The Skulls' reaction to the raid was exactly as Lâm Minh had predicted: swift, furious, and brutal.
Within hours of discovering their ransacked stash house and incapacitated members, Breaker and his thugs were tearing through the local sector like a storm.
Accusations flew, old scores were settled, and anyone suspected of collaboration or even knowing about the raid faced violent interrogations.
The Rust Market buzzed with fearful whispers.
The Skulls were making an example, their rage a palpable force in the already tense atmosphere.
Lâm Minh, Hạnh, Cường, and Tuấn laid low, avoiding their usual haunts and communicating only through pre-arranged, indirect signals.
They had successfully covered their tracks, leaving no obvious evidence linking them to the raid.
The three incapacitated Skulls, once they recovered, could only offer vague descriptions of shadowy figures and sudden, overwhelming force.
Lâm Minh used this downtime to meticulously study the captured ledger and data chips.
The ledger, written in a crude gang code, took him several hours to decipher, cross-referencing names and locations with information he'd gleaned from his surveillance and Rat-tail's earlier intel.
It painted a clear picture of the Skulls' local Crimson Dream distribution network – key dealers, sub-distributors, debtors, and even a few names that seemed to be low-level Enforcers on their payroll.
This was invaluable intelligence for Commander Trinh.
The data chips were more problematic.
Two were heavily encrypted, requiring specialized decryption software he didn't possess.
The third, however, was less secure and contained what appeared to be shipping manifests – lists of "medical supplies" and "chemical precursors" being moved between unofficial warehouses, with delivery points deep within Skull-controlled territory.
The quantities were far too large for any legitimate medical use.
Lâm Minh suspected these were the raw ingredients for Crimson Dream, or perhaps even shipments of the finished product being disguised.
The origin points listed were vague – "Outer Sector Warehousing" or "Zone 11 Undisclosed."
He compiled a detailed report, including his decrypted findings from the ledger and the contents of the accessible data chip, and prepared to deliver it, along with the sample of Crimson Dream from the raid, to Yan.
His cultivation also benefited from the forced downtime and the recent breakthrough.
He focused on consolidating his Major Completion of Qi Refining, practicing his Shadow Step until he could move like a whisper in even moderately lit areas, and honing his Qi Infusion to a finer degree.
The prospect of facing a vengeful Breaker and his entire gang was a powerful motivator.
When he finally felt it was safe enough to venture out, he arranged a meeting with Yan at the Sleeping Dragon's den.
The atmosphere in the Rust Market was still thick with the Skulls' fury, but Lâm Minh moved with a newfound confidence, his senses sharp, his Shadow Step allowing him to navigate the tense alleyways unseen.
Yan listened impassively as Lâm Minh detailed the raid and presented his findings – the ledger, the data chip information, and the sample of seized Crimson Dream.
"Your team performed… efficiently," Yan commented, his gaze lingering on the detailed report.
"This intelligence is highly valuable. Commander Trinh will be pleased.
The disruption to the Skulls' local operations, even if temporary, will also serve as a useful data point on their resilience and command structure."
"Breaker is enraged," Lâm Minh said.
"They're turning their sector upside down looking for culprits."
"Expected," Yan replied calmly.
"A wounded beast lashes out. This period of chaos, however, might also present opportunities. Desperate people make mistakes, reveal information they otherwise wouldn't." He then turned his attention to the sample of Crimson Dream from the raid.
"This batch, combined with the one you previously acquired from Viper, will allow Trinh's analysts to perform a more thorough compositional breakdown and perhaps trace its precise manufacturing signature."
"Any news on the analysis of Viper's sample?" Lâm Minh asked.
Yan paused, his expression growing more serious. "Yes. And the findings are… disturbing. The Madakaros bio-compound is more complex than initially thought. It's not just a simple additive. It appears to be a deliberately engineered catalyst, designed to react specifically with certain human neurochemicals to induce the hyper-aggression and temporary strength enhancement, while simultaneously causing rapid neural decay."
Lâm Minh felt a chill. "So it is a weapon."
"Undoubtedly," Yan confirmed.
"And a sophisticated one. It's designed not just to incapacitate, but to turn the user into a short-lived, highly destructive, and ultimately self-destructive, biological weapon. The closest analogy Trinh's people have found is some of the combat stimulants used by the Madakaros' own shock troops, but adapted – perversely – for human physiology."
This revelation cast the Crimson Dream epidemic in an even more sinister light.
It wasn't just a drug; it was a targeted biological attack.
"And the source?" Lâm Minh pressed.
"The supplier for the Skulls? Does this analysis give us any clues?"
Yan shook his head.
"Not directly. The manufacturing process is advanced. It requires specialized equipment and knowledge of Madakaros biochemistry that is not common, even in their own empire, let alone among humans. This suggests the supplier is either a high-level Madakaros operative, or a human with access to exceptionally rare alien technology and expertise."
He then looked directly at Lâm Minh, his eyes holding a new, unsettling intensity.
"Minh, there's something else. Something… related to the Maka Legion activity."
Lâm Minh tensed. "What is it?"
"The vessel that self-destructed in orbit," Yan said slowly.
"Trinh's deep-space analysts have been painstakingly sifting through the sensor data from the explosion. They found something. A faint, highly encrypted, tight-beam transmission was detected emanating from the vessel moments before its destruction."
"A transmission to where?"
"To a receiver on Earth. Specifically, somewhere within the ASEAN bloc. Even more specifically, the preliminary triangulation, though rough, points towards… Hanoi."
Lâm Minh felt his blood run cold.
A Maka Legionnaire, or something deployed by them, was not only on Earth, but in Hanoi, and had received a transmission from an incoming Legion vessel.
"What was the content of the transmission?"
"Unknown," Yan admitted.
"The encryption was beyond anything our current capabilities can break. But the fact that it happened, the timing… it suggests coordination. The operative on the ground was expecting something, or being given new orders."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"Commander Trinh now believes that the Crimson Dream epidemic, the destabilization it's causing, is not an isolated incident. It is likely a precursor, a way to soften the target, to create chaos and distraction, in preparation for something larger. And the Maka Legion operative already on Earth is almost certainly involved, perhaps even orchestrating it."
The pieces clicked into place in Lâm Minh's mind with horrifying clarity.
The Maka Legion wasn't just scouting.
They had an active agent on the ground, running a sophisticated biological warfare campaign disguised as a drug epidemic, all to prepare for a larger move.
"So, finding the supplier of Crimson Dream," Lâm Minh said, his voice grim, "is no longer just about stopping a drug. It's about finding a Maka Legion agent."
"Precisely," Yan affirmed.
"The stakes have been raised considerably. Your role, Minh, has become even more critical. You are one of the few assets we have who can operate in the shadows where this agent likely lurks."
A new, heavy burden settled on Lâm Minh.
He was hunting not just a drug lord, but potentially a cosmic-level entity from an alien empire, an entity that could likely crush him with a thought if his true purpose was discovered.
"The Skulls," Lâm Minh said, thinking aloud.
"If they are being supplied by this agent, or by a proxy, they are the most direct link we have."
"Correct," Yan agreed.
"Your focus must remain on them. But be aware, Minh, that you are no longer just dealing with human gangs. You are brushing against the tendrils of the Maka Legion itself. The danger has increased exponentially."
Yan then pushed another small, heavily shielded pouch across the counter.
"Commander Trinh was… impressed by your initiative and the quality of the intelligence from your raid. She has authorized a further increase in your resources."
Inside the pouch were not just credits, but five High-Grade Spirit Stones.
Lâm Minh's eyes widened.
High-Grade Spirit Stones!
These were incredibly rare and potent, containing a far purer and denser concentration of Spirit Essence than the Low-Grade ones he'd been using.
A single High-Grade stone was worth dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Low-Grade ones in terms of cultivation effect.
"These are…," he began, stunned.
"A recognition of the increased risk, and an investment in your continued survival and development," Yan said.
"Use them wisely. Commander Trinh believes you have… significant potential. She does not want to see it extinguished prematurely."
Lâm Minh accepted the pouch, the weight of the High-Grade stones both a promise of power and a stark reminder of the terrifying stakes.
He was being armed for a war far beyond what he had initially envisioned.
"Tell Trinh I understand the new parameters," Lâm Minh said, his voice resolute.
"I will find this agent, or the one who serves him."
Leaving the Sleeping Dragon's den, Lâm Minh felt a chilling cocktail of fear, determination, and a strange, almost exhilarating sense of purpose.
The hornet's nest he had kicked was far larger and more venomous than he had imagined.
It wasn't just a local gang; it was connected to the deepest, darkest threat humanity faced.
His path was now inextricably linked with the fate of Hanoi, perhaps even Earth.
And the only way forward was to get stronger, smarter, and more ruthless than the enemies he faced.
The High-Grade Spirit Stones in his pouch were the next step on that perilous journey.