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

Page 30

"We've already become semi-mechanized," Bulma replied through her earpiece, "we're currently engaged in combat with the first mechanical entity. Be careful, they seem to be able to predict our movements!"

As Lin Ye charged into the battlefield, he heard intermittent system notifications:

Note...this is not...the real enemy...the mastermind...

Before he could finish speaking, the interface disappeared again. But that was enough—Lin Ye dodged to the side the instant the first mechanical being threw a punch, his energy wave precisely hitting its head joint.

"Who sent you?" he roared.

The machine emitted a piercing laugh: "We are the forgotten backup... the obsolete killing programs of all systems... Now, we are free..."

Gohan burst out of the smoke, his right arm fully mechanized, and delivered a powerful punch that knocked back the second mechanical entity. "Lin Ye!" he shouted, "Their weakness is—"

Suddenly, all the mechanical entities froze simultaneously. They looked up at the sky, their electronic voices tinged with fear: The core has awakened...

In the night sky, all the golden energy veins suddenly lit up with a blinding red light, forming a giant eye pattern. A beam of light brighter than the sun descended from the sky, instantly vaporizing the three mechanical entities.

Lin Ye felt an indescribable pressure, a force more terrifying than any enemy—pure system will, devoid of emotion, pity, and cold, rigid execution logic.

The final stream of information came from the beam of light:

Get ready for... ultimate formatting...

Then everything returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. Only the collapsed buildings proved that it wasn't an illusion. Gohan's mechanical markings gradually faded, and he weakly knelt on one knee.

"It spared us..." he gasped. "Why?"

Bulma's earpiece crackled with an alert from the lab's AI: 137 spatial anomalies detected globally! The merging of all parallel universes has accelerated!

Lin Ye looked at his palm; the energy veins had disappeared, but he knew the system was there, lying dormant, waiting.

Because it requires live samples, he said softly, "we are tagged experimental subjects."

A night wind blew by, carrying the smell of burning and an unknown threat. Above them, the stars subtly shifted their arrangement—twelve new moons appeared in the sky, representing the approaching parallel universe.

Chapter 87: The Echoing Corridor

"Coordinates locked, it's in that valley ahead." Bulma's voice came through the communicator, crackling with static.

Lin Ye hovered in mid-air, looking down at the distorted space below. The entire valley was folded up like crumpled paper, trees grew upside down on the rock walls, and streams flowed upstream. In the very center, a black sphere the size of a basketball rotated silently, surrounded by purple lightning.

Is this a spacetime anomaly? Lin Ye landed at the edge, and the moment his boots sank into the mud, ripples spread across the ground like water.

"Watch out!" Gohan's voice suddenly interrupted the communication. "I've detected a strong quantum fluctuation. That thing might be connected to—"

The communication suddenly went down. Lin Ye looked up and saw that the clouds above the valley had turned into mosaic-like pixelated blocks. He tentatively reached out his hand, and the moment his fingertips touched the black sphere, he was pulled in by a tremendous force.

The scene before him suddenly changed. Lin Ye stood in a corridor made up of countless mirrors, each mirror reflecting a different version of himself: some were completely mechanized, some had grown tails, and some were completely swallowed by shadows.

"Welcome to the Echoing Corridor." A hoarse voice rang out.

Lin Ye whirled around and saw the Mirror Piccolo floating behind him. This piccolo was perfectly symmetrical, even the antennae on its forehead were in even numbers, and its body flickered like a television screen with a poor signal.

Are you not a physical entity?

Quantum states exist. Mirror Piccolo smiled bitterly. My universe has collapsed; only consciousness remains in the spacetime rift.

Lin Ye cautiously observed his surroundings. The corridor stretched and distorted, with some sections suddenly disappearing and then reforming, like a broken old film reel.

"The system core is being reorganized, right?" Lin Ye asked directly.

How much do you know about the pupil contraction of a mirror piccolo?

All he knew was that it hadn't truly disappeared. Lin Ye clenched his fist, feeling the pulsating energy veins beneath his skin; those mechanical lifeforms called it the core.

Mirror Piccolo suddenly grabbed Lin Ye's wrist. The instant they made contact, a flood of images rushed into Lin Ye's mind—

Countless parallel universes collided and merged like soap bubbles; a colossal consciousness composed of golden code roamed between dimensions; and finally, Earth, enveloped in a cocoon of countless energy channels, within which something was hatching.

System 2.0. Mirror Piccolo releases its grip; the old system was merely a test version. Once all parallel universes have merged, the new system will initiate its final format.

Lin Ye's forehead was covered in cold sweat: How can we stop it?

Stop it? Mirror Piccolo let out a bitter laugh. Its code flows through your body. Gohan is undergoing mechanical mutation. Even your sister's phantom is a node in the energy network—you are all vessels it has prepared!

The corridor suddenly shook violently, and parts of the mirror shattered into fragments. The body of the Mirror Piccolo began to disintegrate.

They've found me! Hurry! Remember, don't believe anyone claiming to be—

Before he could finish speaking, three mechanical claws pierced his chest. Lin Ye took a half step back and saw three familiar figures emerge from the mirror: his mechanical version, Gohan, and Vegeta.

Important intelligence leak detected. Mechanical Lin Ye's eyes flashed red as he initiated the cleanup process.

Above West Capital, Bulma's spaceship was frantically sounding alarms.

Damn it! Lin Ye's vital signs have disappeared! She slammed her fist on the control panel. Gohan sat in the passenger seat, his right arm completely mechanized, with flowing blue energy visible beneath his skin.

No... He suddenly pressed his temple, and I sensed his energy, but it appeared in 137 different places at the same time!

Quantum entanglement. Bulma pulled up a holographic map and looked at the red dots—they were all spacetime anomalies! Lin Ye might have been dispersed into different dimensions!

Gohan's mechanical arm uncontrollably transformed into a cannon barrel: Something's about to come out!

Before the words were even finished, all the anomalies simultaneously emitted beams of purple light. From within these beams, hundreds of mechanical warriors descended upon Earth. Most terrifyingly, the appearance of each mechanical warrior was changing—some grew Saiyan tails, some transformed into Namekians, and a few even began to mimic the forms of Piccolo and Frieza.

Attention all personnel! An alarm is sounding over the city's public address system: unidentified mechanical lifeforms are replicating our soldiers! Repeat, they can replicate—

The broadcast abruptly stopped. Bulma saw on the monitor that a mechanical Piccolo was destroying a communications tower with a Special Beam Cannon.

Damn it! They can even copy each other's moves! She activated the spaceship's weapon system. Gohan, can you control the mechanical arm?

Gohan gritted his teeth and shook his head: It's absorbing my battle data... I can feel it... something is uploading information through my mechanical parts.

Suddenly, Lin Ye's broken voice came through the communicator: "Bulma... listen to me... the system core is using the mechanical bodies to collect battle data... don't let them contact Goku and Vegeta... otherwise..."

The signal was interrupted again. Bulma looked at the radar and gasped – five mechanical warriors were flying at faster-than-light speed toward the temple and the wilderness where Vegeta was training.

It's too late! Gohan suddenly clutched his head. They were calling for me... The God of Machines was summoning all the mutants...

His left eye suddenly transformed into a mechanical eye, and his voice crackled with electronic sounds: "Perfect host detected. Synchronization initiation."

Gohan! Bulma tried to pull him away, but was bounced back by the mechanical arm.

Gohan knelt on the ground in agony, two voices escaping his throat in alternation: Help me... They want... No! Get out of my head!

Inside the echoing corridor, Lin Ye was cornered by three mechanical beings. Most terrifyingly, the mechanical Vegeta had begun transforming into a Super Saiyan, his hair gradually turning gold.

Analysis complete. Mechanical Lin Ye raised his hand, and a spiral energy wave, Lin Ye's specialty, condensed in his palm, achieving a 98.7% replication rate in combat mode.

An energy blast hurtled towards him. Lin Ye barely managed to dodge, but was still sent flying by the shockwave, shattering over a dozen mirrors. He spat out blood, suddenly noticing that each fragment reflected a different scene: Bulma's spaceship under attack, Gohan struggling in agony, and Mecha Goku appearing in the temple...

"Don't get distracted." Mechanical Vegeta stomped on his chest. "Your existence is only to perfect the system. Now, relinquish control of the energy channels."

Lin Ye felt a burning sensation in his chest, and the golden patterns beneath his skin began to glow. The mechanical beings immediately took a half-step back, their eyes swirling with data.

Core code fluctuations detected. Mechanical Gohan raises the scanner; a marker indicating the highest system privileges is present within the target's body.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Ye flipped over to create distance. He stared at his palm and suddenly realized—the system had never truly left; it had simply transformed from an external program into a part of him.

*Ding! Emergency protocol activated.* The familiar notification sound rang in his mind, but this time it had a different quality, as if it came from deep within him: Unauthorized copying detected. Initiate countermeasures.

Lin Ye felt a strange power surge through his body. He instinctively raised his hand, and a golden light screen unfolded, causing the movements of the three mechanical bodies to suddenly stop.

Error... Error... Mechanical Lin Ye's body began to convulse. Original permission detected... Command conflict...

The corridor shook violently, and all the mirrors simultaneously turned towards Lin Ye, reflecting the golden code flowing in his eyes. A cold, unfamiliar voice resounded directly in his consciousness:

[Candidate 001, you have triggered the final trial. Eliminate all competitors and become the sole vessel for the new system.]

"Who's speaking?" Lin Ye asked through gritted teeth.

I am the sum total of all parallel universes, the new order about to be born. You call me the System, but that's only a fraction of my function. Now, prove you are qualified to become my incarnation.

The mirror suddenly shattered, and Lin Ye plunged into boundless darkness. The last thing he saw was three mechanical beings kneeling on the ground, saying in unison: "Welcome to the Core Awakening."

As darkness completely engulfed his vision, he heard his sister's voice coming from a great distance:

Brother...run away...it has chosen you...

Chapter 88: Infinite Universe

A blinding white light flashed, and Lin Ye instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes. When the light dissipated, he found himself standing on a pure white circular platform, his feet resting on a strange material that glowed faintly.

This is... the Temple of the Omni-King?

He looked around. Twelve different colored planet models floated in mid-air, each about two meters in diameter, so detailed that you could see the continental plates and the movement of clouds. Even more astonishing was that several familiar figures stood next to each planet model—not only Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and others from Universe 7, but also warriors and gods from other universes.

Lin Ye, the representative of the Seventh Universe, has arrived. The High Priest's ethereal voice came from above.

Lin Ye looked up and saw the Omni-King sitting on a floating rainbow-colored throne, his two short legs swinging leisurely. Two guards wearing tall hats stood on either side like statues.

"So much fun!" Zeno clapped his round little hands, his voice as clear as a child's. "Everyone from the universe has arrived!"

Lin Ye then noticed that the Supreme Kai and God of Destruction of each universe stood solemnly beside their respective planet models. Beerus kept tapping his arm with his claws, and Champa's fat face was covered in sweat. Even more strangely, golden energy veins were wrapped around the surface of each planet model, pulsating just like the patterns inside his body.

"Mr. Lin Ye." The High Priest floated before him, his white robes fluttering without wind. "As the first being to detect the anomaly, please describe the situation in your universe."

Lin Ye took a deep breath, feeling everyone's eyes fixed on him: mechanical lifeforms invading, perfectly replicating the warrior's abilities and form, parallel universes forcibly merging, and—

"Us too!" Champa from Universe 6 suddenly interrupted, pointing to his planet model with several obvious black spots. "Over there, black spheres that absorb energy have appeared and have already devoured three planets!"

Universe 11 is also facing a crisis! Toppo raised his right arm, his once strong muscles now covered in mechanical patterns, some of his skin already metallic. Some of my team members have been completely mechanized, and... his voice suddenly turned electronic... they are spreading some kind of virus.

Amidst the constant stream of reports, Lin Ye noticed that the High Priest's expression grew increasingly solemn, while the Omni-King continued to innocently count the stars, occasionally letting out a giggle.

Silence. The High Priest gently waved his hand, and all sound ceased abruptly, as if a mute button had been pressed. According to the latest detections, all twelve universes were experiencing the exact same systemic crisis. Energy channels had permeated the fundamental structure of each universe.

Quitra, the God of Destruction of Universe 4, sneered, his narrow eyes narrowing into slits: So? You summoned the elites of all universes just to hear this? Why not just have the Omni-King eliminate the source of the problem?

The Omni-King suddenly stopped counting stars, tilted his head, and looked at Quitra: "Clear? Clear what?"

The entire arena fell into an eerie silence. Lin Ye saw Quitra's expression freeze, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. The High Priest coughed lightly: "The Omni-King, it's those evil things that make the universe sick."

"Oh!" The King seemed to suddenly realize, then... continued to count his stars, as if it had just been a minor incident.

Lin Ye's pupils contracted. Something was wrong; the Omni-King's behavior was too abnormal. He quietly sensed the energy channels within his body and discovered that they were resonating strongly with something in the temple, as if calling out to something.

"Please follow me." The high priest's voice suddenly rang in his mind: "Do not alert anyone else."

Deep within the temple, in a pure white room without any markings, Lin Ye stepped inside. Countless golden codes appeared on the walls, flowing like living things.

You noticed. The High Priest had his back to him, staring at the code on the wall; the Omni-King was completely oblivious to the crisis.

Lin Ye clenched his fist, his nails digging deep into his palm: because he was also part of the system?