In Dragon Ball: A brutal beating of Frieza at the start

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Lin Ye pondered for a moment: "No, if the Time Management Bureau wanted to monitor us, they wouldn't need to use such a low-level method. This is more like..."

Before he could finish speaking, Trunks suddenly sat up from the medical bed, his eyes gleaming with gold again: "It's a messenger. The Observer's messenger."

Everyone looked at him. Trunks seemed much more stable than before, but the golden light in his eyes made him look both familiar and strange.

"Trunks, how are you feeling?" Bulma asked with concern.

“I’m fine, Mother. Better than ever.” Trunks got out of bed and stood up, his movements fluid and natural. “Those memories are gradually coming together, and I’m beginning to understand many things.”

Vegeta asked directly, "What exactly is this Observer you're talking about?"

Trunks walked to the main console, lightly touched it, and brought up a series of complex star charts and timeline graphs: "Observers are higher-dimensional beings. They use spacetime as their experimental field to observe the development of different timelines. The Time Management Bureau is ostensibly there to maintain the order of time, but in reality, it is a harvesting tool that serves the observers."

He zoomed in on a particular timeline model: "Our universe is at a critical juncture. The Observers are planning a massive 'harvest,' and the Time Bureau is here to prepare for it."

Lin Ye frowned: "Harvest? Like harvesting crops?"

"Pretty much." Trunks nodded. "When a timeline develops to a point where it's exciting enough, observers will 'harvest' it, absorbing its energy and creativity for their own purposes."

Number 18 said coldly, "So we're just lab rats?"

“Worse than that.” Trunks’s expression darkened. “At least the mice’s timelines end when they die. But the harvested timelines will endlessly loop key events, constantly generating energy for the observers to drain.”

Bulma covered her mouth in shock: "This is terrifying..."

Vegeta clenched his fists, his aura surging: "Let them try! Let's see who's the one to take down whom!"

Trunks turned to Lin Ye: "Your system is the key. It's not an ordinary cheat, but a weapon created by a higher-dimensional being that resists the Observer. The Genesis Code is the only force that can fight against the Observer."

Lin Ye seemed thoughtful: "So that's why Silver Fox was so shocked when she saw the Genesis Code..."

Suddenly, the entire laboratory shook violently, more violently than ever before. Alarms blared throughout the space, and red warning lights flashed frantically.

"What happened now?" Bulma hurriedly checked the surveillance footage and immediately gasped.

Surveillance footage showed dozens of spacetime rifts appearing above Capsule Corporation, each from which Time Management Bureau warships were emerging. From the largest rift, a massive dark shadow was slowly descending.

Trunks' expression turned serious than ever before: "They're here. The vanguard of the Observers."

Lin Ye felt the power recovering within his body, a determined light flashing in his eyes: "Then let them experience the backlash of an experimental subject."

Vegeta had already flown towards the exit, his voice filled with fighting spirit: "Finally, a worthy opponent has arrived!"

Number 18 checked the weapons system: "I have three black hole bombs left, enough to deal with these uninvited guests."

Bulma quickly operated the control panel: "I will activate all of Capsule Corporation's defense systems to provide you with support!"

Trunks walked over to Lin Ye and whispered, "The Observer's vanguard is powerful, but it has a weakness. They rely too much on prediction algorithms and cannot handle truly random variables."

Lin Ye smiled slightly: "Then I'll give them a little 'surprise'."

As the laboratory roof slowly opened, the group was met with a sky full of enemy ships. In the largest spacetime rift, the enormous black shadow finally appeared in full force. It was a colossal creature composed of countless clocks and data streams, its core flashing with an unsettling red light.

"High-dimensional threat detected." A mechanical voice came from all directions. "Execute the cleanup procedure."

Lin Ye was the first to leap into the air, his body radiating golden light: "You are the ones who should be eliminated!"

A battle that will determine the survival of the entire timeline is about to erupt.

Chapter 463 The Hidden Watcher

The laboratory was a mess, broken instruments sparking intermittently, and the air was thick with the smells of burning and residual ozone. Trunks lay on the central lab table, pale but his breathing had become much more steady. Bulma had just received emergency treatment and was now wiping the sweat from her brow.

“It’s stable for now.” Bulma breathed a sigh of relief, but her brows remained furrowed. “But this is only a temporary measure. If the root cause of the Time Toxin isn’t eliminated, it could relapse at any time.”

Vegeta stood to the side with his arms crossed, his eyes dark: "Explain yourself, what exactly is this Time Toxin?"

Lin Ye sat down against the wall, the system interface flickering before his eyes: [System recovery in progress...72%...] He rubbed his temples and explained, "According to the data I just analyzed, the Time Toxin is a weapon used by the Time and Space Administration to eliminate 'abnormal time points.' It doesn't directly attack the physical body, but rather disrupts the flow of time within the human body, ultimately leading to its complete decomposition."

Number 18 suddenly spoke, his voice cold: "What is this 'Observer' that Silver Fox mentioned? Trunks also mentioned this word before he fell into a coma."

All eyes turned to Lin Ye. He frowned, recalling the fragmented information the system had analyzed: "The Observers... seem to be beings of a higher dimension than the Time and Space Administration. They monitor countless timelines, treating each world as an experimental field."

Bulma's face turned pale: "Like when we put lab rats in a maze to do experiments?"

“Worse.” Lin Ye shook his head. “To them, we’re probably not even as good as lab rats, just a few variables in the data stream. They observe, record, and occasionally… adjust the parameters.”

Vegeta slammed his fist into the wall, instantly denting the alloy wall: "What a joke! I don't care about these Watchers, if they dare to come, I'll beat them to a pulp!"

Just then, the laboratory lights flickered. A tiny mechanical spider fell from the vent, making a crisp sound that was particularly jarring in the silent laboratory.

"What is that?" Number 18 reacted quickly, stepping on the mechanical spider before it could self-destruct.

Lin Ye picked up the wreckage, and the system immediately popped up an analysis interface: [Advanced surveillance device, source: unknown, technology level: more than 500 years ahead of the current timeline]

“We’ve been under surveillance all along,” Lin Ye said grimly. “It may have started a long time ago.”

Bulma immediately rushed to the control panel, her fingers flying across the keyboard: "Initiate full scan! Level 1 security protocol! I want to see how many of these little bugs there are!"

The scanning wave swept across the entire capsule company, constantly uncovering hidden surveillance devices. They were on the ceiling, under the floor, inside the equipment, and even in everyone's personal belongings.

Vegeta pulled a pinhead-sized device from a lining of his battle suit, his face grim: "When...?"

Number 18 was even more direct. She took out a nano-monitor that had already fused with the tissue from her arm: "Dr. Gro's 'gift.' Now that I think about it, he wasn't entirely original."

Most disturbingly, a monitor was also found inside the time stabilizer, which was the antique device left by Bulma's father.

“Father…” Bulma slumped into a chair, her expression complex, “He probably knew something all along…”

Lin Ye suddenly remembered something: "Trunks said he was a 'variable,' and Silver Fox said I was a 'seed'... These words must be related."

The system suddenly popped up a red alert: [A high-dimensional information stream has been detected attempting to connect... Immediate blocking is recommended!]

"Wait!" Lin Ye stopped the system's automatic defense. "Let it in, but be prepared to track and record it."

A strange flow of information flooded his mind, not in language, but in direct concepts and images. He saw countless timelines branching out like tree branches, each with a "variable" at play. And at some particularly important branches, a familiar golden light shimmered, originating from the same energy source as his system.

“Seeds…” Lin Ye suddenly realized, “We are the variables that the observers plant, used to test the possibilities of the timeline’s development.”

Vegeta clicked his tongue impatiently: "Speak like a human! Stop using those weird words!"

"It means that our lives may be preordained," Lin Ye said in a heavy tone. "Every important choice, every breakthrough, may be part of a calculation from a higher dimension."

Number 18 frowned: "Then what about our free will? Is it all fake?"

“It might be fake, it might be real.” Lin Ye looked at the unconscious Trunks. “The only certainty is that the observer does not want the variable to get out of control.”

Suddenly, all the surveillance devices emitted a voice at the same time. It was no longer Silver Fox's electronic voice, but an indescribable multi-tone voice, as if countless people were speaking at the same time: "Variable Lin Ye, you have come into contact with the truth sooner than expected."

Vegeta immediately went into battle mode, his aura surging: "Who's speaking? Show yourself!"

"You may call us observers." The voice seemed to come from all directions, calm and devoid of any emotion. "Don't be nervous, we mean no harm."

Lin Ye sneered: "Surveillance, attack, poisoning, and you call that no malicious intent?"

“That was an overreaction by the Bureau.” The voice was flat. “We were just observing and recording. Silver Fox has been dealt with as punishment for overstepping his authority.”

Bulma suddenly interrupted, her voice filled with suppressed anger: "My father... Dr. Brief... what is his relationship with you?"

For the first time, a subtle fluctuation appeared in his voice: "Brief is an interesting variable. He accidentally intercepted our observation signals but mistook them for alien communication. Many of his inventions are actually...clumsy imitations of our technology."

Lin Ye thought of the fragments of creation: "What about this? Was it also 'sent' by you?"

"The Genesis Code is the foundational building block, scattered across various timelines," the voice explained. "Being able to collect and utilize it proves your potential as a seed."

Suddenly, Number 18 pointed his gun at a surveillance camera that hadn't been completely destroyed: "So all of this was your game?"

“It was an experiment,” the voice corrected, “but your performance exceeded expectations. Especially the variable Trunks, who was supposed to decompose in the Time Toxin, but unexpectedly fused with it.”

Lin Ye felt nauseous: "So our lives are just an experiment?"

"All life is part of a greater existence." The voice was devoid of emotion. "The difference is that you have the opportunity to go from being experimental subjects to being experimental subjects."

A holographic projection suddenly appears, displaying a complex, multi-dimensional structure: "Join us, become one of the observers. You will transcend time and witness infinite possibilities."

Vegeta unleashed a Ki Blast at the projection: "Who wants to join you! Come out and have a fair fight!"

The projection remained motionless: "Violence cannot solve all problems, Saiyans. Especially when faced with an absolute power gap."

Lin Ye stopped Vegeta, who was about to continue his attack: "What if we refuse?"

"Then the experiment continues." The voice remained calm, "but next time it won't be a minor figure from the Bureau. The Reaper will handle the out-of-control variables personally."

The projection disappeared, and all the monitoring devices simultaneously self-destructed into dust.

The laboratory was deathly silent. Everyone was processing the information they had just received.

Bulma was the first to break the silence, her voice trembling slightly: "So, we either join them or get wiped out by the even more powerful 'Reapers'?"

Lin Ye nodded: "That's basically it."

Vegeta sneered, "Then let them come! I've been looking for a strong enough opponent!"

Number 18 inspected the weapons, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Count me in. I hate being watched the most."

Lin Ye looked at the unconscious Trunks, then recalled the words of Mirror Lin Ye. He took a deep breath, a determined golden light flashing in his eyes: "Perhaps... we have a third path."

Everyone looked at him.

“Since we are the variables, then let’s be the variables to the end.” Lin Ye straightened up, and the system interface was fully restored in front of him, flashing with unprecedented light. “They want to see the experimental results? We’ll give them an unexpected result.”

[Host's determination to break through restrictions detected; hidden module activated: Variable Engine started]

An unprecedented power surged within Lin Ye. This time, he would not only change his own destiny, but also the destiny of all lives manipulated by the observers.

But in the shadows of the laboratory, a faint light flickered, and a monitoring device survived, silently recording everything.

“First,” Lin Ye turned to Bulma, “we need to upgrade all the protection systems, using the power of the Genesis Code.”

Bulma immediately perked up: "My father's research notes contain some strange designs that, in retrospect, might be useful."

Vegeta picked up Trunks: "I need to train, to train harder. If those Reapers come, I need to be prepared."

Number 18 looked at Lin Ye: "What are your specific plans?"

Lin Ye brought up the system interface, where a series of complex codes flashed in the air: "Observers think they can predict everything, but variables are variables precisely because they cannot be completely predicted. What we need to do is become the greatest uncertainty."

He glanced toward a corner of the laboratory, seemingly unintentionally glancing at the still-functioning surveillance device.

“Let them see,” Lin Ye’s voice carried a hint of provocation. “We need someone to witness all of this.”

In a fleeting moment when no one was watching, Lin Ye winked at Number 18 and pointed to the hidden surveillance camera. Number 18 nodded almost imperceptibly, indicating that he understood.

Observers may think they still have everything under control, but what they don't know is that variables have already begun to counteract. The game has only just begun, and the rule-changers are no longer just one side.