After the Divine Beast Kim Quy left, Lam Minh sat in the cave for a long time, trying to sort through the shocking information he had just received. His identity, the secret of the Thuan Thien sword, the existence of a traitorous organization from decades ago... all of it made his path forward seem hazy but also full of challenges.
He temporarily set aside the questions about his identity. As Kim Quy had said, that was a path he had to find for himself. For now, the important thing was to deal with what was left of this base and return.
He didn't destroy the base immediately. He did a sweep, collecting all the remaining research data and experimental equipment. Although they were the products of evil, they also contained priceless information about the gene-fusion technology of the "Sacred Cult" and the Madakaros. He sealed all of it in his storage ring, planning to hand it over to To Quyen and the ASEAN scientists for research.
After "cleaning up," he stood in the center of the base, channeled his Golden Core, created a giant fireball, and incinerated the entire place to ash, erasing all traces of its existence.
Then, he exited the tunnel. The soldiers and children had been rescued by a Blacklight special forces team, led by General Khang himself, and taken to safety. His rescue mission was a complete success.
He contacted Lac Long Quan, reporting that he had completed his mission and was on his way back to Lac Hong Academy.
A week later, at Lac Hong Academy.
The return of the "missing Headmaster" Lam Minh didn't cause too much of a stir, because most people didn't know where he had gone or what he had done. He simply reappeared in his office, as if he had just taken a walk around the school.
He convened a meeting with his "management staff."
To Quyen, Quynh Nhu, and Ly Thien Ba were all present. He handed over all the data and equipment he had collected to To Quyen.
"This is what I recovered from a secret base of a traitorous organization called the 'Sacred Cult of World Salvation'," he said, his tone serious. "They specialize in kidnapping humans for gene-fusion experiments with the Madakaros. To Quyen, please give this to your mother and the top scientists. Study it, find their weaknesses, and find a way to treat the victims."
Hearing his words, all three of them were stunned.
"You... you destroyed one of their bases by yourself?" Ly Thien Ba stammered.
"It was just luck," Lam Minh replied curtly, not wanting to explain much.
He looked at Quynh Nhu. "Use your connections in Blacklight, coordinate with General Khang, and investigate the name 'Sacred Cult of World Salvation.' Look for any information related to a traitorous organization that has existed for 60 years. This enemy is much more dangerous than we thought."
Quynh Nhu nodded seriously. She knew this was an extremely important mission.
The meeting ended. Lam Minh thought he could finally rest a bit. But he was wrong.
Just as he stepped out of the meeting room, he saw General Khang waiting for him.
"Can we talk for a moment, Headmaster?" General Khang said, his tone a little strange.
They went to a secluded spot.
"Thank you for saving my soldiers," General Khang said. "And the children too. You have once again performed a great service."
"It was the right thing to do, sir," Lam Minh replied.
"But there's something... I think you need to know," General Khang said, his expression becoming complex. "After interrogating the rescued soldiers, we discovered something disturbing."
"What is it, sir?"
"They said they were captured during a patrol. But their unit wasn't attacked by the 'Holy Children,' but by... a regular Madakaros army unit."
Lam Minh was stunned. "How is that possible? The Madakaros and the 'Sacred Cult' are working together?"
"It's not as simple as cooperation," General Khang shook his head. "According to the commanding officer's account, that Madakaros unit seemed to only have the mission of capturing them alive, and then handed them over to the 'Holy Children.' It's like... the Madakaros are working for the 'Sacred Cult'."
A silence fell.
This information was even more shocking than what Lam Minh already knew.
A human organization that could command and control the Madakaros army? What did this mean?
It meant that the position of the "Sacred Cult" in the enemy's ranks was even higher than that of the Madakaros clans invading Earth.
"Their Holy Master, who is he really?" Lam Minh murmured, a chill running down his spine.
He realized that the enemy he was facing was not just a group of traitors. Behind them was a conspiracy, a force far larger and more terrifying.
He thought he had won a battle, destroyed one of their dens. But perhaps, it was all just a part of a much larger chess game.
And his appearance had, perhaps, inadvertently disturbed that chessboard, causing the puppeteers in the shadows to take notice.
An undercurrent had begun. And he was at the center of that wave.
...
While Lam Minh and the ASEAN military were trying to piece together the fragmented information, in a dark place somewhere, a silent fury was spreading.
At a main base, much larger and more heavily guarded than any place Lam Minh had ever seen.
In a grand hall carved from obsidian, the mysterious figure sat on a throne of white bone. Below, a black shadow knelt on one knee, reporting respectfully.
"...Base 73 in the Hoang Lien Son mountain range has been completely destroyed. Deacon Hac Moc and all the Holy Children have been eliminated. We have lost all contact."
"Lost contact?" the voice of the person on the throne echoed, without a trace of emotion. "Or wiped out without a trace?"
"This subordinate... dares not say for sure," the black shadow trembled. "But the soul restriction on Hac Moc was activated before he died. This proves that the enemy tried to read his memories."
The person on the throne was silent for a moment. Their long, slender fingers tapped lightly on the armrest.
"Someone with the ability to read memories... who can destroy a base protected by a Golden Core... who can also neutralize an entire 'Night Shadow' squad... How interesting."
"Holy Master," the black shadow looked up. "This person's movements are too mysterious and their power is unpredictable. They have become a major threat to our operations. This subordinate requests permission to dispatch the 'Twelve Holy Envoys' to hunt them down."
Hearing the "Twelve Holy Envoys," the air in the great hall seemed to cool by several degrees.
"Not necessary," the Holy Master said. "Using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken is not my style. This person, though strong, is still too naive. He acts on emotion, letting his anger control him. He has already revealed his weakness."
"Weakness?"
"Yes. The foolish 'righteousness' of the human race," the Holy Master sneered. "He saved those hostages, those useless experimental subjects. That proves he cares about weak lives. And that is his Achilles' heel."
The Holy Master stood up and slowly descended. "I will not hunt him. I will force him to come to us."
"Pass down my order," the Holy Master commanded. "Increase our activities in the Eastern sector. Find a small city or a human settlement outside the Great Wall, a place with a sufficient population but weak defenses. I want you to... prepare for a very large 'sacrifice'."
The black shadow kneeling on the ground shuddered. He understood the Holy Master's meaning. This was an extremely cruel move.
"Yes, my lord! But... what if that 'Silver-Haired War God' intervenes?"
"He will not intervene," the Holy Master said. "The ceasefire agreement is still in effect. He cannot casually act outside the Great Wall without a big enough reason. Besides, this time, we will not show our faces. Let our Madakaros 'puppets' do the work. Everything will look like a normal resource raid by the Madakaros. No one can find fault."
This was a trap. A trap set not to catch Lam Minh, but to force him to walk into it himself. The Holy Master knew that with Lam Minh's personality, he could never turn a blind eye when he saw thousands of innocent people about to be turned into sacrifices.
"Make it very noisy," the Holy Master added. "So that the news can reach the ears of our 'hero.' I am very curious to see what he will do this time."
Lam Minh, now back at Lac Hong Academy, was completely unaware that a giant trap was being set for him.
He was spending his time digesting the "Myriad Waters Return to Source" mental art that Kim Quy had passed to him. This technique didn't help him attack stronger, but it provided an incredible defensive and recovery ability. His spiritual energy became as resilient and gentle as water, able to neutralize most of his opponent's attacks. When combined with his Dragon God bloodline, his self-healing ability had reached a terrifying level, almost able to regenerate severed limbs in a short amount of time.
He also spent time teaching his "Seed Squad," helping them consolidate their strength.
Life seemed to have returned to peace.
But that peace didn't last long.
One evening, while he was meditating, his military-grade tablet suddenly vibrated.
It was an urgent message from Minh Thu.
This time, it wasn't lines of code or emojis. It was a short video, shot hastily and shakily from an unknown device.
The video showed a small city engulfed in flames. Countless Madakaros were slaughtering the civilians. And in the center of the city, a group of "Holy Children" were escorting hundreds of civilians, including the elderly and children, in a certain direction.
And at the end of the video was a zoomed-in image of a symbol, drawn in blood on the wall of a ruined building.
A smiley face :).
It was a message. A provocation.
Meant exclusively for him.