Everyone turned toward the source of the tremors.
Ox-King charged toward them, his presence imposing, "Damn it, where did these villains come from? Let go of my daughter!"
Chi-Chi shouted, "Dad, don't be rash — they're not villains!"
"What?" Ox-King stopped in his tracks.
He looked at Goku and Bulma, sizing them up.
The Power Pole on Goku's back caught his attention, "Wait, could that staff on your back be the Power Pole?"
Goku nodded, "Yes, this is the Power Pole."
Chi-Chi chimed in, "Dad, I was going to surprise you. His name is Son Goku, and his grandfather is your senior brother, Son Gohan!"
Ox-King's face lit up, "What — you're Son Gohan's grandson! What a coincidence!"
Goku called out respectfully, "Hello, Mr. Ox-King!"
Ox-King laughed heartily, "Ha ha ha ha, time really flies! I haven't seen your grandfather in over ten years. How is my senior brother doing these days?"
Goku nodded, "Mm, Grandpa is doing well."
Ox-King asked, "But this place is thousands of miles from Mount Paozu. What are you doing here? Don't tell me my senior brother sent you to visit me?"
Goku glanced at Bulma, then back at him, "Grandpa had me go out with her to search for Dragon Balls. We happened to pass by here."
"Dragon Balls — what are those?"
Bulma took out the Dragon Ball and explained.
Ox-King had a sudden realization, "Oh, so it's this thing. I have one in my castle. Giving it to you isn't a problem, but the mountain is engulfed in flames. I need to put out the fire before I can retrieve it. Unfortunately, I sent Chi-Chi to borrow the Bansho Fan, but she hasn't even made it out of Fire Mountain yet. And we have no idea where our master lives now."
Bulma's mouth twitched.
Is this Ox-King out of his mind?
Chi-Chi is just a little kid who doesn't even know the way, yet he felt comfortable letting her go thousands of miles to Master Roshi's place to borrow the Bansho Fan.
But on second thought, she had just witnessed the little girl effortlessly slaughter a T-Rex. Small in size, but her combat power was just as fierce as Goku's. If she knew the way, it probably wouldn't be a problem.
Bulma withdrew her dismissive thoughts.
Compared to Chi-Chi, she didn't have the strength to truss a chicken, yet dared to run all over the world looking for Dragon Balls — now that was truly courting death.
Speaking of Roshi, Goku explained, "I know where Grandpa Master Roshi is. We met him a few days ago."
"What? You've met our master?"
Goku nodded, "Yes!"
Ox-King danced with joy, "Wonderful! Ha ha ha ha, I can reclaim my castle!"
Bulma cut in, "Don't celebrate too soon. Master Roshi lives by the sea — at least several thousand kilometers from here. A round trip would take half a month."
Ox-King froze, "Several thousand kilometers… our master lives quite far away. If only we had his Flying Nimbus."
Bulma looked at Goku, "In my opinion, let's stop collecting Dragon Balls. I don't want to make a wish anymore. I have to go back to school in less than half a month, so you should just come back to West City with me."
How could they just go back? As long as he extinguished the fire, his combat power would double — a huge profit!
Goku shook his head, "Don't worry, Bulma. We don't need to find the Turtle Hermit. I have a way to put out the fire."
Ox-King and Chi-Chi both looked at him.
They said in unison, "What method?"
"Kamehameha!"
✩✩✩✩✩
A moment later, everyone arrived at the foot of Fire Mountain. The heat was even more intense here, with waves of it making them all sweat profusely.
Goku wanted to extinguish the fire without destroying Ox-King's castle. He stood on top of a wall, looking for the right angle. The others watched him intently.
Chi-Chi said earnestly, "Please, Goku!"
Ox-King said skeptically, "Goku, can you really use that technique? I'll be honest — even I can't perform the Kamehameha!"
Bulma looked at Goku with curiosity, "To be honest, Goku has solved every danger we've faced along the way. I know he's capable, but I still find it hard to believe he can extinguish those flames with his bare hands."
As everyone waited skeptically, Goku found the right angle.
He placed both hands at his waist. Energy surged throughout his body, flowing toward his hands. In an instant, a blinding orb of light appeared in his palms.
Ox-King's eyes lit up, "It's — it's the Kamehameha!"
Chi-Chi's eyes widened, "Wow, is this the Kamehameha with externalized Ki?"
Bulma said nothing, watching Goku with bated breath.
"Ka~!"
"Me~!"
"Ha~!"
"Me~!!!"
The light in Goku's palms reached its peak.
"HA!!"
As he thrust his hands forward, the orb of light transformed into a fierce energy wave. The blinding white light illuminated the sky, overshadowing even the red glow from Fire Mountain.
Violent winds raged across the mountain. Under the shockwave, all the flames were extinguished.
After firing the energy wave, Goku felt completely drained. His combat power and energy reserves couldn't compare to Master Roshi's. But that worked in his favor — the fire was extinguished while the castle remained completely intact.
Ox-King and Chi-Chi shouted excitedly.
"Wow, that was amazing! Truly worthy of being Senior Brother Gohan's grandson!"
"Wonderful, the fire is out!"
Bulma swallowed in astonishment, "That was incredible… So this is the Kamehameha!"
〔 Mission completed! Rewarding the host immediately! 〕
〔 Current Battle Power: 68! 〕
In an instant, Goku felt power surge through his body — an incredibly refreshing sensation.
He clenched his fists. Doubled combat power felt amazing. Still, his current level was too low. If only this reward could be saved for later stages.
In the distance, Yamcha collapsed to the ground in fright.
"That guy — truly worthy of being Son Gohan's grandson. His power is terrifying!"
Puar nodded, "Yes, he's inhuman. Master, we should give up on getting revenge."
Yamcha clenched his fists angrily, "But I can't accept this!"
Puar offered a suggestion, "Master, his martial arts came from his grandfather Son Gohan. Why don't you become Master Roshi's disciple?"
"You want me to become a disciple? Are you kidding? I can defeat him through my own efforts!"
Puar, "Master, what are you going to do?"
"Go home and train!"
✩✩✩✩✩
Inside Ox-King's castle.
Bulma held the radar in one hand while searching for the Dragon Ball. Soon she found it and cradled it happily in her hands.
"Found it! One, two, three… seven — it's the Seven-Star Ball!" After celebrating, she realized no one was around, "Huh? Where's Goku?"
Bulma walked out of the treasure room holding the Dragon Ball.
A moment later, she saw Goku talking with Ox-King. Chi-Chi stood beside them, covering her flushed face and turning away shyly.
Bulma walked toward them, "Goku, I found the sixth Dragon Ball!"
Ox-King, Goku, and Chi-Chi all turned to look at Bulma.
"You found it so quickly — that's great." Goku said.
Bulma grinned, "Hehe, you're right. Everything's going smoothly. We only need one more to collect them all."
Goku nodded, "Yeah, let's hurry and find the last Dragon Ball."
"But our car is out of gas." Bulma said, "It would be great if we could refuel."
"That's easy."Ox-King said, "There's a big village nearby with a gas station. Just mention my name and you can fill up for free!"
His tone sounded like a mobster. Bulma quickly shook her head, "That's too much trouble! Don't worry, I brought enough money."
Ox-King smiled, "It doesn't matter — we'll be family anyway. To celebrate putting out the fire, I'll prepare a feast tonight. Let's have a big meal!"
Goku sensed Bulma's hesitation. He looked at her, "Bulma, do you want to stay the night?"
Ox-King had a thuggish air about him, and Bulma didn't want to stay. She said politely, "No, no — that would waste too much time. We still need to find the last Dragon Ball, so we won't intrude any longer!"
Ox-King nodded, "In such a hurry? Well, I won't keep you then. Have a safe journey!"
Bulma nodded, "Thank you!" She pulled Goku's hand, "We'll be going now! Goodbye!"
The two headed down the mountain.
"Wait!" Ox-King called out.
Bulma jumped in fright. What does he want now? Is he not going to let us leave? She turned around, only to see Ox-King pointing in another direction.
"You're going the wrong way. The village with the gas station is in that direction. Go down the mountain that way."
Bulma nodded, "Oh, thank you!"
The two changed direction and left.
Watching their figures disappear, Chi-Chi called out, "Goku, don't forget to come find me!"
Ox-King patted her head affectionately, "Chi-Chi, Goku is so outstanding. You must work hard to learn how to be a good wife, or you might lose to that girl named Bulma."
Chi-Chi nodded earnestly, "I understand. I'll study hard, Dad!"
✩✩✩✩✩
Several days passed in the blink of an eye.
Bulma was driving when the car suddenly stalled.
"What's wrong, Bulma?" Goku asked.
Bulma scratched her head, "Oh no, we're out of gas again…"
"Out of gas? Then let's get out and walk. You've been driving for days — you must be exhausted. If you don't want to walk, I can carry you."
Bulma smiled, "That's not necessary. According to the map, there's a town just five kilometers ahead."
"Is that so? That's good then!"
Since the car could be stored in a capsule, Bulma put it away. The two set off on foot toward the next town.
A moment later, they arrived at Fungus Town, controlled by the Rabbit Mob.
They headed straight for the gas station. They needed to fill up the car and the gas cans — otherwise, they wouldn't make it through the next few hundred kilometers.
Bulma handed the money to Goku, "Goku, you watch the refueling here. I'm going to buy some things!"
Goku nodded, "Don't go too far. Even though this is a city, it might not be safe."
Bulma laughed, "Don't be so worried. This is a town, not the mountains. It's so prosperous — how could it not be safe?"
With that, she went into a nearby shop alone.
At the same time, two soldiers from the Rabbit Mob came onto the street, acting like total thugs.
A child who got in their way was kicked aside. They casually kicked over a fruit stand, scattering apples all over the ground.
Merchants who saw them coming immediately backed away. They let the soldiers kick over stalls and take goods at will, too afraid to complain. All along the way, people kept their distance. Even dogs that got too close received a few kicks.
A moment later, Bulma emerged from the clothing store in new clothes, holding two bottles of soda.
New clothes on a beautiful woman — at that moment, she was the hottest girl on the street.
She looked around, "Why did the street suddenly become so deserted and gloomy?"
Just then, she saw two soldiers wearing rabbit decorations causing havoc. They kicked over a tea stand, and ceramics shattered all over the ground. The proprietress didn't dare resist and just cowered on the ground trembling.
Bulma frowned, "Those two guys are awful!"
The shopkeeper who sold her the cold drinks saw them pass by, "Miss, hurry up and hide inside. They're all bad people."
Bulma was stunned, "Bad people? Is the town really in such chaos?"
The shopkeeper explained quickly, "You don't know? They're from the Rabbit Mob. Don't provoke them!"
Just as the shopkeeper finished speaking, the two Rabbit Mob members looked in this direction. The shopkeeper immediately tensed up and retreated into his shop, but still peeked out. The two Rabbit Mob members exchanged a smile.
"There's a hot chick up ahead. She looks pretty fine!"
"Hehehe, yeah, she looks pretty good."
Soon, the two Rabbit Mob soldiers walked up to Bulma.
"Hey, miss, come keep us company!"
Fury flashed in Bulma's eyes, "Who are you people?"
The taller officer laughed, "Hehe, so you're from out of town — no wonder you're not afraid of us. Let me tell you, in this town, no one dares to mess with the Rabbit Mob. Even little kids stay away when they see us."
Bulma asked skeptically, "Is that so? What do you want?"
The shorter soldier rubbed his hands together lecherously, saying with a laugh, "Nothing much. We just want to invite you to have some fun with us, hehehe~"
Bulma sighed, "I don't have time to deal with you. If you don't want to get beaten up, stay away from me, got it?"
With that, she turned and headed toward the gas station.
At that moment, the tall soldier pulled out a gun and pointed it at Bulma.
"Hehe, you little brat, you're quite feisty. Are you tired of living?"