On the desolate state highway near South City, the atmosphere was, for a moment, rather stagnant.
Vegeta, the ever-proud Prince of Saiyans, was now lie on the ground in an extremely humiliating position.
His body was covered in fine wounds, and his blue battle armor was in tatters, stained with dust and sweat.
The fierce battle just now had almost completely exhausted his strength. His chest heaved violently, his breathing as ragged as a broken bellows. It was even difficult for him to stand up on his own.
"D-damn... it!!!"
Vegeta gritted his teeth and slammed his fist into the rough asphalt, the immense force instantly creating a small crater.
But it brought him no relief. Boundless anger and humiliation burned within him!
"Why?! Why did I lose?! I am... I am the Prince of the warrior race, the Saiyans, Vegeta!!! How could I possibly lose to a man-made pile of scrap metal!!!"
Vegeta was unwilling to accept it! Extremely unwilling!
No. 16's terrifyingly precise calculations, his far-greater-than-expected power, and that incredibly sturdy energy shield had rendered all of his attacks futile.
His final, all-out Final Flash had been utterly defeated by the opponent's energy cannon!
This all-encompassing sense of defeat was even harder for him to accept than being crushed by Frieza when he had served under him!
Goku, at the side, felt a little sorry for Vegeta's pathetic state.
He scratched his face, hesitated for a moment, but still walked over, bent down, and extended a hand to Vegeta, his tone filled with sincere concern. "Hey, Vegeta, how are you? Are you okay? Let me help you up..."
However, Goku's kindness was seen as the ultimate humiliation by Vegeta!
"GET LOST!!!"
With his last ounce of strength, Vegeta violently slapped away Goku's outstretched hand.
His eyes were as fierce as if he wanted to kill someone, and he roared in a hoarse voice, "I don't need your pity, Kakarot!!! Get the hell away from me!!"
Goku's hand was slapped away, and he stood there at a loss. Looking at Vegeta's furious and unapproachable demeanor, he didn't know how to comfort him.
No. 16, standing quietly to the side, took in the whole scene.
His red electronic eyes flickered, as if performing some kind of analysis.
Then he did something that surprised everyone.
He strode forward with steady steps, ignoring Vegeta's fiery gaze, walked right up to him, bent down, and his large hand easily grabbed the back of Vegeta's battle armor like an iron clamp.
"Hey! You pile of scrap! What do you think you're doing?! Let go of me!!"
Vegeta was both shocked and furious. He struggled desperately, but in his weakened state, he couldn't budge No. 16 at all.
No. 16 ignored his curses. He lifted Vegeta from the ground as easily as lifting a chick and then casually tossed him—
Swoosh! Thud!
Vegeta drew a short arc in the air and fell, not heavily but certainly not lightly, at Whitley's feet, kicking up a small cloud of dust under Whitley's disgusted gaze.
"A loser must have the awareness of a loser," No. 16 said in his calm, emotionless voice, as if stating a simple fact. "Quietly leave the stage and await the next chance to challenge. Powerless rage is meaningless."
This sentence was like a cold, sharp knife, accurately piercing all of Vegeta's pride and defenses.
He lay on the ground, his body trembling slightly from anger and weakness.
But in the end, as if all his strength had been drained, he closed his eyes in pain.
He bit his lip tightly and fell completely silent.
Although No. 16's words were harsh, they were, damn it, correct.
He had lost, completely and utterly. Any excuse or roar was just the wail of a loser.
Whitley looked at the "life is meaningless" Vegeta at his feet and shook his head with a mixture of amusement and helplessness.
He took a Senzu Bean from his pocket and rather roughly stuffed it into Vegeta's mouth.
"Alright, alright, stop putting on that end-of-the-world expression."
Whitley's voice carried his usual teasing tone. "It's just one loss, it's not like you've never lost before. Just go back, train twice as hard, and find a chance to win next time, right? You're Vegeta, the unkillable, unbreakable, the-more-you-fail-the-stronger-you-get Prince of Saiyans. You're not going to give up just because of one failure, are you? That would be a bit too pathetic."
The miraculous effect of the Senzu Bean took effect instantly. The wounds on Vegeta's body disappeared at a visible rate, and his exhausted stamina was instantly restored to its peak.
He shot up from the ground, turned his head away to deliberately avoid looking at Whitley, and just let out a heavy, clearly defiant snort from his nose. "Hmph! Of course! Next time... next time I... will absolutely not lose!!!"
Seeing that Vegeta, though still stubborn, had at least returned to his proud and confident self, Whitley shook his head and no longer paid him any mind.
He turned his gaze to No. 18, who was standing to the side. Although his face still wore a smile, his eyes gradually became sharp.
"Alright, now it's time to talk business."
Whitley looked at No. 18 with a smile. His tone sounded polite, but combined with the faint, abyss-like, heart-pounding aura that emanated from him, it made everyone present, including the just-recovered Vegeta, subconsciously shiver, as if they had been targeted by some prehistoric beast.
"You androids have some nerve! Stealing from Capsule Corp, of all places."
Whitley said slowly, "If your intelligence system isn't too outdated, you should know my relationship with the young lady of Capsule Corp. So..."
The smile on his face didn't change, but the pressure he exuded suddenly increased. "Could I trouble you to kindly hand over the high-purity energy you 'took' earlier, completely untouched? If you do... I might consider letting you off easy."
No. 18 felt a little breathless under the formless pressure. Her expression changed slightly, but she still stood her ground without retreating.
Seeing that the situation was not good, No. 17 quickly stepped forward and interjected, "Wait! I think there might be a misunderstanding here! We didn't take anything from your Capsule Corp!"
He glanced at Whitley and continued quickly, "In fact, just a day ago, the three of us were still in forced hibernation! It was Dr. Gero... that is, Android 20, who just woke us up not long ago! We came straight here after leaving the lab. We had no opportunity or time to steal your things!"
"Oh?"
Hearing this, the expression on Whitley's face softened slightly, and the intimidating aura around him quickly receded like a tide.
Of course, he knew it wasn't them, but he had to find a reason to make them work for him.
His own Prince Logistics only had one star delivery boy, Nappa!
He stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're saying... it wasn't you?"
No. 18, seeing that Whitley's attention seemed to be focused on the lost items, her eyes darted around. After a moment's hesitation, she took the initiative to say, "If your Capsule Corp's things were really stolen, it was most likely done by No. 19 and No. 20! Those two had the time and motive!"
No. 18's tone paused. Looking at the Capsule Corp logo on Whitley's clothes, she seemed to have made a decision.
She crossed her arms and adopted a negotiating posture. "I know where Dr. Gero's lab is. We can take you there. But..."
She looked up, her blue eyes looking straight at Whitley, and said assertively, "I have a demand!"
Whitley was intrigued that she still dared to make demands.
His eyebrows shot up, and he said with some surprise, "Oh? A defeated foe dares to make demands? Haven't you ever heard of 'to the victor go the spoils'? Interesting. Let's hear it, what's your demand?"
No. 18 glanced at No. 17 beside her, then at the silent, mountain-like No. 16, and then took a deep breath. "I can take you to the lab, but afterward... you need to give us a large sum of money! I know you're very rich! The amount I'm asking for is nothing to you!"
"You want a large sum of money?!"
Whitley was shocked. This time, he was truly surprised.
He knew that the No. 18 of the original story was a money-lover later on, but that was after the Cell Games, when she had started to live a normal life.
She had just been awakened not long ago! Why was she asking for money right off the bat? Was this "gold-digger" attribute innate?!
Whitley couldn't help but ask curiously, "Can you tell me why you suddenly need money? Do you androids... also need to spend money?"
He tried to imagine the scene of No. 18 holding a wallet and going grocery shopping. Right... I'll find a reason to beat up Krillin later.
But No. 18 seemed to have been asked an unpleasant question. She let out a cold snort, her expression becoming impatient. "There's no why! Do I need a reason to want money? Just say whether you agree or not!"
She put on a high-and-mighty "take it or leave it" attitude.
"Tsk!"
Whitley looked at her arrogant and entitled attitude and felt a strange annoyance.
He was about to refuse outright, and even teach this presumptuous android girl another lesson.
But suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. His eyes darted around, and a thought came to him.
'Isn't this perfect? You want money, right? Hehe! You got it!'
A somewhat wicked smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Alright, alright~"
Whitley spread his hands, pretending to be very generous, and ignored No. 18's expression as he said slowly, "Originally, considering you caused a panic, attacked innocent people, and were created by Dr. Gero as 'evil' androids right after you awoke, we should have eliminated you on the spot to prevent future trouble..."
He deliberately dragged out his words, and seeing No. 18's face instantly turn ugly, he changed his tone abruptly. "But~ seeing as your attitude is sincere enough, and you're willing to lead the way, and there might be extenuating circumstances... I, a shareholder of Capsule Corp, a candidate God of Destruction, and the defender of Earth's peace, the great Lord Whitley, will be merciful and let you off the hook!"
He puffed out his chest, trying to look righteous and majestic, pointed at No. 18, and said with a smile, "I agree to your demand! Now take me to Dr. Gero's lab! As long as we find the stolen items, or confirm the situation, I will turn a blind eye to your past evil deeds and not pursue the matter!"
He said this with such righteousness and grandeur!
As expected, No. 18 was instantly enraged. "What do you mean by that?! On what grounds do you call us evil androids?! What did we even do?!"
Whitley gave her a sideways glance and let out that unique "jye jye jye" laugh of a villain. "What? You did it, but you don't dare to admit it? Not long ago, that clothing store... didn't you 'shop' without paying? Not only did you not pay, but you also blew the owner and his shop to kingdom come, right? Isn't that something only evil villains do? Am I wrong to call you evil androids?"
No. 18 was instantly flustered. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she immediately retorted loudly, "That's because that was a crooked shop! He was trying to rip us off! He dared to ask for tens of thousands for a piece of clothing that cost a few hundred! Doesn't that kind of swindler deserve to be taught a lesson?!"
"Oh~ a crooked shop, huh?"
Whitley cleaned his ear and put on a lazy expression. "Then you should have called the police! Let the police handle it! Who gave you the right to carry out a private execution? And you even took his clothes. What's the difference between that and robbery and murder? Hmm?"
"You!!!"
No. 18 was instantly at a loss for words. She opened her mouth but found that she couldn't refute Whitley's logic at all.
At the time, she and No. 17 had just felt annoyed and dealt with it casually, not thinking much of it.
But now that Whitley put it that way, it seemed... she was indeed a bit in the wrong?
Seeing No. 18's pouting and speechless appearance, Whitley was secretly pleased, feeling that he had finally won a round.
He decided to quit while he was ahead and, no longer teasing her, turned to No. 17 and said, trying to suppress a laugh, "Lead the way! Let's go check out Dr. Gero's lab."
Then he turned back to ask Goku and Vegeta, "What about you two? Are you coming with us, or are you going back first?"
Goku had wanted to go home for lunch, but then he remembered his one-year-old Gohan, who was probably at home crying for a diaper change, and all the various household chores that he definitely couldn't escape if he went back...
"I'm going too!" Goku immediately said loudly, his tone firm! Taking care of a baby and doing chores is just too terrifying!
Vegeta, on the other hand, did not speak, just showed his attitude with his actions.
He simply strode to Whitley's side, his cold gaze sweeping over No. 17 and No. 18.
He wanted to see what the lair of the person who had created these troublesome androids looked like.
"Then let's go," Whitley said to No. 17.
No. 17 nodded and obediently led the way.
He had to be obedient! After the fight just now, he had completely accepted reality.
The three Saiyans before him were all monstrously strong! Not to mention the terrifying golden transformation—Super Saiyan—that was recorded in his database, which could increase their battle power several dozen times over!
Resist? He'd rather not. He didn't have a death wish.
The group said no more and all took to the air, following No. 17 towards Dr. Gero's secret laboratory hidden in the remote mountains of South City.
Left behind was only the convertible that No. 17 had "borrowed," and... the crater-filled land that looked as if it had been hit by a meteor shower.
Meanwhile, in Dr. Gero's deeply hidden underground laboratory.
Drip... drip... drip...
The huge incubation tank in the corner of the lab was emitting a continuous, alarm-like beeping sound.
The nutrient-rich fluid that had once filled the tank had been completely absorbed, leaving only some residual, sticky substance on the inner glass wall.
Inside the tank, a small figure's chest was rising and falling faintly.
Then... CRACK!
A crisp sound of glass shattering suddenly echoed in the silent laboratory!
A clear crack suddenly appeared on the glass wall of the huge incubation tank!
Then, the crack spread rapidly like a spider web!
BANG!!!!!!
With a huge bang, the entire incubation tank exploded!
Tempered glass fragments and residual nutrient fluid mixture flew everywhere, making a mess of the entire lab.
A small creature, about half a person's height, green all over, with spots and insect-like joints, and a long tail dragging behind it, staggered out of the exploded tank and stood on the slippery floor.
It shook its slightly dizzy head, and its cold purple eyes slowly opened. A hint of confusion flashed through them, which was quickly replaced by an endless coldness.
"Hehehe... hahahaha!!!"
It looked down at its small hands, clenched its fists, and let out a crisp, joyous laugh. "I've succeeded! I've finally matured! I've finally... uh?!"
The laughter stopped abruptly!
He suddenly sensed the power within his body, and his expression changed dramatically! "This is not right! My power! Why is my power so weak?! This is impossible!!!"
He was horrified as he sensed the far-lower-than-expected energy level within him. This was completely different from the all-crushing power of his perfect form described in his memory data!
Cell, the just-born monster, became a little anxious. He frantically felt his small body, closed his eyes, and began to search with all his might for all the data and information about his own structure that Dr. Gero had implanted deep in his brain.
After a long while, he snapped his eyes open. The anxiety and panic in them were gone, replaced by a calmness based on analysis.
"I see..." he said to himself. "Is it because my newly awakened body is too fragile to fully contain all the powerful energy within me? So the safety mechanism has set me to a type that needs to grow naturally for a period of time?"
He looked up at the several hibernation pods lined up in the corner of the lab.
Three of the hatches were open and empty. Next to them was an empty hibernation pod with its hatch closed.
"Hehe... I need time to grow? It's fine, patience is what I have the most of."
Cell let out a low laugh and walked towards the unopened hibernation pod, preparing to enter a hibernation state first and wait for his body to grow naturally to a point where it could withstand more power.
However, he was only halfway there when he stopped abruptly!
"This is not right!"
His expression sharpened. "No. 17 and No. 18... they have already awakened and left! What if, during my slumber, they bring outsiders back... then I'll be in danger!"
His brain worked at high speed. The data Dr. Gero had implanted about the terrifying power of Son Goku, Vegeta, and the others flashed through his mind.
Especially that Whitley, who had the fewest records but was marked by Dr. Gero as "extremely dangerous"!
He could not take the risk!
Cell decisively turned around and, with somewhat faltering but firm steps, quickly walked out of the cave entrance of the lab and into the sunlit valley outside.
He was about to gather his power and fly away from this place first, to find a safer and more hidden place to hide and grow.
But just as Cell was about to take off, his movement stopped abruptly! His compound-like eyes contracted sharply!
"Hmph! They're... really here?! Damn you, No. 17 and No. 18!!!"
Cell was both shocked and furious! The built-in bio-radar in his body allowed him to clearly sense several powerful ki signatures approaching at high speed!
Two of them were the energy signals of No. 17 and No. 18!
And the other three... their energy reactions were far stronger than he had anticipated! It was definitely Son Goku and the others!
"It's too late to run now! They'll spot me!"
Cell instantly assessed the situation.
In his current infant state, it was absolutely impossible to escape from those monsters!
He had to hide first!
He nervously looked around, searching for a place to hide.
His gaze soon locked onto a very large, somewhat weathered rock not far away. "Got it!"
He immediately retracted all his ki, completely concealing his faint energy reaction, then scurried over at top speed and curled his small green body tightly into a crevice in the shadow of the rock.
Just as he had hidden himself, not even daring to breathe—
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Several sounds of tearing through the air were heard, and Whitley's group descended from the sky, landing steadily in front of the lab's cave entrance!
No. 17 landed first and pointed at the dark cave entrance. "This is it. Dr. Gero's lab is inside. If the things that were stolen from you are still here, they should be in there."
But Whitley did not immediately go in. He didn't even glance at the cave entrance.
His gaze, with a playful, half-smiling expression, was cast towards... the large rock where Cell was hiding.
Under his divine ki sensing, Cell's pathetic hiding technique was as obvious as a lighthouse in the dark.
"As for the items..."
Whitley stroked his chin, his tone filled with amusement and resignation. "They're probably long gone. That kind of high-purity energy was probably used up immediately."
But... his gaze swept over the rock again, and an imperceptible curve appeared on his lips.
'It's not a complete loss, is it?'
A bold idea began to form in his mind—
How could he trick... ahem, "recruit" this Perfect Cell, who had immense potential but was currently in his infant state, to come and work for him?
This was a prime candidate for a top-tier fighter!
But why is this Cell so small? And he already looks like his perfect form?
Whitley was also a little puzzled. 'Could this not be the real Cell, but a Cell Jr.? But that's not right...'
He carefully sensed the faint but extremely complex and chaotic ki behind the rock.
In that ki, he clearly sensed several very familiar feelings:
Old King Piccolo's cold ki, Goku's pure and vibrant ki, Vegeta's proud and violent ki, and even the relatively weaker but distinct Saiyan ki of Nappa and Raditz...
It was a complete hodgepodge!
'Phew, phew...'
Whitley secretly breathed a sigh of relief and thankfully touched his chest. 'There's no trace of my ki in there. Otherwise, if I suddenly had this 'big son,' and a genetically hybrid insect type at that, that would really be...'
"What's wrong?"
No. 17, seeing Whitley standing at the lab entrance with a drifting gaze and not going in, couldn't help but ask, "What are you standing here for? Are you afraid we've set a trap for you inside?"
He felt that Whitley was being a little too cautious.
Before Whitley could speak, Vegeta at his side couldn't help but let out a mocking cold snort. "Hmph! A trap? With just you few piles of junk? What kind of amazing thing could you possibly set up in there? A pile of rusty parts falling on us to crush us to death?! How ridiculous!"
No. 18 was already in a bad mood, and hearing Vegeta's insulting words, she instantly flew into a rage! "You!!! What did you say!!!"
No. 18 glared at Vegeta angrily, her blue eyes almost spitting fire. "I've been annoyed with you for a long time! You're taking your anger out on us just because you lost a fight? Who do you think you are?!"
"Oh?!"
Vegeta was looking for a place to vent his anger. Hearing No. 18's words, he immediately crossed his arms and retorted with an even more arrogant attitude. "Annoyed with me? Then why don't you attack? Are you scared? Hmm? You piece of scrap metal?"
"You bastard! You want a fight?! I'll give you one!"
No. 18 was completely enraged. Her energy began to surge, and she looked like she was about to strike at any moment!
Seeing this situation, Whitley's head throbbed.
He quickly stepped forward and grabbed No. 18's wrist. "Hey, hey, hey! Calm down! Everyone, calm down!"
Whitley helplessly played the role of peacemaker, first grabbing No. 18's hand and pulling her back. "Calm down, why are you so angry? We're here to find the things that you androids stole, not to have a group brawl!"
Then he shot an annoyed glare at Vegeta. "And you, Vegeta! I know you're upset because you lost, and you're frustrated! If you're a man, go back and train hard, and try to get your revenge next time! What's the point of taking it out on others? Can't you have a little bit of a warrior's dignity?"
Vegeta and No. 18 both let out a heavy, defiant snort from their noses at the same time and turned their heads away, but at least they didn't continue their confrontation.
Vegeta crossed his arms and said nothing, but his face was still very foul.
No. 18 glanced at Whitley and said with some annoyance, "Let go!"
Whitley looked down and saw that he was still holding No. 18's hand and quickly apologized. "Oh, oh! Sorry, it was subconscious..."
No. 18 gave him a deep look but didn't say anything. She just violently shook off his hand but gave Whitley some face by not escalating further, only adding coldly, "I'm giving you face and not stooping to his level. But..."
She paused and emphasized her tone. "Gotta! Add! Money!"
Whitley:
"Huh??? I'm telling you, woman! You really haven't been beaten, have you! I didn't even lay a hand on you just now and you're already haggling..."
He almost laughed in anger at No. 18's strange train of thought. This thing could be subject to a last-minute price increase?
At the side, Goku looked at this chaotic and ever-changing scene and let out a big, bored yawn.
He touched his rumbling stomach, looked at the gradually setting sun, and had only one thought in his mind: 'Sigh... when can we go to Whitley's house to eat? What delicious food will there be tonight? I'm so hungry...'
And at this moment, Cell, hiding behind the large rock, was burning with rage and anxiety!
'These damn guys!!!' he roared in his mind. 'Aren't you going into the lab?! If you're going in, then hurry up!!! Why are you arguing at the entrance?! Why are you chatting?! Can't you respect me, the person who's hiding?! Can't you argue somewhere else, ahhhhh!!!'
He desperately suppressed his ki and anger, not daring to move a muscle, feeling like he was about to go crazy.
Whitley's group was still arguing loudly.
No. 18 insisted on getting more money, and Whitley was so angry he rolled up his sleeves, putting on a "You really think I don't dare to hit you?" posture.
"Go on, hit me! Hit me in the face if you have the guts!"
Instead of backing down, No. 18 shoved her face in front of Whitley's, her azure eyes staring at him without flinching, as if challenging his bottom line.
Whitley was helpless.
He hesitantly raised his hand, but seeing No. 18's "I'll let you hit me and I won't fight back" posture, the momentum he had just built up completely disappeared, leaving only a heart full of speechlessness.
In the end, he could only let out a heavy "Hmph!", glare at No. 18, and then turn his head away, striding towards the lab entrance.
No. 18 watched Whitley's seemingly angry but actually helpless back, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared on her lips.
"Heh! Men!"
...
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