The ruined skyline of West City stretched before them like the bones of a fallen giant. As Trunks and Rudra entered its broken streets, the weight of the future pressed heavily upon them.
For Rudra, it was the first true glimpse of this era's devastation. His sharp eyes moved across the ruins with a silent intensity, studying every detail, every scar the Androids had left upon the earth.
Most of the tall buildings that once defined the city were nothing more than hollow skeletons, their frames twisted and blackened. Many had collapsed entirely, reduced to jagged piles of concrete and steel. What remained of the streets was cracked and overtaken by nature—grass sprouted freely through broken pavement, moss crawled up walls, and abandoned cars had long since been swallowed by vines.
The silence was heavy. No bustling streets, no laughter, no human voices. Only the occasional cry of a distant crow and the whistle of the wind through empty windows.
Rudra's expression hardened.
"So this," he murmured under his breath, "is how people have been forced to live… in the shadow of machines."
Trunks walked a step ahead, his fists clenched at his sides. "Yes. This is the dystopian future I've been telling you about. Humanity is nearly extinct. If it weren't for my mother… and the few of us who resisted… there would be nothing left."
Rudra didn't reply. His silence carried weight, as though words weren't enough to respond to such suffering. His eyes told the story—focused, steady, quietly absorbing the destruction.
At last, their steps brought them before a collapsed ruin that once had been the proud symbol of innovation and hope: Capsule Corporation.
The giant dome-like building was nothing but shattered concrete, fallen beams, and scattered debris. Yet among the destruction, a trace of its original grandeur lingered. For Trunks, seeing it always brought a deep ache to his heart.
"This…" he whispered, brushing dust from a broken wall, "…was my home."
Rudra remained behind him, watching as Trunks crouched down and pushed aside a pile of heavy rubble. The younger warrior's movements were familiar, practiced—as though he had done this countless times before.
Beneath the debris, hidden by years of ruin, was a door. Unlike the rusted wreckage around it, the door's surface gleamed faintly, its reinforced alloy untouched by time.
Rudra raised an eyebrow. "So there is more here than meets the eye."
Trunks nodded and stepped closer. He pressed his palm against a panel, and instantly, a faint red light scanned his hand. Then another beam scanned his eyes. A sharp beep echoed, followed by a series of heavy metallic clicks.
With a deep rumble, the sealed door slid open, revealing a dark stairwell that led deep underground.
Rudra's gaze lingered on the door for a moment. "Impressive. Only you can open it?"
"Yes," Trunks replied. "My mother designed it so that only my biometrics—my fingerprints and eye scan—could unlock it. For everyone else, it would be impossible." His voice carried a mixture of pride and sorrow.
Together, they descended the narrow stairs, their footsteps echoing in the stillness. The deeper they went, the cooler the air became, heavy with the scent of metal and dust. Dim lights flickered weakly along the walls, casting shadows across the stone.
After what felt like an eternity, the stairs opened into a cavernous underground network. Multiple tunnels stretched in different directions like veins, each leading into darkness.
Rudra slowed his steps, his sharp eyes scanning the endless paths. "So many routes… like a maze beneath the city."
Trunks walked confidently to the center of the chamber. There, embedded in the floor, was a control panel. He knelt down and pressed a sequence of buttons.
At once, the ground beneath them trembled. A low mechanical hum filled the air. The platform on which they stood shuddered, then began to sink, slowly lowering deeper into the earth like a hidden elevator.
The descent was long, the stone walls sliding past them as the platform carried them downward. Rudra remained silent, watching with calm patience, while Trunks's eyes flicked nervously toward the darkness below.
Finally, with a heavy hiss, the platform came to a stop. Before them stood a massive reinforced door. Its surface gleamed with layers of protective alloy, far thicker and stronger than the door above.
A final beep echoed as Trunks placed his hand on the panel once more. With a groan of gears, the massive door split open.
And beyond it—light.
The two stepped forward, and Rudra's eyes widened slightly for the first time since arriving in this world.
Before them lay a vast underground facility.
The walls were lined with advanced machinery, glowing monitors, and reinforced glass chambers. Giant generators hummed softly, filling the air with a steady vibration. Workbenches overflowed with half-finished devices, blueprints, and scattered tools.
It was a hidden world of survival—Bulma's secret laboratory and the underground base where the last survivors of humanity had found refuge.
Rudra took a slow step forward, his gaze sweeping across the expanse. His voice was low, almost reverent.
"So… this is the heart of resistance."
Trunks exhaled, his face softening slightly as he looked around. "Yes. This is where my mother worked day and night to keep me alive… and to keep humanity alive. Every survivor we could find, she brought them underground. She built shelter for them here."
Rudra's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he studied the massive lab. "Your mother… she must be remarkable."
Trunks smiled faintly, a mixture of pride and sorrow. "She is. Without her, there would be no one left to fight."
As the heavy doors sealed behind them, the oppressive silence of the ruined city faded. Here, underground, the air buzzed with the quiet strength of survival.
Rudra placed his hand gently on the hilt of his sword, his expression firm.
"This place… must never fall. For it is the seed of hope in a world drowned in despair."
And with those words, their journey into the deepest heart of the future truly began.
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