In Dragon Ball: A brutal beating of Frieza at the start

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"Get on board quickly!" Number 18 opened the hatch of the Star Shuttle. Lin Ye and Trunks sped up and rushed into the cabin one after the other. As soon as they were inside, the hatch slammed shut with a "click," and Number 18 immediately pushed the control stick, causing the Star Shuttle to accelerate sharply and fly towards the outer edge of the companion star belt.

The mercenary ships refused to give up, relentlessly pursuing the Star Shuttle, their energy shells raining down around it. Trunks walked to the co-pilot's seat, staring at the radar screen: "Two more are following behind, and another one is flanking from the left!"

“I know.” Number 18 gritted his teeth, his fingers flying across the control panel. “There’s an asteroid belt ahead, let’s go in and hide!”

The Star Shuttle abruptly turned and plunged into a dense cluster of asteroids. The mercenary ships behind dared not get too close, and could only slow down and follow at a distance. Lin Ye walked to the main control panel, took out the data chip that Old Cat had given him, and plugged it into the interface: "Let's see what's inside. Maybe we can find clues about the 'Temple'."

A jumble of information quickly appeared on the screen: fragmented map pieces and several blurry text records. Trunks leaned closer to look: "This map... seems to be in a star system on the edge of the Milky Way?"

"We still need to work things out slowly." Lin Ye rubbed his temples and just breathed a sigh of relief when he suddenly saw a new red dot appear on the radar screen. The signal strength of this red dot was much stronger than that of the Scavenger's mercenary ship.

Number 18's expression changed as well: "What is this? The signal... it looks like a large warship!"

Lin Ye stared at the red dot, a sudden sense of foreboding rising within him. He picked up his communication headset, trying to contact Vegeta and the others, but found the signal was being jammed... On the screen, the red dot was rapidly moving towards them, getting closer and closer.

"It seems the trouble we're facing is greater than we imagined," Lin Ye said slowly, looking at the screen. Trunks gripped his sword tightly, while Number 18 stared intently at the control panel. The Star Shuttle weaved through the asteroid field, pursued closely by mercenary ships, while an unidentified large warship was closing in ahead.

Chapter 492: Infiltration and Undercurrents

While Lin Ye was being relentlessly pursued by the Scavengers, Vegeta was leaning against the bulkhead of the disguised cargo ship, his knuckles unconsciously tapping his thigh. Outside the ship lay the dark edge of a galaxy, with only the occasional glimpse of distant stars. Their destination... the Observer's secret research facility, lay like an inconspicuous stone embedded in the asteroid belt.

"Not there yet?" Vegeta frowned, his voice full of impatience. "This crappy ship is slower than my old scout ship."

Night Owl, who was adjusting the uniform of a junior officer of the Observer in front of the mirror, turned and glanced at him upon hearing this: "What's the rush? We've adjusted the parameters of this ship's engines, deliberately slowing it down to make it look like a real supply ship. If it flies too fast, it'll be spotted by the defense system before it even gets close." He paused, then added, "Besides, the identity verification code we have was intercepted three months ago, and whether it's even usable is another matter. Right now, we can only go with the safest option."

Lei sat at the communications console, his fingers flying across the keyboard, lines of complex code flashing across the screen: "Almost at docking range, I'm simulating the logistics ship's response protocol." His voice was a little strained, and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead... This was his first time participating in such an important infiltration operation; previously, he had only been responsible for data decryption at the base.

Night Owl walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "Relax. Your data cracking skills are among the top three in Wings of Liberty. As long as the response protocol is passed, we'll take care of the rest."

Vegeta scoffed, "It's fine if we can't get through, we'll just charge in. I want to see just how tough this lousy Watcher facility really is."

"Don't be impulsive." Night Owl became serious. "The defense system here has a spacetime interference field that can weaken energy attacks. No matter how good you are at fighting, your strength will be restricted once you go in. Besides, our mission is to find clues about the Key of Creation, not to destroy the base."

Vegeta didn't argue further, only snorted coldly and turned his head to look out the window. He knew in his heart that Night Owl was telling the truth, but it was really hard for him to hold back from fighting.

Shortly after, the cargo ship gave a slight jolt, and the voice of the facility control tower came through the communicator, cold and mechanical: "Identity verified. Welcome to the Seventh Mining Area Processing Plant, Logistics Officer. Please proceed to docking bay three to unload."

"It's done!" Lei breathed a sigh of relief, his tone becoming lighter.

Night Owl immediately stood up straight and gestured to the team behind him: "Proceed according to plan. Team A, come with me to 'maintain' the core energy line. Remember, only install listening devices, don't touch any switches; Team B, go with Ray to the data center, insert the 'Ghost' virus, copy the data, and then leave; Vegeta, you stay here and wait. Don't make a move until I give the signal."

"Understood." Vegeta waved his hand, leaning against the hatch, but his eyes were fixed on the interior of the facility, as if searching for prey.

As the group disembarked from the cargo ship and stepped into the facility's passageway, a cold, metallic smell assaulted their senses. The lights on both sides of the passageway were a stark white, making the scratches on the walls stand out starkly. Occasionally, people in white lab coats would hurry by, either keeping their heads down and remaining silent or conversing in hushed tones. The entire atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating.

"Stay close to me and don't look around." Night Owl lowered his voice and walked forward steadily. The members of Team A followed behind him, pretending to inspect the pipes, occasionally tapping the pipe walls with their hands, but in reality they were installing miniature listening devices.

Meanwhile, Ray led Team B toward the data hub. He had previously deciphered the Observer's base layout and was fairly familiar with it: "There's a fork in the road ahead, to the left. The right side is the staff lounge, and the left side is the passage to the data hub. But there will definitely be guards at the entrance; we'll have to find a way to get around it."

One of the team members asked in a low voice, "Should we use a tranquilizer gun?"

“No.” Lei shook his head. “The guards here are all in pairs. If one person is missing, it will be discovered very quickly. We have to wait for an opportunity, such as when the patrol team changes shifts.”

The group slowly moved along the wall to the fork in the road, and sure enough, they saw two guards in black security uniforms standing at the entrance, their energy guns pointed at the people coming and going. Lei was calculating the shift change time when he suddenly heard footsteps in the distance; another patrol team was approaching.

“The opportunity has come.” Lei winked at his team members, and when the patrol team approached, he deliberately raised his voice: “Sir, we are from the logistics department, here to conduct a quarterly data backup line check. This is the order.” As he spoke, he took out a pre-forged command board and handed it over.

The leading officer took the command board, his brow furrowed, his fingers running over it as if checking its authenticity. The members of Team B stealthily reached for their weapons hidden under their clothes, their palms sweating. Lei's heart pounded, praying they wouldn't be discovered.

Just then, a piercing alarm suddenly blared throughout the facility. It wasn't a sharp intrusion alarm, but a low, vibrating one. The officer's expression changed, and he shoved the command board back at Lei: "Damn it, the energy core is unstable again! I don't have time to waste with you guys. Check it quickly, and get out of the core area as soon as you're done!" With that, he led the patrol team and took off running, heading in the opposite direction from the energy core.

"Phew..." Lei let out a long breath, his back soaked with cold sweat. "Hurry up, let's go while no one's around."

The group rushed into the passage and quickly found the entrance to the data center. One of the team members took out tools and pried open the lock in a few moments: "Hurry up and go in, I'll keep watch here."

Lei nodded and led the other two team members into the data hub. Inside, servers were buzzing and indicator lights were flashing. He found a backup access point, took out a black device the size of a fingernail, and carefully inserted it: "'Ghost' virus has started and is copying data. It will take about five minutes."

Meanwhile, Night Owl's Team A also ran into trouble. When they found the maintenance passage leading to the energy core, they discovered that not only was there an extra biometric lock at the entrance, but there were also two more guards, twice as many as the intelligence had indicated.

“Something’s not right.” Night Owl contacted Rey and Vegeta via encrypted communication. “The defense level is much higher than we expected, and the alarm just now was too coincidental, just in time to help Rey and the others out of trouble. I have a feeling there’s something fishy going on here.”

Vegeta's voice immediately came through, tinged with excitement: "What could be wrong? The Watchers must be feeling guilty! Can we make our move now? I'm dying to do it!"

"Wait a little longer, we need to confirm the situation." Before Night Owl could finish speaking, an unfamiliar voice suddenly came through the communication channel. It had been mechanically processed, and it was impossible to tell if it was male or female: "Friends of Wings of Freedom, your time is running out."

Night Owl's heart tightened: "Who are you? How did you get connected to our communication channel?"

"The Observer already knows you've infiltrated." The voice didn't answer his question at all, and continued, "Mirror Lin Ye... he's not in the main fleet, he's deep inside this facility. Your whereabouts were deliberately leaked by him. This is a trap, aimed at the fragment of the Key of Creation in Lin Ye's possession."

"What?!" Night Owl and Ray, who was listening to the communications, were both stunned. Mirror Lin Ye was actually here? Was their infiltration a trap from the very beginning?

Ray immediately shouted into the communicator, "Who are you? Was it you who warned us last time?" He remembered that they had also received a warning from a mysterious person during their last mission, and the voice was exactly the same as this one.

The voice paused, then said only one sentence: "Broken wings will eventually guide the way..." After that, the communication signal was cut off, as if it had never existed.

“It’s ‘broken wings’ again!” Lei’s voice trembled. “Old Cat mentioned this pattern last time, and now this mysterious person is saying it again… What’s going on?”

Night Owl's face turned extremely grim. He quickly made a decision: "Plan changed! Team B, immediately stop copying data, load the high explosives onto the energy core and the second support structure, and set them to detonate in ten minutes! Team A, come with me to support Team B! Vegeta, you go to the cargo ship now, start the engines, and prepare to help us break out!"

"Wait! The data copying isn't finished yet!" Lei exclaimed urgently. "There might be clues to the Key of Genesis in here!"

"There's no time!" Night Owl's voice was resolute and left no room for argument. "Only by staying alive can we tell Lin Ye and the others that 'Mirror Lin Ye is here'! If we all die here, no matter how many clues we have, they'll be useless!"

Lei gritted his teeth and could only pull out the black device, saying to his team, "Quick, plant the explosives! Hurry up!"

Just as they were installing the explosives, a chilling aura suddenly emanated from the depths of the facility, as if something terrifying was awakening. Lei shuddered and couldn't help but look into the depths of the passage: "What's that...?"

One team member, pale-faced, said, "I don't know, but it feels terrifying... like something is watching us."

"Never mind that, just load the explosives and get out of here!" Lei Qiang suppressed his fear and quickened his pace.

Meanwhile, Vegeta had arrived at the cargo ship. Just as he started the engine, he saw a group of guards running towards him from the distant passageway, their energy guns firing wildly at him. He sneered and slammed his fist into the metal plating outside the ship. A shockwave instantly exploded, sending the guards flying: "Trying to stop me? You're not qualified!"

He jumped onto the boat and shouted into the communicator, "Night Owl! Hurry up! If you don't come soon, I'm leaving!"

"We're almost there!" Night Owl's voice rang out, accompanied by gunshots and explosions. "We're in docking bay number three. Bring the ship over here!"

Vegeta maneuvered the cargo ship slowly towards docking bay number three. Through the window, he saw Night Owl and Ray leading their team running towards them, followed by a large group of guards and robots.

"Get on board quickly!" Vegeta opened the hatch, and after everyone rushed on, he immediately closed the hatch, pushed the control lever hard, and the cargo ship shot out like an arrow.

Inside the facility behind them, the high explosives detonated precisely on time, sending a massive burst of flames soaring into the sky, blasting part of the facility into fragments. But Night Owl knew this wasn't the end... Mirror Lin Ye was still there, and the mysterious "broken wings" hadn't shown themselves. Although they had escaped this time, the real danger had only just begun.

Lei sat in the cabin, clutching the black device tightly in his hand, his heart filled with resentment: "Only half of the data was copied... I wonder if there are any crucial clues inside."

Night Owl patted him on the shoulder: "It's alright, at least we know the location of Mirror Lin Ye. Next, we need to find Lin Ye and the others as soon as possible and tell them this news."

Vegeta watched the facility outside the window shrink as it grew smaller, his brow furrowing even deeper: "Mirror Lin Ye... This time, I'm going to have a good fight with him."

Just then, a red dot suddenly appeared on the cargo ship's radar screen, moving at an astonishing speed, heading straight towards them. Night Owl's expression changed: "Damn it! It's an Observer's pursuit ship! And there's more than one!"

A new escape has begun.

Chapter 493: The Appearance of the Mirror Image and a Desperate Escape

"Mirror Lin Ye is here?!"

Inside the cargo hold of the freighter, Vegeta heard the message on the communicator, and his aura exploded instantly. A golden halo, crackling with sparks, shook the surrounding crates, causing them to vibrate. He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, his eyes filled with barely suppressed fighting spirit.

"Vegeta! Take back your ki!" Night Owl's roar immediately came through the communicator, urgent and urgent. "We haven't been exposed yet! If you keep causing trouble, the Observer's scanner will lock onto us immediately! Don't forget what we're here for... not to fight, but to deliver a message to Lin Ye!"

Vegeta gritted his teeth, a vein throbbing on his temple, and finally forced himself to suppress his anger. His fists, however, remained clenched so tightly they cracked, leaving shallow imprints on the metal floor beneath his feet: "Damn it! What are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

By this time, alarms throughout the facility were blaring, and red and blue warning lights flickered in the corridors, casting flickering light on everyone's faces. Night Owl led Team A along the walls, encountering two patrolling guards along the way. Before they could react, the guards were knocked unconscious with tranquilizer darts and dragged into the adjacent maintenance bay.

"Ray, how's it going over there?" Night Owl asked into the communicator.

"The explosives are loaded, and we're on our way to the second strongpoint!" Lei's voice was a little breathless. "The passages here are more winding than we expected, and I think I just heard someone following us..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled thud came from Lei's side, followed by a teammate's low shout: "Someone's here!"

Night Owl's heart tightened: "What's going on?"

"It's the Observer's security robots!" Ray's voice was urgent and breathless. "It's been taken care of, but the commotion might have attracted more people! We need to hurry!"

Just as Night Owl was about to reply, he suddenly heard heavy footsteps ahead. Two patrol teams had met up and were heading in their direction. He immediately gestured for his team to "hide," and the men quickly crawled into a nearby pipe inspection port, holding their breath.

Once the patrol team was out of sight, Night Owl breathed a sigh of relief and said into the communicator, "We'll rejoin you as soon as possible. Be careful."

Meanwhile, Lei and Team B finally reached the second support point. This was the load-bearing structure of the facility; if it were breached, the entire superstructure would collapse. The team members skillfully attached the explosives to the metal supports and pressed the timer: "Done! Detonate in ten minutes!"

"Withdraw!" Lei waved his hand, and just as the group turned around, they heard a "click" behind them. Suddenly, all the lights in the hall changed, and a dark red light enveloped the area, making people feel uneasy.

Immediately afterwards, a cold voice rang out through the hall's public address system, tinged with mocking laughter: "Game time is over, little mice."

Lei and his team tensed instantly, instinctively reaching for their weapons. They looked around and saw that the alloy gates at the front and back of the hall were slowly closing, sealing off all the exits.

"Oh no! We're surrounded!" one of the team members whispered.

The holographic projection in the center of the hall suddenly lit up, and the image of Lin Ye appeared in it. He was wearing his signature silver-white uniform, his mechanical left eye gleaming coldly, and a cat-and-mouse smile playing on his lips: "People from Wings of Freedom? They're like a persistent ghost."

His gaze swept over Lei and the others on the screen, laced with sarcasm: "I thought you could hold out a little longer, but I didn't expect you to fall into the trap so quickly. I was originally planning to wait for Lin Ye to come in person, but it doesn't matter... using your lives should make him feel a pang of regret."

"Enough nonsense!" Lei gritted his teeth, raising his energy gun and aiming it at the holographic projection. "Where did you hide the fragments of the Key of Creation?"

Lin Ye chuckled, "Where is it hidden? Of course, it's hidden somewhere you can never reach it. But... since you're so curious, I can let you see it."

He raised his hand and waved it, and one wall of the hall suddenly became transparent, revealing the laboratory behind it. Two transparent energy shields floated in the center of the laboratory, each containing a faintly glowing ore—fragments of the Key of Creation!

"See that?" Lin Ye's voice, shrouded in seduction, said, "This is what you've been dreaming of. Too bad, you'll never have the chance to take it."

"Fire!" Lei roared, and the team members immediately pulled the triggers, firing energy bullets at the holographic projection and the surrounding surveillance cameras. But the bullets only created ripples when they hit the projection, and were completely useless; the surveillance cameras were covered by protective shields, and the bullets only produced a few sparks when they hit them.

"It's useless." Mirror Lin Ye's smile grew even colder. "Everything here is under my control. You just wait and see..."

His words were suddenly interrupted by a furious roar... It was Vegeta!

"Night Owl! What on earth are you guys doing?!" Vegeta's voice boomed from the communicator, filled with rage. "I sense a disgusting aura! Is it that Mirror Lin Ye?!"

"Vegeta! Don't come any closer! It's a trap!" Night Owl shouted anxiously.

But it was too late. A deafening crash came from the cargo ship, like metal being ripped apart. A guard's scream immediately came through the communicator: "Someone's broken in! It's a Saiyan!"

Mirror Lin Ye raised an eyebrow, his tone showing more interest: "Oh? There's a Saiyan too? Good, saves me the trouble of looking for one."

He raised his hand and waved it, causing one of the alloy gates sealing the hall to suddenly twist and melt before exploding open with a loud "boom!" Vegeta, enveloped in golden flames, charged in like a cannonball, heading straight for the holographic projection: "You cowardly bastard! Come out and fight me if you dare!"

"Vegeta! Don't be impulsive!" Night Owl had just arrived at the entrance of the hall when he saw this scene, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.

But Vegeta didn't listen at all; his fist had already swung towards the holographic projection. But just then, the holographic projection suddenly disappeared, and a cold voice came from above: "As you wish."

Everyone looked up and saw the ceiling of the hall slowly open, revealing Mirror Image Lin Ye's true form floating in mid-air. He maintained his condescending posture, his mechanical eyes sweeping over Vegeta with disdain: "Saiyan? Just barbarians who fight based on instinct. Today, I'll show you what true power is like."

As he spoke, Mirror Lin Ye raised his hand, and a point of black light condensed at his fingertips. The light looked small, but it caused the entire hall to distort. Lei and his teammates even felt difficulty breathing, as if an invisible hand was choking them.