Inside the Gothic villa, everyone could hear — clearly and in detail — everything happening at C?u D?ng’s house. With their supernaturally sharp hearing, not a single sound escaped them.

  Din took a casual bite of a donut, his tone as relaxed as if he were chatting about the weather:

  – “Wings, huh? That girl really loves showing off. But two and a half billion? D?ng can easily afford that.”

  Erion rested his chin on his hand, a cold, arrogant glint flashing in his eyes:

  – “When Trang and I appear, our wings are formed of black fire — pure cinematic effects. If she ever saw them, she’d die of jealousy.”

  Trang was still reading, but a thought suddenly crossed her mind:

  – “Today… what were we planning to do again?”

  The little demons immediately chimed in:

  – “How about the Great General takes us out to eat!”

  Erion frowned, his voice sharp:

  – “Is eating the only thing you brats know how to do?”

  Trang looked up, suddenly remembering:

  – “Oh right, L?p Thành said the Serpent Clan’s áo Dài tailor would come today… but no one’s shown up yet.”

  The little demons nodded vigorously. One of them added:

  – “That’s right! I even bought the fabric yesterday. We’re just missing the tailor.”

  Din gave a knowing wink and a faint smile:

  – “Yin knows several excellent tailors too. I’ll message him.”

  Erion scowled:

  – “See? Promises made so confidently, yet no one shows up.”

  Trang spoke gently, trying to smooth things over:

  – “Maybe they ran into an emergency! The Serpent Clan aren’t the type to make empty promises.”

  Din nodded in agreement:

  – “The Princess has a point. I’ll ask H?u K?.”

  He pulled out his phone and called directly, putting it on speaker. The other end picked up almost instantly:

  – “I’m here, Din. What’s going on?”

  Din asked bluntly:

  – “L?p Thành said he’d send a tailor over, but we’ve been waiting all morning and haven’t seen anyone.”

  H?u K?’s voice turned serious:

  – “It’s not that L?p Thành forgot. ??i Ng?c discovered something important.”

  The room stirred at once. The little demons, who had been gaming, hurried over to listen.

  H?u K? continued:

  – “When Miss My came over to our place for tea and snacks, after she left, ??i Ng?c washed the cup she used. She noticed a bit of lipstick on the rim — but within that lipstick… there was the scent of poison.”

  Din asked urgently:

  – “What kind?”

  – “Datura,” H?u K? replied curtly.

  One of the little demons muttered:

  – “That sounds really familiar…”

  Erion immediately pressed on, his voice dropping into a darker register:

  – “How far has your investigation gone?”

  H?u K? answered firmly:

  – “??i Ng?c has obtained the address of My’s cosmetics store. Phong Túc personally went there to collect samples.”

  Trang spoke up at once:

  – “Can you send me the address?”

  – “I’ll send it right away,” H?u K? replied quickly, then added, “But this matter doesn’t involve only the Serpent Clan. Lord’s side has also stepped in.”

  Erion’s expression darkened instantly. His jaw clenched, fire flaring in his eyes:

  – “And yet they kept me out of it? So this is how they look down on Erion.”

  The call ended.

  Almost at the same moment, Din’s phone vibrated — a message containing the cosmetics store’s address had arrived. He curled his lips into a cold smile:

  – “Got it. The vampire agents will head there immediately to gather intelligence.”

  At the Qing-dynasty–style villa in District 9, Yin was getting ready to head out. He put on a T-Ford brand suit and stood before the mirror, carefully grooming his salt-and-pepper hair. His bearing was that of a seasoned, successful businessman.

  He glanced toward the desk, where Chen was seated, calculating revenue figures:

  – “In a bit, we’ll go over to the Count’s place. I want to take everyone to see the restaurant branch that’s about to open.”

  Chen hesitated slightly, his face flushing:

  – “Um… may I invite Miss ??i Ng?c to come along too, Sir?”

  Yin replied calmly:

  – “Of course. When you get married someday, I’ll host your wedding at the most luxurious restaurant I own.”

  Chen’s face turned even redder:

  – “You’re talking about marriage way too early, Sir… there’s no guarantee Miss ??i Ng?c would even agree to marry me.”

  Yin smiled, the knowing gaze of an experienced man sweeping over him:

  – “You need more confidence. You can’t lose to H?u K? or L?p Thành. And there’s also Phong Túc and Bách Di?n — every one of them is top-tier.”

  Just then, Yin’s phone rang. He answered immediately:

  – “I’m listening, Count.”

  After Din relayed the situation, Yin’s expression darkened noticeably:

  – “The Count is saying… datura was mixed into the cosmetics?”

  Chen, who had been tallying numbers on his laptop, jolted and looked up:

  – “Datura, Sir? That stuff causes confusion and hallucinations — no weaker than narcotics.”

  Yin continued speaking into the phone:

  – “So which direction does the Count want to pursue the investigation?”

  On the other end, Din replied swiftly:

  – “Send two agents there to purchase some products and bring them back. I’ll have them analyzed at the Great General’s headquarters laboratory. I suspect it’s not just datura — there may be other substances mixed in.”

  Yin agreed at once:

  – “I’ll have agents infiltrate immediately. When I return to the ?à L?t headquarters, I’ll go as well. I’m a Ch? L?n Chinese — I know a bit about traditional Eastern medicine.”

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  He hung up. After receiving the address from Din, Yin promptly called one of his agents:

  – “Send two subordinates there right away.”

  The response was crisp and decisive:

  – “Understood, Sir.”

  ***

  Outside, across from the cosmetics store, was a small roadside coffee stall. Two Royal Satan agents were disguised as app-based motorbike drivers, sipping coffee while keeping watch.

  Phong Túc had also changed his appearance — transforming from an innocent, pure-looking high school girl into a weathered, middle-aged motorbike driver. He sat down at the table and spoke softly:

  – “I was planning to return and hand the evidence over to the Lord, but my instincts told me to stay and observe a bit longer.”

  One agent stared intently at a small delivery truck parked in front of the cosmetics store:

  – “We’ve already captured some fairly clear images. But I do smell a very faint trace of demon aura in the air.”

  As a Black Spirit Cat with an exceptionally sharp sense of smell, Phong Túc narrowed his eyes — he had sensed it too:

  – “That’s right. The delivery workers — and even the driver of that truck — are all demons disguised as humans.”

  The other agent frowned:

  – “I can’t determine their species. There’s too much demonic aura, all mixed together.”

  Phong Túc curled his lips into a cold smile:

  – “It’s very likely that cosmetics factory is an illegal operation. Those demons are working together.”

  The two agents nodded in unison:

  – “The General is right.”

  At the Gothic villa, the sound of laptop keyboards clacked softly in the otherwise quiet space. Din and Erion were working intently when the doorbell suddenly rang.

  A little demon ran to check the gate, then widened his eyes:

  – “Huh… it’s the professor.”

  Erion looked up, frowning:

  – “What’s he doing here?”

  Din didn’t take his eyes off the screen, issuing a brief order:

  – “Go open the door.”

  As the gate opened, Charles stepped into the living room with polite manners and a calm tone:

  – “Hello, everyone. Sorry for the intrusion. When I was at the Bình Chánh headquarters, I heard about the datura appearing in cosmetics.”

  Din immediately stood up, his attitude proper and formal:

  – “We only just found out as well. My people are collecting samples and bringing them back. Please, have a seat.”

  Erion closed his laptop:

  – “Once we have the samples, we’ll be leaving here for a few days to conduct research. This place doesn’t have sufficient specialized equipment.”

  Charles sat down, his expression grave:

  – “I have a feeling this isn’t the work of an individual, but rather a fairly large criminal operation. Who knows how many people have already used those cosmetics.”

  Din spoke thoughtfully:

  – “Probably quite a lot. The cosmetics market is flooded with fakes mixed in with real products. They usually target low-income customers like students and laborers. Everyone wants to look good — see something cheap with attractive packaging, and they buy it right away.”

  Erion rested his chin on his hand, thinking:

  – “I suspect it’s not just that one place. We’ll need to send people to infiltrate a few more retail shops to be sure.”

  Charles nodded:

  – “You’re right. They distribute to many locations. We’ll also have to screen online e-commerce platforms.”

  On the sofa, Trang was scrolling on her phone and spoke up:

  – “I’m looking at a few online cosmetics shops right now. I’ll order some samples and see how they turn out.”

  As everyone was still discussing, loud arguing from C?u D?ng’s villa echoed over once again, crystal clear. The little demons all grimaced:

  – “Why are they shouting so loudly… that woman is even demanding to transform into a fairy at the wedding.”

  Charles curled his lips into a cold smile:

  – “Satan once said: ‘Even demons on the dark planet would have to call that family “ancestor.”’ Sinister, vicious, yet they love disguising themselves as fairies, playing the role of friendly beauty queens.”

  ***

  Inside C?u D?ng’s living room, the atmosphere was tense and blazing hot, like a furnace. C?u D?ng growled, fed up with Anh Th?’s unreasonable demands:

  – “What do you want now? I’ll just let you go with that guy — no wedding at all!”

  Seeing her husband erupt in anger, M? Linh hurried to intervene:

  – “Enough, dear. She’s still young, kids are always demanding like that. Besides, she’s pregnant — lower your voice a bit.”

  C?u D?ng spun around and shouted:

  – “You keep defending her! She wants those billion-dong wings now — then you pay for them!”

  The designer quickly cut in, trying to persuade them calmly:

  – “Since Miss Th? is pregnant, it’s better to use regular wings. The ones online may look flashy, but they’re much lighter. As for photos, we have professional editors — you doesn’t need to worry about looking cheap in pictures.”

  Anh Tú added, trying hard to stay calm with his stubborn sister-in-law:

  – “Some model wings weigh up to nine kilograms. You’re pregnant — adding that much weight would be very dangerous.”

  Join also chimed in:

  – “We can decorate the wings after buying them, then let the editors touch them up to look nice.”

  Finally, Anh Th? nodded reluctantly:

  – “Fine… but I want fairy wings and angel wings too. You two have to buy big, beautiful ones, or I won’t agree.”

  Mary let out a quiet sigh, exhausted but still trying:

  – “Alright… I’ll help Mr. Join look for them.”

  In the kitchen, Anh Ph??ng stood beside Dì T?, sipping a glass of orange juice and clicking her tongue:

  – “Gotta admit, sister’s demands are really over the top.”

  Dì T?, chopping scallions for soup, quickly added:

  – “I often try to advise Miss Th?, but there’s no way to tone down her copycat, show-off personality.”

  Anh Ph??ng smirked:

  – “She’s always been like that. And now she’s even bringing that centipede demon into this house as a live-in son-in-law. Just wait — I won’t let things go her way.”

  Dì T? pretended to be surprised:

  – “What are you saying? I don’t quite understand.”

  Realizing she’d slipped, Anh Ph??ng quickly explained:

  – “I was just talking about the plot of a movie, dì. Don’t mind it.”

  After Anh Ph??ng went back to the living room, Dì T? — who was actually being played by Bách Di?n — kept her head down, continuing to chop scallions. Yet her expression turned faintly sinister:

  – “That centipede demon has to enter this house… only then will the real game officially begin.”

  Phong Túc and the two Royal Satan agents remained seated at the roadside coffee stall opposite the cosmetics shop, their eyes never leaving the small delivery truck parked by the curb. Every moment — employees unloading goods, the driver stepping out of the cabin — was photographed, not a single detail missed.

  In front of the shop, as staff were checking products and invoices, a young couple arrived on a basic motorbike, their appearance plain and unremarkable, and stopped at the entrance. A female employee quickly hurried out to greet them, her voice warm and welcoming:

  – “Hello, sir and ma’am. Please come in and take a look. We have security watching the bikes, so you can shop with peace of mind.”

  The young man took his girlfriend’s hand and stepped inside, glancing around before asking:

  – “I’d like to buy some makeup as a gift for my girlfriend. Could you recommend a few items?”

  The employee nodded cheerfully:

  – “Of course. We’ve just stocked a lot of new makeup. A basic set includes foundation, powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner, eyebrow pencil, mascara, blush, and of course, lipstick.”

  The girl looked up at the lipstick shelf and gently tugged her boyfriend’s hand:

  – “I like this one, babe. The design is so cute.”

  The employee responded quickly:

  – “You’ve got a great eye, miss. This one is our best seller — customers give very good feedback. May I ask how old you are?”

  The girl smiled:

  – “I’m 26.”

  Immediately, the employee took out a cool-toned red lipstick:

  – “Please take a look at this shade. It suits ages twenty-five and up. Over here we have red and orange tones, and the Western-style shades lean slightly brown — very flattering for your skin tone.”

  The young man nodded decisively:

  – “Please get me a basic makeup set. As for the lipstick, just take the color my girlfriend likes.”

  The employee went to gather the items, not forgetting to flatter them:

  – “You have such a thoughtful boyfriend.”

  Once the employee walked away, the girl quickly scanned the shop and lowered her voice to a whisper:

  – “We should buy a few more items, to bring back for the masters.”

  The young man pretended to pick up extra cushion foundations, concealer, and several more lipsticks:

  – “I think you should grab these too. It’s good to have options.”

  Then he tilted his head, leaned slightly closer to her, and murmured:

  – “The truck outside is full of demons, but they’re just low-level trash — nothing compared to us.”

  ***

  At the roadside coffee stall across the street, the two Royal Satan agents had already noticed the couple the moment they entered the shop. One of them spoke softly:

  – “That couple is strange… they’re not human.”

  Phong Túc curled his lips into a half-smile, his eyes icy.

  – “Who else would leave their mark on this turf? They’re Erion’s people. He really does move fast.”

  The other agent narrowed his eyes, lowering his voice:

  – “The General and Count Din would never let something like this slip by. Their noses are sharp.”

  At the Gothic villa, on an encrypted laptop, Din was monitoring the signals of the two agents via satellite. His eyes were cold, the corner of his lips curling upward:

  – “I see the truck transporting goods. It’s definitely them.”

  Erion calmly continued reading documents on his own laptop, not even lifting his head:

  – “Track it. Don’t let it slip away.”

  Charles sipped his lotus tea, glancing at Din’s screen, his voice dropping lower:

  – “So both the delivery staff and the driver are demons?”

  Din nodded firmly:

  – “Yes. You can tell even with the naked eye. As for the shop staff checking invoices… what I’m wondering is — who granted them the license to operate so openly?”

  Erion thought for a moment, then spoke slowly:

  – “The warehouse inside the city might be clean, but the main production facility is likely far away. Possibly not even within Earth’s domain.”

  Trang also spoke up, her gaze serious:

  – “If that’s the case, then we must analyze the cosmetic ingredients. Datura alone is a plant that actually exists on Earth.”

  The little demons immediately caught on, erupting into murmurs:

  – “So if we find any ingredient that doesn’t exist on Earth, then…”

  Din finished the thought, his tone razor-sharp:

  – “…then it’s an extraterrestrial crime. They’re colluding with local demons, very likely transporting materials through spatial gates.”

  He paused, his eyes darkening:

  – “But to open such a gate, one would need power on par with Lord Satan, or possess space–time abilities like Princess Trang and the Great General. If someone is smuggling goods onto Earth through spatial gates, then the mastermind must have an extremely powerful origin.”

  ***

  At the Bình Chánh headquarters, every development at the cosmetics shop was being displayed clearly on a 180-degree curved screen. Trúc Di?n and Arian shared the same conclusions as Din and Erion.

  The Grand Madam Advisor took a sip of chrysanthemum tea and spoke unhurriedly:

  – “If the mastermind has deep roots, then he won’t be here. We must dispatch investigation teams on the Dark Planet to thoroughly review how many demons have entered Earth over the past three months.”

  Master V?nh nodded in agreement:

  – “Then trace it back and see which faction they belong to. That will make everything clear.”

  Seated on the rosewood throne, Demon King Satan operated his encrypted laptop, his voice steady:

  – “The Empress and the Consort will personally investigate this case.”

  Arian was momentarily surprised:

  – “Father is letting Mother and the Consort take part?”

  Satan chuckled softly, pride evident in his eyes:

  – “The women of the Dark Planet are all technological elites. Moreover, your mother is the daughter of a high-ranking demon, once an elite intergalactic police officer. In her youth… she was formidable.”

  Arian forced an awkward smile:

  – “Grandfather goes without saying — he’s still terrifying even now.”

  Satan smiled, his fingers continuing their steady rhythm on the keyboard:

  – “I’ve already sent the email. She’ll respond as quickly as possible.”

  Silence settled over the room. The investigation had crossed beyond Earth’s boundaries — the figure behind the veil was about to be dragged into the light.