Crisis!

Betkas shook his slightly numb hand, his gaze turning solemn. "I didn't expect a small village to have fighters this strong... I just hope there's no one on this planet with a power level above ten thousand... Otherwise..." From their earlier exchange, Betkas had already thoroughly gauged the enemy's strength. Though he could not be precise, he was certain that the five Chicks Aliens opposite him all had power levels between 500 and 700. That relatively small Chicks Alien from before even had a power level higher than Nappa's.

If Betkas himself had not possessed a power level of nearly 3,053, he might not have been able to suppress them. The combined Ki Blast of the four enemies had already surpassed a power level of 2,000. If it hit him, Nappa would certainly die. As for Betkas and Vegeta, they would be seriously injured at best and left on the brink of death at worst!

That was what worried Betkas so greatly. Vegeta and he, even with Nappa—a Saiyan whose power level had not yet reached 1,000—could at most barely fight an expert with a power level close to 9,000. One careless mistake, and they could be defeated and killed. If this planet had an expert with a power level above 10,000, then he believed they would absolutely fail this mission.

An expert with a power level above 10,000 was not someone numbers could make up for. Especially for three brats like them, whose skills and experience were still incredibly lacking. Vegeta and Betkas had only sparred from time to time; neither had personally experienced real battles of slaughter. The same went for Nappa.

A battle to the death!!

Those three words surfaced in Betkas's mind, and he immediately understood Zarbon's actions—or rather, Frieza's purpose.

After figuring it out, Betkas could not help but smile bitterly. "Looks like we'll run into things like this often in the future... Sigh, this really is like training us through life-and-death situations. But... Frieza shouldn't have any reason to value us that much. What's the reason?" Betkas was somewhat confused. That arrogant Frieza was actually nurturing them like this? Though it seemed this planet might truly have warriors capable of threatening their lives.

But Betkas, Vegeta, and Nappa were not without trump cards to save their lives. With the last-resort cards Betkas and Vegeta had, the two of them were confident they could stay alive. As for Nappa? He was not within their consideration.

Vegeta flew over to Betkas and Nappa and said, "Split up!"

Those four short words made Betkas's eyelid twitch just as he finished sorting out his thoughts. Seeing the seriousness in Vegeta's eyes, Betkas said nothing. As for Nappa? This simple-minded fellow would not think that deeply anyway.

The three merely chose different directions and began their sweep, sparing none of the planet's native inhabitants. They agreed on one day. If someone did not return within a day, they would be considered dead. If they encountered trouble, they could return to the meeting point and request support. But Vegeta's condition was clearly meant for Nappa. After all, Vegeta did not think he would run into any trouble, and he understood Betkas best as well... After settling on a meeting place, the three swiftly began their actions.

Betkas slowly flew through the air above the planet, scanning below as he pondered, It looks like Vegeta has noticed something too... Makes sense. In the original story, that guy was not stupid at all... Looks like this time... what we need is time. I still don't know whether this planet is in nighttime or daylight!

Just then, Betkas suddenly sensed an aura of death. Startled, he immediately halted. At the same time, a straight pale-yellow beam flashed past his eyes, striking somewhere in the distance before exploding... That narrow margin made cold sweat break out on him, filling him with endless vigilance.

Betkas swiftly turned toward the source of the beam and immediately spotted an elderly Chicks Alien in plain clothing standing in the air not far away, staring fixedly at him.

With just one glance, Betkas grew extremely serious. He knew he had encountered an expert this time. At the same time, he felt a trace of relief and excitement. He was relieved that he had encountered such an expert rather than Vegeta or Nappa. Vegeta might be able to manage, but Nappa would definitely die. And what excited him was that the Saiyan blood within him had begun to boil.

The elderly Chicks Alien said nothing, merely flying quietly to within a few meters of Betkas. Betkas clenched both fists and stared intently at the Chicks Alien.

The elderly Chicks Alien seemed to recall something. He sighed softly and said, "Invader... why do such cruel things?"

Betkas froze upon hearing that, recalling how he had just narrowly escaped death. He then sneered. "Why? Because I am..."

The elderly Chicks Alien silently watched Betkas, while Betkas slowly finished his words.

"A SAIYAN!!!"

The instant he finished speaking, Betkas shot forward like a gust of wind, charging before the elderly Chicks Alien and raising his fist to strike the Chicks Alien's wrinkled face. But upon hearing the words "Saiyan," the Chicks Alien's expression changed for an instant before returning to normal. He merely tilted his head slightly to the right, effortlessly avoiding Betkas's attack.

Betkas would not let go of the opportunity for close combat. That beam attack from the elderly Chicks Alien had frightened him badly. He did not want to give this aged Chicks Alien another chance to catch his breath and unleash such an attack.

He immediately raised his right leg and kicked at the Chicks Alien's waist, his small leg carrying violent force. At the same time, his left hand prepared to fire a Ki Blast at the elderly Chicks Alien's face. A glint flashed through the Chicks Alien's eyes, and with a single teleportation, he vanished from where he stood.

"Wh... what?!"

Betkas's kick missed, and his pupils instantly contracted. He stared in shock at the completely vanished elderly Chicks Alien ahead, while the Ki Blast he had fired shone brilliantly.

But at that moment, a quiet voice suddenly drifted from behind him.

"You... are a genius. At such a young age, you possess such strength... But I cannot spare you because of that. Saiyans... are a group of lunatics! For this planet's safety, I can only eliminate you!"

Betkas was instantly alarmed. As he turned around, he saw a pale-yellow beam shooting straight at him, aimed directly at his heart... Betkas gritted his teeth and struggled to shift slightly to the left. At the same time, his right hand suddenly gathered a round sphere of light, which he hurled at the elderly Chicks Alien. But... in just an instant, the pale-yellow beam had already struck him, piercing through both his body and the Battle Armor he wore, accompanied by blood... The elderly Chicks Alien merely tilted his head slightly and avoided the white sphere Betkas had sent at him. He felt somewhat puzzled, for he had not sensed any threat from that sphere of light. Still, to be safe, he had moved his head aside to avoid it.

At the same time, the force of the beam sent Betkas flying backward... Blood scattered through the air like snowflakes, dripping onto the ground. When his body crashed down, his face was deathly pale. Yet... the elderly Chicks Alien did not notice the dangerous curve that rose at the corner of Betkas's mouth as he lay on the ground and looked at him with difficulty.

"Old man!! You'll regret what you did!"

Betkas struggled to keep his eyes open as he looked in the elderly Chicks Alien's direction, enduring the pain of his pierced wound as a faintly smug thought rose in his heart.