Killing the Giant Ape Baby

As expected, the world is never that simple.

Jiang Che gasped for air, his throat parched and raw. He subconsciously pursed his lips, unsure if he was mocking himself or simply feeling irritable.

He had tried too many times already.

Every time, it felt as if he were on the verge of breaking through the threshold, convinced that one more push would allow him to step into that new world.

But every single time, at the very end, an invisible force would grab him by the scruff of his neck and drag him back to the starting point.

The floor was covered in salt stains left behind by sweat that had dried over and over again—the evidence of his failures.

He stood up, brushed the dust from his knees, and fixed his gaze on the cold, unfeeling numbers of the system panel.

Time here was like a viscous river; while only two days had passed in the outside world, he had spent two full years trapped in this airless little room.

Over seven hundred days and nights, falling down countless times and climbing back up just as often.

What kind of person had he become over these two years?

He knew the answer in his heart.

It wasn't just that his strength had grown; his mind had become much clearer as well.

"Combat," which once seemed so mysterious, now felt more accessible, as if he had finally crossed the threshold.

Every dodge felt like composing a poem, and every strike felt like carving his name into the wind; he was slowly beginning to understand the whispers of "divine power."

The fluctuations that had been so baffling when he first arrived now felt like old acquaintances.

"It's time to head out."

He muttered to himself and pushed open the long-rusted iron door.

The hinges let out a harsh, grating sound, and the sunlight from outside flooded in, stinging his eyes like a thousand silver needles piercing his pupils.

Jiang Che squinted, adapting to the brightness within seconds.

The blue sky and white clouds were right above him, and Mr. Popo's face was standing at the entrance, looking dazed.

Mr. Popo stared at Jiang Che, opened his mouth, and after a long while, finally managed to choke out a single sentence: "Your... your ki, it seems to have completely vanished?"

Jiang Che gave him a smile, devoid of much emotion—neither proud nor boastful, just calm.

His current state was like the reward granted by the "Super Saiyan God" form: his ki was retracted so cleanly that he seemed to have completely "merged" into the world.

Standing before you, it was as if that patch of air had suddenly become empty.

"Thank you for your hospitality."

He bowed slightly, tapped his toes against the ground, and launched himself into the air, soaring straight into the clouds.

The wind whipped his clothes into a frenzy, and the buildings beneath his feet turned into tiny specks in an instant, with even Mr. Popo's bright, bald head quickly becoming a memory.

Jiang Che paused in mid-air, looked back at Kami's Lookout and the mountain ranges below, and finally turned to fly toward the horizon.

This was the beginning of a new life.

Now, he would collide with the world himself, armed with the composure of a powerhouse and an unyielding, indomitable spirit.

His ascent was as light as a feather, barely making a sound; his toes brushed the bluestone, worn smooth by time, without leaving a single trace.

His deep blue martial arts uniform fluttered in the wind, and the golden emblem on his lapel caught the sunlight, refracting a faint glow.

The sky was a piercing blue, a few lazy clouds drifted in the void, and the distant mountains were a haunting, vibrant green.

He took a deep breath, spread his arms, shed the heavy pressure of the "high altitude," and drifted even higher.

Slowly, Kami's Lookout became a blurred shadow beneath his feet.

The wind swirled around him, his hair was tossed into a mess, and the air was cold and clean.

He didn't rush to leave; he simply floated among the clouds, closed his eyes, and let his hands hang naturally, his fingertips slightly curled as if listening to something subtle.

Sunlight poured down from above, outlining his silhouette in silver.

The blue sky was like a canvas, dotted with a few lingering stars that had yet to fade.

His breathing slowed bit by bit, and the ki within him began to flow, much like a sleeping dragon stirring deep within his meridians.

His perception expanded like a tidal wave, piercing through the clouds, crossing mountains, rivers, and seas; the entire Earth trembled slightly beneath his consciousness.

He could hear the breath of the wind, the shifting of the tectonic plates, and the chaotic noise of birds flapping their wings in a distant forest—

Two years.

Two full years given to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where days and nights had blended into a single blur, and every second had been pushed to the limit.

In that gray-white space, there were no clocks, no seasons, only endless training and a silence that drove one to the brink of madness.

He had pounded training robots with his sweat-slicked fists, heard the light of his own energy blasts exploding against the walls, and every time he collapsed in exhaustion, he had gritted his teeth to crawl back up and reset his fighting stance.

Every struggle had forged a new will.

Now, his strength could no longer be measured by his previous standards.

His perception of "ki" was a hundred times sharper than before, as if his once-blurry eyes had suddenly been fitted with a top-tier telescope.

At this moment, he could clearly "see" the life force everywhere on Earth—the gentle, weak flickers of mortals like fireflies in the night, and the few powerful combat auras burning like torches.

Two distinct energies made him frown—cold, dense, like venomous snakes slithering in darkness, coiling around nerve endings, bringing an indescribable discomfort.

These two fellows were rapidly approaching, crossing outer space at breakneck speed, nearing Earth's low orbit.

Jiang Che could vaguely sense them tearing through the atmosphere, even space itself distorting under the strain of their power, a malice that was absolute.

He perceived that within their energies lay centuries of hatred, twisting as they hurtled toward Earth.

And their speed was increasing.

The atmosphere began to shred, shockwaves registering in his senses like an alarm bell.

"Ding!"

A system notification chimed in his mind, like a bell suddenly striking in a silent valley.

Jiang Che opened his eyes, a glint of sharpness appearing in their black depths.

The space ahead warped slightly, and a blue, semi-transparent panel materialized, faint as mist in the sunlight.

The mission details appeared before his eyes, word by word—with a cold, technological feel.

[System Mission Issued]

Mission Name: Eliminate Great Ape Baby

Mission Description: Baby, the avenger from the Tuffles, has arrived on Earth.

This race was once exterminated by the Saiyans, and the last survivors combined their resentment and technology to become a new life form.

He is now possessing a mortal and is speeding towards the surface, attempting to control all Saiyans and turn Earth into the Tuffles' new stronghold.

Please eliminate Baby within one month, or all life on Earth will become his pawns of revenge.

Mission Reward: 50,000 Exchange Value

Failure Penalty: None

"Baby..."

Jiang Che murmured the name softly, a slow, meaningful smile spreading across his lips.

He slowly clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking crisply.

Wind swirled and compressed in his palm, condensing into a small vortex before vanishing.

He looked down past the clouds, his gaze seeming to pierce the atmosphere, fixing on the descending mass of the monster.

He still remembered the plot of Dragon Ball GT.

Baby was the Tuffles' only hope, a monster that controlled others through parasitic possession, his body essentially a mutated flesh core.

He could burrow into a host's spine, taking over their body and mind.

His targets were Saiyans, especially those on the level of Vegeta and Gohan—if they fell into Baby's hands, Earth's strong defense line would instantly collapse, leaving the ordinary people to be slaughtered.

The air began to grow taut.

The real battle was only just beginning.