The car slowly rolled into the vast grounds of Long Thanh International Airport.Van Thien stepped out And froze for a moment.Towering glass buildings. Endless corridors.A sea of people moving in every direction.
He whispered under his breath:
"…It's massive."
After collecting their luggage, Ba Tu clapped her hands cheerfully.
"I've sorted the tickets! Now we just scan our faces and we're good to go!"
"Vé tui lo xong xuôi hết trơn rồi, giờ vô làm thủ tục là mình vọt thôi cả nhà!"
Despite the early hour, the airport was packed.Security check. Facial recognition. Boarding gate.Everything moved fast.Inside the plane,Van Thien chose a window seat.He liked the sky.
A gentle voice echoed through the cabin:
"Dear passengers,please fasten your seatbelts, return your seatbacks to the upright position, and switch all electronic devices to airplane mode."
The engines roared.The plane moved—
Faster.Faster—Then—Lifted off.The ground fell away.The city shrank.Clouds swallowed the world below.Peace.Silence.Van Thien's eyelids grew heavy.And soon—He drifted into sleep.
Time passed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are now descending into Noi Bai International Airport…"
"…Local time in Hanoi is 10:30 AM."
His mother gently shook him.
"Thien, wake up, son! We're almost at Hanoi.
Van Thien opened his eyes.And saw—Ha Noi.
The City of a Thousand Years of Civilization
A city stretching endlessly.High-rise buildings clustered together.Landmark 72 towered above the rest.In the distance—The Red River curved like a ribbon of earth and water.And beyond that—West Lake shimmered under the sunlight.
He exhaled softly.
"…It's beautiful."
After landing—The group took a taxi into the city.Traffic flooded the streets.Motorbikes swarmed like waves.Horns echoed endlessly.
Van Thien stared out the window.
"…Unbelievable."
At the guesthouse
He dropped onto the bed immediately.
"Man… I'm dead tired…"
Ba Tu peeked in.
"Rest a bit! Later we're heading out. We didn't come all this way to stay in bed!"
A while later—They headed out again.
Destination: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
Ba Dinh Square opened before them—Wide.Silent.Sacred.The grey stone structure stood firm.Unmoving.Timeless.Above it—
The red inscription:
"CHỦ TỊCH HỒ-CHÍ-MINH"(PRESIDENT HO CHI MINH)
No one spoke loudly.No one disturbed the silence.Even the foreign tourists—Stood still.Respectful.Inside—Cold air.Echoing footsteps.At the center,He lay there.Peaceful.Unmoving.As if asleep.
Van Thien lowered his head.Silently.And in that moment,He felt it.Something Watching.Protecting.Ancient.Outside again,The world returned.Noise.Voices.Life.
Ba Tu asked
"Where to next?"
Chu Nam replied immediately.
"Food first!"
Co Ba added
"I heard there's a famous bun cha place nearby,"
Not long after,They arrived.The shop was small.Crowded.Hot.But the smell—Was irresistible.Van Thien took a bite.
His eyes widened.
"…So good."
Laughter.Conversation.Warmth.Everything felt—Normal.But far away—At the guesthouse—Inside a travel bag—A small chip flickered.
Red.
Data streamed across its surface.
"Target signal… stable."
A pause.Then—A cold mechanical voice:
"Initiating data transfer…"
Far beyond Earth's atmosphere—Inside the black warship—A holographic screen lit up.A red dot—Blinking.
Right at the heart of—Ha Noi.
"Report."
A deep voice echoed through the chamber.An armored officer lowered his head.
"Target locked, my Lord."
Silence.
Then—A faint chuckle.
"…So you really are here."
The commander stood up slowly.Eyes fixed on Earth.On that single point.
On him.
"Prepare Phase Two."
"Right away, sir."
A shadow crossed his face.A cold smile appeared.
"This time…"
"…we begin the experiment."