The early morning of Planet Vegeta was shrouded in a grayish metallic luster.
Whitley pushed open the courtyard gate, a small pack on his back containing two clean spare sets of battle armor.
He glanced back at the sturdy gravity room in his backyard. Its silver-gray metal shell gleamed with a cold, hard light in the dim morning, and a trace of regret flashed through his mind.
"If only I had a DynoCap to take it with me..." he sighed silently.
Unfortunately, Planet Vegeta lacked the miraculous space-compression technology of DynoCaps.
But on second thought, Bulma's family on Earth could build a three-hundred-times gravity room, so what did this small loss matter?
He didn't linger any longer, turning around and flying towards the spaceport with his aura kept stable.
At spaceport landing pad three, the large, saucer-shaped spaceship prepared specifically for this mission had been waiting for a long time.
Raditz was talking in a low voice with a non-Saiyan wearing the Frieza Force uniform. Whitley landed silently, not interrupting, just standing quietly to the side and listening.
"Planet Sofu, a mid-level planet dominated by a technological civilization," the official said, pointing to the planetary image projected from the tablet in his hand, his tone flat and business-like. "The main resistance is an automated defense system and combat robots. According to preliminary reconnaissance, the strongest robot's power level is estimated to be only around five thousand. It shouldn't be too difficult for your squad."
The official paused, adding a key piece of information. "Additionally, the planet has a stable satellite orbit and experiences full moons. If you encounter difficulties, you can transform into a Great Ape at any time to turn the tide. This planet was carefully selected; in theory... there shouldn't be any accidents."
Whitley, listening from behind, secretly nodded. Mainly robots? This meant their combat style would be relatively simple, relying more on energy output and physical destruction.
For someone like him, who had already mastered the application of "ki" and had experienced an explosive increase in physical strength and speed, it was a good training ground for actual combat. And there was a moon as a trump card.
He quickly formulated a plan in his mind: take down the robots quickly, proceed to and destroy the central command center, use a power level of around thirty thousand to create the illusion of mutual destruction with the enemy. If anything went wrong, he could cut off his tail and leave it in a conspicuous place, making Vegeta and the others believe he was dead with only the tail remaining.
Perfect! Whitley silently gave his plan a thumbs-up!
Just then, a somewhat hurried sound of breaking air was heard.
Nappa, bruised and limping slightly, carefully accompanied a small figure as they landed. That small figure was none other than Vegeta.
The little prince's battle armor seemed particularly new today. His chin was held high, projecting a deliberately crafted air of looking down on everything.
He spotted Whitley standing to the side at a glance, and his eyes instantly ignited with a blazing fighting spirit and... a sense of pride, as if he had mastered Whitley's secret.
"Hey! Whitley!"
Vegeta walked straight up to Whitley, his voice deliberately raised, full of unconcealed provocation. "Did you think you could hide your secret forever? The gravity room! You got stronger using that thing, didn't you!"
Whitley just looked at him calmly, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his face, neither confirming nor denying. This indifferent attitude instantly infuriated Vegeta.
"Not talking? So you're admitting it?"
Vegeta took a step forward, his small body almost pressing against Whitley's, a dangerous light glinting in his eyes. "Let me tell you! I am not the same person you could sneak attack a month ago!"
He clenched his fist abruptly, and an aura far stronger and more violent than before erupted! Although it still had a touch of immaturity, its intensity... was indeed far beyond that of an ordinary Saiyan warrior!
"My power level now... has surpassed twenty thousand!!"
Vegeta's voice was filled with extreme confidence and arrogance. He habitually raised his iconic thumb and, under Whitley's strange gaze, pointed it sharply at himself. "You, who relied on an external trick like the gravity room, have already reached your limit as an ordinary Saiyan! To me, Vegeta, you are now just an insect that can be crushed at any time! Understand?!"
Seeing Vegeta's familiar, arrogant gesture that seemed to precede an inevitable fall, Whitley felt nothing. He even felt a little like laughing.
Twenty thousand? The progress was indeed rapid, befitting a Saiyan genius. But... he was still too green.
Whether it was the control of his power or his combat instincts, he was far, far behind.
Whitley couldn't be bothered to waste words with him, nor did he want to stage a farce before departure. Just as Vegeta was rambling on, showcasing his "I'm the strongest" demeanor—
Thwack!
A crisp, muffled sound!
Whitley's hand shot out like lightning, a precise chop landing on the back of Vegeta's completely unguarded neck!
The force was controlled perfectly—enough to stun without causing brain damage! It wouldn't cause any substantial injury but would instantly interrupt nerve transmission.
Vegeta's arrogant expression froze instantly. His eyes flew wide open, his face filled with an expression of utter disbelief and astonishment. He only had time to let out a short "Ugh..." before his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp, collapsing.
"Prince Vegeta!!!" Nappa and Raditz's shocked cries rang out simultaneously, like cats whose tails had been stepped on! They watched in horror as Whitley effortlessly lifted the unconscious Vegeta with one hand like a chick.
"You bastard! Are you insane?! Do you know what you're doing?!" Raditz was a mixture of shock and anger, the finger he pointed at Whitley trembling.
Nappa's muscles bulged, as if ready to pounce at any moment, but deep in his eyes was a profound fear of Whitley.
Holding Vegeta, Whitley glanced at the two of them expressionlessly. His cold gaze was like a tangible arctic current that instantly plunged the furious Raditz and the ready-to-move Nappa into an icy abyss, freezing them on the spot.
"Shut up."
Whitley's voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable authority. "Too much nonsense. Let's go."
He carried Vegeta and walked straight towards the open hatch of the spaceship.
Nappa opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but Whitley paused his steps, turned his head slightly, and his gaze stabbed at Nappa like two cold daggers.
An invisible, mountain-heavy pressure instantly enveloped Nappa's entire body, making it hard for him to even breathe!
"Do you want to die?"
Whitley said, word by word, his voice flat but containing a chilling killing intent.
Nappa shuddered, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. All his words were stuck in his throat.
He had no doubt that if he said one more word, the monster in front of him would not hesitate to snap his neck! He swallowed hard, lowered his head in humiliation, and dared not raise any more objections.
Raditz was so scared he nearly wet his pants.
And so, in a strange and oppressive atmosphere, the four of them, including the unconscious Vegeta, boarded the saucer-shaped spaceship.
The hatch slowly closed, the engines let out a low hum, and the massive ship slowly lifted off, tearing through the gloomy atmosphere of Planet Vegeta and becoming a streak of light that plunged into the vast, boundless sea of stars.
Inside the ship, Whitley casually stuffed the unconscious Vegeta into a stasis pod, setting the wake-up program for 24 hours before reaching their destination.
He himself walked to a relatively separate area in a corner of the ship.
Without even looking at the conflicted and hesitant Nappa and Raditz, he went straight in, and the hatch closed.
Soon, the hum of the stasis pod's energy system could be heard from inside.
Nappa and Raditz looked at each other, both seeing a deep sense of powerlessness and a trace of fear in the other's eyes.
They silently walked to their own stasis pods and lay down. The cold stasis fluid was injected, and their consciousness gradually faded.
The long interstellar journey had begun. Destination: Planet Sofu. Journey time: six months.
In the depths of the North Galaxy, at the Frieza Force Headquarters.
It was a giant steel fortress suspended in a magnificent nebula, its interior decorated with the utmost luxury and coldness.
Frieza was comfortably lounging in his iconic, baby-stroller-like hover chair, his slender fingers elegantly tapping on the armrest, a cold smile on his face as he listened to his subordinate's report.
A short alien was kneeling respectfully on the floor. "Reporting to Lord Frieza, the Saiyan Prince, Vegeta, under the guard of three elite Saiyan warriors, has departed for Planet Sofu to carry out his first conquest mission."
"Ohohohoho..."
Frieza let out his unique laugh, tinged with mockery and cruelty. His crimson eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Our little Prince Vegeta has reached the age where he should go out and see the world. How exciting."
His gaze shifted to his two trusted henchmen. Beside him stood the tall, slender, blue-skinned Cui, and the obese, pink-skinned Dodoria.
"Cui, Dodoria," Frieza's voice was lazy, like a cat toying with a mouse. "Tell me, as a merciful ruler, shouldn't I... send someone to guide this inexperienced little Saiyan prince? After all, the battlefield can be very dangerous. If King Vegeta's precious only son were to be accidentally lost, it would be such a shame, ohohoho..."
Cui immediately stepped forward, his face plastered with a fawning smile, and bowed.
"Lord Frieza is absolutely right! Prince Vegeta is young and too inexperienced, after all. We are all colleagues serving you, Lord Frieza. It would be most appropriate for you to dispatch an experienced subordinate to assist King Vegeta in teaching his son. This truly reflects your meticulous care for your subordinates!"
Dodoria also hurriedly puffed out his fat belly and chimed in with his booming voice, "Cui is right! We will follow all of Lord Frieza's arrangements! Whoever you say to send, we will send!"
Frieza was very satisfied with their reactions. He rocked his hover chair, his crimson eyes shifting between Cui and Dodoria before finally settling on Dodoria, a smile that was both innocent and chilling spreading across his face.
"Well then, I'll have to trouble you, Dodoria... to make the trip."
He deliberately emphasized the word "trip," his tone carrying a barely perceptible cruelty. "After all, when teaching young people... sometimes you need to be... a little strict."
He paused, his smile unchanging, and added a light-hearted yet blood-soaked sentence:
"Oh, right. The teaching can be a bit harsh, to let them fully understand the cruelty of the universe and... the gap in power. However..."
Frieza's smile widened. "It's best to leave Vegeta alive. As for the others... hehe, don't kill them all. Someone has to... give our little prince a taste of the cruel realities of the battlefield, and while they're at it, recount their son's exciting training experience to King Vegeta. Don't you agree, Dodoria?"
Dodoria knelt on one knee, his huge head bowed low, a knowing, savage grin on his coarse face. His voice was loud and respectful:
"Yes! I understand! Please rest assured, Lord Frieza! I will be sure to teach Prince Vegeta and his guards a lesson they will... never forget for the rest of their lives!"
Frieza nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand.
Dodoria stood up, his massive body filled with a suppressed excitement and a thirst for blood, and strode out of the hall to prepare for his teaching journey.
In his hover chair, Frieza closed his eyes contentedly. The clean, bright viewport glass beside him reflected his face—a face where innocence and cruelty intertwined.