It was just after I finished my third giant fish and was lamenting that I had none left—debating whether or not I should go catch a few more—that I felt it. A rising ki in the distance, one I wasn't really familiar with. It was powerful... kind of. At least in comparison to the majority of the weaklings on this planet. About on par with Chiaotzu, maybe a bit higher, but still a fair bit lower than Yamcha's current level from what I could feel from those twits up on the Lookout.
Even from down here, I could sense them without much trouble and rank who was strongest. Tien was at the top, followed by Krillin with a small but not insignificant gap. No surprise there. Krillin was probably more talented than Tien, but Tien made up for it with sheer hard work—not that Krillin slacked off, but Tien outpaced all the other humans in effort by a decent margin. Yamcha came next, followed by Chiaotzu and then Yajirobe. Only Tien was getting close to the level the original and Piccolo were at during the fight with Raditz.
Granted, it had only been about two weeks since the original died, so their progress was decent. They'd each jumped by around a hundred in battle power, from what I could estimate by comparing how they felt now to how they felt back then. The original had a power level of 416 when he fought Raditz, and I myself was in the 350 range when I first woke up. Tien was actually just slightly stronger than I was back then.
So who was this new power? It felt vaguely familiar, but not enough for me to place it—probably some ingrained instinct I inherited from the original. I frowned when I felt a tiny ki disappear near the unfamiliar one—just an average human-level power, vanishing completely.
No doubt about it. Someone had been killed.
Looking in the direction of the energy signature, I activated my scouter.
Beep beep – 261.
"Interesting," I hummed thoughtfully. Whoever this person was, they were decently stronger than Master Roshi. I wonder who it is—and why they just killed some random weakling?
Curiosity getting the better of me, I tossed the fish bone I'd been nibbling on aside and stood up. "Continue your usual training routine after dinner and then rest. I'll be back in a little while," I told my pet Saibamen, who were curled up around the fire enjoying the warmth.
With that said, I flew up into the sky, heading toward the mysterious power. I had to change course a few moments later when it suddenly and rapidly moved. Rather than chasing it all over the place, I decided to wait and see where it eventually stopped.
~~~~~
It took over an hour before whoever it was reached their destination. I got so bored waiting that I started shadowboxing in midair. I ended up training in place for a total of one hour and thirteen minutes, according to my scouter.
Such a nifty little device. It's like a watch I don't even need to check my wrist to use. Honestly, I'm starting to love this thing. It's got an alarm clock, a timer, a camera, a video recorder, and it even tunes into a radio station that plays music across the entire Planet Trade Organization.
I'm definitely going to ask Bulma if she can hook it up to the internet someday. That'd be awesome.
Now that the power had gone stationary, following it was child's play. Heck, even tracking it while training was a decent challenge—I actually kind of enjoyed it. My body ached from all the torn muscle and intense exertion, but I couldn't help but enjoy the burn. Being a Saiyan is like being part masochist, I swear. Not that I'm complaining. It makes brutal training a hell of a lot easier to tolerate.
Unlike the person I was tracking, I didn't take anywhere near as long to get there. Mostly because I was already closer, but still. At max speed, I reached the destination in about ten minutes.
To my surprise, the ki signature led me to a massive, pristine white, dome-like mansion. It was huge and in the middle of nowhere. It honestly looked like someone took Capsule Corp in a dino cap and dropped it in the wilderness.
"What the hell?" I muttered. "Why would anyone build a mansion way out here? Is this some early Dragon Ball movie villain I forgot about or something?"
Walking up to the dome-shaped building, I didn't bother with the doorbell. Instead, I punched it clean off its hinges and swaggered right in.
Waiting is for fodder. My time isn't meant to be wasted.
Yeah, a dick move. But I don't care. This guy's a murderer anyway.
Following the ki signature through the halls, I whistled at the decor. Everything was immaculate white—the walls, the ceilings, the floors. I passed a massive, stylish living room with a huge TV and a semi-circular couch, but I didn't stop to admire it. Whoever this guy was, he either didn't hear me break in, couldn't sense power levels, or thought he could take me and was suppressing his own.
That last thought gave me a jolt of excitement as I reached the room where the power signature was located.
Only for that excitement to die a tragic, disappointing death.
There, lying peacefully on a bed inside the bedroom, was a tall, thin man with a metal head, snoozing like a baby.
Mercenary freaking Tao.
"Seriously!?" I hissed. "I got all worked up over Tao freaking Paipai? Fuck off!"
Why wasn't this clown already dead? He's an assassin and a murderer. Why hadn't the others taken care of him ages ago?
I sneered at the sleeping weakling, contempt boiling in my chest. Without a second thought, I raised my hand. A crimson orb of ki sparked to life in my palm.
"The world'll be a better place without trash like you," I muttered coldly—and fired.
It was over in an instant. Tao, the bed, everything—gone. All that remained were a few scorched marks on the otherwise pristine white carpet.
And then it hit me.
Tao was—was—an assassin. There's no way he told anyone where he lived. Maybe his brother Shen, but if I ever see that bastard, I'll kill him too. So no worries there.
This… this is a free mansion now.
Score!