The Supreme Kai of Time finally departed, and Kibito relaxed his rigid posture, releasing a long, relieved breath. This Kaioshin who had lived 75 million years ago was far older than them. In terms of seniority, it was impossible to know how many generations separated the ancient Kaioshin from their current era. Standing before such an ancient deity, he naturally trembled with reverence.
Even Kaioshin wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at Raditz with concern: "Why did you provoke another space-time crisis?"
"This was beyond my control..." Raditz shrugged awkwardly, then explained the situation on Earth and throughout the universe to Kaioshin and Kibito.
As expected, neither of them knew about the cosmic crisis, and they were even more astonished by humanity's creation of time-travel technology. When Raditz finally mentioned the androids with superhuman strength, both deities felt dizzy with shock.
Forget about humans—even artificial beings now possessed Super Saiyan-level power! At this rate, anyone could compete with Kibito. The majesty of the gods was once again challenged. Kaioshin and Kibito exchanged glances, seeing horror and worry reflected in each other's eyes.
However, this revelation made them focus on the enormous crisis currently unfolding in the Northern Galaxy. The scattered fragments of the Big Gete Star were engaged in fierce battles with the elite team members led by Cooler, while Earth, with its chaotic timeline, remained eerily calm.
"It seems the demon realm isn't the only threat—other evils have also become worthy of attention," Kaioshin observed the universe, an ominous premonition weighing on his heart.
"After all, the universe is so vast that even the gods can't see everything," Raditz replied. "If there's nothing else, I'll head back now."
Kaioshin nodded gravely. "We'll keep watch over those monsters."
Raditz waved his hand, and with a thought, returned to Earth. At the temple, the Saiyans took turns entering the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to break through their limits. Trunks had improved dramatically after his intense training.
Seeing Raditz approach, Trunks greeted him excitedly: "Thank you, Mr. Raditz! I feel much stronger now—I'm confident I can handle the androids!"
"Really?" Raditz smiled slightly. "Then let me test your strength!"
"Please teach me!" Upon hearing he would fight Raditz, Trunks immediately became energized. He took a deep breath and assumed his fighting stance, not daring to show the slightest negligence.
He knew that even after training for a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he still wouldn't match Raditz, but as a warrior, he wanted to see his limits and measure the gap between them.
On the empty temple grounds, other fighters saw that Raditz and Trunks were about to spar and quickly gathered around, watching the exchange with intense interest. Kami leaned nervously on his staff, fearing these warriors might demolish his temple.
Above the temple, where the air was already thin, the atmosphere froze to an extreme tension.
"Beep—"
Suddenly, an untimely sound broke the solemn atmosphere.
"Sorry, Tumat has a message." Raditz pressed the communicator on his collar. "What's the matter?"
Tumat's urgent voice came through, clear enough for everyone to hear.
"Raditz, we have a response! The positioning device just detected a signal other than those three androids!"
"A response other than the three androids—that must be Cell!"
The sudden news revealed their ultimate target, and the whole world seemed to brighten. What lurked in the shadows was always terrifying, but everything became much easier once dragged into the light.
"Where is it?" Raditz asked quickly.
"A small island in the east. It's currently in a static state."
Raditz spoke in a deep voice, "Send me the coordinates." He glanced at Trunks apologetically. "Sorry, let's spar another time. I need to deal with Cell first!"
Trunks also wanted to fight, but Raditz rejected his request. Cell was cunning and insidious—it might be more convenient for Raditz to go alone if something went wrong.
So Raditz borrowed a detector and flew toward the eastern island, following the coordinates.
The eastern sea was vast, dotted with countless mountains and islands like scattered stars. Among them, one island stood out as the most unique—it was taller than the others, with a central section that rose straight into the sky. The top gleamed with bright silver metallic luster, resembling a signal transmission tower.
No vegetation grew around the island; everything was composed of hard rock.
However, Raditz discovered a dark hole in the center of the mountainous island, seemingly leading to the interior.
"Very similar to Dr. Gero's style. Maybe this is another one of his laboratories. Quite clever to use an entire island as camouflage." Raditz mused, then flew directly to the island.
The moment he set foot on it, he felt his body sink.
Ten times gravity!
This small island apparently had some device creating ten times normal gravity! He glanced around and saw that besides rocks, there were several bird corpses on the ground, all grotesquely shaped with internal organs and bones crushed by the intense gravity...
When Raditz stepped on the ground, he found it didn't feel solid—there seemed to be something wrong with this terrain.
The detector showed the target was directly ahead, and the final android was in this hole. All doubts could only be resolved by entering.
Raditz suppressed his ki and quietly infiltrated by following the cave wall.
Unexpectedly, after entering the cave and passing through a narrow, dark passage, bright light filled the space ahead. The surroundings opened up dramatically, with lights everywhere as if illuminating the entire space, leaving no room for concealment. In contrast, the area was surprisingly empty. After walking through a long corridor, he could see a massive research facility where various high-tech equipment was stored. Sophisticated instruments continued operating, with cables running directly from bottom to top like leads hanging between heaven and earth.
Numbers danced across those devices, and in front of the screens, a man in a white lab coat was carefully observing data and operating controls with one hand.
Raditz was behind the man and couldn't see his face clearly, but according to his perception, that man was not Cell.
But the detector clearly showed the target was less than 50 meters ahead, and there was no one else except the person in front of him. Raditz was certain the signal source was him!
Another android? Raditz couldn't believe it.
At that moment, the surrounding dark screens suddenly illuminated, and Raditz's figure was clearly reflected on them. His every movement was projected on the large screen in perfect clarity.
"There are motion sensors on my island, and monitors everywhere. It's impossible to enter silently."
The white-coated scientist who had been working quietly spoke suddenly, pressed a few buttons leisurely, then turned around.
The moment Raditz heard the voice and saw the face, he froze.
His blood nearly stopped flowing, his face turned pale as if he had seen a ghost—Dr. Gero was not dead!