Chapter 19 — End of Line Bus 08

The scene on Dai Nam Plaza's rooftop took place quickly and coldly like a perfectly staged pantomime. There were no unnecessary shouts, only the sound of metal clanging as the number eight handcuffs snapped into the assassins' hands.

Major General Pham Van Tuong waved his hand and signaled two special forces soldiers to drag Vu away. The cold-blooded assassin now looked like a puppet with broken strings, his vicious eyes staring into aimless space.

On the streets, the appearance of Special Police from the central government has completely changed the situation. The Director of the City Police who had just loudly directed over the radio a few minutes ago was now standing and stammering an explanation before a Colonel of the Working Group, before being stripped of his branch card and suspended from work right at the scene. The entire local umbrella network protecting Dai Nam Dong is collapsing with every command issued from the helicopter on the rooftop.

Major General Tuong walked towards Lam Huy. He did not draw a gun, his demeanor was dignified, but there was a piercing sharpness in his gaze.

Huy slowly threw the broken brick in his hand onto the concrete floor, raising his arms to chest level. Tue also came out from hiding and stood next to him.

"Are you Lam Huy, reporter for Law & Society newspaper?" General Tuong spoke in a deep, deep voice, his Northern accent clearly echoing in the windy space.

"It used to be, General. Before my editorial office was taken over by Bui Thanh Long and my boss sold me out this morning," Huy replied, without hesitation.

He took off the heavy black backpack from his shoulder, placed it carefully on the concrete floor, and then pushed it towards General Tuong with a light kick. "In here is the original contract for burying radioactive industrial and medical waste. With the fresh signature of Bui Thanh Long. Along with the 'collapse code' design drawing of the Dai Nam Dong project."

General Tuong glanced at the backpack, then signaled an assistant officer to come forward and carefully collect it.

"What about the other one?" General Tuong tilted his chin toward Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Huu Dung, who was still tied to the lightning rod, shaking like a winter leaf.

"That's a living witness. The person who licensed those chemicals to go underground," Huy said, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

Hearing this, Mr. Dung seemed to have caught a life-saving straw, screaming and crying bitterly: "Report to the General! I was forced! Bui Thanh Long used a gangster to threaten my family, forcing me to sign! I am willing to be a state witness, I have books recording his bribes to other officials! Please protect me!"

General Tuong curled his lips in disdain. "Take him down. Classified as a group 1 criminal. Absolutely no contact with anyone."

Twelve o'clock at night.

The sky in Saigon is still filled with dark clouds but there is no rain. The temporary headquarters of the Special Working Group is located at a suburban military barracks that is lit as brightly as day.

Lam Huy sat in the interrogation room. Not handcuffed, in front of him was a steaming cup of black coffee and a pack of cigarettes. The past four hours have been a series of continuous testimony. He recounted every detail, from the first 11:30 p.m. bus ride, to the tapes, the junkyard, and the archive raid.

The room door opened. Major General Pham Van Tuong steps forward came in, holding a thick file in his hand. He sat down in the chair opposite Huy, placing the file on the table.

"The criminal examination department has confirmed that the signature on the contract is Bui Thanh Long's," General Tuong said, his voice a bit tired but his eyes still shining. "The online data released by your friend completely matches the paper version. The Environmental Police Department brought radiation measuring equipment to the Block B foundation two hours ago. The readings were three hundred times higher than the allowable level. An ecological disaster was averted right on the brink."

Huy exhaled a long breath, his entire body's muscles seemed to relax. Finally, the truth has been admitted.

"Where is Bui Thanh Long?" Huy asked.

"Twenty minutes ago, border security forces arrested Long and his family at Tan Son Nhat airport as they were preparing to board a private jet registered to fly to a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Vietnam. The Dai Nam empire officially collapsed."

General Tuong lit a cigarette and took a deep breath. "We have had a temporary arrest warrant for twenty-three officials and company directors involved. More heads will fall in the coming days."

Huy nodded, but deep in his eyes there was still a lingering sadness. He reached into his breast pocket, the only place that had not been torn during the journey, and pulled out a worn sheepskin notebook.

He placed the notebook on the cold iron table and pushed it towards General Tuong.

"This is the origin of everything," Huy said softly. "This is why I can't stop."

General Tuong raised his eyebrows and carefully opened the notebook. Yellowed pages, neat letters, and bright red ink smudges caught the old general's eyes.

"Death list," Huy explained. "Five names were crossed out. Nguyen Van Hung. Tran Thi Lan. Le Huu Phat. Vo Van Bon. Dinh Trong Quy. They were bricklayers, cleaners, lowly surveying engineers. They discovered the secret of Block B and were silenced forever. Their bodies were burned to ashes in some industrial landfill."

General Tuong ran his hand through the words, his face softened, revealing a sad and pensive look. He faced trillions of transnational crime rings, but the crime of taking the lives of poor working people so cruelly always touches the deepest part of a soldier's humanity.

"The person who recorded this notebook was Tran Van Ba, the subcontractor's security captain, who was forced to lure the victims," Huy continued. "He's being protected by Lieutenant Phong in a secure hospital. Don't treat him like a mastermind. He's just a substitute with a guilty conscience."

General Tuong closed the notebook and caressed the sheepskin cover. "This notebook will be included in the case file as Exhibit A. I promise you, the deaths of these five people will not be forgotten. Bui Thanh Long and his gang will have to pay for each life on this list with the highest sentences of the law."

Silence filled the room for several minutes, a silent tribute to the departed souls.

Then, General Tuong extinguished his cigarette, looked up and looked straight into Huy's eyes. The atmosphere suddenly changed, becoming serious and frustrated.

"You Now, let's talk about your part, Lam Huy," General Tuong said, clasping his hands together on the table. "You have done a great job. He pulled down a giant, saving millions of people from the risk of cancer and house collapse. But… you did it by breaking the law.”

Huy sat up straight, receiving the general's gaze.

"You broke into the archives. You destroyed property. He assisted hackers in cyber attacks. And most seriously, you kidnapped a high-ranking state official, used force to control him and threatened his life in public," General Tuong listed each crime, coldly like an indictment.

"I did it because the system was bribed," Huy argued. "If I take the evidence to the local investigation agency, it will disappear, and so will I."

"I understand. And the law sometimes has leniency towards people who commit crimes in urgent situations," General Tuong nodded. "But you are not an outlaw warrior in a Hollywood movie. He lives in a society that upholds the law. If I acquit you, it will set a dangerous precedent: anyone who thinks they are in charge of 'justice' has the right to be above the law, kidnap and use violence."

"I'm willing to take responsibility for what I do," Huy calmly replied.

"Very good," General Tuong stood up and tapped his hand on the file. "You will be prosecuted for illegal arrest. However, the Special Working Group will record all of his extremely excellent crime reporting efforts in the record to reduce the sentence to the maximum extent. Lieutenant Phong will also have to face a disciplinary council for using weapons without permission, but I will ensure he is kept in the profession because of his achievements in solving crimes. As for the bus driver..."

General Tuong paused slightly. "We found no evidence to prove that she directly participated in the kidnapping of Mr. Dung. She claimed that she was just a victim who was threatened and forced to drive. We will release her."

Huy smiled slightly. Tue always knows how to take care of herself.

He put his hands forward and placed them on the iron table. “Well then, General. Handcuff me."