Whether one month is long or short, for Raditz, it was just the right amount of time to enjoy life on Earth.
These days, he had become quite familiar with the Earthling lifestyle.
Looking up at the sky, just the right amount of sunlight bathed the world in a layer of splendor. People passed each other beneath the blue sky while white clouds drifted leisurely overhead. Rows of high-rise buildings and magnificent air tunnels stretched across the city, giving it a distinctive style.
The wide roads were packed with vehicles. Raditz supported the car door with one hand and held the steering wheel with the other as he drove slowly through the bustling streets.
"Why isn't the car in front moving yet?" Goku drummed his fingers impatiently on his arm.
"Haha, there's something called 'morning rush hour' in big cities. It doesn't matter if you're in the latest flying car or that ordinary vehicle up ahead—everyone has to wait their turn in traffic," Raditz replied from the driver's seat as he lightly tapped the brake.
Krillin and Yamcha, sitting in the back, also laughed. "Haha, Goku doesn't have a driver's license yet, so he must not get out on the streets very often."
"Huh? Krillin, you can drive too?"
Goku knew Yamcha was an experienced driver, but he hadn't expected Krillin to be laughing along.
"Hey, I learned after the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament!" Krillin said triumphantly, pulling out his driver's license. "Look at this, Goku! Bet you didn't expect that."
"But if you want to go somewhere, can't you just fly?"
Raditz gave Goku a look of disgust when he heard that. "Driving is fun! Besides, flying around all the time makes a bad impression on people."
Goku scratched his head, only half understanding.
"By the way, Gohan really couldn't come out with us today?"
"Chi-Chi wouldn't let him, and there was nothing I could do about it."
"I bet Gohan hasn't had a chance to go out much lately, has he?" Krillin said with a laugh, easily imagining the scene.
Raditz couldn't help but laugh too. Since returning to Earth, he had been living at Goku's house. The first time she met Goku's brother, Chi-Chi had been very surprised and specially prepared a huge feast for him. He and Goku would train for eight hours each day, then do some farm work and odd jobs. Surprisingly, Goku, who usually focused solely on training, was actually working hard at his chores—all thanks to Raditz's influence. This earned Raditz plenty of praise from Chi-Chi, who kept telling Goku how lucky he was to have such a good brother.
Gohan, however, was miserable. Having missed a year of school, he was forced by Chi-Chi to complete a pile of homework and practice tests that stood taller than the table itself. Even Raditz was terrified when he saw the amount of work, and no one in the family dared argue with Chi-Chi once she showed her fierce side.
"From the looks of things, something's happened up ahead. Why don't we just fly?" Yamcha leaned against the door, bored, and let out a yawn.
At 10 o'clock that morning, after finishing breakfast, Raditz had driven Bulma's newly purchased flying sports car into the busiest business district in West City, and then... they'd been stuck in traffic ever since.
Raditz shrugged. "I guess we have no choice."
One by one, they exited the car and returned it to its capsule form under the watchful eyes of pedestrians. People looked around in confusion, puzzled by the actions of Raditz and the others.
In the next second, everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as they froze in astonishment. They watched as all four men flew directly up into the sky!
"I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"I don't know either..."
"Hey, did you see that? They can fly!"
"Damn it, why didn't I take a picture?"
After a brief silence, heated discussion erupted from the crowd. Many people still looked dazed, rubbing their eyes and pinching their thighs, thinking they must be daydreaming...
The four of them flew unhindered through the air, moving forward gracefully.
Below, the traffic remained congested. Several vehicles were turned sideways at an intersection, with police officers shouting and the sound of gunfire filling the air. On the other side was a bank. Behind a modified armored car at the entrance, several men were firing machine guns at the police.
Yep, a bank robbery. No wonder traffic was backed up.
According to usual practice, it was time for Z fighter to show off their strength, Raditz thought. Sure enough, Goku jumped down, with Krillin and Yamcha immediately following.
Raditz shook his head and descended vertically.
When the four of them landed on the ground, Goku yelled "Stop!" and then walked straight into the hail of bullets.
"What do these idiots think they're doing? Looking to die? Hahahaha!" A gangster laughed wildly.
The police immediately ceased fire, fearing they might accidentally hit innocent bystanders. But the gangsters laughed even more ferociously, as if they'd spotted easy prey, and continued shooting non-stop.
"Hmph." Raditz smiled contemptuously and casually reached out his hand.
More than a dozen bullets were instantly caught in his palm, the gunpowder smoke dissipating around his fingers. Not to be outdone, Goku and the others began catching the bandits' bullets one after another, then opened their hands to let the bullets fall to the ground with metallic "clinks."
What seemed completely ordinary to them left others dumbfounded—who in the world could catch bullets with their bare hands? The gangsters were speechless.
"Keep firing!" their boss shouted angrily.
The gangsters continued shooting wildly, desperately emptying their magazines. The four warriors leisurely plucked the bullets from the air, approaching slowly as if taking a casual stroll.
Both Yamcha and Krillin wore casual clothes with one hand in their pockets, making them look completely relaxed. The edges of their clothes fluttered slightly in the breeze, causing a few female onlookers to sigh in admiration.
The police stood with their weapons drawn, looking at the four in disbelief. The other bystanders murmured among themselves, their expressions comically exaggerated.
At this point, the gang leader jumped into his vehicle, grabbed a bazooka, and aimed it at Raditz. "Haha, I still have this weapon! Go to hell!"
Seeing their boss with the bazooka, all the gangsters became cocky again, feeling they had regained the upper hand. After all, even if these strange men could stop bullets, they couldn't possibly withstand a rocket blast.
Raditz beckoned to them with a mocking smirk.
"You!" The boss was furious. As the leader of a gang, he couldn't tolerate such disrespect. In his rage, he fired a rocket, which roared as it flew toward Raditz.
In an instant, Raditz's eyes lit up as an astonishing aura erupted around him. White energy enveloped his body, ripples continuously spreading in all directions as power surged like a tide.
Before the rocket even touched Raditz, it had already disintegrated and exploded in the swirling energy!
Seeing this, Goku immediately rushed forward, knocked down several gangsters with a few quick strikes, then approached the vehicle and sent the car door flying with a single punch. The boss looked frantically from side to side, blood dripping from his nose as his Adam's apple bobbed nervously. With trembling hands, he raised his arms in surrender.
This is inhuman! the boss thought.
He quickly scrambled out of the car and shouted: "Police, I surrender! Don't let them hit me! I surrender!"
The police stood speechless.
"Let's go!" Raditz called out.
Ignoring the shouts from the police and onlookers behind them, the four quickly departed. From that day on, there were legends in West City about four unsung heroes...
Raditz went to the mall to select some Earth clothes to avoid the awkwardness of going out in his battle armor. He also helped Goku choose an outfit, bought a gift for Chi-Chi, and Krillin and Yamcha picked up a few items as well. They chatted and joked around, with Raditz keeping everyone laughing so much that they almost forgot about the powerful enemies they would soon face.
Meanwhile, Bulma was sleeping soundly on a bench in her lab. Raditz had asked her to improve the upper limit and accuracy of the scouter a month ago, and it was almost completed now.
Raditz's scouter lay on its side, with a number flashing on the screen: 20,000.
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