Whitley followed Bulma into the softly lit but serious laboratory, and the heavy metal door closed silently behind them.
The indicator light on the hibernation pod began to change from the blue of hibernation to the light green of the awakening program.
"I've started the awakening program. She will gradually regain consciousness. You'd better keep a close eye on that crazy woman."
Bulma operated the control panel, her voice unconsciously tinged with nervousness, her eyes fixed on the pink figure inside the pod.
Who knows what the first thing this crazy woman will do when she wakes up? I have to ensure Bulma's safety!
Whitley took a step forward, directly shielding Bulma behind him.
His muscles tensed slightly, his eyes fixed on the hibernation pod.
The pod's hatch slowly slid open, and a white mist billowed out.
Lying inside, No. 21's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her fingers twitched gently. Then, her eyes, filled with madness and desire, slowly opened.
Her gaze first swept across the laboratory ceiling with some confusion, and then, almost instinctively, it instantly locked onto Whitley, who was standing in front of Bulma!
"Hee... hee hee hee hee..."
That familiar, somewhat creepy chuckle immediately spilled from her throat!
She shot up from the hibernation pod, ignoring everything around her, her eyes shining as she stared at Whitley.
That gaze was as if she had seen the most delicious food in the world. No. 21 opened her arms and lunged at Whitley!
"The non-existent warrior! It's the non-existent warrior! You've finally come around, willing to become my donut? Come! Let us become one! The non-existent power... I'm coming... hee hee hee!"
Whitley looked at this crazy woman who got straight to the point the moment she woke up, and the veins on his temples couldn't help but throb.
Listening to her still muttering crazy things like "non-existent warrior" and "donut," he finally couldn't take it anymore and rapped her hard on her smooth forehead!
"Thunk!"
A crisp sound was heard.
"Non-existent my ass! Aren't I standing right here in one piece? Are you crazy or something!" Whitley let out a low, irritated shout.
However, to his frustration, No. 21, after getting hit on the forehead, stopped abruptly.
She was stunned for a moment, then her mouth turned down, and her cold eyes quickly filled with tears. And then... she once again let out a "sob sob sob" fake cry, her shoulders even heaving in coordination, her acting so拙劣 it was infuriating!
Seeing No. 21's pitiful act, Whitley felt a strange ache in his teeth!
He recalled what had happened at the Tournament of Power. He had been soft-hearted for a moment and had almost fallen for this woman's trick...
How on earth was he deceived by such acting back then?!
"Sigh!"
Whitley let out a heavy sigh, completely giving up on the idea of communicating with her normally.
With a thought, his pure divine ki instantly spread out, firmly pinning the still-"sobbing" No. 21 in place, to the point where she couldn't even move a finger.
"Alright, she can't move for now."
Whitley turned to look at Bulma behind him. "If you have any questions, you can ask them now."
Seeing that No. 21 was indeed unable to move, Bulma finally peeked out from behind Whitley.
She looked at No. 21, who was still staring at Whitley with an obsessed gaze even while restrained, and felt very awkward, as if she were facing a paranoid... foodie who couldn't be reasoned with.
And her husband... was the main course?
She sighed, braced herself, walked up to No. 21, and handed a small pastry prepared by a robot servant to her lips, trying to get closer with food. "Um... No. 21, right? Would you like something to eat first?"
Bulma tried to make her tone as friendly as possible.
But the result was as expected.
No. 21 just sniffed the exquisite pastry and then showed an undisguised look of disgust, as if she had smelled something of poor quality. She arrogantly turned her head to the side, not even bothering to look at it again.
Clearly, ordinary food could not enter the eyes of this "gourmet."
Bulma was rebuffed and could only悻悻 put the pastry back on the plate.
She took a deep breath, decided to get straight to the point, and began to question No. 21.
"Your name is No. 21, right?"
"Where did you get that time machine you were riding in?"
"Who created you? Do you know someone named Dr. Gero?"
"Are you... really not hungry? Or, is there any normal food you'd like to eat?"
However, no matter what questions Bulma asked, or what tone she used, No. 21 did not respond at all.
All her attention was focused solely on Whitley.
Her eyes were filled with nothing but an obsession with Whitley's power and an extreme desire for "deliciousness." She completely ignored Bulma's words.
Bulma's mouth was dry from asking questions. Seeing No. 21 like this, she finally gave up in frustration.
She spread her hands and said to Whitley, "It seems useless. This woman only has eyes for you. She's a complete lunatic who won't listen to reason!"
As she spoke, her eyes darted around, and as if she had thought of something, she looked Whitley up and down and said, "Since she only reacts to you... you should be the one to ask! This arduous task is now yours!"
"Huh? Me?"
Whitley's face was full of reluctance.
He could clearly feel that No. 21's interest in him was absolutely not based on emotion or communication, but on the most primitive and direct... desire for ingredients!
Asking him to question her, what was the difference between that and sending a piece of fresh meat to a diner's mouth and asking how it wanted to be cooked?
But seeing Bulma's hands-on-hips "who else but you" posture, Whitley could only sigh helplessly and, bracing himself, walk up to the restrained No. 21.
He squatted down, tried to make his expression look gentle and harmless, and even reached out to gently stroke No. 21's smooth, long pink hair, asking in a soft, coaxing tone, "No. 21, tell me, okay? Where did that time machine of yours come from? Or... how did you get to the Tournament of Power?"
Perhaps it was Whitley's voice that had an effect, or perhaps his proximity had satisfied some obsession of No. 21's.
No. 21 looked at the close-up Whitley with a dazed expression, a light flickering in her pink eyes, and she once again let out a "hee hee hee" laugh.
But this time, she actually gave an intermittent response. "Hee hee hee hee hee! The tournament... food... I smelled it... so many delicious smells..."
"Smelled it?"
Whitley caught this keyword and quickly pressed, "You mean... you sensed that there were many powerful beings at the Tournament of Power, and their scent attracted you, so you piloted the time machine to land there?"
"Hee hee hee hee hee..."
No. 21 returned to just laughing, no longer answering Whitley's questions.
As if that sentence was just a flash of inspiration.
This image of Whitley squatting on the ground, patiently coaxing a "crazy woman," was truly a rare sight.
Bulma, at the side, couldn't help but be amused, and her earlier frustration at being ignored had dissipated quite a bit.
She had only wanted Whitley to try, but she hadn't expected him to get so serious about it.
She smiled, walked over, and patted Whitley's shoulder. "Alright, alright, if you can't get it out of her, then forget it. It seems her madness can't be solved by simple communication. I'll do a deeper study of her genetic structure later and see if I can find a way to restore her sanity."
Whitley, persuaded by Bulma, stood up. His brow was slightly furrowed, as if he didn't want to give up just yet.
He constantly stroked his chin, and after a moment of thought, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Perhaps... we can try a more direct method?"
"Hmm?"
Bulma was stunned for a moment, then she also reacted and blurted out, "You mean... use the Dragon Balls?"
"That's right!" A smile appeared on Whitley's face. "Since scientific methods can't solve it for now, let's try magic! No matter what secrets are behind her, let's first find a way to restore her sanity! As long as she can communicate normally, many problems will be solved!"
They immediately put the plan into action!
Whitley easily picked up No. 21, who was still bound by divine power and could only stare at him eagerly. Bulma quickly found the Dragon Radar from a drawer.
The two of them, without a word, boarded a flight vehicle parked in the courtyard.
Bulma turned on the Dragon Radar, and the distribution of the light spots on the screen made her let out a soft "huh." "Let me see... the nearest Dragon Ball is... huh? Strange, the radar shows that apart from the one on Mount Paozu, the other six Dragon Balls are all gathered together, and they're moving? Is someone collecting the Dragon Balls?"
Whitley heard this, leaned over to look at the radar screen, and found that it was indeed so.
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Who cares who's collecting them? It saves us the trouble of running around. Let's go, we'll go straight to Mount Paozu and wait for the person collecting the Dragon Balls to come to us. We can also visit Goku and his family while we're at it."
With Whitley's word, Bulma skillfully started the flight vehicle and sped directly towards Mount Paozu.
...
Meanwhile, on a small road leading to Mount Paozu, a classic trio was in a state of ecstasy!
This group was none other than the ambitious but always-a-little-unlucky Emperor Pilaf, and his two loyal subordinates—Shu and Mai.
At their feet was a wooden box, which contained six orange-glowing Dragon Balls!
"Emperor Pilaf! Just one more! Just one more Dragon Ball, and your great ambition to rule the world can be realized! Sob sob sob... we... we've finally made it!!!"
Shu was so excited he was incoherent, still holding a half-empty bottle of champagne and dancing around.
One moment he was lamenting the hardships of the past years, the next he was pulling on Pilaf's sleeve, begging His Majesty not to forget his hardworking subordinate after he had achieved his great success.
Pilaf disgustedly shook off Shu's wine-stained hand, took out a handkerchief, and carefully wiped his clothes. Only then did he pick up his own wine glass and take a sip with feigned elegance.
But his eyes had already betrayed him.
They were filled with an infinite longing for the wonderful life of doing whatever he wanted after he had conquered the world!
Only Mai remained relatively calm, silently packing up the tableware at the side, preparing for the next leg of their journey.
After a brief "victory celebration," the three of them, with both excitement and trepidation, set off for Mount Paozu, the location of the last Dragon Ball shown on the Dragon Radar!
However, when they finally arrived at their final destination and saw Whitley and his group, who had been waiting for them for a long time...
The ecstatic expressions on the faces of Pilaf, Shu, and Mai instantly froze, and then turned pale at a visible rate!
Wh-why did they have to run into this god of misfortune here?!!
Pilaf was wailing in his heart, feeling that his dream of world domination had shattered into pieces before it had even begun.
He looked at the figure holding a child and chatting and laughing with Son Goku's family, and his legs were trembling!
In the face of absolute power, any scheme or trick was useless.
Pilaf was very pragmatic. He practically, with tears in his eyes, "voluntarily" presented the six Dragon Balls he had worked so hard to collect, along with the box, to Whitley.
Whitley didn't stand on ceremony. He took the box, patted Pilaf's stiff shoulder, and then directly placed the seven Dragon Balls together on the empty ground in front of Goku's house.
"Arise, Shenron!" Whitley shouted.
In an instant, the heavens and the earth changed color!
A massive green divine dragon appeared in the rolling dark clouds, its majestic form revealed, its huge red eyes scanning the earth.
"State your wish! I can grant any wish for you!" Shenron's deep voice echoed in the air.
Whitley looked up at the majestic Shenron and made his wish in a clear voice. "Shenron, my wish is: to restore Android 21's sanity and eliminate the insane appetite and negative effects caused by the Majin Buu cells in her body!"
However, to everyone's surprise, Shenron did not immediately grant the wish after hearing it.
Its huge dragon head was silent for a moment, and its red eyes seemed to flash with a hint of... difficulty?
After a while, Shenron finally spoke slowly, its voice seeming to have dropped a few decibels. "I am sorry, Lord Whitley. The wish you have made... is beyond my power. Uh... would you... be able to make another wish?"
"What?"
Whitley frowned slightly. Even Shenron couldn't do it? It seemed that No. 21's problem was even trickier than he had thought!
He looked at Shenron's somewhat apprehensive gaze and waved his hand. "Forget it, then let's change it."
He remembered his promise to Frieza and said casually, "Then make that guy Frieza 5 centimeters taller."
Hearing this extremely simple wish, Shenron seemed greatly relieved. Its eyes immediately burst forth with a dazzling red light, and it hurriedly replied, "This wish is very simple! Lord Whitley, your wish has been granted! Well then, until next time!"
Before its words faded, Shenron's massive body quickly dissipated, and the sky returned to its bright state.
The seven Dragon Balls turned to stone and flew off to various corners of the world with a whistling sound.
Whitley casually reached out and intercepted the Four-Star Ball as it flew away, tossing it to the spectating Goku. "Here, back to you."
Then he turned to Bulma and shrugged helplessly. "It seems Earth's Shenron can't handle it. We'll have to go a little further. Let's go to Namek and try with Porunga there."
...
Meanwhile, in the distant depths of space.
The Frieza Force had just completed a punitive action against a disobedient star system, and the massive fleet was on its way back to its headquarters.
In the huge hall of the flagship, Frieza was sitting in his baby carriage-like hover-pod, one hand propping up his chin, his gaze vacant, as he listened with boredom to his subordinates' reports on the spoils and losses of this operation.
The content of the reports was all the same: conquest, destruction, submission... tricks he had heard countless times.
Frieza's mind had long since drifted away, who knows what he was thinking.
After the subordinate had finished his report, Frieza still maintained that posture.
His eyes were empty, and he showed no reaction to the subordinate's report.
Sorbet, who was now second in command only to Frieza himself in the Frieza Force, saw this and couldn't help but clear his throat lightly and call out in a low voice, "Lord Frieza? Lord Frieza? Are you... feeling unwell?"
Frieza suddenly came back to his senses. He saw the subordinate kneeling and awaiting his instructions, and Sorbet's concerned and questioning gaze.
He waved his hand and said in his characteristic high-pitched voice with a smile, "Hehehe... I am fine."
He cleared his throat, about to say a few formulaic words of encouragement and then end this boring meeting...
A sudden change occurred at this moment!
Without any warning, Frieza's entire body was enveloped in a soft but dazzling light!
In this light, his somewhat... petite body in his final form actually began to stretch and grow at a visible rate!
When the light dissipated, Frieza was astonished to find that he had actually... grown taller!
He subconsciously stood up straight from his hover-pod, feeling the completely different perspective and the slightly tight battle suit on his body...
"Th-this is..."
Frieza was at a loss for a moment.
But the next second, a thought flashed through his mind like lightning!
It's Whitley! It's definitely that guy Whitley!
He had fulfilled his promise and had made a wish for him with the Dragon Balls!!!
"Hmph... hmph hmph hmph... haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"
After a brief daze, a huge ecstasy erupted from the bottom of Frieza's heart like a volcano!
He couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh, a laugh filled with the relief of a long-suppressed desire!
"I've grown taller! I, the great Lord Frieza, have finally grown taller!!! A full five centimeters! Five centimeters!!!"
He waved his hand excitedly and shouted at the dumbfounded attendant beside him, "Quick! Bring me the largest mirror! Quick!!"
Soon, a huge full-length mirror was brought over.
Frieza rushed to the mirror impatiently, looking from the left, looking from the right, constantly adjusting his posture, admiring his much more imposing new image.
He clenched his fists in excitement, feeling this historic moment, his voice even choked with emotion. "Five centimeters! A full five centimeters! I, Frieza... finally..."
To think that he, the emperor of the universe, Frieza, after ruling the universe for many years, his only shortcoming was the height of this final form!
Now, this regret had finally been remedied!
Although it was only five centimeters, the significance was absolutely huge!
"Relay my orders!"
Frieza turned around, full of spirit, and announced to all his subordinates, "A three-day holiday for the entire army! All expenses will be on me! To celebrate my... uh, to celebrate our army's great victory in this operation!!"
While Frieza was throwing a grand banquet in his fleet to celebrate his "new height," Whitley had already used Instant Transmission to arrive on the green Planet Namek with Bulma and the still-restrained No. 21.
Under the friendly reception of the current Grand Elder and Nail, Whitley briefly explained his purpose.
The Grand Elder readily agreed to the request to borrow Porunga.
The seven giant Namekian Dragon Balls were gathered together, and as the incantation was chanted, the sky darkened again.
The even larger Porunga, with a sacred and ancient aura, appeared in the sky of Namek.
"State your wish. I can grant any three wishes," Porunga's deep voice sounded.
Whitley once again stated his wish. "Porunga, my first wish is: to restore Android 21's sanity and eliminate the insane appetite and negative effects caused by the Majin Buu cells in her body!"
Porunga's red eyes gazed at No. 21 below and was silent for longer than Shenron.
After a long while, it finally spoke slowly, its voice tinged with gravity. "I am sorry, this wish... I cannot grant."
"Even you can't do it?"
This time, Whitley was truly surprised. "Can you tell me the reason?"
Porunga explained, "Within this being, there exists an extremely powerful and domineering gene. But this gene itself is incomplete, and this incompleteness is the root cause of her madness and being dominated by an infinite appetite. To complete or fundamentally change a defective gene of this level... is beyond the limits of my power."
After hearing Porunga's explanation, Whitley fell into deep thought.
Even Porunga couldn't solve it. It seemed that No. 21's problem...
Since this wish could not be granted, Whitley did not insist. After a moment of thought, he made other wishes.
"Well then, Porunga, my first wish is: to restore Bulma's youth, to return her body to its 18-year-old state!"
He had wanted to say 16, but... those who know, know.
A beam of light enveloped Bulma. She looked at her now firmer and smoother skin in surprise and, feeling the vitality surging within her, she couldn't help but happily hug Whitley's arm.
"My second wish..."
Whitley looked at Porunga. "Prepare a fine and durable ladies' wallet filled with Earth's common currency for No. 18."
It was a small surprise for her.
"My third wish..."
Whitley pondered. Porunga had mentioned that the root of No. 21's problem was a "defective, domineering gene," and this gene obviously came from Majin Buu.
Then the key to solving the problem might lie with Buu himself, or... with someone related to Buu!
A vague plan was gradually forming in his mind.
He looked up at Porunga and said, "Porunga, help me locate the exact coordinates of the dark wizard Babidi in the universe! And, until I successfully capture him, I need to be able to sense his specific location at all times!"
"Your wishes have all been granted."
Porunga's voice echoed in the air, and its massive body began to dissipate into light. "Well then, goodbye."
The seven giant Namekian Dragon Balls turned to stone and fell to the ground.
Whitley solemnly expressed his thanks to the Grand Elder and Nail of Namek.
Then he wasted no more time and immediately used Instant Transmission to return to Earth with Bulma, who was still immersed in the joy of returning to her 18-year-old self, and the restrained No. 21.
After settling Bulma down, Whitley prepared to set off immediately.
"You're leaving already?"
Bulma looked at Whitley, a hint of reluctance on her face.
"Yes, there's no time to lose. I'll go to the Sacred World of the Kais first to find Shin. The hidden threat of Babidi and Majin Buu... it's time to completely solve it."
Whitley nodded and gently kissed Bulma on the forehead. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
After speaking, his figure flashed and instantly vanished from before Bulma.
Bulma looked at the now-empty room and pouted unhappily. "Honestly, running off so fast. Actually... I wanted to go on an adventure with you too..."
She shook her head, pushed aside this small complaint, and picked up her phone to start dealing with the backlogged company affairs.
...
In the Sacred World of the Kais, the Supreme Kai, Shin, had just finished a session of studying the etiquette of the divine race and was about to find a place to relax.
Just then, the space beside him fluctuated slightly, and Whitley's figure appeared out of thin air.
"Whoa!"
Shin was startled by the sudden appearance!
Only after he saw clearly that it was Whitley did he let out a sigh of relief. "It's you, Whitley-san. Why did you suddenly come?"
Whitley did not exchange pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Shin, do you want to completely solve the great threat of Majin Buu?"
Hearing this, a complex expression appeared on Shin's face.
He nodded, his voice a little dry. "I do... I dream of it! But Whitley-san, Babidi's whereabouts are mysterious..."
Whitley waved his hand, a confident smile on his face. "Don't worry, I already know where Babidi is hiding. We can go there directly right now, drag him out, and deal with him! And then go to Earth, find the egg that seals Buu, and I will be the one to completely deal with him!"
Shin looked at the unquestionable confidence and power in Whitley's eyes, and recalling the power he had displayed at the Tournament of Power, the last trace of hesitation in his heart was replaced by a firm conviction.
He nodded vigorously, the flames of revenge burning in his eyes. "I understand! Then... I will leave everything to you, Whitley-san! Please, you must eliminate Majin Buu and avenge the Great Supreme Kai, and... the other Supreme Kais!"
Whitley reached out and patted Shin's shoulder firmly, his tone relaxed as he said, "Don't worry! I've got this!"
...
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