Chapter 43: The Corrupt Kakarot
Vegeta remained silent but was quickly approaching the scene.
"Let him out for me..." Lin Qi's indifferent gaze fell on Goku.
"What do you mean by that, Lin Qi?" Vegeta, who was standing behind Lin Qi, sensed something was off.
"I don't understand what you're saying, Lin Qi!" Goku frowned, looking at him with confusion.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Indeed, it's better to kill you!" Lin Qi's palm began to gather energy, aiming directly at Goku.
"Hey... Lin Qi, why are you attacking Grandpa?!" Pan screamed in desperation as she saw the immense energy.
Such powerful energy was impossible for them to counter.
"Tch... What's gotten into this guy, Lin Qi?!" Vegeta reacted more calmly, merely observing from a distance without approaching Goku or attempting to stop Lin Qi.
"What should we do?" Goten asked anxiously. Even if they all attacked together, they wouldn't stand a chance against Lin Qi's power.
"Goodbye, then!" Lin Qi said coldly. As soon as his words dropped, the powerful energy surged toward Goku.
"No..."
"Goku..."
"Dad..."
Everyone gasped in horror, desperately hoping this was just a cruel joke from Lin Qi.
"You... you're seriously trying to kill me?" Goku's expression was filled with disbelief.
The energy ball was hurtling toward him, leaving him with no chance to evade. Lin Qi's energy was so overwhelming that even if he dodged, Earth would be destroyed as a result.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
As soon as the energy ball collided with Goku's body, it exploded violently, sending thick smoke billowing everywhere.
"Dad..."
"Goku..."
"Grandpa..."
Despair filled the faces of everyone present. They all turned their furious gazes toward Lin Qi.
"You... why did you do this? Why did you kill Grandpa?!"
Pan clenched her fists in anger, her eyes brimming with tears, and roared at Lin Qi.
"Pan... stand back!" Gohan pulled Pan behind him, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Lin Qi.
"Lin Qi, why did you do this?"
"Haah..."
An enraged Gohan transformed into Super Saiyan, adopting a battle stance as if ready to avenge Goku.
"He's not Goku..." Lin Qi said coldly, glancing at the people surrounding him. "Don't you trust me?"
As the smoke dissipated, a faint smile curled at the corner of Goku's mouth in the deep crater.
"Our dad... we would recognize him, wouldn't we?" Gohan snarled, gritting his teeth as he threw a punch at Lin Qi.
"Damn it... Goten, let's go!"
"Then where is the real Kakarot?" Vegeta turned to the unconscious Goku in the crater. Could Kakarot have been defeated by an evil personality?
The wind howled, clouds churned, and the sky grew darker.
Lin Qi chuckled coldly and countered Gohan's charge with a straight punch to the jaw, forcing him to tilt his head back in pain.
"Bang!"
As Goten followed closely, Lin Qi's sweeping kick sent him flying like an arrow.
"Smack!"
When Piccolo lunged at Lin Qi from behind, he responded with a punch to Piccolo's face, sending him crashing into the ground and leaving a massive crater.
Turning around, Lin Qi set his cold gaze on Pan, who was trembling and retreating in fear. "You're the last one..."
"No... ah... Grandpa, save me!" Pan cried, covering her head in terror as tears streamed down her face.
"Stop!" Suddenly, Goku moved in the crater. He appeared abruptly in front of Pan, blocking Lin Qi.
"So, you've come out!" Lin Qi smirked, narrowing his eyes at Goku. "Explain! What's going on?"
"I'm not entirely sure... He's seemed normal lately!" Goku said as he stood in front of Lin Qi, rubbing his aching head.
"Even when Vegeta hit me earlier, he didn't get angry... But as soon as Vegeta left, he attacked me from behind, knocking me out!"
"Now you're one person again..." Lin Qi stared coldly at Goku. "The Dragon Balls won't be usable for another year! Are you planning to go to Namek to find Porunga?"
"What..." Goku looked at his hands and felt his strength returning.
"Ugh..." Goku suddenly clutched his head in pain. "Ahhh..."
With Goku's agonized screams, his dark eyes shifted once more. A sinister smile appeared as he turned his gaze to Lin Qi.
In the next moment, he grabbed Pan by the neck, holding her up as a human shield.
"If you want to kill me... you'll have to kill my granddaughter first!"
"Pan..." Gohan cried out, struggling to rise as he watched the scene unfold.
"Goku... No, you're Kakarot!" Piccolo clenched his fists in anger.
"What method did you use to merge with Goku again?" Lin Qi narrowed his eyes, scanning for an opening.
"Hmph, I pretended to be Goku and asked Kami. It was simple!" Kakarot sneered, casting a disdainful glance at the others.
"Blame yourself for meddling. Look at how well I've learned to deceive them... They can't even tell the difference!"
"My plan was flawless!"
"Hmph..." Lin Qi glared at Kakarot with cold eyes. "Goku, do you really intend to kill your granddaughter Pan with your own hands?"
"Hahaha... What nonsense are you spouting? I'm Kakarot! Who's Goku..."
Kakarot grinned wickedly, tightening his grip on Pan's neck.
"Grandpa... ugh..." Pan's breathing became labored, her face turning pale, then gradually blue.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto Goku's hand. Her voice grew weaker. "Grandpa..."
"Pan... Pan..." Gohan bit his lip hard, his gaze fixed on Goku with fury. "Dad, let Pan go!"
"Pan... ugh..." Kakarot felt his head throbbing again. He placed one hand on the wrist gripping Pan's neck. "Stop it..."
"Grandpa..." Pan's tears fell even more as she felt herself suffocating. Breathing... was becoming impossible.
"Ughhh..." With a loud scream, Kakarot's grip on Pan loosened slightly.
At this moment, Lin Qi instantly teleported over and snatched Pan away. As she felt the fresh air, Pan began coughing uncontrollably.
"Cough... cough..."