At this moment, outside the city gates, a thick night had already fallen.

  The sky was pitch black, devoid of moon or stars, as gusts of cold wind blew across the vast stone courtyard, carrying a faint whistling sound that weaved between the ancient citadel walls. Torchlight hanging along the palace walls flickered in the wind, casting wavering streaks of light onto the stone surface, just enough to illuminate the path through the darkness.

  Under that flickering yellow light, a dilapidated horse-drawn carriage sat quietly parked before the gate.

  The carriage was piled high with vegetables and fruits, as if prepared to be brought to the market for trade at the crack of dawn. A small oil lamp hanging from the side of the vehicle swayed in the breeze, its weak light hitting the baskets covered in coarse cloth, creating shifting, blurry shadows.

  At the front, an old man with a hunched back, clad in a coarse cloth cloak and a hat covering half his face, sat silently holding the reins. No one noticed that amidst the silence of the late night, that carriage seemed to have arrived early… unusually so.

  A black shadow quickly emerged from the darkness behind the citadel wall, hurriedly handing a sphere to the guard who had been bribed beforehand.

  The guard received it with both hands, his eyes momentarily tensed with anxiety. He immediately handed the object to the man sitting on the carriage. As soon as the vital material had been transferred, the carriage rolled away from the city gate, vanishing into the freezing night.

  The guard lowered his voice, both wary and curious:

  – “How could you break into the underground technological world so many times without being detected? I wouldn't even dare set foot down there.”

  The black shadow glanced around, his breath heavy and his heart still racing after the dangerous mission:

  – “I’m scared too… but the profit is too great. Just a few more rounds, and I can leave this place and find myself a royal life. I’ve waited for that day for a very long time.”

  The guard peeked around cautiously, his voice dropping:

  – “Only by being a guard in Demon King Satan’s palace did I learn that the Royal Family's entire advanced technological world lies deep underground. The only way in or out is through a space portal… But why were you so fast today?”

  The black shadow paused for a beat, his voice slightly hesitant:

  – “I found it strange too. Normally, high-level secret agents patrol heavily; even a fly would find it hard to slip through. Luckily, I know the way so I didn’t get lost… but today, there was no one on guard. Even the solid steel vault — where the black core energy is kept — had no supervision.”

  Hearing that, the guard instinctively scratched his head, a flicker of unease in his eyes:

  – “Could they have been deployed elsewhere… But that doesn't make sense… that place is the heart of this entire empire, how could they be so careless…”

  Leaving the city gates, the horse-drawn carriage plunged into a night so thick it seemed to swallow every sound.

  Above, flocks of black crows and demon-faced bats flew low, hovering along the route like invisible shadows. The rapid rhythmic pounding of hooves echoed through the silent void, mingling with the creaking of wooden wheels grinding against the rugged gravel road. Cold wind shrieked through the towering ancient trees, causing branches to clash against one another in long, rustling whispers that sounded like warnings from the darkness. Under the pale moonlight, distorted trunks cast shadows upon the ground, forming flickering shapes that seemed to silently stalk the fleeing carriage.

  The driver — the hunched old man — was actually a disguised goblin. He gripped the reins so tightly his knuckles turned white, his eyes flickering with unease even as he tried to maintain the rhythm of the whip.

  His voice was hoarse, almost as if reassuring himself:

  – “Must leave before dawn… if this trip goes smoothly… that amount of money is enough for me to live in luxury for the rest of my life…”

  A beat of silence.

  He swallowed hard, his eyes darting back into the night as if fearing something was following him:

  – “…it’s worth the risk.”

  ***

  At the Mayor’s villa, the lights remained bright amidst the quiet night.

  Victor sat on the sofa, slowly lighting a cigar with a match, the small flame casting a glow over his calculating face. Meanwhile, Amanda paced back and forth incessantly in the living room, her hands tightly clasped together, her hurried footsteps unable to hide the turmoil in her heart.

  Victor frowned, his voice a low growl:

  – “You’re walking back and forth like that so much it’s making me dizzy.”

  Amanda paused for a moment then quickly stepped to the window, pulling back the curtain to look out at the pitch-black courtyard outside. Her gaze wavered, her breathing becoming heavy:

  – “I don’t know… but today I just feel uneasy… as if something is about to happen… will we be found out, Victor…”

  Victor stood up, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke slowly, trying to maintain an air of calm. He stepped up to stand beside the window:

  – “We’ve done this so many times, and every time it went smoothly. Don’t go scaring yourself.”

  ***

  At another luxurious villa in the city — the residence of the nobleman who also served as the powerful Presiding Judge of the court — behind discreetly carved wooden doors lay an absolutely isolated private room.

  Inside, beneath the flickering candlelight, a machine operating a space portal sat in silent presence.

  The dark metal reflected the weak light, creating a sensation of bone-chilling coldness.

  The device had a compact design but carried the dangerous beauty of forbidden technology.

  The main body was a dish-shaped metal plate, crafted from a special alloy that reflected almost no light. On its surface, countless geometric patterns interlaced into complex concentric circles — looking like ancient runes, but in reality, they were superconducting energy circuits.

  These engraved grooves were not merely for decoration.

  They were “spatial pathways” — where energy flows were forced to run along a predetermined orbit to avoid turbulence.

  At the center was a slender antenna, rising straight up like a needle.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  The tip of the antenna connected to a surrounding energy-induction ring system, consisting of several thin metal rings hovering at infinitesimal distances from one another. When activated, these rings would rotate out of phase, creating a stable oscillation field that allowed for the precise positioning of target coordinates in multi-dimensional space.

  The antenna was the “drill bit” that pierced through the boundaries between worlds.

  A deviation of even one-thousandth of a unit could cause the portal to open into an infinite void.

  Or worse — be torn apart by the spatial flow.

  The nobleman stood before the device, slowly using a silk handkerchief to wipe every detail as if tending to a treasure.

  In his eyes, there was not a hint of reverence for the technology.

  Only possession.

  His voice was low, almost a whisper:

  – “You… are my source of endless profit.”

  He paused, his fingers gliding lightly over the machine’s frame:

  – “My goose that lays the golden eggs.”

  Back on Earth, inside Nicolas’s villa, he was preparing for tonight’s trip.

  Inside his backpack were the essentials for a mountain journey along with a pre-charged stun gun. On the desk, the laptop displayed an image of Trang. His gaze lingered for a long time on that face — the face he had been searching for all this time.

  Nicolas placed the stun gun into the backpack, then turned back to look at the screen, his eyes gleaming with yearning:

  – “When will I finally see you? Where are you? Please, appear so I can admire this beauty… the beauty I have always craved.”

  Just then, Grimm entered, bowing his head:

  – “Master, the transport is ready. Are we departing at the fixed time tonight, or are there any changes?”

  Nicolas continued packing his gear:

  – “Same as usual… hopefully, there will be no complications.”

  Grimm showed a hint of worry:

  – “This subordinate is concerned that those on Demon King Satan’s side or Count Din might discover our operation.”

  Hearing that, Nicolas suddenly remembered that all images and information regarding Trang were non-existent in any database. He spoke in a harsh tone:

  – “As for that other matter, how far has the investigation gone?”

  Grimm replied:

  – “Fortunately, we still managed to keep a photo of this girl. I have collaborated with high-level hackers and…”

  Nicolas whipped around:

  – “And what else? Speak clearly.”

  Grimm swallowed hard under the interrogation:

  – “Her image leads to a link within the Satan Royal mafia organization.”

  Nicolas’s eyes widened as he slammed his hand down on the table:

  – “What? Why… why is she involved with him? Just what is this girl’s relationship with that organization?”

  Grimm shook his head, his face turning slightly pale:

  – “This subordinate does not know… the encryption security layer of the Satan Royal Family is too complex… no hacker has been able to decrypt it.”

  Nicolas stood silent for a moment, then stepped to the window to look out at the daylight outside. The sunlight shone through the transparent glass, but his face remained cold, his eyes flickering with resentment:

  – “He is the king of a planet possessing state-of-the-art technology… even designing and manufacturing weapons with attack precision down to the millimeter…”

  He slightly clenched his fist:

  – “This girl… is certainly not simple.”

  At the Bình Chánh general headquarters, the curved screens were displaying data along with the location of the IP address that had just intentionally breached the system's encryption layer.

  Crown Prince Arian, his hands still gliding over the hologram keyboard, his eyes never leaving the screen:

  – “Father, they have made their move. Do you have a plan?”

  Demon King Satan stepped up behind Arian. His amber eyes followed each line of analyzed data:

  – “Surely he wants to find information about my daughter. But wanting is one thing… whether he can do it is another matter entirely. I heard that his mother — the Queen — is about to arrive on Earth to meet him and that board of directors. I, too, am waiting for her to appear.”

  The Grand Madam Advisor, who was currently testing boxes of blush extracted from pearls, mulberry, and herbs of her own concoction, spoke softly:

  – “From the beginning, I suspected that someone so arrogant and self-important must have a power backing them. Turns out it’s his mother… truly, a spoiled child is the mother's fault.”

  She paused for a beat and then asked:

  – “So, how does the Lord intend to handle this?”

  Satan chuckled softly, then stepped over to admire his ironwood throne:

  – “This is exactly the type of man humans call a ‘mama’s boy.’ Without his mother by his side, he amounts to nothing. Even a small scratch and his mother makes a fuss as if the sky were falling.”

  He curled his lip:

  – “As long as I capture him… his mother will certainly show her face. Daring to steal resources from my planet… it won't be that easy.”

  ***

  At C?u D?ng’s villa, in Anh ?ào’s private room, Anh Tu had finished packing his luggage.

  At that moment, a soft knock echoed at the door:

  – “Anh Tú, it’s Join, please open the door for me.”

  Anh Tú quickly opened the door. Join and Mary hurried inside. Anh Tú poked his head out to observe the surroundings and then immediately closed the door:

  – “What are you two doing here? Watch out, or Anh Ph??ng will notice.”

  Mary lowered her voice:

  – “The whole family is out; only Miss Anh Th? is in her room, and Auntie T? is in the kitchen.”

  Join looked over at Anh Tú’s luggage:

  – “Are you bringing any weapons? I brought a spare magic wand; take it if you need it.”

  Anh Tú smiled and shook his head:

  – “Thank you, but my claws are enough to pierce through anything. However, in this house, there is still Huy — the centipede demon… remember to be careful with him.”

  The Saigon sky had turned dusky. The lingering rays of the late afternoon sun weaved between the buildings, dyeing the entire void in a soft orange-gold hue before nightfall.

  At C?u D?ng’s villa, the family members had returned after a hard day of work and school.

  Huy was hurriedly eating a box of broken rice to gather strength for work. Tonight was his first working day at the casino.

  Join and Mary stepped down to the living room, each wearing a fairly large backpack. C?u D?ng, who was watching TV, saw them and asked inquisitively:

  – “Where are you two going that you’re carrying so many things?”

  Join replied tactfully:

  – “We are going on business with Professor Charles, sir. He has a business trip, so he asked us to come along to assist; it’s also a chance for us to learn from his teaching experience.”

  C?u D?ng gave a slight nod:

  – “You two study physics, the same field as the professor; remember to try and learn while following him. Times like these are rare opportunities for internships to improve your skills.”

  Mary bowed her head in farewell:

  – “We say goodbye to the two of you and our siblings; we will be back in a few days.”

  Anh Ph??ng sighed, her eyes showing a hint of boredom:

  – “It’s a pity I don’t study in the same field as you and Mr. Join, otherwise I would have gone along too.”

  M? Linh curled her lip:

  – “You stay home and learn about business experience and the management skills of our family company. Your sister even has to study for her Master’s degree to raise her qualifications.”

  Anh ?ào immediately glanced toward her brother-in-law, who was sitting huddled in the kitchen eating his rice box, her eyes filled with a bit of disdain:

  – “Mother is right. Our family’s assets and estate must be shouldered by the siblings in the house; we cannot leave it to outsiders.”

  At this time, Dì T? also carried a fairly large duffel bag, the type used for travel. Upon seeing her, C?u D?ng asked:

  – “Mrs. T?, have you booked your bus ticket yet?”

  Dì T? smiled politely:

  – “I asked my young niece to help me book it. Now I take my leave of the masters and the family.”

  Anh Th? immediately asked:

  – “Auntie, when will you return from the countryside?”

  Dì T? replied gently:

  – “I’ll be back as soon as I’ve attended the wedding for a few days.”

  C?u D?ng stood up and walked over, handing Dì T? a red envelope:

  – “This is the wedding gift money my wife and I are sending to your relative; we wish the couple a hundred years of happiness.”

  Dì T? accepted it, her expression a bit shy:

  – “On behalf of the couple, I thank the masters.”

  Next was Anh Tú. He stepped down to the living room with a backpack and a small suitcase.

  M? Linh asked:

  – “And where are you going, Tú?”

  Anh Tú replied politely:

  – “Father, Mother, I have a business trip with a partner on my father’s side. I ask for permission to be away for a few days and then return.”

  Hearing about business, C?u D?ng agreed immediately, as he always wanted his son-in-law to be successful and bring profits back to him:

  – “Travel carefully. The economy is difficult these days; being able to keep a partner is very good. Go ahead, and give our regards to your parents.”

  Anh Tú bowed his head slightly:

  – “Yes, thank you, Father and Mother.” — Then he looked over at Anh ?ào:

  – “I’ll be gone for a few days. When I return, I will buy gifts for you and everyone.”

  Anh ?ào only gave a very faint smile:

  – “Travel safely. Remember to call me when you arrive.”

  At that moment, the sound of a car engine echoed outside the gate. Join looked out and immediately nudged Mary’s hand:

  – “The Professor is here. Masters, we are leaving.”

  Everyone walked out to the gate to see Join and Mary off. As soon as Professor Charles saw them, he greeted them with a bright smile:

  – “Hello everyone, how are you all doing?”

  C?u D?ng smiled brightly, acting very friendly:

  – “Hello, Professor, we are well. Hearing the children say you have an important business trip, I wish you smooth sailing in everything.”

  Charles smiled back, then looked at his two students:

  – “Let’s go, everyone, let's not waste time. There’s much to prepare upon arrival. There is still room in the car; Anh Tú and Mrs. T? can hitch a ride for a while.”

  M? Linh nodded in agreement:

  – “That’s right, hitch a ride to make it fast; calling a taxi takes forever.”

  After everyone got into the car, the vehicle slowly rolled away, leaving the villa gates and heading toward an important and peril-filled mission.

  The reconnaissance journey had officially begun.