So, I was the bad guy all along, the system didn't make me one

Li Xing listened to their greetings.

He felt smug inside.

Brainwashing—hadn't it been a success?

Earth would soon have a new, powerful organization of villains.

They would spend their days doing nothing but evil, specifically targeting those who claimed to be superheroes protecting the planet.

"Number One, what's the proper way to address you?"

Li Xing cast a glance at the foolish Ashu.

"You idiot, it's obviously 'President Li'."

"No, it should be 'Chairman', Chairman of Aurora Group."

"I think it should be Chairman Li Xing."

The three of them argued incessantly, eventually starting to bicker.

"Idiots, obviously only what I say counts."

Li Xing hurriedly stopped Pilaf.

What a waste of breath.

They still had to go out and get beaten up later.

They should save their energy to last a little longer in the fight; that would take some pressure off him, wouldn't it?

"Alright, just call me President Li. You three will be primarily responsible for Aurora Group, while I provide guidance from behind the scenes and make an occasional appearance. Now, according to the plan, go test out the mechs."

Pilaf chuckled.

"Don't worry, Number One. I have confidence in my scientific research capabilities. There is no one on Earth who can surpass me."

Li Xing remained noncommittal, not bothering to dampen Pilaf's spirits.

Confidence was a good thing.

If he discouraged him too much, he might have to comfort him, and he might even end up becoming Pilaf's life mentor.

What a bargain that would be.

"Let's go. Didn't you detect the Dragon Balls? Go, test out their methods. We don't need, nor will we allow, bad guys to collect the Dragon Balls to do evil deeds."

"Understood, Number One!"

Watching the group march off with such high spirits, Li Xing was deeply moved.

What a fine bunch of people they were; why were they always so unlucky, getting severely injured every single time?

Watching the three of them pilot their mechs away, Li Xing felt that something was off.

After thinking for a while without finding the reason, he took out the only Dragon Ball he had and tucked it into his clothes.

"This martial arts uniform just won't do. I should urge Pilaf to research nanomaterials and create something like Iron Man's armor. Then I won't have to change clothes wherever I go."

This thought suddenly popped into Li Xing's mind.

No man could resist the allure of a mech.

If it weren't for the fact that he knew Pilaf's current mechs were weak, offered little help to his own strength, and couldn't beat Sun Wukong and the others, he would have wanted to pilot a mech himself to fight Sun Wukong.

Of course, there was also the fact that the mechs Pilaf designed were too ugly; Li Xing didn't want to wear them.

He took the vertical lift directly to the garage and picked a car at random.

Boom!

An hour later.

Looking at Pilaf and his two companions amidst the scrap metal, Li Xing finally realized what he had overlooked.

Those three idiots had piloted their mechs directly from the castle toward Sun Wukong and his group.

They had wasted too much fuel along the way.

They hadn't been fighting for long before they ran out of power and broke down.

That was the only reason Sun Wukong and Yamcha had gained the upper hand and dismantled the mechs.

Li Xing shook his head with a wry smile.

"Transmigrators really aren't all geniuses."

Li Xing let out a sigh.

He understood this feeling all too well.

After training and sparring for so long, his strength had improved at a glacial pace.

Seeing Yamcha about to scavenge through the scrap metal, Li Xing knew it wasn't the right time for Pilaf and his crew to reveal themselves.

He took out the Black Wolf Mask he had prepared, pulled it over his head, and vaulted straight out of the vehicle.

Using the surrounding trees for leverage, Li Xing moved through the air, closing the distance rapidly.

"Stop!"

Before he had even landed, his shout rang out from afar.

The voice was muffled and the tone was bizarre.

If someone had X-ray vision, they would see that Li Xing had a small piece of wood in his mouth.

Lacking any powerful skills, Li Xing had chosen the most primitive method.

By holding something in his mouth, he could naturally alter his vocalizations.

If he intentionally deepened his tone as well, the change in his voice became quite drastic.

Sun Wukong and Yamcha heard the strange sound and immediately went on high alert.

"Mommy, there wouldn't be a ghost, would there?!"

Li Xing's weird, accented voice carried over, making Bulma's hair stand on end and goosebumps break out all over her skin as she shivered and clung to Oolong and Puar.

Puar and Oolong were also terrified, though unlike Puar, Oolong's face displayed a mix of fear and enjoyment.

"Hehe, comfortable, comfortable, so comfortable!"

Catching a glimpse of this out of the corner of his eye, Li Xing stumbled and nearly fell flat on his face.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly, performing a front flip in mid-air and landing in front of Sun Wukong and Yamcha, glaring at them coldly.

He couldn't help but complain internally.

This flirtatious Bulma would be handing out hats from here on out.

Poor Tragedy-ta.

Unlike others who came to the Dragon Ball World to conquer various beauties, Li Xing had absolutely no interest in these main female characters.

He was an orphan, yet he held onto his own traditional values.

Most of the female protagonists in the Dragon Ball World were used for fanservice, often ending up completely exposed.

Li Xing simply could not accept this.

He could find plenty of beauties later, but he felt nothing for these female leads.

He wouldn't criticize others for having the "ambitions of Mengde," but he had his own mental hang-ups.

Saying it like that might sound hypocritical and unfair.

But Li Xing would not waver in his convictions.

This world was built on the law of the jungle; where was there any room for fairness?

Whether it was the Dragon Ball World he was in now, or the reality he had lived in before.

In fact, the original reality was even more unfair.

Abundant resources allowed everyone to be fed, so people just subconsciously ignored it.

Or perhaps, through the control of public discourse, deliberate guidance, and various layers of embellishment, the foolish simply couldn't see it clearly.

Or rather, it wasn't that they couldn't see it, but that they were powerless to change it.

In this world, a common man's rage could spill blood five paces away; in that other world, how many people still had that kind of spirit?

Humans were, at their core, just animals; their fangs and claws had long been filed down, leaving them without the courage or the ability.

Otherwise, there wouldn't be widespread debates across two or even three factions whenever a case of justified self-defense occurred.

Often, the voices supporting the aggressors were even louder.

Was fairness what Li Xing wanted?

No!

Would he uphold fairness?

Absolutely not!

He wouldn't hypocritically claim that others were cruel for being rich, nor would he say how good he would be once he had money, how he would look after the weak once he had power, or how he would help others once he held authority.

Within reasonable limits and under public scrutiny, he didn't mind doing a few small favors.

But in most situations, Li Xing wouldn't care if others lived or died, nor would he go out of his way to help them.

To have more money, more power, more strength, or to strive for a better life—these things were, by their very nature, meant for the exploitation of others.

Only by exploiting others could one truly claim to be living well and enjoying life.

Otherwise, if everyone were the same, what would be the point of talking about enjoyment or effort?

If you are living well, then others must necessarily be living poorly; otherwise, what meaning would your "well-being" have?

In a fleeting instant, many thoughts raced through Li Xing's mind.

Don't even mention it.

Once this perfected line of thought emerged, he was stunned by his own realization.

Stunned to the core!

Every option his system provided seemed to be guiding him toward choosing the path of a villain.

So, it wasn't the system forcing him to be a villain; it was that he had been a villain all along.