The Shocking Retreat

Chen Hao walked forward step by step.

His steps were steady and slow, yet he never stopped.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, completely covering Cell.

Cell took one step back, then another. His feet scraped across the ground, leaving deep grooves as his body nearly toppled backward in a miserable posture.

The scene suddenly fell silent.

No one spoke. The air seemed weighed down.

Only the wind and Cell's ragged breathing remained.

Trunks' lips moved slightly, but in the end, he said nothing.

Piccolo clenched his fists, keeping his breathing shallow.

Android 18 narrowed her eyes, the curve of her lips deepening.

Cell, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, was now retreating again and again before an ordinary young man.

His heels gouged a deep trench through the dirt. Gravel flew, and bits of grass scattered everywhere.

His straight back had gone rigid, and the wings behind him trembled faintly.

He wanted to raise his head, but the pressure radiating from Chen Hao weighed on his chest like a mountain. Every breath felt as though he were squeezing the last bit of air from his lungs.

Chen Hao stopped.

The sunset stretched his shadow even farther, landing right at Cell's feet. He tilted his head, his gaze cold and calm.

The wind stirred his loose hair.

His tightly clenched right fist relaxed, his knuckles cracking softly.

"Run now. Find somewhere to hide, and maybe you'll live a few more days."

Cell's face shifted between green and white. His lips trembled as he tried to roar, "What gives you the right?" But the words caught in his throat, as if someone had seized him by the neck.

He ground his teeth together, veins bulging at his temples as sweat rolled down from his forehead.

That scene from moments ago still lingered in his mind—Chen Hao had casually slapped him away, sending him crashing through three trees.

That was not a threat. It was fact.

Chen Hao said calmly, "The next time we meet, I'll show you what real power is." With that, he turned and walked toward Android 18, his footsteps crunching over fallen leaves and gravel.

Under the sunlight, his back was straight and composed, as if those words had been nothing more than idle conversation.

He did not look back, and his shoulders were not tense in the slightest.

Cell stared fixedly at his back, his gaze burning.

His fists tightened, nails digging into his palms until a thin line of pale green blood seeped out. He wanted to rush forward, but his body seemed nailed in place, unable to move at all.

His tail whipped sharply behind him, cracking through the air with utter unwillingness.

He drew a deep breath, and his chest rumbled like a drum.

"I'll remember this."

Cell gritted his teeth, his voice low, hoarse, and venomous, like the growl of a trapped beast. "The next time we meet, I'll make you pay it back double."

Before his words had even faded, his figure blurred and vanished in an instant.

Only an afterimage and exploding air remained where he had stood. A crater burst open in the ground, dirt flying into the sky.

His presence rapidly faded into the distance, like a meteor streaking across the sky.

Chen Hao did not turn around. He merely frowned slightly, his fingers quietly tightening behind his back.

Only after Cell's presence had completely vanished and the sound of the wind became clear again did he relax his shoulders slightly, cold sweat at his temples reflecting the evening light.

Android 18 had been tense the entire time. Now she hurried to his side, her steps quick as the wind scattered her hair.

She looked him over from head to wrist, and only after confirming that he was uninjured did she ask, "Are you okay?"

Chen Hao shook his head and raised a hand to wipe away his sweat. The corner of his mouth curled up. "I'm fine. You, though—why did you rush over here by yourself? What if Cell had attacked you?"

Android 18 lowered her head, her fingers twisting together until her fingertips turned white.

After a moment of silence, she said softly, "I just... was worried about you."

Her voice was very soft, like a leaf falling onto water.

Chen Hao froze for a moment, then turned to look at her slightly reddened ears and lowered lashes.

He smiled and reached out to ruffle her hair, his movements unhurried, as though soothing a tense cat. Her hair slipped through his fingers, carrying a faint fragrance.

"Worried about me? What could possibly happen to me?"

Android 18 suddenly looked up. There was doubt in her eyes, along with shadows churning beneath them. "What about that red-haired form? Why didn't you use it? With that, you could've ended it in one go."

Her gaze remained fixed on him, as if trying to see through something.

The wind lifted the loose strands before her forehead.

Chen Hao's smile paused for an instant, then returned, but he did not answer immediately.

He turned his head and looked in the direction Cell had left. The setting sun cast an orange glow over his profile, blurring his expression.

"Because," he finally said, his voice low and steady, "that wasn't true power yet."

He slowly shook his head, his gaze falling on the distance. "Besides, Gohan needs an opportunity. I don't want to just kill Cell outright."

His tone was casual and confident, as though he were talking about something insignificant.

Android 18's lips moved, and a trace of complicated emotion flickered in her eyes. In the end, she merely sighed, the sound quickly carried away by the wind.

Her blonde hair swayed softly, her fingers still clutching the hem of her clothes.

Chen Hao did not pursue the subject. He turned to look at Piccolo and Trunks nearby.

The wind lifted the hem of his clothes.

"All right, we should head back too." His voice carried across the open field. "Are you going back to Kami's Lookout, or coming with me?"

Piccolo fell silent for several seconds, his green skin gleaming darkly beneath the sunset. He lowered his head as if considering something, then looked up. "I'm going to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

Without another word, he turned and rose into the air. The airflow burst beneath his feet, and his figure rapidly shrank into the distance before vanishing into the darkening sky, leaving only scattered trails of turbulent air behind.

Trunks bowed deeply, his short purple hair swaying slightly. "Thank you, Mr. Chen Hao." His voice was full of sincerity.

After straightening up, he looked over the battlefield—the cracked ground, scattered rubble, and the dust and smoke that had yet to fully dissipate from the air—then turned and flew away as well, his back gradually fading into the twilight.