svetikya Page 176
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"My spaceship is made of super alloy!" Frieza complained, but he had already activated the autopilot. "But next time there's a delivery like this, remember to pay me overtime."
As the spaceship broke through the atmosphere, Lin Ye glanced back. Prison Star had transformed into a dazzling nebula in the explosion, and the fateful scenes on the murals seemed to have vanished with the blast.
Zamasu leaned against the medical pod, looking much better. "Thank you," he said, glancing at the ring on Lin Ye's finger, "but the remaining 'reset button'..."
"Leave it to us." Lin Ye smiled and shook his bracelet. Alice's holographic projection immediately popped up, holding a delivery slip in her hand. "Alice has already started locating the location. By the way, I ordered a space pizza for you from Frieza's company, with some sour fruit from Namek. It's said to be very appetizing."
Frieza suddenly leaned closer, a contract dangling from the tip of his tail: "Since you're so knowledgeable about spacetime energy, why don't you come work for my company?" He pointed to the terms on the contract, "The position is 'Danger Package Handling Specialist,' and the benefits include... personal instruction in combat techniques from me."
Zamas looked at the contract and suddenly laughed: "That sounds more interesting than being tied to a cross." He signed his name at the signature line. "But I have one condition. Could you help me check the sender information on the shipping label? I want to know who sent me the key fragments."
Alice suddenly exclaimed, and the data stream on the projector scrolled wildly: "Found it! The sender's address is... the Supreme Kai's Palace in Universe 10!"
The spaceship's alarm suddenly sounded, and the coordinates of the tenth universe appeared on the screen, where energy fluctuations similar to those on Prison Star were emanating. Lin Ye looked out the window; in the deep universe, who knew how many more hidden "troublesome deliveries" awaited them?
“It seems that the troubles in peacetime are no less than those during wartime,” he said, gripping the silver ring on his finger, which felt warm to the touch.
Frieza's golden aura exploded in the cockpit, the ship turned around, and rushed towards the new coordinates, leaving a golden trail of flames: "This is more interesting, isn't it?" He turned back and raised an eyebrow at Lin Ye, "It's better than sitting on Planet Destroyer all day watching that fat cat Beerus sleep."
Android 18's mechanical eye flashed with excited blue light as it sent a message to its Earth companions: "Bulma says her new invention can track all the 'reset buttons,' so let's pick up some Universe 10 specialties while we're at it. It seems to be a kind of singing crystal."
Lin Ye chuckled and pressed the communicator. Goku's boisterous voice immediately came through: "Lin Ye! When are you guys coming back? Vegeta and I bet you can't beat the Supreme Kai of Universe 10!"
"Just you wait and see." Lin Ye gazed at the gradually enlarging Tenth Universe on the screen, his fingers lightly tapping the control panel. "We're not here to fight this time..."
He paused, looked at his noisy companions around him, and suddenly burst out laughing:
"They're here to deliver a package."
Chapter 392: Memories from the Gravity Chamber (3460 words)
Bulma's new gravity chamber, suspended in geosynchronous orbit, resembled a polished silver die. Sunlight shone on its metal casing, reflecting off the surface of the moon and creating spots of light that bounced around. Lin Ye, peering through the observation window of the control room, gasped at the pulsating data stream: "Ten thousand times the gravity? When this thing starts up, won't the Earth shake?"
“Don’t worry, it’s equipped with an anti-gravity buffer.” Bulma, a lemon-flavored lollipop dangling from her lips, tapped rapidly on the control panel. Suddenly, the holographic projection unfolded, revealing the purple crystal embedded in the core of the gravity chamber. “See that? It’s made from the residual energy of the Super Dragon Balls. It can simulate the environment of the entire universe—from the sulfur pits of Namek to the cotton clouds of Planet Destruction, and even the gravity field of the Supreme Kai’s world can be replicated to a high degree.” She suddenly leaned closer, bumping Lin Ye’s arm with her shoulder. “But Vegeta has been acting a bit strange lately. He stays here until the wee hours every night, saying he’s going to create a new form to scare Goku to death.”
Lin Ye's God of Destruction perception pierced through the alloy shell, and Vegeta's figure moved so fast in the gravitational field that it was just a blur. Deep blue flames enveloped his fist as he slammed it into the virtual phantom of Chronos. Each impact would burst out silver sparks, but just as the sparks were about to connect, the flames would always "poof" and dissipate, like a punctured balloon.
“He’s fusing the power of the God of Destruction.” Lin Ye’s fingertips traced Vegeta’s energy trajectory on the observation window, and there were subtle tremors hidden in those silver patterns. “It’s Saiyan pride at play; he’d rather endure it himself than ask a single question.”
“More than that.” Bulma pulled up the security camera footage, which showed Vegeta pulling at his hair in front of a mirror, with a yellow sticky note that said “Victory” stuck to his forehead. “Yesterday he secretly asked me, ‘Will I grow a beard if I become a God of Destruction?’ Don’t you think he’s stupid?”
That evening, Lin Ye changed into his training clothes and entered the gravity chamber. The pressure of ten thousand times the normal gravity made the air groan; every step felt like dragging a meteorite, the sound of his shoes scraping against the metal floor was exceptionally grating. Vegeta was punching the simulated phantom of Chronos; the sweat hitting the ground made a dull thud, like a lead ball hitting the ground.
"Hey, isn't this our great God of Destruction?" Vegeta didn't even turn his head, the shockwave from his fist carving a shallow trench in the ground. "What brings you to watch me train? Feeling your throne is getting too unstable?"
Lin Ye flexed his wrists, the residual energy of the Origin Realm slowly circulating within his body, golden flames enveloping his body like a thin veil: "I heard someone is stuck at a bottleneck, so I've come to learn a few moves." He suddenly accelerated his punch, golden flames grazing Vegeta's earlobe and creating ripples on the virtual target, "For example, how to manipulate the power of a god without losing oneself."
Vegeta abruptly stopped, turning around with a throbbing vein on his brow: "What do you mean?"
"It doesn't mean anything." Lin Ye shrugged, the metal floor beneath his feet cracking like a spiderweb under the weight of his weight. "I just feel that there's something in your deep blue aura that shouldn't be there... like fear."
"Bullshit!" Vegeta's deep blue aura surged instantly, his fist slamming down with immense force, the wind from his punch carrying shards of stone. "This prince is afraid? I even trampled Frieza under my feet back then!"
The moment their fists collided, the environment of the gravity chamber suddenly distorted. A blinding white light flashed, and the two found themselves standing on a wasteland littered with rubble. In the distance, a red planet was exploding in the sky, its fragments falling like burning teardrops.
"This is..." Lin Ye looked down and saw that his training clothes had turned into Saiyan battle suits, the fabric of which was so rough that it rubbed against his skin.
“Bulma’s new ability can conjure up whatever you think in your head.” Vegeta’s voice tightened as he stared at the little guy hiding behind the rock. The younger version of himself was hugging his knees, gritting his teeth as he watched the planet shatter into meteors, his little fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. “Utterly boring.”
"Boring?" Lin Ye walked over to young Vegeta, who was punching a rock with his fist, his knuckles bleeding but he didn't stop. The bloodstains on the rock surface spread and were dried by the wind. "I think it's quite realistic." He looked at adult Vegeta, "What you're afraid of is never the power itself, but becoming a monster like Frieza, using power to destroy the things you care about."
"Shut up!" Vegeta's roar shattered the surrounding rocks, and the young phantom vanished in specks of light. "I'll destroy you right now!" His attacks became frenzied, and the shockwaves from his fists sent rubble flying. But every time the silver patterns tried to climb up his arms, he would forcefully suppress them, as if afraid of getting burned.
Lin Ye suddenly remembered a piece of data he had accidentally seen before the system was removed. At the time, he had laughed at Vegeta for being stubborn, but now he felt a lump in his throat. "You think Super Saiyans are achieved through anger?" he shouted into the wind of his punch, the shockwave making his hair fly wildly. "Back then, you knew Bulma was pregnant with Trunks, and she secretly ran off to find Shenron, exchanging three wishes for what?"
Vegeta's movements suddenly froze, his fist stopping in front of Lin Ye's nose, the scalding air leaking from between his fingers burning his skin.
"What you exchanged was 'the power to protect your family,' not 'the power to defeat Goku!'" Lin Ye's voice echoed in the gravity field, making the walls vibrate. "During the Cell Games, when you saw Android 18 in danger, that desire to win hid a panic of 'not wanting to lose her again!'"
The environment of the gravity chamber suddenly shifted, and Cell's spiked figure appeared in mid-air, his purple skin glistening in the sunlight. Android 18 was bound to a stone pillar with energy ropes, his white coat torn in several places. Young Vegeta stood still, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, his eyes bloodshot like spider webs, his ki already at its peak, yet he hesitated to make a move.
"See that?" Lin Ye's aura gently enveloped the adult Vegeta, like warm water flowing over a reef. "The key to your breakthroughs has never been 'I want to be stronger,' but 'I want to protect them.'"
"I didn't..." Vegeta's rebuttal grew softer and softer. He watched his younger self suddenly rush towards Cell, and in that reckless arrogance, there was indeed the lie Lin Ye had told him... It wasn't that he was afraid of losing, but that he was afraid of not having enough time.
The deep blue aura suddenly stabilized, and the silver patterns flowed into the deep blue like water, no longer a rigid patchwork, but rather a harmonious blend. Vegeta's hair stood on end like spikes, each strand gleaming with a silver-blue luster. His pupils held half the Saiyan's arrogance and half the God of Destruction's serenity, the two powers swirling within him like a yin-yang symbol.
"This..." He moved his wrists, feeling the power flowing through his body. There was no uncontrollable heat, only a steady warmth, like holding a small sun.
“Let’s call it ‘Guardian Form’ for now.” Lin Ye smiled and withdrew his fist, the sound of his knuckles hitting each other being particularly clear in the gravitational field. “Beerus secretly told me that the true ability of a God of Destruction is not to destroy planets, but to know which parts are untouchable.”
The gravity chamber door hissed open, and Bulma stood in the doorway, holding Bra in her arms. The little guy was waving his chubby hands, trying to grab the air, drool dripping from his chin onto Bulma's shoulder. "Daddy! Uncle Lin Ye!" Bra's sweet voice pierced through the gravity field, "Mommy said if we don't go eat, Uncle Goku will eat all of Pudding!"
Vegeta's new form vanished instantly, his ears burning red. "Understood, woman." He strode over, his tail subtly wrapping around Bra's little feet, afraid she might slip and fall. Bra suddenly grabbed Vegeta's tail and swung it back and forth: "Daddy, your tail is more fun than the swings in the park!"
"What does a little kid like you know?" Vegeta said sternly, but he carefully supported Bra's bottom, his movements stiff yet gentle. Bulma smiled and gave him a push: "Hurry up and go, there was an explosion over the communicator just now, Goku probably blew up the kitchen again."
Lin Ye watched their figures disappear at the end of the corridor, and suddenly felt a warmth in his heart. He touched the God of Destruction's registration card in his pocket; the card's temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, like holding a piece of warm jade.
It turns out that the original god created the Light of Creation and the Core of Chaos not so that they would fight, but so that they would live together. Just like no matter how powerful the God of Destruction is, without these noisy entanglements, he would eventually become a second Cronus.
The control panel in the gravity chamber suddenly lit up with a message from Alice, along with a photo—Beelzebub was sprawled on the sofa on Planet Destroyer, clutching a book titled "How to Be a Good Elder" in his paws, with a crooked cat paw print on the cover. Whis was secretly taking a picture with his phone next to him, his shoulders shaking with laughter.
Lin Ye smiled, closed the message, and turned to walk towards the exit. The starlight outside was perfect, and the Earth looked like a blue glass ball spinning beneath his feet. He could vaguely see the Capsule Corporation windows lit up; Goku was probably stealing pudding again, Vegeta was glaring at him, and Bulma was chasing them with a spatula, the clanging sounds probably audible even on the moon.
These days are much more interesting than being all alone in the Origin Realm.
He touched his chest; the core of the God of Destruction was beating steadily, no different from the heartbeat of an ordinary person.
Chapter 393: The Ramen Shop Across the Universe
On the Saiyan planet in Universe 6, the green "Inter-Universe Ramen" sign gleamed under the light of two stars. The long queue snaked from the shop entrance to the street corner, with Namekians with pointed horns, Saiyan children with tails, and even a robot wrapped in bandages holding a sign that read "Spiciest!"
"Mr. Lin Ye! This way, please!" Gabe, wearing an apron covered in flour and with a white dot on his forehead, squeezed through the crowd and grabbed Lin Ye's arm. His chef's uniform had a small "Bei" embroidered on the cuff. "Look at my ramen shop, isn't it much more impressive than the one I saw in Universe Seven last time?"
Lin Ye glanced at the holographic projection at the door. In the scene of the seventh universe's tonkotsu soup, Goku was slurping down a large bowl of food, while Vegeta wiped his mouth with a look of disgust. "It's really good," he nodded with a smile. "Especially since they made Vegeta look so handsome; it seems they put a lot of thought into it."
"That's right!" Gabe suddenly lowered his voice and said mysteriously, "I secretly used the 'Explosive Brewing Method' that Lord Vegeta taught me. It's said to enhance the umami flavor of the broth tenfold!" He turned and went into the kitchen, quickly bringing out a bowl of bright red ramen, with chili peppers piled up like a small mountain. "Try this 'Saiyan Explosive Spicy Ramen,' and I guarantee you'll transform right after eating it!"
Just as Lin Ye dipped the spoon into the bowl, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his fingertip. The God of Destruction's senses instantly went off; the chili oil floating in the bowl was twisting and turning, its dark purple veins moving like living things, exactly like the chaotic energy of Kronos.
“This chili…” He scooped up a spoonful of soup, the energy fluctuations in the steam making his brow furrow.
Gabe's smile froze. "What's wrong, Mr. Lin Ye? Is it too spicy?" He reached out to try it, but Lin Ye grabbed his hand. "I picked these from the 'Forgotten Star' on the edge of the universe. The chili peppers there are naturally full of energy; they're said to enhance combat power!"
Alice's holographic projection suddenly unfolded on the table, a chili pepper pattern composed of data streams spinning: "High concentration of chaotic energy detected, camouflage level 99%." Her mechanical eyes flashed red, bringing up a 3D map of the Forgotten Star, "This planet was marked as an 'energy anomaly zone' three years ago, and the dark red vegetation covering its surface absorbs the emotions of living beings."
"I, the God of Destruction, told you long ago that there was something wrong with that damn planet!" Champa's voice suddenly boomed, and purple destructive energy shattered the glass of the ramen shop, scaring the customers in line into transforming into Saiyans for defense. The cat god, paws on his hips, tail trembling with rage, roared, "We should have wiped it out three years ago! It's all that Whis's fault, saying he wanted to 'observe the natural evolution of the universe,' and now look what happened!"
"So you secretly sent the detector seven times?" Lin Ye raised an eyebrow. Champa's little tricks could not escape the God of Destruction's perception.
"That's...that's me testing the performance of the new probe!" Champa turned his head, but his paw pointed to the cosmic map. "The core energy of the Forgotten Star is about to form a new chaotic core. If we don't go now, it will be too late!"
Gabe suddenly raised his hand: "Mr. Lin Ye, I know the Forgotten Star!" He pulled up the spaceship's navigation log. "When I went there to pick chili peppers last month, I saw a lot of glowing shadows. They even asked me, 'Are you here to take over from them?'"
Lin Ye unfolded the Destroyer's Scepter in his palm: "Gabe, can I borrow your spaceship?" He looked at Champa, "Lord Destroyer of Universe Six, how about we go take a look together? Consider it... a cross-universe team-building activity?"
Champa's tail quietly wrapped around Lin Ye's wrist, but he snorted, "I just wanted to confirm whether that planet really should be destroyed." He suddenly leaned closer, "By the way, is the ramen in your Seventh Universe really better than that in the Sixth Universe?"
The atmosphere of the Forgotten Star resembled a dark red film; as the spaceship passed through, sticky droplets condensed on the portholes. Lin Ye's divine power swept across the surface, and every dark red leaf emitted a faint scream—a cacophony of absorbed negative emotions.
“These plants are eating ‘despair’,” Lin Ye said, pointing to the pulsating energy waves on the screen. “Their roots have penetrated into the core of the planet, where…”
“There are a bunch of pitiful creatures there.” Champa’s destructive energy suddenly stirred. “I can sense that many auras similar to yours have been almost completely devoured by chaotic energy.”
The spaceship landed in front of a valley. Dark red vines wove a giant net at the valley entrance, and countless semi-transparent figures hung on the net. Each one was Lin Ye. Some wore battle armor from the Origin Realm, while others were still wearing the plaid shirts they wore when they first transmigrated. Each of them had an energy tube inserted into their chest, continuously transmitting light into the ground.
“Another ‘success’.” Lin Ye, the man in the plaid shirt at the front, looked up, his face filled with despair. “Don’t waste your energy. We’ve tried countless times, and we can’t escape the curse of ‘either/or’.”
"What two options?" Gabe couldn't help but ask, his tail curling nervously into a circle.
"Either become a puppet of the Light of Creation, or fall into the nourishment of the Chaos Core." Zhan Yilin Ye gave a bitter laugh, and the energy tube suddenly tightened, making his body even more transparent. "Although Kronos is dead, his ideas remain like a virus in the bones of every 'container.' You think you've created a third possibility? It's just that the time to choose hasn't come yet."
Champa's destructive energy suddenly erupted, and a purple light blade slashed at the vines, only to be absorbed the moment it made contact: "Damn it! These damned things can replicate the power of gods!"
"Because their nourishment contains countless 'gods' who have given up resistance." Lin Ye stepped off the spaceship, the power of the God of Destruction and the residual energy of the Origin Realm intertwining in his palm to form a golden shield of light. "But you have forgotten that failure is not a curse, but a signpost."
His palm pressed against the giant vine net, and golden light spread along the veins: "You, the one in the plaid shirt, when you saved the old lady at the subway station, did you ever think about 'choosing one of two options'?"
Lin Ye, wearing a plaid shirt, froze, his transparent fingers trembling: "I...I just thought she might fall and hurt herself..."
"The me in the battle suit," Lin Ye looked at another version of himself, "when you first stood in front of Number 18 to fight against Kronos, were you thinking about 'creation' or 'chaos'?"
Sparks suddenly erupted from Lin Ye's energy tubes: "I just... don't want her to die..."
"See, how simple it is." Lin Ye's voice echoed in the valley, and the golden light grew brighter and brighter. "The most insidious thing about Kronos is not the Chaos Core, but that he made us believe that to protect, we must lose ourselves, and to become stronger, we must abandon gentleness. But touch your own hearts, every time you break through, isn't it because of 'wanting to protect someone,' rather than 'wanting to become someone'?"
The translucent Lin Ye figures began to flicker, and the energy tubes on their chests snapped one after another. The Lin Ye in the plaid shirt smiled and turned into specks of light: "So I'm not a failure after all, I just haven't reached your level yet."
Zhan Yilin took one last look at the sky: "Tell Number 18 for me that I have always been sorry for not protecting her that time."
Countless points of light rose up like fireflies, merging into the dark red vegetation. The vines began to fade, revealing emerald green branches beneath, and flower buds sprouted from the tips, instantly blooming into golden flowers, each petal etched with different star map coordinates.
“This is…” Gabe’s eyes widened, “a map of a parallel universe?”
“It’s an entrance to countless ‘possibilities’.” Lin Ye plucked a flower, the coordinates on its petals flashing. “In some universes, we may lose, but in one universe, someone will find their way through this path.”
Champa suddenly yawned: "So boring. I thought I could cause some real chaos." He flicked his tail and tossed something to Lin Ye: "This is the ramen recipe from Universe Six. It's ten times better than the tonkotsu soup from your Universe Seven. Give it to that little chef."
As the spaceship left Forgotten Star, Gabe shouted into the communicator, "I'm going to open a branch on Forgotten Star! The signboard will be 'Never Give Up Ramen Shop'!" In the holographic projection, the new ramen shop had already set up tents by the valley, and the first customer was Klin, who had just condensed from a point of light and came from a parallel universe.
Lin Ye watched as Xiang Pa secretly stuffed the fruit candy from Universe 6 into his mouth and suddenly laughed.
"Hey, Cat God."
"What?" Xiangpa asked vaguely.
"How about we go to Universe 7 for ramen for our next team building activity? It's on me."
Champa's ears twitched, but his tail subtly wagged: "Hmph, seeing how sincere you are, I'll reluctantly agree." He suddenly leaned closer, "Don't tell Weiss, or I'll... I'll hide your household registration card!"
Lin Ye smiled and shook his head, looking out the porthole. The Forgotten Star had turned green, and the golden flowers, illuminated by the star, looked like stars scattered on the ground.
Perhaps the true meaning of the universe is never about choosing A or B, but rather that at countless crossroads, there will always be someone who chooses "I want to try".
Just like Gabe's ramen, even if it uses chili peppers with chaotic energy, if the thought when making the broth is "everyone enjoys eating it," then it will always be a good bowl of ramen.
Chapter 394: The Gods' Holiday
The clouds on Planet Destroyer were as soft as cotton candy. Lin Ye lay on the floating sofa, watching Beerus and Champa argue fiercely over the last piece of strawberry cake. Cat God's tail was tangled together, and his claws were showing their sharp points. Whis was leisurely brewing tea nearby, and the tea steam rose up, transforming into the shape of Earth... Android 18 was standing on the lawn of a kindergarten, teaching the children how to use air to hold buttercream frosting, and the pink and white buttercream drew beautiful arcs in the air.
"You're already as fat as a ball, and you're still trying to steal it!" Champa's claws pressed down on the cake box, and the purple divine power made the coffee table vibrate. "The strawberries on this cake are a specialty of the Sixth Universe, and this god should have an extra piece!"