Departure!

"So, do I qualify to be your captain now?" Chaya asked with a smile. Bathed in the aura of a victor, his smile seemed exceptionally dazzling in the eyes of every Saiyan present.

Shakuda shook his head to clear it, then looked at the battered, uneven ground, especially the deep crater. His mouth twitched as he shook his head bitterly. "I always thought I was one of the best among my peers. I even considered myself not much worse than those older Saiyans. Who knew I was just a frog at the bottom of a well?"

Recalling the lightning-fast exchange from moments ago, Shakuda said with wholehearted conviction, "If even you aren't qualified to be captain, then who is?"

Chaya patted Shakuda on the shoulder and burst into laughter. "Hahaha! My name is Chaya, so from now on, our team will be called the Chaya Squad. You're all members of the squad. But let me make this clear first: once you join, you must obey orders. Otherwise, don't blame me for being harsh!"

"Rest assured, Captain. We will obey your orders!"

Shakuda and the others exchanged glances, then nodded repeatedly. Saiyans obeying the strong was only natural. So long as he did not openly order them to their deaths, they would carry out their captain's commands without fail.

At the same time, their hearts burned with excitement. With such a powerful captain leading them, would they still have to worry about missing out on the thrill of battle? At that thought, several Saiyans wore wild smiles.

The last trace of displeasure in Shakuda's heart vanished completely.

Saiyans were called a battle race not only because of the warlike instincts ingrained in their bones, but also because their powerful ability to carry out orders was admirable.

Saiyans were born mercenaries. Give them a mission, and they could complete it well. Saiyans did not carry out missions for money, because money was utterly useless to them. What they sought was the exhilaration of battle.

Chaya came to this conclusion.

Sometimes, he wondered whether Saiyans would still be so notorious if they were not employed by Frieza's forces, but instead accepted missions from legitimate institutions in the Milky Way, such as the Galactic Patrol.

Shaking his head to clear away those impractical thoughts, he turned serious. "Next, I'll explain this mission. I'm sure you already know that our destination is Dotalia Planet."

His gaze swept across every squad member. At the mention of Dotalia Planet, Shakuda and the others stiffened, their expressions turning solemn.

"It's a planet close to the Mid-Class level. That means accidents could happen at any time there. If that happens, aside from Selyne, Shakuda, and me, the rest of you will face considerable danger. Reida and Belit especially—you two have the lowest battle power, so be extra careful!"

"Mm-hmm!"

"Don't worry, Captain. We understand."

Seeing everyone listening so attentively, Chaya felt quite pleased. Then, pointing at Selyne, he introduced her to the group. "Oh, right. This is my younger sister, Selyne. She's also a member of the squad, and her battle power is no weaker than mine!"

Naturally, that was after suppressing their battle power.

Shakuda and the others all turned to look at Selyne, their eyes filled with amazement and envy. Atasia and Jelin in particular, both female Saiyans, were deeply envious of Selyne's battle power.

"Um... Captain, how old are you and Selyne now? And what exactly are your battle powers?"

The one who spoke was the tall Atasia. At twelve, she had already entered puberty. Her beautiful wavy hair fluttered in the wind, and her feminine features had become pronounced, making her the most mature-looking among the Saiyans.

Selyne's lips curved into a cute smile as her clear voice rang out. "Chaya and I will be nine soon. As for our battle powers, Chaya's is 1,000, while mine is 970!"

During the past few days after returning to Planet Vegeta, they had each raised their battle power by another dozen points or so.

Though she did not speak loudly, those two astonishing figures struck like thunder, instantly stunning Atasia and the others.

1,000 battle power. 970 battle power!

And they were only... nine years old?

The Saiyans stared at them in disbelief. Yet the terrifying power from earlier still lingered in their minds, forcing them to accept that all of this was real.

"You have battle power like that at only nine years old. Are you really just Mid-Class Warriors? Could you actually be Elite Warriors?" Belit shouted exaggeratedly. Among them, his battle power was the lowest. At twelve, he had only reached 738 battle power. Compared to them, that was truly embarrassing!

"More than that—I don't think even Elite Warriors are necessarily that outrageous..."

Reida sighed as though he shared the same misery.

In truth, their current strength was not bad at all. Once they entered puberty, their power would undergo rapid growth. By adulthood, they would definitely surpass 2,000 battle power, placing them at an average level among Mid-Class Warriors.

But compared with freakish geniuses like these two, it was simply too discouraging.

Shakuda smiled bitterly. "I originally thought reaching over 900 battle power at twelve was already outstanding. But compared with you two... uh, there's no comparison..."

"Mm-hmm."

Atasia and Jelin nodded repeatedly, thoroughly agreeing with Shakuda's words.

Without realizing it, the Saiyans had grown much closer. With towering walls like Chaya and Selyne before them, the small gap between themselves seemed insignificant. They suddenly found themselves sharing the same sense of solidarity.

Faintly, they had already begun to regard Chaya as a great genius on par with Prince Vegeta.

"Alright, it's time for us to leave. I imagine the Spaceport has already prepared our spacecraft," Chaya said, his tone now carrying the authority of a captain.

"Right, right, we should get going."

"Let's go. I'm already getting impatient."

The Saiyans laughed softly, then rose into the air and flew toward the Spaceport. Half an hour later, all seven had entered the Spaceport grounds. They descended one after another, then followed a guide to where their spacecraft were parked.

On an empty platform, seven spherical spacecraft, each two meters in diameter, stood in neat formation in recessed landing bays.

They opened their respective spacecraft and climbed inside.

Once the hatches closed, Chaya's voice sounded through the communicators. "Then let's set off. May the Chaya Squad's first mission be a success!"

"Let's go!"

"Let's go!"

Everyone shouted through the communicators. Then, a layer of white light shimmered around the seven white spheres before they suddenly accelerated away from Planet Vegeta, beginning a month-long interstellar voyage.