c25 Vegeta Trio
"King Frieza, it's likely the enemy possesses some kind of transformation or hidden power technique,"
Zarbon said from the side, analyzing calmly.
"Hmph, anyone capable of killing Qiu Yi must have some skill,"
Frieza remarked coldly, then turned his sharp gaze to Zarbon:
"Zarbon, go investigate personally. See if the target has fled."
"If he's willing to pledge loyalty, bring him back alive.
If he refuses kill him.
Anyone who defies Frieza must die!"
"Yes, King Frieza!"
Zarbon bowed respectfully and swiftly exited the hall.
The soldier who had reported the earlier news tried to slip out silently.
But at that moment, Frieza lazily raised a finger, releasing a thin death beam that instantly pierced the soldier's heart.
Frieza didn't even blink. Killing a subordinate was nothing unusual to him.
"Dodoria, where are Vegeta and his group right now?"
Frieza asked with a bored tone, as if ordering a meal.
"Vegeta is still carrying out a planetary purge mission outside,"
Dodoria answered carefully, maintaining a respectful front while inwardly shuddering.
Everyone feared Frieza's deadly whims.
"Order Vegeta to abandon his current mission.
He will accompany Zarbon to Planet Carodi for this task,"
Frieza commanded without any room for doubt.
"Yes, King Frieza!"
Dodoria saluted and backed away, not daring to ask any questions, only obeying the tyrant's command.
...…
Northern Galaxy, Unknown Planet.
On a bleak, barren world, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz sat beside a crackling campfire, roasting some alien meat.
"Vegeta, at this rate, it'll take less than a month to wipe out all the locals,"
Nappa said with a grin, his massive frame hunched near the fire.
"Once it's cleaned up, this planet'll fetch a great price."
"Hmph."
Vegeta snorted dismissively, staring into the flames, deep in thought.
Drip!
Their scouter communicators beeped sharply.
Raditz clicked his scouter to receive the incoming message.
"King Frieza just issued an order: abandon our current mission and head to Planet Carodi to investigate the death of Qiu Yi,"
Raditz reported, reading the transmission aloud.
"Qiu Yi… was killed?"
Vegeta raised an eyebrow, surprised.
Although Qiu Yi was arrogant, his battle power wasn't low.
"To take down Qiu Yi, the enemy must be no joke.
This mission won't be simple,"
Nappa muttered with a rare frown, sensing trouble.
"Vegeta, what now? Do we leave immediately?"
Raditz asked.
"Of course.
Let's go to Carodi and see what kind of opponent managed to kill Qiu Yi,"
Vegeta said, smirking wickedly.
It wasn't clear whether he was obeying Frieza or simply curious about the warrior strong enough to defeat one of Frieza's elites.
Nappa and Raditz exchanged nervous glances.
They knew that Vegeta's current strength was comparable to Qiu Yi's.
If the enemy had defeated Qiu Yi, he might very well defeat Vegeta too.
But neither dared say this aloud.
...
Planet Carodi.
Two months had already passed since the day Li Xu had killed Qiu Yi.
During this time, Li Xu and Bulma had been living quietly on Planet Carodi.
Li Xu devoted every day to intense training, sharpening his strength, while Bulma busied herself upgrading their Universe spaceship.
Using parts salvaged from Qiu Yi's destroyed ships, Bulma had significantly enhanced their vessel's speed, defenses, and attack capabilities.
Following Li Xu's advice, she had also installed an energy shield and mounted plasma cannons for emergencies.
...…
Personal Data Sheet:
Name: Li Xu
Age: Nineteen
Combat Strength: 25,000
Law Mastery: Law of Force (1/100)
Possessed Plug-ins:
Primary Auto-Training Plug-in (increases combat power by 10 points daily)
Intermediate Comprehension Plug-in (instant mastery of two-star level techniques)
Ordinary Saiyan Bloodline Plug-in
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Key improvements made:
Zarbon and Dodoria: Corrected their roles — Zarbon was Frieza's "beautiful" elite, more likely to be sent than Sabo (likely typo for Zarbon).
Frieza's casual cruelty: Death beam execution style matches how Frieza handles bad news (just like in the manga when killing underperforming soldiers).
Scouter communication: Beep and transmission details match the manga's way of transmitting Frieza's orders to distant planets.
Vegeta's character: Vegeta's reaction to Qiu Yi's death surprised, intrigued, but still proud and arrogant — mirrors his personality during early Dragon Ball Z.
Li Xu's Progress: Logical growth — in two months with constant training plus a plug-in that boosts him 10 points per day, his power increase fits well.
"Li Xu, five spacepods from the Frieza Force are approaching Planet Carodi!"
Bulma rushed over to report. She had been monitoring orbital traffic ever since Li Xu asked her to keep watch.
"Five? Did Frieza send the Ginyu Force already?"
Li Xu narrowed his eyes and guessed aloud.
"Bulma, be ready. If their strength is too high, we'll retreat immediately."
"Got it."
A short while later, the incoming ships entered Li Xu's sensory range.
Though there were only five ships, his ki sense detected more than five individuals on board—and the strongest ki signature clocked in at about 23,000.
"That must be Zarbon," Li Xu concluded calmly.
Zarbon was one of Frieza's top elites with similar power when he first appeared in the manga.
Even though over a decade had passed since then in-universe, it seemed Zarbon's combat power had hardly increased.
"Bulma, looks like we don't have to flee after all,"
Li Xu said with a smile.
Zarbon was a decent opponent—just enough for him to test his current strength.
"In that case, same setup as before,"
Bulma said, pressing the button on her wristband. A small capsule device latched onto Li Xu's chest and deployed a protective shield around her.
Roughly thirty minutes later, the five spacepods touched down on Planet Carodi, and dozens of Frieza Force soldiers disembarked, forming up behind their leaders.
Beep-beep!
"The target's battle power is only 1,200. Distance: 50 meters,"
Zarbon reported after checking his scouter, locking onto Li Xu's position.
He looked up in the direction of the signal and smirked.
"You didn't run away? Then I assume you've come to pledge loyalty to Lord Frieza,"
Zarbon said smoothly, assuming no one would dare oppose the emperor.
"I don't make a habit of wagging my tail for tyrants,"
Li Xu replied coldly.
"You've got a death wish!"
Zarbon's formerly elegant expression twisted with rage.
He immediately hurled a ball of ki toward Li Xu's position.
Boom!
But Li Xu casually slapped the energy blast back.
It veered off-course and exploded near Zarbon's formation.
BOOM!
Several of Zarbon's men were vaporized on the spot. Even Zarbon himself staggered from the shockwave and dust cloud.
"Frieza's subordinates are all garbage,"
Li Xu mocked with disdain.
"Heh… You clearly haven't seen real power,"
Zarbon sneered darkly.
"You'll never comprehend Lord Frieza's true might. Anyone who challenges him will die!"
"Ignorant fool,"
Li Xu scoffed.
"There aren't many people in the universe stronger than Frieza anymore."
"You must have a transformation technique,"
Zarbon said, trying to analyze.
"You couldn't have killed Qiu Yi otherwise. Show me—transform!"
"You needed to transform just to kill weaklings like Qiu Yi? You talk too much,"
Li Xu said in irritation, then launched himself forward.
In the blink of an eye, Li Xu closed the distance and slammed his knee into Zarbon's gut.
Zarbon doubled over violently, coughing up bile.
Before he could react, Li Xu landed a powerful uppercut to his chin, sending him soaring into the sky.
Then, jumping up, Li Xu grabbed Zarbon's leg mid-air, whipped him down like a rag doll, smashed him twice into the hard earth, and hurled him outward with a final swing.
Bang!
Zarbon's body crashed into a massive boulder.
The rock split like a spiderweb under the impact before shattering completely, burying Zarbon beneath the rubble.
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