught Vegeta by the lower leg, and flung him away.
Before Vegeta could stop himself, Wang Shen was on him again, lashing out with a kick.
Vegeta immediately coughed up blood in pain. His eyes lost focus, and his body folded into a bow as he shot away.
Wang Shen had used half his strength in that blow—far more than Vegeta could withstand.
Wang Shen paused his attack, then suddenly sensed a faint energy approaching them from afar.
It was Tien Shinhan!
Had something happened?
Wang Shen glanced at Vegeta, who had hit the ground for what felt like the hundredth time, then used Instant Transmission to appear in front of Tien Shinhan.
"Tien Shinhan, did you come looking for us?"
A figure suddenly appeared in front of him. Tien Shinhan instantly backed away, but once he recognized Wang Shen, he hurriedly spoke up.
"Wang Shen, it's Cell! Cell has appeared!"
Wang Shen's gaze sharpened.
"Where?"
"In the mountains to the east. Piccolo is fighting Cell, and Android 16 has already gone to help."
Wang Shen nodded, took a Senzu Bean from his storage space, and tossed it to Tien Shinhan.
"Vegeta is up ahead. He may not have recovered yet. Give him this Senzu Bean."
With that, Wang Shen placed his index and middle fingers against his forehead, located Piccolo's energy, and vanished in an instant.
Now that Wang Shen had gone ahead, Tien Shinhan no longer felt the need to hurry. He resumed flying at a normal pace.
"Just how hard did Wang Shen hit Vegeta?!"
"Hahaha! Android 16, did you come here to die too?"
Cell laughed wildly as he watched Android 16 hurry over.
Android 16 looked at Piccolo's body and remained silent.
Piccolo had given everything he had. His skin was dull, and the energy inside him was completely spent.
His chest had been pierced, his torn-off arm lay nearby, and his body was covered in blood. He looked utterly wretched.
Android 16 had arrived too late—or perhaps Cell was far stronger than they had ever imagined.
Now, even he would probably die here.
"Hell Flash!"
Android 16 didn't waste words. He immediately unleashed his special attack.
Gathering all the energy in his body into his palms, he fired a concentrated shock wave. Its power was terrifying.
Cell gave a faint smile, not taking the attack seriously at all.
"Galick Gun!"
Cell stacked his hands together and unleashed an energy wave of his own.
It was Vegeta's technique.
The terrifying shock wave sent Piccolo's body flying, and his arm crumbled into dust.
In an instant, the Galick Gun swallowed the Hell Flash and continued toward Android 16 without losing strength.
Android 16 braced himself and pushed his anti-gravity device to full power, barely managing to dodge.
But he paid for it with one arm!
Cell sneered and appeared in front of Android 16 in an instant, throwing a punch.
Thunder cracked as the blow pierced Android 16's abdomen, sending sparks flying!
Android 16 was rapidly losing control over his own body.
Eye Laser!
Android 16 widened his eyes and fired a beam at Cell's skin, then quickly retreated.
The beam only left a small scorch mark on Cell's green skin.
"You're asking for it!"
Cell suddenly glared furiously, looking as if he were heartbroken.
His playful attitude vanished. Now, all he wanted was to dismantle Android 16 piece by piece.
This was his perfect body!
He had endured countless hardships and kept his true intentions hidden for so long to evolve into his Perfect Form!
Cell rushed forward, covered Android 16's face with one large hand, and pinned him in place.
He slowly tightened his grip. Android 16's face began to cave in, revealing the machinery beneath.
Android 16 weakly closed his eyes, as if offering his neck to the blade.
"You know what's good for you."
Cell sneered, his twisted mind finding some satisfaction in the moment.
But—
What he didn't know was that Android 16 had a bomb inside him powerful enough to sink half a continent.
Android 16 felt a deep sadness.
He had yet to truly experience the vastness of nature and its animals.
Just as Android 16 was about to activate his self-destruct mechanism—
Whoosh!
A dark red figure appeared and kicked Cell flying, sending him crashing through the mountains.
After making sure Android 16 was unharmed, Wang Shen let out a deep breath of relief and smiled.
"You're the gardener I picked. You can't die here."
Android 16 was taken aback.
Before you continue