At the moment, Tights was heavily made up—bold red lipstick, perfectly powdered white skin…
"Ken, tell me—don't I look beautiful right now?" Tights turned and asked.
"You do look good… but the way you applied your foundation so evenly across your face—did you study interior renovation or something?" Ken asked with genuine curiosity.
Tights: "..."
"Ugh! Ken, you're such a jerk!" Tights shot him a fierce glare and slammed the bathroom door behind her.
But a second later, she poked her head back out.
"By the way, what's the situation out there? Is it safe now?" she asked.
"All clear," Jaco replied. "That guy got ripped in half by Broly."
"Ripped in half?" Tights turned her head instantly to look at Broly.
Broly grinned proudly, looking extremely pleased with himself.
"Monster," Tights huffed and went back inside to wash off her makeup.
The spaceship continued speeding toward the Galactic Patrol Headquarters.
"This is so unfair! We're all elite patrolmen, so how come Merus's spaceship is ten times faster than ours?" Jaco complained, watching Merus's ship vanish far ahead of them.
"How many is this?" Ken held up two fingers.
"Two!" Jaco blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Then shouldn't you know which of you is the real elite patrolman?" Ken said bluntly.
Jaco: "..."
——
Jaco's spaceship was relatively slow. They traveled for nearly two full days in space before finally reaching the Galactic Patrol Headquarters.
The headquarters was a massive space station floating in the void, its architecture exuding an ultra-modern, high-tech feel.
"Looks like HQ's already gone on high alert—they've moved into Level One battle readiness," Jaco explained, seeing the station's current state.
Ken nodded slightly and followed him inside.
Broly looked around in wide-eyed curiosity, clearly fascinated by the structures inside the headquarters. More than once, he seemed tempted to punch the walls just to see what would happen.
Thankfully, Ken stopped him every time.
"Excuse me—are you Mr. Ken?" a patrol officer walked up to ask.
"That's me," Ken nodded.
"Mr. Merus would like to speak with you privately."
"Alright, lead the way," Ken agreed without hesitation.
"Hey, take Broly with you. I'm nervous with him around," Jaco whispered to Ken.
"Broly, behave yourself. Don't go breaking anything," Ken instructed. "This is a space station—if you damage the walls or anything like that, it'll cause major problems."
Broly nodded emphatically to show he understood.
"Don't worry. Broly won't cause any trouble," Ken said as he patted Jaco's arm.
Jaco: "..."
The space station's safety is the trouble here.
Still, Jaco didn't argue further. He brought Broly and Tights to the cafeteria instead, treating them to a good meal.
"Good guy!" Broly said cheerfully, giving the server a thumbs-up while happily stuffing his face.
Jaco nearly wept.
That's my money he's eating.
And you're calling the waiter a good guy?
Have you no shame?
Also—how much can you EAT?
"Broly, your appetite is insane… You just ate enough for twenty people," Tights said in awe.
"You… you ate my entire half-month paycheck…" Jaco sniffled, feeling like his heart had shattered.
"Jaco, it's just money—it's not worth stressing over," Tights rolled her eyes. "We're just two guests from another planet. What's wrong with treating us to a meal?"
"Easy for you to say. You're a rich girl—you don't worry about money," Jaco muttered.
"I don't ask my family for money," Tights replied. "Ever since I started college, I've worked part-time to support myself."
Jaco stayed silent.
"Of course," Tights added, "if I really ran out of money, my dad would wire me a few dozen million to tide me over."
Jaco: "..."
That one hit him like a dagger to the heart.
Sure, Galactic Patrol credits didn't convert directly to Earth currency, but Jaco had spent about a month on Earth—he knew exactly what tens of millions meant.
If I run out, Daddy sends me tens of millions…
Of course… the daughter of the world's richest man…
And you have the nerve to say you "work for a living"?
How do you sleep at night?
"More," Broly said, holding up his bowl to the waiter.
"Y-Yessir!" The waiter looked stunned.
How long has this guy gone without eating?
"You're still eating?!" Jaco felt like his heart was bleeding.
Broly glared at him.
Jaco instantly gave up and motioned for the waiter to refill the bowl.
——
In Merus's room.
Ken stepped in and immediately saw Merus standing with his back to him, facing the vast, starry expanse outside the window.
Sensing Ken's arrival, Merus turned and walked over with a polite smile.
"Hello again, Mr. Ken," he greeted.
"I heard you're the strongest patrolman in the Galactic Patrol, so I came especially to meet you," Ken replied.
"Mr. Ken, there's something I'd like to ask you…" Merus said directly.
"Go ahead," Ken nodded.
"I saw your battle with Mr. Broly earlier," Merus said. "What I want to know is—was that Ultra Instinct you were using?"
"So you know about Ultra Instinct too?" Ken replied.
"So it was Ultra Instinct! Did Whis teach you?" Merus asked again.
"You could say that." Ken nodded.
Merus: "????"
It's either yes or no—what does "you could say that" even mean?
"To be precise," Ken explained, "Whis gave me a book. I learned Ultra Instinct by following it."
He pulled the Ultra Instinct Training Manual from his coat and handed it to Merus.
Merus took the book, looking puzzled, then flipped it open to examine it more closely.
The more he read, the more shocked he looked. His expression grew increasingly baffled. Every now and then, he glanced up at Ken in disbelief.
Ken started to feel uneasy.
Why are you looking at me like that?
"Is there a problem?" Ken asked quickly.
"N-No… no problem at all," Merus shook his head.
"You're lying," Ken said bluntly.
Merus: "..."
"…Was it that obvious?" A bead of sweat rolled down Merus's face.
Ken didn't say another word—he just stared at him quietly.
"…Before anything else," Merus said, taking a deep breath, lifting his right hand slightly, and locking eyes with Ken. "I want to confirm one thing…"
(End of Chapter)
[100 Power Stones = Extra Chapter]
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