Three days.
For ordinary people, three days simply meant nine meals and a few good nights of sleep.
But for the fate of Earth, these three days were the final calm before the storm.
In the eastern region, a vast stretch of farmland lay under the afternoon sun.
A chubby, middle-aged farmer with glasses sat lazily on a stack of hay. A stalk of foxtail grass hung from the corner of his mouth, and in his hands he casually polished a well-maintained hunting rifle.
His real name hardly mattered. In this rural area, everyone simply called him "the farmer with the shotgun."
"Looks like the wheat harvest will be good this year."
The farmer squinted at the golden waves of wheat swaying in the wind, already calculating whether the profits might finally be enough to trade his old truck for a new pickup.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing screech tore through the sky.
The sound was unbearable, like a massive rusty saw grinding across glass.
The farmer instinctively covered his ears and looked up.
High above, far beyond the clouds, a blazing red streak ripped through the atmosphere.
Trailing a long tail of smoke, it plummeted downward with terrifying speed, as if it intended to punch straight through the earth.
"A meteor?!"
The farmer dropped the grass from his mouth and scrambled toward his rusty pickup truck.
Then it hit.
BOOM!
The ground shook violently. A shockwave of heat, dust, and wind swept across the fields.
The farmer had barely started his truck before the blast flipped the vehicle like a toy. It rolled several times before finally landing upside down.
"Cough... cough... my back..."
He crawled out through the broken window, clutching his aching waist and staring ahead in shock.
At the center of the wheat field, where the land had once been flat and quiet, there was now a massive crater dozens of meters wide.
The ground at the bottom was scorched black, thin trails of smoke still rising into the air.
And right in the center sat a strange object.
A smooth white sphere made of metal.
It looked like some kind of advanced spacecraft. Its surface was flawless except for a single red viewing window on the front.
"What in the world is that? Some kind of alien spaceship?"
Despite his fear, curiosity slowly got the better of him.
Gripping his shotgun tightly, the farmer approached the sphere with trembling steps.
Suddenly, the hatch burst open with a hiss of escaping air.
A boot stepped out.
Moments later, a tall man emerged from the smoke.
He wore a strange black and brown armored suit. His long black hair hung wildly down his back, and a furry tail was wrapped around his waist.
His name was Raditz.
One of the surviving Saiyans.
And the older brother of Son Goku.
Standing at the edge of the crater, Raditz folded his arms and slowly scanned the surroundings. A green scouter covered his left eye, numbers flickering across its display as he observed the world with cold indifference.
"So this is Earth."
His voice carried a tone of arrogance and boredom.
"The air quality is acceptable. The gravity is laughably weak."
"So this is the comfortable environment where Kakarot grew up. No wonder he still hasn't completed his mission."
"Hey! You! Who are you?!"
The farmer raised his shotgun, aiming directly at Raditz. His voice shook with fear.
"This is private land! Don't move!"
Raditz turned his head slightly. The numbers on his scouter began to rise.
Beep. Beep.
Target detected: Earth native
Battle power: 5
Raditz snorted dismissively.
"A battle power of five. Pathetic."
He did not even bother to look at the farmer again.
"This planet is full of life, yet Kakarot hasn't finished cleansing it. He must have forgotten what it means to be a Saiyan."
"Don't come any closer! I have a gun!"
Terrified, the farmer pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The bullet shot forward in a flash of fire, heading straight for Raditz's forehead.
Raditz simply raised two fingers.
The movement was so fast it was almost impossible to see.
Clink.
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
The bullet that could easily pierce a wild boar's skull was now pinched between Raditz's index and middle finger, still smoking.
"What?!"
The farmer's jaw dropped.
Catching a bullet with bare hands?
That was impossible.
Raditz flicked his fingers.
"Take your toy back."
Whoosh!
The bullet shot backward even faster than it had been fired. It pierced the fuel tank of the farmer's pickup truck and triggered a small explosion.
The farmer screamed as the shockwave knocked him unconscious.
"Boring."
Raditz tapped a button on the side of his scouter.
"Let's see where Kakarot is."
"Hm? Two higher battle readings in that direction."
At the same moment, in West City, inside Capsule Corporation.
Krillin was sitting in the living room, playing with building blocks alongside his son Trillin.
Suddenly, his movements paused.
Just a moment ago, he had sensed something.
A malicious, violent energy had entered his perception range.
In the scale of the universe, it was not particularly strong.
But on Earth, it stood out like a blazing signal.
Raditz had arrived.
At that exact moment, as Raditz activated his scouter, a sharp alarm suddenly rang inside Krillin's mind.
WARNING! External high-frequency combat power scanning detected!
Data stream captured. Analyzing.
Compatible power evaluation system discovered. Initiating adaptive system upgrade.
Upgrade progress: 10%... 50%... 100%.
System interface updated to Saiyan Saga Version. AR Data Vision activated.
Krillin blinked.
The simple pale-blue interface he had grown used to vanished.
In its place appeared a futuristic holographic display directly connected to his vision.
The world suddenly looked different.
He turned to look at Trillin beside him.
A faint green data window appeared above the boy's head.
Name: Trillin
Race: Human (with Saitama Gene Factor)
Status: Healthy, excited
Battle Power: 350
"Three hundred fifty?"
Krillin raised an eyebrow.
The kid was only five years old.
In the original timeline, when Raditz arrived, Son Goku and Piccolo barely exceeded 400 even after removing their weighted clothing.
Next, Krillin looked toward the kitchen.
Bulma was busy preparing dinner.
Another data window appeared.
Name: Bulma
Race: Human
Battle Power: 4
Special Trait: Scientific Genius (Charm MAX)
Finally, Krillin walked toward a mirror.
The bald man reflected in the glass wore comfortable home clothes, but his eyes seemed to hold entire galaxies within them.
He looked at himself.
Name: Krillin
Race: Human (Limiter Breaking in Progress)
Battle Power: 5000 (Normal State, Heavily Suppressed)
True Battle Power: Unable to display. Multiple sealed abilities detected. Remove restrictions for accurate reading.
Stamina: Infinite (Saitama Template Trait)
Charm: 199 (Peak of Human Charisma)
Saitama Template Fusion: 35%
"Five thousand..."
Krillin rubbed his smooth bald head and smiled faintly.
Raditz's scouter could only measure numbers up to a few thousand before it overloaded.
As far as Raditz knew, the strongest fighters on Earth barely reached a few hundred.
He thought he was a wolf entering a flock of sheep.
What he did not realize was that a Tyrannosaurus wearing sheep's clothing was quietly waiting for him to walk straight into its jaws.
"Trillin."
Krillin turned around casually.
"Hm? What is it, Dad?" The boy was still focused on building his Lego castle.
"Stop playing and go put on your training suit."
Krillin untied his apron and tossed it aside.
A long-forgotten spark of battle lit up in his eyes.
"We have a visitor."
"Let's go welcome him."