Earlier, Goku had still been thinking—
Maybe one day I'll use a wish so I can survive in space…
But now? If he cleared this mission, there'd be no need to waste Dragon Balls on that kind of wish later. Perfect.
Still…
Goku glanced at Snow.
Her eyes were practically glowing.
He could tell exactly what was going through the little girl's head.
What do you even do when your charm is this deadly?
Wherever you go, girls fall for you…
A delightful kind of trouble, honestly…
Right then—
BANG!
Snow's front door was kicked open.
Several Red Ribbon soldiers stormed in, rifles raised.
Snow and her mother recoiled instantly. Bulma stiffened—then Goku calmly stepped forward, blocking the doorway like a wall.
A soldier pointed his gun straight at him.
"Kid! We heard you killed General Silver, took the Dragon Ball, and even stole their plane!"
Goku nodded without hesitation.
"Yep. That was me."
The soldiers behind him immediately tensed up, swinging their guns toward Bulma, Snow, and Snow's mother.
"If you don't want them to die… hand over the Dragon Ball!"
Goku sighed and spread his hands.
"Seriously? That old routine? You guys are so outdated."
Then—
He vanished.
A flash of light.
A blur.
Swish—swish—swish!
In less than a breath, he reappeared—and the soldiers were already sprawled across the floor, groaning and clutching bruised ribs.
He hadn't killed them.
Not with Snow watching.
But even so… Snow stared like she'd just watched magic.
"Huh…?"
"What… what just happened?"
Bulma walked up, grinning smugly.
"He threw four punches and six kicks and beat them all."
Snow blinked, stunned.
"Really…? That's insane… I didn't even see anything…"
Bulma put her hands on her hips.
"Goku, look at you—having this little girl completely mesmerized. Hurry up and smash that Muscle Tower and bring their chief back!"
Goku nodded immediately.
"Got it!"
He shot out the door like a cannonball.
…Then, barely a minute later, he came right back.
"Wait."
His whole body was shaking.
"If I go out like this, I'm going to freeze to death…"
Bulma burst out laughing.
"HAHAHA! Didn't you say strong fighters don't feel cold?"
Goku chattered miserably.
"Maybe I'm… not strong enough yet…"
Snow's face turned red. She hurriedly grabbed her thick cotton coat and held it out.
"You're dressed like that, of course you're cold… Here. Take mine."
Goku put on the heavy coat, warmth finally creeping back into his bones.
Then he dashed out again—straight into the snowstorm.
Snow watched his figure disappear into the white wilderness.
Only then did she snap back to reality and shut the door.
Bulma smirked.
"Hey, kid."
"…You didn't just fall for my Goku, did you?"
Snow's face went completely crimson.
"I-I didn't!"
"Then why are you blushing?"
Bulma teased her again, and Snow's ears practically turned red. She buried her face, mortified.
Bulma giggled, clearly entertained.
She felt so much older than this girl—watching Snow's flustered reaction was oddly funny.
And it reminded her, a little painfully, of her own past.
She'd had a phase like that too.
Hopelessly starry-eyed.
Cute. Dumb. Easy to trick.
Thinking back now… it was embarrassing.
Then Bulma's gaze landed on the Dragon Radar.
She froze.
"…That idiot."
"He didn't take the radar."
Snow tilted her head. "That little thing can find Dragon Balls?"
"Of course!" Bulma said proudly. "Don't underestimate it. I built it myself. It can lock onto a Dragon Ball with less than one meter of error."
Snow knew exactly how insane that was.
The Red Ribbon had a radar too, but theirs only narrowed things down to a few kilometers around this area.
Bulma's radar completely crushed theirs.
Snow stared at Bulma with shining eyes.
"Bulma… you're amazing!"
Bulma smiled lightly. "Flattery accepted. It's nothing. But Goku being careless like that… I should really go deliver it to him."
She walked to the door with the radar.
A thin draft slipped through the crack—
And Bulma immediately shuddered hard.
"Ugh—so cold…!"
She shut the idea down instantly.
"…Forget it. I don't even have a proper coat. He can come back when he realizes. I'm not going out there and freezing like an idiot."
Snow's mother offered gently, "If you want to go out, you can wear my coat."
Bulma looked at the oversized, bright floral padded jacket.
She shook her head so fast it was almost rude.
"No, Auntie. That… style isn't for me."
Muscle Tower.
A group of patrolling soldiers spotted something fast approaching and immediately reported it.
"Report! A strange kid is charging toward us—his speed is abnormal!"
"What?! Could it be that kid?!"
"How long until he reaches us?"
"He'll be here any second!"
"Gather troops! Stop him!"
"Yes, sir!"
General White strode to the window and looked down.
Seeing the boy rushing in alone, a pleased grin spread across his face.
"What a moron… coming all the way here just to die."
"Open fire!"
Gunfire exploded outside.
Bullets tore through the air—
But Goku didn't even bother blocking.
He flickered left and right, slipping through the storm of bullets like he was dancing between raindrops.
By the time the soldiers realized something was wrong…
Goku was already among them.
A few quick strikes later, the patrol fell like wheat.
General White's eyes widened.
"Bullets… don't work on him?"
He clenched his jaw.
"Hmph. So we can't treat him like a normal kid."
"…Fine."
"We'll release someone who can handle him."
Goku stepped into Muscle Tower.
Warmth hit him instantly.
He exhaled in relief.
Much better.
But then—
One after another, armed fighters appeared to stop him.
It didn't matter.
To Goku, they were nothing.
His body became a blur.
In just a few breaths, the hall was filled with fallen men.
Up on the upper floors, General White watched the massacre unfold, his expression tightening with every second.
Beside him, a purple-clad ninja spoke calmly.
"Don't worry, General White. He's no ordinary opponent… but he's still not my match."
White forced a laugh.
"You think he'll even reach this floor?"
The ninja wagged a finger, smiling.
"Absolutely impossible. No one has ever defeated Sergeant Metallic on the third floor."
"And even if—even if—he does…"
"…I'll be waiting on the fourth."
White swallowed, still trying to sound confident.
"What a shame. I thought this kid might let me show off a little…"
He glanced at the ninja, then asked:
"How long do you think Sergeant Metallic will need to defeat him?"
The ninja considered for a moment.
"One minute is enough."
White smiled stiffly.
"One minute…"
The ninja's grin sharpened.
"Max one minute."
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