The hospital courtyard in the late afternoon was wrapped in a soft golden light, but the air felt unbearably heavy. Deep, Ti?n, and Tu?n stood near the flowerbed, their faces twisted in confusion. They tried to piece together every shard of information they had — yet the more they connected, the more everything tangled like a knot they couldn’t undo.

  Suddenly, Deep jolted upright, eyes widening:

  – “Right… the wedding photos of Trang!”

  – “Every single one had that blurry black shadow behind her — horns and a crown on its head.”

  Ti?n felt chills race down his spine, his voice turning hoarse:

  – “I remember old man Nhan saying… that was her guardian spirit.”

  Tu?n frowned deeply:

  – “But we don’t even know where she is right now. There’s not a single trace.”

  Right then, Deep’s phone rang. It was his assistant, Tan:

  Deep picked up. Tan’s voice burst through the speaker — urgent and shaking:

  – “Boss! That guy Phúc — Nhan’s friend — he’s also missing. No records, no traces. It’s like both those men are… fictional characters.”

  Deep almost yelled:

  – “What did you just say?!”

  Tu?n panicked and slapped a hand over Deep’s mouth:

  – “Keep it down! We’re in a hospital…”

  Deep forced himself to breathe, but goosebumps spread across his arms:

  – “So what… we talked to ghosts or something?”

  Tan sounded just as rattled:

  – “I don’t know, boss. I just feel something’s very wrong. Should we go back to that rental neighborhood to check again?”

  – “Yes. Go there first. I’m coming immediately.”

  Deep hung up, his face drained of all color:

  Ti?n stepped forward.

  – “So? Anything about Phúc?”

  Deep swallowed hard.

  – “Phúc is just like Nhan… Tan said it’s as if neither of them ever existed. Not in this world.”

  Both Tu?n and Ti?n froze in shock.

  Deep stood up abruptly, urgency burning in his voice.

  – “Let’s go. We’re returning to the rental neighborhood. We need to re-investigate everything.”

  The three men hurried toward the parking lot.

  ---

  Meanwhile, in the company parking garage, Tan was fumbling with his car door when he nearly bumped into Th?ng — Quang’s friend, a hacker, and also Tan’s university buddy:

  – “Tan! Where you rushing off to? I was gonna ask you out for coffee.”

  Tan gasped:

  – “Oh damn, it’s you. I’ve got something urgent. Rain check, okay?”

  But Th?ng stepped in front of him, unusually serious:

  – “I need to ask you something. A close IT buddy of mine… he tried digging into info on a girl named Lita and some guy called Trúc Di?n. But the data access got blocked by a firewall.”

  Tan frowned:

  – “So? What’s strange about that?”

  Th?ng lowered his voice:

  – “Both firewalls had military-level encryption. But… that encryption? I’ve never seen anything like it. It didn’t look like something created by humans.”

  Tan’s face drained even further. He grabbed Th?ng by the arm, whispering harshly:

  – “I’m stuck in something weird too. Two men my boss and his friend met… I investigated them again and they don’t exist. It’s like… they don’t belong on Earth.”

  Th?ng’s eyes widened.

  – “What the hell? I’m coming with you. I’ve met your boss before anyway.”

  Tan hesitated, then nodded.

  – “Fine. He might really need you.”

  Th?ng jumped into the passenger seat.

  The car sped out of the garage, racing toward the rental neighborhood — where the secrets they’d uncovered were only the opening act to something far darker and far more terrifying than they imagined.

  Deep inside B?n Thành Market, Erion’s group stood before a stall overflowing with vibrant áo Dài fabrics. The colors stretched out like a living palette.

  H?ng Nhung squealed, eyes sparkling.

  – “They’re all beautiful, but I like this pastel pink silk the most!”

  Trang gently brushed her fingers across a deep red brocade, her eyes lighting up.

  – “This color suits me perfectly.”

  Lita lifted a 3D-patterned textured silk sheet, smiling brightly.

  – “I’m choosing this one. It’s gorgeous.”

  Nh? Phu and ??i Ng?c quickly found the fabrics they liked as well.

  Din paid for everything with a pleasant smile, and the stall owner beamed.

  – “You girls picked the right place. Once it’s tailored, everyone will praise it for sure.”

  ---

  A little distance away, M? Linh was also selecting fabric for Anh Th?’s wedding áo Dài. Her gaze drifted across the aisle — and stopped.

  – “Is that… Trúc Di?n?”

  Mr. Tài squinted.

  – “Yeah. And Din and Yin are with him.”

  Ph??ng frowned slightly, sensing a powerful energy.

  – “Dad, Uncle Tài — you know them?”

  Mr. Tài nodded.

  – “Din and Yin are investors in Vietnam, and they live in the same neighborhood as us. I invited them over for tea the other day.”

  Anh Ph??ng blinked in surprise.

  – “They’re our neighbors?”

  C?u D?ng chuckled warmly.

  – “And Trúc Di?n… who doesn’t know him? He’s the sworn brother of Pháp s? V?nh — Vú N?m’s close friend.”

  Join whispered to Mary:

  – “The energy is overwhelming — especially from the man with amber-brown eyes.”

  Mary responded in a low voice:

  – “Definitely not ordinary. Their group has at least four different types of abilities… plus a bunch of little demons.”

  Huy’s family also watched from afar with quiet caution. They knew about Trúc Di?n, Din, and Yin — but Erion and the rest were mysterious variables beyond prediction.

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  ---

  Back with Erion’s group, everyone could feel the attention coming from the other side.

  Arian smirked:

  – “Everywhere we go, we run into someone we know.”

  Din let out a half-laugh.

  – “Those three little apprentice witches… the youngest girl, D?ng, her energy is pure dark sorcery. A true child of killers.”

  Then, as if flipping a switch, he shifted instantly into the persona of a polite, polished businessman and stepped forward.

  – “Oh, Mr. Tài, Mr. D?ng — you’re shopping too? What a coincidence.”

  Mr. Tài smiled warmly.

  – “Hello, everyone. We’re choosing fabric for the wedding áo Dài of Mr. D?ng’s second daughter.”

  Yin also slid smoothly into character.

  – “Nice to see you all. We’re picking áo dài fabric as well.”

  C?u D?ng grinned brightly:

  – “We’ll come by your place to hand you the invitation. The wedding is this Sunday — we hope all of you can attend.”

  Trúc Di?n cleared his throat when he noticed Anh ?ào staring a little too intently at Erion.

  – “I wonder if Mr. Erion and his wife will have time to join us?”

  Erion caught the signal immediately. He held Trang’s hand firmly, subtly asserting his claim.

  – “If your family is inviting us, then my wife and I will definitely come.”

  Anh ?ào instantly flushed red like a ripe persimmon. Charles, standing beside her, understood perfectly, his cold gaze silently warning any woman thinking of stepping into what wasn’t theirs.

  M? Linh turned toward ??i Ng?c and Nh? Phu — both elegant and graceful in their qipao dresses.

  – “These ladies are also acquaintances of yours?”

  Trúc Di?n replied naturally:

  – “They’re my relatives. We’re Chinese–Vietnamese from Ch? L?n.”

  M? Linh brightened.

  – “Nice to meet you. Please join us at the wedding too.”

  Erion shot a sideways glance at Huy, his eyes cold like a thin blade. He still remembered very clearly how Huy once let his monster friend trail Erion and his team.

  He stepped forward, amber-brown eyes flashing a faint red — a warning not only to Huy, but also to the three apprentice witches behind him.

  – “You must be the son-in-law of Mr. D?ng, right?”

  C?u D?ng smiled politely and looked toward Anh Th?:

  – “That’s right. He’s my second son-in-law. Their wedding is this Sunday.”

  He paused, curiosity flickering in his gaze:

  – “But… how do you know my name?”

  Erion smiled with refined, European gentlemanly elegance:

  – “Din and Yin mentioned you and your family to me.”

  Then he tilted his head, his sharp gaze sweeping past Huy.

  – “We’re neighbors. After the wedding… we’ll be seeing each other every day.”

  A chill crawled straight down Huy’s spine.

  He tried to stay calm, but fear throbbed chaotically inside him:

  – “Great… now it’s vampires, demons, and ancient divine beasts? I’m done for. How am I supposed to fight any of that?”

  ---

  Mrs. Nga suddenly gasped as something clicked:

  – “So… you’re the boss of Din and Yin, right?”

  Din nodded immediately:

  – “Exactly. He’s our superior. And the lady beside him is his wife.”

  Trang had changed her appearance, so D?ng’s family didn’t recognize her. She simply smiled politely and bowed her head.

  – “It’s a pleasure to meet everyone.”

  But inside, hatred surged like a rising tide.

  – “Everything is moving according to plan. I will avenge my parents… and the childhood you all drowned in humiliation and misery.”

  At that moment, Huy, his parents, and the apprentice witches all sensed an abnormal surge of power radiating from Trang.

  Join whispered, face full of suspicion:

  – “Why do their energies feel identical? The frequency is exactly the same…”

  Mary frowned.

  – “It really is. Every individual has a unique energy signature. No two are alike.

  But those two… only differ by gender.”

  Anh Ph??ng leaned closer and murmured:

  – “Usually the only ones who match perfectly are twins… but they’re a married couple. How’s that possible?”

  ---

  Nearby, C?u D?ng turned toward Lita standing next to Trúc Di?n:

  – “And this young lady… she’s your girlfriend?”

  Trúc Di?n nodded firmly:

  – “Yes.”

  Then he gestured toward the couple beside her.

  – “This is her older brother — Arian. And the lady next to him is his wife, H?ng Nhung.”

  C?u D?ng and M? Linh froze for a few seconds.

  Arian, with long platinum-blonde hair cascading to his waist, and icy blue eyes, looked like a crown prince painted in an ancient mural. Erion, standing nearby, carried the opposite kind of beauty — broad-shouldered, sharply carved features like a sculpted warrior.

  Their entire group radiated such strong royal aura that simply standing still made people hold their breath.

  ---

  Charles cleared his throat softly, breaking the tense atmosphere.

  – “If everyone’s done buying fabric… we should go look at wedding rings.”

  C?u D?ng blinked.

  – “Right! Thanks for the reminder, Professor. Wedding rings are important — we should pick them early.”

  H?u K? smiled, offering a polite farewell.

  – “Then we’ll take our leave first. See you all at the wedding.”

  Erion’s group had just turned into another section of the market. C?u D?ng stood watching until their silhouettes disappeared completely, his voice full of astonished admiration:

  – “Whose children are those? Handsome and beautiful like that… they look like royalty standing right in front of us.”

  M? Linh and Mr. Tài couldn’t hide their amazement either:

  Mr. Tài recalled the refined appearance of Din and Yin:

  – “And those two young men… definitely high-class tycoon material. Their presence is unreal.”

  Mrs. Nga murmured:

  – “And that Trúc Di?n boy looks like a prince straight out of an ancient painting.”

  Dì T? jumped in at the perfect moment:

  – “Master, Madam, have you chosen a place to buy the wedding rings yet?”

  C?u D?ng jolted:

  – “Of course! The owner is a friend of mine, also a jeweler. He can craft anything. Let’s go over there now.”

  ---

  Bình Th?nh District – Boarding House Area

  A black Lexus rolled to a stop at the entrance of a wide alley. The familiar late-afternoon scenery stretched out before them:

  Plastic stools faded by the sun outside small drink stalls; the clinking of glasses. The “c?c c?c” tapping from the h? ti?u g? vendor echoed steadily, the smell of fried shallots drifting through the breeze. Street vendors sprawled vegetables on tarps, calling out hoarsely:

  “Fresh greens here! Cheap greens!”

  A portable speaker played old bolero music somewhere in the distance, blending with sputtering motorbike engines.

  Lively, noisy, ordinary — a scene that felt completely unrelated to the mysterious trail they were investigating.

  Inside the car, Tu?n surveyed everything carefully.

  – “Everything looks exactly the same. Nothing unusual.”

  Deep, in the driver’s seat, nodded but frowned.

  – “Yeah… too normal. Don’t tell me my assistant actually got it wrong?”

  Ti?n snickered:

  – “Maybe it’s time for you to hire a new assistant.”

  Tu?n cut him off:

  – “Let’s ask around first.”

  As soon as the three stepped out of the vehicle, Tan’s Toyota pulled up. He rushed out:

  – “Boss! Sorry, the traffic was terrible.”

  Right after him, Th?ng — Quang’s hacker friend — also climbed out. Deep recognized him instantly.

  – “You’re Th?ng, right? Why are you here too?”

  Th?ng bowed politely.

  – “I’m Tan’s university friend. When I heard the situation… I felt like something I experienced earlier was strange as well, so I wanted to tag along.”

  Ti?n motioned forward:

  – “We’ll talk about that later. Let’s ask questions first.”

  ---

  They headed toward the motorcycle repair shop — the same place where Deep had left his bike last time.

  The shop owner sat in his usual spot, hunched over a tire patch, dusty but cheerful.

  Deep greeted him:

  – “Hello. Do you still remember us?”

  The man turned, face lighting up:

  – “Of course! Mr. Deep. You’re here to find old Nhan, right? He’s not around anymore.”

  Tan froze, stuttering:

  – “But… there’s no way Mr. Nhan…”

  Tu?n quickly interrupted, preventing anything suspicious from slipping out:

  – “We just wanted to find him to help with his living situation, that’s all.”

  The shop owner smiled kindly.

  – “Rare to see people as good-hearted as you. Old Nhan has had a rough life. If someone helps him, that’s wonderful.”

  Tan pressed on, voice firmer:

  – “He’s lived here a long time, hasn’t he?”

  The man nodded confidently.

  – “A long time. Everyone here knows him. But he moved back to his hometown already.”

  Tan asked again:

  – “Where’s his hometown? Can you tell us?”

  The shop owner shook his head.

  – “No idea. Everyone here is too busy making a living to dig into people’s background. You met him before… why didn’t you ask then?”

  Tu?n ended the conversation:

  – “Thank you. That’s all we needed.”

  As the group walked away, Deep gritted his teeth and muttered:

  – “Café. Now. I’m waiting for Tan to explain everything.”

  Once the two cars — the Lexus and the Toyota — rolled out of the alley, the expression on the young mechanic’s face instantly turned cold.

  He glanced toward the woman at the next-door grocery stall, his voice barely louder than a breath:

  – “Report to the Lord. Everything was done exactly as He instructed. Their group is completely confused now — they can’t tell what’s real and what’s not.”

  ---

  At Deep’s usual café, inside a quiet VIP room, assistant Tan was being scolded to the point his face had gone pale.

  Deep spoke each word like a blade:

  – “What kind of work is that, huh? Mr. Nhan was standing right in front of us, and you told me he was some kind of fictional character? Explain.”

  Tan rushed to defend himself:

  – “I really did check thoroughly… there’s absolutely no record of him. Not even a real photo.”

  Tu?n, sitting across from them, spoke more calmly:

  – “And your friend… earlier you said you encountered something strange. Can you tell us more?”

  Th?ng pulled his chair closer and lowered his voice:

  – “I have a close friend. He asked me to look into a girl named Lita and a man named Trúc Di?n, but their information is protected by a firewall with military-level encryption. The system is strange… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

  All three — Tu?n, Ti?n, and Deep — reacted at once:

  – “Trúc Di?n?”

  Even Tan jumped:

  – “You all know him?”

  Deep nodded:

  – “Of course. We met him at Mr. D?ng’s house, and again at Mr. Tu?n’s in-laws’ place.”

  Ti?n crossed his arms, frowning:

  – “Then why did your friend want their information?”

  Th?ng recalled:

  – “My friend’s girlfriend had a crush on Trúc Di?n. But he already has a fiancée, so she got obsessively jealous and forced my friend to investigate them. He felt something was off, so he sent the request to me. When I dug deeper… I freaked out.”

  Tu?n smirked:

  – “Interesting. Already has a boyfriend — your friend — yet still chasing another guy.”

  Ti?n pressed impatiently:

  – “So? What did you find that was so terrifying?”

  Th?ng opened his phone, showing screenshots taken from his laptop:

  – “The insignias on their security systems were bizarre. The girl, Lita — her crest was a pair of spiraled horns with flames in the center, and above it a floating crown. As for Trúc Di?n — his was a crowned serpent.”

  Tan’s eyes darkened:

  – “And then?”

  Th?ng continued:

  – “I searched forums about supernatural symbolism. Turns out the spiraled horns, fire, and crown belong to the Demon King Satan — the Dark Lord representing karmic judgment. And the crowned serpent is the emblem of an ancient divine beast — the Serpent God, symbol of punishment for the wicked.”

  Everyone stared at the two emblems glowing on the screen.

  Tan defended himself:

  – “We really did search thoroughly. But Mr. Nhan doesn’t exist in any database. Same with Mr. Phúc — his so-called friend. As for Miss Trang, there’s no trace of her real parents or birthplace. Basically… we don’t know where she comes from.”

  Deep frowned:

  – “But we just came back from that boarding house area. Everything was exactly like last time. And the mechanic confirmed Mr. Nhan lived there for years and everyone knew him.”

  Tu?n clenched his hands, his expression turning stern:

  – “Which means something is definitely off. We need to investigate again — properly this time.”

  Ti?n glanced around nervously:

  – “So where do we start?”

  Deep leaned back in his seat, eyes thoughtful:

  – “With the photos we have of Trang.”

  Tu?n suddenly remembered:

  – “Last time, Mr. Nhan gave us a phone number. Professor Charles is holding it. So we’ll need to meet him.”

  Deep slapped his forehead lightly:

  – “Right. I still haven’t called the professor. He’s been asking about Mr. Nhan too and wanted me to check on him.”