The northern wind still lashed through Hoa Lac, carrying the stench of smoke and blood not yet dry. The sky was a sheet of charcoal, aircraft circling above, helicopters buzzing like furious swarms of bees.
Trung walked among the ashes.
The armor had dissolved, but within his chest, a faint azure flickered like a steel heart still trembling. Each step rang with the soft scrape of metal against emptiness. From military loudspeakers came the command:
"Restricted zone. All personnel evacuate immediately."
He clenched his fists. Part of him wanted to leave, but something in the steel and memory held him back.
Breaking news everywhere.
Three days after the Yên Bái battle, headlines blazed with a single photo the man in armor facing B641.
Titles danced across screens: "Anonymous Warrior Saves Hoa Lac" and "Threat or Hero?"
In a dark council chamber.
General Phạm Huy Tín slammed the table:
"This is national security! An entity outside our chain of command is a threat!"
Major General Ngô Minh Lộc cut in, voice cold:
"Comrade Tín, your hand is shaking. He saved lives without him, casualties would be far higher. We must weigh the political consequences."
Tín's eyes were sharp as blades:
"Consequences? When the nation fractures because of one uncontrollable man, who will bear responsibility?"
Investigators slid forward a close-up photo: Trung, armor withdrawn, eyes glowing blue.
"These are not human eyes."
Professor Nguyễn Văn An interrogated.
Escorted into the chamber, shoulders straight, eyes bright despite exhaustion.
"Professor, do you know who he is?"
"I know he was once human. Now he is something humanity has no name for."
"You turned him into a weapon?"
"I only restored life. The choices are his alone."
A commissioner pressed:
"If he is controlled externally, you will be held accountable."
An gazed through the window toward distant Hanoi, his voice echoing:
"Ask why he still rises. That is the question you should answer first."
Hoàng Liên Sơn.
Trung sat in a cave, azure light painting the stone walls. Energy restructured tissue, artificial nerves weaving into flesh. Outside, the world roared with two words: power and threat.
In his mind, the system whispered:
"Cognitive fusion mode activated. Lac Hồn Living Form ready."
He summoned the armor. Đông Sơn motifs flared like a reborn sun. He was no longer man, nor machine. He was Lac Hồn ancient and future at once.
Van Sinh's underground chamber.
The silver mask smiled:
"Good. The stronger he becomes, the closer we are to our goal. Awaken the others. If a soul cannot be sold, we will tear it apart."
Tanks bubbled. Satellite schematics glowed red. Van Sinh's satellites shifted orbit, locking onto Southeast Asia.
Back in the council chamber. Debate erupted louder. Silence fell as Tín struck the table:
"I issue the order: capture or eliminate within 24 hours! Whoever vetoes will bear responsibility!"
Ngô Lộc rose, pointing at the map:
"Tín, you gamble with civilian blood! Arrest will cause chaos. If we fire, international media will condemn us! Do you want this to escalate into full-scale war while the enemy arranges weapons in orbit?"
The Minister of Interior interjected:
"The people demand truth! Transparency is vital using him as a symbol could calm the nation!"
Tín snarled, eyes on An:
"Professor, you speak like a philosopher. You hide vital information. Who gave 'Lac Hồn' his power? Who will oversee him?"
An replied slowly, each word heavy:
"I hide nothing. I returned a man to humanity. If you use him as a tool, then you are the criminals."
The chamber was taut as a drawn bow. Cameras waited outside for the verdict.
Breaking news Van Sinh released a video threat, another chamber awakening, message cold:
"Give us Lac Hồn. Or we will teach you the meaning of loss."
Tín stared at the screen, face steel:
"No concessions. This is terrorism. We must retaliate."
Ngô Lộc countered:
"Before retaliation, consider technological dialogue. A team of experts negotiating through secure protocols. If we act rashly, the consequences will be immeasurable."
Tín barked: "Negotiate with a corporation that unleashed monsters on civilians? Absurd!"
The debate turned personal. Power, responsibility, fear all tangled.
Trung knew he was seen as an object.
He thought of Tùng, of Lan, of Mai, of debts owed to the living. He did not want to be anyone's weapon. He wanted to preserve what was called "human" for those still alive.
One night.
An met Tín in a sealed chamber. Words brief:
"You may kill me, but you cannot destroy what has been awakened."
Tín replied without looking at him, eyes on the file:
"You know the risk. If he loses control, you will be blamed."
An's gaze burned:
"If you want a safe soul, entrust it to one with a heart. Do not lay that burden on guns."
Tín laughed harshly:
"Hearts have no storefront. Hearts can destroy too."
Final scene.
Van Sinh satellites shifted orbit again a reminder that war was not only on the ground.
Television showed Lac Hồn standing amid ruins. Some hailed him, others demanded his destruction. Government split into factions. Van Sinh smirked, waiting.
Trung gazed at Hanoi from afar, hand trembling not from cold, but from the weight of choice. He whispered to himself:
"If I am fire… for whom shall I burn?"
Night ended. But the fire did not.