An Unpredictable Upper Limit

A massive glacier stretched across the horizon, and a bone-chilling wind howled, carrying ice crystals that made the Z Fighters' combat suits snap and flutter.

"This place is truly different from the future I know. In my time, only Android 17 and Android 18 were wreaking havoc. I never expected so many androids to exist in this era."

Trunks's eyes darkened as he sheathed his long sword. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, he still felt the impact of the situation.

"What happened on your end?" Son Gohan walked over to his side and asked.

"Big Brother Gohan, I was eating in West City with my father when that android called Cell found us. He had no scruples and even started slaughtering civilians."

"My father and I had no other choice but to lure him here to fight." A hint of fear flickered in Trunks's eyes; when he and his father faced Cell, they had been completely powerless.

"Father?"

Son Gohan interrupted Trunks, leaning in to whisper in his ear, "You and Uncle Vegeta have reconciled? Aren't you afraid of changing history and causing your future self to disappear?"

If Vegeta and Bulma were to deliberately avoid each other because of this, the future Trunks would likely cease to exist.

Trunks scratched his head and gave a shy smile, "I already exist."

"What!? You exist? Vegeta's? Has future technology become that advanced already?" Son Gohan was more shocked by this than he had been by the two Cells.

"No, no!"

Trunks waved his hands frantically, explaining, "With my help, Mom and Dad got together within two months. The me of this world was born just a few days ago."

"You scared me. Don't leave out the important parts when you talk," Son Gohan patted his chest, taking a deep breath before exhaling.

Suddenly, he felt his hair stand on end, as if he were being watched by some prehistoric beast. He turned his head and locked eyes with Vegeta's murderous glare.

Vegeta clenched his fists; had a great enemy not been standing before them, he would have attacked already.

Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Son Gohan said sheepishly, "Trunks, go on."

"Hahahaha!" Despite the tense atmosphere, Krillin and the others couldn't help but laugh.

Trunks felt a bit embarrassed himself, glanced at the furious Vegeta, and continued:

"Once Cell made his move, my father and I realized he wasn't even on our level."

"At that critical moment, Uncle Piccolo arrived and fought Cell with everything he had," Trunks said, casting a grateful look toward Piccolo.

"I just happened to be near West City," Piccolo noted.

"During the battle, Cell spat two small monsters out of his tail that looked exactly like him. Their strength was terrifying."

Trunks still felt a lingering fear; they had nearly died at the hands of the Cell Jrs.

"Later, more androids appeared. Everyone stopped fighting by unspoken agreement, and then you all showed up."

"I see." Son Gohan nodded, the sequence of events finally clear.

Dr. Gero's plan was truly terrifying. If the Z Fighters hadn't spent the year training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, they would likely have suffered heavy casualties against this assault.

Son Gohan then explained the origins of the androids across from them, leaving everyone stunned.

"There is a Cell that came from the future, just like me!" Trunks was too shocked to speak.

"Was he here to take revenge on me?" Son Goku had almost forgotten about destroying the Red Ribbon Army when he was a child.

Son Gohan's gaze locked onto the two Cells. There were still questions lingering in his mind, and he had to bait the enemy into talking.

"Which one of you is the Future Cell?" Son Gohan asked with confidence.

"Kid, you know far too much," Dr. Gero muttered, still unable to figure out how the information had leaked.

"Dr. Gero, what does it matter if we tell him? I am the Cell from the future," Lightning Cell said, his eyes filled with mockery.

He possessed Frieza's cells, inheriting the cosmic tyrant's cruel nature.

He loved laying the truth bare before his opponents, savoring the process of watching them fall from hope into total despair.

"Son Gohan, your growth rate has far exceeded my expectations," Lightning Cell said, though it was unclear if he was offering praise or sarcasm.

"I thought those losers like Bojack would cause you some trouble. I'm so disappointed that not a single one of you died."

"So it really was you who released Bojack."

Son Gohan had never been certain; he always felt the timeline didn't match up, and Cell's strength had been limited. Seeing Lightning Cell, he understood everything in an instant.

"This guy is despicable. He brought such powerful enemies to Earth and talks about it so casually," Yamcha said indignantly.

"I broke their seals just to harvest their cells. It was a convenient way to recycle trash, but garbage is still garbage."

Lightning Cell tilted his head and sneered, as if recalling something amusing.

"You absorbed the cells of Bojack and his crew?" Son Gohan suddenly felt a chill.

Dr. Gero had said the Insect Spy Robots could fly off-planet, so they hadn't just been following them around.

Just how many elite cosmic cells had this Cell devoured?

"Surprised?"

Lightning Cell finally saw the expression he wanted. His interest piqued, his eyes gleaming:

"You went to Namek to fight Frieza these past two years and became stronger, but did you think we were just sitting around?"

"I took Dr. Gero to many nearby planets to collect the cells of powerful warriors and absorb their advanced technology. It allowed the incubation of the other androids to be significantly accelerated."

He looked toward the first-form Cell; clearly, that was the Cell of the current timeline, incubated early thanks to technological advancements.

Otherwise, the Cell of the main timeline would have taken another 26 years to mature naturally.

Tien Shinhan and the others shuddered, their faces turning pale. Cold sweat poured down their backs as they stood frozen in shock.

"How could this happen?" Son Gohan muttered to himself. The situation was now completely out of control.

Future Cell possessed the cells of countless cosmic elites, meaning his potential was immense. Lightning Cell was definitely not his limit.

"Wait, that's not right!" Son Gohan suddenly remembered something.

"When you arrived in this era, you should have regressed into an egg and spent three years underground before maturing again."

"I don't understand why you matured so quickly."

"Besides, collecting the cells of strong warriors doesn't significantly increase your strength, only your potential. Did you secretly devour other androids?" Son Gohan guessed boldly.

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Lightning Cell clapped slowly, the playfulness in his eyes turning into admiration. "Son Gohan, I admire you more and more. I'll save you for last."

"Because as soon as I arrived in this era, I found Dr. Gero and confessed everything. I was created by him, so of course he had the ability to make me mature quickly."

Throughout his words, Cell showed great respect for Dr. Gero, which made Son Gohan look at him a few more times. This guy definitely had ulterior motives.

"Future Cell told me that because the Android 17 and Android 18 of his timeline were killed by Trunks, he was unable to evolve into his perfect form," Dr. Gero couldn't help but interject.

He also enjoyed the pleasure of toying with his enemies. Since they were all dead men walking, there was no harm in letting them know.

"Future Cell proposed an idea: since he could absorb Android 17 and Android 18, could he perhaps absorb other androids?"