Combat Power of 1200? Not Enough, Far From Enough

Chen Mo lay atop Korin Tower for five hours.

He woke up twice in between. The first time, every bone in his body felt as if someone had taken it apart and put it back together.

The second time, his bones no longer hurt. The pain had shifted to his muscles.

From his toes to his scalp, every muscle fiber was twitching.

In the sixth hour, he sat up.

Korin crouched three steps away, leaning on his staff as he watched him. The old cat's expression was complicated.

"Your ki has changed," Korin said.

Chen Mo lowered his head and looked at his hand. He clenched his fist.

It was different.

Before, when he made a fist, he could feel strength being squeezed out of his muscles bit by bit, like wringing out a towel.

Now, when he clenched his fist, power surged outward from his bones. He didn't need to squeeze it out. It came on its own.

He stood up.

His legs were steady. His body's center of gravity was two centimeters lower than before.

"Try it." Korin pointed toward the edge of the platform.

Chen Mo walked to the platform's edge and faced the sea of clouds. He raised his right hand, palm outward.

Ki gathered.

A white ki blast shot from his palm.

It wasn't a Kamehameha. There was no charging process. It was merely the most basic ki blast.

The blast passed through the clouds.

It tore a gap through them.

Looking down from above, that gap stretched for at least two kilometers.

Chen Mo lowered his hand.

"Scouter."

Korin handed him the Scouter.

Chen Mo activated its self-diagnostic function and aimed it at himself.

The number on the screen flickered several times.

Then it stabilized.

1200.

Base power level: 1200.

It had been 100 before.

A twelvefold increase.

Chen Mo stared at that number for three seconds.

"Are you happy?" Korin asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

Chen Mo switched off the Scouter. "1200. With Quadruple Kaio-ken, that makes 4800. Back on Kame House Island, I would've thought that number was astronomical."

He paused.

"But before Goku went to King Kai's Planet, his power level was only a few hundred. He trained under ten times gravity on King Kai's Planet, and when he left, it was eight thousand."

"Then, before going to Planet Namek, he trained under one hundred times gravity in a spaceship. By the time he reached Planet Namek, it was already ninety thousand."

"Add the Saiyan recovery boost, and when he fought Frieza, it shot straight up to three million."

Korin's whiskers twitched. "You even know all that."

"I know a lot," Chen Mo said. "And I also know that 1200 is nothing right now. Android 18's power level is in the billions. Cell, even in his first form, is at least on that level. And Broly in his Super Saiyan state goes without saying."

"1200 isn't even worthy of carrying their shoes."

Korin said nothing.

Chen Mo switched the Scouter to tracking mode.

Android 18 was to the northeast. Her position had changed. She was no longer in the area where they had fought before. She was moving south.

Broly was due north. He had moved as well, heading farther north, away from the battlefield.

The two signals had separated.

"It's over." Chen Mo stared at the screen.

Android 18's signal strength was fluctuating. It was unstable.

Broly's signal was fluctuating too.

They were evenly matched. Both had pulled back.

It seemed Broly had not completely lost his reason yet. Otherwise, in his Legendary Super Saiyan state, Android 18 and the Earth would have been blown apart.

"A draw." Korin leaned over to glance at the screen. "The android tied with that Super Saiyan?"

"Android 18 killed all the Z Fighters on this timeline. Broly is a Legendary Super Saiyan. They're roughly on the same level."

Chen Mo continued scanning.

A third signal.

Cell.

Location.

Chen Mo's hand stopped.

Cell's dot was moving. Southeast.

Very fast.

And his trajectory...

Chen Mo mentally drew a line between Android 18's position and Cell's.

The two lines intersected.

Cell was approaching Android 18.

"That's not right." Chen Mo's voice changed.

He adjusted the Scouter's precision to its highest setting.

Android 18's signal strength was fluctuating wildly. It was weaker than normal.

She was injured.

After fighting Broly for so long, even if it had ended in a draw, there was no way she could have come out unscathed.

Broly was a Legendary Super Saiyan. A single punch in Super Saiyan form had planet-level destructive power.

Android 18's perpetual energy supply was infinite, but her body was not.

She was injured now.

And Cell was closing in on her.

Scenes from the original story flashed through Chen Mo's mind.

Cell. First Form. That cockroach-looking thing.

The tip of his tail had a syringe-like structure.

It was used to absorb androids.

As long as Cell absorbed Android 18, he could evolve into his Semi-Perfect Form.

Then he would absorb Android 17 and become Perfect Form.

Perfect Cell.

The monster capable of destroying the solar system.

"Lord Korin." Chen Mo turned around.

"Hmm?"

"How do I get to Kami's Lookout?"

Korin narrowed his eyes. "You want to go to Kami's Lookout?"

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Chen Mo said. "I need the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

Korin fell silent for two seconds.

"You know about the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

"One day inside is one year outside. No, that's wrong—one year inside is one day outside. It's an extreme environment in there. The temperature cycles from minus forty degrees to forty degrees Celsius. Gravity is ten times that of the outside world."

"When Goku and Gohan went in, Goku broke through from Super Saiyan to the limit of Super Saiyan. After Vegeta went in, he broke through to Super Saiyan Second Grade."

Chen Mo looked at Korin.

"My base battle power is 1,200. I have the King Kai Fist. If I train for a year under ten times gravity while only one day passes outside, my improvement will far exceed what I could gain training in a normal environment."

"On King Kai's Planet, under ten times gravity, Goku went from a few hundred to five thousand. My foundation is better than Goku's was back then. The Ultra Divine Water has already fully unleashed my potential. If I'm given a year under ten times gravity..."

He did not finish.

But Korin understood.

"Kami's Lookout is above Korin Tower," Korin said. "Just keep flying upward and you'll reach it. But..."

"But what?"

"Kami is dead." Korin's voice lowered. "Piccolo is dead too. Kami and Piccolo were originally one being. Piccolo was killed by the androids, and Kami disappeared along with him."

"I know."

"Kami's Lookout is empty now. Mr. Popo is still up there guarding it. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber should still be usable, but without Kami overseeing it, no one knows whether the time rules inside are still normal."

"It's a gamble," Chen Mo said.

Korin looked at him.

"You're in a hurry."

"Cell is getting closer to Android 18." Chen Mo turned the Scouter's screen toward Korin. "Android 18 is injured right now. If Cell catches her at a time like this—"

He didn't continue.

Neither did Korin.

The two stared at each other for three seconds.

"Go," Korin said. "Mr. Popo is a good person. If you go, he'll help you."

Chen Mo stuffed the Scouter into his backpack.

He picked up the Senzu Bean Yajirobe had given him.

"Don't eat the Senzu Bean yet," Korin said. "You don't have any fatal injuries. Save it for a critical moment. You only have one."

"I know."

Chen Mo walked to the edge of the platform.

A notification popped up in his mind.

[Detected that the host has completed the Ultra Divine Water trial.]

[Base combat power updated: 1200.]

[Currently available multipliers: Double, Triple, Quadruple Kaio-ken.]

[Combat power with Quadruple Kaio-ken activated: 4800.]

[Warning: Emotional collection target (Android 18) is currently in an abnormal state. Signal strength is continuously declining.]

[Host is advised to return to the target's side as soon as possible.]

"Fuck you, shitty system."

Chen Mo stared at the last line.

Signal strength continuously declining.

His fist clenched.

Then loosened.

"Master Korin."

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

He jumped off the platform.

Flight activated. He flew upward.

The top of Korin Tower was not the end.

There was still some distance above it. Past another layer of clouds lay Kami's Lookout.

The wind blew up from below. Chen Mo watched the Scouter as he flew.

Android 18's signal was moving. It had slowed down.

Cell's signal was moving too. Its speed hadn't changed.

The distance between the two dots was shrinking.

One hundred kilometers.

Eighty kilometers.

Chen Mo gritted his teeth and flew faster.

Kami's Lookout came into view.

A massive platform floating in the sky.

There were buildings on it. White ones. Colonnades, archways, stone-brick floors. Exactly like it had been drawn in the original work.

Chen Mo landed at the platform's edge.

A dark-skinned, stout man stood at the entrance.

A red vest. White pants. A white turban wrapped around his head. He held a watering can.

Mr. Popo.

Mr. Popo had round, black eyes.

When he saw Chen Mo, the watering can stopped.

"Who are you?"

"Chen Mo. Master Roshi's disciple. Lord Korin sent me up here."

Mr. Popo's expression did not change.

It seemed as though his expression never changed.

"Master Roshi is still alive," Mr. Popo said. "I haven't heard that name in a long time."

"Mr. Popo, I need to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

Mr. Popo set down the watering can.

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what the Hyperbolic Time Chamber is?"

"Yes. One year inside equals one day outside. The gravity is ten times stronger, the temperatures are extreme, and the air is thin."

Mr. Popo's round eyes blinked once.

"Since Kami left, no one has come here," Mr. Popo said. "No one has entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for a very long time. The last time someone went in was—"

He thought for a moment.

"A long time ago."

"Can it still be used?"

"Yes. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber does not need Kami's maintenance. That space exists independently. As long as the door is intact, you can enter."

Mr. Popo turned and walked deeper into the building.

Chen Mo followed.

They passed through a colonnade and crossed a garden. Every flower in the garden was in bloom.

At this altitude, in this apocalypse, the flowers were somehow still blooming. Mr. Popo had been tending to them all along.

After two turns, a wooden door appeared at the end of the corridor.

It was an ordinary wooden door, without any markings.

Mr. Popo pushed it open.

Behind it was a small room. A bed. An hourglass. A dining table.

Beyond that lay an endless white expanse.

There was no horizon, no sky, no point of reference. White stretched from beneath their feet into infinity.

The instant he stepped inside, Chen Mo felt the change in gravity. His feet suddenly grew heavy.

Ten times gravity.

He had carried a turtle shell on Kame House Island for a year. Twenty kilograms. Under ten times gravity, that was equivalent to two hundred kilograms.

But his body had consumed Ultra Divine Water. His base battle power was 1200.

Ten times gravity was heavy to him, but not enough to crush him.

"There is food and water inside." Mr. Popo stood at the doorway. "The hourglass keeps time. When all the sand runs out, one day will have passed outside. You must come out before then."

"What happens if I stay longer than one day?"

"The door will disappear. You will remain inside forever."

Chen Mo glanced at the hourglass. The sand had not started flowing yet.

"The hourglass only starts once I enter?"

"Yes. The moment you step into the white space."

Chen Mo took a deep breath.

"Mr. Popo."

"Yes?"

"If someone is seriously injured and another monster is catching up to her, I can stay in there for a year while only one day passes outside."

"Yes."

"That monster only needs three minutes to catch her."

Mr. Popo looked at him.

"Three minutes," Chen Mo said. "Three minutes outside. How long is that inside?"

Mr. Popo thought for a moment. "One day equals one year. Three minutes... would be roughly fifteen hours inside."

Fifteen hours.

Training under ten times gravity for fifteen hours.

Then coming out.

How much could his combat power increase?

Not enough.

Fifteen hours was nowhere near enough.

Chen Mo stepped into the white space.

The hourglass began to flow.

Tenfold gravity pressed down on him.

He stood amidst the endless white. He took ten steps forward, then glanced back toward the door.

The door was still there, tiny, like a matchbox in the white space.

The system displayed a notification.

[Detected that the host has entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.]

[Current environment: tenfold gravity, extreme temperature cycles, oxygen level reduced to one-quarter of the outside world.]

[Infinite King Kai Fist can be used normally in the current environment.]

[Warning: emotional target signal has been interrupted. The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is an independent space and cannot receive outside signals.]

The signal had been cut off.

He could no longer see Android 18.

Chen Mo stood beneath tenfold gravity.

The white space had no sound. No wind. Nothing at all.

He had no idea what was happening outside.

He did not know whether Cell had caught up to Android 18.

He did not know whether Android 18 had escaped.

He knew nothing.

"Fuck."

Chen Mo cursed under his breath.

Then he began training.

Quadruple Kaio-ken activated beneath tenfold gravity.

The red aura was pressed low by the gravity, flickering tightly against the surface of his body.

Every movement felt three times heavier than it had outside.

Punches. Kicks. Kamehameha. Heaven and Earth Piercing Wave.

In the white void, he repeatedly practiced everything he had learned from young Goku.

Ki blasts gathered at his fingertips, fired, split apart, and controlled.

One became two. Two became four.

Once there were four, the ki threads began to tangle.

Again.

One became two.

Two became three.

Three. He held them steady. He controlled three ki threads at once, changing the directions of three ki blasts simultaneously.

Under tenfold gravity, every act of ki control consumed three times as much mental energy.

He did not know how much time had passed.

The temperature began to change. It plummeted from normal to below freezing, and the sweat on his skin turned into frost.

He kept training.

The temperature changed again. Below freezing became fifty degrees above zero. The frost melted and evaporated. The air became dry and scorching.

He kept training.

He did not know how many minutes had passed outside.

He did not know how Android 18 was doing.

One image kept flashing through his mind.

Cell's tail. Its syringe-like tip. Piercing Android 18's body.

He trained even harder.

He punched.

A full-force punch beneath tenfold gravity. The air at his fist's edge compressed with a shrill screech.

He pressed together his right index and middle fingers. Heaven and Earth Piercing Wave.

Split one into four.

Four strands of ki.

He held them steady for two seconds. In the third second, one snapped. The ki blasts went out of control, flying off and exploding against the white floor, blasting a crater into it.

Again.

He didn't know how long had passed.

Maybe a few hours. Maybe over ten.

There were no reference points in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. His sense of time had been compressed by the gravity and exhaustion.

His body was growing stronger.

He could feel it. Every punch carried slightly more power than the last. Every attempt at ki control was slightly more precise than before.

The potential unlocked by the Ultra Divine Water was the foundation. Ten times gravity was the catalyst.

The Kaio-ken's overclocked metabolism was the accelerator.

After an unknown amount of time passed again.

Chen Mo stopped.

Had it been three minutes?

Five minutes?

Ten minutes?

Android 18.

He turned and ran toward the door.

After twenty steps, the door appeared.

He rushed over and pulled it open.

Mr. Popo was still standing at the entrance, his posture unchanged.

"You're out?" Mr. Popo said. "It's only been—"

"How long has it been outside?"

Mr. Popo glanced at the sun in the sky.

"About an hour."

One hour.

Which meant he had spent roughly half a month inside.

Chen Mo rushed to his backpack and grabbed the Scouter.

He turned it on.

Scan.

Android 18's signal.

He scanned once.

Then scanned again.

Android 18's signal.

It was there.

But it overlapped with Cell's signal.

The two dots were stacked on top of each other.

Chen Mo's hand froze.

Overlapping.

The two signals were in the same location.

Cell had caught Android 18.

Chen Mo stared at the screen.

The system displayed a notification.

[Detected that the emotion collection target (Android 18) is trapped.]

[Target's current emotions: anger, fear, struggle.]

[Emotion value is surging dramatically.]

[Remote collection unavailable. The host must reach the target's side to collect emotion value.]

[Warning: If the emotion collection target is absorbed by Cell, the system will permanently lose its collection target.]

[At that point, the Infinite Kaio-ken System will cease operation.]

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes.

Gone forever.

The system would shut down.

That meant he would not only lose Android 18. He would also lose the Kaio-ken. Lose everything.

In this apocalypse.

He was as good as dead.

"Mr. Popo."

"Hmm?"

"How high above the ground is Kami's Lookout?"

"Roughly... at the top of the troposphere."

Chen Mo walked to the edge of Kami's Lookout's platform.

He looked down.

The clouds lay beneath his feet.

Android 18 and Cell were to the east-southeast. Straight-line distance.

He gave the Scouter one last look.

"Quadruple Kaio-ken."

A crimson aura erupted from his body.

After spending more than half a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, his base battle power was now—

5000.

It had already reached the average level of the Saiyans when they invaded Earth.

He jumped from the edge of the platform.

Suspended in midair, his crimson aura trailed behind him in a long streak.