The shrill alarm of the spaceship pierced Whitley's deep consciousness like a cold steel needle, forcibly dragging him back to reality from a six-month-long deep hibernation.
The stasis pod lid slowly slid open, and cold air, carrying the unique metallic and recycled fluid smell of the ship, rushed in.
He opened his eyes, adjusting to the dim light. The first thing he saw was Vegeta in the adjacent pod, which had also just opened, struggling to sit up.
"You bastard!"
Vegeta's furious eyes instantly locked onto Whitley, burning with six months of suppressed rage and intense provocation.
Hibernation had clearly failed to quell the humiliation of being knocked out by Whitley with a single chop before their departure.
But Whitley just gave him a faint glance, the corner of his mouth even curling into a barely perceptible arc, as if looking at an unruly child. He stepped directly out of the stasis pod.
He couldn't be bothered to waste his breath. With steady steps, he bypassed the still-stewing Vegeta and walked straight towards the ship's control area.
Being completely ignored, Vegeta let out a heavy "Hmph!" His small face was flushed red, and his clenched fists made a grinding sound as his bones rubbed together.
"Just you wait... after this mission is done, I'll make you pay when we get back!" he roared internally, converting his shame into a stronger drive for action.
In the control bay, Raditz was already busy at the console. The screen displayed the complex atmospheric data of Planet Sofu and a dense network of defense system markers.
Nappa, meanwhile, was clumsily getting into a spherical single-person attack pod.
"Prince Vegeta! Whitley! You're both awake!"
Seeing the two emerge, Raditz quickly greeted them, his voice tinged with a barely noticeable nervousness.
"The ship can only park in a safe orbit outside Sofu's atmosphere. The planet's interior has a powerful defense system and automated turrets. A large ship is too big a target; a forced entry would be met with concentrated fire instantly! We have to use the single-person pods to get in!"
Vegeta's brow furrowed, clearly displeased with this sneaky approach. "Can't we just land directly? We're just killing a bunch of bugs, does it have to be so troublesome?!"
Whitley also looked at the data on the screen with some curiosity. The Saiyans had always favored violent, direct assaults; a mission that required tactics was indeed rare.
Raditz quickly explained, "This is the detailed information provided by the Frieza Force's intelligence department. Although Sofu's individual combat strength is weak, their technology is advanced, especially their planetary defense system. The single-person pods have a weak energy signature and are small, making them the only option to bypass the main fire points and land safely."
He operated the instruments, bringing up several preset landing coordinates. "We need to act quickly. If we delay, their defense system might adjust its scanning parameters."
Watching Raditz skillfully switch between various interfaces and analyze the data stream, Whitley raised an eyebrow and said half-jokingly, "Raditz, I think you have a talent for this. If Vegeta doesn't need you as a guard anymore someday, you might consider a career change to a mechanical engineer or a tech developer. You might have a brighter future than being a warrior."
"Huh?"
Raditz was completely baffled, his hands pausing. "No, Whitley! I... I'm just fiddling with the ship a bit. What you're saying... is my qualification as a combatant going to be revoked in the future?"
He felt as if he had been "insulted" in a very peculiar way.
Vegeta couldn't be bothered with this. He just wanted to set foot on that planet as soon as possible and vent his intense frustration through destruction.
"Let's go! What are you dawdling for!" he barked, turning and striding towards his own spherical pod. The hatch closed with a hiss.
Whitley shrugged and got into his assigned pod.
With a slight vibration and the low hum of the engines, the four metal spheres rapidly detached from the mothership, becoming four streaks of light that plunged towards the pale-yellow atmosphere of Planet Sofu below!
On the surface of Sofu, the planetary defense command center was already in chaos.
"Alert! Alert! High energy readings! Confirmed Frieza Force standard single-person attack pods have breached the outer defense net! Four units! Coordinates locked! Descending rapidly!"
Piercing alarms and flashing red lights filled the entire hall.
The King of Sofu paced anxiously in his magnificent but panic-filled palace. When his minister magnified the captured image of the pods on the screen, the king's face instantly turned ashen.
"F-Frieza Force! It's really them!!" the minister's voice trembled with despair.
"Quick!!" the king roared himself hoarse. "All ground troops! The robot legions! Highest alert! Shoot them down! At any cost!!"
When Whitley's pod pierced through the clouds and landed in a designated open area, he was greeted by the already prepared Sofu army and the robot legions, which gleamed with a cold metallic luster! A dense barrage of energy beams rained down like a storm!
Plink, plink, plink, plink...
The energy beams struck Whitley's tough body like raindrops on a rock. Apart from creating faint ripples, they couldn't even leave a scratch.
"Tch, is this supposed to be a tickle?"
Whitley pursed his lips, his eyes calm and untroubled. He didn't even bother to use complex techniques, simply raising one hand casually, his fingers spread.
Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing!
A series of white ki blasts, the size of ping-pong balls, erupted from his fingertips like machine-gun fire! Precise and efficient! Each blast, as if it had eyes, accurately hit a robot's core!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The explosions merged into a sea of fire, instantly clearing a several-dozen-meter area around him! Debris and charred parts flew everywhere.
He turned his head and looked at the Vegeta trio not far away, who were also under siege but were bombarding everything with "Prince's Tactics," laughing arrogantly, clearly enjoying the thrill of the crush. He spoke calmly, his voice cutting through the noise of the explosions:
"Vegeta, splitting up is more efficient. I'll handle these tin cans. You go clear out the resistance in the other areas."
Before he finished speaking, he raised his hand again, and another dense volley of ki blasts shot towards a more distant cluster of robots, successfully drawing a large amount of fire.
At the same time, he pushed off from the ground, his whole body turning into a blue streak of light. Without looking back, he sped off in the opposite direction from Vegeta and the others, with a long trail of pursuing robot troops behind him.
After confirming that he had lured the vast majority of the pursuing robots away from the main battlefield and had gone deep into a complex area full of abandoned factories, Whitley came to an abrupt halt.
He reached up and cleanly removed the latest model scouter issued by the Frieza Force from his ear. With a squeeze of his palm, the scouter instantly burst into a ball of fire in his hand.
"Well then... time to start the plan!"
Whitley's eyes focused. He slowly brought his hands together in front of his chest in a classic ki-gathering pose!
The "ki" in his body ignited in an instant like a dormant volcano! A powerful aura erupted, kicking up the dust on the ground! He deliberately controlled his energy output, keeping his aura's intensity stable at the 5,000 level displayed on the scouter—this was the full power burst his disguised strength should have.
"Haaa—!!!"
With a low roar, an incredibly thick and dazzlingly golden energy wave erupted from his palms! Like a golden torrent, it swept over all the pursuing robots within his field of vision with the power to destroy everything!
RUMBLE—!!!
A deafening series of explosions merged into one, and the blinding golden light swallowed everything! Whether it was thick alloy armor or sophisticated electronic components, they were all as fragile as paper under the impact of this pure energy!
In just a few seconds, after the golden light dissipated, all that remained was a massive, smoking, charred crater, and scattered, completely melted and deformed metal scraps.
Hundreds of robots, along with the abandoned factories in that area, had been completely obliterated, not even a speck of dust left.
Whitley nodded in satisfaction, quite pleased with his energy control.
He turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on the most magnificent complex of buildings in the distance—the royal palace of Sofu.
His powerful senses told him that the few beings on this planet with energy readings over one thousand were gathered there.
"Time to get to business."
His body levitated slightly, then transformed into a blue bolt of lightning that tore through the air, accompanied by a roaring sonic boom, as he shot towards the palace!
Whitley descended upon the square outside the palace like a demon god, swatting away the charging captain of the guard as if shooing a fly.
Piercing alarms echoed through the sky, and the last vestiges of resistance from the depths of the palace—the so-called "masters" whose power levels barely approached two thousand—surged forward like moths to a flame.
Whitley didn't even bother to move his feet. He just casually raised his hand, fingers spread.
Zing zing zing zing—!
Countless small ki blasts, like a swarm of living bees, accurately flew towards every charging figure!
There were no screams, only a series of dull explosions and the "hissing" sound of flesh being instantly vaporized. In a single breath, the palace square fell silent, leaving only the smell of blood and char, and a few scattered fires.
"Prince's Tactics are really useful," he mused aloud, striding calmly through the wreckage towards the tightly shut doors deep within the palace that symbolized the highest authority.
Meanwhile, on another scorched battlefield on Sofu...
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Vegeta hovered in mid-air, looking down at the Sofu army, which he had bombarded into a disorganized, wailing mess. The frustration and unhappiness in his heart were swept away.
This feeling of absolute dominance over his enemies was the treatment he, Prince Vegeta, deserved!
Nappa and Raditz followed behind him, their faces filled with admiration as they watched their mighty prince.
"His Highness is having a blast! These weak troops can't even fight back!" Raditz couldn't help but say.
Beep beep beep—!
Just as Vegeta was basking in his glory, the scouter on his ear suddenly let out a rapid alarm!
"Hm?"
Vegeta's arrogant smile froze instantly, his expression changing dramatically!
A bright red number on the scouter's lens was jumping wildly, climbing!
15000... 18000... 21000... 23300!
Finally, the number stopped at a glaring 23,300!
"A power level of 23,000?! Who is it?!"
Vegeta snapped his head up, his crimson eyes locked on the sky! An aura far stronger than the Sofu army, even carrying a hint of malice, was descending from the heavens at an astonishing speed!
In the sky, a fireball tore through Sofu's pale-yellow atmosphere, letting out a sharp whistle as it accurately fell towards Vegeta's position! The shape of the fireball... was clearly a Frieza Force standard single-person spherical pod!
"One of Frieza's men?"
Vegeta's brow furrowed. He temporarily stopped slaughtering the troops below, hovering in place with his arms crossed, coldly watching the approaching pod.
Nappa and Raditz also immediately became vigilant, assuming a defensive stance.
Hiss—!
With the sound of compressed gas being released, the pod's hatch slid open.
A massive and obese figure with disgusting pink skin squeezed out clumsily, an arrogant smile on its face.
It was Frieza's trusted henchman—Dodoria!
Dodoria landed, causing the ground to tremble slightly.
His small, shifty eyes swept over the three prepared Saiyans, lingering on Vegeta for a moment before letting out a grating "Hehehehe." His tone was full of condescending arrogance:
"Ohoho, if it isn't our esteemed Saiyan Prince? A pleasure to meet you. I am Dodoria, Lord Frieza's most capable, most loyal, and also most powerful assistant!"
He paused, puffing out his fat stomach. "By Lord Frieza's command, I have come specifically to assist you in completing this mission."
An unconcealed disgust and contempt immediately appeared on Vegeta's face. He snorted coldly:
"Hmph! Assist? I, Vegeta, need the assistance of a dog of Frieza like you? Get back to your ship! For Frieza's sake, I'll spare you this time! Don't get in the way here!"
The smile on Dodoria's face didn't change, but a cold glint flashed in his small eyes. He seemingly casually adjusted the lens of the scouter on his ear, his gaze sweeping over Raditz and Nappa.
"Oh~ a piece of trash with a power level of barely 1500," he glanced contemptuously at Raditz, whose face turned pale as he subconsciously took a step back. "And one with... 4300? So-so, I guess."
His gaze finally landed on Vegeta, and the scouter emitted an even sharper beep.
"Hehehe, as for you, Prince Vegeta..." Dodoria's fake smile froze, then instantly vanished, replaced by extreme shock and disbelief. His voice went up an octave. "Twenty thousand?! That's impossible! The intel said you were just over three thousand! How is this possible?!"
"Heh!"
Vegeta's chin lifted even higher, his face written with the arrogance of a genius. "Am I someone you can fathom? A mere twenty thousand is just the starting point for me! Frieza's intelligence is long outdated! Go back and tell Frieza that the Legendary Super Saiyan has appeared! And that is I! Super Vegeta!!!"
Seeing Vegeta's iconic arrogant gesture and boastful declaration, the shock on Dodoria's face was quickly replaced by rage!
The thing Lord Frieza hated most was the legend of the Super Saiyan among the Saiyans!
How dare this ignorant monkey provoke him like this?!
"Hehehe... you foolish Saiyan monkey!"
Dodoria let out an angry, high-pitched laugh, his obese body exploding with a speed that belied his size!
"You dare to challenge Lord Frieza's authority with a mere twenty thousand?! It seems Lord Frieza's decision to send me to teach you was an incredibly wise one! Today, I will make you understand that there are plenty of beings under Lord Frieza who are stronger than you!"
Before he finished speaking, his fat, white-gloved fist, like a cannonball, smashed towards Vegeta's arrogant little face with a shriek that tore through the air!
BOOM—!!!
A dull thud that made one's heart tremble!
Vegeta had not expected his opponent to strike so suddenly, so brutally! He only had time to slightly turn his head before the heavy fist slammed squarely into his cheek!
A terrifying force exploded instantly. Vegeta's small body, like a kite with its string cut, was sent flying with a scream, crashing through a half-destroyed building in the distance and kicking up a cloud of dust!
"Prince Vegeta!!!"
Nappa and Raditz cried out in shock, their faces ashen! But looking at the glaring 23,000 on their scouter lenses, their feet felt nailed to the ground. They didn't dare to move forward! The gap between them was too great!
"Cough cough... Ptui!"
Vegeta struggled to climb out of the rubble, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva. Half of his face was already swollen, and the fiery pain and unprecedented humiliation instantly ignited all his anger! His crimson eyes looked as if they were about to spew real flames!
"You... you... bastard!!!!" Vegeta's voice was distorted with extreme rage. "You dare to sneak attack me, Vegeta... just like Whitley!!!!"
"HAAAAAAA—!!!!"
With a bestial roar, Vegeta went completely berserk! His Saiyan bloodline burned wildly under the extreme humiliation and anger! His hands moved in a frenzy, and countless ki blasts containing terrifying energy poured out like they were free, instantly forming a devastating barrage that completely enveloped Dodoria!
"Hmph! Pathetic tricks!"
Although Dodoria was surprised by Vegeta's explosive power, relying on his higher power level, he slapped or blocked most of the ki blasts out of the air like lightning! The explosions and shockwaves raged around him, but they couldn't truly harm him!
"A gap in power is a gap in power! A monkey is just a monkey!"
Dodoria sneered, his fat body bursting forward with astonishing speed. He instantly closed the distance to Vegeta and delivered a powerful side kick, like a battering ram, that slammed into Vegeta's chest!
CRACK!
The clear sound of a bone breaking was heard!
"Ugh—!" Vegeta screamed again as he was sent flying, the sharp pain in his chest making his vision go black. It felt like all his internal organs had been displaced!
"Your Highness!" Nappa and Raditz watched, their eyes wide with fury, but they still didn't dare to move forward.
"Do you see?! This is the gap!" Dodoria hovered in the air, looking down at the struggling Vegeta below, his tone filled with cruel delight. "In the face of absolute power, your ridiculous dream of a Super Saiyan is just..."
His words were cut short!
Because from the rubble below, an energy far more violent, scorching, and destructive than before erupted like a long-suppressed volcano!
BOOM—!!!
A white aura, like a tangible flame, shot up from Vegeta's small body! His hair stood on end in the violent energy, and visible streams of wild ki danced around him!
A heart-stopping pressure instantly enveloped the entire area!
"AAAAAAAAAA—!!!!" Vegeta slowly rose amidst the white aura, his eyes red from congestion, staring deadly at Dodoria in the sky. His voice was hoarse, like a demon from hell:
"You... you... BASTARD!!!!!"
On the scouter lens, Vegeta's power level was skyrocketing like an out-of-control rocket!
21000... 23000... 24000... 25000!!!
"Wh-what?!!"
The sneer on Dodoria's face completely froze, replaced by boundless horror! "Twenty-five thousand?! That's impossible!!!"
"DIE—!!!" In his powered-up state, Vegeta's speed, strength, and reactions had all risen to a new level!
He became a flash of lightning, appearing in an instant in front of the still-shocked Dodoria!
POW! A heavy punch containing the force of twenty-five thousand slammed viciously into Dodoria's fat stomach!
"OOF!" Dodoria's eyes bulged, and stomach acid mixed with blood sprayed from his mouth! The intense pain instantly made him curl up like a shrimp!
Vegeta's assault didn't stop! Using the momentum, his body spun at high speed, and a roundhouse kick, infused with all his strength, tore through the air like a battle-axe with a piercing shriek and viciously whipped across Dodoria's horrified, fat face!
BOOM—!!!
A sickening crunch!
Dodoria's neck twisted at a grotesque angle, and several bloody teeth mixed with saliva flew out! His massive body, as if hit by a full-speed train, screamed as it became a pink meteor, crashing heavily into the ground far away, plowing a hundred-meter-long trench before coming to a complete stop! Dust filled the air!
"Hah... hah... hah..." The power-up state subsided, and the white aura instantly dissipated.
Vegeta hovered in the air, panting heavily. His body was covered in wounds, his chest ached, and half his face was swollen like a bun.
But his eyes shone with the unprecedented arrogance of a victor!
"So... so strong! His Highness is so strong!"
Nappa's mouth hung open, his jaw almost on the ground, his eyes filled with fanaticism and awe. "Are... are you really the Legendary Super Saiyan?!"
Raditz was also completely stunned, looking at the motionless Dodoria in the trench, muttering, "The... the legend of the Super Saiyan is real?"
Vegeta landed with difficulty on the edge of the deep trench. He looked at Dodoria, who was limp like a dead dog, covered in blood, his face deformed from the blow, and a smile that was twisted by pain but filled with pleasure appeared on his face.
He turned to Nappa, his voice hoarse but carrying an unquestionable command:
"Nappa! Go! Get rid of this eyesore of a trash!"
BANG!
The heavy metal doors, as if struck by an invisible sledgehammer, buckled and flew inwards!
Inside, the King of Sofu sat paralyzed on his ornate throne, his face ashen, his whole body trembling like a leaf.
A guard who was trying to report had just shouted "Your Majesty, flee!" before being pierced through the heart by a sudden beam of light, his body slumping to the ground.
Whitley's figure appeared in the doorway, looking like the God of Death to the king.
He looked at the king, who was so scared he had nearly lost control of his bladder, and gave a smile that looked demonic to the other man. "You are the king of this planet?"
"Y-y-yes! No-noble sir... what... what can I do for you?"
The king's voice trembled uncontrollably, and immense fear had robbed him of all will to resist.
Whitley nodded, pleased with this "sensible" attitude. He scanned the room, tore off a length of decorative rope from the side, and casually tied a slipknot around the king's neck.
"Lead the way," Whitley's voice was unquestionable. "To the place where you keep your spaceships."
Guided by the king like a puppet, Whitley soon arrived at a hidden, heavily guarded spaceport behind the palace.
Under a huge dome were several starships of various designs and sleek lines, obviously much better looking than the mass-produced Frieza Force saucers.
Whitley's gaze was instantly drawn to one of them: it was silver-gray all over, its streamlined hull full of power, with sharp wings extending from the sides, and four huge main thrusters at the rear. It looked like a starship from Earth's science fiction, far more handsome than Planet Vegeta's ships.
"That one."
Whitley pointed to the warship. "Fill it with food, top it up with fuel, and set the destination for a planet called Earth."
"Huh?" The scientists looked at their uniquely attired king with confusion, not knowing if they should obey the man before them.
Whitley glanced at him, and the king immediately roared at a group of people in engineer uniforms nearby, "What are you standing around for! Quick! Prepare it as this lord has said! Fill the fuel! Load the food! Set the course immediately! Destination... Earth!"
The engineers, as if waking from a dream, scrambled to begin their work.
Whitley, meanwhile, led the king by the rope to the side like a dog on a leash and waited quietly.
These people were very efficient.
Soon, an engineer, drenched in sweat, ran over to report. "S-sir! The ship is ready! Fueling is complete, enough for more than twenty-five years of continuous travel! Food reserves are ample! The stasis pods are in perfect condition, with plenty of energy to maintain hibernation for a long time! The course has also been set. Destination: Earth, the third planet of the Sol system in the Orion Arm of the North Galaxy."
He hesitated for a moment, but steeled himself and added, "But... sir, Sofu is extremely far from Earth... at our ship's top speed... a one-way trip is estimated to take... ten years." He carefully watched Whitley's expression.
"Ten years?!" Whitley frowned. This was far beyond his expectations. He had thought that a technologically advanced planet like Sofu would have faster ships.
"My lord, please calm your anger!"
The lead engineer and the king were so scared they almost knelt. "Our planet... has focused mainly on robotics and automated defense. Our interstellar travel technology... is indeed... not top-tier... This 'King of Sofu' is already the best ship on our planet! This ten-year journey... is the fastest it can achieve!"
The king nodded frantically beside him, confirming that the engineer was telling the truth.
Whitley was silent for a few seconds before finally sighing in resignation.
Ten years... It was long, but it was better than staying on Planet Vegeta. And he would be in hibernation the whole way, so the time wouldn't be too hard to bear.
"Fine, ten years it is. Are the stasis pods reliable?"
"Absolutely reliable! Sir! The hibernation system is one of the few technologies we can be proud of. It's very mature and stable! As long as the power is on, hibernation for a hundred years is no problem!" the engineer promised, patting his chest.
"Very good."
Whitley nodded. He led the king over to the group of engineers who had finished their work and were standing nervously to the side.
Looking at their terrified eyes, Whitley showed a hint of apology on his face, but his eyes were as cold as frost.
"Sorry," he said softly, as if stating a simple fact.
Before he finished speaking, his free right hand shot up, his palm aimed at the group of engineers!
BOOM—!!!
A massive golden energy wave, even more condensed and terrifying than the one that had destroyed the robots, erupted in an instant! The blinding light swallowed the terrified and despairing faces of the engineers!
There were no screams, no struggles. Even the metal floor beneath their feet was instantly and utterly vaporized, annihilated! All that remained was a huge, molten crater with edges as smooth as a mirror, and wisps of rising blue smoke.
"!!!" The king witnessed this horrific scene, instantly wet his pants, and his legs gave way. He collapsed to the ground, letting out gasping sounds, unable to even beg for mercy.
Whitley released the rope from the king's neck and looked down at him, his tone as calm as if he were discussing the nice weather.
"Don't worry, I said I wouldn't kill you, and I won't go back on my word. However..."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the empty spaceport. "I suggest you run. You should know the methods of the Frieza Force. Their goal is to completely destroy all life on this planet. If you stay here, you will only die. I've said my piece. Whether you listen or not is up to you. Goodbye."
After speaking, Whitley didn't look at the collapsed and soul-shattered king again. He turned and strode towards the silver-gray warship.
The heavy hatch slid open and closed silently behind him.
"Well then, let's go! Full speed ahead!!!"
The engines started with a low, powerful hum, and幽-blue flames shot from the thrusters.
The massive warship slowly slid out of its berth, automatically adjusting its course to face the deep, dark cosmos.
The next second, the main thrusters erupted with a dazzling light!
BOOM—!!!
Like a silver beast breaking free from its chains, the ship, with a shriek that tore through the air, lifted off with astonishing speed, instantly piercing through Sofu's atmosphere and becoming a brilliant meteor, plunging headlong into the boundless darkness.
The king sat瘫 on the cold ground, staring blankly in the direction the ship had disappeared. Whitley's final words replayed in his mind like a curse.
After a long while, a powerful will to survive overwhelmed his fear.
He struggled to his feet and screamed at the empty port, his voice hoarse:
"Someone! Get someone! Prepare my ship! Immediately! Destination... destination Galactic Patrol Headquarters!!"
Vegeta sat on a large rock, blackened by an energy blast, gnawing on some strange-tasting but energy-rich local food that Raditz had scavenged from a destroyed town.
His battle armor was somewhat damaged, and his face had a few scrapes, but his expression was unusually ecstatic.
The fierce battle with Dodoria just now, although difficult, had ended in his victory!
The moment his power level of twenty-five thousand erupted, the feeling of being filled with such power was intoxicating.
Just then, he felt something and abruptly looked up. His sharp gaze pierced through the thin atmosphere, locking onto a silver point of light at the edge of the sky, almost disappearing from view—it was a spaceship rapidly escaping the planet's gravity.
"Hm?"
Vegeta frowned slightly. a strange feeling welled up in his heart, as if there was something familiar in that ship... but he quickly dismissed the thought.
What a joke, how could that guy Whitley possibly leave on his own? Ever since Nappa and Raditz had begun their large-scale slaughter, countless ships had taken to the sky in a panic, like a flock of startled birds, trying to escape this doomed planet.
Nappa and the others had casually blown up a few, but there were too many to stop them all, so they eventually stopped bothering.
"Hmph, just another bug trying to escape," Vegeta sneered dismissively and paid it no more attention, lowering his head to continue gnawing on his fruit.
Anyway, once they had cleared out the main cities and resistance forces on the planet, that guy Whitley would naturally show up. At that time, he would definitely have a proper match with him, to show him who the real genius was!
In the deep, silent, and cold universe, Whitley's ship, like a lone boat, sailed at a steady speed along its set course towards the distant Sol system.
Inside the ship, the indicator lights on the main computer blinked rhythmically, recording the voyage data.
Whitley lay quietly in a stasis pod filled with a light blue nutrient fluid. On the transparent cover of the pod, a clear countdown was displayed:
[WAKE-UP COUNTDOWN: 9 YEARS 11 MONTHS 29 DAYS 22 HOURS 59 MINUTES...]
His breathing was steady and long, his expression peaceful. His body, enveloped by the hibernation system, had entered the deepest state of physiological stasis. All cellular activity was reduced to a minimum, as if time had frozen for him.
The ship sailed smoothly, crossing a relatively empty region of space.
Suddenly, the surveillance radar detected a faint signal point—a piece of meteorite, insignificant on a cosmic scale, only the size of a fist, was drifting at a relatively slow speed along a trajectory almost perpendicular to the ship's course.
The speeds of the two, under complex mechanical interactions, resulted in an extremely minor, almost negligible "intersection."
Thud!
An extremely faint impact sound, which shouldn't have been heard in the vacuum of space, echoed on the ship's sturdy hull.
The point of impact was on the side of the ship, near an interface for the stasis pod's energy supply line.
The impact force was extremely small, not even leaving a visible dent on the super-alloy hull.
However, at the very moment of impact, an extremely precise circuit node inside the stasis pod responsible for receiving the wake-up command was subjected to a barely detectable, abnormal interference.
This interference, like a tiny speck of dust falling onto a calm lake, triggered a chain reaction in the complex electronic circuitry.
On the stasis pod's main control panel, the rhythmically ticking numbers of the wake-up countdown, at the position of [9 YEARS 11 MONTHS 29 DAYS], abruptly... froze.
The countdown... had stopped.
Inside the pod, Whitley was still immersed in the deepest hibernation, completely unaware of what had happened outside, of the passage of time... His expression remained serene, as if he were having a long, beautiful dream about power and the future.
The ship faithfully executed its last command, continuing to sail towards its originally set coordinates, the light of its engines shining steadily in the eternal darkness. But the countdown that represented his arrival, was forever frozen at the moment of his departure.
The ship continued on, flying into the deep, dark universe.