After dealing with the Planet Tuffle forces on-site, Bardock slowly closed his eyes and began clumsily sensing the surrounding ki.
For so many years, he had lived a nomadic life. Although he understood the principles of ki, his practical control over it was still extremely crude.
He secretly made up his mind—after conquering Planet Tuffle, he would definitely go to Earth and systematically learn ki control from Kami, that old man.
Although the people of that planet had garbage combat power, their application of ki was undeniably among the best in Universe 7.
Fortunately, effort paid off. Soon, Bardock faintly sensed two areas with relatively strong ki signatures.
One group had hundreds of thousands of individuals, each with combat power around one to two thousand.
The other group, though much smaller—only a little over ten thousand—had noticeably higher overall combat strength.
The reason the Tuffles were able to suppress the Saiyans and force them into constant retreat was mainly due to technology. Individually, their combat power barely reached a few dozen points.
Combining this with the clues extracted from that weakling earlier, Bardock quickly flew toward the less-populated area.
First, I'll rescue Gine and the others.
After flying at extreme speed for more than ten minutes, he arrived before a city brimming with futuristic technology.
Looking at it, Bardock couldn't help feeling envious.
"Why do we Saiyans live like primitives?" he muttered. "This really isn't fair."
Suddenly, a ki signature almost identical to his own appeared within his perception.
Bardock didn't hesitate. He shot toward it at a speed far beyond what cameras could capture.
He finally stopped outside a luxurious villa.
Suppressing his presence, he cautiously slipped closer and peeked through a glass panel into the living room.
Voices drifted out.
"General Wright, this operation seems to be progressing quite smoothly," a deep voice said.
"Hmph, of course. They're just a bunch of wild monkeys who only know brute force—nothing to fear," another voice replied arrogantly.
"Watch your words," the deep voice said coldly. "We Saiyans are the strongest warrior race in the universe."
Wright chuckled dismissively. "Alright, alright—King of the strongest race. Can the next phase of the plan begin?"
At those words, anger surged violently in Bardock's chest.
Because he recognized that voice.
King Vegeta II—the man who had always led the Saiyans in battle.
Bardock never expected that their king would be sitting together with the Tuffles, the very people enslaving their race, laughing and drinking wine.
Still, he forcibly suppressed his rage. He needed to hear the rest of their plan.
Inside, Vegeta II elegantly swirled the red wine in his glass and spoke calmly.
"It's almost time to set the trap. From what I know of Bardock, once he learns his people have been captured, he'll definitely come to rescue them."
Wright crossed his legs, curiosity flashing in his eyes.
"I'm quite interested. Why are you so focused on this Bardock? Focused enough to cooperate with me."
Vegeta II took a sip of wine, placed the glass down gently, and said with a dark expression,
"Because he's too strong. Strong enough to threaten the rule of the Saiyan royal family."
"Since my father's generation, we've been quietly eliminating Saiyans who could endanger the throne. Now, it's nearly complete."
He sneered.
"You don't really think your trash technology alone can enslave the strongest warrior race in the universe, do you?"
Wright raised an eyebrow. "And after Bardock is dealt with? Do you really think our cooperation will continue smoothly?"
Vegeta II's gaze hardened.
"Once he's gone, the Saiyans will help you eliminate the Tuffle royal family."
"At that point, you handle technology—we handle combat."
"The entire universe will be ours."
Wright smiled and nodded. "A pleasure working with you."
"Hahaha, a pleasure working with you," Vegeta II replied.
The two clinked their wine glasses.
At that moment, another voice spoke up.
"Father… what if Bardock doesn't take the bait?"
Bardock recognized that voice as well.
Prince Vegeta—the future Vegeta III, the man who would later lead the Saiyans toward destruction.
Vegeta II snorted.
"He will come. This is his weakness—he cares too much about his people."
Outside the window, Bardock slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.
No wonder the Saiyans, who once dominated the universe in ancient times, had fallen to such a state.
It turned out the Vegeta royal family had played no small part in it.
Later, when Vegeta III exiled infants like Broly, whose combat power was abnormally high at birth, it suddenly made sense.
Bardock had always felt that the Saiyans around him didn't seem as cruel as they were portrayed in his previous life's memories.
So why did they later become so ruthless—until the entire race became Frieza's dogs?
With rulers like this, the answer was obvious.
It seems this King Vegeta needs to be replaced.
Are kings and generals really born with destiny?
As for Wright—he was nothing but a fool, daring to seek profit from a tiger's jaws. Once the Saiyans resolved their internal crisis, the Tuffles would become completely disposable.
Bardock already knew the outcome from fragments of the original history.
In the end, Vegeta III would lead the Saiyans to completely annihilate Planet Tuffle, arrogantly renaming it Planet Vegeta.
After living among the Saiyans for over a decade, Bardock had long since regarded them as his own people.
Hot-tempered, yes—but they protected one another.
"When I become king," Bardock mused quietly, stroking his chin, "it definitely won't be called Bardock Star… Hmm. Saiyan Star sounds better."
Inside the villa, Vegeta II laughed triumphantly.
"As long as Bardock is killed or captured, my son and I can rescue the others as 'heroes.'"
"At that point, all Saiyans will sincerely submit to us. Hahaha!"
Prince Vegeta immediately flattered him.
"Father King, your strategy is truly unmatched."
Vegeta II patted his son's shoulder.
"Remember this, Vegeta. The throne can only belong to the Vegeta family. This is our mission—our glory."
Prince Vegeta nodded coldly. "Yes, Father King. I will protect our throne and never allow anyone else to claim it."
Vegeta II smiled in satisfaction.
"Very good. Once this is over, the Saiyans will usher in a new era of glory. No one will ever threaten our rule again."
Prince Vegeta asked, "Then what are our next steps?"
Vegeta II pondered briefly.
"We'll set multiple traps in areas Bardock is likely to appear. At the same time, we'll deploy enough forces to ensure nothing goes wrong."
Prince Vegeta frowned. "And if Bardock is too strong and breaks through?"
Vegeta II snorted coldly.
"Then you and I will join forces and kill him."
"If he can't be used by us—then he deserves to die."