Earth Crisis!

On Earth, King Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, Krillin, and the others were preparing for the impending crisis. After Bulma failed to contact Li Ming, she unexpectedly received some clues from her older sister, Tights.

"Jaco has met Li Ming?"

"Mm."

Holding the phone in one hand and sipping coffee, Tights said, "I heard it happened half a year ago. Jaco said he ran into an Earthling over in the East Galaxy. Based on his description, it should have been Li Ming."

"Is there any way to contact him? Earth is in danger right now. We need his help."

"Is it really that serious? In that case... I'll ask Jaco and see if he can find Li Ming through the Galactic Patrol's channels... Mm, I understand. I'll tell him what's happening on Earth."

After hanging up, Tights sighed and began contacting Jaco.

Though she had never met Goku, she had heard Bulma mention him many times and understood how serious the situation was. Unlike when King Piccolo had ravaged the Earth, this time the threat came from the universe.

Having dealt with Jaco for years, she knew a little about the situation in space. Beings that invaded planets like this were all extremely dangerous.

Meanwhile, in preparation for battle, Kami had brought the warriors to Kami's Lookout and had Mr. Popo guide their training.

Bang! Bam!

Fists blurred through the air as Tien Shinhan sparred with Yamcha. Kami's Lookout was situated at least ten thousand meters above the Earth, where the air pressure and temperatures were far harsher than on the ground, causing stamina to drain rapidly.

Training in such an environment made their efforts twice as effective.

"...Hey."

Krillin looked at Yajirobe, who was gnawing on corn in front of him. Though they had only met a few times, Krillin knew this guy was no pushover. Yet Yajirobe had no intention of fighting, simply eating away, which made Krillin feel underestimated.

He dashed forward at incredible speed, but Yajirobe sidestepped him directly. It was hard to imagine someone with his build being capable of such nimble movements.

Or rather, his reaction speed truly could not be underestimated. In terms of training style, Yajirobe was not actually a martial artist, but a swordsman.

Whoosh!

"Ha!"

Krillin spun and launched a side kick, just as fast as before, but Yajirobe instantly bent his body forward at a ninety-degree angle and avoided it again.

"Damn it!"

With attack after attack being evaded, Krillin grew increasingly frustrated and unleashed a relentless barrage. Yajirobe seemed to be eating the whole time, but as a swordsman, all his true skill lay in the blade in his hand, followed by his reaction speed.

That was why he had been able to easily kill the monsters created by King Piccolo. Though he had never trained his ki, neither his attack power nor his physique was inferior to the others. In some respects, he could even rival Tien Shinhan at this point in time.

With a sense of crisis over the enemies who might arrive a year later, everyone trained exceptionally hard.

In this environment, the progress they could make in a single year even surpassed that of the previous several years. This was also why Li Ming had once thought Goku was being lazy.

Though Goku had needed to take care of little Gohan, it was still rather outrageous for his strength to have improved so little over an entire four years. Li Ming had even worried that if he remained in such a comfortable environment for too long, he himself would unconsciously relax as well. That was why he had decided to head into space.

The facts proved that he had been right. Though there had been plenty of danger, his strength had indeed improved in the universe.

On a ruined planet, Vegeta and Nappa had just dealt with the last living creature. More than half the planet had been destroyed in the process. Beneath the dim sky, the two sat around a bonfire.

"Hey, Vegeta, that guy Raditz is dead."

"Tch!"

Vegeta spat out an unidentified piece of meat, rose to his feet, and said indifferently, "That trash is dead, so be it. Still, we got some useful information. The Dragon Balls, huh? Hehehe..."

"R-right. I never thought Earth had something that good. This is great."

Vegeta was far stronger than Nappa, and over the past few years, Vegeta's methods had become increasingly cold and cruel. Gradually, Nappa had begun to feel a sense of danger.

Raditz's death gave him something of the feeling that the rabbit dies and the fox grieves. Now that Raditz was dead, didn't that make him the rabbit?

"We're going to Earth."

"Hey."

After saying that, Vegeta headed straight toward their spaceship, while Nappa hurried after him. "Vegeta, aren't you going to look for that guy?"

"Shut up!"

Vegeta roared in irritation, veins bulging on his forehead. "Say one more word, and I'll send you to keep Raditz company!"

"Ugh... I understand." Nappa swallowed with difficulty and shut his mouth.

Over the past few years, Vegeta had been searching for Li Ming, but he had found nothing. As for the possibility that Li Ming had already been killed by Frieza, Vegeta did not believe it.

He had always believed the Saiyans were the strongest, and Li Ming, whom he considered possibly a Super Saiyan, could never have been killed by Frieza.

"Since that guy failed, I'll kill Frieza with my own hands! The Dragon Balls... very good."

Vegeta seemed to have found a way to defeat Frieza. The hatred and fury he had suppressed for so long were completely ignited. All he could think about now was using the Dragon Balls to wish for immortality, then returning to headquarters and killing Frieza!

The idea itself was not wrong, but if Li Ming knew what Vegeta was thinking, he would only sneer at him. It was far too naive.

Had Vegeta never considered that if Earth's Shenron could grant a wish like that, why would Earth have been invaded by him in the first place?

That was a contradiction in itself. If Shenron truly could grant any wish, then the first person to make a wish should have been Zeno.

Almost at the same time Vegeta set off for Earth, Jaco also received the news on the Galactic Patrol's side. Though he had little combat power and was even somewhat afraid of death, Jaco treated his friends well.

Besides, Tights had only asked him to help contact Li Ming, not to save Earth. That was not something the Galactic Patrol could do.

Or rather, the Galactic Patrol officers capable of doing such things simply couldn't take action.

"This is bad, really bad! What am I supposed to do? The universe is so huge—where am I supposed to find anyone!? Damn it, that woman actually dared say there were things even a super elite couldn't do!!"

Muttering to himself, Jaco ran all the way to the spaceport. Though he knew the chances were slim, he still planned to check the region of space where he had previously met Li Ming.

"Huh? Jaco, where are you going?"

In his panic, Jaco hadn't noticed Merus beside him. It was only when Merus called out to him that he came to his senses.

"Oh, Merus. I, um..."

After freezing for a moment, there was no way he could admit that he, a super elite, had been tricked by an Earthling—and had even done so willingly. He couldn't say that even if it killed him!

After hesitating, he said, "Didn't you suggest that I take some time off and go relax on Earth? Things have been quiet lately, so I thought I'd go visit an old friend. Hahaha, hahahaha..."

"But..."

Merus looked at Jaco and said, "That place called Earth is very dangerous right now. Slug is heading for that planet."

"Nani!? Slug, that Namekian?" Jaco cried out in shock.

He knew perfectly well what kind of monsters the Li Mings across the universe were. To put it bluntly, every being called a monster was someone the Galactic Patrol had no way of dealing with!

The cosmic prison might have been filled with monsters as well, but the Galactic Patrol hadn't captured them. They had mostly been sealed away by righteous figures from past generations, Kings of Worlds, Supreme Kais, and the like. The Patrol was only nominally responsible for guarding them.

"Mm."

Merus nodded and continued, "Wouldn't it be dangerous for you to head there now, Jaco?"

"...Gulp~"

Dangerous was an understatement—it was ridiculously dangerous!

Jaco completely panicked. The two Saiyans alone were Frieza's subordinates, and now there was also Slug, that monster. If this continued, Earth was practically doomed!

What should he do? Save Tights? There wasn't enough time. Even the fastest warp engine couldn't get from the center of the universe to Earth quickly enough.

Jaco gradually gave up thinking altogether, even forgetting his original purpose. In his eyes, the matter of finding someone for Tights no longer seemed so important.

"Jaco, if you're going to Earth, you could try asking the Yardratians for help. They possess many miraculous secret techniques."

"I see!"

Jaco clapped his hands and realized, "As long as we relocate the Earthlings before they arrive, they'll be safe! Merus, you're a genius!"

"Hehe..."

After bidding Merus farewell, Jaco piloted his spaceship straight toward Yardrat.