The result was exactly as the Scouter had shown.
Raditz defeated Piccolo with overwhelming force.
However, Raditz's sudden appearance nearby had caught him somewhat off guard. Fortunately, his Scouter had been monitoring fluctuations in their power levels and warned him in advance.
"Number Zero, you really are strong. Even Sun Wukong wouldn't stand a chance against you."
He'd always considered Sun Wukong his primary target. He hadn't expected the android he'd deliberately let escape to become an even greater menace.
Raditz glanced at the countdown, which was still ticking away. Four minutes remained.
He wasn't in a hurry. He wandered around the room, picking up a few scattered objects as he spoke. "You know about the Scouter?"
Apart from the Scouter, Raditz couldn't think of anything else that would have let Dr. Gero learn how strong he was.
Once he'd figured that out, it also explained how Dr. Gero had sent King Piccolo the footage.
"Since you already know, I won't hide it from you." Dr. Gero's voice rang out, tinged with amusement. "I started watching you back when you went to see Briefs."
"I know all about those things of yours that defy imagination."
"But there's still one thing I don't understand..."
"Can you tell me how you became so strong?" A hint of surprise crept into Dr. Gero's voice.
"Didn't you already see it? The Gravity Chamber," Raditz replied.
"Heh. If the Gravity Chamber really had that kind of effect, Piccolo Jr. wouldn't have been beaten so easily by you again."
The mocking laughter made the veins stand out on Piccolo's forehead. His face darkened.
Unfortunately, no matter how furious he was, he knew the man hiding behind the screen was telling the truth.
He even felt that the gap between himself and Raditz was greater than the one between his father and Raditz.
There had to be something else he didn't know about that was widening the gap.
"Was it that thing called a Senzu Bean?" Dr. Gero continued, his voice full of amusement. "It doesn't just restore stamina. Perhaps it has some miraculous ability to increase one's power?"
The Micro-Robots had also recorded Raditz collapsing from overtraining in the Gravity Chamber, then springing back to life after eating a bean. Dr. Gero had coveted such a miraculous bean for a long time, but he'd never had a way to get his hands on one.
Now that he thought about it, that bean might be the key to Number Zero's strength.
Raditz: "..." He even knew about the Senzu Beans. Had he installed surveillance devices in Bulma's house?
Still, Dr. Gero had more or less figured it out. The Gravity Chamber and Senzu Beans really were important factors in Raditz's growth.
But the most crucial factor was the abilities he'd gained through the system. No matter how hard Dr. Gero tried, he'd never figure that out.
"Dr. Gero, we don't really have any grudge against each other. There's no need for you to make me your target."
Raditz didn't respond to Dr. Gero's guess about the Senzu Beans. He fixed his gaze on the surveillance camera.
"You can settle your personal grudge with Goku yourself, but if you dare lay a hand on anyone else..."
With that, Raditz gathered his ki.
"Five thousand..."
"Six thousand..."
Bang!
The Scouter Dr. Gero was wearing suddenly exploded!
Dr. Gero: "..."
"You may have escaped this time, but I have plenty of ways to find you, just like I did today."
"And as for what you're doing..."
"How's that infinite energy source coming along?"
"How far have you gotten with your androids? Seventeen? Eighteen?"
So you were watching me? I'm watching what you're doing now—and what you'll do in the future.
Raditz paid no further attention to Dr. Gero's silence on the other side of the camera or Piccolo, who was trembling all over beside him.
He turned and headed for the exit.
He hadn't managed to catch Dr. Gero even by teleporting with the Dragon Balls. It was a shame, but as long as he knew who was hiding behind the scenes, he'd accomplished his goal.
At least this wasn't an unknown enemy who'd appeared out of nowhere. The situation hadn't gone beyond what he'd expected.
Raditz thought of the brother and sister.
They were probably already undergoing modifications under Dr. Gero's supervision, weren't they?
Android 17 and Android 18, Dr. Gero's ultimate weapons. Given the current timeline, they should still be in the early stages of modification.
He wondered which universe he was in. Was it the one with Future Trunks, or the one where he'd died?
Or...
The universe Grand Zeno had destroyed?
Raditz grew somber.
That was also why he planned to let Dr. Gero off for now.
He'd wait until Android 17 and Android 18 were finished before deciding what to do. For now, all he could do was warn Dr. Gero not to target people around him who couldn't fight.
As for revealing his strength to Dr. Gero and letting him know he was aware of his plans, Raditz hoped he'd truly been intimidated and would lie low for a few years, like in the original story.
Piccolo also emerged from the cave, watching Raditz in silence.
That brief burst of power had made him recognize the gap between them.
"Who would've thought the vainglorious King Piccolo would team up with someone? I must've put quite a bit of pressure on you," Raditz teased, looking at Piccolo a few meters away.
"Hmph. If you don't kill me, you'll regret it. I'll defeat you sooner or later and rule the world," Piccolo said.
"Rule the world?"
"Suit yourself. What I told Dr. Gero goes for you, too. You can just target me."
With that, Raditz didn't linger. He rose into the air, shot off into the distance, and disappeared among the rocky mountains.
Elsewhere, Dr. Gero had been so shocked by Raditz's words that he'd stopped moving for quite a while.
Was he watching me too? How else would he know so much about my research?
And...
Those numbers he'd specifically mentioned—17 and 18—were the designations of the brother and sister he'd just taken in and started modifying.
Could it really be a coincidence?
It had to be that Briefs was scheming behind his back. He'd underestimated him.
Dr. Gero was annoyed. He'd have to move all of his underground laboratories.
"Too bad the controller didn't work either."
Earlier, when Raditz had entered the laboratory, Dr. Gero had remotely activated the Android Controller he'd deliberately placed there.
It hadn't worked at all.
Now, Dr. Gero was utterly helpless against Raditz.
The power level that had just blown up his Scouter was beyond anything he could hope to match. And now the fact that Raditz was monitoring him posed another potential danger.
It seemed best not to provoke him until he'd made some progress with the Android Project.
In West City, as soon as Raditz landed, he found Bulma and explained what had happened.
"You're saying that Dr. Gero's been spying on us this whole time?!" Bulma exclaimed.
"Yeah. I could've caught him this time, but I let my guard down and he got away," Raditz said.
"No way. I'm making an Interferer right away. Just thinking about him watching us right now gives me the creeps."
Bulma imagined a pair of dark eyes watching them constantly. She immediately felt sick and launched into research mode, rapidly assembling mechanical parts.
"Make it big. Ideally, it should cover your whole house," Raditz reminded her.
Watching Bulma get to work, Raditz had nothing else to do, so he went into the Gravity Chamber.