Ethan looked left and right. Android 17 and 16's combined attack was fierce, but it could not truly injure him. He could even carefully assess each person's condition and determine the extent of their injuries.
Android 17 hit hard, so everyone he knocked down had lost consciousness. Tien, Yamcha, and the others were seriously injured, and if left unattended, they could die at any moment.
Ethan also noticed that Android 17 and 16 did not launch a frantic assault on him. Instead, they wanted to create distance. After a head-on punch with Android 16 that pushed him back, Ethan did not pursue and stayed put, watching them.
As expected, Android 17 did not charge forward again and maintained a distance from Ethan along with Android 16.
This further confirmed Ethan's judgment. Android 18, who had also distanced herself from Yoruichi, specifically reminded them, "They're not dead. They'll be fine as long as they eat a Senzu Bean."
Dr. Gero's intel was very detailed. The androids also knew about the magical item called Senzu Beans.
Ethan looked at the androids and suddenly became curious about something.
"Why didn't you kill them?"
This was a normal question, but it made both Android 17 and 18 pause. Then they asked Ethan in return, "Why should we kill them?"
Hearing this counter-question, Ethan was certain that these two androids, like in the original story, were not bad guys and had not become the evil androids of Trunks' world because of his appearance.
He found it a bit difficult to be ruthless against such opponents!
Ethan felt a bit of a headache. He was thinking about what to do next.
The Cell problem had to be handled without issue. For Cell to become Perfect Cell, Android 17 and 18 had to be absorbed by him. This meant they could not be injured now.
Let them go directly?
It seemed like a solution, but it gave Ethan an uncomfortable feeling. Knowing that several people were in danger and having the ability to change everything, instead of helping, he would be pushing them from behind.
He felt like he was becoming a bad guy!
Ethan did not deny that this was influenced by his memories from his previous life. Just like he knew Vegeta was not a good person but did not kill him himself. At most, if the guy died, he would not resurrect him.
Android 16, 17, and 18 were all very popular characters in his previous life, so it was normal for Ethan to have a slight bias toward them.
After thinking for a while, Ethan finally understood something. If he felt uncomfortable, then he would not do it!
Although his strength had not fully recovered, this did not prevent Ethan from changing his plan.
"We need to have a good talk."
"What?"
Android 17 thought he had misheard. What did Ethan mean by that? However, Ethan did not immediately explain. He turned and told Yoruichi to give everyone Senzu Beans first.
His gaze lingered on Trunks, considering the feasibility of another plan.
That was originally a backup plan. If something unexpected happened, such as everyone's strength being too great and they accidentally lost control and killed either Android 17 or 18, preventing Cell from evolving into Perfect Cell, he would need to activate the backup plan.
Now, he was preparing to implement the backup plan.
Perhaps seeing Ethan a bit distracted, Android 18 secretly tugged at Android 17, signaling him to escape now. However, before they could act, Ethan suddenly said something.
"If you don't want to die without knowing why, it's better to stay."
Androids did not have energy, but as long as they moved, they caused air currents. By sensing the airflow, one could determine the enemy's movements. The martial artists here had all undergone this training, and coupled with Ethan's further enhanced senses, Android 18's subtle movements, which she thought would not be detected, could not escape Ethan's perception at all.
"What do you mean by that? Are you threatening us?"
"No, I'm just stating a fact..." Ethan knew Android 17's personality was a bit difficult, so he explained briefly, "Someone is targeting you."
"What?"
Android 17 was confused. He turned and looked at Android 16 and 18 beside him. They were equally puzzled. Android 18's suggestion was that it was better to find an opportunity to run away.
Android 18 appeared expressionless and always cool, but her personality was that of a very ordinary young girl. She did not have a warrior's mindset. She did not see anything wrong with backing down when she could not win or running when she should. Moreover, she felt that Ethan was so powerful, and staying here after provoking him was very dangerous, so it was better to run far away.
Android 16, however, thought they could stay.
"Why?"
"He had countless opportunities to kill us just now, but he didn't. I think there must be a reason!"
Android 16 understood Ethan's strength best. He was the one who had truly fought Ethan. Compared to Android 17, who was a bit careless and did not pay attention to details, Android 16's observational skills were also strong, and he had already discovered the fact that Ethan had been holding back.
When he said this, everyone had already eaten the Senzu Beans and stood up again. Everyone unconsciously touched the spots where they had been hit. Their injuries had completely healed, but the feeling seemed to linger.
"Damn it!"
Everyone had been instantly defeated. The gap in strength between them and the androids was too large. If it had not been for Ethan in this battle, they might have truly been annihilated as Trunks described.
Trunks felt even worse. In this world, not only was Android 16 terrifyingly strong, but even Android 17 and 18 had become much stronger.
Android 17 and 18 in his world were not this strong. He could completely hold his own against them in a one-on-one fight. However, their energy would never decrease, and if he could not quickly eliminate them, he would eventually fall into a disadvantage.
And those two androids always acted together, which meant he had even less chance of winning.
The frustration accumulated in his heart and the discomfort of being easily defeated at this moment were intertwined. Trunks' state of mind was on the verge of collapse. Seeing those androids, he wanted to rush up and fight them, even knowing he was no match for them at all.
Piccolo was the most clear-headed. After observing for a few seconds, he noticed that something was wrong.
"Ethan, what are you planning?"
He saw the expressions of the androids. They were very wary of Ethan. This proved his judgment was correct. Those androids did not gain anything from ganging up on Ethan. Ethan's strength could definitely eliminate these androids.
But he did not do it. Why was that?
"Because these androids aren't bad."
"What?"
"Mr. Ethan, don't be deceived by their appearance. They are..."
Trunks was the most agitated. After all, he had seen too many of the androids' crimes. However, Ethan interrupted him with a raised hand before he could finish speaking.
"I know what you're going to say, but you've overlooked one thing. This isn't your world."
Ethan finally shifted his gaze back to the androids, his arms crossed, as if chatting with friends.
"Your goal is to defeat me and Goku, right?"
"Yes!"
It was Android 16 who answered. Android 17 and 18 were full of apprehension toward Ethan.
"Then what after you defeat me and Goku?"
"..."
"Do you have any plans?"
"..."
"Like destroying the world as a small goal before destroying the world?"
"I won't do that."
Android 16 shook his head. As a weapon created for battle, Android 16 was not inherently enthusiastic about fighting. He was unwilling to use force unless absolutely necessary.
Compared to that, he preferred to be close to nature. Perhaps after defeating Goku, he could find a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters to live.
If it were not for the possibility of Android 18 being killed and facing one of his targets, Ethan, he would not have attacked just now.
"What about you?"
He continued to question Android 17 and 18. The two androids exchanged glances, hesitated, and then told the truth.
"We don't know what to do. Whether we defeat you and Goku doesn't matter to us at all. We just want something to do."
He did not know what happened while they were unconscious, but the androids seemed to be suppressed by Ethan. Trunks could only guess that Mr. Ethan had displayed astonishing strength, but he did not believe a single punctuation mark of what the androids said.
"Androids are not to be trusted!"
Saying it was one thing, doing it was another. They said they did not want to destroy the world now, but who knew what they would do in the future?
"Mr. Ethan, you absolutely cannot let these androids go."
"Let them go?" Ethan shook his head. "I wasn't planning on letting them go. They are also involved with another enemy."
Ethan estimated that by now, Cell had probably finished shedding his skin and returned to his perfect form. Next, he would secretly accumulate strength, waiting for an opportunity to absorb Android 17 and 18.
Originally, he wanted to quietly wait for the plot to unfold, but now the plot had been messed up by him, and he did not want these not-so-bad androids to be harmed by Cell, so he could only choose another plan.
"What? Another enemy?"
"Ethan, what are you talking about?"
"What's going on?"
Piccolo and the others were completely confused, unable to understand what Ethan was saying at all. Ethan looked around and felt that simply talking would not make it clear in a short time. He decided to take everyone to see for themselves.
Ethan waved his hand, motioning for everyone to follow him.
"You guys come too!"
Android 18 did not want to go, but Android 16 said something that made them have to comply.
"His strength is far beyond ours. If we refuse, we'll probably be defeated by him immediately..." Thinking of that outcome, it was better to obediently follow.
The androids also really wanted to know who Ethan was referring to when he said someone was targeting them.
They were clearly the hunters who came out to hunt, so how did they become someone else's prey less than half a day after waking up?
(To be continued.)