Chapter 10 — Profile 9:17

The space in basement B3 of Ocean Bank right now is no different from a fierce battlefield. The sound of gunshots echoed off the reinforced concrete walls, creating deafening echoes. The group of masked assassins were clearly professionally trained. They hid behind cars and methodically shot back at Major Binh's C03 force. Their goal was not to destroy the police, but to provide cover for an accomplice who was rushing toward the aluminum alloy briefcase lying in the middle of the floor.

Trinh Vu crawled close to the ground, taking advantage of the darkness and the protection of the Ford Everest tires. With the quick reflexes of someone who had undergone defensive martial arts training, he crawled to the position of the briefcase just one breath before the assassin. The masked man raised his gun, preparing to pull the trigger.

"Vu! Be careful!" Le Nhu Van screamed loudly from inside the car, threw open the door and tried to rush out.

Right at the moment when a thousand pounds hung by a thread, a sharp bang rang out. The bullet from Major Binh's K59 hit the assassin's bicep, causing his gun to clattering to the floor. Vu seized the opportunity, swung his leg to kick the assassin's gun away, at the same time grabbed the handle of the aluminum briefcase, curled up and rolled back to the hidden corner behind the SUV.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable and that the police had controlled the evidence, the leader of the masked assassin group signaled to retreat. They threw two smoke bombs, then quickly jumped into the pickup truck and sped away toward the emergency exit. Major Binh did not give orders to pursue, because the top priority at this time was not to capture the hired killers, but to protect the briefcase and the lives of those present.

The smoke gradually dissipates. Security Director Tung lay collapsed in a pool of blood, clutching his shoulder that had been hit by a bullet, his face contorted with pain and despair. He knew that the briefcase had fallen into the hands of the police, meaning that Do Trong Thang's empire had officially collapsed.

Vu stood up, panting, and brought the briefcase in front of Major Binh. "Inside this briefcase is steel evidence to finish off Do Trong Thang. Can we open it now?"

"Not yet," Major Binh replied, taking out a specialized sealed bag and covering the briefcase. "We must bring it to C03 headquarters, invite a representative of the Procuracy and make a public unsealing record. This is decisive evidence, we cannot allow any legal errors to occur that give Do Trong Thang's lawyer an excuse to retort."

Three o'clock in the morning, in the sterile meeting room of the Police Investigation Department C03. Under the witness of the prosecutor, Major Binh and lawyer Trinh Vu, the criminal technician broke the lock on the aluminum briefcase. Inside, neatly folded among stacks of real estate transfer papers and blank stocks worth thousands of billions of dong, was a red envelope with a stamp from the city's Department of Construction from ten years ago.

Van's hand trembled when she saw the envelope. Vu wore medical gloves and gently opened the old seal. Inside is the acceptance report of construction materials for the central span of Tan Cang Bridge. In the bottom right corner, the familiar signature of engineer Le Van Sang appears clearly, next to the red seal of the Deputy Director of the Department. Build.

"Look closely at the profile of the signature," Vu pointed to the last stroke of the word 'Sang', his voice lowered, full of bitterness but also full of steel. "Engineer Sang has a habit of pressing the pen hard on the final stroke, creating a deep groove on the paper. As for this signature, although 99% similar, the pen pressure is steady from beginning to end. This is a fake signature traced using sophisticated technology, not written by a human."

The criminal technician immediately put the paper through the spectral analysis scanner. Fifteen minutes later, the results were displayed on the computer screen: The ink used on Le Van Sang's signature was not the same type as the ink of the report's content, and in particular, the force analysis confirmed that this signature was created after the document was stamped. This is irrefutable evidence of record falsification.

Holding the assessment results in his hand, Major Binh pulled out his phone and called Director C03 directly. "Report to the Chief, the physical evidence has been completely authenticated. The attack at the bank basement shows that subject Do Trong Thang is showing signs of panic and may try to escape. Request the Chief to approve an urgent arrest warrant."

At five thirty in the morning, when the dawn had not yet dawned on the sky of Saigon, a convoy of cars with blue plates blaring their horns tore through the silence of the Thao Dien villa area. However, Do Trong Thang was not at home. The head of Dinh Phat Group, using his huge information network, received news of the failure at the bank vault and immediately fled.

Police issued a nationwide arrest warrant, blocking all border gates, ports and airports. The game of hide and seek went on extremely intensely for twelve hours. Finally, at five o'clock in the afternoon, Tan Son Nhat airport security forces in coordination with C03 captured Do Trong Thang as he was preparing to board a private jet with a foreign license plate, disguised as a diplomat, planning to flee to a country that had not yet signed an extradition treaty with Vietnam.

The image of Chairman of Dinh Phat Group, the former most powerful businessman, being led away in handcuffs in front of the cameras of dozens of reporters was broadcast live on every news channel. Hoang Minh, the person who started this media bomb, stood in the front row, smiling contentedly as he continuously clicked the camera. For Le Nhu Van, the moment she saw the biggest enemy in her life fall was the moment she felt her parents' souls were finally freed.

***

Eight months later.

The first instance trial of the Tan Cang Bridge disaster case and crimes related to Do Trong Thang took place under unprecedented strict security protection. The trial lasted for two weeks, attracting the attention of the entire country.

Trinh Vu participates as a lawyer to protect the legal rights and interests of the family of victim Le Van Sang. Standing in front of the dock, Do Trong Thang hired five of the most famous defense lawyers, but in the face of irrefutable evidence: the audio tape threatening engineer Sang, the testimony of a living witness of Bui Van Deo, and most importantly, the acceptance report of fake materials found in a secret safe, all defense arguments became powerless.

Bui Van Deo, thanks cooperated and reported sincerely, enjoyed mitigating circumstances but still had to receive a five-year prison sentence for being an accomplice in concealing crimes and accepting bribes. As for Do Trong Thang, his sentence is a just punishment for what he has sown.

The presiding judge of the trial, with a stern expression, loudly pronounced the sentence: "Sentence on defendant Do Trong Thang: 10 years in prison for violating construction regulations causing serious consequences; 5 years in prison for forging seals and documents of agencies and organizations; 5 years in prison for forcible property seizure and threatening to kill people. The combined total penalty is 20 years in prison. The defendant is forced to pay for all material damage. and emotional loss for the victims' families."

The sound of the judge's hammer resounding throughout the courtroom, marking the end of a dark empire called Do Trong Thang. Le Nhu Van sat in the front row, buried her face in her hands, sobbing. The tears of liberation, of a decade of being known as the son of a sinner, have now been washed away by pure justice.

Trinh Vu walked out of the court and took a deep breath of the fresh air of an autumn morning. Bright sunlight shines through the trees, dispelling the gloom that has covered the city for many months. Hoang Minh ran to pat his shoulder, smiling brightly.

"It's done, my friend. A historic victory," Minh said, pointing towards the police van that was taking Do Trong Thang away.

Vu smiled, but his eyes still had a wistful look. He reached into his pocket and touched a small black note he had just received from an anonymous person in the court lobby. On the paper there was only a brief handwritten line: "The octopus has one of its trunks cut off, but its head is still in the deep sea."

Do Trong Thang received a 20-year prison sentence, but his assets worth thousands of billions of dong that were dispersed abroad have not yet been recovered. Who were the mysterious group of assassins who broke into the bank basement to steal the briefcase that night? Who do they work for, when even Do Trong Thang seems surprised by their appearance?

The 20-year prison sentence is not the end for File 9:17. On the contrary, it is just the opening for a new, fiercer, more complicated war to root out the dark forces that are manipulating the economy. Trinh Vu looked at the broken black note in his palm, knowing that his rest time would be extremely short. The hunt for dirty money and the forces behind Do Trong Thang has only really begun.