Sign-in

"Rumble—rumble—rumble—" Deafening crashes exploded beside his ears like thunder. Tang Yangbing jolted awake from his sleep, his heart pounding wildly.

He looked around in confusion and saw dust sifting down from the ceiling. The bed shook violently, as though the entire world were trembling.

"What's going on?" he murmured, his voice trembling slightly. "An earthquake?" "Damn it, run!"

His survival instincts snapped him fully awake. Tang Yangbing grabbed the clothes scattered beside his bed and staggered toward the door without even bothering to put them on properly.

The floor beneath his feet kept shaking, and every step felt like a race against death.

When he finally rushed outside, the sight before him froze him in place, his pupils shrinking abruptly. "W-what is this?" The once-prosperous city had become a field of ruins.

Skyscrapers had collapsed as though torn apart by some enormous beast, their exposed steel and concrete strewn amid shattered walls.

In the distance, thick smoke billowed, and flames reddened half the sky. The air was filled with the pungent stench of burning and dust.

Abandoned vehicles and broken debris covered the streets. In the deathly silence, only the wind howled mournfully, as if grieving for the city's destruction.

"Is this the end of the world?"

A chill rose in Tang Yangbing's heart. Had he fallen into this kind of hell after waking from a single night's sleep?

Just as his mind drifted into a daze, a faint voice came from nearby. "Cough, cough... So there are still survivors in this city... What a shame... I still failed... I couldn't save more people..." The voice was so weak that it seemed ready to vanish into the wind, yet it made Tang Yangbing's heart jolt.

He hurriedly looked toward the sound and spotted a figure leaning against a broken wall in the shadows of the ruins.

It was a teenager of about seventeen or eighteen, his dazzling short blue hair especially conspicuous amid the wreckage.

He wore a damaged battle suit, with an ancient-looking longsword slung across his back. The blade was covered in dust and dark red bloodstains.

Most horrifying of all was the huge hole in his chest. Blood continued to pour from it, staining the front of his clothes a dark crimson.

The boy's face was pale as paper, and his breathing was faint. He was clearly on the verge of death.

Tang Yangbing's heart sank. Anyone could tell that with wounds like those, there was no chance he would survive.

Yet when his gaze fell upon the boy's familiar face, overwhelming shock surged through him. "Trunks?!" Tang Yangbing cried out, instantly recalling the figure who had fought so bravely in the anime.

Why was he here?

What kind of world was this?

Smoke and dust hung in the air, while the scorched earth beneath his feet cracked and crumbled.

Tang Yangbing made his way with difficulty through the shattered walls and rubble, his gaze landing on the figure leaning against a ruined wall.

Purple hair was soaked in blood, the battle suit had long since been torn to tatters, and the gruesome wound in his chest still gushed blood. "Cough, cough... How do you know my name?" Trunks laboriously raised his head, as though every word drained all his strength.

Blood slid from the corner of his mouth, blooming into dark red flowers across the dust-covered ground.

Tang Yangbing's heart gave a violent thump, as if struck by a heavy hammer.

It really was Trunks!

The warrior who had saved the world countless times in the manga was now lying so miserably before him.

The scene around them was suffocating: twisted steel bars jutted out from the concrete, the roar of collapsing buildings sounded from time to time in the distance, and lingering smoke drifted beneath the gray sky.

This was clearly that future world described as the apocalypse! "Weren't you supposed to go back to the past to find Son Goku? How did things end up like this?" Tang Yangbing's voice trembled involuntarily.

A hoarse wheeze escaped Trunks's throat. Those once-resolute eyes were now dim and lifeless. "What a shame... the gods have fallen, and the Dragon Balls have lost their power. Otherwise... otherwise, so many innocent lives wouldn't have been sacrificed..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker, laden with deep guilt and unwillingness. "Those damned androids... I thought it would be over once I used the controller to deal with 17 and 18. I never expected... I never expected something even more terrifying existed..."

His fingers dug deeply into the scorched earth, his knuckles turning white from the force. "One careless mistake... Not only was I severely wounded by that monster, even my time machine was taken from me..."

Trunks slowly shifted his eyes toward the distant sky, stained crimson with blood, his gaze filled with despair.

Tang Yangbing stood there blankly, his thoughts churning like stormy seas.

Why did it have to be this world?

Why couldn't it have been the hopeful world of Dragon Ball Z, or the thrilling world of Dragon Ball GT?

What could this apocalyptic world shrouded in destruction offer him besides death and despair?

Just as he bent down toward Trunks, a soft light suddenly appeared between them.

A crisp electronic voice rang out in Tang Yangbing's mind. "Ding—Life signs of Dragon Ball warrior Trunks detected. System activated!"

"Would you like to check in immediately and claim the beginner's gift pack?" Tang Yangbing's eyes widened as he looked around in disbelief.

This sudden turn of events let him glimpse a ray of hope within the abyss of despair.

A cheat ability?!

Tang Yangbing could hardly believe his ears. He abruptly sat up from the ground. Around him lay a desolate battlefield, with scorched earth and shattered rocks scattered everywhere, while the air reeked of gunpowder smoke and blood.

In the distance, several withered trees swayed in the wind, rustling as though recounting the brutal battle that had just ended.

He looked around and, after confirming that no one else was there, cautiously called out in a low voice, "Hey, System..." Yet only deathly silence answered him.

The wind swept up dust from the ground and brushed lightly over his face, bringing a hint of chill.

He waited and waited, but there was no sign of the system at all, as though the notification he had heard earlier had merely been an illusion.

Tang Yangbing's heart sank. The flame of hope that had just ignited was instantly extinguished. He shook his head in disappointment, then turned his gaze back to Trunks lying on the ground.

Trunks was covered in wounds, his battle suit dyed red with blood. His chest rose and fell faintly, his breathing so weak it was nearly inaudible.

His eyes were unfocused, his lips cracked. He was clearly on the verge of his limit.

Tang Yangbing crouched down and gently supported his shoulders, trying to offer him some comfort.

Just then, that cold, mechanical voice rang out again, so clear it could not be ignored: "Ding! Dragon Ball warrior Trunks detected. Would you like to sign in and claim a beginner's gift pack?"

This time, Tang Yangbing heard it clearly. He took a deep breath and suppressed the excitement in his heart, confirming that he had not misheard.

He lowered his gaze to Trunks and saw him struggle to raise a hand. Using the last of his strength, he said, "I can't go on anymore. I hope you can live well." His voice was weak, yet it carried a trace of relief and hope.

Tang Yangbing clenched his fists and replied firmly, "Don't worry. I'll live very well." The moment his words fell, Trunks's head tilted slightly to one side. The light completely vanished from his eyes, and his body went limp as he collapsed, never moving again.

Tang Yangbing's heart ached, but he knew this was not the time for grief. "Begin the sign-in!" he commanded without hesitation.