Master Roshi: "Kid, how did you get so much stronger since I left?"

Chen Mo leaned against the hatch and did not answer immediately.

Android 18 held his Scouter, its screen facing her.

He could not see what was displayed on it.

But since she had taken the Scouter, she must have looked through the flight log.

The times the ship exited warp, re-entered warp, the intervals in between, the docking coordinates.

Everything had been recorded.

There was no point in lying.

"I went to a nearby barren planet," Chen Mo said. "Stretched my legs a little. I'd been cooped up in the ship for too long."

Android 18 looked at him.

Her gaze slid from his face to his shoulders, then to his hands, then to his waist.

As though she were checking whether someone had touched her personal property.

"Stretched your legs," she repeated.

"Yeah."

"Alone."

"Just me."

Android 18 lowered the Scouter, placing it face-down on her lap.

"Your energy has changed."

Chen Mo's heart skipped a beat.

He had already suppressed his base power back to around five hundred thousand.

But Android 18 did not gauge strength through a Scouter.

Her Eternal Furnace had its own way of judging energy fluctuations.

"I trained for a bit," Chen Mo said. "The ki barrier technique you taught me before—I practiced a few sets in the vacuum. Maybe my energy control got more precise."

Android 18 stared at him.

Three seconds.

Five seconds.

Then she looked away.

"Tell me next time you go out."

"Alright," Chen Mo said.

Android 18 tossed the Scouter back to him. Chen Mo caught it.

"How much longer until we reach Earth?" Android 18 asked.

Chen Mo glanced at the navigation panel. "Twenty hours."

"Too slow."

Android 18 stood up, walked into the cockpit, and tapped the console a few times.

The engine's hum abruptly rose an octave.

She manually pushed the warp multiplier to one and a half times the safe threshold.

Chen Mo opened his mouth, wanting to say that the engines would overheat, but when he saw Android 18's expression, he swallowed the words.

She wanted to go back.

Fourteen hours later.

With a piercing high-frequency shriek, the ship's engines burst out of the warp corridor.

A blue planet appeared beyond the viewport.

Earth.

Chen Mo stood before the viewport, watching the blue sphere rotate against the black backdrop, a faint ring of white light glowing along the edge of its atmosphere.

He had been gone for thirty-five days.

The ship passed through the atmosphere. The heat shield burned an orange-red curtain of light across the outer hull. It slowed, then slowed again.

The landing site was an open area on the outskirts of the Seventh District Concentration Camp.

The moment the hatch opened, Chen Mo smelled earth and grass.

Earth's air.

He took a deep breath.

Android 18 casually tossed out Trunks's capsule. It popped open with a snap, the hibernation pod returning to its original form. The lid opened automatically, and Trunks sat up groggily.

"We there?"

"We're here," Chen Mo said.

Trunks jumped out. The moment his feet touched the ground, he froze.

He closed his eyes and sensed the energy around them.

"...Android 16." Trunks opened his eyes. "Only Android 16's energy is here. To the east. It's very stable."

Chen Mo nodded. His Scouter also displayed only a single signal source—Android 16, in the direction of the concentration camp.

No Android 17.

No Cell.

No Broly.

Earth was quiet.

Chen Mo helped Grand Elder Moori out of the spaceship.

Moori's body was already extremely weak. He panted with every step.

Yet his eyes were bright as he looked up at the blue sky overhead.

"So this is Earth," Moori said softly. "It's warmer than our planet."

Chen Mo did not respond, because Android 18 was looking at him.

"I'm going to the laboratory," Android 18 said.

Chen Mo turned to look at her. "Which laboratory?"

"Dr. Gero's, that old bastard's. The one in the north." Android 18's tone was casual. "We left in too much of a hurry last time. There were some things I didn't finish looking through."

Chen Mo thought for a moment. "What about Android 17? Do you know where he is now?"

Android 18 took a small communicator from her pocket.

"I left one for him before we left." Android 18 tapped it twice, and several lines of text popped up on the screen.

Chen Mo leaned over to look.

The communication log was short. Every message had been sent by Android 17.

Android 18 had not replied to a single one.

The first message was timestamped three days after they had left Earth.

"Cell ran off. He headed for the edge of the galaxy. I caught up with him."

The second message, on the eighth day.

"This thing is stronger than last time. It's absorbing the lifeforms on planets. Every batch it absorbs makes it grow bigger. Disgusting."

The third message, on the fifteenth day.

"Its power level is almost catching up to mine. But it's fine. It can't beat me. Its technique is terrible."

The fourth message, on the nineteenth day.

"Ran into a purple-skinned midget. He said something about controlling my mind. I kicked him into an asteroid belt. Boring."

Chen Mo's mouth twitched.

Babidi.

He had gotten beaten up again.

The fifth message, on the twenty-third day.

"That green monster ran to a planet with lots of insect-like aliens. It absorbed tens of thousands of them and doubled in size. It's about as strong as me now. Troublesome."

The sixth message, on the twenty-eighth day.

"Good news. That big golden-haired guy showed up again. He doesn't like Cell's smell. Every time they meet, he chases Cell down and beats him up. Cell absorbs a day's worth, then gets beaten and coughs up half of it."

The seventh message, on the thirty-second day, was also the last.

"I'm not coming back for now. Can't leave this thing alone. I'm keeping an eye on it."

After reading the communication log, Chen Mo quickly ran the numbers in his head.

Cell was absorbing massive numbers of alien lifeforms across the universe. His strength had nearly caught up to Android 17's.

Android 17 in this timeline had a combat power of at least four to five hundred million.

Cell had now reached roughly the same level.

But Broly was an unknown variable.

Cell had Saiyan cells in him. Vegeta's. Goku's. Quite a lot of them.

Broly possessed an instinctive hostility toward Saiyan energy.

Every time he encountered Cell, he beat him half to death.

In a sense, Broly had become Android 17's greatest helper in hunting down Cell.

Though neither of them would ever admit it.

"Android 17 is fine." Chen Mo handed the communicator back to Android 18. "He just needs to keep an eye on Cell. Broly will help suppress Cell's rate of growth."

Android 18 took the communicator and slipped it back into her pocket, her expression unchanged.

But she did not argue, which meant she agreed with his judgment deep down.

"I'm going to the lab," Android 18 repeated.

She turned to leave.

"Wait." Chen Mo stopped her.

Android 18 paused and glanced sideways at him.

Chen Mo considered his wording.

"Can you put Earth's affairs aside for now?"

Android 18 raised an eyebrow.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Stop destroying cities," Chen Mo said. "And stop killing people. At least until the matter of the Dragon Balls is resolved."

Android 18 turned around to face him directly.

Her expression remained calm, but something subtly shifted in her eyes.

"Are you telling me what to do?"

"I'm not telling you what to do," Chen Mo said. "Wishing on the Dragon Balls requires goodwill as a prerequisite. If you slaughter cities while searching for them, Porunga might refuse to grant your wish."

That was a lie. Porunga did not require any prerequisite of goodwill to grant wishes.

But Android 18 did not know that.

"There aren't many people left on Earth. If they keep dying, this planet will truly be empty." Chen Mo looked at her. "Once we get the Dragon Balls back, you can wish for whatever you want. Becoming human again, or anything else. Both wishes will be yours. I keep my word."

Android 18 said nothing.

The wind blew over from the ruins, sweeping her blonde hair to one side.

"Hmph."

Then she flew away.

She neither agreed nor refused.

Chen Mo watched her figure vanish beyond the horizon.

He let out a breath of relief.

She had not said no.

In Android 18's dictionary, that already counted as a major concession.

"Your relationship with her... is very strange." Moori leaned against the spaceship and spoke weakly.

"Don't mention it," Chen Mo said.

Android 16 appeared on the distant horizon.

He was not flying. He was walking over step by step.

His pace was neither fast nor slow, and several stray cats that had crawled out of the ruins followed behind him.

"You're back," Android 16 said.

Chen Mo nodded. "How has Earth been these past few days?"

"Very quiet." Android 16's gaze fell on Moori. "And this is?"

"The Great Elder of Planet Namek," Chen Mo said. "He is in very poor health and needs to be settled somewhere safe."

Android 16 fell silent for a moment, then crouched down until he was level with Moori.

"Hello," Android 16 said. "Welcome to Earth."

Moori smiled. It was faint and weak, but it was a genuine smile.

"There is no malice in you. None at all. That is rare."

"I am Android 16."

"I know," Moori said. "I can feel it. Though you have no life, you are gentler than many who do."

Android 16 did not respond to that.

Trunks walked over. "Chen Mo, the Great Elder needs to be settled, and the safety of the last Dragon Ball is also a concern."

"Take him to Kami's Lookout," Chen Mo said. "It is the safest place on Earth. Mr. Popo is there, and he can look after the Great Elder."

"I'll go too," Trunks said. "I'll check on my mother after things stabilize. The Great Elder's situation is more urgent."

Chen Mo looked at Android 16. "What about you?"

"I'll remain on the ground," Android 16 said. "These cats are still nursing."

He pointed to a mother cat crouched by his feet, her belly round and swollen.

Chen Mo had Trunks carry Moori.

The two rose into the air at the same time.

They flew toward Kami's Lookout.

Korin Tower appeared in the distance.

The white pillar pierced into the clouds. At its summit lay Korin's domain.

Higher still, beyond the sea of clouds, was Kami's Lookout.

They passed through the clouds.

The white platform of Kami's Lookout came into view.

Mr. Popo stood before the temple doors, holding a watering can.

When he saw the two of them fly up, he blinked.

"Oh. You're back."

Mr. Popo's tone was as usual, as though they had merely gone out for a stroll.

"Mr. Popo." Chen Mo landed on the platform. "This is Planet Namek's Grand Elder, Moori. He's very weak. Could you arrange a room for him?"

Mr. Popo glanced at Moori, set down the watering can, and walked over.

"Grand Elder." Mr. Popo gave a slight bow. "I am Popo, attendant to the former Guardian of Earth. This is Kami's Lookout."

With Trunks's support, Moori sat down on the steps.

His breathing was heavy, but he was still in good spirits.

"Thank you," Moori said. "Let me rest here for a while, and I'll be fine."

Mr. Popo nodded and began making arrangements.

Chen Mo was about to follow him inside when the corner of his eye caught the side corridor of the main hall.

A figure leaned against a pillar.

Bald head. Sunglasses. Floral shirt. A cup of tea in hand.

Master Roshi.

"Master?" Chen Mo froze. "What are you doing here?"

Master Roshi looked at him over the rim of his sunglasses.

"Well, well. You brat still knows how to come back."

Holding his teacup, he ambled over with lazy steps.

But Chen Mo noticed that his footing was steadier than it had been a year ago.

Not a sound came from the tiles beneath each step.

His aura was so restrained that it was nearly impossible to sense.

"That old cat Korin told me." Master Roshi took a sip of tea. "You went into space, and you even took the androids with you. You're getting bolder and bolder."

He set down his teacup and removed his sunglasses.

The old man's gaze abruptly changed.

He was no longer that lecherous, lazy hermit of a tropical island.

He was a martial arts grandmaster who had cultivated for over three hundred years, seriously examining his disciple.

He looked at Chen Mo for a long time.

Then Master Roshi's brows furrowed.

"Your aura." Master Roshi's voice dropped slightly. "It's completely different from when you left."

Chen Mo tensed.

Master Roshi stepped closer.

The old man raised a hand and pressed two fingers lightly against Chen Mo's chest.

The pressure was extremely light, lighter than pressing a doorbell.

But Chen Mo felt it.

The instant those two fingers touched his skin, an exceedingly faint stream of energy seeped in through his fingertips.

Master Roshi's expression changed.

His slight frown became a deep furrow, then gradually eased.

In the end, his face settled into a complicated expression.

It was hard to say whether it was relief or surprise. It was both.

"You brat." Master Roshi withdrew his fingers. "How long have you even been gone?"

Chen Mo said nothing.

"When you left, your base power level was one hundred." Master Roshi took a step back and examined him again. "What about now?"

Chen Mo considered it. "A little higher than one hundred."

"A little?" Master Roshi chuckled. "You call this a little?"

He turned and walked to one of the hall's pillars. Bending down, he picked up his teacup and took a slow sip.

"Your energy channels have been reshaped. More than once. Their underlying structure is completely different from when you left. Your meridian pathways have widened by at least several dozen times. The density of your energy is so high that even I have to examine it closely."

Master Roshi set down his teacup.

"Your base power level, conservatively estimated, is above two million."

Hearing that number, Trunks froze for a moment.

He knew Chen Mo had grown stronger, but he had no idea by how much.

When they trained together in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Chen Mo's base power level had still been fifty thousand.

After coming out, Chen Mo had deliberately kept his energy suppressed, so Trunks had not probed too deeply.

Two million.

A base power level of two million.

Even after transforming into a Super Saiyan, Trunks's peak power level was only around one hundred to two hundred million.

If Chen Mo used the Thirtyfold King Kai Fist...

Sixty million.

Though it still fell short of the Super Saiyan form.

This rate of growth could no longer be explained by common sense.

"Master Roshi," Trunks said. "How could you tell? He's been suppressing his energy the whole time."

Master Roshi glanced at him.

"Kid, energy can be suppressed, but the body can't lie. The density of his muscle fibers, the hardness of his bones, the width of his energy channels, the traces of energy left in his meridians—those things are written all over him. They can't be hidden."

Chen Mo did not deny it after hearing that.

Master Roshi was the one who had taught him how to control his energy.

The old man knew how every meridian in his body had developed better than Chen Mo did himself.

"Master," Chen Mo said. "I have a lot to tell you."

"Wait." Master Roshi raised a hand to interrupt him. "Let me ask you something first."

"What is it?"

"Try sensing my energy."

Chen Mo was taken aback.

Instinctively, he extended his energy perception toward Master Roshi.

Then he stopped.

There was nothing.

Master Roshi stood just three meters in front of him.

A floral shirt, a bald head, sunglasses hanging from his chest pocket.

His small, thin body leaned against the pillar.

He was clearly there. Chen Mo could see him, and he could hear him breathing.

But in his energy perception—

That spot was empty.

Completely empty.

On the level of energy perception, there was nothing there.

It was as if Master Roshi had completely vanished from the world of energy.