Radan's thoughts gradually settled.
He shook his head slightly.
There were still too many things he needed to figure out.
The transmigration itself alone required time to process. He needed time to understand this unfamiliar body, analyze the current situation, and—most importantly—recover completely from the injuries that had nearly taken his life.
There was no point rushing.
For now, survival came first.
Radan looked toward the devastated surroundings.
The battle had already ended, but that didn't mean the danger was gone.
Android 17 and Android 18 could return at any moment.
Even if he could deal with either one of them individually, his current condition was still far from ideal.
He had only just awakened in this world.
His left arm was gone.
His body had been pushed to its absolute limit.
And although the system had saved him from death, it had not restored him completely.
"Let's leave this place first."
Radan pushed himself up.
"We can't stay here. If Android 17 and 18 come back, even if I can fight them one-on-one, there's no guarantee we'll survive another encounter."
There was no response.
Radan didn't wait.
He immediately used the Flying Technique and rose into the sky.
The ruined city rapidly shrank beneath him.
The rain continued falling.
The dark clouds covered the sky like an enormous curtain, making the already-dead world appear even more hopeless.
Radan glanced back once.
Nothing followed him.
Good.
He turned his attention forward and accelerated.
Two Days Later.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, two days had gone by.
The Western Capital had long since lost its former prosperity.
The once-bustling city had become a wasteland.
Buildings had collapsed.
Roads had been destroyed.
Countless abandoned vehicles remained scattered throughout the streets.
There were almost no ordinary people left.
Yet beneath this ruined city, one place had managed to survive.
Capsule Corporation.
Or rather, what remained of it.
The underground facility had become Bulma's refuge.
She was the only person living there in this era.
The underground structure protected her from the artificial humans, allowing her to continue her research in relative safety.
Inside one of the rooms, Radan slowly removed the bandages wrapped around his waist and face.
The wounds underneath had almost completely disappeared.
He moved his body carefully.
He stretched his shoulders.
Twisted his waist.
Clenched his right hand.
Then he paused.
There was no pain.
Not even the slightest discomfort.
Radan looked down at his body.
"Finally..."
He exhaled.
"I've completely recovered."
Two days.
It had taken only two days for his body to recover from injuries that should have required far longer.
And that wasn't even the most surprising part.
His strength had increased considerably.
Radan couldn't help sighing.
"As expected of a Saiyan."
"The recovery ability of this body is truly terrifying."
After saying that, he walked toward the mirror.
His reflection appeared before him.
A young man.
Sharp features.
A firm and masculine face.
And several scars that remained despite his recovery.
Radan stared at them quietly.
For a moment, he didn't speak.
Then he gave a faint smile.
"Should I call this lucky or unlucky?"
His fingers lightly touched one of the scars.
"These scars... only now do I understand how much you suffered."
The person reflected in the mirror wasn't simply Radan's body.
It was Son Gohan's body.
The future Gohan.
The Gohan who had spent years fighting alone against Android 17 and 18.
The Gohan who had watched the people around him disappear one after another.
The Gohan who had continued fighting despite losing an arm.
And ultimately...
The Gohan who had died.
Radan's expression gradually became serious.
"In this world..."
"You are the strongest individual fighter."
"A Saiyan with almost limitless potential."
"In the original story, you never completely unlocked that potential."
His right hand slowly clenched.
"Later, you even became Nobihan."
"And now..."
"I am you."
Radan stared directly at his reflection.
"So, how far can I push this potential?"
His eyes became sharper.
He didn't have an answer yet.
But he intended to find out.
Even with only one arm, his physical strength hadn't been reduced to the point that it would cripple his fighting ability.
Still...
Radan knew very well that this wasn't enough.
He turned away from the mirror and returned to the bed.
Sitting down, he leaned against the wall and began thinking.
During these two days of recovery, he had spent almost all his free time analyzing the current situation.
Most importantly—
Android 17.
Android 18.
What level had they actually reached?
And what should he do next?
Radan had a rough answer.
In the original timeline, Future Gohan had already possessed enough strength to fight one of the artificial humans alone.
With one arm, he could even kill one of them under the right circumstances.
The problem was the final battle.
Fighting two opponents simultaneously was completely different.
Android 17 and 18 possessed unlimited energy and seemingly endless stamina.
Even if Future Gohan was powerful enough to contend with one of them, fighting both at once created an enormous disadvantage.
That was ultimately what led to his defeat.
Radan narrowed his eyes.
"Based on everything I know..."
"The combat power of Android 17 and 18 in this future world should be around five hundred million at most."
If that was correct—
Then things were much simpler than they initially appeared.
The two artificial humans no longer posed an overwhelming threat to him.
Radan checked his current condition again.
His normal combat power had increased to approximately 12 million.
That alone was already an enormous improvement.
And if he transformed into a Super Saiyan...
The legendary fifty-fold increase would push his combat power to approximately:
600 million.
Radan's eyes flickered.
"Six hundred million..."
That was enough.
At least for the moment.
The near-death experience had clearly brought him another benefit.
Although the system had been responsible for saving his life and repairing his body, the result was still a genuine Saiyan recovery.
His strength had risen substantially.
However, Radan wasn't satisfied.
"The threat of Android 17 and 18 really isn't that great anymore."
"But that doesn't mean I can relax."
His expression became increasingly solemn.
"There is still Cell."
"And in a few years..."
"Majin Buu."
"Lord Demon King Dabura."
One enemy after another appeared in his thoughts.
And those weren't even the greatest threats he remembered.
Radan's eyes narrowed.
"Black Goku."
"Zamasu."
Those names alone were enough to make him realize how insignificant the current crisis actually was.
The Androids might be terrifying to the remaining humans on Earth.
But from the perspective of the entire Dragon Ball timeline...
They were only the beginning.
The further the story progressed, the more terrifying the enemies became.
And this wasn't even the main timeline.
This was the future.
A future that had already suffered countless disasters.
Radan lowered his head and looked at his missing left arm.
"This arm..."
"I need to find a way to restore it."
It was more important than it appeared.
One-on-one, having only one arm wasn't necessarily a fatal weakness.
But against two opponents?
Three?
The disadvantage would become increasingly obvious.
His current power might allow him to fight one enemy without much trouble.
But if he ever reached the point where he had to fight multiple powerful enemies simultaneously, having only one arm would inevitably restrict him.
"Before anything else..."
"I have to become stronger."
Radan closed his eyes.
As a transmigrator who had been an avid fan and writer of Dragon Ball stories in his previous life, he possessed an advantage that ordinary people in this world could never have.
He knew what was coming.
He knew the enemies.
He knew the general direction of history.
And most importantly—
He knew what should have happened.
Unfortunately, there was a problem.
The original story contained very little information about this future era.
There weren't many methods he could immediately rely on.
There were no endless Dragon Ball encyclopedias waiting for him.
No convenient map marking every useful resource.
No guarantee that everything he remembered from the original story would happen exactly the same way.
Radan understood that clearly.
The current Android crisis would last for years.
But ten years...
Twenty years...
That was where the real danger lay.
He wasn't merely thinking about surviving Android 17 and 18 anymore.
He was thinking about the entire future of this world.
The future involving Black Goku.
The future involving Zamasu.
The future that could eventually threaten everything.
Fortunately—
He still had time.
A lot of it.
The more Radan thought, the faster the time passed.
Before he realized it, another hour had gone by.
Creak.
The door suddenly opened.
Radan raised his head.
Bulma walked into the room.
She carried a pot of steaming porridge in her hands.
Her appearance was noticeably different from the Bulma he remembered from the main timeline.
She looked older.
More tired.
The years of living under the shadow of the artificial humans had clearly taken their toll.
But even after everything she had endured, she remained beautiful.
There was still a natural elegance to her appearance.
Radan immediately stood.
"Bulma Aunt."
He greeted her politely.
Bulma smiled.
"Looks like you're almost completely recovered, Gohan."
Radan nodded.
Bulma placed the pot of porridge down.
Then she looked him over carefully.
"It really should be said that you're a Saiyan."
"Your recovery ability is even more amazing than I expected."
"According to my calculations, it should have taken at least a week for you to completely recover."
Radan smiled faintly.
"That's because Bulma Aunt took such good care of me."
"Without your help, I wouldn't have recovered this quickly."
Bulma laughed softly.
"Haha~!"
"You're certainly better at speaking than your father."
She pulled out a chair and sat down.
Then she pointed toward the food.
"Eat quickly."
"Now that your body has recovered, I can finally relax a little."
Radan sat down as well.
Bulma continued speaking.
"Although... there is still something I'm worried about."
Her expression became slightly more complicated.
"There have been almost no resources left in the Western Capital."
"Most of the useful supplies were evacuated long ago."
"The artificial humans destroyed almost everything that remained."
Radan listened quietly.
Bulma sighed.
"This future world has become far too devastated."
"Cities have been destroyed one after another."
"And there are almost no people left."
Not only the artificial humans—
There was also another monster hiding somewhere in this world.
Cell.
Seventy percent of Earth's human population had already died.
And among the many disasters that had caused the destruction of this world, Cell had played a major role.
Food.
Water.
Supplies.
Those were the things that had kept Bulma alive all these years.
And Radan had been the one dealing with many of those problems.
That was why Bulma had already become accustomed to relying on him.
Radan quietly ate the porridge.
His mind, however, continued turning.
There were too many things to consider.
Too many dangers waiting ahead.
And he had no intention of following the same path as the original Gohan.
As he ate, he failed to notice the subtle change in Bulma's eyes.
She looked at him.
There was relief in her gaze.
And also...
A deep sadness.
If Sun Jun were still here...
Perhaps none of this would have happened.
Perhaps all this pressure wouldn't have fallen onto you.
Bulma's gaze softened.
Thank goodness you weren't killed this time, Gohan.
She lowered her eyes.
Just give me a little more time.
As long as I can finish it...
Her thoughts grew heavier.
A time machine.
That was what she had been working toward.
For twenty years.
She wanted to change the past.
She wanted to change the future.
Everything had started with Son Goku's viral heart disease.
Twenty years ago, there had been nothing she could do.
She could only watch helplessly as tragedy after tragedy unfolded.
But twenty years had passed.
During those years, Bulma had absorbed countless pieces of medical knowledge.
She had studied.
Researched.
Experimented.
And worked alongside countless others.
Finally—
She had developed a special medicine.
A medicine capable of treating Son Goku's illness.
If Son Goku didn't die...
Then perhaps everything could change.
Perhaps many of the tragedies that destroyed this world could be prevented.
Perhaps the future could finally be rewritten.
Bulma clenched her hand beneath the table.
She had made up her mind.
She would change the past.
She would change the future.