I Am Raditz

Somewhere in the northern galaxy, at a Frieza Force outpost.

On a high-tech planet, Frieza stood on the top floor of the tallest tower, gazing out into the night.

A dark river meandered below, with towering military installations dotting its banks like pearls. The night sky was illuminated by countless lights.

It was late in the evening.

He stood there silently, facing the hastily mobilized cosmic army and bright lights, holding a glass of deep red wine in his hand.

The tower's height seemed to block the sky and press against the clouds. From this vantage point, Frieza overlooked all living beings as howling wind rushed past his ears. His tail curled behind him, its tip dragging on the ground at a precise angle.

Surveying the magnificent empire he had created, Frieza smiled with satisfaction. At this rate, conquering the entire galaxy—even the universe—was within reach. Recent developments had pleased him greatly: his forces had expanded rapidly, and several major threats had been eliminated one by one. Just days ago, he had received exciting news about the Dragon Balls!

Since fleeing Earth, Turles had spent time in exile throughout the universe, investigating Dragon Balls on several planets until finding a solid lead. He had hidden the only Dragon Ball in his possession, using knowledge of its whereabouts as leverage to trade with Frieza's army in exchange for supplies.

Frieza and his forces didn't realize that all seven Dragon Balls were needed, so they'd been deceived by Turles and dispatched elite troops to search the barren planet Filo.

Frieza had sent his two right-hand men, demonstrating how seriously he took the matter.

A legendary artifact that could grant any wish—with it, he could achieve immortality! At that point, neither his brother nor his father would matter in the slightest. As these thoughts crossed his mind, his smile widened.

Behind him, a well-dressed soldier suddenly rushed forward, dropping respectfully to one knee and reporting without daring to raise his head: "Terrible news, Lord Frieza! The forces we sent to planet Filo have been completely wiped out."

"What did you say?" Frieza's good mood instantly evaporated, his face turning serious.

He turned his head slightly, the cold gleam in his eyes making the kneeling soldier tremble.

"According to reliable intelligence, Lord Zarbon and Lord Dodoria encountered Vegeta's group, and were... defeated..."

"Vegeta? That bastard has never truly been loyal to me. I'm tired of playing games with him—I'll kill him sooner or later." Frieza drained the red wine from his glass, murderous intent radiating from him. The glass cracked with a sharp sound, shards scattering across the floor. "Don't tell me they've taken the Dragon Ball as well?"

"I-I don't know yet." The man was sweating profusely, his body beneath the battle armor drenched, his voice growing increasingly faint. "However, our tracking systems indicate that, in addition to Vegeta's group, Lord Slug's forces are also operating on planet Filo."

"Slug?" Now Frieza was truly angered. His tail slammed against the ground as he displayed a cold smile. "How many people did that bastard Turles sell the information to? Where is Turles? Have you tracked him down yet?"

"Well... Lord Frieza, Turles has disappeared!"

Turles had obviously disclosed the information to both Frieza and Slug, then manipulated both sides into sending their forces against each other. He stood to benefit regardless of the outcome! Even just watching from the sidelines as the two powers exhausted each other would serve his purposes.

Frieza turned and walked slowly toward the soldier, his tail casually brushing against the man's neck. "Say that again?"

"My lord, Turles has always been cunning. He fled immediately after completing the deal. His ship is equipped with anti-tracking technology, making his whereabouts unpredictable. Please, Your Lordship... ah..."

Midway through his explanation, Frieza's tail had already coiled around him. The enraged emperor couldn't tolerate such an affront! To be deceived, manipulated, and robbed was the ultimate insult!

"Your... Majesty... I... have... more... information..." The man struggled to utter his final words.

Frieza immediately released his grip. "What else?"

The soldier coughed several times, trying to regain his composure while forcibly suppressing his terror. "According to our intel, the power levels of Vegeta's team have increased dramatically. Vegeta's power level has reached over 80,000... and even Raditz's power level exceeds 28,000..."

"What?"

Frieza was stunned.

Had the Saiyans truly become so powerful? Given Vegeta's natural talent and years of combat experience, plus whatever he'd encountered on Earth, reaching such a level might be conceivable. But Raditz had always been merely a low-class warrior—no one paid attention to a power level barely over 1,000. Yet now he'd risen beyond 28,000?! And Vegeta had reached 80,000!

What had they experienced during these past years on Earth?

"Could my long-standing premonition be true? Perhaps not eliminating all the Saiyans was my greatest mistake..." Frieza recalled the legend, and a deep unease stirred within him.

He muttered to himself, then once again fixed his gaze on the kneeling subordinate.

"If you have any other information, speak now. Otherwise, I will kill you..."

"Yes... yes, Lord Frieza." The man swallowed hard, wiping sweat from his brow. "There is also a Namekian among them, with extraordinary power. He was the one who killed Lord Zarbon."

"A Namekian?"

Frieza pondered this development. Previous reports had intercepted information about the Dragon Balls. While on Earth, Goku had revealed the magical abilities of the Dragon Balls, and Nappa had speculated they were created by Namekians. So... could they find even better Dragon Balls by going to Namek?

"Bring me all available information on planet Namek."

"Yes, my lord!"

The guard rushed to obey, returning shortly with a stack of documents and immediately providing a summary. The comprehensive history revealed much, and when the guard eventually mentioned "Dragon Balls," Frieza interrupted the report with a dismissive wave.

"As I suspected. Let Slug compete for Earth's Dragon Balls, heh heh heh..." Frieza suddenly chuckled, his eyes narrowing into crescents.

The soldier kneeling on the ground met Frieza's gaze with absolute terror. Though Frieza hadn't moved, the man felt as if he'd been thrown to the ground by a ferocious predator, its bloody jaws aimed at his head!

In the next second, a thin beam of light slashed across, making a clean incision. The soldier's head rolled off his neck as blood splattered across the floor. His lifeless eyes remained wide open, dark and vacant.

"Thank you for your service." Frieza walked past the corpse without a second glance. Two rows of guards immediately rushed forward to dispose of the body and clean the floor.

"Send a message to headquarters. Mobilize the Ginyu Force to the M-zone outpost—highest priority, immediately!"

Frieza walked out of the tower and levitated in the air with his hands clasped behind his back, his violent aura drawing everyone's gaze upward. With the starry sky above and countless subjects below, he truly resembled an emperor of the universe!

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