Chapter 40: Tumatian

Is the worldview about to collapse?

No, no, that's overthinking it. These aren't actually Autobots—just ordinary mechanical combat weapons.

Raditz couldn't help raising one eyebrow, an indescribable surprise in his expression. Looking at the fearful eyes of the people below, he could imagine their pain after being enslaved for so long.

"Well, since you're targeting me, I'll just have to destroy you!"

Whatever these machines were, they needed to be dealt with. Raditz faced the robot, which stood six or seven meters tall, without any fear. He stared down the artillery fire head-on.

The dark gray robot began striding forward, its body rumbling. Besides the main cannon barrel on its chest and the two guns in its hands, the shoulder armor, arms, legs, and back all opened to reveal countless gun ports. Every weapon was aimed at Raditz, just waiting for a signal to unleash tens of thousands of shells simultaneously—enough to turn him into a sieve or blast him to ashes.

"Come on!" Raditz yelled, taking the initiative.

The cannons fired, creating a deafening roar that continued without pause. The red glow of explosions flickered wildly, lighting up the dark planet with a blaze of fire.

The attack, which lasted a full minute, left the onlookers stunned.

Who could survive such a violent assault?

"He... he won't die, will he?"

"Don't worry about it. Let him go—we can't go against their will..." An elderly man hugged a frightened child in his arms, stroking her head with an expression of fear on his face.

Looking closely, you could see that the old man's hands were trembling.

"But maybe he can save us."

"Shh! Aji, stop talking. It's impossible." The man next to the old man made a silencing gesture. "If they hear you, it'll be miserable for all of us."

"Woooooo~"

"Don't cry, child! There's nothing we can do. If you endure it like this, you'll make it through in the end." Every wrinkle on the old man's dejected face seemed worn down and numb.

Everyone sighed in unison, and those hiding behind were shivering.

Just then, a black figure gradually emerged from the firelight. His long hair fluttered in the scorching air—the unmistakable silhouette of a man. The old man's eyes suddenly dilated, nearly bulging from their sockets. A mouthful of saliva caught in his throat made him cough violently. The others were equally surprised, all dumbfounded and frozen in place.

He had come out of the gunfire alive and seemingly unscathed!

Raditz's current strength was beyond these people's comprehension. He casually flicked sparks off his hair, clenched his fists, and stretched his neck.

"Old man, don't cut off the child's hope. There's nothing to—" Raditz swung his arms and rushed toward the gray robot. His extreme speed dragged his voice behind him, but the final words thundered clearly: "FEAR!!!"

His punch pierced through the thick plate armor. The hard alloy was as brittle as a simple plastic plate under his fist. Surging energy tore it in two, then continued to break through the next target...

"Bang! Bang! BANG!"

Three impacts in rapid succession!

These machines posed no threat to him whatsoever. Even if they attacked together, Raditz would merely smile.

For instance... right now!

When the three machines were destroyed in an instant, the rest swarmed around him. The robots' inability to detect ki made them unable to judge the massive power gap between themselves and their enemy.

They surrounded Raditz within a narrow range, aiming all their weapons at him. Several long gun barrels nearly touched his face.

Just as they were about to fire, Raditz smiled.

Opening his hands as if doing a stretching exercise, he gathered deep power in his palms. The moment the robots fired, he made his move!

A white glow blocked everyone's sight like a curtain, causing even the mechanical weapons to lose their targeting. The shock wave radiated outward from Raditz, creating a halo of light, and all the machines were instantly annihilated—along with their attacks.

"Done!" Raditz clapped his hands, looking completely relaxed.

The survivors became even more frightened and continued to shrink back. If they hadn't been restrained by electronic chains, they would certainly have fled.

"I saved you, so why are you still scared? Look at me—I'm similar to you. I'm flesh and blood too." Raditz pointed at his face and turned around. He was wearing a training T-shirt and leather jacket, and his tail had been completely removed. He truly looked no different from a normal person. "See for yourselves."

His words seemed to move the old man somewhat.

But everyone still wore expressions of fear, and some looked as if they were seeing a devil. "You don't understand at all. We're not afraid of you—we're afraid of them! They'll come back! They can't be killed!"

Raditz became increasingly confused, his frown deepening.

These people seemed to be prisoners, and learning about the "them" they mentioned might be key to unlocking the mystery of the metal planet.

"Tell me, what is this planet? And who are 'they'? My friends and I were pulled in while traveling through space. Why did that happen?"

This barrage of questions made the people hesitate.

After a long moment, the old man finally stood up trembling and approached Raditz. His old, deep-set eyes resembled shriveled jujube pits as he looked the young man up and down, letting out a sigh.

Originally, he hadn't wanted to tell the whole story, but what Raditz said as he walked out of the flames, combined with the incredible strength he demonstrated, made the old man see him differently.

Hope?

Maybe there was hope?

They hadn't seen a new face appear for so many years. Now that they had, wasn't it an opportunity?

"We are the natives of this planet. This planet is called Tumat, and we call ourselves Tumatian. Throughout the long history of the universe, we have been multiplying for an unknown amount of time. We may be one of the oldest civilizations." The old man spoke with pride, looking up at the sky as if reminiscing about glorious days long past. Although he hadn't witnessed them with his own eyes, the records in their ancient books were enough to inspire all his people.

"In the distant past, our civilization and technology reached their peak. It was an era where our technology surpassed all other beings at that time, and our race flourished."

"But then... After a period of prosperity, our technological progress was suddenly interrupted, and all our achievements vanished. Later, Tumatian fell..." The old man's expression darkened as he reached this point in the story.

Raditz guessed the outcome, glancing around before saying: "So you tried to recreate your past civilization and rebuild that technological peak!"

The metallic reverberation of the desolate planet seemed to echo Raditz's voice.

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