Saving the Gardener

"What did you say!?"

Bulma, who had been sitting on the ground teasing little Trunks, stood up and exclaimed.

Tien Shinhan had pushed himself to the limit, enduring his injuries to finally sprint to the Heavenly Temple.

Tien Shinhan was completely exhausted, his chest heaving violently as he collapsed onto the ground.

Noticing the commotion, Lazuli and Lapis rushed over as well.

"Lapis and I are both here, so how could Cell have reached his perfect form!?"

Lazuli and Lapis exchanged glances, both seeing confusion and bewilderment in each other's eyes.

Tien Shinhan looked at the two of them and shook his head, saying:

"I don't know, but Cell has indeed reached his perfect form, and Piccolo is struggling to hold him off alone."

Tien Shinhan stood up and scanned the Heavenly Temple, but he could not find any trace of those two.

"Where are Wang Shen and Vegeta?"

"We must go to support Piccolo immediately, otherwise I fear he is in grave danger!"

Lazuli explained:

"The two of them went off to spar."

Hearing this, Tien Shinhan's brows furrowed instantly, and a look of dissatisfaction appeared on his anxious face.

Android 17 stepped forward and proposed:

"We Androids cannot sense ki. You go find them, and I, along with Android 18 and Android 16, will go to support Piccolo."

"No!"

Bulma immediately objected:

"Cell is looking for you and Android 18. If you two are absorbed as well, I fear there will truly be no one left who can stand against Cell."

Once these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Cell had timed his appearance perfectly.

Son Goku was in seclusion.

Wang Shen and Vegeta were away.

All three Saiyans were absent.

Even Trunks could not be contacted for the time being.

Just as everyone was at a loss, Android 16 stepped forward.

His burly frame immediately drew everyone's attention.

He pointed at Tien Shinhan and said in a muffled, resonant voice:

"You go find Wang Shen and Vegeta; I will deal with Cell."

Among those currently present, Android 16's combat power was indeed the strongest, even surpassing Piccolo's.

"This is the best plan for now. Don't waste any more time, go!"

"Before Cell causes any more destruction to this world, bring Wang Shen back."

With that, without waiting for Tien Shinhan to respond, Android 16 used the anti-gravity device within his body to lift off, speeding away toward the east.

Seeing this, Tien Shinhan made a prompt decision. He carefully sensed the ki of Wang Shen and Vegeta, then took flight.

BOOM!

Amidst a tremor that shook the earth, another mountain collapsed, and the nearby creatures scattered in all directions!

Towering dust clouds blanketed the area, only to be instantly dispersed by the surging shockwaves from Vegeta.

In the air, Wang Shen took the initiative, his right fist enveloped in golden ki, triggering a series of sonic booms.

"Time's up. It's time to end this fight."

Vegeta's ki sank, and he surged upward, throwing a punch of his own. The massive recoil blasted a deep crater into the ground.

The shockwaves from their collision spread in all directions, uprooting an entire forest!

Vegeta plummeted toward the ground at a speed even faster than when he arrived.

The massive crater he had previously created became his resting place once more.

Wang Shen did not let up; he gathered energy spheres in both hands and fired them toward the crater like a machine gun.

This time, he was no longer fighting passively as he had before. If he said he was going to teach Vegeta a lesson, he had to make him behave for a while.

Otherwise, he would get annoyed by him constantly seeking out fights!

Under Wang Shen's relentless bombardment, the original mountain range had long since ceased to exist, and a kilometer-wide crater appeared abruptly before them.

"Karotis!"

Vegeta roared, attacking from another direction.

He seemed tireless, his aura even more intense than before.

It appeared that the battle with Wang Shen had ignited his fighting spirit; his inner pride had unleashed his potential even further!

He would not allow himself to be defeated by Karotis a second time.

Wang Shen watched Vegeta charge straight at him and was about to strike, when Vegeta suddenly vanished from his sight.

Wang Shen raised an eyebrow, threw an elbow strike behind him, and collided perfectly with Vegeta's whip kick.

Changing his stance, Wang Shen grabbed Vegeta's lower leg and flung him away.

Before Vegeta could stabilize his body, Wang Shen followed up with a whip kick of his own.

Vegeta immediately spat out a mouthful of blood in agony, his eyes losing focus as his body arched and shot backward.

Wang Shen had used fifty percent of his strength in that blow, far more than Vegeta could withstand.

Just then, Wang Shen, who had paused his assault, suddenly sensed a faint aura approaching them from afar.

It was Tien Shinhan!

Had something happened?

Wang Shen glanced at Vegeta, who had hit the ground for the umpteenth time, then used Instant Transmission to flash before Tien Shinhan.

"Tien Shinhan, are you looking for us?"

Startled by the sudden appearance of a figure, Tien Shinhan recoiled instantly, but upon recognizing Wang Shen, he hurriedly spoke:

"Wang Shen, it's Cell! Cell has appeared!"

Wang Shen's gaze sharpened.

"Where?"

"In the eastern mountains. Piccolo is currently fighting Cell, and Android 16 has already gone to provide support."

Wang Shen nodded, took a Senzu Bean from his personal space, and tossed it to Tien Shinhan.

"Vegeta is up ahead and likely hasn't recovered yet; feed this Senzu Bean to him."

With that, Wang Shen placed his index and middle fingers to his forehead, locked onto Piccolo's aura, and vanished from the spot in an instant.

Seeing that Wang Shen had already departed, he no longer rushed, resuming a normal speed as he flew forward.

"How ruthless was Wang Shen to Vegeta!"

"Hahaha, Android 16, have you come to die as well?"

Cell looked at the approaching Android 16 and laughed wildly.

Android 16 looked at Piccolo's corpse, remaining silent.

Piccolo had done everything in his power; his skin was dull, and the energy within him had been completely exhausted.

His chest had been pierced, his severed arm lay to the side, and he was covered in blood, a truly miserable sight.

He had arrived too late, or perhaps Cell's strength far exceeded their imagination.

Now, even he would likely die here.

"Hell Flash!"

Android 16 didn't waste words, unleashing his ultimate technique directly.

He gathered all the energy in his body into his palms, firing a concentrated shockwave of immense power.

Cell chuckled, not taking the move seriously at all.

"Galick Gun!"

Cell stacked his hands together, releasing an energy wave of his own to counter.

It was Vegeta's technique.

The terrifying shockwave blew Piccolo's corpse away, turning his arm into dust.

In an instant, the Galick Gun swallowed the Hell Flash, continuing toward Android 16 with undiminished force.

Android 16 braced his body, accelerating his anti-gravity device, and dodged the attack by a hair's breadth.

But it cost him an arm!

Cell sneered, appearing before Android 16 in a flash, and threw a punch!

Thunder cracked as it pierced Android 16's abdomen, sending sparks flying!

Android 16's control over his entire body was rapidly failing!

Eye Laser!

Android 16 glared, firing a beam that struck Cell's skin as he violently retreated.

The beam left nothing more than a charred mark on Cell's green skin.

"You're courting death!"

Cell suddenly glared, his expression one of agonizing distress.

The playful mindset he had held moments ago vanished entirely; now, he only wanted to dismantle every single part of Android 16's body, piece by piece.

This was his most perfect form!

It was the Perfect Form he had evolved into only after enduring countless hardships and exercising immense restraint!

Cell lunged forward, his large hand covering Android 16's face, locking his movements in a vice-like grip.

As he applied slight pressure, Android 16's face began to crumble, revealing the mechanical truth beneath.

Android 16 closed his eyes powerlessly, appearing as if he were baring his neck for the slaughter.

"At least you know your place."

Cell sneered, his twisted psyche finding a modicum of satisfaction.

However.

He did not know that inside Android 16's body lay a bomb capable of sinking half a continent.

Android 16 felt a deep, sorrowful ache in his heart.

The vast expanse of nature and the animals—he had not yet had the chance to truly experience them.

Just as Android 16 prepared to trigger his self-destruct mechanism.

Whoosh!

A crimson-black figure appeared, kicking Cell away and sending him crashing through the mountain range.

After confirming that Android 16 was not seriously harmed, Wang Shen let out a deep sigh of relief and smiled.

"You are my designated gardener; you cannot die here."

Android 16 was slightly stunned.