While Lin Ming was having his legendary encounter at the lake, a different kind of battle was being waged in a darkened room miles away.
The room was a chaotic nest of wires, glowing monitors, and stacks of empty instant noodle cups. In the center of it all sat a girl, no older than nineteen, her face illuminated by the cascade of green code scrolling across her multiple screens.
This was Minh Thu. A prodigy, a phantom, a ghost in the vast ASEAN military network. She was one of the alliance's most valuable and most secret assets—a super-hacker with unparalleled skills in data warfare and counter-intelligence.
But for all her genius in the digital world, she struggled in the real one. Her social skills were close to zero, and her grasp of day-to-day life was tenuous at best.
Right now, she was deep in a digital trench, fighting off an aggressive cyber-attack.
INTRUSION DETECTED // SECTOR_7G_DATA_VAULT // MADAKAROS_SIGNATURE
"No, no, no," she mumbled to herself, her fingers flying across her keyboard in a blur. "You don't get to see the pretty logistics files. Bad aliens. Shoo."
With a few final, elegant keystrokes, she slammed a digital door, routed the attack into a looping quarantine folder (a "code cage"), and began tracing the signal's origin.
It was slippery, bouncing off three different satellites, but she was better. Her own code, designed like a pack of hunting dogs, latched onto its trail.
A minute later, a location appeared on her map. An abandoned warehouse district on the very edge of Hanoi's jurisdiction.
She let out a small "eep" of satisfaction and opened a secure communication line. "Agent Hien," she said, her voice small and monotone, "I have located the source of the data breach attempts. Warehouse District 4. Hostile signal is still active."
In the Blacklight facility, Agent Hien's comms unit buzzed. She listened to the report, her expression hardening. "They're getting bolder. Sending a team. Good work, Minerva."
"Minerva" was Minh Thu's codename. She disconnected the call, blinked her tired eyes, and reached for another cup of instant noodles.
Her job was done. She found the ghosts; it was up to others to exorcise them.
The next morning, Lin Ming received a formal summons. Not to school, but to the Dragon's Fang training facility—the same Blacklight building from before.
He arrived to find Agent Hien waiting for him. Quynh Nhu was also there, leaning against a wall and meticulously cleaning her massive sniper rifle, seemingly oblivious to the world.
"Lin Ming," Agent Hien said, getting straight to the point. "You passed the assessment. This makes you a provisional candidate.
Provisional candidates can be called upon for active-duty assignments under supervision. We have one for you."
"An assignment?" Lin Ming asked, his interest piqued.
"Last night, our cyber-warfare division tracked a Madakaros intelligence unit to Warehouse District 4. They've been trying to hack our supply chain logistics," Hien explained, pulling up a map on a large holo-display. "We believe it's a small team, likely a tech-specialist and a few guards. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to join the raid team. Your role: close-quarters combat support."
[Urgent Mission Issued: The Warehouse Purge!]
[Objective: Assist the Blacklight team in neutralizing the Madakaros intelligence unit.]
[Bonus Objective: Secure any enemy technology intact.]
[Danger Level: High. This is not a simulation. Opponents are real and will use lethal force.]
[Reward: Substantial Battle Will Points, Military Merits, and a chance to impress your snippy loli colleague.]
This was the opportunity he was looking for. A real fight. A chance to test himself, and Thuan Thien, against the alien enemy.
"I accept," he said without hesitation.
Quynh Nhu looked up from her rifle. "He accepts? Just like that? Doesn't he want to know who's leading the mission?" She pointed a thumb at herself. "It's me. You'll be following my orders, Scrawny. Try to keep up."
Agent Hien elaborated, "Quynh Nhu will provide overwatch and be the mission commander. You will be on the two-man entry team."
"Two-man? Who's my partner?" Lin Ming asked.
A side door hissed open, and his "partner" walked in. It was Pham Tuan. He was dressed in tactical gear, his expression sullen. He flinched slightly when he saw Lin Ming.
"Due to your demonstrated CQC capabilities and Tuan's status as an Awakened," Hien explained coolly, "Central Command feels this pairing offers the highest chance of success. Put your personal history aside. On the field, you are a team. Understood?"
Lin Ming understood perfectly. This was another test. A test of teamwork and professionalism. He nodded. Pham Tuan grunted in affirmation, avoiding eye contact.
Quynh Nhu smirked. "Oh, this is going to be fun. It's like a bad buddy-cop movie. Let's move out, 'heroes'."
They were transported to the edge of the warehouse district, a decaying industrial graveyard. Quynh Nhu found her perch atop a rusting water tower, giving her a commanding view of the target warehouse.
"Okay, boys, listen up," her voice crackled through their earpieces. "I have thermal. Two sentries patrolling the exterior. I count three heat signatures inside. One is stationary and running hot—that's our techie. The other two are moving. Your job is to make a quiet entry, take out the inside targets, and secure the tech. I'll deal with the outside guards. On my mark."
Lin Ming and Pham Tuan took their positions near a side entrance. Lin Ming had Thuan Thien strapped to his back, still in its unassuming cloth wrapping. In his hands, he held a standard military combat knife. Pham Tuan clutched a stun rifle, his knuckles white.
"Don't get in my way," Pham Tuan muttered.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Lin Ming replied calmly.
A moment of silence passed. Then, Quynh Nhu's voice came through, as calm as ice. "Targets acquired. Two less cockroaches in the world." There were two barely audible pfft sounds from her silenced rifle. "Exterior is clear. Go, go, go."
Lin Ming kicked the door open and they flooded in.
The warehouse was a cavernous space filled with decaying crates and machinery. In the center, a Madakaros with three eyes was furiously typing at a holographic console, surrounded by strange, alien tech. He shrieked in their native tongue when he saw them.
Two other Madakaros warriors, clad in light armor and wielding energy pistols, turned and opened fire immediately.
Pham Tuan, as an Awakened, reacted with incredible speed. He dove behind a stack of crates, returning fire with his stun rifle. Beams of red and blue energy crisscrossed the dusty air.
The two Madakaros warriors split up. One engaged Pham Tuan in a firefight. The other one, a hulking brute, sneered and charged directly at Lin Ming, drawing a wicked-looking serrated blade.
The alien was fast and strong, far stronger than a normal human. But to Lin Ming, now at Mid-Stage Qi Refining, he was clumsy. The alien swung its blade in a wide, decapitating arc.
Lin Ming didn't even draw his legendary sword. He sidestepped the attack, the blade whizzing past his ear. As the alien's momentum carried it forward, Lin Ming dropped his knife and, in one fluid motion, unwrapped Thuan Thien.
The Madakaros warrior sensed the sudden, terrifying shift in power. It tried to stop, its three eyes wide with panic. It was too late.
Lin Ming swung.
He didn't put much force into it. He let the sword do the work. Thuan Thien, carrying the Will of Heaven, sliced through the air with a faint hum. It passed clean through the alien's torso—through its armor, its body, everything.
There was no sound of cutting. Just a silent, perfect slice.
The alien warrior froze, a look of confusion on its face. Then, its upper body slid cleanly off its lower half, crashing to the floor with a wet thud. The cut was so clean, so absolute, that not a single drop of blood had sprayed.
[First Madakaros Kill!]
[Legendary Weapon 'Thuan Thien' is very pleased.]
[+800 Battle Will Points.]
[System Advisory: Please be aware that your 'practice kendo stick' appears to be extremely effective.]
Lin Ming stood there for a second, a silent specter of death. In the distance, he heard Quynh Nhu's voice in his ear, tinged with disbelief.
"...Holy crap, Scrawny... What kind of knife was that?"