Chapter 45: A Dream of Vegeta's Brother
Lin Qi was speechless. No wonder the old man hadn't mentioned the Time Rings before!
"Have you thought of a way for me to leave?" Lin Qi glanced at Kibito Kai. "Is there anything about it in the Book of Gods?"
"No... Many parts of the Book of Gods are too difficult for me to understand," Kibito Kai said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
"…Tch!" Lin Qi decided not to place any hopes on these two. It was like expecting a miracle.
"I'm leaving," Lin Qi said calmly, vanishing once more from the sight of the Elder Kai and Kibito Kai.
"Ancestor..." Kibito Kai looked at the Elder Kai in confusion. "What exactly did Lord Lin Qi come here for?"
"If you're asking me, then who should I ask?" Elder Kai snapped, spraying spit as he whacked Kibito Kai on the head.
"Hurry and prepare some food. Can't you see your ancestor is hungry?"
"Why hit me again..." Kibito Kai muttered in grievance, setting the crystal ball on the table before walking towards the small wooden house in the distance.
"Time Rings..." Elder Kai clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the sky. "Such nostalgia! It's been so many years since I've heard of such things."
Lin Qi reappeared on the balcony of Bulma's house.
Bulma hadn't left. She was leisurely enjoying tea and snacks, admiring the garden. When she noticed Lin Qi's arrival, she smiled.
"Back so soon?"
"Yeah..." Lin Qi responded, sitting back on the reclining chair. "What time's dinner?"
"About..."
Before Bulma could finish her sentence, the glass door on the other side of the balcony was pushed open.
"Lin Qi..." Vegeta approached quickly, his face grim.
"What's wrong?" Lin Qi looked at him, puzzled.
"That thing you told me about last time..." Vegeta began, his expression darkening further, as if it could drip water.
Lin Qi was even more confused. "What thing I told you? What are you talking about?"
Had he told Vegeta something special? It didn't seem like it.
"Eh? Do you two have some sort of secret?" Bulma's eyes gleamed with curiosity as she looked at the hesitant Vegeta.
"It's just..." Vegeta clenched his fists tightly at his sides. "You said I have an older brother..."
"Uh?" Lin Qi thought back and remembered asking something like that once, but it had been a passing remark...
"I dreamed of him..." Vegeta muttered.
"I dreamed of childhood memories, of how his overwhelming power at birth led to King Vegeta plotting against him!"
Lin Qi's mind buzzed with exclamation marks and question marks. This revelation excited him.
"Then what?"
"That's it..." Vegeta tilted his head back, squinting at the glaring sun. His expression was a mix of emotions. "A weak, useless younger brother...
"And yet, there was an older brother with a battle power over 50,000 from birth..." Veins popped on Vegeta's forehead as he spoke, and he spat angrily at the ground.
"Oh... Vegeta, so you actually have a brother?" Bulma asked in surprise, looking curiously at Vegeta.
"Where is he?
"What does he look like? Is his temper as bad as yours? Does he think about fighting all the time?"
"I don't have a brother!" Vegeta roared, clenching his fists in frustration.
"…Haha!" Lin Qi leaned back in his chair, giving Vegeta a disdainful glance before losing interest.
And so, Bulma's amused laughter and Vegeta's angry roars filled the air, creating a ruckus in front of Lin Qi.
"You're so noisy..." Lin Qi muttered, turning over impatiently. If they wanted to flirt, they could do it elsewhere.
Arrogance couldn't beat Vegeta, boasting couldn't beat Mr. Satan, and sacrifices couldn't beat Krillin!
With this thought, Lin Qi suddenly sensed a powerful energy rapidly approaching Earth.
"Who is it..." Vegeta frowned, staring into the distant sky with a mixture of shock and confusion.
"What?" Bulma asked, puzzled. "What are you two talking about? Who?"
"There are two powerful energies heading toward Earth," Vegeta said, sweat forming on his forehead as he gritted his teeth.
"One of them has energy comparable to Super One-Star Dragon..."
"Oh... If it's an enemy, just let Lin Qi handle it!"
Bulma remained unfazed, sipping her tea calmly. "I thought it was something worth panicking over."
Earth was crawling with warriors now. Besides those working behind the scenes, Vegeta and Goku could take on the entire universe!
If they couldn't manage, they could just fuse. Plus, there was Lin Qi, practically a godlike presence!
Lin Qi turned over lazily, raising an eyebrow. "Why should I be the one to fight?"
"Because you're freeloading at my house. Consider protecting Earth as paying rent. If Earth's gone, where else can you enjoy such comforts?"
Bulma justified herself with a sly smile. "And don't forget the time machine...
"As long as you protect Earth, I can make anything you want!"
"…Heh!" Lin Qi chuckled coldly, his disdainful gaze toward Bulma deepening. "Don't count on me!"
"This isn't the time for jokes. I'm going to see who's coming," Vegeta said, donning his signature white gloves and turning his back to Lin Qi and Bulma.
"I can feel it... An overwhelming malice approaching Earth..."
"Then go check it out!" Lin Qi stood and dusted off his slightly wrinkled clothes, preparing to teleport.
At that moment, Vegeta leaped into the air, speeding off like a meteor.
"…Ha, that guy is still as tsundere as ever!" Lin Qi muttered.
Vegeta really cared about appearances!
"Hey, wait! Won't you at least stay for lunch?!" Bulma shouted after them helplessly, covering her face.
"With teleportation, won't you arrive too early?"
"Not much longer now..." Lin Qi murmured as he appeared in the endless snowy plains. He frowned, glancing at the sky.
The Far North?
The cold wind howled around him. Soon, Vegeta arrived without a word, quietly waiting.
"Swish!"
"Hey, you two are faster than me!" Goku appeared behind them with Instant Transmission, grinning widely.
In the distance, several streaks of light rapidly approached, led by Trunks.
"Boom!"
Above Lin Qi and Vegeta, a spaceship descended, cutting through the atmosphere and leaving a long red trail behind it.
"They're here!" Goku instantly became serious, staring intently at the slowly landing spaceship.