Frieza: "Let's Leave Him Alone for Now!"

"Vegeta won't tell them where we are, will he?" Piccolo asked worriedly.

"Don't worry." Soro smiled faintly, a confident curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "He shouldn't."

He paused.

"Let's go!"

With that, Soro vanished in a flash, his body turning into a blur as he reappeared in the distance in the blink of an eye.

Son Goku, Piccolo, and Son Gohan immediately followed, springing into the air and turning into three streaks of light.

The four of them hid in a ravine.

Steep rocks lined both sides of the ravine, and an overhanging cliff above them formed a natural roof.

Soft, thick blue grass covered the ground.

Soro folded his arms and completely suppressed his ki. His breathing slowed, becoming gentle and even, like a still pool without a ripple.

Son Goku, Piccolo, and Son Gohan hid beside Soro, each suppressing their ki as well.

On the way to Namek, Soro had already suggested hiding their ki so that they could keep out of Frieza's way if they happened to run into him.

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

Vegeta: "..."

Vegeta had been left behind. Lying on the grass, he twitched at the corner of his mouth, his expression turning utterly grim.

He looked away from where Soro and the others had disappeared, then glanced at the pool of blood Cui had left behind.

Vegeta gritted his teeth, then slammed his fist into the ground, leaving a shallow crater.

Damn it!

They all ran off!

They left me here to face Frieza alone?

Vegeta's chest heaved as he breathed hard.

He took a deep breath and tried to get up, but his legs were still trembling.

As soon as he stood upright, several points of light appeared in the distant sky.

They grew closer and larger.

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

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

Frieza was here.

High above.

Air rushed in from all sides, splitting apart to either side with a piercing whistle.

Frieza floated at the front in his hover pod, arms folded, a faint smile on his lips.

Behind him followed Zarbon, Dodoria, and a group of underlings in matching battle armor.

A dozen figures streaked across the sky, leaving trails of shining light as they sped toward Vegeta.

Zarbon's frown deepened, his expression growing exceptionally grim.

"Vegeta's battle power has actually reached 24,000!" Zarbon said in a low voice, each word seeming to grind out through clenched teeth.

"24,000?" Dodoria tilted his head and leaned over to look at the screen, his pupils contracting slightly. "That guy fighting Vegeta... has a battle power of 60,000!"

His voice rose, and cold sweat trickled down his forehead, running past his temple.

"Is the Scouter malfunctioning?" Dodoria cried, tapping the device twice. "This guy's battle power has already surpassed that of the ordinary Ginyu Force members! And Vegeta's battle power is only 18,000. How could it have become 24,000?"

"There's nothing surprising about it." Frieza chuckled, lifting his chin slightly as he looked straight ahead. "Vegeta must have learned plenty of new techniques while fighting on Earth. It's only 24,000. The two of you can take care of him together."

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

"As for that one with a battle power of 60,000..." Frieza mused, tapping his chin twice. "If it comes to it, we can have the Ginyu Force come here."

"Lord Frieza," Dodoria said in surprise. "Are you going to summon the Ginyu Force?"

"Not yet." Frieza shook his head, his gaze turning profound. "There's no need to rush."

"Also... Lord Frieza..." Dodoria continued, looking at the Scouter. "That guy with a battle power of 60,000 has vanished completely from the readings. I don't know what he's doing! Could he have been killed?"

"Forget about him!" Frieza's lips curled into a faint smile. "He isn't working with Vegeta!"

"Vegeta seems to have been injured by him," Dodoria replied, pointing at the screen. "Cui was killed too."

"Vegeta came to Namek mainly for the Dragon Balls." Frieza snorted, folding his arms more tightly. "Just like me, he wants immortality. That fellow never had much respect for me. He went to Earth without my orders, clearly intending to usurp my position. He's already openly betrayed me."

"Should we capture Vegeta and execute him?" Zarbon asked, bowing slightly.

"Leave him alone for now." Frieza smiled and waved a hand. "Finding the Dragon Balls is our top priority. It's fine to let him search for them. Once he finds them, we can simply take them from him. That'll save us the trouble of searching ourselves."

"Just as expected of you, Lord Frieza!" Zarbon hurried to flatter him, his eyes lighting up. "That's an excellent plan!"

"That way, Vegeta will be helping Lord Frieza," Dodoria added with a grin, his mouth spreading into a fawning smile.

Frieza and the others left bright trails across the sky as they headed swiftly toward a village.

They sped through the clouds like meteors.

Soon, Frieza and his men passed over the area where Vegeta was.

Below them lay a rugged wasteland of rocks, with blue grass growing sparsely in the cracks.

Several enormous rocks piled together to form a natural hiding place.

Vegeta crouched behind one of them, his back pressed against the cold stone wall, his fists clenched.

He kept his breathing quiet, holding his chest as still as possible.

He didn't know how to hide his ki, but there was nothing he could do about that. He could only hope Frieza hadn't noticed him.

"That's Vegeta's energy reading!" Dodoria pointed at the spot below where Vegeta was hiding. "He's right down there!"

"Let's go." Frieza smiled dismissively, not even glancing down. "We'll spare his life for now. He'll still be very useful to us."

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The group quickly flew over the spot where Vegeta was hiding.

Vegeta kept his back pressed tightly against the rocks. Only after those energy readings had grown more distant did he slowly let out a breath.

Meanwhile, Soro was secretly keeping a close eye on Frieza.

He was crouched in the shadow of a ravine, both hands resting on his knees.

His gaze passed through a crack in the rocks and locked onto the small white figure in the sky.

He watched without blinking.