Spring Has Arrived

Within the pitch-black rift of space-time, there was no sense of up, down, left, or right—only an endless, kaleidoscopic blur.

Son Gohan and Trunks were enveloped in a faint golden light, hurtling through the turbulent currents of time. This radiance emanated from the golden bracers on their wrists, which acted like a lighthouse, forcibly carving a path through the chaotic timeline.

On either side of the passage, countless slices of parallel space-times flashed by like a revolving lantern.

Son Gohan saw many familiar scenes: the moment Namek exploded, a deathmatch at the Cell Games Arena, a massive golden Shenron coiling through a sea of stars, and a gaunt, cat-headed purple creature yawning as it casually destroyed a planet.

These images vanished in an instant, too fleeting to be seen clearly.

"Brother Gohan, where exactly does this passage lead?" Trunks followed closely behind Son Gohan, his heart trembling as he watched the distorted images surrounding them.

"I don't know. Just follow the guidance of the bracers." Son Gohan stared at a white speck of light growing larger ahead. "Get ready, we're almost there!"

Whoosh!

The two turned into streaks of light and plunged headlong into the white speck.

Earth, a primeval forest.

The midday sun cast mottled shadows through the dense canopy. In a clearing, two massive Tyrannosaurus rexes covered in tough scales were stacked together, emitting deafening low roars as they explored the meaning of life.

Just as they reached the final, critical stage:

The space in mid-air was suddenly torn apart like a piece of rag. A pitch-black rift exploded into existence, accompanied by violent purple electricity and a deafening sonic boom.

The two T-rexes were scared out of their wits by the terrifying disturbance. The male let out a miserable shriek, its massive body shuddering violently before it scrambled away, crashing through dozens of towering trees without once looking back. The female followed in a panicked flight, and the entire forest descended into chaos as birds and beasts scattered in every direction.

Son Gohan and Trunks landed steadily from mid-air.

Looking at the devastated forest, Trunks's mouth twitched. "I think we interrupted them."

"Never mind that. Hide your energy." Son Gohan immediately suppressed his ki to the absolute limit, blending almost perfectly into the natural environment.

This was an entirely unknown space-time. Before figuring out the situation, releasing their energy with such fanfare would be an act of pure stupidity.

Trunks followed suit.

Son Gohan raised his left wrist and channeled a faint wisp of energy into the golden bracer. The ancient patterns on the metal began to glow.

"Master Popo, can you hear me?" Son Gohan spoke into the bracer.

Popo's ethereal, monotone voice soon emanated from the device: "I hear you clearly. It seems you have successfully arrived at the target space-time."

"What should we do next?" Son Gohan went straight to the point. "Where are the Original Dragon Balls in this space-time?"

Popo was silent for two seconds.

"I cannot sense their exact location," Popo's voice remained flat. "The only thing I can confirm is that the Original Dragon Balls are indeed on Earth."

Trunks grew anxious. "Then how are we supposed to find them? Earth is so big; we can't just dig three feet down everywhere, can we?"

"Seek the 'root' that caused the world to deviate from its track," Popo said eerily. "Miracle Power does not exert influence out of thin air; it must be attached to a person or object that has defied established destiny. Find that root, and you will find the clues to the Original Dragon Balls. Good luck."

Zzzzt.

The communication was unilaterally cut off, and the faint glow on the bracer dimmed.

Son Gohan and Trunks looked at each other.

"The root of the deviation?" Trunks was speechless. "What kind of hint is that? How are we supposed to find that!"

"Complaining is useless. Popo clearly can't give us any more help." Son Gohan closed his eyes, carefully sensing the energy signatures on Earth. "Since it is the root of a deviation, there must be something extremely unreasonable about this world. Let's figure out the current state of this Earth by finding someone we know."

Suddenly, Son Gohan's brow furrowed.

He had detected an extremely manic energy signature not too far away.

"Found it." Son Gohan opened his eyes, a flash of confusion crossing his face. "It seems to be Vegeta's energy."

"Father?" Trunks was stunned.

"Yes, but his energy seems very weak." Son Gohan rubbed his chin, calculating rapidly in his mind.

He realized that Vegeta's current combat power was only around forty or fifty thousand. This was highly illogical. According to the normal timeline, when Vegeta first arrived on Earth, his combat power was around eighteen thousand. After being beaten by the Ginyu Force on Namek and severely wounded by Frieza, his power had skyrocketed to nearly a million thanks to the Saiyan trait of growing stronger after near-death experiences.

This current value of forty to fifty thousand was stuck in an extremely awkward range.

If it were the Saiyan invasion period, forty to fifty thousand would be too high. If it were after the Namek saga, the number would be pitifully low. What on earth was going on?

"Let's go take a look." Son Gohan made a prompt decision.

To avoid alerting the enemy, the two did not use high-speed flight. Instead, they skimmed the canopy of the forest, moving toward the target location at a very low altitude.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at a desolate valley.

The place was barren, surrounded by dark red rocks scorched by high heat. Before they even got close, a series of rumbling roars echoed from the center of the valley.

The two landed on a high cliff at the edge of the valley and peered down.

At the bottom of the valley, Vegeta, wearing a tattered, old-fashioned combat suit, was like a crazed beast, swinging his fists repeatedly and slamming them into the hard cliff face before him.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each punch left a massive crater in the rock, sending gravel and dust flying everywhere. Vegeta was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, but he seemed unable to feel fatigue, venting his rage in a frenzy.

"Why!"

Vegeta took a sharp step back, hands cupped together as a dazzling Galick Gun erupted, instantly leveling half of the mountain before him.

He gasped for air amidst the billowing smoke, his eyes bloodshot and the muscles in his face twisted in extreme fury.

"Why! Why!" Vegeta roared hysterically, his voice echoing through the empty valley. "I am the Prince of all Saiyans! I possess the purest royal bloodline!"

He slammed a fist into the ground, carving a crack over a dozen meters long into the earth.

"Lin Fan!"

"Kakarot!"

"How can mere low-class warriors surpass me? How dare they trample me underfoot! I won't accept this! I refuse to accept this!"

Above the cliff.

Trunks was stunned to hear Vegeta's roar. He knew Kakarot—that was what his father, Vegeta, called Uncle Goku—but what was that other name?

"Brother Gohan, who is Lin Fan?" Trunks asked in a hushed, puzzled voice. Neither his mother nor Brother Gohan had ever mentioned that name to him.

Son Gohan did not answer, but his heart skipped a beat.

Lin Fan.

A name that sounded like a standard web novel protagonist, it definitely did not belong to the original Dragon Ball worldview. Combined with Vegeta's abnormal combat power of only a few tens of thousands and the humiliation revealed in his words, the case was closed.

This guy named Lin Fan was undoubtedly the "source of the deviation" that Popo had spoken of. He was likely a transmigrator who knew the plot, or someone possessing some kind of cheat, who had stolen the spotlight from Son Goku and Vegeta in this timeline, and perhaps even altered the original course of events on Namek.

Thinking of this, Son Gohan sighed inwardly. If only his own cheat were still active, but for some reason, it had only appeared once when he first transmigrated and had remained unresponsive to all his calls since.

"Let's go down." Son Gohan pulled himself together and leaped, landing lightly from the high cliff. Trunks followed closely behind.

The two of them suppressed their energy to the absolute limit, not even kicking up a speck of dust as they touched down.

But the moment they landed, the harsh afternoon sun cast their long shadows onto the ground right in front of Vegeta.

Vegeta's movements froze instantly.

The combat instincts honed from years of living on the edge of life and death triggered an immediate reaction. Like a startled leopard, he whipped around, his body tensing instantly as he assumed a highly aggressive defensive stance.

"Who's there?!" Vegeta glared at the two strangers who had appeared out of thin air, a bead of cold sweat trickling down his forehead.