Chapter 9 — A Day as a Janitor

"He even claimed that if the senior employees' allowances were all calculated at the highest tier, the Administrative Center wouldn't have a single penny left for performance bonuses this year!"

Luo Qian shrieked, "Phan Minh, do not drag me down with you!" Phan Minh glared at her, his eyes bloodshot.

"You were the one who kept the confirmation slips, and you were the one who took the spare keys!"

"What is the point of pretending to be innocent now?"

Basement Level One erupted into chaos. Director Shen raised a hand, and all noise ceased instantly. He looked at Gu Nan.

"Has the police been called?"

Gu Nan replied, "Called. They are on their way." Zhen Huaijin suddenly burst into laughter.

"Director Shen, even if what they are saying is true, it is merely an internal management issue."

"No actual loss has been caused yet."

I returned the original confirmation slips to my bag.

"No loss has been caused?"

I pulled out several more documents.

"Tucked inside Uncle Liu's file in the warehouse was a resignation-of-allowance form."

"Right next to Chef Tran's records in the cafeteria was a newly added proposal for medical retirement adjustment."

"Inside equipment engineer Meng's documentation, there was a written explanation for the early termination of his managerial tenure."

I laid the pages out one by one.

"Some of these people have already retired, while others are currently processing their paperwork."

"If this cabinet hadn't been opened today, you people would have devoured every single one of them down to the bone."

Director Shen's expression could no longer be described as merely unsightly. He looked straight at Zhen Huaijin.

"Do you still wish to claim there was no loss?"

The corners of Zhen Huaijin's mouth tightened into a hard line.

"These documents do not prove that I am the one who did this."

I retorted, "Then let us simply see who was most eager to destroy them." The moment the words left my lips, Old Hu's walkie-talkie crackled to life. A panicked security guard's voice echoed from within.

"Captain Hu, the waste compaction station at the West Gate is on fire!"

"Someone threw two boxes of documents right into it!"

Old Hu's face drained of color. Director Shen pivoted sharply on his heel.

"Seal the exits."

I clutched the kraft paper bag tightly to my chest. The next second, the fire alarms throughout the entire building began to wail.

The waste compaction station at the West Gate was not far from Basement Level One. As soon as the alarm sounded, everyone rushed out. Director Shen was advanced in years, and though Gu Nan supported him by the arm, he strode faster than anyone else. I handed the kraft paper bag over to Old Hu.

"Hold onto this with your life."

Old Hu nodded heavily.

"Rest assured, Sister Tran, it is safe with me."

Luo Qian tried to slip away toward the periphery in the midst of the confusion. He Miao suddenly pointed a finger at her.

"Manager Luo is trying to leave!"

Luo Qian's expression shifted drastically.

"I am going to get someone to put out the fire!"

I glanced at the phone clutched in her hand.

"If you are going to fetch help, why is your phone switched off?"

Instinctively, she whipped her hand behind her back to conceal the device. Director Shen uttered only a single syllable.

"Detain her."

Two security guards immediately moved in to block her path. Zhen Huaijin, however, did not attempt to flee. He stood rooted to the spot, a bizarrely calm expression resting on his features. This composure was far more unsettling than panic. I spared him a glance, and he returned the look.

"Tan Ngoc Tran, do you truly believe that digging up a few old scraps of paper is enough to pin everything on me?"

I offered no reply, for thick billows of smoke were already rolling in from the West Gate entrance. Numerous discarded cardboard boxes had been piled up near the compaction station. Flames crackled furiously from within, snapping and popping in the heat. Security guards rushed forward with fire extinguishers. He Miao attempted to join them, but I caught her by the sleeve and pulled her back.

"Stay behind me."

She stomped her foot in frantic anxiety.

"There are boxes of documents in there!"

I said, "Save your own life first." The overhead sprinkler system hissed into action. Once the fire was brought under control, the two black document boxes were already charred and half-collapsed. Donning a pair of thick gloves, Old Hu dragged the containers out of the pooling water. As soon as the lids were pried open, nothing remained inside save for shredded paper and soggy ash. Phan Minh took one look, and his complexion turned even whaler than before. I squatted down, carefully picking through the damp ashes to rescue a corner of paper that had escaped total destruction. Only half a name remained visible: Ngoc Tran. Luo Qian squeezed her eyes shut. Reaching in again, I retrieved a second fragment, bearing three distinct words: honorary bonus. Director Shen fixed his gaze upon Zhen Huaijin.

"Is this what you meant when you claimed no actual loss had been caused?"

Zhen Huaijin stated coldly, "Who knows who threw them in there?" Old Hu immediately countered, "The West Gate security cameras recorded it." Gu Nan hurried over holding a tablet computer. On the screen, a man dressed in maintenance overalls could be seen wheeling a cart and dumping two boxes of documents directly into the waste station. He wore a face mask, and the brim of his cap was pulled low, but around his left wrist gleamed a string of black prayer beads. Upon catching sight of those beads, Phan Minh began to tremble violently. I looked at him.

"You recognize him?"

Phan Minh's lips were drained of all color.

"I do not know him."

I noted, "Whenever you lie, your gaze always drifts downward to the lower right."

"For thirty-two years, that habit has never changed."

Phan Minh finally collapsed completely, his defenses shattered.

"It is Driver Khieu."

"Deputy Director Zhen's personal driver."

Zhen Huaijin lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar.

"Say that again!"

The security guards stepped in swiftly to tear the two men apart. Director Shen's voice was frigid.

"Bring that driver back here."

Gu Nan dialed three consecutive phone calls, but none of them connected. Old Hu instructed the gatekeeper to check the exit logs. Five minutes later, the security booth responded.

"Old Khieu drove out through the West Gate ten minutes ago."

"The last three digits of the license plate are 386."

Director Shen looked directly at Zhen Huaijin.

"Your car?"

Zhen Huaijin remained silent. A sudden memory flashed in my mind of the strange text message I had received earlier that day.