Frieza: Never mind him!

"Will Vegeta not reveal our location?" Piccolo asked with a hint of worry.

"Rest assured." Soro smiled slightly, the corners of his mouth curling into a confident arc. "He shouldn't say anything."

He paused for a moment.

"Let's go, quickly!"

After speaking, Soro flickered and vanished from where he stood, his figure turning into a blurred afterimage that appeared in the distance in the blink of an eye.

Son Goku, Piccolo, and Son Gohan immediately gave chase, their bodies launching into the air and transforming into three streaks of light.

The four of them hid within a mountain hollow.

On both sides of the hollow were steep cliffs, and overhead, a protruding rock face acted like a natural eave.

The ground was carpeted with blue grass, soft and thick.

Soro crossed his arms over his chest, completely suppressing his ki. His breathing became slow and gentle, like a pool of stagnant water, devoid of any ripples.

Son Goku, Piccolo, and Son Gohan also hid themselves beside Soro, suppressing their own ki.

On the journey to Namek, Soro had already proposed the idea of hiding their ki, the goal being to allow them to simply evade detection should they happen to encounter Frieza.

The four of them hid in the hollow like four lifeless stones.

Vegeta: "..."

Vegeta was left behind on the spot, lying on the grass. His mouth twitched, and his expression turned exceptionally ugly.

He withdrew his gaze from the direction in which Soro and the others had vanished, then looked at the pool of blood left behind by Cui.

Vegeta's teeth gnashed together, and he slammed his fist heavily into the ground, creating a shallow crater.

Bastards!

They all ran away!

Leaving me here alone to face Frieza?

Vegeta's chest heaved violently, his breathing ragged.

He took a deep breath and tried to stand up from the ground, but his legs were still trembling.

Just as he straightened his body, several points of light appeared in the distant sky.

The points of light grew closer and larger.

An overwhelming pressure surged from the horizon, pressing down on his chest like a massive mountain.

Vegeta's pupils contracted sharply, and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

Frieza had arrived.

High above.

Air currents surged from all directions, splitting to the sides amidst a sharp, whistling sound.

Frieza sat in his hoverchair, floating at the very front with his arms crossed over his chest and a faint smile hanging on his lips.

Behind him followed Zarbon, Dodoria, and a crowd of underlings clad in standard-issue battle armor.

Over a dozen figures dragged streaks of brilliant light across the sky, flying rapidly toward the direction where Vegeta was located.

Zarbon's brow furrowed tighter and tighter, his expression turning exceptionally grim.

"Vegeta's combat power has actually reached 24,000!" Zarbon's voice was low, every word sounding as if it were squeezed out from between his teeth.

"24,000?" Dodoria tilted his head, leaning in to glance at the screen, his pupils slightly constricting. "And that guy fighting Vegeta... his combat power is as high as 60,000!"

His voice rose, and cold sweat slid down his forehead, trickling down his temples.

"Is the scouter malfunctioning?" Dodoria exclaimed, tapping his finger on the device twice. "This guy's combat power already exceeds that of an average member of the Ginyu Force! Besides, Vegeta's combat power was only 18,000; how could it possibly have become 24,000?"

"There is nothing to be surprised about." Frieza chuckled, his chin lifting slightly as he stared straight ahead. "Vegeta must have learned quite a few new tricks during his trip to Earth! But it is merely 24,000; the two of you can handle him together."

"But..." Zarbon wanted to say more, his lips moving slightly before he closed them again.

"As for that guy with a combat power of 60,000," Frieza mused, tapping his finger against his chin, "if it comes to it, we can have the Ginyu Force make a trip."

"Lord Frieza," Dodoria sighed, "should we call the Ginyu Force?"

"Now is not the time." Frieza shook his head, his gaze turning profound. "There is no need to rush."

"Also... Lord Frieza..." Dodoria added, his gaze fixed on the scouter. "The reaction of that guy with 60,000 combat power has vanished completely. I don't know where he went! Could he have been killed?"

"Pay him no mind!" The corners of Frieza's mouth turned up, revealing a shallow smile. "That person is not with Vegeta!"

"It seems Vegeta was injured by him," Dodoria replied, pointing a finger at the screen. "Cui was also killed."

"Vegeta's main purpose in coming to Namek is for the Dragon Balls." Frieza snorted, the grip of his crossed arms tightening slightly. "Just like me, he wants to possess an immortal body. That man never held much respect for me in the past, and without my orders, he went to Earth on his own—it is clear he intends to usurp my position. He has already begun to openly betray me."

"Shall we capture Vegeta and execute him?" Zarbon requested, bowing his body slightly.

"Leave him be for now." Frieza gave a light chuckle and waved his hand. "Finding the Dragon Balls is our primary objective. Keeping him around is fine; let him search for them. Once he finds the Dragon Balls, we can simply take them from him, saving us the trouble of searching ourselves."

"As expected of Lord Frieza!" Zarbon hurriedly flattered him, his eyes gleaming. "That is a brilliant plan!"

"In that way, it's as if that fellow Vegeta is helping Lord Frieza!" Dodoria chimed in with a laugh, his mouth curling into a sycophantic grin.

Frieza and his men left shimmering trails of light in the sky as they sped toward a certain village.

Their figures wove through the clouds, moving as fast as meteors.

Before long, Frieza and his group passed directly over the spot where Vegeta was hiding.

Below lay a wasteland of jagged rocks, with blue grass growing only in the sparse gaps between them.

Several massive boulders were stacked together, forming a natural shelter.

Vegeta huddled behind a rock, his back pressed against the cold stone wall, his hands clenched into fists.

He kept his breathing shallow, minimizing the rise and fall of his chest.

Although he did not yet know how to suppress his energy, he had no other choice; he could only hope that Frieza had not noticed him.

"It's Vegeta's energy signature!" Dodoria pointed down at the location where Vegeta was hiding, his finger jabbing toward the ground. "He's right down there!"

"Let's go." Frieza gave a dismissive smile, not even bothering to glance downward. "Spare his miserable life for now; he still has great utility."

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The group flew rapidly over the area where Vegeta was hiding.

Vegeta kept his back pressed tightly against the rock, only exhaling slowly once those energy signatures had faded into the distance.

At this moment, Soro was also secretly watching Frieza from the shadows.

He was hidden in the shade of a mountain hollow, crouching with his hands resting on his knees.

His gaze pierced through the gaps in the rocks, locked onto the small white figure in the sky.

He watched without blinking.