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

Page 40

Lin Ye! Over here!

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Bulma from the main universe poking her head out of a sewer opening. Her left arm was in a cast and she wore a combat power detector over her right eye.

The underground base was filled with surviving warriors—Wukong, Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, and even Keqing and Ganyu from Liyue. Everyone was wounded, and the monitors displayed two overlapping images of Earth.

How bad is the situation? Lin Ye took the energy drink that Bulma handed him.

"It's worse than you think," Piccolo said, arms crossed. "The matter from the two universes has begun to permeate each other."

Keqing's lightning element danced at her fingertips: the same in Teyvat, and a replica appeared in Mondstadt, where two Ventis were fighting in the square.

Gan Yu added: The most terrifying thing is those areas that have been merged... the creatures will suddenly turn into half-mechanical, half-flesh monsters.

Bulma invokes a holographic projection: According to calculations, in 72 hours, the two universes will completely overlap. At that time, all matter will...

Annihilation. Goku, unusually serious, replied, "What about Vegeta?"

Just as Lin Ye was about to answer, the entire base suddenly shook violently. The surveillance footage showed a huge mushroom cloud of energy rising from the direction of the desert.

They've decided the winner. Bulma frantically taps on the keyboard. Wait... this energy reading... impossible!

In the scene, the energies of the two Vegetas begin to fluctuate in sync, and their bodies are connected by a chain formed by a data stream.

The system is forcibly synchronizing! Bulma's face turned pale. If they were to complete the fusion...

Lin Ye has already rushed towards the exit: Location coordinates!

The desert had transformed into a massive crystallization pit. Two Vegetas floated in the center, entangled in countless streams of data. The main universe Vegeta struggled in agony, while the mirror image Vegeta wore a sinister smile.

Give up the resistance. The mirror image's voice carried a dual sound effect; we are one.

Lin Ye summoned the rock ridge and leaped into the battlefield, gathering the three elemental forces in his hands: Release him!

Mirror Vegeta turned his head, the data stream in his eyes suddenly accelerating: Ah, just what I need is a Zhongli template. He raised his hand and shot out a beam of black light, System, begin to devour!

Vegeta from the main universe suddenly broke free of his restraints and stood in front of Lin Ye. Black light pierced through his chest.

Idiot... Vegeta is coughing up blood, hurry... destroy his core...

Lin Ye helped Vegeta up as he fell and noticed that the purple substance unique to the Star God was seeping from his wounds.

Too late. Mirror Vegeta laughed, "Even I in the main universe have been corrupted!" His body began to swell and deform. "System, activate the Ultimate Fusion Protocol!"

A massive rift opened in the sky, and a gigantic hand composed of celestial bodies slowly extended. At the same time, Lin Ye felt a sharp pain erupt from the brand on his left palm, and he was horrified to discover that his arm was also beginning to digitize.

So that's how it is... Vegeta from the main universe struggled to his feet, "You were also an experimental subject..."

Mirror Vegeta has completely transformed into a mechanical monster: Welcome to witness the birth of a new world!

Just at this critical moment, a golden light descended from the sky. Wukong arrived with dozens of warriors, who simultaneously unleashed their strongest energy.

"Everyone, attack together!" Goku transforms into Super Saiyan Blue, and the others unleash their special moves as well.

Lin Ye channeled the power of the three elements into the earth's veins, activating the final safety measure left by Zhongli. Countless rock spears rose across the entire desert, forming a massive sealing array.

No! This is impossible! Mirror Vegeta is distorted in the energy storm; the system clearly calculated it...

Vegeta from the main universe suddenly rushed forward and grabbed the core of the mirror image: "Come to hell with me!" His body began to glow. "Lin Ye! Now!"

Lin Ye concentrated all his power into a three-colored spear and hurled it with all his might. The spear pierced through the chests of both Vegeta, and the system core shattered instantly.

Amidst the massive explosion, the Hand of the Star God emitted a piercing shriek and retracted from the rift. The sky began to return to normal, but Lin Ye discovered that his datafication had not stopped.

In the main universe, Vegeta lies amidst ruins, the wound on his chest shimmering with purple light: Listen carefully... the Black Tower's laboratory... in the spacetime rift... His body begins to dissipate, find... the real Zhongli...

Chapter 105: The Administration Bureau Appears

Lin Ye's fist slammed into the head of the last mechanical guard, denting its metal casing and sending sparks flying. He panted heavily as he looked around; the entire control room was a mess.

All defense systems are down. Silver Wolf's voice came through the communicator, but there was bad news—we'd triggered some kind of alarm.

Kafka wiped the blood from her cheek and twirled the dagger in her hand: What alarm could be worse than a galaxy-wide manhunt by the Interstellar Peace Corporation?

The lights in the control room suddenly went out, followed by a blinding golden beam of light shooting vertically down from the ceiling. Lin Ye instinctively stepped in front of Kafka, his star core vibrating in his chest as a warning.

It wasn't an alarm. A deep voice echoed from within the beam of light—it was an invitation.

A tall figure emerged from the pillar of light. It was a man dressed in a golden robe, with long, silvery-white hair that reached his waist. Most eerie of all were his eyes—they had no pupils, only ever-flowing galaxies.

The projection of Kronos...the Black Tower suddenly appeared beside Lin Ye, its usually calm voice trembling unusually: Director of the Time and Space Administration.

The figure took a step forward, its form solidifying on the ground. Lin Ye felt an invisible pressure bearing down on him, as if the weight of the entire universe was pressing down on his shoulders.

"Lin Ye, Kafka." Kronos's voice sounded like it was composed of countless fragments of time overlapping. "We've finally met."

Kafka slightly raised the tip of her knife: Stop playing tricks. You're in cahoots with those systems?

Kronos laughed, a laugh that reminded Lin Ye of the sound of a glacier cracking: "No, darling, the system is in cahoots with us. To be precise, we created the system."

Lin Ye's star core suddenly trembled violently, and a sharp pain spread from his chest throughout his body. He knelt on one knee, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"What did you do to him?" Kafka snapped, her dagger already pointed at Cronus's throat.

It merely activated the identification code within his body. Kronos waved his hand lightly, and Kafka was pushed away as if by an invisible hand, crashing heavily against the wall. Every system host has this, like a product's serial number.

Lin Ye struggled to lift his head: What exactly... do you want to say?

Kronos snapped his fingers. The entire control room vanished, and they suddenly found themselves in the vast universe. Countless galaxies swirled around them, forming a network of unimaginable size.

Look closely, this is the meaning of your existence.

Kronos tapped his finger, and countless points of light lit up the galactic network. Lin Ye was horrified to discover that each point of light was connected to a blurry human figure—the system host.

The universe did not form naturally. Kronos's voice echoed through the cosmos; it was a sophisticated machine that required energy to operate. And you—the system hosts—were the energy converters.

The star map shifted again, revealing scenes of the hosts' battles, pain, and struggles. With each emotional fluctuation, tiny amounts of energy were extracted and channeled into the cosmic network.

Anger, pain, hope, despair... Kronos knows them all by heart; these emotional energies are key to maintaining dimensional balance. And the system is the best tool for collecting these energies.

Kafka's face drained of color: You mean... everything we've been through?

"It's all pre-designed programming." Kronos nodded. "From the moment you obtained the system, your destiny was already written. Pain, growth, battles, sacrifices... all are for generating higher quality energy."

Lin Ye's fists clenched so tightly they cracked: Bullshit! He charged towards Kronos, his star core bursting with unprecedented light. "My choices are all my own will!"

Kronos simply raised his hand, and Lin Ye froze in mid-air, like a film that had been paused.

Willpower? He scoffed. What you perceive as free will is merely a probability calculated by the system. Eighty-three percent of hosts will reach your current level in the third year, and ninety-four percent will launch an attack upon learning the truth.

He snapped his fingers, and Lin Ye crashed heavily to the ground. The star map changed, revealing countless parallel universes, each containing a Lin Ye battling against Kronos.

See, even your resistance is part of the process.

The black tower's projection flickered: This is impossible... Interstellar Peace Corporation has been researching systems for over a century...

"A company?" Kronos laughed. "They're just our subcontractors. They think they're researching weapons, but they're really just helping us select suitable parts."

Kafka suddenly looked up: Parts?

Of course. Kronos waved his hand and pulled up a set of data: high-quality hosts would be promoted to administrators, responsible for maintaining energy collection in a certain star sector. Unqualified ones... he made a throat-slitting gesture, and were recycled.

Lin Ye felt a chill run down his spine. He thought of the hosts who had died in missions, and of his own countless near-death experiences. Was it all just... a quality control step on an assembly line?

"Why show yourself now?" Lin Ye asked through gritted teeth. Wouldn't it have been better to continue manipulating things from behind the scenes?

Kronos's Starry Eye flickered slightly: for the harvest season had arrived. At the end of each cosmic era, all energy was concentrated on restarting the process. He looked at Lin Ye and Kafka, and you two are the last two candidates for this era.

Kafka's fingers trembled slightly: What candidate?

Who will be the administrator of the next era? Kronos's voice suddenly became alluring: Imagine possessing near-divine power, managing the fate of an entire star sector...

"Fuck you!" Lin Ye roared, his star core erupting with a blinding red light. "I will not become your executioner!"

Kronos sighed. "I knew you'd say that. The data shows there's a 96% chance you'll refuse." He turned to Kafka. "And you, dear? You've always been...pragmatic."

Kafka's expression was inscrutable. Lin Ye watched her nervously, his heart pounding.

If I agree, she slowly spoke, what would Lin Ye do?

Kronos smiled: Recycle. But his data will be preserved, and perhaps he can become your assistant in the next era.

Lin Ye couldn't believe his ears: Kaffa, you wouldn't...

Kafka suddenly laughed, a laugh that sent chills down Lin Ye's spine: "Sounds good. But I have a condition."

Kafka! Lin Ye struggled to stand up, but was suppressed by an invisible force.

Kronos raised an eyebrow with interest: Tell me about it.

Let me take him back myself. Kafka walked towards Lin Ye, the dagger twirling in her hand. After all, we... have a special relationship.

Kronos laughed: Brilliant! Data shows there's only a two percent chance this will happen! He gestured for him to begin his performance.

Kafka knelt in front of Lin Ye, her purple hair falling down to obscure her expression. Lin Ye's eyes widened, unable to believe what was about to happen.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, the tip of the knife pressed against Lin Ye's chest.

Then, something unexpected happened.

Kafka's blade suddenly shifted, aiming for her own star core! At the same time, Lin Ye felt the power suppressing him vanish instantly—Kafka's plan had always been to create an opportunity for him!

"Now!" she roared, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

Lin Ye didn't hesitate. He concentrated all his strength in his right fist, and the light from the star core resonated with Kafka's blood, forming a red and purple energy beam that struck directly at Kronos's face!

For the first time, the director of the Time and Space Administration showed a look of surprise. He raised his hand to block, but the energy beam still grazed his cheek. A drop of golden liquid seeped from the wound, and the surrounding cosmic illusions began to distort and collapse.

Interesting. Kronos wiped away the drop of liquid; the data showed that the probability of this happening was only... 0.0001%.

The scene in the control room reappeared, but Kronos's figure had begun to blur.

It seems this era has indeed produced an anomalies. His voice is starting to distort, but it doesn't matter; the final harvest is about to begin. Then you will understand that resisting fate is itself part of fate.

His figure vanished completely, leaving only a final warning echoing in the air:

Seventy-two hours later, all system hosts will be forcibly recalled. Enjoy your last moments of freedom, parts.

Silver Wolf's exclamation came through the communicator: "All monitoring systems are back up! What just happened? I'm seeing abnormal energy fluctuations over there!"

Lin Ye didn't answer. He knelt beside Kafka, frantically pressing on the wound on her chest. Blood kept gushing from between his fingers, mixing with his own blood to form eerie patterns on the ground.

Why... his voice is so hoarse, it doesn't sound like his own.

Kafka smiled weakly: "The data shows... there's a 100% chance that if I do this... you'll owe me a life."

Lin Ye wanted to laugh but couldn't. He looked up at the projection of the black tower: What should we do?