In the south, the sky was almost too blue.
Gohan hovered in midair, his ki sensing spreading in every direction like an invisible radar net. The twenty-four-hour countdown was like a blade hanging over his head, every second reminding him: there was no time left.
Android 18's energy was very distinctive.
It wasn't the savage, burning vitality of a Saiyan, but a precise, cold energy fluctuation, like a perfectly running machine. Yet it was precisely because it was too perfect that it was difficult to hide.
Gohan closed his eyes.
He searched his memory for the scene of that clash, the moment the Reverse Frequency Device activated, and the way Android 18 had looked at him. That fluctuation, that frequency—he remembered it.
Southeast.
He changed direction and flew at full speed.
Twenty minutes later, Gohan landed at the edge of a small town.
This place was so remote it seemed like a corner forgotten by the world. A few wooden houses, a dirt road, and beside it, a clothing store that looked like it had been around for years. Several dresses hung in the display window, looking a little old beneath the sunlight.
Android 18 stood in front of the display window.
She was dressed casually in a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her long hair falling loosely over her shoulders. Sunlight fell over her, softening her outline a little. If he didn't know who she was, Gohan would almost have thought she was just an ordinary young woman.
The end of the world was coming, and she was actually out shopping?
Gohan grumbled inwardly, then landed ten meters behind her.
Android 18 didn't turn around.
"I knew you'd come."
Her voice was very calm, as if she had expected everything long ago.
Gohan wasn't surprised. "You knew?"
"Dr. Gero's