Meeting Frieza!

Emerging from the Grand Elder's dwelling, Vegeta had not only secured the Grand Elder's promise but had also gained new knowledge from him.

This was a legacy of the Namekian language; from now on, even without the help of a Namekian, Vegeta could summon the Dragon Ball and make his wishes himself.

Vegeta knew this was the Grand Elder's way of compensating him, hoping to ensure he would have no worries and could fight Frieza with his full strength.

From now on, the Dragon Ball could be used for whatever wishes Vegeta desired.

It had to be said, the Grand Elder was truly worthy of his title; the intelligence of the other Namekian was not even a fraction of his.

This had once again refreshed Vegeta's perception of the Grand Elder.

Returning outside, Vegeta locked eyes with everyone present, one by one.

As a transmigrator, Vegeta understood the ways of the world all too well.

These people would never understand the painstaking effort the Grand Elder had put into betting on him; they would only think the Grand Elder had been coerced or left with no other choice.

In short, the Grand Elder was constantly mending his relationship with him, while these Namekian kept making Vegeta feel nothing but repulsion toward them.

"You lot can keep on being suspicious of me; just remember not to think too highly of yourselves. Also, forget about those three wishes—if you want to make a wish, wait for next time."

With those words, Vegeta let out a laugh and shot straight into the sky.

Everyone watched Vegeta depart, rooted to the spot.

Krillin and Son Gohan were speechless for a moment, only coming to their senses after a long while.

Didn't Vegeta's words mean that they wouldn't be able to use the Dragon Ball to resurrect everyone on Earth this time?

In that case, not only had they come for nothing, but they were also completely at Vegeta's mercy.

"What do we do now, Uncle Krillin? If we can't make a wish, everyone won't be able to be resurrected," Son Gohan said anxiously.

Although he was still young and hadn't experienced much, he knew that the Dragon Ball could only resurrect those who had been dead for less than a year.

If they couldn't fulfill the wish, everyone might never be resurrected.

In truth, Son Gohan did not know that this was merely the limit of Earth's Dragon Ball, not that of Porunga on Planet Namek.

Moreover, he had clearly forgotten the intelligence Vegeta had shared with them earlier: the Dragon Ball on Planet Namek only required 130 days to cool down.

"Don't panic yet, Gohan. There will always be a way. Besides, Vegeta might not necessarily be able to defeat that Universe Emperor Frieza. If he loses, we'll have to think of other ways, or perhaps... when Vegeta and Frieza are fighting, maybe we can do something..." Krillin said earnestly.

He didn't even realize that, out of selfishness, he had actually said such things.

"Uncle Krillin, are you saying we should take the opportunity to steal the Dragon Ball?" Son Gohan quickly caught on.

Bulma, standing to the side, also caught the subtext: "I say, Krillin, that's not a very nice thing to do. He is fighting for the sake of Planet Namek, after all. In other words, he's out there facing that Universe Emperor Frieza, and we're going to stab him in the back? Honestly, I think what you said earlier was a bit much. He did invade Earth, but wasn't most of that done by his companions? Of course, I can't say it had nothing to do with Vegeta, but if you set aside the invasion of Earth, hasn't he done nothing but good deeds here on Planet Namek? He even helped you Namekian avoid persecution by the Frieza Force. I think even if you aren't grateful, you shouldn't be so hostile, treating him like an enemy. That's a bit ungrateful, don't you think?"

Bulma's words left all the Namekian present stunned.

Some Namekian realized it immediately; indeed, Vegeta hadn't done anything untoward to them, yet they had been on guard against him from the very beginning.

Some voiced different opinions, while others began to reflect.

Krillin and Son Gohan were also frozen in place, lost in thought.

Even Nail began to question himself at this moment...

On the other side.

Vegeta did not know that, because of Bulma, his image in everyone's hearts had undergone a shift.

It was simply that Vegeta was unwilling to explain himself or waste his breath; otherwise, he could certainly have improved their favorability toward him.

Of course, even if Vegeta knew, he wouldn't care much.

Frieza's energy was already close at hand.

In less than half an hour, Vegeta had crossed sixty or seventy thousand kilometers to reach the docking point of Frieza's spaceship.

Suppressing his energy and deactivating his aura, Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, hovering in the void and looking down.

He could feel the evil energy within the spaceship stirring; clearly, even if Frieza couldn't sense energy, he had instinctively sensed the arrival of a crisis.

He couldn't see inside the ship from the outside, but Vegeta knew that Frieza inside the spaceship had already seen him through the viewing window.

"Heh heh heh! I'm already here, Frieza, aren't you coming out? Or do you not want this spaceship anymore?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying immense penetrating power as it echoed inside the ship.

After the sarcastic remark, Vegeta naturally didn't strike immediately.

Not long after, the top hatch of the spaceship opened.

Frieza appeared in his hoverchair, accompanied by a few soldiers—mere cannon fodder.

"Ho ho ho ho!! You really made this King wait, little Vegeta. Because of you, I've been quite bored these past few days." Frieza wore a playful expression as he rose to the same altitude as Vegeta.

Without giving Vegeta a chance to speak, he continued: "Looking at you, you aren't here to deliver the remaining two Dragon Ball to me, are you?"

Having said that, Frieza narrowed his eyes, radiating the absolute intimidation of a king.

For many years, Vegeta had been like a little dog, played with in the palm of his hand.

Now, appearing before him so boldly and calling him by his name, it was clear that Vegeta had become more than just a little stronger, and had thus found a bit of confidence.

"You certainly have an active imagination. There's no need for us to waste breath on pleasantries, especially since there are no outsiders here, right? I've had quite enough of playing pretend over these years." Vegeta's tone was calm; he was not the least bit provoked by Frieza.

After all, the man he was today was no longer the man he had been in the past.

Frieza could rack his brains until the end of time and never realize that Vegeta's current strength was enough to crush him like an insect.

"I have always held you in high regard. Are you certain you wish to make an enemy of this King?" A murderous glint flashed in Frieza's eyes.

Suddenly, recalling past experiences, he let out an evil laugh: "I remember your father acted much like you are now, yet in the end, he couldn't even get close to me. You are indeed stronger than that useless father of yours, but it is still far from enough. I can be generous and tell you... my combat power is 530,000!"

"Therefore, I will give you one more chance to choose: hand over the Dragon Ball and return to my service, or die..."