dmims Page 87
Page 87
The spacetime distortion field can theoretically withstand the spacetime weapons of the Machine Gods.
Lin Ye reached out and touched the sphere, a sudden, sharp pain shooting through his temple. A scene flashed before his eyes—the laboratory was destroyed, Bulma lay in a pool of blood...
No! He jerked his hand back, cold sweat instantly soaking his back.
What's wrong? Bulma looked around warily.
Lin Ye breathed heavily. I saw... the scene of this laboratory being destroyed. In the near future.
Bulma's expression turned serious. "Your time-observation ability has given you glimpses of the future...this means danger is indeed approaching." She quickly stored the prototype in the safe. "We need to speed things up."
Just then, the laboratory door slid open, and Bick walked in.
Bulma, the energy crystal you requested... His voice trailed off, and he paused noticeably when he saw Lin Ye. "You're back."
The system within Lin Ye's body suddenly issued a warning—the timeline around Bick was showing abnormal fluctuations.
"Yes, I just got back." Lin Ye replied casually, while secretly activating his time observation ability. Piccolo's figure became transparent in his eyes, and a tiny mechanical device could be vaguely seen pulsating inside his chest cavity.
Lin Ye's heart sank. Had Bick been implanted with some kind of mechanical device? When did this happen?
You all seem very busy, so I won't bother you any longer. Piccolo put down the crystal and prepared to leave.
Wait a minute, Lin Ye called out to him, "Has anything unusual happened recently?"
Bick turned around, his expression unchanged. Aside from your sudden disappearance and reappearance, nothing special. He paused, but Number 18 said she'd felt like she was being watched these past few days.
Lin Ye and Bulma exchanged a glance.
"Understood, thank you." Lin Ye nodded and watched Bick leave.
As soon as the door closed, Bulma immediately lowered her voice: What did you find out?
There's something inside him... Lin Ye pointed to his chest, a small mechanical device, but it definitely wasn't there originally.
Bulma pulled up Bick's recent medical records, and strangely, the scan showed everything was normal... She suddenly widened her eyes, unless the scanning system had also been tampered with.
Lin Ye walked to the window and looked at the peaceful cityscape of Xidu outside. The sun was shining brightly, and pedestrians were as usual, but in his eyes, everything was shrouded in shadow.
"They've already begun their infiltration," he said softly. "Bick isn't the only one."
Bulma's fingers flew across the keyboard as she checked all the Z Fighters' recent health check data... Good heavens, Krillin's data is also fluctuating abnormally!
Lin Ye felt a chill creep up his spine. The nightmare of the future was gradually becoming reality, and the enemy had already lurked among them.
"We can't alert them," he said, turning to Bulma. "We need to find out who's been controlled and who's safe."
Bulma bit her lip and nodded. "I need time to perfect the spacetime barrier. If it could be expanded globally..."
An alarm suddenly sounded, and the laboratory's main screen flashed red.
Energy fluctuation detection! Bulma retrieved the data, and it's located in the northern industrial zone of Xidu, matching the energy characteristics of the Machine God race you described!
Lin Ye clenched his fist. They were establishing a base. He walked to the equipment rack, took off his combat suit, and said, "I'll go scout. You continue to refine the defense system."
"Too dangerous!" Bulma grabbed his arm. "If they've already infiltrated the Z Fighters, you might be facing your controlled friends!"
Lin Ye's expression hardened. "That's precisely why I must go. My time-observation ability might help me determine who's being controlled." He paused. "Bulma, from now on, don't trust anyone except me."
Bulma took a deep breath, took out a small earpiece communicator from the drawer, and put it on. "I've modified this; theoretically, it won't be interfered with by the Machine Gods' technology."
Lin Ye put on his earplugs, and Bulma suddenly hugged him, her movements so quick it was as if she was afraid she would regret it.
"Be careful," she whispered. "If something happens to you too, we'll really have no hope left."
Lin Ye nodded and walked towards the teleportation platform in the laboratory. Before activating the teleportation, he took one last look at Bulma—in her future memories, she had sacrificed herself to activate the time-space bomb and perish together with the Machine Gods.
This time, he will not allow history to repeat itself.
A flash of teleportation light appeared, and Lin Ye stood on a hill on the outskirts of Xidu. In the distance, the outline of the industrial area looked particularly somber in the setting sun. He activated stealth mode and stealthily moved towards his target location.
Bulma's voice came through the earpiece: I'm analyzing energy fluctuations... Lin Ye, this isn't just a base, they're building some kind of large-scale device!
Lin Ye's heart raced. His time-observation ability activated automatically, and he witnessed a terrifying sight—a gigantic time portal was forming in the center of the industrial zone, from which countless mechanical warriors poured forth...
"Not a stronghold," he whispered in reply, "an intrusion tunnel. They're preparing for a large-scale invasion."
Just then, a system warning suddenly sounded. Lin Ye quickly turned around, and an energy sword was already forming in his hand.
Number 18 emerged from behind the tree and looked at him expressionlessly.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice unnaturally calm.
Lin Ye's time observation ability showed that the timeline around the 18th was distorted even more severely. Her mechanical parts were being controlled by some external force.
"Just taking a walk," Lin Ye replied casually, while secretly scanning for anomalies on the 18th. "And you?"
Number 18 tilted her head, a gesture she would never normally make. Piccolo said, "You're back. I came to see you."
A lie. Bick had no idea Lin Ye would be here.
Really? That's really... Lin Ye suddenly launched an attack, his energy sword aimed directly at Number 18's chest. What bad timing!
Number 18—or rather, the thing controlling Number 18—reacted with astonishing speed. She dodged to the side and simultaneously counterattacked, delivering a chop to Lin Ye's neck.
An abnormal individual has been detected. Number 18's mouth is moving, but its voice has become a mechanically synthesized tone. Execute the cleanup procedure.
Lin Ye blocked the attack, feeling a numbness in his arm. Number 18's strength was at least 30% greater than usual.
Bulma, Android 18 is completely under their control! He reports as he fights, saying they are increasing the power of the controlled!
The rapid keystrokes of Bulma filled my earphones. Hang in there! I'm analyzing the control signals... Finding a way to interfere will take time!
Number 18's offensive grew increasingly fierce, each strike carrying deadly power. Lin Ye was forced to retreat continuously, the trees around them shattered by the aftershocks.
Suddenly, Lin Ye's time observation ability was triggered again. He saw the future 0.5 seconds in advance—Number 18 would launch a surprise attack from the left. He dodged in advance and thrust his sword at Number 18's back.
The energy sword pierced through Number 18's shoulder, but what flowed out was not blood, but some kind of silver liquid.
Warning: The target has a high level of spacetime resistance. A system prompt sounds, suggesting the use of newly unlocked abilities.
Lin Ye understood instantly. He focused his mind and activated the attack mode of his time observation ability—Blade of Time.
His energy sword was suddenly enveloped in a pale blue light. When the next strike aimed at Number 18, the blade pierced through her defenses, leaving a glowing wound on her chest.
Number 18—or rather, the mechanical entity controlling her—showed an expression of pain for the first time.
Spacetime energy...impossible... The mechanical voice became intermittent.
Lin Ye pressed his advantage, aiming the Blade of Time directly at the core of Number 18's chest. Just as it was about to hit, Number 18's body suddenly stiffened, and then she collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
Bulma's cheers came through the earpiece: I've found the interference frequency! Control signals have been temporarily cut off!
Lin Ye caught the fallen Number 18 and gently placed her on the ground. Her eyes regained their clarity, but were filled with confusion and fear.
"What...what happened?" Number 18 asked weakly.
"Don't worry, you're safe now." Lin Ye reassured her, while cautiously glancing around. "Bulma, can you trace the source of the signal?"
Attempting... The signal is coming from the center of the industrial area! It's the place with the strongest energy fluctuations!
Lin Ye's expression turned serious. He knew what was there—a spacetime portal in the making, a passage for the mechanical gods to invade.
Number 18, is it possible to move? We need to leave here immediately.
Number 18 managed to stand up, but her legs were still trembling. I...I feel something inside me...it's trying to reconnect...
Lin Ye helped her up. "Bulma, prepare for remote teleportation. We need to get back to the lab immediately."
Before the teleportation beam enveloped the two, Lin Ye took one last look towards the industrial area. There, the sky had begun to distort, forming a vortex almost invisible to the naked eye.
The full-scale invasion of the Machine Gods has begun.
Chapter 228 Shadows Emerge
The seventh one has happened. Bulma projects a holographic map in the center of the laboratory, with seven red dots distributed across the Earth. The pattern is the same—entire villages disappear without a trace of fighting, leaving only this.
She pulled up the photo, and there was a distorted symbol etched on the ground, as if it had been burned out.
Lin Ye's pupils constricted sharply: The mark of the Dark Matter Pirates! Weren't they all wiped out?
Clearly, there are remnants. Bulma typed on the keyboard, pulled up a satellite image, and looked at the energy signature. They had mastered a more advanced dark matter technology.
Gohan pushed open the door and entered, beads of sweat still on his forehead: "I just came back from the last incident site. The atmosphere there... was very strange." He looked at Lin Ye, as if he were some kind of device specifically targeting life energy.
The system within Lin Ye's body suddenly issued an alarm: [Abnormal energy fluctuations detected, originating from the same source as the host system]
What's going on? Bulma noticed the change in Lin Ye's expression.
"My system sensed something..." Lin Ye frowned. It seemed like a reaction from another system, but it was distorted.
Gohan wiped the dust off his face: "I arranged to meet Uncle Piccolo in the northern mountains. He said he'd found a suspicious cave."
"Bick?" Bulma and Lin Ye said in unison, exchanging a wary glance.
"What's wrong?" Gohan looked at the two of them in confusion.
Lin Ye carefully chose his words: Don't go out alone with Bick recently, he might... be acting strangely.
Gohan laughed: You guys are kidding, right? Uncle Piccolo even gave me special training yesterday.
Bulma hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Take this with you." She handed Gohan a small detector and told him to notify them immediately if anything unusual was detected.
After Gohan left, Bulma immediately checked the surveillance footage: Piccolo hadn't left the temple for the past three days, so how could he have arranged to meet Gohan in the mountains?
Lin Ye clenched his fist: We've been tricked. Gohan is in danger!
The fog in the northern mountains was so thick it wouldn't dissipate. Gohan landed at the agreed-upon clearing and looked around: Uncle Piccolo?
There was no response. Only the rustling of the wind through the treetops.
The detector suddenly sounded a piercing alarm. Before Gohan could even check, a dark shadow emerged from the fog!
He instinctively dodged, but the attack came too fast. A heavy blow slammed into his abdomen, and Gohan groaned as he crashed into several trees before coming to a stop.
"Good reaction, Saiyan." The shadowy figure emerged from the mist, revealing its true form—a humanoid creature covered entirely in black armor, with only two flickering purple lights beneath its helmet.
Gohan assumes a fighting stance: Who are you?
Energy Devourer No. 7. The shadowy figure raised its arm, its armor flowing like liquid, specifically designed to deal with energy beings like you.
The detector in Gohan's pocket flashed frantically: [Energy Absorption Warning! Danger Level S!]
The energy devourer suddenly charged, and Gohan hastily met the attack. Upon their first clash, he was horrified to discover that his power was being drained!
What's going on? Gohan tried to create some distance, but his legs suddenly went weak.