On a sunny weekend, the streets were crowded with cars and pedestrians. Shopping malls had their air conditioning turned up full blast as people moved through them, enjoying the cool atmosphere while browsing merchandise. Others were watching relaxing or exciting movies in theaters.
Just when people were celebrating their weekend as usual...
Suddenly, two meteorite-like objects fell from the sky, smashing through the dome of a large shopping mall and plummeting straight to the ground. The earth shook violently, the surrounding ground collapsed, and a deep crater formed. Huge buildings crumbled as countless people fled screaming in panic.
Gray smoke drifted toward the sky while bursts of flames and continuous explosions damaged other nearby buildings and roads. As people rushed away in confusion, two figures slowly walked out from the smoke.
They wore strange armor, one with a bald head and an extremely muscular body, the other shorter but with an unmistakably arrogant face. The two walked through the fire and ruins without any sign of panic—in fact, there was something disturbingly calm about them. Suddenly, a woman screamed, igniting an atmosphere of terror.
"Aliens... aliens!!!"
"What!"
"Run!"
In that moment, everyone felt unimaginable fear. Some people ran desperately for their lives, while others' legs gave out beneath them.
"Hmph, what ignorant creatures." Nappa looked around with disdain at the panicking crowd. "Let me say hello to them." He raised his hand, extended two fingers, and flashed an arrogant grin.
"BOOM!"
In an instant, a powerful energy surged upward. The ground exploded as light reached toward the sky! Everything within a hundred miles was transformed into barren ruins. People, animals, buildings—all were wiped out completely, leaving nothing but scorched earth and rising smoke...
"Hahaha, was my greeting not warm enough?" Nappa laughed arrogantly, looking at the empty wasteland with smug satisfaction.
Vegeta brushed some dust from his armor. "What a boring display. Don't forget why we came to Earth." He glared at Nappa. "If there had been Dragon Balls in that area, our wish for immortality would have been ruined! You fool!"
"Ah—I'm really sorry! I got excited and wasn't thinking!" Nappa immediately came to his senses, realizing he'd nearly caused a serious problem. His face instantly showed panic.
If Vegeta got angry, he'd be in trouble! Fortunately, Vegeta merely reprimanded him. Though his voice was harsh, there wasn't much genuine anger in his words.
"I'm here to find the strongest fighter on this planet—whoever was powerful enough to kill Raditz." Nappa said as he pressed a button on his scouter. Suddenly, a series of beeps sounded: "Beep beep—" "Beep beep—"
Signal responses came one after another, all from the same location.
"This is strange. There are several fighters on this planet, all with power levels over a thousand."
"Hmph, only a thousand? Could they possibly threaten us? It's simple enough to deal with them all together—just kill them and save us the trouble of hunting them down one by one!" Vegeta sneered dismissively.
"Let's go!"
Vegeta gave the order, and they quickly flew toward the source of the signals.
At the same time, Earth's warriors had gathered together, already sensing the powerful ki of the approaching Saiyans.
King Kai had notified them of the arrival time in advance, so they had taken the initiative to prepare.
To avoid civilian casualties, they deliberately chose their battleground in a remote mountain range—a vast wasteland with isolated peaks and very few animals nearby. Wind blew dust past the assembled fighters as they stood firm, gazing intently into the distance.
Raditz stood at the front of the group, his face serious.
"They're coming!"
"Those two Saiyans are incredibly strong—you can feel their power from here." Though Krillin was surprised, he didn't panic. After all, Raditz and Goku in front of him were also Saiyans, and he knew these two were stronger!
"Tien, will you be alright?"
"Chiaotzu, if you find yourself in danger, run away first. You have the lowest combat power among us—don't fight recklessly." Despite his words of caution, Tien showed an expression of anticipation. "I'll finally get to test my strength against them. I'm really looking forward to it."
"Wow... they're amazing..." Gohan's face showed a hint of fear.
"Amazing? Hardly." Piccolo's voice dripped with confident disdain.
Over the past month, he had continued his intense training, facing off against Goku's Kaio-ken many times. Having experienced countless battles, he was much stronger than he had been just weeks ago. From his perspective, the two Saiyans didn't know the Kaio-ken technique, so they might not even be a match for him!
He wore his signature weighted cape, standing beside Goku, as calm as a mountain.
"Gohan, don't be afraid. We've all grown much stronger this year. You too have the power to fight." Piccolo said, noticing the nervous sweat on Gohan's brow.
"Yes, Mr. Piccolo." After Piccolo's encouragement, the boy seemed a little braver.
Gohan had been trained exclusively by Piccolo. For one thing, Goku wasn't a good teacher, and for another, it was difficult for him to be as harsh as Piccolo when dealing with his own son. Piccolo, on the other hand, excelled at it and took the teaching very seriously.
The current Gohan might not be inferior to Krillin in terms of raw power. He just lacked experience and had never truly faced a life-or-death battle, which explained his tension. Goku had deliberately asked him to stand behind for some added protection.
"Did you bring the Senzu Beans?" Raditz confirmed with Goku.
"I brought them. But Korin said there are only three beans available." Goku pointed to the small pouch on his waist. "By the way, it seems like Yajirobe is coming too, but I don't see him yet."
"Don't count on him. He'll only show up at the critical moment."
"Anyway, if they're as you described, with power levels of 18,000, they won't be a match for you at all, brother. We probably won't even need the Senzu Beans!" Goku said with a smile.
"Let's hope so."
Raditz replied casually, but the sense of unease he'd felt on King Kai's planet returned to his mind. He already had a power level of 20,000, plus the Kaio-ken and the Spirit Bomb technique—it should be more than enough to handle Vegeta. But the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, his heart racing with anxiety.
The timeline had quietly changed. Was that the cause of his unease? What was wrong?
Raditz thought hard but couldn't find an answer. He looked at the sky worriedly. He constantly felt as if some hidden power was lurking somewhere, but he had no clue what it might be...
While he was lost in thought, Tien suddenly shouted as he spotted figures in the distance! Everyone looked up sharply, and indeed, two white auras were rushing toward them with menacing power.
Vegeta and Nappa, you've finally arrived!
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