Breaking Limits in Despair, Super Saiyan Prototype Emerges

The cold system notification hit like a bucket of ice water, drenching him from head to toe.

Thirty minutes.

The second wave of enemy forces would arrive in full.

Five elite warriors with an average combat power of five thousand, plus a squad leader with eight thousand.

In the early stages of the cosmic star sector, this lineup was enough to trample any low-level civilization and crush legions of low-class Saiyans.

His desperate reversal just moments ago—killing a scout with four thousand two hundred combat power by punching four times above his weight—had been the absolute limit of his current capabilities.

He had relied on his opponent's arrogance and recklessness, exploiting every opening while burning his own life force in a gamble for a single, fleeting chance at a kill.

But the enemies to come were regular Frieza elites, organized and disciplined.

They were well-coordinated, ruthless in their tactics, battle-hardened, and backed by a captain with eight thousand combat power.

His current base combat power was two thousand eight hundred and forty. While that was a significant increase, facing this six-man squad head-on would lead to only one outcome: certain death.

The wind died down in the mountains, leaving the trees still. The clearing where the battle had just taken place was a mess of deep craters, cracked earth, and bloodstains.

Deep in the nearby forest, Bulma and Goku were hiding, not daring to make a sound, watching the lonely figure in the clearing from afar.

They couldn't understand the cosmic communications and didn't know how terrifying the impending crisis was, but they could clearly feel the suffocating pressure thickening in the air.

The storm was coming, and all things felt stifled.

Lin Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling blood in his body and forcing his overdrawn frame to steady itself.

The aftereffects of his recent explosive burst still lingered; his muscles twitched, and his meridians throbbed with a stinging ache. Yet, he had no time to recover, nor any time to slacken.

With a dead end before him, there was no retreat.

Run?

It was useless.

Frieza's fleet had already locked onto Earth's coordinates, and the pursuers would be endless. If he fled into the mountains today, they would scour the entire planet tomorrow, and the day after would bring a bombardment that would scour the surface and destroy everything.

Hide?

Even less likely.

He could hide, Bulma could hide, and the naive Goku could hide, but the billions of ordinary people on Earth had nowhere to go.

From the moment Frieza set his sights on him, this blue planet had been drawn into the cosmic emperor's death trap.

Either he broke his limits within thirty minutes, completed his transformation, and withstood this wave of the legion's siege, or everyone would perish, and Earth would meet its destruction ahead of schedule.

"System, pull up my full status."

Lin Chen steadied his mind and immediately checked his panel.

[Host: Lin Chen]
[Race: Half-Saiyan (Earth soul modification, potential mutation)]
[Current Base Combat Power: 2840]
[Peak Temporary Combat Power: 4000 (can be overdrawn for a short time)]
[Talent: Near-Death Rapid Recovery]
[Authority: Super Saiyan Primary Unlock Authority (99% sealed)]
[Current Status: Post-battle exhaustion, weakness, seal significantly loosened, bloodline in a state of critical agitation]

Seeing the final line of the notification, Lin Chen's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Bloodline in a state of critical agitation.

The most heaven-defying trait of the Saiyan race had never been steady, incremental cultivation, but rather breaking through at the brink of death and shattering limits in desperate situations.

Severe injury, exhaustion, near-death experiences, and extreme pressure could all stimulate the Saiyan bloodline to evolve wildly, breaking one's own shackles and triggering a leap in combat power.

In the original story, every extreme breakthrough Vegeta and Goku achieved was completed after a life-and-death crisis or a crushing defeat.

And now, he was exhausted from battle, his energy depleted, facing a formidable enemy, with certain death ahead—all the conditions perfectly aligned with the requirements for a near-death breakthrough!

More importantly, he held the [Super Saiyan Primary Unlock Authority], which was merely suppressed by his bloodline seal, preventing activation.

Now that the seal was loosening and his bloodline was agitated, wasn't this his only path to breaking the deadlock?

"Since there's no time for conventional cultivation, then I'll trade injury for strength and force my limits through a desperate situation!"

Lin Chen's eyes turned sharp, and he made his decision in an instant.

He stopped restraining the chaotic energy within his body and instead released all suppression, allowing his overdrawn injuries, aching meridians, and empty blood-energy to erupt completely.

Hum—!

The energy inside him surged wildly. His injuries, which had just been stabilized, instantly worsened. A tearing pain shot through his bones and muscles, and beneath his skin, his veins bulged and turned a faint red.

The agony was piercing; an ordinary person would have fainted from the pain long ago.

But having experienced ten years of bloody warfare on Planet Vegeta, the tearing of cosmic space, and the emperor's pursuit, Lin Chen had long since grown accustomed to extreme pain.

He gritted his teeth, his body standing firm, allowing his injuries to worsen and his vitality to decay as he actively pushed himself to the brink of death!

"Not enough... still not enough!"

"More pressure! Push the limits deeper!"

The potential of a Saiyan is forever hidden beneath the line between life and death!

[Ding! Host is actively squeezing the limits of the physical body; vitality is nearing exhaustion!]

[Near-Death Repair talent triggered! Extreme repair and physical collapse create an ultimate offset!]

[Bloodline agitation intensifies! Super Saiyan Prototype seal continues to loosen!]

[Extreme life-and-death pressure, physical extreme offset, and bloodline mutation potential detected! Triggering exclusive racial talent: Desperate Over-Limit Breakthrough!]

A series of system notifications flooded the screen frantically.

Lin Chen could clearly feel his combat power plummeting off a cliff.

Two thousand seven, two thousand five, two thousand two...

His base combat power plummeted all the way down, his body constantly collapsing and breaking, fine beads of blood seeping from his skin, his entire frame covered once again in bloody cracks, looking utterly miserable and on the verge of death.

Yet at the same time, the ancient Saiyan bloodline that had long lain dormant within him was awakening, boiling, and roaring!

The energy that had been stagnant began to turn pure, dense, and violent, its quality far exceeding that of cosmic warriors of the same rank.

The energy of ordinary Saiyans is manic, loose, and prone to leaking.

But the energy he was transforming into at this moment was condensed, domineering, and highly penetrative, carrying a faint glimmer of divinity that transcended the mundane.

This was the advantage of his hybrid soul modification, and the precursor to the Super Saiyan Prototype!

Ten minutes passed in a flash.

Only twenty minutes remained until the enemy forces arrived.

Lin Chen's combat power had already fallen to 1,500 points, his body was mostly shattered, and his aura was weak to the extreme, ready to expire at any moment.

But the energy foundation and bloodline level within him were no longer what they once were.

Quantitative change had finally piled up into qualitative change!

"Now! Full repair, activate!"

Lin Chen shouted inwardly!

[Near-Death Super-Speed Repair! Detonate with full power!]

BOOM!

A terrifyingly warm flow of life instantly swept through every cell, every meridian, and every inch of bone in his body!

His collapsed body repaired at a speed visible to the naked eye, his severed meridians reshaped and regenerated, and his depleted vitality surged and filled to the brim!

His previously plummeting combat power suddenly began a heaven-defying rebound!

One thousand eight!

Two thousand two!

Two thousand six!

Three thousand!

Breaking through his original peak, shattering the shackles, and soaring all the way up!

Three thousand two! Three thousand five! Three thousand eight!

The ceiling of an ordinary low-level Saiyan was torn to shreds in an instant!

[Ding! Near-Death Breakthrough successful! Physical body strengthened in all dimensions!]

[Bloodline level evolved slightly! Exceeded the category of low-level Saiyan!]

[Super Saiyan Prototype seal unlocked 10%! Obtained form: Super Saiyan Prototype (Burst State)]

[Current base combat power: 3900]

[Super Saiyan Prototype burst combat power: 5200!]

A majestic white aura exploded outward!

A gale swept through the entire mountain forest, dust shot into the sky, and fallen leaves danced wildly!

Fine, pale-gold sparks of electricity coiled around the surface of the white aura, flickering faintly.

He did not have the golden hair and green eyes of a full Super Saiyan transformation, but he possessed the domineering aura, pure energy, and physical amplification unique to a Super Saiyan!

Super Saiyan Prototype!

Half-step Super Saiyan!

His combat power had surged directly to 5,200 points!

At this moment, Lin Chen had completely left behind the ordinary cosmic elites; even against an enemy soldier with 5,000 combat power, he could crush them head-on and dominate them with ease!

His aura was now vast and heavy, and all previous weakness, exhaustion, and injuries had been swept away.

In its place was a sense of ultimate power, surging through every limb and bone. With every movement, a domineering pressure radiated outward, enough to shake the mountains and forests.

Goku, hiding in the dense woods, jerked his head up, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the figure erupting with white light.

So strong!

He was more than ten times stronger than when he had instantly killed the giant wolf and the alien warrior just moments ago!

Bulma covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief. The worry in her heart vanished, replaced by deep shock and admiration.

Just how much terrifying strength was this mysterious boy hiding?

Lin Chen slowly clenched his fists, feeling the explosive power surging within him, a cold, sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

Five thousand two hundred points of explosive combat power.

That was enough.

It was more than enough to deal with five grunts with five thousand combat power each.

The only remaining threat was the captain of the royal guard, who possessed eight thousand combat power.

A gap of four thousand was still a massive chasm.

But he was not without his trump cards.

The Super Saiyan Prototype form he had just broken through to, his more refined control, his combat experience from fighting above his level, and his unique devouring talent—these were his capital for a comeback.

Furthermore, he had two hidden assets.

Lin Chen swept his gaze toward the dense forest and spoke in a deep voice, "Goku, come out."

Swish!

Little Goku immediately bounded out, scurrying to Lin Chen's side with bright, excited eyes. "Big Brother! You've become so amazing! You're too strong!"

Bulma followed closely behind, standing to the side with cautious steps.

Lin Chen looked at Goku, his tone serious. "Six alien warriors are coming soon. Five are weak, and one is extremely strong."

"The five ordinary warriors have a combat power of around five thousand. With your current base combat power of one thousand three hundred and fifty, you cannot beat them head-on. However, your physical resilience, explosive speed, and combat talent far exceed what they expect."

"I will teach you the simplest form of Ki-burst control. It will take ten seconds to learn, and it will be enough for you to pin one of them down."

Goku stood straight immediately, nodding earnestly. "Okay! I'll learn! I can help!"

Though he was young, he understood that their situation was perilous and that he could not just hide behind others and be a burden.

Lin Chen did not hold back.

The original Goku was already gifted with talent that surpassed all others in the heavens; he simply lacked guidance and possessed raw strength without knowing how to use his Ki.

Combining the Saiyan Basic Breathing Method with Earth Martial Arts Force Technique, Lin Chen taught him the basics of Ki gathering, concentration, and instant bursts in the simplest, most direct way possible.

There was no complex theory, only practical, hard-hitting combat knowledge.

Goku's talent was terrifyingly absolute; he understood everything the moment it was explained and mastered it instantly.

In just a few minutes, he had mastered the basic Ki-burst, causing his combat power to briefly soar to one thousand eight hundred points—barely enough to hold off an enemy.

Immediately after, Lin Chen turned his gaze to Bulma.

"Can your radar quickly analyze the signal frequency and weapon structure of the alien warships?"

Bulma nodded at once, her eyes resolute. "I can! I secretly recorded the signal data from that warship earlier! Give me ten minutes, and I can crack their weapon locks and jam their communications!"

The confidence of a genius girl never relied solely on adventure and play.

Her top-tier scientific research talent from West City was crucial in this kind of cosmic technological confrontation.

One to suppress with combat power, one to pin down the battlefield, and one to disrupt with technology.

The makeshift three-person team was formed in an instant.

The death trap that had seemed inescapable was torn open by Lin Chen's breakthrough and his on-the-spot tactical layout, revealing a glimmer of hope.

But just as the three of them were ready and waiting for the enemy to descend, six cold, silver beams of light suddenly tore through the clouds from the distant, high sky, piercing the firmament!

Six standard reconnaissance warships formed a pincer formation, locking down the entire airspace above the mountain forest!

At the same time, a cold, arrogant voice, carrying absolute pressure, boomed across the entire land through a cosmic amplification device!

"Vile Earth natives, Saiyan stragglers who escaped the net!"

"I am Gilos, captain of Lord Frieza's royal guard!"

"By order of the Emperor, I am here to purge the remnants!"

"You have ten seconds to kneel and surrender!"

"Otherwise, you will be torn to pieces, and every living thing in this place will be slaughtered!"

The terrifying aura of eight thousand combat power crushed down from ten thousand meters above!

And the cold, final warning from the system rang out in Lin Chen's mind once more.

[Final Warning: Hidden combat power of Royal Guard Captain Gilos detected!]

[True Peak Combat Power: 9500!]

[The opponent has mastered the Nether Killing Art exclusive to the Frieza Clan! With explosive melee capabilities, they possess the instant-kill potential to eliminate anyone with 5000 combat power!]

Lin Chen's pupils constricted sharply.

It wasn't eight thousand.

It was nine thousand five hundred!

Hidden strength, a built-in lethal technique, and an ace for instant kills!

The battle, which had been barely balanced, was instantly and completely overturned once again!

The true dead end had only just officially arrived!