With the chaos at the martial arts tournament finally over, Android 18 somehow returned to the edge of the arena.
She calmly dusted off her clothes and walked toward the award platform, standing beside Goku and Bulla as if nothing had happened.
When Mr. Satan saw 18 suddenly return, he almost tried to chase her away.
Fortunately, Krillin contacted him at the critical moment and told him that Android 18 was the runner-up.
Mr. Satan sucked in a cold breath.
Good thing he hadn't acted recklessly.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, raised the microphone, and forced himself to speak calmly.
"Thank you, everyone, for your passionate support!"
"And of course, thanks to Mr. Krillin for maintaining order with his strength!"
"This martial arts tournament, held for Mr. Qian Duoduo's beloved son's birthday, has concluded successfully!"
"This year's champion is contestant Son Goku!"
"The runner-up is Miss Android 18!"
"And third place goes to little Miss Son Bulla!"
"Now, let the award ladies present their prize money!"
"Everyone, please give them a round of applause!"
Scattered applause sounded from the audience.
Clearly, most people still hadn't recovered from the world-shaking battle earlier.
18 accepted the prize check, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.
"Good thing I came back."
"Otherwise, that seventy million would've gone to waste."
"Our family of three won the entire two hundred million prize pool."
"That's worth celebrating."
Bulla stared at her own check and jumped excitedly.
"Dad!"
"I got prize money too!"
"Thirty million!"
Goku rubbed his daughter's head with a smile.
"Yeah."
"That's your first money earned through your own effort."
"When we get home, let your mom save it for you."
"No way!"
"If I give it to her, she'll never return it!"
"I want to buy a new martial arts uniform, toys, and pretty little dresses!"
Goku nodded.
"Alright."
"But we're all tired today."
"Dad doesn't really want to go shopping now."
"How about we buy them another day?"
Bulla nodded obediently.
"Mm! Okay!"
18 looked at Goku and Bulla.
"Let's go."
"I'll treat you two to dinner."
Goku's eyes instantly lit up.
"Really?"
"Then I want to go to that new barbecue restaurant!"
18's mouth twitched.
That place seemed expensive.
Treating ordinary people would be fine.
But she knew exactly how much Goku and Bulla could eat.
Treating this father-daughter pair to dinner would probably cost more than an entire company banquet.
But when she looked down at the check in her hand, 18 gritted her teeth.
"…Fine."
Just as the three were about to leave, Goku suddenly sensed someone following behind them.
He turned around and saw Zangya standing not far away, watching them with a complicated expression.
18 raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"You want a free meal too?"
Zangya lowered her head, her fingers clenching slightly.
"I…"
"I have nowhere to go."
18 stared at her for several seconds.
Then suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Zangya by the wrist.
"Then come with us."
Zangya froze.
"You…"
"You don't mind?"
18 snorted lightly.
"Anyway, the money paying for this meal basically came from nowhere."
"One more person won't make much difference."
Goku scratched his head and smiled.
"Welcome!"
Bulla also came over with a bright grin.
"Big sister, you were really brave earlier!"
Zangya looked at them.
A faint warmth flickered in her eyes.
Then she nodded gently.
"…Thank you."
At the same time, many of the spectators and Krillin's fans were still gathered at the venue, asking what had happened with Bojack and his group.
Mr. Satan naturally revealed their identities as alien invaders.
The crowd was immediately shocked.
However, because the later explosions had destroyed much of the area—and because the fighters moved far too fast—the cameras had failed to clearly record the actual battle.
So Mr. Satan slightly "polished" the details through verbal explanation.
Standing proudly before the media cameras, Mr. Satan announced loudly:
"Everyone!"
"Although alien invaders disrupted this tournament, fortunately, we had Mr. Krillin here protecting the venue!"
"The invaders have already been completely defeated by our heroic Mr. Krillin!"
"Let us give Mr. Krillin the warmest applause!"
Although Mr. Satan was the one standing on stage, Krillin did not appear.
Even so, the crowd still burst into applause.
Reporters raised their cameras toward Mr. Satan as flash after flash lit up the stage.
It almost looked as if Mr. Satan himself were the world's hero.
And he was clearly enjoying the glory.
"Mr. Satan!"
"Mr. Krillin saved the world again this time. What are your thoughts?"
Mr. Satan burst into hearty laughter.
"Mr. Krillin is a true hero worthy of his name!"
"He doesn't even have time to enjoy applause!"
"Right now, Mr. Krillin must already be somewhere else maintaining world peace!"
"Let us applaud him again!"
In front of televisions around the world, fans cheered wildly.
Social media was flooded with messages:
"Mr. Krillin is so cool!"
As for Krillin himself—
He wasn't saving the world at all.
He was backstage, sitting with his father-in-law Qian Duoduo while watching the live broadcast.
Seeing Satan praise Krillin like this, Qian Duoduo smiled at him.
"Krillin, you did well."
"Back then, I really didn't misjudge you when I let Marron marry you."
Krillin laughed awkwardly and didn't say much.
Videl sat on the sofa nearby, watching her father on television with a helpless smile.
Ever since Mr. Satan became Krillin's assistant, their family's financial situation had indeed improved quite a lot.
A few days ago, Satan had even started considering enrolling her in a better middle school.
"Dad, seriously…"
Videl sighed.
But seeing her father proudly basking in someone else's spotlight on TV, the corners of her mouth still couldn't help rising.
Elsewhere—
After 18 finished treating everyone to dinner, Goku and Bulla walked out of the restaurant on either side of her, both rubbing their round stomachs with satisfied smiles.
"Burp~"
Bulla let out a loud belch and giggled.
"Auntie 18, that restaurant's wagyu was so delicious!"
18 stared at the thick stack of bills in her hand.
The corner of her eye twitched uncontrollably.
"How could it not be delicious?"
"You two…"
"You ate three million eight hundred thousand worth of food!"
She shook the receipt through gritted teeth.
"Do you know that this meal cost enough for an ordinary family to eat for an entire year?!"
Bulla smiled innocently.
"It's fine."
"Next time there's another martial arts tournament, we can just enter again, right?"
18 tapped Bulla on the forehead, looking deeply regretful.
"You…"
"The moment you have money, you start revenge-spending."
"We could've saved so much by eating at home!"
"I really regret saying I'd treat you two."
"I was careless…"
Goku scratched his head apologetically.
"Well…"
"Our appetite is kind of big."
"How about I give you my check too?"
After saying that, Goku burped again and continued:
"But that new restaurant really was delicious."
"Even better than the chefs at home…"
Without changing her expression, 18 took Goku's check.
"Fine."
"Since you liked it that much, I guess the money wasn't wasted."
"Not a loss."
Zangya stood to the side, covering her mouth as she laughed softly.
There was envy hidden in her eyes.
She had never experienced such a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere before.
When she was under Bojack, she had never felt anything like this.
18 suddenly turned toward Zangya.
"What are you laughing at?"
Zangya pointed at herself in surprise.
"Ah, I…"
She had only smiled unconsciously while watching their happiness.
How would she know why?
18 said bluntly:
"Next time, it'll be your turn to treat us."
Zangya's smile instantly froze.
"I-I don't really have any money…"
18 snorted, stuffing the bill into her bag.
"If you want to treat us, then go work and earn money."
"Of course…"
"If you don't want to work hard, there are also ways to make money without working hard."
18 hinted at it openly—
But she didn't say it too clearly.
After all, there was a child present.
Zangya froze when she saw 18's expression.
Earthlings…
Seemed surprisingly open about that kind of thing.
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