A violent explosion erupted at the edge of the atmosphere. A blazing fireball rapidly expanded, then turned into a cloud of black smoke. The Frieza Force ship was blasted into scattered wreckage by an overwhelming energy attack, and fragments rained down from the sky.
As the smoke cleared, Dodoria and Zarbon floated in the air, looking bedraggled. Their battle suits were covered in soot, and every alien accompanying them had perished in the explosion.
The violent blast immediately caught the attention of others on Planet Oron. But when they discovered the ship belonged to the Frieza Force, everyone prudently chose to stay out of it, afraid of getting caught up in trouble.
"Damn, how dare someone attack a Frieza Force ship!" Dodoria raged as he flew through the air, his pink skin marked with wounds.
Zarbon's face darkened. His deep green eyes glinted coldly as he took out his Scouter and scanned the area. It beeped several times, but detected no high energy readings.
"Strange. There's no powerful energy reading nearby."
"Impossible. The strength of that blast means its user must have a battle power of at least ten thousand." Disbelieving, Dodoria took out his own Scouter, but it likewise detected no sign of the attacker. He couldn't help looking stunned.
"There really is nothing. Could they have used a newly developed energy weapon? Even so, there should be some residual energy."
Zarbon's eyes flickered. He switched off his Scouter and said gravely, "I've heard there are aliens in the universe who can freely control the energy within their bodies. Energy detection doesn't work well against them."
At that, Dodoria bellowed, "That has to be it! Damn them. They dared to attack me, and I'll never let them get away with it!"
Dodoria wasn't very bright. After Zarbon suggested it, he directed all his fury at an imaginary species. Zarbon also didn't believe anyone could unleash such immense power and then escape so quickly, so the attackers must still be hiding somewhere on Planet Oron.
"Anyone who provokes the Frieza Force has to pay the price. But Planet Oron is a trade planet, and the people who manage it have some standing among the universe's wealthy. We should notify the local authorities first. There's no need to sour relations."
Zarbon fell silent for a moment, then resumed his refined, gentlemanly bearing. But the cold glint in his eyes betrayed the savagery in his heart.
After his outburst, Dodoria managed to suppress his anger. "Let's find the local authorities. We'll make sure they give us an explanation."
If Planet Oron weren't a trade planet, but an ordinary inhabited world, Dodoria's brutal nature might have driven him to contact Frieza Force headquarters and lead an army to flatten the place.
But trade planets were different. Every one of them was registered with the Galactic Business Headquarters when it was established, and was protected by the organization. The Galactic Business Headquarters, like the Galactic Assassin Organization, the Galactic Courier Company, and the Galactic Patrol, had been built by the universe's top powers.
The Frieza Force might be notorious throughout the universe, but as long as they still did business, they couldn't act too tyrannically.
Zarbon nodded slightly, then went with Dodoria to find Planet Oron's manager.
The person in charge of Planet Oron already knew what had happened. When Zarbon and Dodoria came storming in, he hurried to greet them warmly, wiping sweat from his brow as he cautiously attended to them. At the same time, he sent people to investigate the suspects who had attacked the Frieza Force.
Naturally, they found nothing. By then, Roland and Sephiria had already left Planet Oron.
"Sorry, gentlemen, but we haven't found the people you're looking for. We've reported the matter, though, and the Galactic Business Headquarters will soon launch a large-scale investigation. We'll make sure you're satisfied," Planet Oron's manager said, apologizing humbly.
"Because of your poor management, quite a few of our Frieza Force men were lost," Zarbon said coolly from his seat, a cup of hot tea in hand.
The manager hastily replied, "This was a failure on our part. We can offer compensation."
"Heh." Zarbon accepted the compensation with a quiet laugh. The deaths of a few Frieza Force soldiers meant nothing to him, but extorting a benefit from a trade planet was a good way to make use of their deaths.
When dealing with the Galactic Business Headquarters, the Frieza Force had to give them some respect.
While Zarbon was demanding compensation from Planet Oron's manager on behalf of the Frieza Force, Roland and Sephiria had already traveled far away and entered the star region where Planet Sadala was located.
Before its destruction, Planet Sadala had been in the western part of the North Galaxy, near the border with the West Galaxy. After several dozen jumps, the siblings finally reached their intended destination.
In the deep darkness of space, tinged with a faint red glow, a blazing star shone steadily. The destruction of Planet Sadala had once brought disaster to the entire star system. Only after countless years had passed did the vast system finally stabilize.
Even now, the asteroid belt still stretched along Planet Sadala's former orbit. Those asteroids were the remnants left behind after the planet's destruction.
Whoosh!
On a planet within the same star's gravitational field as the asteroid belt, space suddenly warped. Roland and Sephiria stepped out of the void, their figures nimble and strong. Because it lay in the habitable zone, the planet had an atmosphere, but it was small, with only half of Earth's gravity.
In fact, this planet had formed when some of the matter left behind after Planet Sadala's destruction came together again.
"According to the records, the planet beneath our feet is the remains of Planet Sadala after its destruction."
Roland surveyed the surroundings. The tiny planet was small enough that the curve of the horizon was clearly visible in the distance. Perhaps because divine beings like King Kai and the Supreme Kai existed in this world, the planets of the Dragon Ball universe seemed to evolve much faster than Earth had in his previous life.
Sephiria looked down at the scenery, gently tucking back her hair. A faint glimmer shone in her clear eyes, like autumn waters. "What a pity. If that foolish war hadn't happened in ancient times, the Saiyans wouldn't have lost their home here."
"If we wanted to rebuild it, it wouldn't be difficult," Roland said.
Sephiria nodded slightly. Just then, a harsh rumbling came from the sky.
She looked up. The bright, silvery moon hung overhead. Since the planet lay in an asteroid belt, it was frequently struck by meteorites, making conditions extremely harsh. But the rumbling clearly wasn't the sound of a meteorite hitting the atmosphere. It was a spaceship falling.
Sure enough, a triangular-winged ship came plummeting from the sky, trailing black smoke. A line of small aircraft followed close behind, as if pursuing it.
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