Carrying the Space Pod, Fleeing the Plateau at Night; Four Grunts Ran into My Muzzle and Were Instantly Killed with One Punch

Gou Kong finished checking the crumpled coordinate map and the detector Bardock had given him, casually stuffed them back to Bardock, then lifted his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over the string of numbers.

"Oh? So this is the plateau coordinate where that ship is hidden?" He looked back at Bardock, his tone steady, without the slightest ripple. "You're sure it's this place? If we mix up the location, we'll have to communicate face-to-face with Frieza's scouts. Once we're exposed, there'll really be no turning back. Understand?"

Bardock nodded heavily and said in a rough voice, "The coordinates are right. As long as we find that rock crevice, there won't be a problem."

"Fine. I'll go on ahead. You two keep up." Gou Kong crumpled the energy plate covered in coordinates into a ball, casually stuffed it into a layer of his bodysuit, then put on the green visor Bardock had given him.

The detector activated, and a line of bright-red values flickered across the lens.

He glanced at the time display. 23:00.

"Tch, so it's the middle of the night," Gou Kong muttered inwardly.

The windows had been sealed tight with thick black cloth, so he had thought it was early morning.

It was probably for safety, to prevent anyone outside from peeking in.

But it did not matter. The timing was perfect. The longer the night, the more chances for trouble—better to set off as soon as possible.

He deftly switched off the detector's external communication function, his fingertips sliding quickly across the screen as he entered the coordinates Bardock had given him into the navigation system.

The preparations were already complete. All that remained was to leave.

Delaying had no meaning. It would only add more variables.

Gou Kong waved at Gine, whose face was full of worry, and Bardock, whose expression was grave, then turned, pushed open the alloy door, and walked out.

The situation outside was even worse than he had imagined.

Just as Bardock had warned earlier, although it was late at night, the Saiyan residential district, which should have been utterly silent, was now full of noise.

The small fry of the Frieza Force were stopping passing Saiyans one by one like herding sheep, interrogating them. Their crude shouts mixed with the Saiyans' irritated growls into one chaotic din.

Clearly, these lackeys were searching the entire city for suspicious ships.

Gou Kong lowered the brim of his hat, restrained his aura as much as possible, and moved quickly along the base of the wall like a ghost.

He was not familiar with the layout of this area, so he could only circle around Bardock's house from memory.

Soon, his gaze locked onto a round object not far away, covered by a pitch-black, heavy tent.

"Is that it?"

He approached silently and gently lifted one corner of the tent.

Inside lay a Space Pod, completely snow-white.

It was small and compact, yet gave off a cold metallic sheen. It was precisely the single-person escape pod most commonly used by Saiyans.

"Found it."

Gou Kong let out a breath of relief.

The ship had been disguised extremely well. Its color almost blended into the surrounding rocks. If not for the quiet of late night and the dim light, it really would not have been easy to discover.

He hesitated no longer. Grabbing both sides of the Space Pod with both hands, he exerted force from his waist and easily hoisted it onto his shoulder.

The thing's weight was manageable, but it was not small. Carrying it on his shoulder did not affect his movement, but it did block part of his forward view, which counted as a minor hidden danger.

But did that matter?

In the face of absolute strength, this little blind spot meant nothing at all.

If any blind fool really dared come looking for trouble, he would smash them apart with one punch.

Gou Kong adjusted his breathing and was just about to step away when his ears keenly caught a burst of footsteps drawing closer from afar.

The sound came from the direction he had arrived from—in other words, Bardock's front door.

"Tch. Cancel the flag that I won't be attacked."

He sneered inwardly, but his movements were as quick as lightning.

Almost the instant he heard the sound, he gently set the Space Pod back on the ground, kicked it into the nearby shadows to hide it, and slipped sideways into the shadowed corner on the other side. He suppressed his aura to the limit, like a leopard before the hunt.

The next second, four figures wearing standard Frieza Force battle uniforms turned the corner and appeared in Gou Kong's field of vision. On the detector lens, four bright-red numbers jumped wildly:

350, 420, 400, 390.

"Their battle power is only around four hundred. They really are small fry." Gou Kong understood at once, his eyes cold.

These values might have been worth taking seriously to an ordinary Saiyan, but before his battle power of 19,000, they did not even count as ants.

Those four small fry clearly did not notice Gou Kong in the shadows. They stopped near the spot where the Space Pod had just been parked, raised their weapons, and looked around. The leader-looking one at the front shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey! That noise just now—was someone moving a ship here?"

Another soldier chimed in, "Impossible, right? After today, all ships are supposed to be recalled and sealed away. Aside from those expedition teams that were just summoned back, what Saiyan would dare hide a ship privately? That's a grave crime against Lord Frieza's orders!"

"Cut the crap! Search carefully! Lord Frieza has ordered that no suspicious sign is to be let go!"

Gou Kong leaned against the cold wall, listening to these idiots make a racket, and the killing intent in his heart grew thicker.

He had been discovered. That was somewhat unexpected.

It seemed that although his movement when lifting the tent had been slight, it had still alerted these keen-nosed lackeys.

However, since they had run into him, they could not blame him for being rude.

"Who are you people?"

Gou Kong slowly stepped out of the shadows, his voice calm, yet carrying an unquestionable chill.

The four grunts jumped in fright and whipped around. When they saw there was only one Saiyan, they immediately lowered their guard and got cocky instead.

The leader pointed his weapon at Gou Kong and barked, "Brat! What were you doing just now? Where did that Space Pod come from? Starting today, all ships must be turned in. Are you trying to rebel by hiding one?"

"Oh? So you found it..." The corner of Gou Kong's mouth curved in mockery, his eyes full of disdain. "Too bad. From the second you opened your mouths, you already lost the chance to report it."

"What? What the hell are you trying to do? Take positions! If he makes one wrong move, I'll shoot! Contact headquarters, now! There's a Saiyan hiding a ship here, acting suspiciously—"

Before the leader could finish, Gou Kong moved.

"Too late. You talked too much."

Before the words had even faded, Gou Kong's figure had vanished from where he stood.

In the next instant, he appeared before the four grunts like a ghost, his fist wreathed in ki smashing straight into the leader's chest without the slightest flourish!

Crack—!

A bone-splitting sound rang out, sharp enough to make one's teeth ache.

The leader could not even scream. His special rubber combat suit, strong enough to withstand energy-gun fire, split apart inch by inch like paper, fragments scattering everywhere.

His eyes bulged, and he spat a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of organs. His whole body flew backward as if struck by a speeding train, slammed hard into the wall ten meters away, then slid down limply, utterly silent.

The remaining three grunts had not even processed what had happened. They only saw their companion fly out like a torn sack, and their souls nearly left their bodies in terror. Just as they tried to raise their guns and fire, Gou Kong's figure swept in like a whirlwind!

Fists blurred, elbows struck, knees drove in, and whip-kicks lashed out.

Every movement was simple and efficient, containing terrifying explosive power.

The three grunts did not even get the chance to pull their triggers before that savage force tore through their defenses. The sounds of bones snapping rang out one after another, dense as beans popping in a pan.

In the span of a single breath, the four Frieza Force soldiers who had been so arrogant moments ago were all sprawled on the ground, motionless, completely devoid of life signs.

Gou Kong shook the dust from his hands, walked over to the pile of corpses, bent down, and ripped off the scouters they wore one by one. He held them in his palm and closed his fingers.

"Pffft."

The tough metal scouters were crushed into scrap under his terrifying finger strength, like plastic toys.

He did not want to take any risks. Even if these grunts had managed to send out half a signal, it could have drawn Frieza's attention. If he cut the weeds, he had to pull out the roots.

"Should be fine now." Gou Kong straightened and looked around, confirming that he had not alerted any other patrols before finally letting out a long breath. Though he had instantly killed the enemies, the unease in his heart had not completely faded.

After all, he had killed people right under Frieza's nose. The slightest mistake would doom him beyond redemption.

He forced himself to calm down and reassured himself, "Why panic? The scouters are crushed. Even if they sent a signal, Frieza's side won't be able to lock on to my position. This time gap is enough for me to leave."

Suppressing the last trace of anxiety, Gou Kong bent down and once again hoisted the Space Pod hidden in the shadows onto his shoulder, his gaze turning toward the pitch-black night sky in the distance.

"Let's go. To Earth."

He lingered no longer. His figure flashed, and under the cover of night, he sped toward the plateau indicated by the coordinates.

The Space Pod's icy touch came through his combat suit, yet it gave him a steadiness he had never felt before.

The countdown to escape had officially begun.