Hidden Dangers

"This is a huge help; the situation over there is quite troublesome..."

"Qi Heng?"

Vegeta, who had been leaning there silently, suddenly opened his eyes wide, his sharp gaze fixed on Son Goku, his voice tinged with doubt and surprise. "You mean... that guy went to Hell?"

Son Goku nodded, his golden hair swaying slightly with the movement, and the wisps of hair on his forehead partially obscuring his eyes, which remained as bright as ever.

"Um."

He responded, his breathing still slightly labored, his voice tinged with the panting of battle, "He said, 'The trouble over there is over, now it's time to bring this idiot back.'"

Vegeta stood to one side with his arms crossed, his lips twitching slightly.

He turned his head to the side, looking at the still-smoking ruins in the distance, and gritted his teeth as he uttered, "That guy..."

His tone was both irritable and complicated, as if he was impatient with some force beyond his control, yet also awkwardly forced to admit something.

"Oh, right," Son Goku suddenly seemed to remember something, turning his head to look around. The ground was covered with cracks and rubble, and in the distance, there was a pile of collapsed building ruins. "Where's Super 17? I heard you guys were fighting a very powerful enemy?"

As he spoke, he maintained that relaxed air that seemed ready to explode at any moment, while the lingering sense of danger from before seemed to still hang in the air.

Piccolo emerged from behind the broken rock pillar, his green cloak fluttering in the acrid wind.

"It's been resolved."

His voice was low and calm, exceptionally clear amidst the ruins, "Qi Heng handled it all by himself."

Son Goku's eyes lit up instantly, as if two small flames had suddenly been ignited.

"Real?"

His voice unconsciously rose, and a smile instantly bloomed on his face, pure and excited. His knuckles turned white from clenching his fist so tightly. "That guy is really strong!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his fighting spirit spread out like a gust of wind, causing the gravel beneath his feet to tremble slightly.

He looked into the distance, his eyes gleaming with an even brighter, more eager light.

"When I get back, I'm definitely going to have a fight with him."

He said it with absolute certainty, with that almost childlike insistence.

Vegeta snorted coldly, tightened his arms around himself, and furrowed his brows.

You can't beat him.

He made a definitive judgment, his tone brimming with undisguised confidence and a hint of sarcasm.

Son Goku didn't take it to heart at all. Instead, he raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a set of white teeth, and smiled as if to say, "Come and try it."

How will you know if you don't try?

He countered with a question, his voice full of anticipation, as if a top-level showdown was about to unfold.

***

West City, Capsule Corporation.

The laboratory was large, but it was unusually quiet at the moment.

Everyone is here.

The only sounds in the air were the low hum of the instruments and an indescribable heaviness.

Bulma stood in the center of the room, her back to everyone, with a huge curved screen in front of her.

The blue light shone on her face, revealing all her exhaustion, yet she remained completely focused.

The screen displayed images transmitted from the satellite.

Earth was no longer the home they knew—cities had become broken steel frames and piles of rubble, black smoke rose everywhere, turning the sky gray; cracks crisscrossed the earth, some so deep they seemed bottomless, with a faint red glow emanating from them; along the coast, the sea churned endlessly, giant waves relentlessly pounding the deformed land, leaving behind a trail of foam and debris.

Bulma took a deep breath and her fingers flew across the control panel, bringing up a series of data and charts.

"This battle... resulted in enormous losses."

Her voice lacked its usual lightness; each word sounded like it was weighed down with lead. "Preliminary statistics show that millions have died and tens of millions have been injured. And that doesn't even include those who are missing."

She pointed to several data points highlighted in red on the screen. "The Earth's ecology and geological structure have also been severely damaged. There are problems with the atmosphere, radiation levels are too high, and many places... are no longer habitable."

No one spoke in the laboratory; only the sounds of the machines could be heard.

Gohan clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white; Piccolo closed his eyes, his face grim beneath his hat brim; Pan bit her lip, her eyes red-rimmed; Vegeta's face was ashen, his eyes fixed on the screen, even his jawline taut.

At this moment, Son Goku spoke, his voice not loud, but it immediately broke the silence.

He stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over everyone, finally settling on Bulma. "We need the Dragon Balls."

"That's right."

Piccolo opened his eyes, his green pupils filled with determination. "Use the Dragon Balls to revive all those who were killed and repair the Earth—this is the fastest and most thorough way right now."

Pan jumped up, bracing herself on the platform with both hands, and said eagerly, "What are we waiting for? Let's hurry and find the Dragon Balls! The sooner we make a wish, the sooner everyone can come back!"

"The Dragon Balls Scouter is ready."

Bulma turned around and picked up a palm-sized silver instrument from the workbench piled with parts.

She held it up to her eyes, lightly touched the surface with her finger, and the screen lit up, displaying a rotating Earth and several glittering dots.

"But there's a problem."

She looked up, her expression unusually serious, her gaze sweeping over everyone. "A problem we can no longer ignore."

"What's the problem?"

Gohan stepped forward, frowning.

Bulma placed the Scouter on the table, braced her hands on the surface, and leaned forward slightly, as if to make sure everyone could hear her clearly.

"They've used the Dragon Balls too much."

She slowed down her speech, making each word clear. "Every time you make a wish to Shenron, especially a big wish like reviving so many people or repairing the planet, a kind of 'negative energy' accumulates inside the Dragon Balls."

This is a difficult-to-analyze energy, and it is opposed to the power of the desire to create life and repair the world.

She brought up a new set of waveforms and curves and projected them onto a corner of the screen.

"I have been monitoring this for the past few years, and according to model calculations, the negative energy of the Dragon Balls has accumulated to a very dangerous level."

If this continues, especially with another global revival and restoration, negative energy could reach a tipping point.

What happens when the critical point is crossed?

Vegeta's brows furrowed deeply, and he asked in a low voice, "Will it explode? Or will it be completely destroyed?"

"I have no idea."

Bulma shook her head, her blonde hair swaying slightly. Her eyes were filled with the frankness and worry of a scientist facing the unknown. "There's no precedent, and it's not recorded in the database. Perhaps the Dragon Balls will collapse, and the power of wishes will go out of control; it might also... release destructive energy, even affecting the space where Shenron appears. The specific consequences cannot be simulated."

She looked at Son Goku and said seriously, "My model suggests that after this wish is made, the Dragon Balls must be allowed to remain dormant for a long time to dissipate the negative energy on their own."

Otherwise... if we use the Dragon Balls to save the world now, we might be sowing the seeds of even greater trouble for the future."

Son Goku was silent for a few seconds, staring at the Earth on the screen, then looking at everyone's faces.

The laboratory ceiling light cast shadows on his face, creating an interplay of light and shadow.

After a while, he nodded, his eyes regaining their resolve.

"I understand your concerns, Bulma."