Chapter 11 — Mermaid Rising Waves

Camera angle number two——” He pulled out a device dripping water from his lap, “When I retreated, I conveniently pulled it back, I'm sure I took enough pictures.” This time Lam Triet was injured much more seriously than last time. Grandma put a big bag of seaweed mud on his wound, changing it three times a day, cursing loudly while changing it.

“You bastards, electrocuting fish is illegal, do you know that?

You also injected the fish, are you planning on throwing it to the dogs? Oh no, it's not fish that sting, it's mermaids. That's even more outrageous, this is mistreatment of intelligent creatures, a violation of the Geneva Convention!

“Madam, the Geneva convention is the law of war…”

I whispered a reminder.

“So this is war!”

Grandma banged on the table, “They are declaring war on the entire ocean!” I don't argue, because in some ways, grandma is right. While Lam Triet was in a coma, I backed up the camera videos in three copies, saved them in three different cloud accounts, then contacted Tong Vien Hang. We met at a coffee shop near the company. I showed him the video——of course the edited version, which only showed the discharge scene, not revealing the existence of any mermaids. After watching, Tong Vien Hang was silent for about five minutes.

“What sea was this filmed in?”

His voice was hoarse.

“The western reef area.

That's where my grandfather used to fish.” His fingers clenched the coffee cup until it turned white.

“This much evidence is enough.”

He said, "If released, the Dark Group will at least face fines and compensation of up to billions of yuan, and the individuals involved may be held criminally responsible."

“But the problem is, how to announce it?”

I asked, “The Tham Lam Group has a deep network of relationships in the media, government, and even the judicial system. If we just put the video online, they can remove all the content in a few hours, then spread the rumor that this is an 'AI-generated deepfake video'." Tong Vien Hang nodded: "You're right, we need a media agency with enough influence, preferably a national television station or a media platform with a huge amount of traffic. At the same time, combine with the government's internal whistleblowing channel——Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Natural Resources, or even the Supreme Procuracy.”

“Can you access those channels?”

“I have a senior who works at the Ministry of Environment.”

Tong Vien Hang hesitated, "But whether he is willing to help or not... is difficult to say. This affects a huge chain of interests, one mistake and your career will be destroyed."

“Then let's find him quickly.”

I suggest, "First, let's find a media channel that can withstand the heat first." We discussed for a long time and finally listed a few bright names. But any choice has potential risks—some sides are at risk of being bribed by the Tham Lam Group, some sides may not dare to report the news because of insufficient evidence, some sides may "pull the strings" to create a stir in the headlines. Just when I was depressed and running out of ideas, my grandmother appeared. That evening, as soon as I entered the house, I suddenly discovered that there was another person in the living room—an old man with gray hair and a meticulously tailored dark gray suit, sitting on the sofa enjoying tea with his grandmother.

“Who is this?”

I looked at the old man suspiciously.

“Your old friend.”

Grandma replied leisurely, "You can just call Mr. Chu."

"Hello, Mr. Chu."

I politely greeted. The old man turned to look at me, his eyes kind. His face looks familiar, I think I've seen it on TV before—— Wait. Television. I woke up—this “Mr. Chu” is the founder and honorary chairman of Huaxia Media Group – the largest news media group in the country. His media ecosystem covers two national television stations, three nationally distributed newspapers and a newspaper reading application with a daily active user base exceeding one hundred million. In short, he is the most powerful media mogul in this country. There are no competitors.

“Mr. Chu…

Why are you..." I stammered at a loss for words. Mr. Chu smiled slightly, his voice was calm but powerful: "Your grandmother once saved my life."

“Yes?”

“Forty years ago, during a survey trip to the sea, he encountered a storm and the ship capsized.

It was my grandmother who picked him up from the sea.” He glanced at his grandmother, his eyes filled with gratitude. Grandma waved her hand, "Forget that tone, let's get down to business." Her expression suddenly turned serious, "My niece has something for you to see." I played the video for Mr. Chu to watch. He watched the entire clip, the smile on his lips gradually faded.

“This is Tham Lam Group?”

“Yes.”

I replied, “The waters of the western reef area.”

“Real evidence?”

“The original is here, has not gone through any cutting or editing stages, and can be completely handed over to an independent inspection agency for technical analysis.”

Mr. Chu pondered for a long time. Then he stood up, walked in front of his grandmother, "Old lady, leave this matter to me." Grandma nodded, her expression indifferent. Mr. Chu thought for a moment, "But we need more witnesses, preferably someone inside the Tham Lam Group who dares to testify with their true identity."

“I can find someone.”

I replied. Tong Vien Hang successfully convinced the senior, he agreed to denounce the law violations of the Tham Lam Group from within. This young department head accepted to bet his career, synthesizing the fake environmental reports that Tham Lam Group submitted over the years into a detailed denunciation. As for me, I continued to collect evidence within the company, taking advantage of Dr. Trieu's growing trust in me. He assumed that I was a “hard-working, obedient, not interested in meddling” intern, so I was able to access countless more confidential documents, including the actual operation log of the deep-sea landfill project, financial data on pollution treatment costs, and several environmental impact assessment reports marked “Top Secret”. All of these documents point to one horrifying truth: Tham Lam Group's deep-sea landfill project, over the past five years, has discharged at least more than one hundred thousand tons of untreated toxic waste into the sea.