The night in Hanoi had grown late. The tour bus carrying Van Thien's group rolled away from the Hoan Kiem Lake area, leaving the shimmering city lights behind the glass windows. Inside, the weariness of a long day had set in; some passengers dozed off, while others chatted quietly.
Minh sat next to Van Thien, glancing at him for a few seconds before whispering, "Brother Thien... why didn't you let me tell Ba Tu about what happened in the alley?"
Van Thien turned his head slightly. "I think it's better they don't know."
Minh scratched his head. "Why? It wouldn't hurt to tell them."
"I just don't want them to worry," Thien lowered his voice.
Minh nodded in agreement, then leaned in closer. "But that kidnapper... he was really strange."
Van Thien's gaze sharpened. "What did you see?"
"I'm not entirely sure..." Minh stammered. "But when he ran past us, I caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were... glowing red."
Van Thien remained silent for a moment, then gave a faint, reassuring smile. "You probably misidentified it. There were lots of neon lights around; maybe the reflection caught his eyes at the wrong angle."
Minh thought about it and felt it made sense. "Yeah, maybe I was just seeing things."
The bus continued its journey through the illuminated streets of Hanoi.
At that same moment, in a dark corner of the city, a towering figure stood motionless. Clad in black armor with a massive metallic hammer integrated into his right arm, his red eyes flared with a cold light. It was Duan Thiet.
He stared at a handheld testing device. A blue holographic screen projected a map of Hanoi, scanning the entire urban landscape. Suddenly, a mechanical voice chirped from the device:
"Warning: High-level compatible energy detected."
Duan Thiet narrowed his eyes. "Compatible energy?"
The screen immediately highlighted a glowing dot—the exact location of the tour bus Van Thien was traveling in. Duan Thiet's gaze turned icy.
"So it's you... the one who annihilated my scout team." He clenched his fist, a dark grin spreading across his face. "Interesting. Very interesting."
A night gust swept through the street, and his silhouette vanished in an instant.
On the bus, Van Thien suddenly snapped his eyes open. He felt the cross necklace around his neck burning against his skin. A vague sense of danger crawled up his spine. He glanced out the window as the dark rooftops of the Old Quarter blurred past, but for a split second, he felt it—the sensation of being watched.
"..."
Thien tightened his grip. High above on a tall rooftop, Duan Thiet stood looking down at the moving bus. The device in his hand pulsated with light.
"Target confirmed... Energy signature: 92% match."
"I didn't expect to find you so soon," Duan Thiet chuckled coldly. A faint clink of metal echoed from his hammer-arm. He leaped, plunging from the roof toward the dark street below, but vanished before he even touched the ground. The sonic ripple from his movement was so sharp that stray cats in the nearby alleys hissed in primal fear.
The bus finally pulled up in front of the hotel. As the passengers disembarked, Ba Tu stretched her arms and groaned loudly, "Goodness, after all that walking, I feel like my legs are about to fall off!
Co Ba laughed, "Oh, just you wait. We have even more walking to do tomorrow!"
The group chatted and laughed, oblivious to the towering figure standing in the shadows at the end of the street. Duan Thiet watched Van Thien step off the bus. His device glowed even brighter now.
"Target confirmed... Energy match: 92%."
He smirked. "Finally... I've found you."
The moment Van Thien's feet hit the pavement, the necklace vibrated violently. A wave of chilling killing intent washed over him. He spun around instantly, his eyes searching the darkness at the end of the street.
But there was nothing. Only shadows.
"..."
Van Thien furrowed his brow, a crystal-clear realization settling in his heart.
The enemy... is close.