The androids were completely wiped out, and the whole Earth celebrated.
Amid that joy, another two days slipped quietly by.
During those two days, Bulma finally finished repairing the spaceship.
The repaired craft looked as good as new.
The only drawback was that its energy reserves were incomplete—only ninety percent remained.
In this era, equipment and resources are scarce; recharging is a time-consuming process.
Topping up from ninety to a hundred percent would take about a month.
Too long.
Gohan had no intention of waiting.
A trip to New Namek and back several times over would barely dent ninety percent power.
So he told Bulma not to bother charging further,
and chose to leave for Planet Namek that very day.
Dressed in loose casual clothes, Gohan packed piles of food and drinking water into a string of Capsules.
Beside him, Trunks begged to come along.
His eyes sparkled with longing for the unknown.
'Brother Gohan, can't you really take me? I want to see aliens, to see the vast Universe, to see other worlds.'
That, perhaps, is the spirit of youth.
Gohan gave him a helpless look and refused flatly: 'No.'
'Trunks, you can't go, because I have something more important for you to do.'
'Huh? What is it?' Trunks straightened up.
'Here's the thing. Dr. Gero, who created androids 17 and 18, is dead, but the intelligent machine he built is still active.'
'That machine is still following Gero's orders, producing androids even more terrifying than 17 and 18.'
'So while I'm on Namek, your job is to locate Gero's research base and destroy it.'
'This concerns the safety of Earth—and even the entire Universe. Tell me, isn't that crucial?'
'Wow, seriously? Then it's really important. Don't worry, big brother, I'll search with everything I've got.' Trunks turned solemn.
'Big brother trusts me with a mission this big—does that mean he sees me as grown-up now?'
Trunks's heart thumped with pride at earning an Elder's approval.
Bulma, calibrating the time machine nearby, stopped and said gravely:
'Gohan, if what you say is true, this is huge. I'll join Trunks in hunting down Gero's lab; everything else can wait.'
'All right.' Gohan nodded.
Then he added: 'Though 17 and 18 are gone, a potential crisis remains. We must find their nest at once and root it out forever.'
Gohan knew that from the moment of his Rebirth, this world's path had diverged.
The future of this timeline was full of uncertainties.
He could only steer by a rough heading.
And Cell, naturally, was the nearest terrible variable in the future timeline.
He had to be eliminated quickly.
Still, destroying Cell ranked below the trip to Planet Namek.
After all, right now Cell was only an egg or a larva.
Therefore Gohan opted to head for Namek first.
He entrusted the hunt for Gero's lab to Trunks and Bulma... With everything arranged, he climbed into the craft, sealed the hatch, entered Planet Namek's coordinates, and hit launch.
The next instant, roaring flames burst from the ship's base; it rose skyward before Bulma and her son's eyes.
It pierced the atmosphere, vanished into the starry Universe, and was gone.
Turning from the sky, Bulma told her son, 'Trunks, time is short—let's move.'
'Yes, Mom!' Trunks nodded firmly.
Onboard the ship,
Gohan activated the gravity System, set it to two hundred times normal, and began to Cultivate.
The flight from Earth to New Namek would take about two weeks.
He refused to waste a minute and planned to spend it all training.
Eat when hungry, train after eating, rest when tired.
In that monotonous Cultivation, the two weeks passed quickly.
That day, after finishing his Cultivate session, Gohan took a refreshing cold shower in the washroom and then stepped into the ship's cockpit.
A huge screen dominated the front of the cockpit, displaying the brilliant river of stars ahead of the vessel.
Countless galaxies flashed past; the starry sky was boundless.
Soon, a massive green planet appeared in view.
The ship's intelligent System chimed in with an announcement.
[Honored master, the ship has arrived at its destination: Planet Namek. Shall I commence landing?]
"Land," Gohan replied.
[Acknowledged. Scanning for viable descent trajectory… suitable path found. Beginning descent!]
With the announcement over, the ship flashed and sliced into Planet Namek's atmosphere.
Ten minutes later, it touched down smoothly.
Gohan opened the hatch, leapt out, and set foot on Namekian soil.
After a long half-month adrift, standing on solid ground again left his mind calm and serene.
He spread his arms, closed his eyes, and greedily breathed the fresh air, embracing the spring breeze.
A few seconds later, a Qi rushed toward him at high speed.
Someone was coming.
Gohan opened his eyes.
He stowed the ship and looked skyward.
A green figure dropped from the heavens, warily studying Gohan.
Seeing a Namekian who looked exactly like Piccolo, Gohan knew this was a Warrior-type Namekian.
These Warrior-types excelled at combat and usually guarded the Grand Elder.
When the planet faced disaster, they stepped forward to save the people—
the backbone of Planet Namek.
Before Gohan could speak, the Namekian addressed him first.
Staring at Gohan in clear surprise, he said, "Huh? Are you Son Goku?"
At the moment, Gohan had golden hair and emerald eyes.
The contours of his face did indeed resemble Son Goku's by about seventy or eighty percent.
Seeing the puzzled Namekian, Gohan said, "Son Goku is my father; I'm Gohan."
The Warrior-type Namekian gave an "oh" of understanding.
"You know my dad?" Gohan asked.
"Yes. When Mr. Goku fought Frieza here, I caught a glimpse. It's been so long, and you look so much like he did back then that I mistook you—my apologies," the warrior said, a little embarrassed.
"Haha, no problem. What a coincidence meeting an acquaintance. May I ask your name?" Gohan smiled.
"Hello, Mr. Gohan. Call me Nebor," the Namekian said.
"Mr. Goku is our benefactor, so his friends are too. What brings you to Planet Namek?"
Nebor's tone was extremely respectful.
"I'd like to borrow the dragon balls. Please take me to the Grand Elder," Gohan replied.
Nebor glanced at Gohan's missing arm, understanding, and nodded.
"Of course. Follow me, Mr. Gohan."
"Thanks for the trouble."
Nebor rose into the air.
Gohan followed.
In no time, Gohan spotted a familiar-looking Elder.
He remembered this Elder was named Muri.
Over a decade ago, Muri had been one of the seven ordinary Elders of Planet Namek.
Later, when Frieza attacked, the previous Grand Elder passed away of old age.
Before dying, the old Grand Elder named Muri, who became the new Namekian Grand Elder.
He inherited a portion of his predecessor's abilities.
Grand Elder Muri was kindly, his eyes bright and wise.
"Hello, Grand Elder," Gohan greeted with a smile.
"Hello, Mr. Gohan," the Grand Elder replied warmly, then added:
"I already know your purpose. Moments ago, I notified the other Elders to bring the dragon balls here."
"Hehe, and Dende is on his way; he was thrilled to hear you'd arrived."
"…"
Gohan studied Grand Elder Muri once more.
This Grand Elder Muri was no ordinary Namekian.
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