Chapter 7 — Never Blame a Janitor

The curtains had been closed before Dac Long entered, leaving only a single desk lamp shining on the thick pile of files in the middle of the table - the light was just enough to read the words, just dark enough so that no one outside could guess that someone was inside. The small office of Nhan Tin Security Company was located modestly on the second floor of an old building in Binh Thanh district, completely far away from the shiny buildings of large businesses. This was where Ho Trong Nhan, former head bodyguard of the Hac Thinh Group, had quietly built up over the past eight years, in the name of a company providing security services and bodyguards for small events, but in reality was the central brain of the entire information gathering network that Dac Long silently maintained to wait for revenge.

Dac Long came to the office one evening, after leaving Anh Thu - who had just been discharged from the hospital for two days, still needed to rest at home according to the doctor's instructions - to a trusted neighbor to watch over him for a few hours. He sat down in the chair opposite Ho Trong Nhan, across the old wooden table covered with files. Both of them did not need to say hello because they were so used to this quiet meeting rhythm.

"I've had people monitor the three kids in Khai Phong's group since yesterday," Ho Trong Nhan began, pushing a thin file across the table. "Those three kids' names are Trinh Bao Nam, Vu Bao Long and Dang Minh Khoi. Among them, Bao Nam seems to be the one who directly carried out the smoking, based on the security camera that I bribed from the tourist area."

Dac Long opened the file, looked through each photo taken from the security camera - the image of a skinny teenager, wearing glasses, sneaking closer to the drinks table during break time, his jacket sleeve hiding something small, then quickly leaving right after Anh Thu and Dieu Khanh turned their backs to talk. Although the image is not clear enough to accurately determine the act of pouring the medicine, the time and location match suspiciously.

Dac Long's eyes flashed with a familiar sharpness from the time he ran internal corporate investigations, although his voice remained calm. "How is Bao Nam's family?"

"His father is the director of a small construction materials company, with long-term supply contracts for projects of Tang Phat Group," Ho Trong Nhan replied. "Frankly speaking, without those contracts, his company would go bankrupt within a year. That's probably why the boy didn't dare to refuse anything Khai Phong told him to do."

Dac Long nodded, the pieces gradually fitting together in his head according to the logic he had predicted from the beginning - Khai Phong did not act alone, but used the children whose families depended on his father's economic power as tools. It was a cruel but effective tactic, one that, ironically, Dac Long realized was somewhat similar to the way Tang Bach Nguyen had manipulated small shareholders eight years before — using economic dependence to force others to comply with his will, without resorting to direct violence.

"I need to talk to Bao Nam," Dac Long said. "It's not to threaten him. I need him to tell the truth, voluntarily, with full recording as evidence."

"What are you going to do?" Ho Trong Nhan asked, frowning worriedly. "If you directly approach a minor without parental consent, this could become a big legal problem."

Dac Long was silent for a moment, thinking carefully according to the instinct of someone who had to consider all legal risks in every business decision. "I will not approach directly. I will ask Principal Minh Chau to officially intervene, in the name of the school to investigate the case according to the correct procedure. But before that, I need you to learn more about the financial pressure that Bao Nam's father's company is under from Tang Phat. If I can assure their family that telling the truth will not cause them to lose their source of income, perhaps they will be more willing to cooperate."

Ho Trong Nhan looked at his old friend, the leader he had served for more than a decade, and felt an indescribable feeling of both relief and anxiety. Relieved that finally, after eight years of waiting in silence, Dac Long was ready to act again. Worrying because he knew better than anyone else, once Tang Bach Nguyen realized that someone was revisiting the past, his reaction will not be lenient, especially when it directly involved his son.

Ho Trong Nhan lowered his voice, his eyes avoided for a moment before looking straight back. "Mr. Long, I have to tell you the truth. In recent months, I have had the feeling that Tang Bach Nguyen's people are paying more attention to Sunrise Saigon School than usual. Not directly following you, but there are signs that they are gathering information about the school's personnel, including the security team. I'm not sure, but maybe he has begun to suspect something."

When Dac Long heard the news, his face did not change color, but his eyes became colder than ever. "If that's true, then Thu's bullying may not simply be due to Khai Phong's childish jealousy."

"You think it's a trap?" Ho Trong Nhan sat up straight, his hands clasped the edge of the wooden table.

"I can't confirm," Dac Long replied, "but I don't believe in coincidences, especially when it comes to the Tang family. We need to find out very carefully, very carefully, before doing anything further. I can't reveal myself sooner than necessary, but I also can't let my daughter continue to be a target."

Both of them spent another two hours reviewing all the evidence files that Ho Trong Nhan had quietly collected over the past eight years - copies of suspicious bank transactions related to fake loans in the past, confidential interview recordings with two former accountants of the old Hac Thinh who agreed to testify when necessary, and a long list of shady business relationships that Tang Bach Nguyen had built during the development of Tang Phat Group. That is a significant amount of evidence, but still not enough to publicly overthrow a powerful corporation with a powerful team of lawyers like Tang Phat currently.

"We need one last link," Dac Long said, rubbing his forehead wearily. "A direct, irrefutable piece of evidence linking Tang Bach Nguyen to the act of falsifying the board resolution that year. Without it, everything we have is just indirect suspicions, not strong enough in court or before the board of shareholders."

"Is Lawyer Bach making any progress?" Ho Trong Nhan asked.

"He is trying to approach one of the three shareholders who colluded in the past," Dac Long replied. "This person is now old and weak, no longer holds an important role in Tang Phat, and is said to be somewhat dissatisfied with being treated unfairly after completing his mission in the conspiracy that year. If we can convince him to cooperate, perhaps that will be the link we need."

Before leaving the office, Dac Long stopped at the door and turned to look at Ho Trong Nhan again. "Thank you, for everything you've done these past eight years. I know it wasn't easy."

Ho Trong Nhan looked straight into his eyes. "Mr. Long, I swore loyalty to you from the first day you hired me. That oath never expires, whether you are the president of a corporation or just a school guardian."

Dac Long nodded, a rare smile flashed across his always serious face, then walked out of the office, joining the bustling stream of people and traffic of Saigon at night. On the way back to the small apartment where his daughter was waiting, he couldn't help but think about what Ho Trong Nhan had just said about Tang Bach Nguyen's unusual attention to the school. If his hunch is correct, this war will no longer be limited to mere school bullying — it will become a mortal confrontation, where every wrong move could cost the lives of those he loves most.

He pulled out his phone and sent a short message to lawyer Lam Gia Bach: "It's time to speed up the process. I need to see you as soon as possible." Then he put the phone in his pocket, walked faster towards the apartment, where the living room light was still on, where his daughter was waiting for him to return like any other peaceful evening - although perhaps, such peaceful evenings would not last much longer.

On the way, he stopped by a small roadside restaurant, sat down and ordered a glass of iced tea, taking a break to have time to think more clearly before going home. He doesn't want to bring any tension in front of his daughter - that's the principle he's always maintained for the past eight years, that no matter how stormy it is outside, the father and daughter's small home must always be a place of absolute peace.

Sitting alone with a glass of iced tea, Dac Long remembered the first years when he first started his anonymous life, when everything was still confusing, when he had to learn how to naturally hold a broom to sweep the yard, learn how to bow to the parents who could have been his business partners in another life without revealing any traces of familiarity. There were nights when he lay awake, wondering whether the decision to completely disappear from his old world was the right choice, whether there was another way to protect his daughter and not had to give up everything he had built his whole life. But every time he saw Anh Thu sleeping soundly and safely, unaware of the dangers lurking out there, he reminds himself that all the sacrifices were worth it.

Now, when the war seems to be gradually returning, when pieces of the past begin to collide with the present in ways that he cannot prevent, Dac Long understands that time of false peace is about to end. He finished his glass of iced tea, placed the money on the table, then stood up, his eyes firmly directed towards the small apartment waiting for him, carrying the determination that no matter what happened next, he would not let history once again take away the people he loved the most.