The Sumitomo Industrial Complex.
Even the name carried a weight of grim history and whispered legends.
Built pre-invasion, it was once a titan of Earth's manufacturing might, a sprawling metropolis of factories, refineries, and research labs.
After the Madakaros arrived and the initial bombardments shattered its infrastructure, it became a vast, dangerous ruin.
Its upper levels were a treacherous maze frequented by desperate scavenger guilds and ruthless gangs, all vying for scraps of pre-invasion technology or overlooked resources.
Its deeper subterranean levels, however, were largely unexplored, rumored to be a labyrinth of forgotten tunnels, sealed labs, and automated defense systems that still, somehow, functioned.
And now, it was potentially the lair of a Maka Legion operative.
Lâm Minh spent the next two days immured in a secure briefing room provided by Yan, poring over the schematics of Sumitomo.
They were, as Yan had warned, woefully outdated.
Large sections were marked "DATA CORRUPTED" or "ACCESS RESTRICTED – PRE-INVASION LEVEL 7 CLEARANCE."
The subterranean maps were particularly patchy, showing only the main access tunnels and some of the larger known chambers. Anything deeper was a blank, a void labeled "UNMAPPED TERRITORY."
Despite the limitations, Lâm Minh studied them with intense focus, his Foundation Establishment-enhanced mind absorbing and cross-referencing every available detail.
He looked for patterns, for potential hidden entrances, for structural weaknesses, for areas where an advanced, clandestine operation might logically be established – places with access to power, water, and crucially, seclusion.
He paid particular attention to reports of unusual seismic activity or energy fluctuations that Trinh's department had managed to collate over the years, however vague.
The recent energy surge his informant had mentioned was just one of several minor, unexplained incidents linked to Sumitomo's deeper zones.
"The complex had its own geothermal power core, pre-invasion," Yan explained during one of their briefing sessions, pointing to a heavily redacted section of the schematics.
"Officially, it was decommissioned and sealed before the Fall. But there have always been rumors that parts of it might still be functional, or that alternative, undocumented power sources exist deep underground."
A functioning, independent power source would be ideal for a hidden manufacturing facility.
Lâm Minh also requisitioned specialized equipment.
His Foundation Establishment strength and abilities were formidable, but he wasn't foolish enough to rely on them alone in a place like Sumitomo.
From Trinh's quartermaster, he obtained:
A lightweight, full-body stealth suit: Woven from adaptive camouflage fibers and sound-dampening material, it would further enhance his Shadow Step ability and reduce his thermal signature.
Multi-spectrum goggles: Capable of night vision, thermal imaging, and detecting certain energy frequencies, including residual Qi signatures.
A compact, high-powered breaching charge: For unsealing stubborn doors or creating emergency exits, to be used only as a last resort due to the noise.
A set of advanced lock-picking tools and electronic bypass devices: For more subtle entry.
Concentrated nutrient paste and water purification tablets: For sustained infiltration.
An upgraded, encrypted communicator with a dead-man switch: If he didn't check in at pre-arranged intervals, it would automatically transmit his last known location and a distress signal to Yan.
A reinforced, custom-fitted sheath for his crowbar: Allowing for quick, silent access. His crowbar, though a simple tool, had become his signature weapon, and with his advanced Qi Infusion, it was more deadly than many purpose-built armaments.
He declined firearms.
They were noisy, and against whatever he might face in the depths of Sumitomo, especially the suspected Maka Legion agent, conventional bullets would likely be useless.
His cultivation abilities were his true weapons.
While Lâm Minh prepared for his solo deep infiltration, Hạnh, Cường, and Tuấn continued their Qi Refining training with a desperate fervor.
The knowledge that Lâm Minh was heading into Sumitomo, and that they might be called upon to support him, even peripherally, was a powerful motivator.
Their progress was slow but steady.
Tuấn, with his natural affinity, was already showing signs of reaching the Initial Phase's Minor Completion.
Cường's raw strength was beginning to translate into a more controlled, albeit still crude, internal Qi.
Hạnh, through sheer willpower, was consistently absorbing and circulating small amounts of Spirit Essence.
They were nowhere near combat-ready in a cultivator sense, but they were becoming stronger, more resilient, and their senses were sharpening.
Yan had assigned Operative Bao to oversee their accelerated training, providing them with higher quality Low-Grade Spirit Stones and more targeted guidance.
Lâm Minh checked in on them when he could, offering encouragement and correcting their techniques.
He saw the hope and determination in their eyes, and it fueled his own resolve.
They were investing their faith in him, in the path he had shown them.
One evening, before his planned departure for Sumitomo, Hạnh approached him after a grueling training session.
"Minh," she said, her voice unusually hesitant.
"This place you're going… Sumitomo. It's bad. Real bad. Even the toughest scavenger crews only stick to the upper levels, and they lose people all the time."
"I know, Hạnh," Lâm Minh replied, appreciating her concern.
"Cường, Tuấn, and I… we ain't Foundation Establishment like you. We're barely scratching the surface of this Qi stuff. But if there's anything, anything at all we can do to help… create a diversion, watch your back on the way in or out, anything… you just say the word."
Cường and Tuấn, standing behind her, nodded in agreement, their expressions serious.
Lâm Minh felt a warmth spread through his chest.
Their loyalty was genuine.
"Your progress is good," he told them.
"Keep training. Get stronger. For now, the best way you can help is by being ready if I need an emergency exfiltration or a distraction on the upper levels. Yan will coordinate with you if that becomes necessary. Your safety is also important."
He then spoke to Yan about his plan for entering Sumitomo.
He had identified a potential route – an old, mostly collapsed sewer outflow tunnel that, according to the fragmented schematics, might connect to some of the lower-level maintenance shafts of the complex, bypassing the more heavily guarded and scavenged upper entrances.
It was a risky, unverified route, but it offered the best chance of stealthy insertion.
"The sewer outflow is a cesspool of unknown biological and chemical hazards, Minh," Yan cautioned.
"And if it does connect, the shafts will likely be unstable, possibly trapped."
"It's the least obvious path," Lâm Minh stated.
"And my Cleansing Flame can handle most toxins. My Qi Sense should help me navigate traps."
Yan nodded slowly.
"Your Foundation Establishment abilities give you options others wouldn't have. Very well. We will have a discreet team monitoring the perimeter of the outflow area, but they cannot follow you in. Once you enter Sumitomo's unmapped zones, you are on your own until you re-establish contact."
The night before his infiltration, Lâm Minh did one last thing.
He visited his parents again, under the guise of having a few days off from his "salvage work."
He brought them more credits and, more importantly, a small vial containing a diluted, carefully prepared elixir he'd created by infusing nutrient-rich herbs with a tiny sliver of his Foundation Establishment Qi and a trace of Cleansing Flame to purify it.
It wasn't a cultivation panacea, but it would significantly boost their health, cleanse lingering toxins from their systems, and ease his father's chronic joint pain.
He instructed them to take a few drops daily, framing it as a rare, expensive health supplement he'd acquired through his work.
Seeing the immediate relief on his father's face after the first dose, and the renewed vitality in his mother's eyes after a day, was a profound reward.
It reaffirmed his purpose.
This was why he fought, why he risked everything.
He didn't tell them where he was going.
He simply said he had another challenging, long-duration assignment.
His mother hugged him tightly, her eyes filled with a familiar mixture of pride and fear.
"Come back safe, my son," she whispered.
"Always, Mom," he promised, though the words felt heavy with the unspoken dangers that lay ahead.
The next night, clad in his new stealth suit, his equipment meticulously checked, Lâm Minh stood at the mouth of the designated sewer outflow tunnel.
It was a dark, forbidding maw, exhaling a foul stench that would have made an ordinary person retch.
The drizzle of the perpetual Hanoi night did little to wash it away.
His multi-spectrum goggles painted the world in shades of green and thermal orange.
His Qi Sense reached into the oppressive darkness of the tunnel, feeling for movement, for danger.
This was it.
The gateway to Sumitomo's underbelly.
The potential lair of a Maka Legion agent.
He took a deep, centering breath, his Foundation Establishment Qi humming within him, a silent promise of power.
Then, with a final glance back at the besieged city he was fighting to protect, Lâm Minh stepped forward and was swallowed by the darkness.
The hunt had truly begun.