The Heart of a Strong Person

The ruins at dusk looked as if a chunk of the world had been hollowed out.

Broken walls and shattered bricks cast long shadows under the setting sun, the air thick with a mixture of dust and the acrid scent of gunpowder.

Jiang Che floated alone in mid-air, not far from the ground, his black clothes snapping in the evening breeze.

His right hand gripped Son Goku like an iron vice—the once invincible Great Monkey King.

Now, Son Goku was covered in wounds, his golden armor shattered into fragments, blood dripping from his tattered clothes and staining the rubble beneath them a dark red.

Jiang Che remained expressionless, his cold gaze looking down at the scene below.

The setting sun spilled from behind him, gilding his silhouette with a cold, golden light.

He shook Son Goku in his hand as if he were merely tossing around a ragdoll.

Blood from Son Goku's body streaked through the air, drawing a thin, crimson arc.

Jiang Che looked down and asked, his voice devoid of warmth, "Hey, are you still alive?"

Son Goku struggled to open his eyes, his lids feeling as heavy as lead.

His vision was blurred, seeing only a familiar yet indifferent face; he froze for a moment, his pupils constricting. "You... you are..."

"Enough, as long as you can talk, that's fine." Jiang Che cut him off directly, his tone entirely flat.

Then, he released his grip, tossing Son Goku into the pile of ruins in the distance as if discarding something useless.

Son Goku's body traced an arc through the air, the sound of him breaking the wind piercingly sharp.

In the distance, Pan and Mr. Satan were still huddled behind a half-collapsed wall, which was riddled with cracks and bullet holes.

Pan clutched her knees, her eyes fixed intently on the battle in the sky, her palms soaked with sweat.

Mr. Satan crouched beside her, his teeth chattering and sweat dripping from his head as he muttered incessantly, "It's over, it's over, that monster is back..."

At Jiang Che's words, Pan looked up instantly, a glimmer of hope appearing in her eyes.

She pushed Mr. Satan aside and dashed out, stepping over rubble and charred wooden beams, kicking up a trail of dust.

Mr. Satan hesitated for a second before stumbling after her, his portly frame knocking over an iron pole.

Jiang Che's voice descended from the sky, laced with mockery: "Catch your father!" Pan looked up, hands outstretched, seeing Son Goku's body plummeting straight down.

She gritted her teeth, pushed off the ground, and lunged forward against the force of the impact.

"Thud!" With a dull sound, Pan caught Son Goku steadily, though the impact still forced her back three steps; her heels hit a steel bar, and her body swayed.

She held Son Goku tightly, and seeing the scars covering her father's face, her smile froze and her eyes turned red. "Dad!"

Son Goku raised a hand weakly, wanting to touch her face, but he lacked the strength; his lips moved. "Kiddo..." his voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

Mr. Satan panted as he rushed over, crouching down, his thick, trembling fingers parting Son Goku's shredded clothes to reveal the terrifying wounds on his chest—three claw marks deep enough to expose bone were still oozing blood.

He gasped, "This... these wounds are just too..."

Suddenly, he looked toward the distance, his pupils shrinking.

At the edge of the ruins, Great Ape Baby slowly turned around.

Its body was so massive it seemed to merge with the ruins, covered in coarse, black fur, its two eyes burning like flames as it stared fixedly at them.

With every step, the ground shook, and rubble tumbled from the eaves of the walls.

Mr. Satan's face turned as white as paper, his lips trembling, his voice filled with terror: "Hey, hey, we're in trouble now... that monster is still here!"

Jiang Che remained suspended high in the air, locked in a standoff with Great Ape Baby.

He crossed his arms over his chest, his hem dancing in the wind, watching Great Ape Baby coldly, as if staring at an indestructible cockroach.

Great Ape Baby hunched its back, its massive head lowered, its blood-red eyes fixed on Jiang Che.

The next second, it let out a low roar, the sound shattering the air: "It's you... it's you! I remember you!"

A mocking smirk suddenly curled the corner of Jiang Che's mouth; he tapped his toes against the void and leaned forward. "Should I feel honored to be remembered by a low-level creature like you? I'm truly terrified."

He spoke unhurriedly, but his eyes were filled with killing intent.

"Bas--tard!" Great Ape Baby roared, the sound waves sending rubble flying and ripples of dust rising.

It suddenly raised its massive hand, fingers spread wide, each as thick as a pillar, the shadow covering Jiang Che like a shroud. "You beat me so badly last time, this time I'm going to tear you apart and twist your head off to kick around like a ball!"

Its voice was hoarse, saliva spraying from between its teeth.

The smile on Jiang Che's face gradually vanished, leaving only cold contempt in his eyes: "By your hand?"

He slowly raised his right hand, his index finger tapping his own temple. "Something that can only survive by parasitizing the bodies of others dares to say such things? Are you still dreaming?"

"Die!" Great Ape Baby's eyes turned completely crimson; amidst its roar, it swung its giant palm down with such speed that it whipped up a gale, the sand and debris on the ground swirling into a gray wall of wind.

The air was torn open, a fierce whistling sound erupted, and where the palm passed, several half-collapsed stone pillars shattered under the impact and came crashing down.

Jiang Che did not dodge at all, not even blinking.

He merely raised his right hand, his five fingers closing slightly, gripping the air.

The movement was as gentle as plucking a dandelion.

"Bang—"

A thunderous crash echoed as dust rained down from the ruins.

The massive palm, which should have been capable of crushing the entire building, was brought to a dead halt in mid-air by Jiang Che.

His right hand had firmly gripped one of the fingers, his wrist not moving an inch, as if he were merely holding a straw.

Great Ape Baby froze, looking down at its own restrained hand, its eyes filled with disbelief.

Its pupils contracted and its muscles tensed, yet it could not break free no matter how hard it tried.

Jiang Che gripped the finger, which was as thick as a man's waist, tightened his fingers, and gave it a violent twist—

"Snap!"

The sound of bone fracturing cut coldly through the entire ruin.

The finger was snapped clean off; white bone pierced through fur, and blood gushed out, splattering across half of Jiang Che's face.

He curled the corner of his mouth, flicked his tongue out to lick the blood away, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Awooo—!"

Great Ape Baby let out a heart-wrenching howl, its entire face twisting in agony.

Its massive body lurched backward, each step crushing debris and knocking down half a building, sending rubble flying amidst a continuous roar.

Jiang Che shook the blood droplets from his hand, the liquid scattering in the air like a string of red pearls.

He watched the suffering Great Ape with cold eyes, his voice drifting, yet sharp as a blade: "Is that it?"

He crossed his arms again, tilted his head, and the contempt on his face was almost blinding. "You turned into this pathetic thing, and yet you're still this weak? Did you really think changing your face would be enough to turn the tables?"

In the distance, Mr. Satan and Pan stood at the edge of a broken highway, their pupils constricted, frozen in place as if nailed to the ground.

Mr. Satan's mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist, sweat streaming down his forehead onto the ruined road.

He rubbed his eyes, doubting his own vision: "That... that young man... actually blocked that monster with one hand?"

His voice was hoarse, and his legs trembled so violently he nearly collapsed.

Pan stood right beside him, her long hair whipping in the wind, her eyes filled with utter disbelief.

She stared fixedly at the figure hovering in the air, her lips trembling: "Who... who exactly is he? How could there possibly be someone this strong left in this world?"