Zanh Kiem dashes down the corridor, the aftermath of chaos evident around him: people scattered about, chairs overturned, and several guards writhing in pain on the floor.
The Maker, though bewildered by the events, is driven by an urgent need to find his Seer.
In the central lobby, more disarray marks Rui's frenzied path.
As a squad of heavily armored guards rush to the scene, they come to a halt as Zanh Kiem, impatient, flashes the sign of Retribution with his hand.
He reaches the car park.
After a brief pause, he strides towards a black sedan secluded in a parking spot.
His instincts were right. Inside, the Seer is in the driver's seat, frantically tampering with the front panel and its wires.
Swiftly, with hands raised in a placating gesture, the Maker slips into the passenger seat. Yet Rui, engrossed in her task, seems oblivious to his presence, continuing to splice wires together.
After a tense ten seconds, the engine roars to life. Rui finally looks over, her eyes clearer than before, devoid of the manic crimson hue but with intermittent flashes of red.
"What's happening, Rui?" Zanh Kiem questions, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.
"He..." Rui starts, her voice low and distracted, "He wants to disclose it."
"Who? Disclose what?"
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Instead of responding, Rui floors the accelerator. The sedan takes off, nimbly weaving through traffic, tires screeching with every maneuver.
"Maestro! He shared with me a Great Secret..." Though the foam at her mouth had vanished, her whisper exuded an unsettling mix of insanity and fixation. "Now, he yearns to share it with someone else!"
"Why would he?" Zanh Kiem attempts to keep the conversation going, hoping to divert and soothe her.
"It's irrelevant. I made a mistake..." The car bolts onto the highway, swerving into the opposing lane to bypass congestion and reaching speeds of 190. "Revealing this secret will kill me. I won't survive it... But, lao ban, all of this doesn't matter."
"Rui! Stop this! Your life is precious, don't even entertain such thoughts!"
"You fail to grasp, lao ban. Nobody truly comprehends my Gift. My life and death are incomparable against this Secret."
"Do you feel any relief?"
"He's indecisive!" Her sudden exclamation jolts Zanh Kiem from his reverie, and he struggles to follow her train of thought.
"What do you mean, 'indecisive'?"
"He teeters between revealing and retracting... Why? Why must he torment me this way?!" Rui's voice escalates, desperation evident, as she veers sharply. "Why... is... he... so... ruthless?!"
"Do you sense where he is?" A sudden realization dawns on the Maker as he reaches for his phone.
"Not precisely... Just a general direction."
"Find him, Rui! It's crucial!"
"No, lao ban, you don't get it. The only thing that truly matters is safeguarding the Secret."
"Mr. Tunk!" The head of the Third Palm quickly dials and urgently speaks into the phone. "We have a situation! Maestro's been abducted! No... He's awake... I'm not sure... How could they restrain a raig? Ask me something simpler! Mr. Tunk, now's not the time for queries! Clear a path for a black Valhalla Seven sedan, registration R17925UI. And inform the police not to intercept it. Assistance? Pinpoint my phone's location. Deploy helicopters. What else? Pray, Mr. Tunk. Pray with everything you've got."
Suddenly, the Seer's complexion goes ashen. The car veers sharply, nearly careening off the road.
"Damn..." she murmurs weakly. "He's doing it again..."
"Hang in there, Rui! I'm right here with you. Whatever comes our way, I've got your back."
"Thank you, lao ban..."