Snowfield Module.
Space Prison.
Super Perfect Cell stared wide-eyed at the spot in front of him, completely baffled.
Just moments ago, he had clearly seen Trunks standing right there. Yet in the blink of an eye, Trunks had vanished without a trace, not even leaving a shadow behind.
"Didn't Boss just say Brother Gohan was in danger?" Super Perfect Cell muttered to himself, anxiously looking around.
"Geez, I was just about to ask what happened. How did he disappear so suddenly? Can he use Instant Transmission? But the tournament rules clearly say Instant Transmission isn't allowed!"
Super Perfect Cell scratched his head, pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot stove.
Questions flooded his mind. He instinctively rubbed his head, desperately trying to calm down and figure out what was going on.
Just then, a knowing laugh came from behind him, as if the speaker already knew exactly what had happened.
Super Perfect Cell's heart jumped. He spun around toward the sound.
Not far away stood the mysterious Hit, relaxed and wearing a subtle, knowing smile.
"Hey, Hit! You definitely know something, don't you? Come on, spill it!" Super Perfect Cell rushed over and demanded impatiently.
Hit kept his hands in his pockets and raised his chin slightly, looking rather pleased with himself.
"That kid Trunks really has some impressive tricks up his sleeve. He actually managed to pull off something even I couldn't."
"Oh? What did he do? Hurry up and tell me!" Super Perfect Cell urged.
Hit smiled faintly before calmly explaining, "Just now, Trunks suddenly entered another module, one that even I can't see inside of. If I'm not mistaken, he probably went to rescue that 'Brother Gohan' he kept talking about."
At his words, everyone's attention shifted to Hit.
Caulifla's eyes widened in shock. "Hit? What did you just say? Trunks can move freely between modules like you can? How is that possible?" She shook her head in utter disbelief.
Hit nodded solemnly. "Yes, you heard me right, Caulifla. Trunks really has that ability. And what's even more surprising is that he can do it better than I can."
"As you know, I rescued each of you from the brink of elimination one by one. There's no doubt about that. But fortunately, every one of you happened to be in a module I could reach. That's why I was able to arrive in time and bring you back safely. If any of you had been in a module I couldn't see or reach, then no matter how capable I am, there would have been nothing I could do."
Hit took a deep breath before continuing. "And yet, Trunks just accomplished something even I would have struggled to do…"
A stunned silence fell over the room as everyone digested Hit's explanation. The entire Space Prison grew so quiet you could practically hear everyone's heartbeat.
Everyone was shocked, except for one person.
Laitsers.
He didn't look surprised at all. With his arms crossed, he simply stood at a distance, calmly watching everyone's reactions.
The suffocating silence stretched on for a moment until Hit's deep, steady voice broke the stillness like a stone dropped into a quiet lake.
He gave a slight nod and said solemnly, "The timing should be about right."
The moment the words left his mouth, a massive white portal tore open in mid-air where nothing had been a second before.
A figure shot out of the light.
It was Trunks, holding two people tightly in his arms.
A closer look revealed a badly injured, unconscious Gohan alongside Piccolo, who was also severely wounded.
Trunks carefully and gently lowered Gohan and Piccolo to the ground. Once they were down, he slowly straightened up, staring down at Gohan.
His face was as dark as a storm cloud, his expression grim and severe. An invisible pressure radiated from his body.
In an instant, the already oppressive atmosphere inside the Space Prison turned suffocating. It felt as though an invisible weight was pressing down from all directions, making it hard to breathe.
At that moment, even Laitsers, standing dozens of meters away, unconsciously uncrossed his arms. His torch-like eyes locked firmly onto Gohan and Piccolo, refusing to look away for even a second.
Laitsers' body trembled slightly as he muttered under his breath, "W-What happened? How could everything be completely different from what I knew…?"
Shock was written all over his face, and a thin layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
Seeing this, Super Perfect Cell's heart jolted, his nerves instantly stringing tight. He stared wide-eyed at the heavily injured Gohan, his mind in complete turmoil.
'Brother Gohan is an incredibly powerful warrior! What kind of terrifying enemy could have beaten him this badly? And Uncle Piccolo was with him, too! With his healing techniques, it shouldn't have gotten this severe under normal circumstances!'
Unable to suppress his anxiety and confusion any longer, Super Perfect Cell shouted at Trunks, "Boss! What happened? How did things end up like this? Wasn't Brother Gohan with Uncle Piccolo? With his healing, this shouldn't have happened!"
Only then did Super Perfect Cell realize that Piccolo was also gravely injured.
That finally explained why Gohan was in such terrible shape, Piccolo had been badly wounded, too.
Naturally, this only made Super Perfect Cell more desperate for answers.
Trunks' face was clouded with gloom, his expression solemn.
Only a single second passed, yet it felt as if time had stretched on forever.
Suddenly, Trunks' lips twitched slightly. He looked as though he wanted to say something, but hesitated.
Finally, he took a deep breath and said slowly, "They were fighting Jiren from Universe 11."
Hit immediately frowned. "Jiren from Universe 11? You mean the legendary Jiren?"
Trunks gave a heavy nod, his voice low. "Yes, exactly. But… for some reason, I have a deep feeling that things aren't as simple as they seem."
He paused, briefly lost in thought.
After a moment, he continued, "When I went to rescue them, I was hit by a massive attack, an extremely powerful energy blast came straight at me. At the critical moment, I managed to take it head-on. And that energy blast…"
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Trunks.
Super Perfect Cell in particular stared intently into Trunks' eyes, his heart clenching with anxiety. He could tell from Trunks' expression just how critical his next words would be.
Trunks paused briefly, delivering each word with weight. "After examining it closely, I realized the blast was actually condensed from an extremely potent form of Destruction Energy."
The moment he finished speaking, total silence fell over the Space Prison for ten full seconds.
Trunks' stern gaze swept across the shocked faces around him.
When his eyes landed on Laitsers, a seed of doubt sprouted in his mind.
Despite the distance between them, Trunks' sharp eyes caught the subtle shift in Laitsers' expression.
The tension on Laitsers' face had suddenly eased slightly. His lips parted as if to speak, but he immediately swallowed the words.
The reaction in his eyes was even harder to hide, a flash of shock cut through them like lightning, instantly shattering his calm facade.
There was no doubt about it: Laitsers was stunned, utterly unable to believe what he had just heard.
'I can understand why the Universe 6 team is shocked, given that we're allies and something happened to Universe 7. But why is this guy, who always acts like he wants nothing to do with anyone and seems convinced the Super Dragon Balls are already his, suddenly getting involved?'
At that moment, Trunks' gaze met Laitsers'.
Noticing Trunks staring at him, Laitsers deliberately looked away. He turned around, folded his arms across his chest again, and put on a front that said this had nothing to do with him.
Trunks quietly noted the reaction.
'Interesting guy. That's not the first time he's deliberately avoided my gaze.'
(End Of This Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395