The journey out of the Dragon's Maw was significantly less stressful than the journey in.
The lava soldiers did not reform. The giant salamander did not ask for a rematch. The paranoia-inducing air seemed to have taken a day off. It was just a long, hot, and slightly tedious walk back up to the surface.
Lin Ming walked in a focused silence, his mind completely absorbed by the book in his hands. The Fire Codex wasn't made of paper; its pages were shimmering sheets of contained heat, and the words written on them were living flames that danced and shifted. To read it, he didn't use his eyes. He used his Spiritual Sense, absorbing the raw concepts of fire directly into his consciousness.
It was like drinking from a fire hose of cosmic knowledge. The principles of combustion, the nature of plasma, the connection between heat and life, the concept of destruction as a form of creation—it all flowed into him, settling alongside his understanding of Earth. He could feel the foundation for his perfect Golden Core slowly taking shape.
The rest of the team gave him a wide berth, sensing his intense concentration. They formed a protective circle around him as they walked, a silent agreement to let their leader do his weird, glowy-book thing in peace.
This left them with plenty of time to talk amongst themselves.
"So," Quynh Nhu began, breaking the silence as she expertly hopped over a crack in the stone floor. "Now that we're all here, we need to address the elephant in the room. Or rather, the badger." She pointed a thumb at Gary, who was trotting happily beside Mei. "What, exactly, is his official title? Mascot? Heavy artillery? Emergency food supply?"
Gary's middle head stopped and gave her a distinctly offended look.
"He is the team's Morale and Tactical Cuddles Officer," Mei stated with academic seriousness. "His duties include being adorable, intimidating our enemies with his sheer size, and providing warmth on cold nights. And he is not a food supply."
"I dunno," Quynh Nhu mused. "I bet he'd taste like spicy bacon. Three different flavors of spicy bacon."
Pham Tuan, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. "You shouldn't joke about eating our mascot, Quynh Nhu. It's bad for team cohesion." He paused, a thoughtful look on his face. "Although... if we got really, really hungry... do you think the left head would be a bit gamey?"
Mei stared at them, horrified. Gary let out a sad little whine.
Minerva's drone on Mei's shoulder whirred. "My calculations indicate that, based on his muscle density and unique physiology, Gary's nutritional value would be immense. However, the psychological trauma inflicted upon the team by consuming our mascot would result in a 47% decrease in combat effectiveness. Therefore, I advise against it."
"See?" Pham Tuan said, nodding sagely. "Minerva agrees. It's a bad tactic."
Lin Ming, pulled from his concentration by the ridiculous conversation, sighed. He closed the Fire Codex, the flaming pages folding back into a single, ever-burning flame that he absorbed into his dantian for safekeeping.
"Nobody is eating Gary," he declared, his voice carrying the weight of finality. "He is a valued member of this team. End of discussion."
Gary, hearing this, trotted over and rubbed his heads gratefully against Lin Ming's leg.
"Alright, alright," Quynh Nhu grumbled. "Fine. More snacks for me, then."
By the time they reached the surface, the sun was setting, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple. The evacuation of the fortress was complete. All that remained was a skeleton crew of ASEAN soldiers tasked with stripping the facility for any useful technology before demolishing it.
The 'White Rabbit' was waiting for them, its ugly, toast-shaped hull a welcome sight.
The flight back to the Hanoi command center was smooth. The moment they landed, they were met on the tarmac by Director Tran and Special Agent Hien. Director Tran, a man who usually maintained an iron-clad poker face, looked... happy. Genuinely happy.
"Chimera," he said, his voice booming with pride. "You have achieved the impossible. Fifty thousand lives saved. A Madakaros fortress, a fifty-year-old thorn in our side, completely neutralized. You have given humanity its greatest victory since the invasion began."
"We just did our jobs, sir," Lin Ming said with a humble shrug.
"Nonsense," Tran declared. "This was more than a job. This was a miracle. The morale boost from this single operation is immeasurable. People have hope again." He then looked at Mei, and then at the giant, three-headed creature sitting patiently beside her. "And you seem to have acquired... new assets."
"Mei is our new Science Officer. Gary is our... mascot," Lin Ming explained.
Director Tran stared at Gary for a long moment. Gary stared back. All three heads tilted in unison. Tran, a man who had faced down alien warlords and political assassins, seemed momentarily lost for words.
"...Excellent," he finally managed. "Welcome to the Alliance, Mei. And... Gary. We'll have a special... kennel... prepared."
After the formal debriefing, the team was dismissed. They were given 48 hours of mandatory shore leave.
Pham Tuan went to visit the base's memorial hall, to pay respects to fallen comrades. Quynh Nhu made a beeline for the mess hall's snack bar, claiming she was suffering from severe "flavor deficiency." Mei and Minerva disappeared into the R&D labs, already deep in a discussion about reverse-engineering Madakaros energy shields.
Lin Ming had only one destination.
He found Su Quyen in her research lab. It was a clean, sterile space, a stark contrast to the fiery caverns he had just left. The room was filled with holographic displays, complex biological models, and the low hum of advanced scientific equipment.
She was standing in front of a large stasis tank, studying something inside. She was so absorbed in her work she didn't hear him enter. He stood there for a moment, just watching her. The sight of her, safe and sound, was a better reward than any amount of Battle Will points.
"Find anything interesting?" he asked softly.
She jumped, startled, and spun around. A brilliant smile lit up her face when she saw him. "Ming! You're back!"
She rushed forward and gave him a hug, a gesture that was both heartfelt and slightly uncoordinated. "I heard what you did. Everyone's talking about it. It was incredible."
"I had a good team," he said, hugging her back.
"And a good plan, apparently," she said, pulling away, a teasing glint in her eye. "Though the official report was suspiciously vague on the tactical details. It just mentioned a 'mass debilitating event'."
Lin Ming coughed. "Some things are best left to the official record."
Her expression turned serious. "I analyzed the biological samples you sent back from the initial skirmish. The Madakaros biology... it's fascinating. And terrifying. Their cellular regeneration is off the charts. They are genetically engineered for conquest."
She gestured to the stasis tank. Inside, floating in a nutrient gel, was the arm of one of the Madakaros they had fought. "But I found something. A weakness."
She brought up a holographic display. It showed a complex genetic sequence. "They have no natural defense against certain Earth-based microbial agents. Their immune systems are hyper-specialized for their own worlds. A common Earth virus... or even a specific type of bacteria... could be devastating to them."
Lin Ming looked at the data. "Like my laxatives."
Su Quyen blinked. "...Like your what?"
"Long story," he said quickly. "The point is, you found a real, strategic weakness. This is huge, Quyen. This could change the war."
"It's a start," she said, her cheeks flushed with excitement. "But I need more data. More samples. The real prize would be a living, high-ranking subject."
Lin Ming thought of the thousands of Madakaros currently occupying the planet. "I think I can help with that."
He then looked at her, his expression softening. "But that's for later. I found something. In the mountain."
He told her everything. About the Dragon's Maw, the First Flame, and the Fire Codex. He described the concepts and principles that were now settling in his mind.
She listened with rapt attention, her brilliant mind absorbing every detail. "Earth, Fire... Ming, this confirms my theory. The legends aren't just stories. Lạc Long Quân, Âu Cơ... they were real. And they left behind a legacy, a path to power that humanity has forgotten. A path that is independent of the Madakaros cultivation system."
"I still need two more," he said. "The Water Codex and the Codex of... something else. The Book of Four was damaged."
"Water," Su Quyen whispered, her eyes alight with discovery. "Lạc Long Quân was the Dragon Lord of the Seas. The legends say his palace lies at the bottom of the Eastern Sea, in a place where the water is 'as heavy as stone and as bright as the sky'."
She brought up another holographic map, this one of the ocean floor off the coast of Vietnam. "There's an anomaly here. A deep-sea trench that has never been properly explored. Our subs can't withstand the pressure. They call it the 'Dragon's Graveyard'."
Lin Ming looked at the map, then at her. He had the Fire Codex. He had the Earth Codex. And now, he had a clear destination for the next piece of the puzzle.
"Looks like I'm going for a swim," he said.