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

Page 233

Kai's gaze swept over Lin Ye, then looked at Vegeta and Android 18, finally settling on Lin Ye's pocket: "It's simple. Take out the fragment and make it resonate completely with my ring. If the fragment recognizes you, all the patterns on the ring will light up—only those recognized by the Key of Creation can stop the Observer."

Lin Ye hesitated for a moment, then took the fragment out of his pocket. The moment the fragment was taken out, the metal ring in Kai's hand vibrated violently, the patterns on the ring shining even brighter, and emitting a faint buzzing sound. Lin Ye passed the fragment towards Kai, and just as the fragment was about to touch the metal ring, the port alarm suddenly sounded!

Kai's expression instantly changed: "Damn it! The Observer's reconnaissance ship is back! They must have detected the probe's signal!"

Night Owl's voice immediately boomed through the communicator: "Lin Ye! The cargo ship's radar has detected the Observer's stealth reconnaissance vessel, which is flying towards you! It's five minutes away!"

Kai grabbed Lin Ye's hand and shoved the metal ring into his hand: "Quick! Take the ring and go! There's a secret passage in the port that leads directly to the abandoned base near the rift! I'll distract the reconnaissance ship, you guys get out of here!"

Lin Ye looked at Kai, then at the approaching light in the distance—the engine lights of the Observer reconnaissance ship. "How are you going to lure it away by yourself?"

"Don't worry about me!" Kai shoved Lin Ye. "The Watchers have waited twenty years for this day, we can't let it end here! Hurry up! Remember, when we get to the abandoned base, use the resonance between the rings and the fragments to find the exact location of the rift!"

Vegeta had already dragged Lin Ye towards the tunnel entrance: "Stop dawdling! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late! If this guy wants to die, we can't stop him!"

Lin Ye glanced back at Kai... He had already put on his helmet and was running towards the port's control room, holding an energy bomb in his hand. "Let's go!" Lin Ye gritted his teeth and followed Vegeta and Android 18 into the passage.

The passage was pitch black, except for the glowing metal ring Kai had given Lin Ye. They hadn't run far when a deafening roar echoed behind them, shaking the entire passage. Lin Ye gripped the ring tightly, his mind focused on only one thought... Kai's sacrifice couldn't be in vain; he had to stop the Observer!

Just then, the metal ring in his hand suddenly became intensely hot, and all the patterns on it lit up, turning a dazzling gold. The fragments also emitted a bright light, and the two, stuck together, began to slowly fuse!

"What's going on?" Trunks looked at the fused rings and fragments in surprise.

Before Lin Ye could answer, a familiar, mechanical laugh suddenly came from the end of the passage... It was the voice of Mirror Lin Ye!

"Lin Ye, my good 'brother,' do you think you can escape by hiding here? I've been waiting for you for a long time..."

Chapter 497: The Watcher's Legacy

Kai led Lin Ye, Night Owl, and Vegeta deeper into the space station. Vegeta's bandages were still soaked with blood, but he stubbornly refused to stay on the Star Shuttle. He cursed under his breath, but his eyes were always fixed on his surroundings, and he did not dare to let his guard down.

The further in you go, the quieter the surroundings become. A faint musty smell hangs in the air, and the lights on the walls flicker, casting a hazy glow on the items on the shelves. Lin Ye glanced at them and saw many old instruments and stacks of yellowed paper documents, their covers almost crumbling.

"What you call 'Broken Wings' is actually the symbol of us 'Watchers'." Kai's steps did not stop, his voice sounding a little hoarse in the empty corridor. "We used to be from the Time and Space Administration, specializing in keeping an eye on those 'forbidden relics' that could cause time and space disasters. The Key of Creation was the most deadly one."

He pointed to a huge star map display panel in front of him. The metal frame around the panel was rusted and riddled with holes. It was covered with densely packed coordinates marked with dots of different colors, many of which had turned gray. "Look at these gray dots," he said. "They represent civilizations destroyed by the misuse of forbidden relics. The higher-ups at the Administration were blinded by the power of the Key of Creation, believing they could control it to 'optimize' the universe... in other words, to reshape it to their liking. We disagreed, and were labeled 'traitors' and nearly wiped out."

Lin Ye walked to the star map and touched a still-lit blue dot with his fingertip: "So you've been secretly hindering the Observers all these years?"

“What else can we do?” Kai gave a wry smile, pulling a rusty metal badge from his pocket. It was engraved with an intertwined “time wheel” pattern, and the words “Supervision Division Seven” could still be seen on the edge. “This is my badge from back then. Now, the Bureau’s files no longer have the ‘Supervision Division Seven’ department. We’ve been hiding like rats for so many years, only able to issue occasional warnings. We can’t fight them head-on at all.”

Night Owl suddenly interjected, "What about Mirror Lin Ye? Was he also created by the Bureau?"

Mentioning Mirror Lin Ye, Kai's expression darkened: "He is a product of the Bureau's 'Purification Project,' stripped of almost all his humanity, leaving only a shell to contain the system's power. His only mission is... to gather all the fragments of the Key of Creation and activate the 'Origin Ark.'"

"What's this Ark of Origin?" Vegeta frowned, he hated these convoluted terms. "What does it have to do with that bastard Watcher's crappy plan?"

Kai walked to a dusty control panel, wiped the screen, and pressed a button next to it. The screen flickered a few times, then a holographic image filled with static appeared. The image showed a huge silver spaceship with blue energy patterns crawling all over its hull. Countless points of light were being sucked into it from below, until the area below turned into a pitch-black blank space.

“This is the Ark of Origin, the ultimate weapon that can dismantle and rebuild the rules of reality.” Kai’s voice was very low. “Once activated, the current universe will be formatted and then restarted according to the ‘perfect blueprint’ set by the Observers. Whether it’s the living, the dead, or the rules of the universe, anything that does not conform to the blueprint will be erased.”

After watching the video, Vegeta couldn't help but spit out: "Damn it, these bastards treat the universe like a toy? When I see them, I'll tear their ark to shreds!"

“Don’t rush to dismantle it.” Kai turned to look at Lin Ye, his eyes suddenly becoming very serious. “You are the key. The old documents we found say that the Key of Genesis will choose the ‘approved holder’, not how strong you are, but what’s in your soul… The fact that the fragment in your hand and the fragment in Lin Ye’s mirror image repel each other is the best proof. You may be the only one who can truly control the key and not be controlled by it.”

Lin Ye clutched the fragment in his pocket; it was still warm. "What can I do to stop them from activating the Ark?"

Kai didn't answer directly. Instead, he entered a password on the console, bringing up an encrypted data stream: "This contains the intelligence we've accumulated over the years, including the location of the Void Rift, the defensive weaknesses of the Origin Ark, and how its energy rotates. Also..."

He took a metal device resembling an old-fashioned pocket watch from under the control panel and handed it to Lin Ye. The device was much heavier than it looked, with the "Broken Wings" pattern engraved on its casing. The dial had no hands, but instead contained a transparent crystal in which silver specks of light could be seen slowly flowing.

“This is the ‘breakpoint generator,’ our last thing.” Kay’s fingers traced the patterns on the device. “When the Ark starts up to the final step, activate it. It will create a brief ‘breakpoint’ in the core program. This is your only chance to stop it. But remember, you only have one chance, and it’s extremely dangerous. If you’re not careful, you might get caught in the reboot’s turbulence and be left with nothing.”

Lin Ye took the device; the cold metal against his palm felt as heavy as a stone. Just as he was about to ask something else, a sharp alarm suddenly sounded from the space station, and the red warning lights instantly illuminated the entire room.

"Oh no!" A young Watcher rushed in, carrying a piece of equipment, his face still covered in engine oil, his voice trembling. "Uncle Kai! The Observer's scout ship is back! They were just pretending to leave; they've actually been watching us the whole time, and now their main guns are aimed at the harbor!"

Kai's expression instantly changed. He ripped off his identification tag from around his neck and shoved it into the console slot. The screen immediately displayed, "Self-destruct program activated, 10-minute countdown." "Quick, follow me! The emergency exit leads to the small shuttle, which takes you directly to the outer edge of the Void Rift!"

He pushed Lin Ye toward the door, then turned back to the young watchman and said, "Take the others and retreat to the backup passage. Try to save as many people as possible."

"Uncle Kai, what about you?" The young Watcher's eyes reddened.

“I have to lead them in the opposite direction, otherwise you won’t be able to leave.” Kai patted his shoulder, his tone firm. “Remember, we Watchers have waited twenty years for this day, we can’t fail here. Lin Ye, you must stop them, for everything that hasn’t been erased!”

Vegeta had already dragged Lin Ye towards the tunnel entrance: "Stop dawdling! If we don't leave now, it'll be too late! This guy's going to his death, we can't stop him, don't waste time here!"

Lin Ye glanced back at Kai, who had already picked up an old gun and was running in another direction. His figure was quickly swallowed up by the red warning lights.

The emergency passage was dark and narrow, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side. Night Owl brought up the rear, pressing his communicator as he ran: "Cargo ship! Cargo ship, please respond! We're taking the shuttle to the outer edge of the rift now. You guys hurry and retreat to coordinate C7, don't get spotted by the Observers!"

There was only static on the communicator; no one responded. Night Owl's face darkened: "Damn it, the cargo ship may have been discovered."

Lin Ye's heart tightened. Just as he was about to speak, the breakpoint generator in his hand suddenly heated up. It wasn't the warm feeling of a fragment; it felt like it was being roasted by fire. He quickly raised the generator and noticed that the crystal in the dial was slowly brightening, with the silver light spots flowing faster and faster.

"What's going on with this thing?" Vegeta noticed it too. "Is it going to explode?"

Kay's voice suddenly came through the communicator, accompanied by loud static: "The generator is sensing the Ark's energy! The Observer may have already started activating the Ark! You must finish reviewing the intelligence on the shuttle and locate the Ark's core... The generator can only function near the core!"

"Kai! How are you?" Lin Ye shouted into the communicator.

"Don't worry about me!" Kai's voice was punctuated by gunshots and explosions. "The shuttle key is under the control panel. Once activated, it will automatically locate the rift... Remember, don't believe anything Mirror Lin Ye says, he will..."

The conversation abruptly ended, leaving only a harsh static sound from the communicator.

Lin Ye gripped the communicator so tightly his knuckles turned white. He walked to the shuttle at the end of the passage, opened the hidden compartment under the control panel, and sure enough, found a metal key.

"Don't think about that now." Number 18's voice suddenly came from behind. She had followed us without us noticing, and was holding an energy gun. "We can't get in touch with the cargo ship. It's probably gone. The only thing we can do now is get to the rift as soon as possible and stop the Observer... otherwise, Kai's sacrifice will have been in vain."

Lin Ye nodded and inserted the key into the shuttle's lock. The shuttle's engine slowly started, emitting a low hum. He walked to the driver's seat and had just sat down when he suddenly noticed an unfamiliar signal pop up on the dashboard. The signal was coming from the direction of the Void Rift.

The signal was quickly converted into text, consisting of only one sentence:

"Lin Ye, I'll be waiting for you in the Ark... Mirror Image Lin Ye"

Upon seeing this, Vegeta instantly exploded: "This bastard dares to come looking for trouble? When I get there, I'll gouge out his mechanical eyes and crush them!"

Lin Ye stared at the text on the screen, his fingers slowly tightening their grip on the breakpoint generator. The crystal on the dial was already blindingly bright, the silver specks of light seeming to boil... He knew that an unavoidable battle was about to begin.

Chapter 498: The Trap of Mirrors

The shuttle's engines roared, and outside the porthole, distorted streams of light made short-distance space jumps, heading straight for the outer edge of the void rift. Lin Ye gripped the control stick tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. Kai's warning before his sacrifice and the invitation from his mirror image, Lin Ye, weighed on his heart like two cold stones.

"Still thinking about that imposter's words?" Vegeta's voice came from the passenger seat. He tore off the old, blood-soaked bandage from his shoulder and put on a new one, his movements rough but efficient. "Whatever traps they may have, just charge in!"

“Things aren’t that simple, Vegeta.” Android 18 leaned against the bulkhead, checking the charging of his energy gun. “He sent the signal specifically, knowing we would come. This is more like… provocation and manipulation.”

Lin Ye stared at the constantly flashing red dot representing the destination on the navigation screen: "He knows we got the 'breakpoint generator,' and he also knows Kai gave us the information. He's telling us that he knows everything."

"So what?" Vegeta scoffed dismissively. "Before absolute power, all schemes and tricks are just paper tigers!"

“His power is no less than yours, Vegeta,” Lin Ye reminded him, recalling their previous encounter, the cold mechanical eyes and unfathomable energy of his opponent. “Moreover, he understands the ‘System’ better, and he understands…me better.”

Trunks, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. The data screen in front of him was rapidly scrolling through encrypted intelligence downloaded from Kai: "Lin Ye, perhaps Kai is right, you are the key. The intelligence mentions that the activation of the Origin Ark requires the will of the 'Acknowledgment Holder' as the final 'key.' Mirror Lin Ye is a product distorted by the system, and he may not be able to fully meet this condition, so he needs you... or rather, he needs some kind of 'acknowledgment' within you."

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat: "So he lured me there not only to eliminate the threat, but more likely to use me to complete the Ark's activation?"

“Very likely,” Trunks said gravely. “We must prepare for the worst.”

Just then, the shuttle jolted violently, and a sharp alarm blared.

"Warning! Escape from hyperspace jump! Encountering strong gravitational field interference!"

The stream of light outside the porthole vanished, replaced by a bizarre scene. They seemed to have stumbled into a vast cosmic graveyard, countless shattered planetary remnants and twisted spaceship skeletons suspended in the darkness, forming an endless labyrinth of death. Directly ahead, a colossal space station, forcibly pieced together from countless metal fragments, blocked their path like a lurking monster. On the station's hull, a huge, crooked "Z" mark was etched with energy.

"This is it," Lin Ye said in a deep voice. "The location of the signal source."

"Hmph, what a charade." Vegeta stood up, blue flames surging around him. "Just blast it open!"

"Wait!" Lin Ye stopped him. "The gravitational field here is chaotic. A forced attack could trigger a chain of explosions. Besides, we need the 'abandoned base' mentioned in the intelligence as a base for advancing."

He maneuvered the shuttle carefully, avoiding the massive wreckage, and followed the coordinates given by Kay into the depths of the maze. Finally, they stopped beside a relatively intact structure resembling the core module of an old-fashioned space station.

The docking hatch of the module opened automatically, revealing a faint emergency light inside.

“Welcome to my ‘home’.” A processed voice, crackling with electrical noise, came from the communicator inside the module. It was Mirror Lin Ye. “It seems my dear ‘brother’ has brought interesting guests. Please come in, I’ve prepared a ‘gift’ for you.”

Vegeta was the first to rush in, followed closely by Lin Ye and Android 18, while Trunks covered the rear and tried to restore contact with the cargo ships outside.

The module's interior was more spacious than expected, but it exuded a sense of decay and eeriness. Exposed cables and burn marks littered the walls, and the air reeked of metal and ozone. In the central hall, they found the so-called "gift."

It was an energy cage suspended in mid-air, containing a person—Night Owl, whom we had lost contact with before! He looked very weak, with multiple wounds on his body, but he was still conscious.

"Night Owl!" Lin Ye shouted.

Night Owl looked up and saw Lin Ye and the others. A glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, but it quickly turned into anxiety: "Lin Ye! Run! This is a trap! They're using me as bait! There are traps everywhere..."

Before he could finish speaking, dozens of scarlet optical eyes instantly lit up from the shadows around the hall. Immediately afterward, a group of grotesque mechanical soldiers, covered in dark armor, materialized, silently surrounding the four men, wielding high-frequency vibrating particle blades and energy rifles. These soldiers were completely different from the grunts they had encountered before; their armor was thicker, their movements more coordinated, and they exuded a chilling killing intent.

“The elite of the Mirror Force…” Number 18 gripped his energy gun tightly, his eyes sharp.

"Did you enjoy my welcome ceremony?" Mirror Lin Ye's voice rang out again, laced with undisguised mockery. "These are 'cleaners' specially prepared for you. Have some fun with my dear 'brothers,' or you'll be too bored to be dismantled into parts too quickly."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the "scavenger" mechanical soldiers raised their weapons at the same time, and the hall was filled with murderous intent.

Vegeta grinned, revealing a wild smile, and his deep blue aura erupted: "Perfect, I'll use you guys to stretch my muscles!"

Lin Ye also assumed a fighting stance, the fragment of the Key of Genesis and the breakpoint generator in his pocket simultaneously emitting a scorching heat. Looking at the group of cold, killing machines before him, he knew the real battle had only just begun.

Chapter 499: The Cleaner and the Core

"Buzz...!"

The noise of high-frequency vibrating particle blades cutting through the air, like countless venomous bees flapping their wings simultaneously, instantly filled the entire abandoned hall. The battle erupted the moment the words fell, without any buffer!

The "Scavenger" mechs surged in from all directions like a black tide. They made no noise, only the cold, metallic footsteps and the subtle hum of their weapon systems activating. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, exuding a chilling efficiency. The crimson beams from their energy rifles intertwined into a web of death, sealing off all avenues for escape.

"Ha! Well done!" Vegeta roared with laughter, his deep blue aura exploding like tangible flames. He didn't dodge or evade, charging straight into the densest barrage. His fist, enveloped in violent energy, slammed into the breastplate of the leading mechanical soldier like a hammer.

"Clang... Crack!"

The machine soldier's thick breastplate caved in instantly, its intricate internal structure crushed, sparks and broken parts flying everywhere. Vegeta didn't even look; his body moved like lightning, a side elbow strike snapping another machine soldier attempting a sneak attack in half. The wreckage flew out like a tattered sack, knocking down a group behind it.

"Too weak! Is this the garbage your broken system produced, you mirror bastard?!" Vegeta weaved through the enemy ranks, each strike carrying devastating power, leaving only twisted metal debris in his wake.

On the other side, Android 18 moved like a silent ghost. Her long golden hair left a trail of light as she moved at high speed, and the energy gun in her hand was as steady as a rock. She didn't have Vegeta's ferocious power, but she was extremely efficient.

"Boo! Hah! Hah!"

Each energy beam was incredibly precise, either striking through the gaps in the visual sensors on the mech's helmet or piercing directly through the faintly glowing energy core in its chest. Occasionally, a mech would break through the barrage of fire, brandishing a high-frequency particle blade and charging forward, only to be met by Number 18's seemingly slender limbs, which contained terrifying power.

"Bang!" A heavy side kick sent a mech soldier's head, along with part of its shoulder armor, spinning 180 degrees, sparks crackling and popping.