Chapter 4 — Lottery Ticket Without Name

Nhi gave the data to the provincial attorney. He asked them not to release the ticket before the protection order was issued, because it could become evidence in the embezzlement case.

Quan is disappointed. He just wanted to know Lam was still alive.

A call came from Lam's number. The other person gasped and said: "Don't go to the hospital. They are looking for you."

Quan asked for his name, but the call was cut off.

Nhi followed the transmitter station and determined that the signal came from the old closed factory. They arrived in Ms. Sau's car, carrying cameras and recording equipment.

In the security room, they found Lam's coat and a medicine box. There are no people. On the wall is a calendar, with the date of disappearance circled in red.

A man appeared from behind, the foreman. He said Lam died in an accident and Quan was causing panic in the worker's family.

Nhi asked why Lam's shirt was here. The foreman said the property was missing.

Quan looked at his wrist. There are new scratches, like chains.

The foreman called security. Quan pulled Nhi through the warehouse. A locked iron door; He used a wrench to open the latch, taking her to the back street.

They couldn't find Lam, but the camera recorded a noise from the basement. When watching again, below the frame there is a silhouette of a tied person.

Nhi reported to the police. The search team discovered the basement was empty, with only ropes and a union access card remaining.

The foreman disappeared in the night.

Thanh sent a message: "Lam is still alive. Exchange the ticket for the address."

Quan wants to meet. Nhi stopped, saying Thanh wanted to separate them from the investigation.

Quan asked: "What if he is being held?"

Nhi has no answer. She just placed her hand on the copy of the ticket. "We can't save Lam by giving evidence to someone who knows everyone's address."

Quan opened file K-17 again. The photo of the back of the ticket shows a triangular symbol, similar to the logo on the Thanh pawn shop sign.

Maybe Thanh received the ticket from Lam before he disappeared.

That night, Quan received a video: Lam sitting in a dark room, his face bruised, saying a single sentence: "Quan, don't believe people who say they're saving us."

The video ends with an image of a hook ring.

Quan stopped the video at the last frame. The ring isn't just shaped like a hook; Inside the metal ring was engraved with the number 17. Nhi recognized it as the room code in the old factory, where the union used to keep accident records.

They arrived at room 17 early in the morning. The door is locked with a lock that Quan once repaired for the spare parts warehouse. He used a thin steel bar to open the latch, but inside there were no files, only the smell of motor oil and an idling fan.

On the wall, someone used chalk to draw a money line diagram: union fund → insurance account → Minh K-17 company → a personal account. The last line was wiped, leaving the letter "K".

Quan found a shirt button stuck under the table leg. The button has an insurance company logo, the same type as the shirt shown in the video. Nhi called a lawyer and asked for an order to preserve the scene. But before they could leave, the fire alarm system suddenly sounded.

White smoke poured from the hallway. Quan pulled Nhi down low and used a wet towel to cover her face. The main door is locked from the outside. He pried open the lid of the fire box and found the technical pipe leading to the backyard.

A crash sounded behind. Someone was trying to open the door to room 17. Quan turned around and saw the shadow of a person wearing a hook ring through the smoke. That person does not chase; he just took the diagram from the wall.

Arriving at the yard, Quan discovered his phone had disappeared. Nhi pointed on his sleeve: a piece of paper pinned inside, stating the address of the cold storage facility and the appointment time.

“They want to take us away,” Nhi said.

“Maybe Lam is there.”

“Maybe they want the ticket.”

Quan took out his ticket to check. The blue ink is still intact, but the seven dots on the back have been smudged by one more dot. Someone touched it while taking the phone.

They went to the cold warehouse with a team of police. There was no Lam, only a table, a lunch box and a printout of the fake ticket. The fake copy has the same serial number, same tear angle, but the serial code is one letter wrong.

Nhi used an ultraviolet light to look at the fake papers. The security ink layer reflects a triangle, similar to Thanh's logo. He printed a fake copy, but who gave the original copy to copy is still unknown.

In the lunch box there is a memory card. The only file is a recording of Lam and Khanh arguing.

Khanh said: "You are just the custodian. The fund is where everything belongs."

Lam replied: "If the fund owns it, why do you have to make my death certificate?"

Khanh did not answer. A crashing sound rang out, then someone said: "Give it to Thanh."

Investigators issued a search warrant for Khanh. Quan stood outside the warehouse, watching the workers being escorted out of the area. A young person told him that Lam was once put on a truck with a license plate starting with K-17.

That night, Lam's number called again. This time, Quan clearly heard the sound of breathing.

“Where am I?” Lam asked.

“You have to tell me.”

"No. I need you to believe in one thing first: the ticket is not a reward. It is evidence to bring them to light."

“Who is holding you?”

“The person you thought was saving you.”

Call off. On the screen appeared a contact name that Quan had never saved: Mrs. Sau.

Quan called back immediately. Mrs. Sau picked up the phone without saying a word. He heard the sound of cutting knives and people arguing in the distance. Nhi signaled to turn on the speaker.

“Where are you?” Quan asked.

"Canteen. But don't come. Someone went to the kitchen to look for what Lam sent."

“Where is Lam?”

“Living people are not always allowed to go home.”

Call off. Nhi realized that the car horn in the background was the siren of the station, not the factory. They immediately changed direction. Before getting on the bus, Quan checked the ticket and saw that the edge of the moisture-proof bag had a very small cut, just enough to insert a knife blade.

Someone tried to get the ticket but didn't want to leave a mark. Quan placed an additional layer of transparent tape around the bag, then took a photo of the seal. He no longer trusted his memory; From now on, every time you touch the paper, there must be time and witnesses.