Level 2 Mall

The electronic screens in the hall still crackled with sparks. The acrid stench of scorched plastic mingled with gunpowder smoke, making everyone's eyes sting.

Commander Black stared fixedly at Chen He as he emerged from the smoke. His right hand, clutching the pistol, trembled violently. The gold-plated gun gleamed with an almost mocking glare beneath the alternating red and blue alarm lights. In the original story, he had been an arrogant madman willing to sacrifice anything just to grow taller. But at this very moment, with this black-haired boy—who could withstand a main battle tank's bombardment with his bare body—standing before him, the absolute disparity in power became a primal terror that nearly drowned him.

"Y-You... don't come any closer!" the Commander screamed. His knuckles went white as he pulled the trigger.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three bullets flew toward Chen He's chest in a precise triangular formation. Yet Chen He could not even be bothered to take his hands out of his pockets. Before the aura of nearly 1,000 power level, the three brass bullets abruptly lost all momentum half a foot from his body. They clinked onto the alloy floor, rolled twice, and lay still.

"How is this possible... These are specially made armor-piercing rounds..." The Commander's legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed into the broad command chair. The confidence he had built over a lifetime with power and money shattered into dust at that moment. Looking into Chen He's emotionless black eyes, he finally understood that, in this monster's eyes, the military empire he had been so proud of was merely a pile of building blocks that could be swept away at any time.

Watching this unfold, Black Adjutant instead gradually calmed down. He looked at the Commander on the verge of collapse, then at the ruins scattered across the floor, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. He had always believed they were fighting for some great cause. But in the end, the lives of tens of thousands in the Red Ribbon Army amounted to less than a grain of sand before godlike power.

Black Adjutant sighed, quietly moved his hand away from the self-destruct button in his jacket, and raised both hands. He did not want to die alongside that mad little man.

Chen He ignored Black Adjutant's small gesture. He walked up to the command console and coldly examined the already-open safe on the desk. Four orange-red Dragon Balls lay silently inside, the stars upon them glimmering enticingly beneath the lights.

Together with the ones Goku and he had, all seven Dragon Balls were finally gathered.

[ Ding! Main Quest "Destroy the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters" has been completed! ]

[ Calculating points... ]

[ Successfully killed/incapacitated core defensive forces and destroyed the command hub. Points obtained: +5000! ]

[ Current total points: 11150! Level Two Shop access has been fully activated. Eligibility to purchase bloodlines/high-level skills has been unlocked! ]

The system notifications ringing in his mind finally loosened Chen He's perpetually tense expression. 11,150 points, along with the unlocked Level Two Shop access—this meant he had finally obtained a ticket to reach the pinnacle of this world. At this moment, all his efforts received their most direct reward.

"Chen He! I smashed up all the warehouses to the east! Those flying tin cans of theirs were all smashed to bits!"

Goku dashed in through the main doors, Power Pole in hand. He was covered in quite a bit of dust, and there was a bloody scrape on his cheek from a stray bullet, but his eyes shone brilliantly. However, when Goku saw the Commander slumped in his chair, as well as the blood and wreckage covering the hall, the excitement in his eyes quietly faded.

Goku looked at Chen He, opened his mouth, then finally only muttered in a low voice, "Chen He, let's take the Dragon Balls and go. The people here... don't seem like they want to fight anymore."

Chen He turned his head and glanced at Goku. He could sense the compassion in the boy's heart, the kind belonging to an innocent Earthling. His Saiyan ruthlessness and pragmatism made Goku's feelings seem somewhat unnecessary, but he did not refute him. After all, having an idiot in this world who was willing to trust him unconditionally and fight alongside him all the way through the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters was not such a bad thing.

"Take the Dragon Balls. We're leaving."

Chen He turned around and loosened one notch on his weighted vest, allowing his overstrained muscles a little relief. He did not bother with Commander Black, who was completely finished, nor did he make things difficult for the sensible Black Adjutant.

As far as he was concerned, the Red Ribbon Army had been thoroughly drained of all value.

At some point, the torrential rain outside had stopped. The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a sky full of stars. Chen He and Goku walked side by side out of the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters, its grounds littered with ruins, as the night wind blew away the scent of blood clinging to them.

Chen He touched the scorching Dragon Balls in his pocket and looked up at the deep night sky. He knew that the end of the Red Ribbon Army arc was only the beginning of this world's truly brutal prologue.

Next, all they had to do was wait for Shenron to recover.