Looks like I need to clear things up a bit, or there'll be unnecessary trouble.
"Dr. Hedo, was it?" Levos softened his tone. "First off, let me clarify something. The Cell that Dr. Gero created has already awakened. He stole a time machine and left this timeline."
"A time machine?" Gamma 1's expression darkened.
"That's right," Levos continued calmly. "Driven by his evolutionary instinct, Cell needed to absorb Androids 17 and 18 to achieve his perfect form. So he stole the time machine from Dr. Bulma and traveled back to the past."
"You mean… Cell was never under your control to begin with?" Gamma 1 seemed stunned, then muttered to himself, "Could it be... Dr. Hedo was deceived by the Red Ribbon Army?"
"Of course," Levos nodded. "The Red Ribbon Army was built on world domination. For that goal, they've never shied away from any means. They saw Dr. Hedo's talent but feared his righteous heart, so they fed him a lie."
"I see now!" Gamma 1's eyes lit with sudden understanding. But then his gaze sharpened. "Still, if you knew all this, why didn't you stop them?"
Levos shrugged. "We tried. Androids 17 and 18 were defeated thanks to a control device designed by Dr. Bulma. As for Cell, we truly didn't expect what happened. I didn't even know the Red Ribbon Army had survived until today."
"Even if I believed you, I saw with my own eyes you and Dr. Bulma working with aliens. Your clothing proves it!" Gamma 1 scowled. "What I don't understand is... why did you save me from that monster?"
Levos gave a faint smile. "Simple. We're not on their side. The Frieza Force once ruled half the universe. Destroying our planet would be a trivial matter to them. I had no choice but to join them, hoping to find a way to save Earth from the inside."
He paused before continuing. "And besides, we're both from Earth. I'm asking for your help."
Gamma 1 fell silent for a long time, then finally said, "Dr. Hedo wanted me to ask... what do you plan to do?"
"I'm not sure yet," Levos sighed, then shifted his tone. "But tell me. Can Dr. Hedo perfectly control Cell Max?"
If he could, it might not be all bad. Hedo wasn't an evil man. In fact, he admired superheroes. If Cell Max could be brought under control, Earth might gain an immensely powerful ally.
Gamma 1's expression darkened, and he shook his head. "I'm sorry. The mind-control device isn't finished. Right now, Cell is still a monster driven purely by instinct. Otherwise, the doctor would have already used him to wipe out Earth's threats."
Levos's face tightened. "How far along is the development?"
"The physical body is complete," Gamma 1 replied, brows furrowed. "The power it holds... even the doctor can't accurately measure it."
Levos felt a chill in his heart.
A creature like Cell Max if his power went out of control, he could destroy Earth in an instant.
Worse yet, if Frieza found out about this, would he send Ginyu to steal Cell Max's body?
Levos took a deep breath. "If that monster wakes up, Earth will be in greater danger than ever."
"I admit Cell Max is strong," Gamma 1 said frankly, "but we have a way to defeat him. During the development process, Dr. Hedo intentionally left a flaw in his design."
Levos already had a guess, but asked anyway, "A flaw?"
"Yes. The crystal structure on top of Cell Max's head. If it's destroyed, he'll be killed instantly."
Levos nodded, thoughtful.
If Earth was to be saved, they had to destroy that weak point before Cell Max was ever activated.
His gaze sharpened. "Mr. Gamma, tell me where Dr. Hedo is. Right now!"
Gamma 1 hesitated a moment, then replied, "He's on his way to West City."
"West City?!" Levos's head snapped up, pupils contracting.
Gamma 1 nodded. "The Red Ribbon Army is transporting Cell Max to West City. Dr. Hedo is trying to stop them and is rushing there as we speak."
Then he added, "This is what the doctor wanted your help with."
So... Cell Max was about to be activated!
Levos forced himself to stay calm. "What does the doctor want me to do?"
"He wants us to go together and delay Cell Max's arrival," Gamma 1 said seriously.
He explained further, "The doctor reviewed battle footage through micro-drones. That energy blast you fired it might be strong enough to shatter Cell Max's weak point and prevent global destruction!"
Levos's expression grew solemn. He nodded quickly.
Grabbing Gamma 1's shoulder, he faced the direction of West City and used Instant Transmission.
In the outskirts of West City, a massive spherical incubation pod loomed over the streets like a mechanical titan.
Its colossal metallic surface blocked out most of the sunlight, casting an oppressive shadow.
Inside, the pod's liquid swirled with a deep purple hue, almost like blood, emitting a nauseating stench.
Within it, the body of a monstrous creature lay curled in silence.
Its eyes were shut tight, expression twisted in discomfort.
The creature's skin was covered in thick, armored plating that outlined a nearly human muscular structure perfect, yet grotesque.
A stream of bubbles rose from its nose and mouth, confirming that it was alive.
Outside the pod, wreckage of burnt-out machines and tanks lay scattered.
Flames danced among the debris. The ground was littered with scorched mechs and shattered vehicles.
Charred human remains peeked out from under the rubble.
Dozens of alien soldiers stepped over the ruins, searching for survivors.
Moments later, one of them knelt respectfully and reported, "Lord Frieza, the Red Ribbon Army's forces have been completely wiped out."
"Oh my, oh my... And here I thought a group so ambitious as to try conquering the world would be more impressive," came a voice from a hovering chair.
A tail lazily flicked back and forth as the figure swirled a glass of wine in his hand.
"To think they were so pathetically weak. Oh ho ho ho…"
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