Namek

The instant the spaceship dropped out of faster-than-light travel, the entire vessel seemed to be squeezed by an invisible giant hand, its metal frame letting out a muffled groan. Outside the portholes, the countless stretched white lines of starlight solidified once more into distinct points of light. Then, a blue-green planet appeared directly ahead, quietly suspended in the void.

Namek.

Ji Ming stood before the porthole, both hands pressed against the cold glass. The planet was slightly smaller than Earth, its atmosphere glowing with a faint green halo, like an emerald wrapped in gauze. There was none of the deep blue of oceans—only vast green continents and scattered lakes, their surfaces reflecting the starlight like flecks of silver set into green silk.

"So this is Namek." Krillin leaned against the porthole beside him, his bald head nearly bumping the glass. "It looks pretty peaceful. Doesn't seem like the kind of place where some galactic emperor would be carrying out a massacre."

"That's because you haven't seen Frieza's spaceship yet." Vegeta's voice came from behind them, cold and hard as iron.

Ji Ming did not turn around. His gaze swept over the planet's surface before locking onto a tiny metallic glint to the west. It was a regular point of light that did not belong to the natural environment, hovering in low orbit around Namek.

Frieza's spaceship.

It had arrived even earlier than the original story predicted.

"Listen up, everyone." Ji Ming turned around, his voice calm but rapid. "Frieza is already here. Crank the scanners to full power and record every energy source you can detect."

Tien Shinhan poked his head out of the cockpit, fine sweat beading on his forehead. "There's one huge energy reading in satellite orbit, and more than a dozen smaller ones on the surface, scattered all over the place. The biggest one... I can't even describe it. The scanner jumped straight to its limit."

"That's Frieza." A cold curve tugged at Vegeta's lips. He clenched his fist at his side, his knuckles cracking sharply. "Scouters can never accurately measure his ki. In his normal state, it's suppressed to around 530,000, but that number is only the tip of the iceberg for his first form."

Bulma swallowed, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the armrest of the pilot's seat. She had known Vegeta for so long, but she had never heard him speak in that tone before. It was not fear—she examined it carefully—it was excitement. An excitement that had been suppressed for more than twenty years and was finally about to burst out.

"Find somewhere to land." Ji Ming walked over to the navigation console and traced out a route across the star map. "Stay away from Frieza's main ship, but not too far. We need to find the Namekians first and get the Dragon Balls."

"Dragon Balls?" Nappa scratched his bald head. "Didn't we come here to kill Frieza?"

"The Dragon Balls first." Ji Ming's tone allowed no argument. "Namek's Dragon Balls can grant three wishes. If we get them before the battle begins, it's like having an extra life."

Son Goku had been sitting cross-legged in the corner without saying a word. Now, he suddenly spoke up. "Gohan's right. We protect the Namekians first, then deal with Frieza."

Ji Ming glanced at him. Son Goku's expression was calm when he said it. He did not clench his fists or flare his ki; it was simply a plain statement. Yet it was precisely that calmness that reassured Ji Ming somewhat.

The spaceship entered Namek's atmosphere, its hull enveloped by the heat of friction as the view beyond the portholes turned orange-red. Bulma gritted her teeth as she worked the controls, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead one after another. She had built a time machine and navigated all kinds of extreme environments, but this was her first time piloting a ship through an alien battlefield engulfed in war.

"I'm slowing our descent! Can one of you punch me or something so I stop being so nervous?!"

"Stop talking and focus on flying." Vegeta's voice sounded above her head, dry and blunt, yet somehow it steadied her breathing.

The spaceship passed through the atmosphere, and the flames outside the portholes faded away. Namek's surface unfolded before them all.

Green.

Endless green.

The rolling hills were covered in vegetation unlike anything on Earth. Its leaves were spherical, like countless green pearls strung together, swaying gently in the breeze. The sky was pale green, and after the starlight was filtered through the atmosphere, it became soft and evenly spread. There was none of Earth's glaring direct sunlight; the entire land lay beneath a gentle, watery glow. In the distance stood several oddly shaped mountains, their bodies eroded by the wind into countless holes. Whenever the wind passed through them, they let out deep, mournful cries, as if the planet itself were breathing.

"So beautiful." Chiaotzu pressed himself against the porthole, his eyes sparkling.

Then he saw the columns of smoke in the distance.

Black smoke rose from the far end of the horizon—not just one plume, but five or six, crookedly thrust into the pale green sky like broken fingers. The horizon beneath them glowed dark red with burning flames.

Frieza's forces had already begun their assault.

Ji Ming withdrew his gaze, his voice turning cold. "Land. Hurry."

The spaceship landed behind a cluster of rocky hills. The moment Bulma cut the engines, Vegeta kicked the hatch open. He was the first to jump out. The soil beneath his feet was soft and damp, letting out a faint sound when he stepped on it. He looked up and took a deep breath of Namek's cool air, his eyes narrowing slightly.

This planet had a very distinctive scent. It was not the smell of blood—not yet, at least—but a crisp scent mixed with plants, soil, and some kind of mineral element. It was so clean that it did not seem like the scent of a planet about to become a battlefield.

The others disembarked one after another. Krillin crouched down and grabbed a handful of soil. Yellow sandy earth slipped through his fingers, and a few larger grains glinted with fragmented light. "This dirt is much finer than the sand around Kame House." His tone was relaxed, but his eyes cautiously swept the surroundings. Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu spread out in silent coordination, standing back-to-back as they covered the left and right sides of the spaceship.

Ji Ming was the last to step out of the ship. He still held the cloth bundle Chi-Chi had given him in his arms, but the instant his feet touched Namek's ground, his expression changed—his brows drew together slightly, his lips pressed thin, and wariness seeped into his eyes, as though he had heard something only he could receive.

"Uncle Krillin." His voice was so soft that only Krillin could hear him. "Something's nearby. Not Frieza's soldiers. Something else."

Krillin froze for a moment. Just as he was about to ask what it was, Ji Ming raised his right hand and pointed above the rock wall to their left.

A green figure stood atop the rocky wall.

It was a Namekian. He was about as tall as an adult Earthling, but leaner, with light-colored markings on his green skin and two antennae atop his head that swayed slightly with the wind. He wore a white robe and gripped a wooden staff, looking down at them with dark, pupil-less eyes.

"Another group of aliens." The Namekian's voice held no warmth, as if he were merely stating a fact that had been repeated too many times already. "Are you with those people who kill and burn?"

Ji Ming took two steps forward. He did not flare his ki or put on a guarded expression. Tilting his head up, he spoke a sentence in the Namekian language.

"We came to see Guru."

The Namekian's body visibly jolted. His antennae snapped straight, his dark eyes flickered sharply, and the staff spun halfway around in his hand. Krillin could not understand the words, but he saw that the staff was no longer pointed directly at Ji Ming.

"How do you know our language?" The Namekian lowered his center of gravity, his voice still cold.

"My name is Son Gohan. I'm from Earth. We are not with Frieza. We came to stop him."

The Namekian fell silent for several seconds. His antennae trembled faintly, like two precise antennas catching some vibration in the air. Then he spoke again. The hostility in his voice had receded somewhat, though suspicion remained. "Earth? That planet is in our database. It is a low-level civilization with no spaceflight technology."

"It does now." Ji Ming turned slightly and pointed to the spaceship behind him. "We built our ship ourselves. Frieza is our enemy."

The Namekian jumped down from the rock wall, landing so lightly that he made almost no sound. He approached Ji Ming and stopped three steps away—close enough that, with one extension of his staff, he could reach the child's head. Yet he did not attack. Instead, he lowered his head to study Ji Ming closely, then looked over the people behind him.

A short, sturdy warrior covered in scars, with sharp eyes. A small bald Earthling. A three-eyed Earthling. A small companion whose face was as pale as a porcelain doll. An orange-clad Saiyan stood at the back, arms crossed, watching his every movement without blinking. There was also a blue-haired female Earthling, nervously clutching a wrench and looking more like a technician.

"You came too late." His voice sank. "Frieza's soldiers have already slaughtered three villages. There weren't many of us to begin with."

Ji Ming's heart sank, but his expression did not change. "How many villages are left? Is Guru safe?"

The Namekian looked into his eyes. The child's eyes were dark brown and bright, but not with the brightness of innocence. They held an intensely focused brightness, one that made adults instinctively take him seriously.

"Follow me."

The Namekian turned and headed deeper into the rocky hills. Ji Ming looked back and nodded to the others before taking the lead in following him. Vegeta brought up the rear, studying the surrounding terrain, his gaze like a blade slowly being drawn from its sheath.

They passed through a depression thick with spherical vegetation, then went around three stone pillars riddled with holes from wind erosion. Ji Ming calculated their direction as they walked. They were moving away from Frieza's spaceship. The Namekian settlement was most likely hidden behind some kind of natural barrier.

After walking for about half an hour, the Namekian stopped before a massive rock wall. He inserted his wooden staff into a hole in the wall, turned it three times to the left, then half a turn to the right. A crack silently opened in the rock face, widening to reveal an entrance wide enough for two people to pass through side by side.

Inside was a valley.

The moment Ji Ming stepped inside, he could not help holding his breath.

The valley was not large, but it was spacious. The rock walls overhead had naturally formed a dome, with only a narrow fissure at the very center. Sunlight poured diagonally through it, illuminating the entire valley like a tranquil sanctuary. In the center of the valley was a circular pond. Its water was emerald green and crystal clear, revealing the white sand at the bottom and several egg-shaped stones. Dozens of low white buildings were scattered around the pond. They resembled inverted hemispheres, smooth on the surface and without windows, with only an arched doorway facing south.

More than a dozen Namekians stood in the open space around the pond. There were elders, adults, and several children. When they saw the strangers entering through the passage, wary, guarded expressions appeared on their faces. The children were shielded behind the adults.

Ji Ming counted roughly. There were only around fifteen or sixteen adult Namekians, and fewer than thirty altogether including the elders and children. These were the last survivors on this planet. His gaze passed over the crowd and settled on the deepest part of the valley. There stood a white hemispherical house larger than the others, with two burly Namekian warriors stationed at its entrance. Within the doorway, an immense yet gentle aura rose and fell slowly like the tide.

"Guru is inside," said the Namekian who had led them here, his voice carrying a trace of reverence for the first time. "He will decide whether you are worthy of trust. If you lie, he will not let you leave through this door."

Just as Ji Ming was about to step forward, Vegeta passed him and entered first.

Ji Ming paused, but did not stop him. He merely quickened his pace and followed.

Guru's room was very dark. The windows were all covered, and only a dim blue mineral lamp in the corner gave off a faint glow. A subtle fragrance filled the air. It was not incense, but the pure, heavy aura of life naturally emanating from the old Namekian seated upon a huge stone chair.

Guru.

He truly was "great." Even seated in the stone chair, he still stood over three meters tall, his massive body like a small hill. His skin was a deeper green, layered with folds, every layer carved with the marks of time. His eyes could barely open, and only a faint glimmer shone through the slits. Yet his gaze was like a whirlpool, so profound that it seemed able to see straight into the deepest depths of one's soul.

Vegeta stood before Guru with his arms crossed, looking up at the giant.

Guru looked back at him. The silence lasted a long time. Then Guru slowly nodded.

"There is hatred in your heart." His voice was deep and slow, every word carrying an ancient, penetrating force. "You hate Frieza. You hate your father. You hate everyone stronger than you. That hatred has wrapped around you like iron armor for many years. But before you came in, you had already begun trying to pry open a crack in that armor—you probably have not fully understood it yourself."

Vegeta did not answer. But Ji Ming noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly.

Guru's gaze moved away from Vegeta and fell upon Ji Ming. His narrowed eyes suddenly opened a little wider. That deep gaze in the dim room abruptly sharpened, like a blade drawn from beneath the water.

"Come closer."

Ji Ming took two steps forward, moving in front of Vegeta.

Guru slowly extended a huge hand and placed it atop Ji Ming's head. That hand was heavy and warm. Its warmth traveled straight down from the crown of his head, through his skull, through his consciousness, reaching somewhere Ji Ming himself could not even describe. He felt a force turning through his soul, gently yet irresistibly flipping through it page by page—his office desk in his previous life, his rented apartment, the Dragon Ball manga, death, transmigration, Mount Paozu, Chi-Chi's embrace, the Gravity Chamber, the golden radiance of his Super Saiyan transformation.

Then Guru withdrew his hand, closed his eyes, and remained silent for a long time.

"Your soul does not belong to this world—but it has already completely fused with this body." Guru's voice held a profound sigh. "You are protecting this place. You regard yourself as someone of this world. That is enough."

The old man opened his eyes again and stared down at Ji Ming. His body leaned forward slightly, as though he meant to press all his immense weight into his next words.

"Then what do you wish to obtain from me?"

"Two things." Ji Ming raised his eyes to meet his gaze. "First, I ask you to unlock our potential. Second—please lend us the Dragon Balls."