Who Is the Captain?

"An intermediate-level mission? That means the primitive lifeforms there are close to 1,000 battle power?" Selyne's voice was somewhat languid. In truth, battles at such a low level could no longer stir her anticipation.

Rebecca frowned. Her daughter's attitude would not do; it could get her killed at any moment. She rebuked her, "Selyne, don't get carried away just because you completed Selma's mission. The missions issued by the Mission Management Office are all carefully assessed. Since this one requires a Saiyan squad, Dotalia Planet may not be ordinary. Carelessness could easily lead to trouble."

Still uneasy, she added to Chaya, "Chaya, make sure you keep an eye on her."

"Mm, I'll watch her."

"Okay..."

Selyne put away her careless attitude. Dotalia Planet might not interest her, but she could not appear too complacent.

Afterward, Chaya and the others packed their gear. After saying goodbye to Rebecca, they headed for the squad's assembly point.

On a plain in the outskirts of the city, far from the towering technological buildings.

It was roughly a hundred kilometers from the city proper and even farther from the Spaceport.

Though it was not deep in the heart of the continent, the environment here was still poor. A dull yellow hue dominated the landscape, and the dry riverbed had cracked open in several places.

Whenever the wind blew, scattered tumbleweeds rolled wildly with it. Across the boundless, desolate plain stood several straight, branchless trunks. Only more than ten meters up did they split into a few branches, forming round canopies. From afar, they looked like giant lollipops stuck into the ground—the most common plants in the desert.

Beneath a lush tree, a broad patch of shade sheltered them from the scorching sun. In a cool corner, several Saiyans had gathered together—two boys and two girls, all around eleven or twelve years old. They wore dark brown combat uniforms.

"Hey, Belit, who do you think our captain is this time?" a somewhat skinny Saiyan shouted.

The Saiyan called Belit rolled his eyes at him and replied bluntly, "How would I know who the captain is, Reida? You brat better not hold me back during the mission. Hmph, I don't want to get dragged down by you before the mission is even complete!"

"Oh, how could you say that? My battle power has reached 750, after all. If anyone's going to hold the team back, it'll be you, useless Belit!" the skinny Saiyan, Reida, mocked.

"You..."

Belit flew into a rage and sprang to his feet. His burly body lunged at Reida, and the two grabbed each other's tails and began wrestling.

"Enough! Both of you, settle down, or don't blame me for getting rough!" A frosty voice rang out as a tall girl stepped forward. Cold light flickered in her clear eyes, and a powerful aura bore down on them.

"Damn, Atasia's angry?"

"She's definitely angry. We can't make her lose her temper!"

Belit and Reida immediately shuddered and obediently released each other. Like mice that had seen a cat, they froze in place, not daring to move. Atasia had the highest battle power among the four of them—840 battle power, enough that none of them dared provoke her.

After coldly glancing at them, Atasia turned to the other girl beside her and asked, "Jelin, do you know anything about the captain?"

The female Saiyan named Jelin shook her head. Other than the captain, the remaining members did not know which Saiyans would be participating in the mission. Jelin said, "I don't know either, but I heard Shakuda is taking part in this mission too..."

"Shakuda!"

"That guy is participating in this mission too?"

"Then he must be the captain! His battle power exceeds 900!"

Everyone was shocked. Even Atasia cried out in surprise. Compared to a genius like Shakuda, Atasia's battle power was hardly worth mentioning. They had all come from the same training camp, and even back then, Shakuda's reputation as a genius had already been resounding.

At the age of twelve, he had surpassed 900 battle power. While that was not exceptionally outstanding, he stood at the very forefront among peers of their class!

At the same time, they felt relieved. The stronger the captain, the higher the mission's completion rate would be. Otherwise, with their current strength, they truly would have difficulty handling an intermediate-level mission.

"It must be him. Otherwise, how could this intermediate-level mission possibly be completed?" Reida slapped his palm, looking utterly certain that he had guessed the answer.

It was not that they were belittling themselves. With the strength of just the four of them, the extermination mission on Dotalia Planet was simply far too difficult.

Just then, they saw a figure flying in from the distant horizon. He was also a Saiyan clad in a brown combat uniform, with a tall, upright build, resolute eyes, and long hair standing high toward the sky. It was Shakuda, whom they had been discussing moments ago.

The moment he landed and saw the four Saiyans before him, a trace of displeasure appeared in Shakuda's calm eyes. He said in a low voice, "Why are the four of you the only ones in this squad? Where's the captain?"

Hearing Shakuda's question, everyone was visibly stunned. What was going on? Was Shakuda not their captain?

Reida asked in surprise, "Shakuda, aren't you the captain?"

"Of course not. I want to know who the captain is too." Shakuda's tone was icy, and a glint flashed through his eyes. He also wanted to know who would be serving as their captain.

"How is that possible? If even you aren't the captain, then who could be?" Belit looked incredulous. The talented figures of their age group were all well known, and besides Shakuda, there were not many possible candidates. "Could it be Aijiela, Kale, or... Pabenles!"

Atasia shook her head from the side. "It can't be them. I know they're all carrying out other missions right now."

"Then could it be someone from a higher class than ours?" Jelin suggested.

Everyone's eyes lit up, and they could not help casting Jelin approving looks. That was right—besides members from their own training camp class, it could also be someone from an older class. The extermination mission on Dotalia Planet was extremely difficult; powerful enemies with battle power exceeding 1,000 might even appear. It was perfectly normal to arrange an older Saiyan as their captain!

They had never considered the possibility of a Saiyan younger than them.

First, deep down, they did not believe there could be such a powerful Mid-Class Warrior younger than them. Second, Shakuda was already one of the best Mid-Class Warriors in their class. Their aptitudes were not all that different, so such an age gap was difficult to overcome.

But the actual situation might turn out to be precisely beyond their expectations!