Time flies, and the years pass like a shuttle.
In the blink of an eye, two years had quietly slipped by in a routine of training, eating, and romancing Bulma.
Ever since Goku got married, the guy had indeed "settled down" quite a bit.
At least he no longer ran to the estate every other day shouting, "Whitley! I'm here for dinner again!"
Some time ago, it was heard that Chi-Chi had given birth to a healthy baby boy, named Son Gohan. Bulma even made a special trip to Mount Paozu to deliver several boxes of top-quality milk powder and some baby supplies to the new mother, Chi-Chi.
Of course, this guy Goku's so-called "settling down" only meant that his visits went from every one or two days to every three or five days...
Hmm, on second thought, the interval hadn't really lengthened by much, had it?
It seemed that the allure of a wife, child, and warm home on Mount Paozu ultimately couldn't compete with the temptation of a good fight with Whitley and Vegeta.
And Vegeta came even less frequently.
On one hand, it was because Whitley had "tricked" his loyal underling, Nappa, into the logistics and delivery business.
Prince Logistics's business was booming. Nappa and Raditz were doing so well that they were supposedly close to buying a new house.
On the other hand... it was rumored that Launch was... pregnant?
This news truly took Whitley by surprise.
Once, when Bulma took Launch shopping, Whitley couldn't contain his curiosity and, while Bulma was trying on clothes, he secretly asked Launch, "Launch, I heard you... you know? You and Vegeta... aren't you planning to get married?"
The blonde Launch, upon hearing this, didn't show the slightest bit of shyness. Instead, she burst into hearty laughter and slapped Whitley's shoulder. "Marriage? What marriage! I haven't had enough of my fun life yet! It's so much better to be free like this! I can fight when I want to fight, and I can rob—ahem, earn money when I want to earn money! I don't want to be tied down by a piece of paper!"
Whitley's scalp tingled. Good grief! he thought. The blonde Launch truly is a heroine among women! This mindset, this spirit, it's on another level!
Bulma, who had just finished trying on her clothes, came out and happened to hear their conversation. She immediately shot Whitley a sideways glance and complained in a sour tone, "That's right, just like you, Launch, some people aren't in a hurry at all. All their friends around them are getting married and having children, but some people just see it and don't make any move at all~ I wonder if they've forgotten something~"
Whitley was instantly choked speechless, and a cold sweat almost broke out on his back.
Only then did he realize with a jolt, that's right! He and Bulma had been together for so long, but it seemed... he had never officially proposed?
Although their relationship was stable and they were no different from a married couple, that sense of ceremony seemed to be genuinely lacking...
Looking at Bulma, who was pretending not to care but whose eyes clearly held a hint of disappointment and expectation, Whitley's heart was instantly filled with guilt.
"Ahem... well... I..."
Whitley opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but felt that the current occasion wasn't quite right.
Bulma snorted and turned her head away, but the corner of her mouth seemed to curve up slightly.
Whitley secretly made up his mind. This won't do! I have to find an opportunity soon, prepare a romantic proposal, and get the license first! Otherwise, it's just too unfair to Bulma.
After having lunch with the two ladies at a mall, Whitley planned to head back to the Briefs' estate for his daily training.
His base power had been steadily increasing over the past two years, and his mastery of "Ultra Instinct" was gradually climbing to a deeper level through daily comprehension and sparring with Vegeta and Goku.
Sometimes he would also think of Beerus. That guy had been in seclusion for over a year, right? How come there was still no news at all?
Every time Whis came to Earth for a free meal, he would take the opportunity to ask about Beerus's situation, but Whis would always cover his mouth with his sleeve and reply with a coy smile, "Oh my~ Lord Beerus is still working hard~ Soon, soon~"
And the next second, he would flash to the dining table and begin his assault on the feast.
"Sigh!"
Whitley would just sigh and not bother to ask anymore.
If Beerus gets stronger, he gets stronger. It's not like I'm standing still either. We'll just have another fight then.
After returning to the Briefs' estate, Whitley habitually took a quick shower first, washing away the non-existent dust, and then walked towards the gravity room, refreshed.
However, just as his hand was about to press the switch on the gravity room door, he stopped abruptly, a wry expression on his face. "...Am I an idiot? I'm about to go in and train... I'll be all sweaty again. Did I just take a shower for nothing?"
He shook his head helplessly but decided to continue with his training.
Just as he opened the door to the gravity room, a futuristic-looking smartwatch on his wrist suddenly started beeping.
This was a by-product of one of Bulma's previous experiments. She said it used some new alloy and energy barrier technology, making it waterproof, fireproof, and resistant to immense gravity. She had insisted he wear it, calling them "couple's watches" for easy contact.
Whitley had found it quite convenient after putting it on and couldn't be bothered to take it off.
He looked down and saw that the caller ID was actually Nappa?
Whitley was a little puzzled. At this time, shouldn't Nappa be zipping through the city, diligently delivering packages and earning money? Why would he suddenly call him?
He pressed the answer button, and Nappa's slightly panicked large face immediately appeared on the watch screen.
"Hey, Nappa? What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Whitley looked at the screen and saw what seemed to be a fresh scrape on Nappa's forehead, making him even more curious.
"Wh-Whitley!"
Nappa's voice was clearly anxious and... a little aggrieved? "I... I was just robbed!"
"Huh?! Robbed?"
Whitley was flabbergasted, almost thinking he had misheard. "Are you serious?"
He simply couldn't imagine it. Nappa was a proper Saiyan, after all. After training on Earth, his battle power was at least in the hundreds of thousands. With a little effort, he could probably even touch the threshold of a Super Saiyan. And now... he had been robbed?! Who would believe that!
On the other end of the screen, Nappa explained hurriedly, "It's true! The delivery I was making today was special. It was a batch of high-purity compressed energy blocks that Miss Bulma personally arranged for urgent delivery to the spaceport! They're for starting the superluminal flight of the space logistics ships! A whole box of capsules was full of this stuff. I... I'm probably going to go bankrupt!"
He caught his breath, his face showing lingering fear and confusion. "I took off from West City, and halfway there, a... a chubby, pale-faced weirdo suddenly appeared! He attacked without saying a word! His power was very strange, and he was extremely fast! I... I was no match for him! The... the stuff was stolen by him!"
Whitley's brow furrowed.
A chubby weirdo? Strong enough to defeat Nappa, who had a battle power of hundreds of thousands? This sounded...
He asked in a deep voice, "And what? You didn't finish."
Nappa swallowed, seeming to still be shaken by the memory. He lowered his voice and said, "And... that fat guy... I couldn't sense any ki from him! It wasn't that his battle power was so low that his ki was faint, but... I couldn't sense it at all! It was like... like a rock, a dead person! Not a trace of a living person's ki! It was too strange!"
"Oh? You couldn't sense any ki at all?"
Whitley's eyes instantly narrowed, a sharp glint flashing within them.
A powerful enemy with no detectable ki? A fat guy? Stealing high-energy compression blocks?
These keywords combined immediately brought a name to Whitley's mind—Android 19!
And the mastermind behind it was, without a doubt, the former Red Ribbon Army scientist, Dr. Gero!
But... according to the timeline in his vague memory, the androids were supposed to appear in Age 767, which was about three years from now. It was now the end of Age 764, about to enter 765... why had the time been moved up so much?
But on second thought, Whitley was relieved. His own arrival was the biggest variable.
Frieza was dealt with ahead of schedule, Goku had his heart attack early, Vegeta stayed on Earth earlier, and even Saiyans were starting to deliver packages... the plot had already gone completely off the rails.
That old fox Dr. Gero must have noticed something. He must have discovered the terrifying and unexpected power of Goku, Vegeta, and the others through his surveillance and, feeling a sense of crisis, had been forced to activate his "Android" project ahead of schedule!
"I see."
Whitley quickly calmed down and comforted the still-nervous Nappa on the other end of the screen. "Relax, it's not your fault. The opponent's situation is special, so it's normal that you couldn't sense his ki. I have a pretty good idea of who did it."
He commanded in a serious tone, "You should immediately return to headquarters, or go find Vegeta directly and tell him the situation. This matter is beyond your ability to handle. Leave it to us."
Nappa hesitated for a moment, seeming to feel ashamed of his failure, but ultimately obeyed Whitley's command. "Yes! I'll go find Prince Vegeta right away! If you need me for anything, you can contact me at any time!"
The call ended.
Whitley stood there, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the cold metal door of the gravity room, lost in brief thought.
The androids have awakened early... and they immediately went to steal high-energy compression blocks?
It seems that old geezer Dr. Gero knows that a direct confrontation is unlikely to succeed and wants to take the "develop sneakily" route?
Or... does he have a new ace up his sleeve?
A playful smile slowly appeared on Whitley's lips.
He looked at the slightly ajar door of the gravity room and, with a "bang," closed it again.
Training? No rush.
Something much more interesting had just come knocking.
"Hehe..."
Whitley let out a low chuckle, his eyes filled with interest. "So you even know to steal the energy blocks for the spaceships? It seems... you also know that those guys you created are no match for us, Dr. Gero!"
At this moment, in a deeply hidden underground secret laboratory near South City.
Dr. Gero, who had already modified his own body into an android, codenamed No. 20, was carefully inserting the high-purity compressed energy blocks he had just obtained into the energy input ports at the bottom of a huge incubation tank.
Submerged in the tank was an indescribable, grotesque life form that seemed to be pieced together from various biological features.
As the high-purity energy was injected, the energy indicator lights on the tank flickered wildly, the values soaring!
Dr. Gero looked at the continuously rising energy readings, a nearly crazed, satisfied smile on his old face. He murmured to the tank, his voice particularly eerie in the silent laboratory, "Hehehe! My Cell! My most perfect, most powerful creation! Do you see? This pure energy! Even without absorbing those two failures, No. 17 and No. 18, you can still complete your final evolution! You will become even stronger than calculated!"
He could already see the beautiful future. "After you awaken, what Son Goku! What Whitley! And that Vegeta! None of them will be your opponents!!! The entire world, no, the entire universe will tremble before your power! And I, Dr. Gero, will be the man who created a god!!!"
At his side, Android 19—the chubby, expressionless fat man who had just returned from his mission—stood silently, like a loyal puppet, showing no reaction to Dr. Gero's ravings.
Behind No. 19 stood three advanced-looking hibernation pods, side by side. The hatches were closed, with only a signal light flashing regularly, indicating that they were not empty.
Dr. Gero, or rather, Android 20, turned around, his gaze sweeping over No. 19 and finally landing on the three hibernation pods.
He subconsciously touched the remote control in his pocket, a thoughtful look on his face.
"Although Cell no longer needs No. 17 and No. 18 as nutrients..." he weighed his options to himself. "But... it might not be a bad idea to release them as backup. After all, it's extra power. And... the remote control is still in my hands, so they shouldn't dare to defy me..."
He paced before the hibernation pods, his gaze shifting between the hatches of No. 16, 17, and 18.
Finally, he made up his mind and reached out to press the activation buttons for No. 17 and No. 18.
Pssss—!
The hibernation pods immediately hissed as they depressurized. White, low-temperature gas spewed out, and the hatches slowly slid open.
The first to awaken was No. 17. He opened his azure eyes, which were clear and sharp.
The first thing he noticed was Dr. Gero, and... the conspicuous remote control in his hand.
A "sunny" smile immediately appeared on his face, and he greeted him respectfully, "Good day, Father!"
Then, No. 18 also awoke.
Her short golden hair was slightly messy, but her eyes were just as calm.
She quickly scanned the scene, her gaze also lingering on the remote control for a moment, and then she also showed a sweet but slightly detached smile. "Father, may I ask why you have awakened No. 17 and me? Do you have any orders for us?"
Dr. Gero was stunned for a moment by their sudden "Father," and then an extremely gratified and satisfied expression appeared on his face. "You... you're calling me Father? Good! Good! Excellent!"
His last bit of vigilance relaxed. It seemed that the threat of the remote control and his status as their creator were still very effective!
He turned his back to No. 17 and No. 18 and pointed to the largest Cell incubation tank in the center. "I had No. 19 go out and seize some energy, but it may have left some clues that could attract unnecessary trouble. You two go out and guard the entrance. If any enemies come looking..."
Before he could finish!
A sudden change occurred!
Pew!
A precise and condensed energy beam, without any warning, shot from behind, instantly piercing through the energy furnace in his chest!
Dr. Gero's body stiffened, and he looked down in disbelief at the sparking damage and leaking oil in his chest. "You... you two?!"
He tried to turn, subconsciously wanting to order No. 19 to attack and press the button on the remote control!
However, the moment the thought arose, he felt his arm holding the remote suddenly go light! Then, his hand that was about to press the remote control didn't respond!
He turned his head in horror and saw that his arm holding the remote had been severed at the shoulder and was now being toyed with in No. 18's hand!
And No. 19 had been instantly dismantled into parts by No. 17 in some unknown way, scattered all over the floor!
"No... impossible! How could you...?!"
Dr. Gero's face was filled with horror and incomprehension!
The remote control was just with him! How... how dare they?!
No. 18 looked at the remote control clutched in the severed hand and tilted her head, a hint of curiosity on her face. "So this is the little toy that's supposed to control us?"
As she spoke, she squeezed her fingers slightly.
Crack!
The sturdy remote control was easily crushed in her hand like a cookie!
"Well then..."
No. 18 casually tossed away the debris and looked at Dr. Gero, whose face was as pale as paper. Her tone was still sweet, but it carried an icy chill. "Goodbye, Father."
"W-wait! You can't!"
Dr. Gero shouted in terror, wanting to say something more, like begging for mercy or making a threat.
But No. 17 didn't give him the chance.
He smiled and raised a hand, his palm aimed at Dr. Gero. "Farewell, Father."
BOOM!!!
An energy beam several times thicker than before shot out, engulfing Dr. Gero!
In his desperation, Dr. Gero raised his remaining arm, trying to use the energy absorption device on it to absorb the energy and save his life!
"Hmm?"
No. 17 felt the energy drain and was slightly surprised. "Oh? So it's an energy absorption model? Such an outdated design."
The smile on his face didn't change, but the energy he outputted instantly surged again! "Why didn't you modify yourself into an infinite energy model like us? Like... this!"
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!
The energy beam in No. 17's hand suddenly became blindingly bright, its output power instantly exceeding the absorption limit!
Under Dr. Gero's desperate and horrified gaze, his absorption device was instantly overloaded and melted!
His entire body, along with the severed arm, was rapidly vaporized by the terrifying energy impact, disappearing without a trace, leaving only a partially melted mechanical eye on the ground.
No. 17 casually flicked his hand, as if he had just swatted a fly.
He looked at No. 18. "Alright, problem solved. Let's go."
But No. 18 pointed to the last hibernation pod. "Wait, there's still No. 16 here. Should we let this big guy out too?"
No. 17 shrugged indifferently and, while he was at it, crushed the remaining mechanical eye of Dr. Gero under his foot. "Whatever you want."
No. 18 walked up to the hibernation pod, operated it for a bit, and activated No. 16's awakening program.
The hatch opened, and a tall, burly android with red sunglasses and a serious expression slowly walked out.
He silently scanned the messy laboratory, his gaze lingering on Cell's incubation tank for a moment, then turned to look at No. 17 and No. 18.
"Let's go, let's get out of here first," No. 18 said, not saying much more.
After glancing at No. 16's mechanical body, she walked out of the lab with light steps.
Androids 16, 17, and 18 had now officially assembled.
The three of them easily broke through the lab's exit and came out into the world.
The sun shone on them, and both No. 17 and No. 18 showed expressions of novelty.
"Are we really going to kill Son Goku? No. 17, what do you think?" No. 18 asked with a flat expression, as if they were discussing what to have for dinner.
No. 17 thought for a moment. He felt that having a goal was not bad, but he didn't want to rush it, so he said casually, "No hurry. Let's just look around for a bit first. It's just one Son Goku. We can treat him as a long-term goal and take our time. We have to have some fun, right?"
Just then, the silent No. 16 suddenly spoke, his voice low and steady. "I have no interest in killing Son Goku."
No. 17 shrugged at No. 18 and spread his hands. "See? If you want to kill Son Goku, I'll go with you. As for No. 16... you can do whatever you want."
Hearing this, No. 18 sneered. "Heh, I was just asking. But..."
She looked at her own somewhat plain clothes. "Let's find a big city first. I want to pick out some nice clothes."
The three of them reached a consensus and, as if on an outing, leisurely flew at a low altitude towards the nearest metropolis—South City—preparing to enjoy the world they had not seen for so many years.
However, they did not know that their movements were already within Whitley's expectations.
When Whitley had disappeared before, Bulma had sent out many surveillance drones. She had not recalled them after Whitley returned but had left them in all the major cities.
The moment they arrived in South City, the drone cameras Bulma had placed in all the major cities to search for people had already captured their images and triggered an alarm.
On Whitley's smartwatch, he had already received the information from the drones and a real-time prediction of their route.
At this moment, Whitley was sitting leisurely on the living room sofa, holding the receiver of a landline phone, and saying to the other end in an exaggerated tone, "...Oh, come on! Let Chi-Chi take care of the kid! Or let your father-in-law, Ox-King, do it! This time, a really strong enemy has appeared! The infinite energy kind! Don't you want to try your hand?"
The person on the other end of the phone was clearly a certain battle maniac. Whitley could even hear his breathing instantly become heavy.
"That's right! I'm not tricking you this time! Much stronger than Frieza! So? Are you coming or not?"
After a few more words of persuasion, Whitley hung up the phone with satisfaction.
An irrepressible, mischievous smile appeared on his lips.
"I hear... your goal is to kill Son Goku?"
"Alright, you've got guts! I'll let Son Goku... come to you."
"One Super Saiyan 4 Son Goku, plus one Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta, oh, and a candidate God of Destruction who's just watching the show..."
"This 'surprise' gift package, can you handle it?"
Whitley was now very much looking forward to seeing the wonderful expressions on the faces of those three confident androids when they saw a situation that was far beyond their database's comprehension.
It would surely... be very interesting.
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