Chapter 38: Life or Strength, Which to Choose
"Phew… that was close!" Son Gohan exhaled, realizing the danger only after it had passed. He hadn't noticed the earlier oddities about Son Goku.
"What's going on here?" Piccolo, more observant, turned to Lin Qi and asked.
After all, Vegeta had lived on Earth for decades. It seemed unlikely he would pull something like this.
"Look at Goku carefully…" Lin Qi offered no detailed explanation, merely spoke coldly.
At that moment, the black silhouette that had disappeared briefly reappeared. Son Goku's expression turned ferocious again.
Looking down at his own hands in confusion, he murmured, "What just happened?!"
"Hmph, that's because those thoughts have been deeply ingrained in your mind…" Vegeta scoffed disdainfully.
Was the effect really just that minimal?
Son Goku lowered his hands, frowning at Vegeta, his gaze growing colder. "I do feel something lingering inside me..."
"But so what…" His face twisted with malevolence, and the energy around him became increasingly sinister.
"This kind of weakness… I'll destroy it myself!"
"You're targeting Earth?" Vegeta asked, surprised, but the greater part of him was uneasy.
Had he done something incredibly foolish?
"Hmph, first I'll deal with you… then those other guys over there!!" Son Goku cast a cold glance at Lin Qi and the others.
"Dad… what are you saying?" Son Gohan asked, bewildered. "Weren't you just sparring with Uncle Vegeta?"
"Goku, what's wrong with you?!" Piccolo shouted, having sensed something amiss as well.
"Goku? My name is Kakarot!" Son Goku sneered at Piccolo and charged at Vegeta again.
"What…" Piccolo's forehead broke into a cold sweat. He turned to Lin Qi in disbelief, as if hoping Lin Qi would refute what he'd just heard.
"He's right. The Goku you see now has reverted to the original violent, bloodthirsty nature of Saiyans!" Lin Qi revealed mercilessly.
Piccolo's cold sweat intensified. "What you're saying reminds me of something Raditz once said..."
"Goku was sent here as a child to wipe out all humans…"
"What?! Uncle Piccolo, are you saying my dad… is our enemy now?!"
Son Gohan was shocked, staring blankly at his father, who was still fighting Vegeta. "How can that be… Dad has always been the one protecting Earth!"
"Why not? Wasn't Vegeta also your enemy back then?" Lin Qi's indifferent eyes swept over Son Gohan.
"But it took Vegeta decades to integrate into human society!" Piccolo's expression darkened further.
Could they ensure Goku would take decades to do the same?
"Lin Qi, think of something quickly..." Son Gohan pleaded helplessly. His father's strength left him with no choice but to rely on Lin Qi.
"I'm thinking… but there's no good solution!" Lin Qi shrugged helplessly. He had already seen Vegeta successfully strike the back of Son Goku's head.
But the problem was, time had already passed…
"Repeated strikes seem ineffective! Should I just keep knocking him out?"
Not practical!
Piccolo turned his gaze to Lin Qi. "For now, stop their fight…"
"Vegeta and Goku's power levels are too high. If something goes wrong, Earth could be destroyed!"
Looking at the distant mountains obliterated by Goku's energy waves, Piccolo's mouth twitched uncontrollably.
"We must stop Dad…" Son Gohan gritted his teeth and prepared to rush into the battlefield.
"You won't make any difference!" Piccolo stopped him. At this point, the fight between Goku and Vegeta had reached its peak intensity.
Son Gohan wouldn't be able to stop them and would likely be caught in the crossfire instead.
"But…" Gohan's expression grew more anxious as he noticed his father's killing intent surging with each clash.
"Lin Qi, you stop them!" Piccolo urged before turning to Gohan. "We'll go gather the Dragon Balls. Maybe Shenron can help!"
"Z Fighters' brains never disappoint!" Lin Qi smirked and glanced at the now-exhausted Vegeta.
"Vegeta, stop fighting!"
As Lin Qi's words fell, he appeared behind Goku in his Super Saiyan 5 form, delivering a swift karate chop.
Son Goku had no time to react. The blow to the back of his neck instantly returned him to normal, and he plummeted from the sky.
"Dad…" Son Gohan flew over hurriedly, catching Goku midair.
"Quickly, gather the Dragon Balls!" Lin Qi gave Piccolo a cold glance, making sure he wouldn't have to step in again.
To save time, Lin Qi used Instant Transmission to bring everyone back to Bulma's villa.
The villa was still in the midst of being tidied up. After borrowing the Dragon Radar from Trunks, Son Gohan, Piccolo, and Trunks left to collect the Dragon Balls.
Meanwhile, Lin Qi stayed back to keep watch in case Goku woke up. Vegeta leaned against a damaged wall, arms crossed.
"Hmph, this guy… once he's back to normal, I'll settle the score for ruining my house!" Vegeta sneered, glaring disdainfully at the unconscious Goku on the lounge chair.
"I wonder if Shenron will even be of any help…" Lin Qi leisurely sipped his tea.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
From a distance, Bulma and Bra returned, carrying shopping bags. Seeing the wreckage of the villa, Bulma dropped her bags in shock.
"Who did this… Vegeta, Lin Qi… and why is Goku lying here?" she asked, glancing at the unconscious Goku.
"Hmph, he's out cold…" Vegeta, still fuming, gave a brief account of the events.
"Really…" Bulma looked at him in surprise. "He reverted to a violent Saiyan personality like yours?"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" Vegeta yelled indignantly. How was he violent?!
"Can we still eat dinner tonight?" Lin Qi interrupted their bickering, clearly more concerned about the practical matters.
"Order takeout… or we'll eat out!" Bulma turned to Lin Qi. "I'm more worried about where we'll sleep tonight!"
"Find an intact room and make do with a sleeping bag!" Vegeta glared daggers at the unconscious Goku.
"All this is that idiot's fault!"
"Weren't you the one who caused him to revert to his Saiyan nature?" Lin Qi shot Vegeta a disdainful look.
In the midst of their conversation, Piccolo and the others returned with the Dragon Balls, fortunately before Goku woke up again.