"Kid, prepare some extra food tonight. I'm going out for work again tomorrow, and I want to eat my fill."
It was evening when Yuujin returned home, and Seripa, lounging lazily on the sofa, made her demand.
"Which planet are you conquering this time?" Yuujin asked.
"Planet Meat."
"Aren't you waiting for Bardock?"
"That guy is still lying in the medical pod. Planet Meat is just a low-level planet. Tora, the others, and I are more than enough."
Seeing Seripa's indifferent attitude, Yuujin didn't say much more. He took ingredients from the refrigerator and headed to the kitchen.
In his past life as a die-hard Dragon Ball fan, Yuujin knew many plots and details by heart. Although this real world differed slightly from the original Dragon Ball story, the events thus far had closely mirrored it.
If Yuujin remembered correctly, Seripa and her team would be wiped out on Planet Meat by Frieza's subordinates, with none surviving except Bardock, who would arrive later.
His eyes flickered, and Yuujin couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Time was running out, and he needed to act soon...
…
A lavish meal was laid out on the table, and Seripa was already devouring it. Once the mission began, it would be many days before she could enjoy such delicious food again, so she was determined to eat her fill now.
After a few bites, Yuujin put down his utensils and left his seat.
Although Seripa was a bit surprised, she didn't bother asking questions; she was never interested in the kid's affairs anyway.
After leaving the house, Yuujin went to a nearby storeroom.
Turning on the light, he moved some clutter aside, revealing a single-person escape pod.
Though the pod wasn't large, it was extremely heavy, and it took Yuujin over half an hour to drag it from the storeroom into the main hall.
Meanwhile, the table and chairs in the hall were knocked over, and Seripa was crawling on the floor, struggling as if searching for something.
Seeing the scene, Yuujin wasn't surprised at all.
"Are you looking for this?" he asked, holding up Seripa's scouter with a faint smile before crushing it in his hand.
Saiyans' scouters, besides detecting enemies' power levels, had communication and other auxiliary functions, making them essential tools for every Saiyan.
"You little... What did you do?!"
Seripa raised her head with difficulty, her eyes filled with icy killing intent.
"I added a special drug from the Miruba race to the food. Even a strong Saiyan warrior will temporarily lose their strength after consuming it and will be unconscious for at least three days and three nights," Yuujin calmly explained, no longer hiding anything.
"How dare you?!!!" Seripa roared in disbelief.
Indeed, Yuujin would never have dared to do such a thing before, because once Seripa recovered, she would undoubtedly kill him without hesitation.
But now that this planet was about to be destroyed, what did he have to fear?
Without answering her question, Yuujin opened the escape pod and lifted Seripa into it.
"You once asked me why I wasted money on something like this, saying I couldn't escape the planet even if I had it."
"The truth is, you guessed wrong. It wasn't for me—it was for you."
As he placed Seripa into the pod, he continued to speak.
"Why... why..." Seripa struggled to ask, her consciousness growing fainter.
The kid didn't seem to be betraying her, so why was he doing all of this?
"Seripa, if I told you that you and your teammates would die on Planet Meat and that Planet Vegeta would soon be destroyed by Frieza, would you believe me?"
"Are you kidding me?!"
"What makes you think we'll die there? And why would Lord Frieza do something like that?!"
"See, you don't believe me. But it doesn't matter if you do or not. I'm just saying it for the sake of saying it."
He fastened a life-support system onto Seripa, then cupped her chin.
"Seripa, although you're a nasty, bad woman and haven't treated me well, you did save my life once by picking me up from the trash heap."
"You saved me once, and now I'm saving you. After this, we're even."
"You damn brat, what are you even talking about..."
Seripa tried to say more, but the drug took effect, and she soon fell unconscious.
Closing the escape pod, Yuujin set the life-support system to "hibernation mode," checked the energy levels, and set the timer for the maximum 25 years.
If she could escape successfully and the pod remained undamaged, this woman would sleep for 25 years!
After finishing everything, Yuujin felt as though he had just completed an ordinary task.
To conserve his energy for the next few days, Yuujin didn't plan to train further. He yawned, took a shower, and then went to bed.
The next day—
At the spaceship launch pad, several Saiyan warriors seemed to be waiting for someone—Seripa and Bardock's teammates Toma, Dodoria, and Fasha.
"Damn it, where's that woman Seripa? Why isn't she here yet?"
"Can't you reach her on the communicator?"
"No luck. She probably turned it off while she was sleeping."
As the three grew impatient, a figure leaped toward them from a distance, landing in front of them.
"Aren't you that kid Seripa took in?"
Toma and Dodoria recognized him.
As Seripa's teammates, they naturally knew about the useless brat she had taken in and had often teased her about it.
"Sirs, Lady Seripa said she won't be participating in this mission."
Yuujin bowed and informed them.
"She's not going? Why not?"
Toma asked, but Yuujin responded calmly, "I don't know."
Considering Seripa's temperament, Toma, Dodoria, and Fasha didn't doubt Yuujin's words.
"With Bardock absent, now even Seripa's not going."
"Women are always trouble. What's that woman playing at?"
"Forget her. Planet Meat is just a low-level planet; the three of us are more than enough."
"Exactly. If she's not coming, she won't get a share of the rewards."
With a few exchanges, the three boarded their ships and soon soared into the sky...
To be continued...