Jiang Nan was thrilled. He had worried that only his physical abilities would improve, leaving him unable to fire energy blasts at will like the protagonists of Dragon Ball. So once his battle power reached a certain level, he would naturally understand how to use ki.
His room was too small, so Jiang Nan decided to go out for a walk and see how much doubling his battle power had changed him.
He put on all his weighted gear-180 kilograms in total. He could not add any more; there was no equipment on the market that could hold that much iron.
With the gear on, Jiang Nan felt that this much weight no longer did much for him. He did not feel strained in the slightest.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Nan simply took off the weights and strolled out of the residential complex.
Even the mountains seemed different now. Jiang Nan felt especially relaxed, and the increase in his battle power had given him an indescribable confidence.
There shouldn't be anyone on Earth who can beat me now, right? My battle power should even put me slightly ahead of Master Roshi.
Wait! Jiang Nan gazed westward, toward the Korin Holy Land. He had almost forgotten that Korin still lived atop Korin Tower there, and above him was Kami at the Lookout.
It was a little early to call himself invincible, but fortunately, Korin and Kami did not interfere in mortal affairs. He could more or less count himself as unrivaled in the world.
It was about time to leave White Cloud City, too. The lease on Jiang Nan's home was nearing its end, and he no longer had enough money to renew it for another year. Though he already lived frugally, every physical training session burned an astonishing amount of energy, and he ate an astonishing amount at every meal.
Jiang Nan had once considered asking Black Tiger Hall to help him investigate the whereabouts of the Dragon Balls, but he had abandoned that idea. People were greedy by nature, especially money-grubbing men like Pei Hu and his son. Once they learned the secret of the Dragon Balls, they would inevitably have sinister ideas.
Jiang Nan remembered that the Red Ribbon Army would also be capable of making a Dragon Radar in the future. It went without saying that theirs would come from Dr. Gero's laboratory. Although the radar used by the Red Ribbon Army was less precise than the little gadget the genius girl Bulma had cobbled together, it would still be adequate.
Jiang Nan thought of Doris. Her expertise in radar was no less than Dr. Gero's, and given their friendship, she would probably be willing to help.
But to make a Dragon Radar, he would first have to obtain a Dragon Ball. Even the best cook could not make a meal without ingredients. Without a sample to study, not even the most brilliant scientist could build a tracking radar out of thin air.
Jiang Nan had two options for obtaining his first Dragon Radar.
The first was to go to Liangjing Mountain, also known as Fry-pan Mountain, 1,500 kilometers to the southwest. There was a Dragon Ball in the Ox-King's castle, but the Ox-King had countless treasures. Finding a single ball in his castle would probably be no easy task.
The other option was to go to Mount Paozu, 2,000 kilometers northeast of White Cloud City, and try his luck with Son Gohan. By Jiang Nan's calculations, Son Gohan should already have found the Four-Star Dragon Ball. Judging by the timing, he should also have found little Kakarot, who had arrived on Earth in a spaceship.
After thinking it over, Jiang Nan decided to seek out Son Gohan at Mount Paozu. The old man was kind and gentle, and might be willing to give him the Dragon Ball. Besides, as a martial arts master, Son Gohan had a deeper understanding of martial arts. Perhaps Jiang Nan could learn something from him.
White Cloud City was still hot in September. Jiang Nan went to the seafood market to retrieve the fly traps he had left there for a week. Thanks to his regular consumption, there were now far fewer flies in the market than before. The traps that once filled up in a day or two now barely filled up in a week.
Carrying several fly traps on his way to North Suburb Park, Jiang Nan wore a relaxed, contented expression, yet his feet moved as swiftly as the wind. Passersby were surprised at the sight, but once they recognized the man who loved running through the streets carrying fly traps, they thought nothing of it.
Returning to the same concrete plaza, Jiang Nan opened all the fly traps.
"I'll give you a ten-second head start." Jiang Nan was in no hurry to act. Only after all the flies had left the cages did he casually make his move, a twig held between his fingers.
Jiang Nan no longer struck the flies one at a time. His swings of the twig whipped up blades of wind, which sliced through the air and cut the flies to pieces.
Forty seconds!
In just forty seconds, all the flies from the five cages had been wiped out.
Jiang Nan steadied the ki within his body and murmured, "So this is what a body with 180 battle power can do?"
It was hard to imagine what his body would evolve into after a few more doublings.
There was no need to train with flies anymore. Their speed was already too slow for Jiang Nan. He cleaned up the area, hung the fly traps beside the park's garbage collection point, and leisurely walked home.
The sun was nearly setting by the time Jiang Nan approached his residential complex. He spotted a familiar figure by the roadside: Li Xiaomei, the daughter of Boss Li from Li's Beef Noodle Shop.
Li Xiaomei, carrying a large schoolbag, had not noticed Jiang Nan. She seemed unhappy today, as though something was weighing on her mind, and kicked pebbles along the ground as she walked.
"Xiao Mei!" Jiang Nan called. The girl was not watching where she was going and had not even noticed that a passing motorcycle had nearly hit her.
Li Xiaomei turned and saw Jiang Nan. Delight lit up her face as she called, "Brother Nan!"
Jiang Nan walked over and fell into step beside her. Li Xiaomei had begun entering adolescence, and she was much taller than when he had first met her.
"Something on your mind? Worried about starting middle school next year?" Jiang Nan asked with a smile.
The delight vanished from Li Xiaomei's face, and she pursed her lips. "No, it's not that."
Jiang Nan's tendency to be warm and caring toward everyone kicked in, and he took on the role of a sympathetic older brother. "Tell me about it. Maybe I can help."
Jiang Nan knew that boys and girls her age had all kinds of worries. Many things that seemed trivial to adults could trouble them for a long time.
Li Xiaomei sighed. "I'm worried about my deskmate, Lin Jiajia. She hasn't come to school for several days."
"Maybe she's sick. She should come back to school once she gets better," Jiang Nan said reassuringly.
"I don't think that's it," Li Xiaomei said. "You don't know, Brother Nan, but Jiajia doesn't have a mother, and her father has a really bad temper. When he's unhappy, he hits her and yells at her. A while ago, I saw that Jiajia was upset and asked her what was wrong. She said her dad had a new girlfriend."
Hearing this, Jiang Nan began to worry as well. Lin Jiajia's absence from school probably had something to do with her family.
"Do you know where she lives?" Jiang Nan asked.
Hope appeared in Li Xiaomei's eyes. She knew what Jiang Nan was capable of. If Lin Jiajia really was in trouble, perhaps Brother Nan could solve it.
"I do. I've been to her house before. It's not very far from here-less than half an hour on foot," Li Xiaomei said.
"All right, let's go to her house and take a look. But first, we need to stop by the shop and let your dad know."
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