Android 16, you traitor! Android 18: Dragon Balls? Both wishes are mine.

Android 18 slowly descended from the air.

Her boots touched the gravelly ground without making a sound.

She stood between the spaceship and Chen Mo. Raising one finger, she tapped the ship's silver hull.

"You weren't even going to tell me?" she said with a smile.

"You were just going to leave?"

Chen Mo didn't move.

Trunks's hair had already turned completely gold. The aura of a Super Saiyan surged up in the dawn, and the heat wave pushed the loose gravel on the ground outward in a ring.

Android 18 didn't even look at him.

"Kid, your mom's behind you." Android 18 kept her eyes fixed on Chen Mo. "Don't make me beat you up in front of her."

Trunks clenched his fists. But he didn't charge forward.

The year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber had taught him one thing: impulsiveness couldn't solve anything.

Chen Mo took a deep breath.

Then he turned and ran.

Not toward the spaceship. Toward the eastern side of the camp. Toward the dead tree.

Android 18 raised an eyebrow but didn't pursue him. With her arms crossed, she leaned against the spaceship's hull and watched Chen Mo run with interest.

"Android 16!"

When Chen Mo rushed beneath the dead tree, he nearly stepped on an ant on the ground.

He forcefully stopped himself, bracing a hand against the trunk as he panted.

Android 16 was still crouching in the same spot. He hadn't moved all night. His blue eyes left the sparrow's empty nest and turned toward Chen Mo.

"Protect me," Chen Mo said bluntly.

Android 16 tilted his head.

"She's here. Android 18. She's over there." Chen Mo pointed behind himself with his thumb. "She wants to take me away. Help me stop her."

Android 16 stood up. His height of over two meters cast a broad shadow in the morning light.

He looked past Chen Mo's shoulder at the blonde woman standing beside the spaceship, leaning against its hull with her arms crossed.

Then he turned back.

"Is she destroying Earth?"

Chen Mo froze.

"Not right now. But—"

"Is she hurting the people here?"

"Not right now. But before, she—"

"I protect Earth. I protect the people here." Android 16's voice was flat and deep. "She isn't doing those things. I don't want to fight her."

Chen Mo opened his mouth.

He stared at Android 16's utterly expressionless face for three seconds.

A thousand words flooded his mind, but every last one got stuck in his throat.

Android 16, you absolute genius.

Your logic wasn't wrong. You were right. Reasonable. Flawless.

But could you cut me a little slack?!

"She wants to take me away," Chen Mo said in a lowered voice. "After she takes me away, she might..."

"Did she say she wanted to kill you?"

"...No."

Android 16 crouched back down and looked at the empty nest.

The conversation was over.

Chen Mo stood there as wind blew in from beyond the camp walls.

Android 16's behavioral logic was so clean it bordered on obsession.

Protect life. Never initiate combat.

Android 18 wasn't killing anyone, so he wouldn't interfere.

Dr. Gero had called him a defective model.

Now Chen Mo could somewhat understand how Dr. Gero felt.

Footsteps sounded behind him.

Android 18 had come over.

She stopped two meters behind Chen Mo. Tilting her head, she looked at Android 16 crouching on the ground, then at Chen Mo.

"Looking to him for help?" The corner of Android 18's lips curved upward. "Did you pick the right person?"

Chen Mo did not turn around.

Android 18 walked around to his side. Her gaze fell on Android 16 as she looked him over from head to toe.

"Android 16. One of Gero's stock units," Android 18 said. "I heard you drove Cell away yesterday."

Android 16 raised his head and glanced at her.

"You were made by Gero too," Android 16 said.

"That's right. So we're colleagues." Android 18 crouched down until they were at eye level. "Colleagues should have some understanding. Hand him over to me."

Android 16 looked at Android 18, then at Chen Mo.

"He doesn't want to go with you."

"I know." Android 18 smiled. "But he belongs to me."

"People are not possessions."

"Fine. Then he's my person." Android 18 changed her wording, her attitude still pleasant. "Is that better?"

Android 16 fell silent for two seconds.

"After you take him away, will you hurt the other people here?"

"No." Android 18 answered decisively. "I'm not interested in anyone else. I only want him. Hand him over, and I won't touch this camp. I won't touch this city. I won't touch the entire Earth. How about it?"

Android 16 stood up.

He looked down at Chen Mo. There was no apology in his blue eyes, because he did not think he had done anything wrong.

"She said she won't harm Earth," Android 16 said. "I choose to believe her."

Chen Mo took a deep breath.

Then let it out.

In his mind, he cursed Android 16 from head to toe.

He used a dialect from his previous life. It was extremely vulgar. Roughly translated, it meant:

You red-haired, two-meter-tall idiot. Your kindness is genuinely kind, and your stubbornness is genuinely hopeless. Dr. Gero was absolutely right to keep you sealed in a tank for twenty years.

But none of it showed on his face.

Because he knew cursing would be useless.

Android 16's logic was self-consistent. There were no gray areas in his world. If someone was killing people, he would step in. If no one was killing people, he would watch birds.

Chen Mo turned around.

Android 18 stood only a meter in front of him.

Morning light filtered in from behind her, illuminating a pale golden halo around the edges of her icy blue eyes.

She was smiling.

It was a beautiful smile. And a dangerous one.

"So." Android 18 reached out and hooked a finger beneath Chen Mo's collar. "Coming with me?"

Chen Mo took half a step back.

His mind raced.

The situation was clear now. Android 16 would not help. Trunks could not beat Android 18. Bulma was in the basement. The spaceship had not even warmed up yet. He had nowhere to go.

But he still had one thing.

At her core, Android 18 wanted him because he knew too much. She was curious. She wanted to control the source of information. Her possessiveness drove all her actions.

Then he would use that.

"I can go with you," Chen Mo said.

Android 18's finger stopped in midair.

"But I have a condition."

Android 18 said nothing. She waited.

"I didn't leave this time to run away." Chen Mo pointed at the spaceship behind him. "I'm going somewhere. Planet Namek, another planet in the universe."

Android 18's expression did not change.

"That planet has something called the Dragon Balls. Gather all seven, and you can summon Shenron. He grants three wishes. Any wish."

Android 18's eyes flickered.

"Any?"

"Any." Chen Mo said, "Revive the dead. Alter your body. Gain power. As long as it doesn't exceed Shenron's limits, you can wish for anything."

Android 18 slowly lowered her arm. She did not interrupt.

"I'm going to Planet Namek to use the Dragon Balls to revive the Earth's warriors you killed."

Chen Mo's tone was calm when he said it.

Android 18's smile faded slightly.

"Why revive them?" Android 18 asked. "So they can come looking for another fight with me?"

"Cell is on Earth. Broly too. They're in space right now, but they'll return sooner or later." Chen Mo said, "I'm reviving those warriors to deal with them, not to cause trouble for you."

Android 18 stared at him for five seconds.

"Three wishes," she said. "You'll use one to revive them. What about the other two?"

This was exactly what Chen Mo had been waiting for.

"They're yours."

Android 18's eyes lit up.

Chen Mo silently made a note of it.

"The remaining two wishes belong to you," Chen Mo said. "Wish for whatever you want. Become a complete human again, upgrade the Eternal Furnace, erase every modification Dr. Gero left in you—anything you want."

Android 18 did not answer right away.

She turned around, her back to Chen Mo.

The wind swept through her short golden hair.

The concentration camp's barbed-wire fence buzzed in the wind.

Ten seconds later, she turned back.

"I'm coming with you."

Chen Mo nodded. "Fine."

"This isn't a negotiation," Android 18 corrected him. "It's a notification. I'm coming with you. The spaceship's big enough, right?"

"We can squeeze in."

"Then we'll squeeze in." Android 18 took two steps toward the spaceship, then suddenly stopped and looked back at Chen Mo. "One more thing."

"Go ahead."

"Once we get to that planet, don't try anything funny." Android 18's tone suddenly turned cold. "Three wishes. The first one is for you to revive people. The second and third are mine to decide."

"Fine."

"If you dare make a wish behind my back without me knowing..."

She did not finish the sentence. But she raised her right index finger and pointed toward the concentration camp.

The meaning was perfectly clear.

Chen Mo felt a chill run down his back.

"I won't," he said.

Android 18 lowered her finger, and her smile returned.

"Then let's go."

Trunks had been standing beside the spaceship the entire time.

His Super Saiyan golden hair swayed gently in the morning breeze.

He had watched the entire negotiation from start to finish without saying a word.

Now, as he looked at Android 18 approaching, his lips pressed into a tight line.

Mr. Gohan had died by her hand.

Tien Shinhan. Yamcha. Chiaotzu. Krillin. Piccolo.

They had all died at the hands of her and Android 17.

And now, he had to sit aboard the same spaceship as her.

"Trunks." Chen Mo walked to his side and lowered his voice. "Endure it."

Trunks clenched his jaw.

Then he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his golden hair had reverted to purple, and the Super Saiyan aura had dissipated.

"I know," Trunks said.

As Android 18 passed by him, she glanced at him.

"You've grown up," she said. "The last time I saw you, you were still a little brat crying your eyes out."

Trunks did not respond.

Android 18 did not continue provoking him either.

She walked to the spaceship hatch and stepped inside with complete ease, as if she were returning home.

Chen Mo turned to Bulma.

Bulma stood at the iron gate of the detention camp, about thirty meters away. She had seen everything.

Chen Mo walked over.

"The plan changed," he said.

"I saw." Bulma's voice was very calm. "You're taking the person who killed my husband to find the Dragon Balls."

Chen Mo did not avoid her gaze.

"I had no other choice."

Bulma took a deep breath.

"Two wishes for her." Bulma repeated it. "Do you know what she can do with those two wishes?"

"I know."

"What if she wishes to become stronger?"

"That would still be better than her tearing me in half right now, leaving no one able to go to Planet Namek."

Bulma's lips tightened. She glanced at the spaceship.

Android 18 had already entered the cabin. From the open hatch, Chen Mo could see her sitting in the copilot's seat with her legs crossed, curiously examining the control panel.

"If she damages my spaceship, I'll kill her," Bulma said.

Coming from a human woman with a single-digit power level, those words had no credibility whatsoever.

But Chen Mo did not laugh.

Because the seriousness in Bulma's eyes when she said it was exactly the same as her husband's.

"I'll bring them back," Chen Mo said. "Gohan. Vegeta. Everyone."

Bulma's hand clenched briefly, then relaxed.

"Go."

Chen Mo turned and headed for the spaceship.

After taking a few steps, a voice came from the east.

"Wait."

Android 17.

A black figure swept in from the northeast and stopped beside the spaceship. Black hair, blue eyes, an orange scarf around his neck.

Standing beside Android 18, the two looked so alike that they seemed less like siblings and more like they had been cast from the same mold.

"You're going into space?" Android 17 looked at Android 18.

"Yes." Android 18 said, "To find the Dragon Balls. Want to come?"

Android 17 shook his head.

"Cell is still alive." Android 17's tone was casual. "I don't like having something out there that wants to absorb me."

"You're going after it?" Android 18 leaned halfway out through the hatch.

"I'll catch it and kill it," Android 17 said. "That Super Saiyan is outside chasing it down and beating it up. I don't mind joining in. Three against one. Easier that way."

"Broly won't cooperate with you," Chen Mo could not help saying.

Android 17 glanced at him.

"Who said anything about cooperating?" The corner of Android 17's mouth curled up. "He fights his way. I fight mine. Cell gets beaten from both sides. More efficient."

Chen Mo shut up.

Android 17's logic was sound too.

"Paragus's spaceship is still over there." Android 17 looked at Android 18. "I'll use that one. It has enough energy for interstellar travel."

"Be careful," Android 18 said.

Just two words, but Android 17 understood.

"You too." Android 17's gaze moved from Android 18's face to Chen Mo. "Keep an eye on your pet. Don't let him run off."

Chen Mo took a deep breath.

Pet.

He added another mark against Android 17 in his mind.

Android 17 said nothing more. His figure flashed toward the northeast and vanished beyond the horizon, moving so fast that not even an afterimage remained.

The open ground of the detention camp fell silent.

Chen Mo looked toward Android 16.

The massive figure with the red mohawk was still crouching beneath the dead tree. At some point, a sparrow had appeared in his hand again. Maybe it was the same one from before.

"Android 16," Chen Mo called out one last time.

Android 16 looked up.

"The Earth is in your hands."

Android 16 nodded once.

No more needed to be said.

Chen Mo turned and walked toward the spaceship. Trunks was already inside, seated at the controls and checking the navigation panel.

Android 18 sat in the co-pilot's seat with her legs crossed, poking a red button on the dashboard with one finger.

"Don't touch that." Chen Mo slapped her hand away. "That's the emergency engine brake."

Android 18 glanced at him.

Then she reached out to poke it again.

Chen Mo grabbed her wrist.

Android 18 didn't struggle. She tilted her head, her icy blue eyes close enough to touch.

"You grabbed me," she said.

Chen Mo let go.

Android 18 smiled.

The hatch closed. The engines began warming up. A low hum rose from beneath the ship.

Fifteen minutes later.

The silver spaceship slowly lifted from the open ruins of the concentration camp. It passed through the clouds. Through the atmosphere.

Earth grew smaller and smaller beyond the cabin window. Blue. Round. Gray-white clouds blanketed its devastated continents.

The instant the warp engine activated, the stars stretched into streaks of white.

Chen Mo sat in a folding seat at the back, looking out the window.

Beside him was an android who wanted to kill him, yet didn't want to kill him.

Up front was a Super Saiyan who wanted nothing more than to tear Android 18 to pieces, but could only endure it.

Thirty-four days.

Thirty-four days aboard this cramped ship with three people wary of one another, heading for New Planet Namek.

Gather all seven Dragon Balls. Make three wishes.

The first wish would revive Earth's warriors.

The second and third belonged to Android 18.

What would she wish for?

Chen Mo didn't know.

The system displayed a line of text.

[Current emotional state of emotion collection target: anticipation (extremely high), excitement (high), possessiveness (ongoing).]

[New emotion category: yearning.]

Yearning.

A killing machine from the apocalypse was looking forward to making wishes.

Chen Mo leaned back and closed his eyes.

Thirty-four days.

Either he would return in triumph with the revived warriors.

Or he would be trapped in a spaceship, spending over a thousand hours face-to-face with a yandere android.

Either way, it sounded deadly.

Outside the window, the starlight stretched into long lines, extending endlessly behind them.

Back on Earth, beneath a dead tree in the concentration camp.

The sparrow perched on Android 16's finger tilted its head.

It chirped twice.

For the first time in four years.

There were no explosions in the sky. No trails of energy blasts. No lingering aftermath of destruction.

Only the wind.

And birdsong.

Android 16 gently moved one finger.

"It's quiet now," he said.

No one heard him.

But the sparrow did.