One Year, Fifty Thousand Combat Power, The Cosmic Ant Officially Goes Online

The final sparring match in the white space.

Chen Mo's fist grazed past Trunks's ear.

The pressure from it swept up his purple bangs.

Trunks twisted aside, then drove an elbow at Chen Mo's jaw.

Chen Mo tucked his chin and took it head-on with his forearm.

The two forces collided, and cracks spread three meters across the white floor from the point of impact.

Chen Mo's arm went numb, but he did not take a step back.

Tenfold King Kai Fist.

His base power level was fifty thousand. Multiplied by ten, that made five hundred thousand.

He had caught that elbow.

Trunks withdrew his arm and stepped back twice, rolling his elbow.

"Your reaction speed is four times faster than it was three months ago," Trunks said.

"Because you beat it into me." Chen Mo shook out his arm. "After getting my ass kicked for three hundred and sixty days, I'd be fast even if I didn't want to be."

The corner of Trunks's mouth twitched. It was not quite a smile, but his expression was far gentler than when he had first entered.

A year.

A full year.

Only one day had passed outside. In here, they had gone from strangers to partners.

They sparred for sixteen hours every day, then trained separately for eight.

Chen Mo worked on his fundamentals. Martial arts. Ki control. Compressed Kamehameha output.

Switching between King Kai Fist multipliers.

Trunks trained the stability of his transformation.

Ki control in his Super Saiyan state, as well as the combat techniques he had learned only halfway from Gohan.

The two of them fed each other moves in this white void. They beat each other up. They cursed at each other.

"How much more stable is your Super Saiyan state than when you first came in?" Chen Mo asked.

Trunks raised his right hand. Golden ki flames emerged from his palm, steady as a candle flame. They did not waver in the slightest.

"I can maintain the transformation for more than six hours." Trunks clenched his fist, and the golden aura withdrew. "Before, I'd run out of strength after twenty minutes at most."

"What about your power level?"

"It hasn't increased." Trunks shook his head. "Saiyans need extreme stimulation to grow. What I lack here isn't training volume, but near-death experiences. You can't beat me to death."

"Thanks for your honesty." Chen Mo rolled his eyes.

"But my efficiency in using my power has improved by at least thirty percent." Trunks's expression turned serious. "Before, forty percent of my ki was wasted after transforming. Now it's been reduced to under ten percent. That means with the same power level, the actual damage I can deal is thirty percent higher."

Chen Mo nodded.

That was enough.

Trunks's power level in his Super Saiyan state was around 150 million. Roughly equivalent to Frieza's final form.

He could not beat the Androids.

But in most parts of the universe, that number was already at a level of absolute dominance.

As for himself.

Chen Mo lowered his gaze to look at his hand.

When he had entered a year ago, his base power level had been five thousand. Now, it was fifty thousand.

A tenfold increase.

An ordinary human. No Saiyan bloodline. No Namekian talent. No modifications from Dr. Gero.

He had relied purely on the foundation Master Roshi had beaten into him, the potential awakened by Ultra Divine Water, and the experience gained from Trunks grinding him into the floor every day in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.

Fifty thousand.

The level of an ordinary Ginyu Force member.

On the battlefield of Planet Namek, he could already trade blows with Ginyu's subordinates.

During the Saiyan invasion, he could take on ten Nappas by himself.

If he used the Twentyfold King Kai Fist.

One million.

The level of Frieza's first form.

A power level of one million was enough to swagger through the universe.

The strongest fighters on the vast majority of planets could not even reach one hundred thousand.

When Frieza ruled the universe, even his elite warriors numbered only twenty or thirty thousand.

Of course.

A power level of one million made you an emperor in the universe. On this Earth, it still made you a dog.

But at least...

He was no longer an ant.

"It's about time." Trunks walked up to the white door.

Chen Mo followed him.

He lowered his head and glanced at his body.

The year spent in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had left real, tangible marks on him.

When he had entered, he had still had the slightly lean build of an ordinary adult.

Now, the outlines of his chest and abdominal muscles were faintly visible beneath his clothes. The muscles in his arms were not exaggerated, but they were densely packed, and his shoulders had broadened considerably.

These were not the aesthetically pleasing muscles built in a gym. They were combat muscles forged by taking three hundred punches every day.

Trunks's changes were even more obvious.

When he had entered, he had looked like a nine-year-old child.

A year later, the rapid growth of his Saiyan bloodline combined with the stimulation of intense training had made him look like a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old teenager.

He had shot up in height, his shoulders nearly as broad as an adult's, and the lines of his face had become much sharper.

His short purple hair had grown longer, falling over his forehead.

If not for the heavy weight in his eyes, he would have looked like an ordinary high school student.

But those eyes were anything but ordinary.

At nine years old, he had experienced more battles and death than most adults would in a lifetime.

"Ready?" Trunks placed his hand on the doorknob.

Chen Mo took a deep breath.

"Open it."

The door opened.

The tenfold gravity vanished. The air returned from its compressed state to normal density. The white light turned into ordinary sunlight.

The corridor of Kami's Lookout appeared before them.

Mr. Popo stood at the end of the hallway.

There was little change in his round face. But when Chen Mo and Trunks stepped out, his white eyes lingered on Chen Mo for a moment.

"Mr. Chen Mo," Mr. Popo said, "your energy has changed."

"How much?"

Mr. Popo tilted his head slightly.

"Before you entered last time, your energy was like a cup of water. Now, it is like a well."

Chen Mo did not respond to the metaphor.

"How much time has passed outside?"

"One day," Mr. Popo said. "More precisely, twenty-three hours and forty-seven minutes."

One day.

Only one day had passed outside.

"What about the situation outside?" Chen Mo asked.

Mr. Popo fell silent for two seconds.

"It has gone quiet."

"Quiet?"

"Since yesterday afternoon," Mr. Popo said slowly, "energy fluctuations in the north continued for about four hours. Then they abruptly stopped. Three forces disappeared at the same time. From then until now, no large-scale battle fluctuations have appeared anywhere on the planet."

Chen Mo and Trunks exchanged a glance.

Three forces.

Broly. The androids. Cell.

Four hours of chaotic fighting, then silence all at once.

"What about Cell?" Chen Mo asked.

"That life signal with the unusual fluctuations disappeared midway through the battle," Mr. Popo said. "I believe it burrowed underground. It is very skilled at hiding."

Cell had run away. Just as expected.

First-form Cell could not beat Android 17, much less Broly.

Its strategy had to be to wait. Wait for an opportunity. Wait for Android 17 or Android 18 to be alone. Launch a sneak attack. Absorb them. Evolve.

"What about Broly?"

"That golden signal suddenly left Earth's atmosphere four hours later. It headed into outer space."

"What about the androids?" Chen Mo continued.

"Two signals," Mr. Popo said. "One is in the northeast, stationary. The other is—"

He paused.

"The other is moving around. Its path is irregular. It seems to be searching for something."

Chen Mo's back stiffened for a moment.

Searching.

There was no need to guess who she was searching for.

"Where is that moving signal now?"

"Its last recorded position thirty minutes ago was near Korin Tower."

Korin Tower.

Chen Mo let out a breath.

She was retracing his movements.

The system displayed a line.

[Current state of emotion collection target: Calm (high), obsession (extremely strong), killing intent (steadily maintained).]

[Target's activity route over the past twenty-three hours: Kame House Island → Yajirobe's base → Route 44 → Korin Tower.]

[Note: Target is systematically investigating all known locations the host has visited.]

She had gone through every place he had been.

Kame House Island.

Old Zhang's shelter.

Yajirobe's base.

Korin Tower.

Checking them one by one.

Chen Mo closed the system prompt.

Trunks looked at his expression.

"What's wrong?"

"Android 18 is looking for me," Chen Mo said. "She's checked every place I've been. She's at Korin Tower now."

Trunks frowned.

"Then her next stop will be Kami's Lookout."

"Not necessarily," Chen Mo said. "She may not know where Kami's Lookout is. Dr. Gero's tracking robots recorded the Z Fighters' battle data, but Kami's Lookout rarely appeared in battle records from that era. And there's Mr. Popo's shielding."

He looked at Mr. Popo.

"Can Kami's Lookout's barrier block the androids' detection?"

"It can block electromagnetic scans," Mr. Popo said. "But if she flies up to take a look herself, I can't stop her."

Fine. Then it was only a matter of time.

"We're leaving now," Chen Mo decided.

"Where to?" Trunks asked.

"To your mom's place," Chen Mo said.

Trunks froze for a moment.

"The Seventh District Concentration Camp. Bulma's place," Chen Mo added. "Didn't you say she's still researching the time machine? I need to talk to her. And you haven't gone back in a year. Even though only a day has passed outside, she'll notice the changes in your body. Going back sooner will put her at ease."

Trunks did not object.

He nodded.

The two walked out through the gates of Kami's Lookout.

They stood on the platform outside the palace.

Below them lay the clouds. Beneath the clouds was an Earth ravaged by the androids for four years.

Chen Mo took the scanner out of his backpack.

Three points of light showed on the screen.

One was in the northeast, stationary. That was Android 17.

Another was in the northwest, moving slowly. Android 18. She had already left Korin Tower and was drifting westward.

The third light.

Chen Mo stared at the third light for two seconds.

It was to the southeast. Very faint. Flickering on and off.

Cell.

He was hiding. But not completely concealed. He was lying dormant. Waiting.

"Let's go." Chen Mo put away the scanner. "Fly close to the ground. Suppress your ki to the lowest possible level. Avoid Android 18's direction of movement."

The two of them jumped from the edge of Kami's Lookout.

They passed through the clouds.

The wind rushed around them.

Chen Mo activated the Quadruple Kaio-ken to maintain flight.

The Quadruple Kaio-ken was easier for him now than breathing.

A base of fifty thousand multiplied by four—two hundred thousand.

He could maintain this state for an entire day without feeling any drain.

Trunks flew beside him. The two skimmed over the ruins, neither too fast nor too slow.

After flying for around ten minutes, Trunks spoke.

"What are you going to do?"

"Do about what?"

"Android 18." Trunks lowered his voice. "She's looking for you. You know what'll happen if she finds you."

Chen Mo did not answer immediately.

He knew.

He still remembered the line the system had displayed when he ran last time.

"Then there's no need to leave his legs intact."

Those had been Android 18's exact words.

"I'm thinking," Chen Mo said.

"Thinking about what?"

"About how to keep her from tearing off my legs the moment she finds me."

Trunks fell silent.

"If you go all out with the Twentyfold King Kai Fist, you're at one million," Trunks said. "Her battle power is at least one and a half million. Add the Eternal Furnace's restorative abilities and the unknown growth she gained after Broly triggered it. You can't beat her."

"I know."

"And you still want to meet her?"

"There's no option not to." Chen Mo's tone was calm. "She'll find me. It's only a matter of whether she finds me sooner or later. Rather than letting her corner me somewhere and start a fight, I'd rather show myself first. At least if I take the initiative, I can choose the setting. Choose the timing. Choose the topic."

Trunks looked at him.

"Whenever you say something like that, I can never tell whether you're brave or insane."

"Both," Chen Mo said. "Master Roshi taught me that. You have to fear death to survive. But fearing death alone isn't enough. You also have to do things that will keep you from dying, even while you're afraid."

The two continued flying close to the ground.

To the southwest. The Seventh District Concentration Camp.

After flying for roughly forty minutes, the scenery below began to change.

Ruins were still ruins. But among them were things that stood out.

Barbed wire. Makeshift walls piled from wrecked cars and construction materials. Several watchtowers converted from shipping containers.

The outer perimeter of the concentration camp.

Trunks slowed down.

"We're here."

He descended, and Chen Mo followed.

The two landed in an open area about five hundred meters from the camp's perimeter.

Trunks stood there, looking at the barbed wire and the shipping-container walls. His expression was complicated.

"You grew up here?" Chen Mo asked.

"Not exactly," Trunks said. "When Gohan was still alive, I traveled outside with him. After he died, I came back here for a while. Then I left again."

He took two steps forward.

He pulled something from his jacket pocket—an old communicator—and pressed one of its buttons.

"Mom, I'm back."

The communicator was silent for several seconds.

Then a woman's voice came through, loud enough to startle.

"Trunks?! Where are you? Are you hurt? The last time we spoke was three days ago. You said you were going to Korin Tower—"

"I'm fine. I'm outside."

"Wait there. Don't move. I'll have someone open the gate."

The communicator shut off.

Chen Mo looked at Trunks.

The tips of Trunks's ears reddened slightly.

Three minutes later.

An iron gate in the wall opened.

A woman rushed out from inside.

Short blue hair. A white lab coat. Grease on her face and marks from welding goggles. She was still holding a wrench.

Bulma.

She ran much faster than an ordinary person should have. A scientist should not have had that kind of physical ability—but she was a scientist who had survived four years in the apocalypse.

She stopped when she reached Trunks.

And stared at him.

From head to toe.

"You..." Bulma's voice caught. "How did you get so much taller?"

"I entered the Hyperbolic Time Chamber," Trunks said. "For a year."

Bulma's eyes widened.

"The Hyperbolic Time Chamber?! How did you get in? Who took you there?"

Trunks stepped aside.

Chen Mo stood behind him.

Bulma's gaze shifted to Chen Mo.

She looked him over from top to bottom.

"Who is this?"

"Chen Mo," Trunks said. "He saved me. With a Senzu Bean. The last one."

The look in Bulma's eyes changed as she looked at Chen Mo.

She lowered the wrench.

"You gave him a Senzu Bean?" Bulma looked at Chen Mo. "The last one?"

"He needed it," Chen Mo said.

Bulma stared at him for three seconds. Then she did something Chen Mo had not expected.

She walked over and threw her arms around him.

Tightly. Very tightly.

The wrench pressed into Chen Mo's back, hurting a little.

"Thank you." Bulma's voice was muffled against his shoulder. "Thank you."

Chen Mo froze for a second, then gently patted her back.

"You're welcome."

Bulma let go. She wiped at the corner of her eye, then immediately returned to her brisk, energetic self.

"Come inside. It's not safe out here."

The three of them entered the camp.

The iron gate closed behind them.

The camp was larger inside than it looked from the outside.

Most of it was underground.

Above ground, there were only vents and entrances disguised as ruins.

Bulma led them into an underground entrance and down three levels of concrete stairs.

Below was a fairly large space, lit by modified industrial lamps.

The walls were covered in blueprints and printed data sheets. All kinds of parts and materials were piled in the corners.

At the center of the space.

A half-finished mechanical framework.

Chen Mo stopped in his tracks.

He recognized that shape.

A circular pod. Its upper half was a transparent curved canopy. The bottom was packed with circuitry ports and energy conduits.

A time machine.

Bulma's time machine.

It was only about one-third complete.

Bulma noticed where he was looking.

"You know what this is?"

"A time machine," Chen Mo said.

Bulma nearly dropped her wrench.

"How did you—"

"He knows a lot of things," Trunks said beside her. "Far more than you can imagine."

Bulma looked at her son, then at Chen Mo.

"Sit." She pointed to a stool converted from an ammunition crate nearby. "You two, tell me everything from the beginning."