Meanwhile.
In space.
The spaceship had entered hyperspeed.
Once things had stabilized, Bulma, seated in the pilot's chair, was the first to unfasten her seat belt and move around freely.
Only then did Krillin, sitting beside her, dare to move.
Although he had already traveled through space once, this wasn't the same spaceship, and its interior was completely different.
He didn't want to embarrass himself like he had the last time he rode in a spaceship from Planet Namek, just because he didn't know what he was doing.
"We've finally left Planet Namek. The past month or so felt like a whole year." Krillin stretched and muttered to himself.
After leaving Planet Namek, his whole body felt lighter. All the pressure he'd been carrying was gone. In short, he no longer felt so stifled.
There was no more sense of danger or urgency. He could finally go home, without having to worry about one thing or another.
Beside him, Bulma didn't respond when she heard Krillin. Instead, she remained lost in her own thoughts.
She was feeling a little down, truth be told.
It was nothing else: she'd finally met a wonderful man like Ron, but before they could spend much time together and get to know each other better, they had to part after only a few days because she was returning to Earth.
Along with her sadness, she felt reluctant to leave him.
She'd been torn for a long time over whether to leave now.
She had to admit that over the past few days on Planet Namek, Ron's many displays of character and the emotional support he'd given her had not only stirred her heart, dormant for years, but also brought back the hazy flutter she'd felt as a girl.
In short, her girlish heart, which had been still for years, had not only come back to life, but was now beating wildly.
Simply put, how could Bulma, who'd gone so long without having her emotional needs met, resist a man who was willing to understand her, compliment her, accept her as she was, let her vent her little frustrations, and protect her?
At first, she'd still been able to keep up her guard, pretending to be unapproachable and hard to win over.
But over the past three days, Ron had kept tugging at her heartstrings, whether intentionally or not.
As a woman who longed to be acknowledged, understood, and cared for, Bulma had to admit she'd fallen for this perfect man. He was strong, handsome, fit, clever, and knew how to make her happy.
If the circumstances had been more suitable, if they hadn't been on Planet Namek, and if they'd had more time alone together, she suspected Ron would already have won her over.
Honestly, Bulma found it strange. Ron had been trapped on a Primitive Planet for twenty-five years as a Saiyan, so how had he become so good at courting women? He'd completely won over a woman like her, who thought she knew everything.
Bulma had no idea that Ron had already crossed over for the second time and lived three lives. Even if he'd never eaten pork, surely he'd seen pigs run.
"Ah... so we're just leaving like this."
Lost in thought, Bulma let out a sigh and murmured.
"Huh? What did you say about leaving?" Krillin was inspecting the spaceship's interior, especially the gravity equipment, and clearly hadn't heard her properly.
"Nothing. For the next six days, don't disturb me while I rest, or you'll regret it! And don't touch the gravity equipment. The whole space is connected, so turning it on will affect me too." Bulma rolled her eyes at Krillin, then quickly took out her Capsule Case and retrieved a Space Rest Pod.
Seeing Bulma do whatever she pleased and give him no chance to talk, Krillin could only offer an awkward smile.
There was nothing he could do. They'd known each other for ages, and he knew exactly what Bulma was like.
All Krillin could do was mutter under his breath, "Why don't you talk to Ron like that? Honestly..."
Elsewhere in the universe.
On King Cold NO. 1 Planet.
Inside the royal palace.
Crack!
A sharp sound of shattering glass rang out.
King Cold, seated on his throne, crushed the wineglass in his hand. His face was twisted and terrifyingly grim, and his eyes brimmed with murderous intent.
"Heh heh heh... What a good son I have. With something as wonderful as the Dragon Balls, which can grant wishes, all he thought about was keeping them for himself! And I'm only finding out now... You commanders tasked with monitoring Frieza's movements—are you all useless?" King Cold's voice was ice-cold, carrying an oppressive force.
Three aliens of different species prostrated themselves on the floor, trembling.
None of them dared to explain. An explanation would only sound like an excuse.
King Cold wanted results, not to hear them plead their case.
The disappointment in his eyes was plain. Under normal circumstances, he would have killed the three useless fools to vent his anger.
But he didn't actually lash out in a rage.
Once the Emperor of the Universe, King Cold had been forced into a near-retirement for years after handing the throne over to Frieza. He couldn't do anything.
Aside from staying holed up on the planet named and numbered after him, the only thing he could do was use the few capable subordinates he had left to keep an eye on what was happening outside.
For instance, what had his good son Frieza been up to lately, and where had he gone?
Or what interesting things had his eldest son, Cooler, been getting up to in the universe?
King Cold was selfish, brutal, and cold-blooded, but he wasn't stupid.
He knew he had few people he could rely on. These fools were incompetent and prone to failure, but they were still of some use.
"Since you've been loyal followers of mine for many years, and have at least put in the effort even if you've achieved nothing, I'll spare your lives! But if you make another mistake, your punishment will be even worse! So you'd better find out exactly what's happening on Planet Namek. I want to know everything!" King Cold rose to his feet, his massive frame bringing an even more terrifying pressure to bear.
Zarat, the captain of the King Cold Special Forces, stood respectfully to one side and volunteered, "Allow me to oversee the investigation personally. I'll learn every detail as quickly as possible!"
"Go. Make the preparations while you're at it. I haven't gone out in years. It's about time I took a trip." King Cold nodded, his gaze deep and unreadable.
Clearly, he was already eager to go.
After all, the Dragon Balls could grant wishes!
Whatever the outcome, he was going to Planet Namek to see for himself.
Elsewhere in the universe.
Cooler's flagship was speeding through space.
Unlike King Cold, who had received the news late, Cooler had learned about Planet Namek a full day earlier.
In fact, King Cold had only received the news because it had been relayed from Cooler's forces.
Cooler's fleet had originally been headed toward another region of space to conquer several planets of great value.
Now, they'd changed course and were heading for Planet Namek.
To him, the Dragon Balls, which could grant wishes, were far more valuable than conquering a few planets for their resources.
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