"Why did he attack me? Weren't we companions..." Zangya's eyes were vacant as she muttered to herself, one hand covering her wounded waist.
Karnel sneered, "There's no real reason. Do you think these rampaging criminals actually care about so-called companions? In their eyes, there are only two kinds of people: those who are useful, and these can naturally be regarded as 'companions', and the other type..." He gestured dismissively at her. "Trash like you've become, who offer them no benefit."
"No value... I just hesitated for a moment and Bido immediately treated me like garbage," Zangya said in a low voice as she propped herself up with one hand. The pain in her waist made her frown involuntarily, a slight moan escaping from the corner of her mouth.
"You should be grateful that you didn't attack me," Karnel said indifferently. With a casual wave through the void, he withdrew one of his ten remaining senzu beans and tossed it toward Zangya.
She could clearly see what had happened to Bido. If she had made a move, her fate wouldn't have been much better. After a moment of silence, Zangya examined the small bean between her fingers. "What is this?"
"Eat it quickly. It's a senzu bean produced on Earth that can instantly heal your injuries," Karnel crouched down and pressed his hand against Zangya's injured waist.
Tsk tsk, what ruthless destruction of beauty, two ribs broken.
Zangya dubiously placed the senzu bean in her mouth, bit down, and swallowed. Immediately, her body surged with life force from an unknown source, her strength returning instantly.
"What a miraculous thing..." Zangya quickly stood up, running her hands up and down her body. She focused particularly on checking the serious injury at her waist several times, but found no trace of damage at all!
Karnel awkwardly looked away from Zangya's chest.
"What's wrong? I'm just checking if there's anything wrong with my body," Zangya said, confused, her hands still pressing against her chest twice more for good measure.
Damn! Karnel cursed internally, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he said, "No, feel free to... examine yourself. I was just observing and saying nothing!"
"It's truly amazing, everything's completely healed!" Zangya said happily after spinning around twice.
Karnel wasn't surprised. After all, things like senzu beans couldn't be found anywhere else except Earth, even items with similar effects.
"Hehe, so do you still want to continue with those so-called companions of yours?" Karnel asked with slow mockery.
Hearing this, Zangya's expression showed internal struggle and uncertainty. Although her attitude toward Karnel, who had just saved her life, had improved considerably, the thought of escaping from him was still very important to someone who had been free for so many years.
It was just... there was still their leader Bojack, and her partner Bujin. Companions who had been with her for tens of thousands of years weren't something she could simply abandon. Even if Bido had betrayed her, the other two might not be the same.
Zangya still harbored a glimmer of hope in her heart.
"Alright, let's go!"
Karnel saw that Zangya still held such hope for her remaining two companions and didn't try to persuade her otherwise, though he shook his head internally. She has to suffer losses and nearly die before giving up, thinking the remaining two violent criminals are different! It's so stubbornly persistent...
What happened to those common novel scenarios where the protagonist's imposing presence makes a bunch of underlings cry and shout to worship him as their boss? Why doesn't that happen to me? Have I not proven myself? Am I not the protagonist?!
"This is another sealed planet in the Southern Galaxy where Bujin is imprisoned. It's exactly like Bido's sealed planet, another barren wasteland. Ah, those old King Kai were quite... considerate, choosing such lovely planets to confine you all."
Karnel brought Zangya to a similarly desolate planet in the Southern Galaxy. After a brief glance around, there was nothing worth seeing, no scenery whatsoever.
"Are you sure you want to let Bujin out? It might be better for him to stay sealed than to emerge..." Karnel landed on the ground and spoke softly, leaving the decision to Zangya. Although the Galaxy Warriors' strength could be considered notable in the current universe, in his opinion they weren't worth mentioning. It didn't matter whether he released them or not, they'd just swagger around ignorantly before being crushed to death.
Zangya hesitated slightly, understanding what Karnel meant. The best-case scenario for releasing Bujin would be imprisonment and loss of freedom like herself. The worst case would be direct annihilation, truly no better than remaining in the seal.
"Can you... not kill him?" Zangya's voice was somewhat pleading. Even Bido had been killed with a single blow, she had no confidence that Bujin could escape from Karnel's hands.
Karnel was momentarily stunned, completely not expecting Zangya to beg for another violent criminal. A flash of murderous intent passed beneath his eyelids as he replied flatly, "That depends on whether he knows his place or not."
A single punch struck the ground, the tremendous force creating countless cracks that stretched across the planet's surface. The seal was naturally destroyed! With a thunderous crash, massive amounts of yellow sand and soil erupted hundreds of meters into the air from the seal's center, and a figure leaped out of the hole.
"Bujin..."
Zangya's body moved forward about ten meters before stopping. Having been betrayed and attacked by Bido, her heart remained vigilant, she wasn't as joyful as she'd been the first time seeing another companion from the past.
Bujin was a sturdy, powerfully built man whose physique wasn't much different from a human's. Having just escaped confinement, he saw Zangya flying over with apparent joy, but when he noticed someone behind her, his body stopped mid-air. His eyes looked puzzledly between Zangya and Karnel behind her.
"Zangya, excellent work! After you escaped, I see you've even taken on a compagnion with you. But I wonder how strong he is, we Galaxy Warriors don't accept any weaklings!" Bujin praised her, then gave Karnel a vicious look. Even a fool could see the provocation in it.