Cell's Trump Card

Gohan charged into the city ruins. Beneath his feet lay the remains of innocent civilians whom Cell had drained into husks.

Every corpse spoke of a desperate truth: Cell was not merely fighting—he was carrying out a massacre on a massive scale.

"The city Dad left behind actually turned into this hellish place..." Lin Mo clenched his teeth. "Cell, you'd better pray I don't find you."

His ki sensing flickered wildly. Cell's aura came from a half-collapsed office building in the distance, and it had grown noticeably stronger than it had been minutes ago.

"That bastard is still absorbing people!" Gohan unleashed his full power. Golden ki flared explosively around him as he shot toward the building like a meteor.

On the seventh floor of the office building, Cell had one hand pressed against a civilian's head, his tail plunged deep into the man's chest. The shriveled body twitched a few times before losing all signs of life.

"Three hundred million." Cell licked his lips in satisfaction. His battered body rapidly regenerated after finishing the absorption. "Gohan, you're on my heels."

Before he could finish speaking, the wall exploded.

Gohan burst out of the smoke and dust, his right fist carrying world-shattering force as it smashed toward Cell's face!

"Too slow!" Cell barely raised an arm to block, but the gap between 320 million and 300 million sent him flying on impact. He crashed through three walls before coming to a stop.

"Slow?" Gohan sneered. "I think you're the one looking to die."

Cell crawled out of the rubble and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth. "Finish regenerating first, then we'll talk about fighting."

"You think I don't know your tricks?" Gohan flickered, appearing before Cell the next second. "I'll keep attacking and won't give you a chance to regenerate!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fists as fast as lightning rained down on Cell. Every strike precisely avoided vital areas without being lethal, aimed solely at damaging his regenerative system.

"Damn it..." Cell staggered backward under the barrage, clouds of blood mist bursting from his body.

But Gohan's assault suddenly stalled.

Not because he lacked stamina, but because he sensed a familiar aura.

Android 17 shot in from the ruins on the other side, a teasing smile on his cold face. "Looks like I came at just the right time."

"Why did you follow us here?" Gohan frowned.

Android 17 shrugged. "I got tired of watching. Can't I join in myself?"

His gaze locked onto Cell. "Besides, this guy said I have a 'fatal flaw.' I want to see for myself what kind of bluff he's putting on."

Cell wiped the blood from his face, his smile growing increasingly strange. "A bluff? Android 17, you're far too arrogant."

"Your arrogance will get you killed." Cell's gaze swept toward the distance. "And your lovely sister as well."

Gohan's heart skipped a beat.

The hidden program inside Android 17... If Cell really knew what "flaw" Android 17 had within him, it was very likely the self-destruct device Dr. Gero had installed!

But what exactly was it? Gohan desperately searched through his memories from before he had transmigrated. The original story had never mentioned Android 17 having any "fatal flaw"!

Had his changes to the plot triggered a new variable?

"Android 17, be careful!" Gohan shouted.

But Android 17 looked completely unconcerned. "Relax. You think I wouldn't know what's inside my own body?"

He charged straight at Cell. "Let me take on this self-proclaimed perfect guy!"

"Good." Cell suddenly turned and ran.

Android 17 sneered. "Running again?"

He gave chase at full speed, faster than Cell by a noticeable margin. Gohan followed close behind, alarm bells ringing in his mind.

Something was wrong.

The direction Cell fled in became increasingly isolated, surrounded by narrow pathways through the ruins and the wreckage of colossal collapsed buildings.

He wasn't running—he was luring them in!

"Android 17, stop chasing him!" Gohan shouted.

But Android 17 ignored him completely. "Quit talking nonsense. Watch me break his legs—"

Halfway through his sentence, Android 17's body suddenly froze.

Not of his own accord.

It was the tail.

At some point, Cell's tail had wrapped around Android 17's waist, its needle-like tip plunged deep into his body!

"You're indeed faster than I am." Cell's voice came from ahead, brimming with the delight of success. "But who pays attention to their own tail in battle? Especially when your tail is hidden behind you."

Android 17's expression changed drastically. He tried to break free, only to find that tail wrapped around him as tightly as a chain.

"I told you, Android 17." Cell turned around, his smile eerie. "Your arrogance will get you killed."

"And you were wrong. There really is something inside your body that even you don't know about."

Gohan finally arrived and attacked Cell without another word. "Let him go!"

But Cell casually blocked the attack with his other tail. "Don't rush, Gohan. Let me first show you what a 'fatal flaw' really is."

His tail began to glow.

It was not the green glow of absorbed energy, but some strange red pulse wave.

Android 17's body suddenly began to tremble, and the energy within him went berserk without warning!

"W-What?" For the first time, Android 17 wore an expression of terror.

Cell laughed triumphantly. "That crazy old fool Dr. Gero really did leave a backup plan to prevent you from betraying him—a remotely triggered self-destruct program for the human body!"

Gohan's pupils contracted sharply.

A self-destruct program!

It had never been mentioned in the original story—or rather, perhaps Dr. Gero's technology had only existed in the experimental stage and had never truly been completed?

No. Gohan suddenly remembered something. The information from before he had crossed over had indeed mentioned an "internal energy circulation stabilizer," but it had been designed to prevent the androids' energy from going berserk!

Could Cell have exploited that and turned it into a weapon for murder?

The energy inside Android 17 grew increasingly chaotic, red light seeping through the surface of his body as though something were trying to tear him apart from within.

"Is this your trump card?" Gohan roared. "Using such a despicable method!"

"Despicable?" Cell shook his head. "Gohan, this is called technology. Your Saiyan fighting power may be terrifying, but before true high technology, it amounts to nothing."

Android 17 writhed painfully on the ground, the energy inside him becoming more and more unstable.

Gohan knew that if he did not stop it, Android 17 would be completely destroyed by this "self-destruct program"!

But how could he stop it?

Cell's tail was connected to Android 17. Severing that connection required an extremely precise attack, and Cell's regenerative ability meant that even if it were cut off, it would quickly recover.

Even more troublesome was the trigger mechanism of this self-destruct program.

If he did not figure it out, attacking recklessly would only make Android 17 die faster!

The Senzu Beans Krillin brought! Gohan suddenly thought.

There should still be some left! Senzu Beans could heal any injury; perhaps they could suppress the berserk energy within Android 17?

But Krillin was on the other side of the city. There was no time!

"Cell!" Gohan gritted his teeth. "What exactly do you want?"

Cell admired the chaos before him, his smile growing ever more smug. "What do I want? Gohan, I've already won."

"Android 17's energy circulation system is extremely complex. Once it is forcibly interrupted, it triggers a chain reaction. In his current state, he can hold on for three minutes at most."

"Three minutes from now, he'll become a human bomb and blast everything within a kilometer into ash."

Gohan's heart sank to the depths.

Cell was threatening him: if he wanted to save Android 17, he would be putting himself on the line as well.

If he did not save him, Android 17 would undoubtedly die.

And Android 18.

Gohan suddenly turned around. A figure was rapidly approaching in the distance.

It was Android 18.

She had sensed Android 17's abnormal condition and was rushing over.

Cell noticed her too, and a greedy gleam flashed through his eyes. "Oh? Big sister is here too? How wonderful."

"I can make Android 17 self-destruct, or I can make him 'only' lose his ability to move." Cell's smile turned increasingly sinister. "The choice is in your hands, Gohan."

"Save him, or come after me? Or perhaps let big sister keep little brother company?"

Gohan clenched his fists, his mind racing wildly.

Three minutes.

He had to make a choice within three minutes.

Watching him struggle, Cell nodded in satisfaction. "This is the wisdom of a perfect being. There is no need to crush you with strength—I only need to make you fall into disarray."

"Gohan, aren't you a genius?" Cell taunted. "Come on, solve this for me."