Raditz teleported to Planet Yardrat and brought Tumat, who was proficient in mechanics, with him. Then he came to Bulma's home to ask for the address. Dr. Gero's secret research institute was only known to a few scientists, and Dr. Briefs was one of them.
As a result, even Dr. Briefs only knew roughly that Dr. Gero's research institute was located near North City, transformed from a cave. But he didn't know the exact location.
So Raditz could only search the mountains alone.
Surrounded by mountains near North City, the weather was cold, and the forest was gradually deepening in misty fog. The sun at dusk faded away, washing the twilight in the forest darker and darker until all brilliance receded and night came...
"It's hard to find a place like this even with the research lab hidden. All the mountains look the same, and I don't know how Dr. Gero can tell them apart." Raditz turned around several times but found nothing. Looking at the same dead trees in the green hills, he looked at Tumat on his shoulder. "What do you think? Did you analyze anything?"
"The metal reaction is very dense. There may be a mining area here, and I can't search specifically." Tumat said helplessly.
"Why don't we blow up the entire area?" Raditz thought about it, then shook his head. "This is close to North City - there might still be people in the mountains. And if they're not completely wiped out, it'll be even harder to find them."
Sighing, Raditz decided to search another round.
"I'll illuminate." Tumat took the initiative to open the surface alloy plates at each joint, and countless hidden small lights emitted transparent illumination that scattered around him.
Bright like a small sun, it lit up a mountainous area.
Under Tumat's light, Raditz searched again but still couldn't find it. The sky was getting darker and visibility was decreasing. If there was no result, Raditz would have to call it a day and wait until tomorrow.
Turning around a bare mountain suddenly, Raditz was about to wave his hand to let Tumat rest when he suddenly caught a glimpse of a solitary rock where the mountain body was sunken inward. In his memory, Dr. Gero's secret research institute was behind an iron gate in the mountain. Could it be here?
His figure shot past, and Raditz had a smile on his face.
Right here!
Although hiding in the dark cave, Dr. Gero had been too careless. The door wasn't concealed in the slightest, and even the electronic lock wasn't hidden.
The alloy gate was as thick and strong as a bank vault, difficult for ordinary people to break through. No wonder Dr. Gero was so bold. However, Raditz wasn't an ordinary person. He burst into white aura and walked directly toward the gate, passing through calmly.
The metal was melted by the powerful ki, leaving a charcoal outline of a human figure in the door.
Raditz stepped into the institute, but there was no one there except him.
In the dark space, the only thing that could emit light was his ki. The atmosphere was inexplicably cold, and the flames of ki swayed and emitted bursts of warmth.
"Wait for me!" Tumat arrived a step late, his metal wings suddenly spreading out with a tinkling sound.
As soon as he arrived, the entire institute was suddenly illuminated as bright as day.
"Whoa! A person!" Tumat yelled, pointing at a round object in front of him. His mechanical eyes shot out two warm yellow lights, illuminating the object brightly.
A strong wind blew from the dark cave, making people feel chills all over. Raditz froze suddenly when he looked at the ground. It was a half-mechanical, half-flesh head with a transparent shell covering the brain and metallic eyes. Unfortunately, half the head was burned, with a large area scorched black.
The cyborg plan was the same as Gero transforming himself, but the head wasn't Gero himself - it might be some innocent human used for experiments.
Blood and liquids of various colors had dried on the ground, with a thick layer of dust accumulated. Heavy equipment and rocks damaged by bombing were piled up in a mess, like ruins.
The hibernation pods placed on both sides of the wall were also broken and deformed by bombardment. Some were only half-remaining, as if it had been a long time, with surfaces covered in dust.
There were numbers printed in the center of the dormant pods. Though part was destroyed by bombing, a few weren't difficult to identify. The android numbers he was familiar with were all there, but where were the androids? Why were they gone? As for Dr. Gero, he was the planner and core figure of the whole incident, and even he had disappeared.
In the cramped environment, everyone felt psychological pressure. Raditz looked at the empty and abandoned research institute that seemed haunted by ghosts and always felt something was wrong.
"What powerful design! This kind of technology is simply incredible!" Tumat suddenly sighed. He flew around the abandoned rock pile and looked at the empty dormant pods with admiration. You had to know that Tumat had integrated the scientific and technological achievements of the Tumat aliens. He was also half-scientist and could understand a lot of advanced scientific literature.
"What's special about an ordinary hibernation capsule? There are many such technologies in the universe."
Raditz gave him a blank look. This level of technology could hardly be called advanced technology in the universe, right?
But Tumat shook his little head, admiring even more: "You don't understand. I've scanned the pods, and the inside is composed of endless spiral structures with the same energy furnace technology as Tumat aliens. It maintains a long-lasting energy response. And the strength of these pods is also extraordinary. In terms of Earth's technological level, it's definitely a master's work - no, a genius's work!"
Was it that exaggerated? Raditz still had some disbelief.
He paid more attention to other objects around him. The entire research institute seemed to have been baptized by an explosion. Fortunately, the frame was solid and hadn't collapsed completely. However, all the equipment and utensils that should be blown up were destroyed, along with some research materials.
In other words, Gero wasn't here and had probably moved...
With the androids? At this time, had the androids after 16 been manufactured?
A series of questions came to Raditz's mind, and he suddenly felt this wasn't a problem that could be solved immediately. Including the energy reactor Tumat mentioned just now, which always made him feel familiar.
"Tumat, are there any other discoveries?"
"I scanned the institute and found there's still an underground area, and it's wider than above."
"Right, I almost forgot about Cell, that menace." Raditz slapped his head. "Good thing I brought you here, haha! Let's go check out the basement!"
Tumat, shining all over his body, searched for the entrance that was pressed down by layers of stone slabs and welded shut. Raditz broke through the barrier easily with a punch. The black narrow passage was like a shortcut to hell. The only iron ladder leading down had been destroyed, and it seemed Gero wasn't planning to use this place again.
"Come on, let's go down and look."
Raditz grabbed Tumat and jumped directly without explanation.