The sun gradually rose, bathing the earth in warm light.
Amid the chaotic battlefield, Zuer stood like an outsider on the other side of the glass, watching the two men fight for their lives.
Zuer hoped the two of them could buy him more time.
The computer behind Zuer was transmitting data.
The building primarily used a local network.
But as a psychiatric hospital that admitted patients from outside, how could it be completely cut off?
If the place were entirely closed off and refused outside oversight, even an idiot would know something was wrong.
Although people in both the military and the government supported this project to "brainwash" superhumans.
They still had political enemies.
Drawing on what he had learned years ago and his nearly photographic memory, Zuer contacted an organization.
This organization claimed it wanted to tell the public the truth hidden on the other side of the world.
The public had a right to know the truth about the world.
Zuer did not completely trust this organization.
In exchange for giving them information about the psychiatric hospital, he obtained contact details for all kinds of media outlets, officials, police departments, and other organizations.
So far, things were going smoothly. A fair amount of information had already been sent out.
However, Zuer felt the two men might not be able to hold everyone's attention long enough.
On the surveillance feed, he could see...
The fanatic had brought Dr. Nicole and a dozen or so fully armed personnel near the area where the two men were fighting.
Their equipment was noticeably better this time.
Each of them carried a high-powered flashlight.
At the edge of the parking lot, David panted for breath.
He had been fighting and fleeing for several hours.
Despite having some superpowers, he could not keep wearing himself out like this.
David grabbed a bottle of water.
He gulped it down.
Then he prepared to face Billy the Beast again.
Click-
Several powerful flashlight beams shone on Billy.
The previously ferocious Billy the Beast let out a howl.
One moment, he became soft and coquettish; the next, solemn and dignified...
What these changes had in common was a marked increase in wrinkles.
He aged before their eyes.
Bang-
The fanatic ended Billy's life with a single shot.
Clearly, Billy's ability could not heal wounds out of thin air.
In the Control Room, Zuer frowned.
He pushed the wheelchair around and looked back at the data on the computer. Most of it was still being copied and transmitted, but the process had not finished.
He looked around, searching for a way to buy more time.
Until...
"Tch. Finally over, huh?"
At the far edge of Al Psychiatric Hospital, a bald youth slowly walked into the grounds.
Seeing someone approach, the fanatic said, "Sir, we're closed to the public today."
The bald youth stopped not far from David. Watching him, he asked distractedly, "Hey, did you get a ball? Give it to me, and I'll take you out of here."
The main combatants had been David and Billy.
In Tien Shinhan's view, the person who had obtained the Dragon Ball should have been David, the survivor.
The key to obtaining a Dragon Ball was to snatch it directly from whoever ended up with it.
Krillin was not the only one who thought this way. Tien Shinhan did too.
Tien Shinhan felt the fighting here should have been settled.
"One last warning. Leave now." The fanatic motioned for his men to raise their guns and aim at Tien Shinhan.
The fanatic figured he had even managed to kill a superhuman like Billy.
What was one bald guy compared to that?
"Heh."
The corners of Tien Shinhan's mouth lifted.
He had never seen anyone so brazen.
They dared point a few iron sticks at him.
Seeing that the fighting had stopped, Coulson prepared to approach with Victor.
Tony Stark, who had been watching the whole time, had also... already contacted his friend in the military, Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes.
A gunfight had broken out over there. How could Tony possibly put himself in danger?
Even with Krillin beside him, there was no need to take that risk.
Tony had a premonition he could not explain.
After this incident, he would learn more about the other side of the world.
A few days earlier, he had inexplicably become caught up in the cruise ship incident and encountered a deeper layer of the supernatural world.
Tony had always assumed the supernatural world consisted of enhanced people like Captain America. Beyond that, perhaps legendary creatures like vampires and werewolves might exist.
He had never imagined his view was still so shallow.
The world was vast, full of every imaginable wonder.
Bang-
The fanatic fired without hesitation.
Tien Shinhan opened all three eyes.
You've sealed your own fate!
He dodged the bullet in a flash.
Then he appeared in front of the fanatic.
The fanatic saw a flash of light before his eyes.
Whoosh-
A wave of light struck the fanatic squarely in the forehead.
[Emotional Value from Coulson +153] [Emotional Value from Victor +32] [From...]
Several more beams of light shot out.
Their targets were precisely those who had just fired at Tien Shinhan.
The other survivors collapsed to the ground, not daring to move.
Tien Shinhan's expression darkened. As if his patience had run out, he said, "Hurry up and give me the Pearl you got."
"Gulp..." David swallowed. "Sorry, sir, but I didn't get any Pearl. Look for yourself if you don't believe me."
David was wearing nothing more than a simple psychiatric hospital patient's uniform.
After hours of fighting, his shirt was almost completely worn away.
A glance was enough to see he had nothing on him.
Tien Shinhan frowned and scrutinized him for a moment.
"Tch."
He turned away to search the other parts of Al Psychiatric Hospital.
The Control Room.
Zuer watched the progress bar fill little by little.
Ninety-eight percent.
Ninety-nine point eight percent.
Done!
Countless files had been sent to various media outlets, organizations, and individuals.
In one of the wards at Al Psychiatric Hospital, a Pearl lit up.
Whoosh-
The Pearl had no flashy effects and attracted no attention at all.
It quietly approached Zuer in the Control Room.
It floated before his eyes.
"What is this?"
The instant Zuer grasped the Dragon Ball, its faint glow dimmed, and it settled into his hand.
"Huh?"
Tien Shinhan sensed that something seemed to have changed with the Dragon Ball.
"So that old man outside really wasn't the one who got the Dragon Ball."
At Stark's temporary residence, Krillin, who was still exercising, manipulated the Dragon Ball so that it went to Zuer.
"Oh? The fighting's over. Mr. Stark, do you want to go take a look?"
"Is it safe?" Tony Stark had already developed something of a psychological stress response.
"Of course. Probably. Heh heh heh." Krillin gave an "honest" laugh.
A little while later.
Leaning on the wheelchair, Zuer slowly walked out of the building.
Although he had obtained the Pearl, he was no fool. A Pearl that displayed such strange, magical phenomena was surely a curse rather than a blessing for him.
Unless no one knew it existed.
Zuer placed the Pearl on the wheelchair.
When he went outside, if that bald youth asked for it, he would give it to him.
If not, he would keep it.
Tien Shinhan noticed Zuer emerging.
"Hey! Have you seen a Pearl?"
Zuer's heart jolted. That Pearl really was no ordinary object.
Without the slightest hesitation, Zuer took out the Pearl.
"Is this it?"
"Yes!" Tien Shinhan immediately moved to reach for the Dragon Ball.
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