radicalducati Page 122
Page 122
“Next, it’s time to deal with the real trouble.” He clenched his fist, and the golden and silver flames shone brightly again, like two burning stars. “Do those guys hiding behind the scenes think they can defeat us with these petty squabbles? They’re too naive.”
Vegeta flew to his side, his purple and gold-silver auras shimmering like two intertwined flames: "Count me in. This prince won't let you steal the spotlight all by yourself; how could I be left out of this?"
Lin Ye turned his head and met Vegeta's gaze. There was no longer any hostility in his eyes, only the tacit understanding between warriors, like two swords side by side in their sheaths, each sharp, yet mutually acknowledging each other.
"Let's go then."
Two streaks of light shot into the depths of the starry sky, followed by Goku and his friends. Gohan helped the wounded catch up, still muttering something to them; Goku ran while stuffing Senzu Beans into his mouth, calling out indistinctly, "Wait for me!"; Frieza snorted coldly, but still quickened his pace, golden energy flowing around him.
The alarm in the realm of the God of Destruction has subsided, but Lin Ye knows that the real trial has only just begun. As the power of the God of Destruction is imbued with the warmth of protection, and as the conspiracy of the Rulers of Heaven continues to fester in the shadows, the road ahead is still long.
but it does not matter.
As long as they have these comrades by their side, as long as they remember why they are fighting—for that unfinished bowl of ice cream, for the trust between them on the battlefield, for the rising sun in every universe—even the darkest night can lead to their own dawn.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the universe, unnoticed by anyone, a dark purple rift was quietly opening. From within the rift came a familiar, mechanical, cold laugh, a laugh that carried the harshness of metal scraping against metal and a hint of triumphant confidence.
A new storm is brewing.
Chapter 286: Visitors from Parallel Universes
Inside Earth's gravity training room, the piercing screeching of metal scraping against metal was ear-piercing. Lin Ye stood barefoot on the alloy floor, a silver destructive energy blade flowing in his palm, precisely cutting through the ultra-hard alloy before him. The metal block seemed to be sliced open by an invisible knife, peeling away layer by layer into atomic-level powder, swirling in the airflow, and finally falling to the ground and piling up into fine sand.
Since becoming the God of Destruction, he spends 12 hours a day here. Sweat drips down his jawline, leaving small wet patches on the ground. His muscles gleam with a bronze glow under the training lights, each muscle precisely controlling the earth-shattering power.
"Whoosh—" He retracted his energy blade, watching the alloy block completely turn to ashes. The destructive energy in his chest finally slumped back into his dantian. Recalling the asteroid that exploded during his first loss of control, he still felt lingering fear. He raised his hand to wipe his face; the cuffs of his training uniform were soaked with sweat.
"Ring ring—" The communicator in the training room suddenly rang, its piercing sound shattering the silence. Bulma's anxious face appeared on the screen; her hair was disheveled, her glasses had slipped down to the tip of her nose, and the alarms of the equipment could be heard in the background: "Lin Ye! Come to Capsule Company immediately! Something terrible has happened!"
"What's wrong?" Lin Ye grabbed the towel draped beside him and wiped his face, his heart skipping a beat. Bulma rarely lost her composure like this.
"We've discovered a strange spacetime rift!" Bulma's fingers tapped rapidly on the control panel off-screen. "Something's crawling out of there...something that looks exactly like you! It even has a mechanical left eye, and it's smashing up the lab everywhere!"
Lin Ye's movements abruptly halted, the destructive energy that had just subsided nearly spiraling out of control, ripples spreading through the air in his palm. He recalled the mask of the Primordial Singularity that resembled his own, and his heart clenched as if gripped by a hand: "I'll be there right away."
The moment he hung up the call, he had already disappeared from the training room.
The Capsule Corporation's lab was a chaotic mess, as if it had been swept by a typhoon. Debris from equipment was everywhere, sparking wires were tangled around broken alloy pillars, and the air was thick with the smell of ozone and burning metal. Lin Ye had barely rushed into the lab when he was frozen in place by the sight before him—within the energy barrier, a "self" dressed in a black combat suit leaned lazily against the wall, his left prosthetic eye flashing red, a sinister smile he'd never shown before playing on his lips, and emanating the familiar, nauseating energy of the Devourer.
"Hey, the real thing's here." Hei Linye looked up, the red light of his mechanical eyes scanning Linye's entire body like a scanner assessing goods. "I thought the God of Destruction would be more imposing, but I didn't expect him to be dressed like a fitness instructor."
Lin Ye's destructive energy condensed into a pale golden sphere in his palm, and the airflow at his fingertips was compressed into a buzzing sound: "Who are you? Which universe do you come from?"
"Why ask so many questions?" Hei Linye suddenly rammed into the energy barrier, his elbow slamming heavily against the pale blue light wall. The barrier rippled upon contact, like water rippled after a pebble was thrown in. "Why don't you guess, am I here to kill you, or to help you?"
"Watch out!" Bulma's scream came from the control panel. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, her forehead covered in cold sweat. "His energy can assimilate technological devices! The barrier's molecular structure is being rewritten; it can't hold on much longer!"
Lin Ye suddenly withdrew his destructive energy and pressed the red button on the control panel. The energy barrier receded like a tide, revealing Lin Ye's astonished face.
"Are you crazy?" Vegeta appeared at the laboratory door without anyone noticing, purple flames already surging around him. "This guy is clearly on the Devourer's side!"
“If he wants to make a move,” Lin Ye’s eyes were calm and unwavering as he stared directly into Hei Lin Ye’s mechanical eyes, “there is enough space here for us to have a good fight. But I’m more curious about why my other self from another universe is involved with the Devourer.”
Hei Linye froze, then burst into maniacal laughter. The sound echoed jarringly against the metal walls of the lab: "Interesting...much more interesting than my own self in that universe." He stretched his neck, the mechanical eye making a soft whirring sound as gears turned. "Since you're so eager to know, I'll mercifully tell you—"
“In my universe, I couldn’t stop the singularity.” His voice suddenly turned somber, the wicked smile vanished from his lips, leaving only an unyielding coldness. “I watched helplessly as Earth was swallowed up, as Vegeta turned into a monster, as Goku exploded into stardust… In the end, I could only merge with the Devourer’s energy and become a lonely soul traversing parallel universes.”
He raised his hand and pressed the mechanical eye, and a holographic projection suddenly appeared in the center of the laboratory—it was a collapsing universe, the Earth was melting in dark purple energy, Vegeta's Super Saiyan form was entangled by the Devourer's energy and turned into a mindless monster; Goku's Kamehameha was extinguished instantly like a match in the torrent of dark matter; Krillin, Gohan, Bulma... all the familiar faces disappeared in the explosion.
The atmosphere in the lab instantly became as heavy as lead. Vegeta's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his knuckles turning white. Recalling his near-annihilation experience, his purple aura nearly spiraled out of control: "What do you want? Don't think you can fool us with a made-up story!"
"What good would it do to lie to you?" Hei Linye sneered, the red light of his mechanical eyes reflecting a complex glow, like a flickering flame hidden within. "I'm here to warn you—the creator of the system is not the Omni-King, but a 'Observer' from a higher dimension. They treat every universe as an experimental field, and our battles, growth, and even our joys and sorrows are just entertainment for them."
Lin Ye's system interface suddenly displayed a glaring red alert: [High-dimensional energy fluctuations detected, suspected observer intervention! Warning! Information leakage risk!]
"Looks like they heard us." Hei Linye suddenly rushed into the spacetime tunnel deep inside the laboratory, his mechanical arm unfolding into a blade behind him. "If you want to know the truth, follow me! I know where their observation point is!"
Lin Ye and Vegeta exchanged a glance. Although the latter looked reluctant, he still took the lead and followed: "Don't try anything funny, or I'll show you that Saiyans from any universe are not to be trifled with!"
The moment you pass through the spacetime tunnel, the desolation of the lunar surface hits you. Gray dust billows at your feet, and distant craters resemble empty eyes staring at the sky. A massive metal platform is slowly unfolding, countless cameras aimed at Earth, data streams forming complex formulas in the air, like a spiderweb covering the planet.
“Look,” Kurin pointed to the crystal ball in the center of the platform, which displayed battle scenes from various universes—some fighting Frieza, some battling Cell, and others experiencing Buu’s rampage. “This is their toy box. Our lives are nothing more than chips they bet on.”
The crystal ball suddenly lit up with a pale white light, and a cold, emotionless voice echoed in the moon sky, like countless machines speaking at the same time: "Violator detected, initiating the cleanup process."
Countless laser beams shot out from the platform, raining down on the three. Suddenly, Hei Linye stepped in front of Lin Ye, his mechanical arm instantly unfolding into a massive energy shield: "Run! This lousy shield can only hold for 30 seconds!"
"What are you doing!" Lin Ye tried to pull him away, but Vegeta held his shoulder firmly.
"No time!" Kurobayashi's body gradually became transparent in the laser light, the metal shell of his mechanical arm melting under the high temperature, revealing the shimmering circuitry inside. "Remember, the key to breaking the cage lies in the 'outliers' of every universe... like your unpredictable destructive energy, Vegeta's arrogance, or even Bulma's inventions..."
His voice grew softer and softer, his body transforming into countless specks of light, but before dissipating, a relieved smile appeared on his face: "So... the feeling of being able to speak the truth is this good..."
As Heilin Ye completely dissipated, Lin Ye felt the destructive energy within him resonate with his Saiyan bloodline, like two rivers merging into a vast ocean. A new system notification popped up: [Gained "Observer Analysis" privileges, unlocking the hidden mission "Breaking the Cage." Mission Objective: Find all the "anomalies" in the universes and dismantle the Observer's experimental field.]
Vegeta watched the shrinking metal platform, then suddenly sneered, purple flames exploding around him: "These scum hiding behind the scenes, they'll taste the power of the Saiyans sooner or later. I'll tear their platform to scrap metal then."
Lin Ye gazed in the direction of Earth, the blue planet shining like a jewel in the universe. There, people were still striving for a peaceful life—Bulma's children were chasing each other in the park, Gohan was lecturing at the university, and Chi-Chi was cooking dinner in the kitchen. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, knowing that the real battle had only just begun.
“Let’s go,” he said, turning toward the spacetime portal, destructive energy swirling in his palm, yet carrying an unprecedented resolve. “We still have a lot of preparations to make. For example, let’s ask the Omni-King whether he knows about the existence of these ‘spectators’.”
Vegeta followed behind him and suddenly sneered, "I bet those two brats don't know anything, all they do is play rock-paper-scissors all day."
"Then let them know what it's like to be treated like a toy."
The two figures vanished into the spacetime tunnel, leaving only the howling solar winds and faint remnants of observer energy on the lunar surface after the platform contracted. In a dimension unseen by them, countless eyes watched everything through screens, cold whispers echoing in the void:
"The outliers in this universe are awakening."
"The experimental parameters have deviated; should we intervene to correct them?"
"No, let's continue observing. Let's see how much trouble this 'destroyer' can stir up."
A new game has quietly begun.
Chapter 287: The Observer's Game
Suddenly, the Earth's night sky was torn apart by countless diamond-shaped points of light, which, like floating screens, densely covered the entire firmament. In the northernmost point of light, dinosaurs struggled in the volcanic ash of the Cretaceous period; directly above the equator, a technological civilization was reduced to tektites in a nuclear explosion; and the diamond-shaped panel near the moon vividly displayed the moment Namek was destroyed by Frieza—even the golden light of Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan was clearly recorded.
Lin Ye stood on the roof of Capsule Corporation. The evening breeze lifted the hem of his training uniform. Destructive energy condensed into a deep purple sphere in his palm, the airflow at his fingertips whistling under pressure. He could sense that these points of light were not merely projections, but were radiating a certain fluctuation, like invisible tentacles probing the emotions of Earthlings.
"System notification: The observer has activated 'public experiment' mode." Alice's electronic voice was crackling with static, clearly indicating that even her program had been interfered with. The holographic projection unfolded in front of Lin Ye, showing real-time scenes of various planets—some civilizations were kneeling and praying before the light, worshipping the observer as their creator god; others were frantically attacking the light, only to be blown to pieces by their own weapons; and still others had begun to imitate the war shown in the scene, fighting each other with primitive spears.
"What are these guys trying to do? Show off their control?" Vegeta's deep blue aura suddenly exploded beside him, the scorching energy blasting a piece of falling satellite debris into dust, metal fragments streaking across the night sky like a meteor shower. "A bunch of scum hiding behind screens!"
“Worse than showing off.” Lin Ye pointed to a point of light in the northeast, where a civil war in a certain universe was playing—Saiyans wearing the same armor were tearing each other apart, their green blood staining the entire planet red, while the data streams above their heads were slowly forming the four cold characters “survival of the fittest.” “They are leading civilization toward destruction. Fear, despair, even worship… these emotions will be transformed into the energy they need.”
"Like squeezing juice?" Goku's voice suddenly came from below the roof. He was carrying Goten, having just returned from the training grounds, their battle suits still steaming. "Squeezing everyone's emotions into energy?"
As soon as he finished speaking, all the points of light suddenly switched their images simultaneously. The scene of Lin Ye fighting the Primordial Singularity in the 13th Universe was magnified infinitely, with golden and silver flames rolling across the sky, and even his roar from that time was transmitted throughout the world through the points of light: "You think you can gain eternity by devouring the universe?!"
"Experiment Subject 739, an anomaly combining the energy of a God of Destruction with Saiyan blood." A cold electronic voice suddenly resounded through the sky, as if countless loudspeakers were playing simultaneously. "Potential assessment 98.7%, emotional fluctuation amplitude exceeds the average by 37 times, possessing high observational value."
Earth's communication channels exploded instantly. The Capsule Company's hotline rang incessantly, news anchors screamed at the camera on the giant screens in city squares, old farmers in remote mountain areas raised their hoes and kowtowed to "Lin Ye" in the sky, and even the live fighting match in the stadium of Satan City stopped, with the audience looking up at the earth-shattering figure in the sky, and discussions surged like a tide.
"Is that Mr. Lin Ye? When did he become so strong?"
"What are those monsters? Has he been fighting those things all this time?"
"Observers...test subjects...are we all just toys for others?"
“They’re putting you in the spotlight.” Bick’s figure slid out from the shadows of the rooftop, his green skin gleaming coldly in the light. He had just arrived from the Temple of the Gods, still clutching a few shattered floor tiles in his hand. “Whether you’re worshipped as a savior or feared as a monster, as long as there’s a fluctuation in your emotions, the observer can collect energy.”
Lin Ye suddenly laughed, and the destructive energy and golden flames around him suddenly intertwined into a spiral, like DNA strands spinning at high speed. He remembered the look in Lin Ye's eyes before he disappeared, and the back of Vegeta standing in front of the laser. Those so-called "experimental subjects" were never just cold numbers: "Then let them see how hot the resistance of the 'experimental subjects' can be."
The moment he soared into the sky, the sonic boom generated by supersonic speed shattered glass within a ten-mile radius. At the edge of the atmosphere, Lin Ye spread his arms, destructive energy surging from the soles of his feet, while Saiyan golden flames poured in from the top of his head. The two forces collided and merged within his body, forming a giant energy cocoon that dyed half the moon a golden-purple hue.
When the light faded, everyone held their breath—Lin Ye's hair turned silver-white, each strand seemingly bathed in moonlight; his pupils were the crimson unique to the God of Destruction, yet burning with the fighting spirit of a Saiyan; most astonishingly, the energy flow around him was a pale golden aura entwined with deep purple destructive energy, like two giant dragons chasing each other.
"This move is called 'Boundary-Breaking Fist'!"
Lin Ye's fist slammed into the nearest diamond-shaped point of light. There was no earth-shattering explosion, but the observation device, which was hard enough to withstand the temperature of a star, shattered like glass struck by a heavy hammer. Countless binary codes turned into a rain of light in the energy impact, falling to Earth as twinkling fireflies.
"Resistance detected in the experimental subject. Punishment mechanism activated." The observer's voice suddenly turned shrill, like fingernails scraping against a metal plate.
The earth trembled violently, the steel structure of Tokyo Tower groaned under the strain, the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji suddenly exploded, lava flowed down the slope, staining half the sky red. Lin Ye looked down and saw the Amazon rainforest in South America collapsing, the sea level in the Atlantic Ocean suddenly rising, and a tsunami crashing down on the coastal cities like a giant white wall.
"They're interfering with Earth's geological structure!" Bulma's scream came through the communicator, mixed with the clatter of keyboards. "I need at least ten minutes to adjust the gravity device! These lights are affecting the frequency of plate tectonics!"
"Buy you some time!" Lin Ye's figure flashed across the globe. Wherever the destructive energy passed, the magma of Mount Fuji suddenly solidified into black rock, the collapsed fissures in the Amazon were welded shut by golden flames, and the tsunami in the Atlantic Ocean turned into a deluge the moment it came into contact with the pale purple energy wave. But he could feel that the observer's energy was penetrating the Earth's core like a virus, and each repair was more difficult than the last.
“This can’t go on.” Vegeta’s voice was panting. He had just pushed a Hawaiian volcano back into the ground, and the purple flames had dimmed somewhat. “We’re like inflating a leaky balloon. We need to find their main control center and solve the problem once and for all.”
Lin Ye suddenly remembered Hei Lin Ye's words before he disappeared; those hints about "outliers" flashed through his mind like lightning. "Alice, immediately analyze all the publicly available data of the destroyed universes and find their commonalities before their destruction!"
The holographic projection instantly unfolded before Lin Ye, with countless data streams cascading down like a waterfall. Alice's robotic arm flew across the virtual keyboard, fine beads of sweat beading on her forehead: "Found it! In all the destroyed universes, 17 days before their destruction, there were 'unexplainable energy fluctuations'—the so-called 'outliers'! These fluctuations were initially very weak, like pebbles thrown into a lake, but eventually they all turned into tsunamis!"
"What does this mean?" Trunks' voice came from the direction of New York. His Time Sword was deflecting a meteorite that had sprung from deep within the Earth's crust, the energy patterns on the sword flickering. "The anomaly is a virus planted by the observer?"
“No,” a glint flashed in Lin Ye’s eyes, his destructive energy and Saiyan aura surging simultaneously. He finally understood the meaning of Hei Lin Ye’s words, “The key is in the outliers.” “This means that outliers are the key to breaking the observer’s control! Just like…”
"Interpretation of core rules is prohibited!" The observer's roar suddenly interrupted him. All the points of light in the sky turned red at the same time, like countless bloodshot eyes. "Subject 739, multiple violations, initiating the top-level elimination procedure!"
A beam of light brighter than a star descended from the sky, heading straight for the roof of the capsule company where Lin Ye was located. The energy contained in that beam was enough to blast the Earth into an asteroid belt. Lin Ye could even feel his cells beginning to disintegrate within the beam. Just then, a purple figure suddenly slammed into him.
"Vegeta!"
Vegeta's deep blue aura erupted with unprecedented intensity. He spread his arms to shield himself from the beam, his battle suit disintegrating inch by inch in the intense heat, instantly revealing charred scars on his exposed skin. But the Saiyan prince wore a proud smile, even spitting in Lin Ye's direction: "Don't look at me like that… I just don't want you to steal all the limelight…"
As the beams of light dissipated, Vegeta knelt on the ground, his body covered in wounds, yet his spine remained straight. He looked up at the sky and gave the points of light the middle finger: "Is that all you've got? Not even enough to warm up this prince!"
Lin Ye looked at his companions—Goku had already taken Goten into space, trying to temporarily block the light with a Kamehameha; Piccolo was using clones to organize the evacuation of refugees; Trunks and Gohan stood back to back on the ruins of Los Angeles, their Time Sword and energy waves flashing alternately; even Bulma's voice came through the communicator, with the firmness of typing on a keyboard: "30 seconds left! Gravity device adjusted!"
He suddenly understood the true meaning of outliers.
“Each of us is an outlier.” Lin Ye’s voice traveled across the Earth through the destructive energy, and everyone in every corner could hear it clearly. “Observers think they can calculate everything, but they can’t calculate why Goku lets the enemy go time and time again, why Vegeta fights for Earth, or why we would rather perish together than be someone else’s toy!”
"These so-called friendships, courage, and rebellious spirits..." He raised his hand and grasped Vegeta's shoulder, destructive energy flowing into his palm and healing the other's wounds, "are the true keys to breaking free of the cage!"
As the energy of all the warriors converged into a golden pillar of light in the sky, the points of light in the heavens began to flicker violently, like ice touching a flame. Lin Ye could sense that the observer's control was loosening, and for the first time, chaotic fluctuations appeared in those cold data streams.
"Looks like they're not all-powerful after all." Vegeta straightened up, his purple flames reigniting, even more intense than before. "Ready? It's our turn to attack."
Lin Ye stared at the frantically flashing points of light at the top of the pillar of light, clenching his fist. Destructive energy and Saiyan aura surged joyfully within him, like two torrents that had finally found their course.
"It has been prepared for a long time."
The moment his voice fell, a golden beam of light shot into the sky, carrying with it all the will on Earth that refused to be controlled, and crashed into the observer's "screen." Meanwhile, at the edge of the unnoticed universe, a colossal device hidden behind dark matter emitted its first piercing alarm.
It's time to change players in this game.
But Lin Ye knew this was just the beginning. The observers' main control center was still hidden in an unknown dimension, and those higher-dimensional "spectators" would never give up easily. The real resistance had only just begun.