The next day, under Bulma's expectant and worried gaze, the three of them soared into the sky, quickly disappearing from her sight.
This time, the three were setting out to find the Androids and completely eliminate them. Initially, Ling An hadn't planned to go with Son Gohan and the others. However, her power level had surpassed 100 million in the past few days. Although that was still weak against the Androids, she could at least escape.
In reality, her strength was only slightly weaker than Trunks's. Although Trunks had trained in the gravity chamber for quite some time, Son Gohan also needed to improve his strength, so the time spent teaching Trunks wasn't long. As a result, he had to figure out his training on his own, and his strength hadn't improved by much.
However, this "not much" was relative to Son Gohan. Compared to his own past, he had actually improved quite a bit. Now, Trunks's base power level was around 3 million, and as a Super Saiyan, he could reach about 150 million. He was already much stronger than Son Goku when he first became a Super Saiyan, and stronger than the Trunks from the future timeline at the same point.
It was worth noting that a few years later, Trunks's base power level would only be around 4 million.
Trunks was only slightly stronger than her, and he was just a child around ten years old. He was entrusted with the important task of dealing with the Androids. In this situation, how could Ling An not lend a hand?
Trunks could hold off one Android, but it wasn't entirely safe. But if she joined in, perhaps it would be enough, at least to buy Son Gohan time to kill one of them.
Although she hadn't fought much in the past two years, she had, after all, received the memories of a Martial Artist regarding various aspects of combat. Though it was only a martial artist with a power level of only a few dozen, a regular person who could train to a power level of a few dozen could already be called a martial artist. Master Roshi, the God of Martial Arts, only had a little over a hundred.
But Master Roshi's combat experience and wisdom, even in the era of Dragon Ball Super, could still offer Son Goku some pointers.
In a certain sense, the reason why Son Gohan and Trunks from the future didn't see much improvement in their combat strength after training might be because they hadn't laid a solid foundation from a young age. It was just their bloodlines that gave them powerful strength.
Son Gohan was a little better, having been taught by Son Goku and Piccolo. Trunks, on the other hand, was really just winging it.
Later, when Trunks returned to the past, Son Goku could easily see if he had killing intent, while Trunks was surprised by this. This was the difference in their martial arts understanding.
This was also reflected in Son Goku and Vegeta. Although Vegeta also trained, as a Saiyan prince, he often relied on his powerful combat strength, so he didn't pay much attention to the basics. As a result, his bloodline abilities far surpassed those of the lower-class warrior Kakarot, yet he couldn't get ahead of Son Goku, and sometimes even fell behind.
So, having absorbed that Martial Artist's memories and combat experience, if Ling An actually fought, even if Trunks was slightly stronger, he probably wouldn't be able to win. Their understanding of martial arts and their perspectives were different.
Besides, in a few days it would be the anniversary of her transmigrating into the Dragon Ball world, and she could receive a special critical hit. If she could get a critical hit for even greater combat power or skills, that would also ensure the success of this mission.
The three didn't split up. Separating to act was the most foolish thing to do. They were using this method to deal with the Androids, so naturally, they wouldn't make such a low-level mistake. They were flying slowly, mainly because they couldn't sense the Androids' ki, so they had to search while flying.
On the first day, they didn't find the Androids, and the Androids didn't cause any major destruction in the city. They found a relatively intact house in an abandoned city and settled down. They ate the food Bulma had prepared and then rested.
At midnight, Ling An got up to use the restroom but found Son Gohan practicing in the yard, throwing punches and kicks. Sweat streamed down his head, some of it soaking into his thin clothes, revealing his strong and well-defined upper body.
Tsk...
Training had a very obvious effect on the body. This was true for both men and women; after all, gender was just a distinction, and fundamentally, they were all human. However, she was a bit different. All her power came from system crits, and she hadn't actually trained, so her body looked like that of a weak girl who didn't know martial arts.
Sensing her footsteps, Son Gohan stopped and turned to look at her. A peaceful smile appeared on his originally stern face, softening even the hideous scar.
Looking at Son Gohan in the moonlight, Ling An was slightly dazed, as if she saw Son Goku with his spiky hair...
"Gohan, you're still training so late. Aren't you afraid you won't have any energy? My ability can only heal injuries, not restore stamina, you know." Ling An came to Son Gohan and looked up at him, smiling.
Hearing this, Son Gohan scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "Did I disturb your rest, Ling An?"
"Not necessarily. Your voice is pretty soft. Look at Trunks; he's sleeping like a log."
Ling An felt a little embarrassed about having to get up to use the bathroom, so she didn't go into detail with Son Gohan.
Hearing her description of Trunks, Son Gohan chuckled again, finding the statement inexplicably cute. He lowered his head, looking at Ling An's face illuminated by the moonlight, and suddenly reached up to scratch his own cheek. Then he said, "Ling An, even though you're so strong, you really don't look like a Martial Artist. Your face is even more delicate and beautiful than Mom's and Aunt Bulma's."
"Cough, cough..."
Being complimented on her looks by a guy gave Ling An a strange feeling. It was hard to describe – awkward, but also a little bit happy. After all, who doesn't like being told they're pretty, especially when it's said with Son Gohan's earnest tone, making it clear he wasn't just flattering her.
It was just... using Chi-Chi and Bulma for comparison felt odd. If it were the Bulma and Chi-Chi from the main timeline, it would be fine, since their families lived peacefully, but the two women in this world had both experienced the pain of losing their fathers and had been worn down by life. No matter how beautiful they were in their youth, they were gradually aging now.
But perhaps in Son Gohan's eyes, his mother and Bulma were still beautiful, Ling An thought. Being told she was prettier than Chi-Chi and Bulma, she could accept that.
However, it was only a former straight man, now straight woman, like Ling An, who wouldn't find Son Gohan's words a bit "direct." If she were a girl who longed to be strong, she wouldn't want to hear herself described as "not looking like a Martial Artist."
"Gohan, it's necessary to rest in order to deal with the Androids. Don't be too tense; that way, you'll have plenty of energy to face them when you meet them," Ling An specifically reminded him.
Son Gohan nodded gently. "Don't worry, I know my limits. I won't do any high-intensity training. But today, I spent the whole day looking for the Androids and didn't train at all. So, I just want to loosen up a bit now, so I can ensure my body is always ready to move."
"I'll go rest soon. You don't need to worry."
"Alright then. You go ahead and practice."
Ling An nodded, feeling a bit impatient. She said goodbye to Son Gohan and prepared to find a place to take care of something. But after she turned and walked only a few steps, Son Gohan suddenly called out to her, and Ling An turned back with a puzzled expression.
"Ling An, I will definitely eliminate the Androids!"
Son Gohan looked at her with an exceptionally resolute expression, his fists clenched, and he spoke to her in a particularly determined tone. Listening to his words, Ling An's eyes reflected Son Gohan's figure. She suddenly smiled and nodded heavily. "Yes, I believe in you. You definitely can!"
"Do your best, Son Gohan!"
"Alright!"
After taking care of her needs, Ling An returned to her room. Passing by the courtyard where she had been earlier, she noticed Son Gohan wasn't there anymore. She didn't pay it much mind and immediately fell asleep.
For her, the constant search today had been mentally and physically draining. It was the first time in the two years since she'd transmigrated into this world that she'd exerted so much effort. She felt a bit tired, which made her consider Son Gohan's suggestion of stretching her limbs.
After all, no matter how strong one's power, if the body couldn't fully utilize it, it was useless. Although she had the system's critical hit to gain power, coupled with the Martial Artist's experience, she could basically unleash her strength. However, if her body didn't move around, it was a weakness.
Son Gohan in the main timeline could already transform into a Super Saiyan 2, but after just a few years of neglecting training and becoming engrossed in studies, his stiff body couldn't unleash even close to the power he had when he defeated Cell. This showed how necessary consistent training was for strong individuals.
Unless your strength reached the level of a God of Destruction or a Supreme Kai, in which case you wouldn't need to worry about your strength declining. It could be said that the gods in the Dragon Ball world at this level didn't have a very high ceiling, but their floor wasn't low. They could essentially maintain some dignity as gods.
However, because of the not-so-high ceiling, the later apprentice Supreme Kai, Zamasu, took Son Goku's body in order to eliminate humans. After all, with his own potential, even with the help of the Super Dragon Balls, the power he could unleash was far inferior to that of a Saiyan.
It was like a joke - a Supreme Kai who looked down on mortals needed to rely on a mortal's power to eliminate mortals.
However, all of this was too far off in the future. Ling An only thought about it briefly and didn't dwell on it too much. She could always train with Son Gohan later if she wanted to. The most important thing right now was to sleep. After all, she still needed to continue searching for the Androids.