Lam Minh remained hidden on the branch, his entire aura retracted to its absolute minimum. He was like a part of the night itself, silently observing the drama unfolding below. His heart grew a few degrees colder. The enemy had infiltrated deeper than he had imagined.
Down in the clearing, the group of nearly ten students had gathered. They looked at the instructor, the man they had respected and feared during the day, with an entirely different expression: one of fanaticism and worship.
"Greetings, Emissary," the leading student said, his voice full of reverence. "We have completed today's test. No one suspects a thing."
The instructor, whose name was Hung Ba, nodded in satisfaction. The stern demeanor of a soldier had vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating smile.
"Very good," he said. "The Holy Master is very pleased with your progress. Your enthusiasm and thirst for power are the very foundation for a new world."
He opened the small box in his hand. Inside were black medicinal pills, emitting a faint, dark aura.
"This is the 'Holy Origin Pill,' a reward for your efforts," he said. "It will help you break through even faster, to surpass those foolish purebloods. Remember, only power is truth. Human emotions and morals are nothing but weak shackles."
He began distributing the pills to each student. They received them with joyous expressions, as if they had just been given holy relics.
From his perch in the tree, Lam Minh frowned. He recognized that this pill was not just a simple stimulant. It contained a small amount of processed Madakaros genes, combined with some kind of dark magic. It could help the user advance their cultivation rapidly, but the price was that it would slowly erode their humanity, turning them into mindless fighting machines who only knew how to obey, and eventually, their bodies would also be transformed.
This was a method of slow poisoning, both physically and spiritually.
"Emissary," another student asked, "when can we officially be granted the 'Saint's Awakening'?"
Hung Ba smiled. "Soon. When you have proven your absolute loyalty and strength. The Holy Master is preparing for a grand plan. And you are the vanguards in that plan. You will be the first to witness the dawn of a new race."
His words were full of enchantment, making the young, naive students even more fanatical.
Lam Minh silently used a miniature recording device integrated into his watch to capture the entire scene and conversation. He didn't act immediately. Killing these people now would be easy. But he wanted more. He wanted to find out who was behind Hung Ba, to know what this "grand plan" he spoke of was.
After distributing the pills and giving a few more instructions, Hung Ba signaled for the group to disperse. They quickly scattered, vanishing into the forest in different directions, leaving no trace behind.
Hung Ba was the last to leave. He carefully erased the footprints, then also returned to the instructors' quarters.
Lam Minh didn't tail Hung Ba. He knew that a cautious man like him would surely have countermeasures in place.
He tailed a different target.
One of the other students. A boy who seemed the weakest and most hesitant of the group.
He silently followed him, maintaining a safe distance. The student didn't return to the dormitory right away but went to a small stream, sitting alone on a rock, his expression complicated.
He looked at the 'Holy Origin Pill' in his hand, his eyes showing both desire and fear.
Lam Minh knew this was the weakest link.
He slowly materialized from the shadows, standing behind the student.
"Good medicine," he said, his voice calm. "Take it, and you can get stronger instantly. But I wonder what the side effects are?"
The student jumped in fright, nearly dropping the pill. He turned around and saw Lam Minh standing there, his face drained of all color.
"Head... Headmaster!" he stammered, hastily hiding the pill behind his back.
"No need to hide it. I saw everything," Lam Minh said, walking over and sitting down beside him. He didn't exude any killing intent, nor did he seem to be interrogating. He just sat there, looking down at the stream.
His calmness made the student even more terrified.
"I... I don't know anything... I was just..."
"What's your name?" Lam Minh interrupted.
"Sir... my name is... Khoa..."
"Khoa," Lam Minh repeated. "Why did you do it? You knew there was something wrong with that pill, didn't you?"
Khoa hung his head low, silent.
Lam Minh sighed. "Because you want to be stronger, right? Because you feel weak, because you're afraid of being left behind, because you want to be a hero too?"
Lam Minh's words hit Khoa's insecurities right on the mark. He began to tremble, then burst into sobs.
"I... I didn't want to... But they said... if I didn't join, they would... eliminate me..." he said between sobs. "They said this was the only way to become strong, to survive in this world..."
Lam Minh listened quietly. He understood the desperation of these young people. They were born in war, grew up in fear. The desire for power to protect themselves was completely natural. And the "Saintly Way" had exploited that very desire to sow the seeds of evil.
"Now, you have a chance," Lam Minh said, his voice becoming serious. "A chance to atone for your mistakes. A chance to truly become a hero, not a puppet in someone else's hands."
He looked directly into Khoa's eyes. "Help me. Tell me everything you know about them. Who is the leader? What is their next plan?"
Khoa looked at Lam Minh, his eyes filled with hesitation and fear. He was afraid of the "Saintly Way's" retaliation, but he was also afraid of the headmaster's gaze.
This was a choice that would decide his entire life.
And Lam Minh would patiently wait for that choice.
...
Under the cold moonlight, Khoa's sobs gradually subsided, leaving only choked hiccups. He sat there, head bowed, hands clenched, an intense battle raging within him.
Lam Minh didn't press him. He just sat silently beside him, tossing small pebbles into the stream, creating ripples that spread outward. His silence carried more weight than any threat.
After a long while, Khoa finally looked up, his red-rimmed eyes meeting Lam Minh's.
"If... if I help you, sir," he asked tremulously, "they... they will kill me. Emissary Hung Ba won't spare me. And neither will the people behind him."
"I know," Lam Minh replied, his voice calm. "But if you don't help me, do you think you'll have a better end? You'll continue to take that poison, and one day, you'll no longer be yourself. You'll become a monster, a killing machine, and then you'll die a meaningless death on the battlefield. Is that the end you want?"
Khoa fell silent. Lam Minh's words were like knives, stabbing straight into his deepest fears.
"But if you help me," Lam Minh continued, his voice carrying a strange, reassuring power, "I can't promise you absolute safety. But I promise, I will protect you. I will give you a chance to start over, a chance to become the person you truly want to be."
He looked directly into his student's eyes. "More importantly, you will have peace of mind. You won't have to live in fear and torment every day. The choice is yours, Khoa. Become a puppet in the hands of evil, or become a hero who fights for justice, even if it means sacrifice."
Lam Minh's words, both an analysis and an encouragement, slowly broke down Khoa's final defensive shell.
He took a deep breath, then nodded decisively. "I... I will help you, sir!"
Lam Minh smiled. "Good. A wise decision."
He began to ask questions. And Khoa, having made his decision, told him everything he knew.
He recounted that Hung Ba was the direct "emissary" of the "Saintly Way" at the academy. He had secretly approached students with weak minds, a blind thirst for power, or difficult family circumstances to recruit them.
He promised them power, a bright future, and used the "Holy Origin Pills" as bait. Gradually, he had built a small but loyal network right inside the academy.
"What is his plan?" Lam Minh asked.
"I don't know the details," Khoa shook his head. "Instructor Hung Ba is very careful, he never talks about specifics. He only says that this academy is a perfect 'nursery.' And when the time is right, we will be the 'seeds' sown into the military, into government agencies, to slowly seize power from within."
A chill ran down Lam Minh's spine. This was an incredibly insidious plan. They didn't just want to destroy from the outside, but also to rot the entire ASEAN bloc from within.
"How does Hung Ba usually contact his superiors?"
"Through a special device," Khoa said. "Once a month, he goes to a secret location in this forest to receive orders and new 'medicine.' The next time will be on the night of the full moon next week."
Lam Minh nodded. This was the information he needed.
"Alright, Khoa," he said. "Now, listen carefully. Your mission isn't over. On the contrary, it has just begun."
He gave Khoa a small, white pill that emitted a pure spiritual aura. "This is a 'Marrow Cleansing Pill.' It will help you eliminate the toxins of the 'Holy Origin Pill' from your body. Take it."
Without hesitation, Khoa swallowed the pill. He immediately felt a warm current spread throughout his body, and the previous feelings of discomfort and restlessness gradually disappeared.
"From now on," Lam Minh continued, "you will continue to play the part of a loyal member. Keep taking Hung Ba's pills, but don't ingest them. Pretend your cultivation is still progressing. Try to gain his trust, and find out the exact location he will be going to next week."
"Sir... you want me to be a mole?" Khoa asked, astonished.
"That's right," Lam Minh said. "This is the only way we can catch Hung Ba and possibly the person behind him. Can you do it?"
Khoa looked at Lam Minh, then down at his own hands. He clenched his fists. The fear was still there, but something else, something stronger, was rising. It was courage.
"I... I will do my best, Headmaster!"
"Good," Lam Minh clapped him on the shoulder. "Remember, you are not fighting alone. I will always be watching from behind and protecting you."
He handed Khoa a very ordinary-looking shirt button. "This is a micro-communication and tracking device. If there's an emergency, just press it three times. I will be there immediately."
After giving his instructions, Lam Minh vanished into the darkness.
Khoa was left alone by the stream. He looked at the remaining 'Holy Origin Pill' in his hand, then, without hesitation, threw it into the water.
He stood up and walked back to the dormitory. His gait no longer held fear or timidity.
A new pawn had been placed on the chessboard. A pawn that not even the puppet masters of the "Saintly Way" could have anticipated. And it might just be the pawn that would change the entire game.