The system's icy notification poured over him like a bucket of ice water, chilling him from head to toe.
Thirty minutes.
The second wave of enemy troops would arrive in full.
Five elite warriors with an average battle power of five thousand, plus a personal guard captain with a battle power of eight thousand.
In the early days of the universe, this lineup could flatten any planet with a low-level civilization and crush entire legions of low-class Saiyans.
His desperate reversal just now—killing a scout with a battle power of 4,200 despite being outmatched fourfold—had already pushed him to his current limit.
He'd relied on his opponent's overconfidence and rash advance, exploited every opening, and then pushed himself past his limits for a precise instant kill. He'd gambled everything on a single fleeting opportunity.
But the enemies coming next were a properly organized squad of Frieza's elite regular troops.
They worked seamlessly together, fought with ruthless tactics, and had seen countless battles. On top of that, an eight-thousand-power captain was there to command them.
His normal battle power was now 2,840, which looked like a huge increase. But if he faced this squad of six head-on, there was only one possible outcome—certain death.
The wind had died among the trees. The clearing where the battle had just taken place lay in disarray, riddled with craters and cracked earth, its soil spattered with blood.
Far away, Bulma and Goku were hiding deep in the woods, not daring to make a sound. They could only watch the lonely figure in the clearing from afar.
They couldn't understand the alien communications or grasp how terrifying the approaching danger was, but they could clearly feel the growing oppression in the air.
A storm was coming. All things held their breath.
Lin Chen took a deep breath, suppressing the churning blood in his body and forcing his overtaxed frame to steady itself.
The aftereffects of his extreme burst of power still lingered. His muscles twitched in spasms, and his meridians ached and throbbed, but he had no time to recover, much less relax.
Death lay ahead. There was nowhere to retreat.
Run?
It was useless.
Frieza's fleet had already locked onto Earth's coordinates, and wave after wave of pursuers would keep coming. If he fled into the mountains today, they'd search the entire planet tomorrow. The day after that, they'd bombard the surface and annihilate everything.
Hide?
Even less likely.
He could hide. Bulma could hide. The innocent, oblivious 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 azure planet had already been swept into the Universe Emperor's deadly scheme.
Either he broke through his limits completely within thirty minutes, transformed, and withstood the coming encirclement by the enemy forces.
Or everyone would perish, and Earth would meet its end ahead of time.
"System, show me my full status."
Lin Chen steadied his thoughts and immediately checked his status panel.
[Host: Lin Chen] [Race: Half-Saiyan (Earth soul modification, mutated potential)] [Current normal battle power: 2840] [Peak temporary battle power: 4000 (can be briefly exceeded through overexertion)] [Talent: Near-Death Super-Speed Recovery] [Authority: Super Saiyan basic unlock authority (99% sealed)] [Current status: Overexerted after battle, seal greatly loosened by weakness, bloodline in a state of critical agitation]
At the final line of the panel, Lin Chen's gaze suddenly sharpened.
His bloodline was in a state of critical agitation.
The Saiyans' most miraculous trait had never been steady training over time. It was the ability to break through on the brink of death, to break past their limits in desperate straits.
Severe injuries, overexertion, near-death experiences, and extreme pressure could all stimulate a Saiyan's bloodline to evolve wildly, shatter its shackles, and trigger a leap in battle power.
In the original story, every one of Vegeta and Son Goku's breakthroughs came after they'd been pushed to the brink of death and suffered crushing defeats and severe injuries.
And now, he was overexerted after battle, his blood and energy depleted, facing a powerful enemy, with certain death ahead. Every condition perfectly matched the requirements for a near-death breakthrough!
More importantly, he possessed the [Super Saiyan Basic Unlock Authority], but it was suppressed by the seal on his bloodline and couldn't be activated.
Now that the seal was loosening and his bloodline was agitated, wasn't this his only way out?
"If there's no time for normal training, then I'll trade injuries for strength and use this desperate situation to force myself beyond my limits!"
Lin Chen's eyes suddenly sharpened as he made his decision.
He stopped restraining the chaotic energy in his body. Instead, he deliberately released every restraint, allowing his overtaxed injuries, aching meridians, and depleted blood and energy to erupt completely.
Bzz—!
Energy surged chaotically through his body. His injuries, which he'd just managed to stabilize, worsened in an instant. Every muscle and bone screamed with tearing pain, and the veins beneath his skin bulged red.
The pain pierced to the bone. An ordinary person would have passed out already.
But Lin Chen had endured ten years of bloody battles on Planet Vegeta, the tearing void of outer space, and the pursuit of an emperor. He had long since grown accustomed to extreme pain.
He clenched his teeth and stood firm, allowing his injuries to worsen and his blood and energy to ebb away. He deliberately pushed himself to the brink of death!
"Not enough... still not enough!"
"More pressure! Push me further beyond my limits!"
A Saiyan's potential was always hidden just beyond the line between life and death!
[Beep! The host is deliberately pushing his body beyond its limits; his blood and energy are nearly depleted!] [Near-Death Repair talent activated! Rapid recovery and bodily collapse are now in extreme opposition!] [Bloodline agitation intensifying! Super Saiyan seal continuing to loosen!] [Extreme life-or-death pressure, extreme bodily opposition, and mutated bloodline potential detected! Exclusive racial talent activated: Desperate Over-Limit Breakthrough!]
A flurry of system notifications flooded the screen.
Lin Chen could clearly feel his battle power plummeting.
2,700, 2,500, 2,200...
His normal battle power kept crashing. His body continued to break down, fine beads of blood appeared on his skin, and fresh bloody cracks spread across his body. He looked utterly wretched, on the verge of death.
But at the same time, the ancient Saiyan bloodline that had long lain dormant within him was rapidly awakening, boiling, roaring!
The energy that had once been stagnant began to grow purer, denser, and more violent, its quality far surpassing that of warriors of the same rank in the universe!
Ordinary Saiyan energy was violent, loose, and prone to dissipating.
But the energy transforming within him now was condensed, domineering, and highly penetrating, carrying a faint divine glimmer that set it apart from the mundane.
This was the advantage of his modified half-human soul—and the precursor to a Super Saiyan prototype!
Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Only twenty minutes remained before the enemy troops arrived.
Lin Chen's battle power had already fallen to 1,500. Most of his body was broken, and his aura was so faint that he could stop breathing at any moment.
But the energy reserves within him and the level of his bloodline had already become completely different.
Quantitative change had accumulated until it became qualitative change!
"Now! Full recovery!"
Lin Chen gave a low shout inwardly!
[Near-Death Super-Speed Recovery! Unleash it at full power!]
Boom!
A terrifying wave of warm life energy swept through every cell, every meridian, and every bone in his body!
His ruined body rapidly healed before their eyes. His severed meridians regenerated, while his depleted blood and energy surged back in a wild flood!
His falling battle power suddenly began an incredible rebound!
1,800!
2,200!
2,600!
3,000!
It broke past its previous peak and shattered its shackles, soaring higher!
3,200! 3,500! 3,800!
The ceiling for ordinary low-class Saiyans was instantly torn apart!
[Beep! Near-death breakthrough successful! Physical body strengthened in every dimension!] [Bloodline has slightly evolved! You have surpassed the ranks of low-class Saiyans!] [Super Saiyan seal unlocked by 10%! New form acquired: Super Saiyan Prototype (Burst State)] [Current normal battle power: 3900] [Super Saiyan Prototype burst battle power: 5200!]
A vast white aura exploded around him!
A gale swept through the entire forest. Dust soared into the sky, and fallen leaves whirled wildly!
Fine streaks of pale golden lightning coiled around the surface of the white aura, flickering faintly.
He hadn't transformed completely into a golden-haired, blue-eyed Super Saiyan, but he now possessed the form's distinct domineering aura, refined energy, and physical amplification!
The Super Saiyan Prototype!
Halfway to Super Saiyan!
His battle power had soared straight to 5,200!
At this moment, Lin Chen had left ordinary elite warriors of the universe far behind. Even against enemy warriors with a battle power of five thousand, he could crush them head-on and overwhelm them completely!
His aura was now powerful and solid. His previous weakness, exhaustion, and injuries had vanished without a trace.
In their place was an overwhelming sense of power that filled every limb and bone. Even the slightest movement carried a domineering pressure that shook the mountains and forests.
Goku, hiding in the woods, jerked his head up and stared in shock at the figure blazing with white light.
So strong!
He was more than ten times stronger than when he'd instantly killed the giant wolf and slain the alien warrior!
Bulma also covered her mouth, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her worries immediately eased, replaced by deep shock and admiration.
Just how much terrifying power was this mysterious young man hiding?
Lin Chen slowly clenched his fists, feeling the terrifying strength surging through him. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
A burst battle power of 5,200.
That was enough.
It was more than enough to deal with five grunts whose battle power was around five thousand.
The only threat left was the personal guard captain with a battle power of eight thousand.
A difference of four thousand was still an enormous chasm.
But he wasn't without other cards to play.
His newly achieved Super Saiyan Prototype form, his more refined control, his experience fighting enemies stronger than himself, and his unique ability to absorb energy all gave him a chance to turn the tables.
What's more, he had two hidden allies.
Lin Chen glanced toward the woods and called out in a firm voice, "Goku, come out."
Whoosh!
Little Goku immediately sprang out and dashed over to Lin Chen, his eyes shining with excitement. "Big brother! You've gotten so strong! You're amazing!"
Bulma followed close behind, standing cautiously to one side.
Lin Chen looked at Goku, his tone serious. "Six alien warriors will be here soon. Five are weak, and one is extremely strong."
"The five ordinary warriors have battle powers around five thousand. Your normal battle power is only 1,350, so you can't beat them in a head-on fight. But your body's resilience, burst speed, and fighting talent are far beyond what they'd expect."
"I'll teach you the simplest way to control and release your energy. You'll learn it in ten seconds—enough to hold one of them off."
Goku immediately stood up straight and nodded earnestly. "Okay! I'll learn! I can help!"
Though he was young, he understood that they were in danger. He couldn't just hide behind the others and hold them back.
Lin Chen didn't hold anything back.
In the original story, Goku's talent was unmatched throughout the Heavens. He simply hadn't had anyone to guide him, so he'd possessed brute strength without knowing how to use his energy.
Combining the Saiyan Basic Breathing Method with Earth Martial Arts Force Technique, Lin Chen quickly taught him the basics of controlling, gathering, and explosively releasing energy in the simplest, most straightforward way.
There was no complicated theory, only practical instruction.
Goku's talent was terrifying. He understood everything at once and learned it in a single try.
In just a few minutes, he'd mastered the basics of gathering and releasing energy. His battle power briefly surged to 1,800, giving him just enough strength to hold an enemy at bay.
Next, Lin Chen turned to Bulma.
"Can your Dragon Radar quickly analyze the signal frequencies and weapon structure of their spaceships?"
Bulma immediately nodded, her gaze resolute. "Yes! I secretly recorded the signal data from that spaceship earlier! Give me ten minutes, and I can crack their weapons' targeting systems and disrupt their communications!"
A genius girl's confidence was never limited to her adventurous nature.
West City's top-tier scientific talent was crucial in a clash of alien technologies like this.
One of them would suppress the enemy with sheer power, another would hold them back on the battlefield, and the third would disrupt their technology.
The hastily assembled three-person team was ready in an instant.
Lin Chen had used his desperate breakthrough and quick thinking to rip a sliver of hope from what had originally been certain death.
But just as the three of them finished preparing and waited for the enemy to arrive, six cold silver beams suddenly tore through the clouds high above the distant horizon, streaking across the sky!
Six standard-issue scout ships took up an encircling formation, locking down the airspace above the entire forest!
At the same time, a cold, arrogant voice, heavy with absolute authority, boomed across the land through the ships' public-address system!
"Wretched Earthling natives! Saiyan grunts who slipped through the net!"
"I am Gilos, captain of Lord Frieza's personal guard!"
"By order of the Emperor, I have come to eliminate the remaining fugitives!"
"You have ten seconds to kneel and submit!"
"Otherwise, we'll tear you to pieces and slaughter every living thing in this place!"
The terrifying aura of a warrior with a battle power of eight thousand crashed down from ten thousand meters above!
And the system's icy final warning rang through Lin Chen's mind once again.
[Final warning: Hidden battle power detected in personal guard captain Gilos!]
[True peak combat power: 9500!] [The opponent has mastered the Frieza Clan's exclusive Nether Killing Art! It unleashes explosive close-range attacks and can instantly kill anyone with a combat power of 5000 or less!]
Lin Chen's pupils suddenly contracted.
Not 8000.
9500!
Hidden strength, a signature killing move, and an instant-kill trump card!
The battle, which had only barely been at a stalemate, was once again completely turned on its head!
The true death trap had only just arrived!
Before you continue