Soon, the two of them arrived at the secret base.
Looking at the base's incredibly crude facilities, Saigo didn't even know where to begin complaining.
The so-called secret base was nothing more than a hidden natural cave, no different from a savage's cave.
But to aliens who couldn't use Ki Sense, it really was a well-hidden place.
First, the cave was far from any settlements, deep in the mountains.
Second, its entrance was concealed among dense trees and piles of rocks. It would be hard to spot unless you looked carefully.
Vines and weeds artfully concealed the cave entrance, forming a natural barrier.
Finally, the deepest part of the cave opened into a wide, flat area large enough to hold hundreds of people. It was very quiet inside, with only the occasional drip of water from the ceiling.
At that moment, Saigo was the only one in the cave. Vegeta III had already gone back to take care of the task he'd been given earlier.
"Time to start training!"
"Training makes me stronger!"
"Training makes me happy!"
"Let's go!"
After giving himself a pep talk, Saigo threw himself into his daily training.
Elsewhere.
After returning, King Vegeta urgently issued three orders:
First, stop sending low-class warriors to Wild Planet;
Second, ask the Frieza Force for help in delivering the Saiyan recall order to those who hadn't returned yet. Then they could wait for Frieza to visit Planet Vegeta. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough people to show the Saiyans' enthusiasm.
If anyone had lost contact, people needed to be sent to check whether they were still alive;
Third, from that day onward, all returned members of the clan were forbidden from taking on any other missions outside the planet, except those sent to retrieve their fellow Saiyans. They were to prepare in advance for Emperor Frieza's visit to Planet Vegeta!
In a very short time, all three orders reached everyone on Planet Vegeta.
No one could understand why King Vegeta had suddenly issued these orders, especially the Saiyans.
Sending low-class warriors away on missions had always been a Saiyan tradition, yet now it had suddenly been prohibited!
But once they realized it was all to welcome Frieza, they accepted it, believing that this was the real reason.
After all, when you live under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. The Saiyans still had to act according to Frieza's wishes, and they all hoped that sucking up to him this time would mean they'd face less discrimination in the future.
Frieza's spies among the Saiyans also reported the news to their superiors, both openly and in secret.
Before long, Frieza received the news as well.
"Oh? Did King Vegeta really issue these three orders?" Frieza wasn't sitting in his personal hovercraft at the moment. Instead, he sat elegantly at a white table, gently swirling his wineglass.
"Yes, King Frieza! I've confirmed it repeatedly. Both our people on Planet Vegeta and King Vegeta's own people have delivered the same message!" answered a pink-skinned alien with a face covered in fleshy lumps, his manner deferential.
Frieza continued to swirl his glass, watching the wine slosh inside. "Mr. Dodoria, why do you think those wild monkeys would suddenly issue these three orders? Could it be... they've found out about our plan?"
Thump—
The person Frieza had addressed was the pink-skinned alien, whose name was Dodoria.
As soon as he heard Frieza's question, Dodoria promptly dropped to his knees, whether or not the plan had been exposed. Even so, beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Rest assured, King Frieza. Our plan absolutely hasn't been exposed! Please investigate the matter carefully!"
At the same time, Dodoria glanced at the person standing nearby.
That person understood what Dodoria meant and knelt down without the slightest hesitation.
"King Frieza, I can also vouch that our plan hasn't been exposed. Please investigate the matter carefully!"
Serving a ruler was like sleeping beside a tiger.
Over time, the two of them had learned a thing or two about Frieza's habits.
In a situation like this, if no one vouched for him, Dodoria would probably be in serious trouble.
Frieza still didn't even look up, his attention fixed entirely on the wine. "Mr. Zarbon, then tell me: why would the Saiyans suddenly issue these orders?"
The one who had pleaded on Dodoria's behalf was a tall alien with relatively handsome features and long green hair atop his head.
"Your Majesty, I believe the Saiyans did this to curry favor with you, hoping to improve their standing in the force!" Zarbon answered without hesitation, quickly offering his opinion.
"To curry favor with me? I don't think so. Still, that wild monkey, King Vegeta, has saved us a lot of trouble by doing this. Now we can wipe them all out at once!" Frieza stopped swirling his glass and cast a sinister glance at the two kneeling figures before continuing,
"How about this? Mr. Dodoria, Mr. Zarbon, since those wild monkeys have come to us for help, let's help them. That way, the universe will know that I, Frieza, Cosmic Emperor, am always happy to help my subordinates! Hohoho!"
"Yes, sir! We'll take care of it right away!" x2
"Wait. Let's put our plan on hold for now, so those wild monkeys don't catch on."
"As you command!"
Watching the two leave, Frieza raised his glass and drained it in one gulp.
He licked his bewitching lips, savoring the aftertaste.
He looked so relaxed, as if the news he'd just heard were of no importance.
On May 4, after training until ten that night, his battle power increased by 50.
Ever since Vegeta III had issued those three orders and Frieza had changed his approach toward them, the death rate among Saiyans carrying out missions had dropped considerably.
Without Saigo needing to point it out, Vegeta III could guess that the Frieza Force had to be behind the high death rate among Saiyans on missions!
The realization filled Vegeta III with rage, and he swore he'd make Frieza pay.
What gave Vegeta III a headache was that Vegeta IV had refused to return to Planet Vegeta immediately. To avoid disrupting the plan, Vegeta III had no choice but to let it go, and could only pray that Vegeta IV stayed safe out there.
On May 7, Saigo learned through the simulation the exact date Frieza would arrive on Planet Vegeta: August 6.
Of course, he knew this was only the date in the simulation. There were still many uncertainties in reality.
For example, the King of Saiyans wasn't Vegeta III now!
Since there was still plenty of time, Saigo planned to start a simulation tomorrow and learn the Yardratians' secret technique, Instant Transmission.
The day passed quickly.
May 8.
Saigo woke up early. Since Vegeta III hadn't brought him breakfast yet, he decided to start the simulation first.
[May 8: After briefly teaching 20 elite warriors how to control their own energy, you traveled with Vegeta III to the Spaceship Launch Center. You boarded a Spherical Spaceship alone and flew to Planet Yardrat.]
Hmm?
Why was he in such a hurry to go to Planet Yardrat?
Was he an idiot?
He wasn't strong enough yet. Why go running off on an adventure?
Saigo complained to himself.
Had the person in the simulation been influenced by the Saiyan race's nature?
Didn't he know he should keep a low profile and build up his strength?!
Saigo shook his head, strongly disapproving of the simulated version of himself, then continued reading.
[June 8: You successfully arrived on Planet Yardrat! The Yardratians were hospitable and treated you as an honored guest. Upon learning that you were a wicked, evil Saiyan, they tried to kick you off Planet Yardrat. You didn't cause more trouble or commit any killings. Instead, you won them over through virtue. By using effective methods, you eventually secured an audience with the Grand Elder of the Yardratians...]
Before you continue