Walking out of the underground warehouse, they found the sky outside had completely darkened.
Searchlights from the spaceport swept back and forth across the night sky.
Cargo ships took off and landed, the roar of their engines deafening.
The pungent smell of engine oil in the air had grown even stronger.
The three of them walked back along the shadowed area on the outer edge of the cargo corridor.
Cacao’s optical units rapidly scanned their surroundings.
“Fifty meters ahead, a patrol squad is approaching,” Cacao stated.
The trio immediately pressed themselves into the shadows behind a shipping container.
A squad of fully armed Planet Caren soldiers marched past, their boots clanking heavily against the metal floor.
Once the footsteps faded, Dalles continued forward.
They passed through the quarantine zone and stepped out of the signal jamming range.
A faint burst of static crackled in their earpieces.
The Heeters’ communication channel reconnected.
“Mr.
Dalles,” Elec’s voice rang out.
“The signal is back.
Has the meeting concluded?”
Dalles reached up to adjust his earpiece and gave a faint hum of acknowledgment.
“Did it go smoothly?” Elec asked.
“Whether it goes smoothly or not isn’t up to him to decide.”
Elec chuckled over the comms.
“Excellent.”
“You’re even more reliable than I imagined, Mr.
Dalles.”
“The coup could break out at any moment; he’s already growing impatient on his end.”
“For the next few days, it would be best if you kept a low profile.
No more excursions.”
“I know.”
Dalles’s response remained brief and cold.
“Here’s to a pleasant cooperation.”
As Elec’s voice faded, the communication channel fell silent.
The canyon wind howled relentlessly, biting painfully at their cheeks.
Elec put away his communicator and slipped it into his pocket.
Maki leaned in, her twin tails whipping wildly in the wind.
She chewed on a fresh piece of candy, her words slightly muffled.
“That guy is so cold when he talks.
How boring.”
Elec smiled, seemingly unbothered.
“Aren’t all Saiyans like that?”
He turned, his gaze falling upon the blue-green planet in the distance.
“Especially the capable ones.”
Elec’s tone carried a hint of self-deprecation, but his eyes were devoid of emotion.
“If we weren’t collaborating with the Frieza Force, do you really think those barbaric monkeys would even look us in the eye?”
Maki curled her lip, rolling the hard candy from her left cheek to her right.
She was about to say something else when Gas, who had been silent beside them, suddenly took a step forward.
Elec turned his head.
“What is it, little brother?”
Gas looked up.
In his eyes burned an almost fanatical obsession.
“I want to fight him.”
Maki stopped chewing, the hard candy cracking loudly in her mouth.
Beside them, Oil also turned his heavy frame to look at their youngest brother.
Elec didn’t answer immediately; he simply looked at Gas.
Maki swallowed the crushed candy, speaking with a rare seriousness.
“Gas, that guy doesn’t look any weaker than that Saiyan from back then!”
“I know.”
Gas cut her off.
His voice remained steady, but that very calmness felt highly unnatural.
“But I’m not the same as I was back then, either!”
Elec fell silent for a moment.
Then, he smiled with a sense of gratification.
“Alright.”
Elec walked up to Gas and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“But not now.”
“After the mission is over.”
Elec looked directly into his brother’s eyes.
“If you still feel this way by then, I won’t stand in your way.”
Night completely swallowed the capital of Planet Caren.
The acrid stench of engine oil mixed into the air, far thicker than during the day.
Dalles and his two subordinates moved like ghosts through the capital’s streets and alleys, evading all plainclothes patrols and soldiers until they safely returned to their hideout in the commercial office building.
The alloy door of the underground level slid shut behind them, completely cutting off all sound from the outside world.
Suddenly, a violent burst of static erupted in Dalles’s earpiece as the channel was forcibly switched.
“Lord Dalles!”
Armond’s gruff voice exploded directly into Dalles’s ear canal.
“When are you finally going to let me go down there and get to work?!”
Standing nearby, Daiz jumped at the sudden noise, instinctively glancing at Dalles.
Dalles remained expressionless, rubbing his ear.
Armond was clearly suffocating from boredom on the other end.
Without waiting for Dalles to reply, a rapid-fire barrage of complaints poured out.
“My bones are practically rusting!
Sitting here every day, watching Rez and Lakasse tinker with their little gadgets—I’m going blind!”
“Boss, let me go down there!
Just let me go!
I promise I’ll smash every disobedient fool on this garbage planet into meat paste!”
“Why go through all this trouble for something so trivial?
What’s the point of a plan when we can just slaughter our way through?!”
Armond’s voice was brimming with agitation and impatience; he couldn’t fathom why they were overcomplicating such a simple matter.
“Armond.”
“Are you done talking?”
Armond’s complaints came to an abrupt halt.
“If you’re done, shut your mouth.
Have you forgotten who ended up being chased across the universe by the Galactic Patrol?
You haven’t grown at all.”
“But Boss…”
Armond tried to argue.
“Your mission is to guard our spaceship and make sure those Heeters don’t interfere with Rez’s work.”
Dalles’s voice left absolutely no room for negotiation.
“Right now, you aren’t needed down here.”
Dalles paused, his tone softening slightly, as if pacifying a wild beast on the verge of losing control.
“This is nothing more than a calculated internal conflict between their own kind.
We just need to follow the steps.”
The other end of the line fell silent for a moment before Armond’s muffled voice replied.
“Understood, Boss.”
The connection cut off.
Silence returned to the underground command room.
Daiz looked at Dalles, a trace of admiration in his eyes.
Only the boss could keep a battle maniac like Armond in check.
However, Dalles’s mention of Rez’s work piqued Daiz’s interest.
“Lord Dalles, do you think those guys from the Heeters are up to something?”
Dalles didn’t answer directly, merely pondering for a moment.
“Who knows…”
“It’s always good to keep your guard up.”
As he spoke, Dalles’s gaze drifted toward the three-dimensional holographic map in the center of the room.
“We might just stumble upon some unexpected gains.”
Daiz and Cacao exchanged glances.
Though they didn’t fully understand, it didn’t stop them from feeling that his words made perfect sense.
“Then…
what should we do now?”
“You don’t need to do anything.
Just use these next few days to get yourselves in peak condition.
It’s been a while since we’ve seen real action, so don’t let your bodies rust.
It’ll be a real problem if you drop the ball when it counts.”
Hearing this, Daiz and Cacao immediately turned serious.
“Don’t worry, Boss!”
“We’ll stay sharp!”