Chapter 24: Two-Star Dragon Ball
Just as Franklin was struggling with indecision, a stunning blonde woman in her thirties walked out from the hemispherical building of Capsule Corporation. After glancing around, her eyes fell on Franklin's tall and handsome figure.
"Hey, handsome, could you come over for a moment?"
The sudden soft voice pulled Franklin out of his thoughts. He looked around — it seemed he was the only one there.
"Hello, are you talking to me?"
The beautiful blonde woman narrowed her eyes with a gentle smile and waved again. "Yes, handsome. Could you come here for a moment? I'd like to ask you for a favor, if that's alright."
"A favor? What kind of favor?"
Franklin, still puzzled, walked over — only to have the blonde woman grab his arm and start leading him toward the inside of Capsule Corporation.
"My husband, Brief, is so clumsy. He was in the warehouse getting something just now and ended up trapped under a collapsed shelf. I had no choice but to find someone nearby to help. I don't know if you'd be able to lift those things for me."
Seeing that her narrowed eyes and unhurried smile hadn't changed at all, Franklin couldn't help but ask curiously, "If he's trapped under a shelf, shouldn't you call the police, the fire department, and an ambulance? Why are you out here pulling in a random passerby?"
Even faced with his doubts, Mrs. Brief remained smiling lazily. "That's a secret. My husband specifically told me not to say anything."
At such an obvious excuse, Franklin decided not to press the issue. Instead, he spread out his divine sense to cover the entire building, probing for the information he needed. The moment he clearly saw Dr. Brief's condition, he sucked in a cold breath.
Inside a massive underground warehouse, countless shelves had collapsed, and Dr. Brief was pinned beneath them. He was already unconscious — the only good news was that he wasn't dead… yet.
"By the way, handsome, you can just call me Mrs. Brief. I don't know your name yet."
"Uh, Mrs. Brief, just call me Franklin. But Dr. Brief is trapped under all that weight — is it really okay for us to be moving so slowly?"
Mrs. Brief still wore the same unhurried smile, and Franklin felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"It's fine~ I asked him before I left, and he said he was okay and told me not to rush. And now that I've found you, handsome, there's even less reason to hurry."
Through his divine sense, Franklin could see the internal damage to Dr. Brief's organs and the fractures in his ribs — there was no way this was "fine."
"Mrs. Brief, maybe we should hurry. It's possible he was just putting on a brave face. We men have that bad habit — we don't like to admit how bad things really are."
"Oh? Is that so? Then… is my husband in danger right now?"
"That's very possible. Why don't you speed up a little? The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get him out."
Mrs. Brief did pick up her pace a bit, but she was still moving leisurely. Franklin felt that by the time they arrived, they'd probably be collecting Dr. Brief's corpse.
"Mrs. Brief, isn't this way too slow? Why don't you just tell me where he is? I'll go ahead first."
"Is that so? I guess I am a bit slow… but this is already the fastest I can move. What should we do?"
Feeling that time was running out, Franklin scooped Mrs. Brief up into his arms and dashed toward the building.
"Just tell me where Dr. Brief is. I'll get there faster."
"Eh? Eh? Eh? Well, yes, this is much faster. He's over there."
Franklin no longer bothered hiding his abilities. With his divine sense, he had already mapped out the entire building's layout. Regardless of whether she was pointing correctly or not, he sped ahead.
Ten seconds later, Franklin arrived at the underground warehouse with Mrs. Brief in tow. Looking at the total collapse of shelves, Franklin's face darkened. Was this woman actually trying to get Dr. Brief killed?
"Honey, where are you? If you can hear me, respond! I found someone to help."
Her voice echoed through the warehouse, but no answer came.
"Honey, are you okay? If you can make any sound, we'll be able to find you quickly."
Hearing that soft voice tinged with a bit of anxiety, Franklin sighed helplessly. Now you're worried? What's the point? With this many shelves collapsed and piled on top of him, even if he's not dead, he's crippled. This woman's heart is too big…
Franklin didn't waste any more time. Dr. Brief was unconscious — there was no way he could respond. Locking onto his location with his divine sense, Franklin violently heaved the massive objects pinning him up and tossed them aside.
Mrs. Brief, who had previously seemed so relaxed and unconcerned, now stared with her mouth agape and her eyes wide. It was clear she hadn't expected Franklin to possess such power.
After clearing all the shelves, Franklin pulled the nearly-dead Dr. Brief out. He then noticed a spherical object beneath him, decorated with two red stars.
He thought about pocketing it but decided against it — this wasn't the time to be worrying about Dragon Balls. Carrying Dr. Brief over to Mrs. Brief, Franklin saw that the man was now only breathing out, not in.
Even faced with her husband's dire state, Mrs. Brief still wore that same relaxed smile. Franklin felt a chill run through his heart. This woman doesn't seem like a good person… Is she plotting to kill him for money? Seize the company? Does Dragon Ball really have a plot like this?
"Honey, what's wrong? Didn't you say you were fine? Franklin, do you think calling an ambulance now would still make it in time?"
Standing beside her, Franklin had no idea how to describe his current feelings.
"Mrs. Brief, do you actually want to save him? If you do, at least act a little sad. Right now, you look like you couldn't care less whether he lives or dies."
Even after his criticism, Mrs. Brief's expression remained unchanged — though there was a faint trace of sorrow buried beneath that calm facade.
"I do want to… but I was born this way. It's something I've struggled with for a long time. Sigh, but now's not the time to talk about that. Franklin, do you have any way to save my husband? If you can, you can take anything you want from the company."
Franklin's face turned serious as he shook his head slightly.
"Ma'am, you must be out of your mind. I'm just some random guy you dragged in off the street. Do you really think I'd have a way to save him? Even if an ambulance were here right now, it'd probably be too late."
"But I feel like you do have a way, Franklin. How about this — if you can save my husband, I'll agree to any condition you name."
"Any condition?"
"Yes, any condition!"
Mrs. Brief's expression didn't change — she couldn't help it — and Franklin knew he wouldn't be able to read her. Since the verbal agreement was in place, there was no reason to waste more time. He pulled a small vial of healing potion from a hidden pouch at his waist and handed it to her.
"Make him drink this. It should be enough to bring him back."
"Franklin, you do have a way! Thank you so much."
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