Absolute Crushing

"You really are long-winded. Repeating the same words over and over—do you think I won't kill you? Our power levels are the same? How laughable. Do you think I'm still the same person I was before?" As his voice fell, Vegeta pulled back his fist and grabbed Cui by the face.

As he exerted force with his fingers, Cui grabbed Vegeta's wrist with both hands in agony, trying to force him to let go.

But he had no chance of breaking free.

The gap in strength was simply too vast; 18,000 and 24,000 power levels—that 6,000-point difference was like a chasm, a world of difference.

"BOOM!!!"

Another loud crash rang out.

Vegeta slammed Cui directly into the reinforced wall of the corridor. The wall cracked and shattered instantly, triggering the alarm for the entire base.

Vegeta didn't care in the slightest, only then releasing his grip to look at the wretched, battered Cui.

"Th-this is impossible... How, how could you... have such immense power? Our power levels were clearly the same..." Cui struggled in his death throes, his eyes bloodshot as negative emotions surged to the surface.

It must be said that a power level of 18,000 was still formidable; at the very least, his vitality was tenacious enough that he couldn't be killed by two simple strikes from Vegeta.

"So, you thought I was just talking? Cui, do you really think you can be mentioned in the same breath as me? I didn't take you seriously in the past, yet you kept pushing your luck!"

As he spoke, Vegeta raised his hand and aimed it at him.

This gesture made Cui's hair stand on end. He struggled even harder, tearing himself free from the wall.

He wanted to dodge, but Vegeta's palm remained fixed on him.

The threat of death made Cui gasp for air.

At the same time, because Vegeta was gathering energy, Cui's Scouter suddenly issued a warning.

"Po-power level 20,000? It's still rising...!!"

The next second, his outdated Scouter exploded, unable to withstand the limit of the energy surge.

"Wa-wait, stop, Vegeta! I surrender! I was wrong, I shouldn't have..." Cui was terrified, switching into begging mode.

A power level exceeding 20,000 already signaled a massive gap between him and Vegeta.

Beings like them knew clearly that if the gap in power level was between one and two thousand, a fierce battle might be possible, but defeat would be inevitable in the end.

But if the gap exceeded 2,000, it was undoubtedly a total crushing.

Unless one resorted to a sneak attack...

"That's why you're nothing but a dog. Compared to the current you, I preferred the arrogant, unruly you from before," Vegeta said with disdain.

Cui was drenched in sweat, desperately lowering his posture while searching for an opening.

Vegeta saw through this performance at a glance.

Cui sensed a momentary hesitation from Vegeta and, thinking he had seized his chance, exploded with power and rushed out of the base.

[It fits the original setting—a fickle, petty man. It's a pity you don't even possess the most basic patience. You deserve to die.] Vegeta sneered and raised his hand.

Cui, in the air, thought he had gained the initiative and gathered all his strength to fire a supreme energy wave.

"Hehehehaha~~ Vegeta, if you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not being decisive! Go to hell!"

The arrogant voice accompanied the energy wave as it swept downward. To the naked eye, the momentum was indeed terrifying, as if it would swallow everything in its path.

"Ant! You still don't understand the gap between us."

Cold words spilled from his lips. Vegeta didn't intend to tangle with him any longer, his eyes suddenly erupting with terrifying killing intent.

"Explosion Wave!!!"

In an instant, Vegeta unleashed the energy he had already condensed.

The wild, pale-green energy cannon pushed forward in a straight line, blocking the energy wave Cui had unleashed with all his might in one breath, then rapidly breaking through and crushing it entirely.

Facing Vegeta's energy cannon, Cui didn't even have the ability to defend.

In his desperate gaze...

"BOOM~~!!!!"

A brilliant firework exploded in the sky, the intense light seemingly capable of consuming everything.

Cui's energy signature vanished beneath this explosion.

To be safe, Vegeta specifically pressed his Scouter to scan the target.

Only after confirming that Cui's body had been pulverized into ashes did he put his thoughts aside.

At this moment, the base's alarms grew increasingly chaotic, and countless personnel began to mobilize, thinking they were under enemy attack.

It was only when the guard squads and base administrators saw the situation with Vegeta that they quieted down.

Although no one knew exactly what had happened, they all had their guesses.

Everything that had occurred was likely Vegeta's doing.

As for why he had caused such a commotion, if Vegeta wasn't willing to say, they would only be able to rely on the surveillance footage to find out.

Regardless, no one dared to pry.

On this planet, Vegeta's status and authority were now the highest, plain and simple.

Of course, a small number of people thought of Cui and secretly tried to notify him, but they received no response whatsoever.

Vegeta couldn't be bothered to explain anything here; he cast a glance at everyone present and walked straight away.

The group looked at one another, and in the end, the few members of management could only order people to repair the area before heading to the archives together to investigate the ins and outs of the matter.

Complaints were naturally voiced, but their voices could not reach Vegeta's ears.

These people quickly uncovered the truth: a clash had occurred between Vegeta and Cui, and as of now, Cui had actually been killed by Vegeta.

Considering whether or not to report this incident, the few management personnel were at a complete loss.

In the end, they could only temporarily suppress the matter and wait until Vegeta had left before reporting it.

After all, their lives were at stake; if they reported it now and Vegeta found out, they might end up being mercilessly slaughtered by Vegeta just like Cui.

On the other side, after filling his stomach at the base, Vegeta arrived outside.

The vast and desolate planet was filled with an aura of deathly silence.

Vegeta remembered that when this planet was first conquered, it had been full of life, but after excessive exploitation, it had turned into what it was now, possessing almost no value.

Soon, this planet would also be abandoned; Frieza would surely choose a better planet to serve as a new transit station.

"Next, let me see if I can make it work."

Standing on a stretch of Gobi desert, Vegeta took several deep breaths, finally calming his emotions completely.

Attempting to transform, Vegeta used his will to control the energy within his body, gathering it toward his back.

Having inherited everything from the original body, with his strength at its current level, he could control his own power to a perfect degree.

Especially after mastering the trick of ki, he was even more adept at handling the finer details.

Yet, after only a single attempt, Vegeta was stumped...