Chapter 7 — Lottery Ticket On The Last Train

Hao did not run away from the city. He hid in the old maintenance area, where all the tracks lead to the terminal.

Happily received the signal from the cloud account. Hao is accessing records using the lottery company's computer, preparing to confirm that the ticket is lost and request to cancel the prize. If successful, the money will go into the dispute fund and then disappear in a chain of accounts.

An wanted to go straight there, but the investigator said they needed him to appear with the original ticket to catch him red-handed.

“I'm not bait,” An said.

Ly looked at him. "You've been acting as bait since you picked up the ticket. The difference is that now you get to choose which way to stand."

They prepared a public verification at Cam Van station. An agreed to present the real ticket to the lottery company's cameras, but requested that every step be recorded independently.

Hao appeared through his lawyer, accusing An of stealing Quan's property. He also presented a witness: the man in the gray shirt who sat in the same compartment, saying An was the last person to touch Quan's bag.

Hanh zooms in on the witness's face. That was a Hao Logistics employee who was on the brake handover list.

An placed the ticket on the table. The specialist scans the code and the machine says it's valid. Everyone in the room held their breath.

But the serial numbers on the system do not match. The ticket is valid, but registered to another agent.

Hao burst out laughing. "See? My sheet is still intact."

An did not panic. He turned to the camera. "Yes. This is not Quan's ticket. It is the ticket I bought this morning."

Hao stopped laughing.

An took out the real ticket from the second sealed envelope. On the back there are blood stains and the writing 17B. Microscopic comparison specialist; The paper fiber, ink and serial code all match the ticket roll Quan bought.

Hao's lawyer was about to object when his phone rang. A copy of the contract was just sent to the press, with a video of An's father warning about fake brakes.

Hao looked at An, for the first time no longer calm.

“You don't know what you're destroying.”

"I know. A system that has lived on people being more afraid of losing their jobs than they are of losing people."

The verification session ended with an order to seal the ticket. An is not allowed to leave the room when the specialist completes the record. Vinh sat in the opposite corner, constantly texting. Every time his phone rang, he looked toward the door as if waiting for someone.

Hanh checked the company's transaction history and saw that a money transfer had just occurred, the recipient was **Northern Route Safety Fund**. This fund has never been registered, but has received billions of dong from Hao Minh for many years.

An understands that the bonus amount is only a small part. Hao used tickets to disperse expenses, then pushed responsibility to workers to sign. Quan probably discovered the fake fund and used the ticket to force people to pay attention.

Hao's lawyer asked An to withdraw the lawsuit in exchange for the full reward. An asked if he refused, what would they do to the victim's family. The lawyer replied that it was "not related to the lottery prize".

An took out his phone and opened the list of family names. There is a mother who still pays the loan to repair the house after the accident, and there is a child who cannot receive benefits because the records show that the father violated the process.

“I won't accept any deal without a compensation fund and an independent investigation,” he told the camera.

The live broadcast was posted by Hanh, causing chaos in the verification room. People outside the gate started calling the company's name.

Hao appeared for the first time appear via video call. His face was blurred by the light, his voice was still calm: "Do you want to be famous or do you want to live?"

An replied: “I want the dead to be called by their correct names.”

Call off. A minute later, a text message came from Ly's number: **I'm at home. Don't believe that call just now.**

An looked at Hanh. Ly was sitting next to her, her phone was still in her pocket.