Chapter 4 — Profile 9:17

The escape from the shrimp farm in Di An took place in extreme chaos and panic, ironically protected by the blinding thunderstorm of the Southern sky in the afternoon. Vu, Van and Bui Van Deo - the man struggling to drag an aluminum crutch through muddy puddles - were lucky to escape the pursuit of the assassins thanks to the dense cajuput forest behind the land. However, they knew they couldn't hide there forever. Do Trong Thang's henchmen are certainly searching all the trails leading to the highway.

After more than an hour of being soaked in the rain, passing through trails that only Deo knew, the three of them finally made it back to the place where the Ford Everest was parked. Vu quickly threw Deo into the backseat, signaled Van to climb into the passenger seat, then hit the accelerator and sped away. The SUV roared, tearing through the rain, rushing out of the muddy red dirt road to join the crowded traffic on Highway 1K toward the city center.

The tension in the car was so concentrated that it seemed like no one dared to breathe loudly. Bui Van Deo curled up in the backseat, his whole body soaked, trembling violently, his teeth clashing and fighting scorpions non-stop. It's not clear whether he was shaking because of the bone-chilling cold of the rain or because of the extreme fear of death just passing right next to him. In the front seat, Le Nhu Van used a tissue to continuously wipe her face, her eyes still staring into the unknown space ahead. Only Trinh Vu maintained his usual composure. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his sharp eyes constantly glanced at the rearview mirror, making sure there were no suspicious cars following them.

Nearly two hours later, Vu drove the car into an underground parking garage of an old apartment complex deep in a small alley in District 8. This was a "safe house" - a secret apartment under someone else's name that Vu had rented many years ago to use in emergency situations to protect witnesses. The apartment is located on the 4th floor, the interior is sketchy but has a solid iron door system and carefully covered windows.

Vu threw Deo a dry towel and pointed to the bathroom. "Go inside, take a hot bath and change your clothes. Don't plan on doing anything foolish, we're the only ones here who can keep you alive right now."

Twenty minutes later, Deo walked out wearing Vu's loose t-shirt. His face was gaunt and paler than ever. The arrogance of a shrimp farming tycoon in the afternoon had completely evaporated, replaced by the image of a cornered animal. He sat down on the old sofa, grabbed the cup of warm water Vu gave him, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Mr. Deo," Vu pulled a plastic chair to sit opposite, his voice cold and decisive. "The game of hide and seek is over. They found you, they opened fire, and they won't stop until your mouth can't be opened forever. Your only choice now is to cooperate with us. What did Do Trong Thang do on October 12 ten years ago?"

Deo trembled and placed the empty cup on the glass table. His eyes avoided Vu's sharp gaze and anger was welling up in Le Nhu Van's eyes. "I... I told everything in court. Engineer Sang ordered the tie bolts to be removed..."

"Don't test my patience!" Vu snapped up, banging his hands on the table. "The two billion VND document denounced everything. Do Trong Thang bribed you to swap the batch of materials P-250 to F-400 in the report, and it was you who secretly removed the force-bearing tie bolts to create the scaffolding collapse. The purpose was to kill engineer Le Van Sang, who was blocking their way of misusing public funds. Is that true?"

Deo retracted his neck, his shoulders shaking intermittently. The pressure from the truth, combined with the panic after the failed assassination, finally broke down every last defense barrier of the former construction captain. He burst into tears, tears carrying late regret and extreme fear.

"That's right... it was Do Trong Thang who directed this whole thing," Deo sobbed, his voice cracking. "He called me to his office on the night of October 11. He said that engineer Sang was too stubborn and was about to ruin a trillion-dollar project. He gave me two billion dong, told me the next morning to find an excuse to move less workers out of bridge pier area No. 4, and then personally loosen the three main tie bolts on the third scaffold level. He said... he said that he only needed to make the scaffolding collapse at a small corner to blame engineer Sang for miscalculating and get him out of the job. project. I... I didn't expect that all of the dozens of tons of concrete would collapse like that! I didn't intend to kill anyone!"

Van gritted her teeth, stood up, and rushed forward to grab Deo's collar, but Vu promptly stopped her. "Calm down, Van. Hitting him now won't solve anything."

Vu turned to look at Deo, his eyes became even colder. "After the accident happened, Thang used his power to cover up everything, forcing him into court to testify. But in order for the case to be closed perfectly, there needs to be a material acceptance report with engineer Sang's signature. And engineer Sang refused to sign it. So where did that report come from?"

Deo gulped, his voice trembling: "Mr. Thang... he hired someone to forge engineer Sang's signature on the F-400 material acceptance report. Everything was legalized to match the records."

"The court archives burned down," Vu said in a low voice. "That fake report, the most important physical evidence, was burned. That's why Thang remains leisurely until now. Without the original, we cannot request a handwriting examination."

A distorted, pathetic smile appeared on Bui Van Deo's face. He shook his head, his eyes shining with the cunning of an experienced person. "Lawyer Vu, you underestimate the suspicion of people like Do Trong Thang. He never completely destroys important documents that can be used to blackmail others."

Vu frowned. "What do you mean?"

"That material acceptance report with the fake signature... was not burned," Deo whispered, as if afraid that the walls also had ears. "Do Trong Thang deliberately arranged the fire to destroy all of the Tan Cang case files, in order to cut off all avenues for the victim's family to turn the case around. But as for the original material acceptance report, he secretly gutted it before setting it on fire."

"Why did he do that?" Van asked, curiosity temporarily overcoming her anger.

"Because on that report, in addition to engineer Sang's fake signature, there was also the approval seal of the Deputy Director of the Department of Construction at that time," Deo explained. "Grandfather Thang used that piece of paper as a trump card, a weapon to control and blackmail the officials who were involved with him in the Tan Cang project. If he destroys it, he will lose the noose that controls them.”

Vu felt a hot stream of energy running down his spine. If what Deo said is true, then the decisive evidence to overthrow Do Trong Thang and exonerate engineer Le Van Sang still exists. "So where is that report now?"

Deo reached into the collar of his t-shirt and pulled out a thin silver chain. Dangling from the chain was a tiny metal key, the type commonly used for personal safe lockers. He took off the necklace and placed the key on the glass table.

"Thang hid that report, along with many other corruption files, in a secret safe at his home in Thao Dien villa area," Deo said, his voice low. "Five years ago, when he discovered that I still kept the bank transfer documents of two billion VND, Thang called me and threatened me. While he was opening the safe to get cash to silence me again, I happened to see the notebook recording his safe's password and a detailed map of the villa's security system.

"You copied that notebook?" Vu asked urgently.

Deo nodded. "I'm a coward, lawyer. I know Thang will one day kill me to silence me. So I secretly hired someone to forge a similar notebook, swapping it another time I went to see him. The real book, containing the safe password and security diagram, along with a copy of my bank documents... I had hidden them in a long-term deposit locker at Saigon Station. This is the key to locker number 404."

Vu picked up the key. The cold metal sent a cold but hopeful feeling into his palm. This one small key can open up the entire darkest truth of the Tan Cang Bridge collapse, can put Do Trong Thang in prison and return the innocence of engineer Le Van Sang.

"Cabinet number 404 at Saigon Station," Vu repeated, his eyes shining. "Deo, please stay in this apartment. I've locked the multi-layer iron door, no one will find you here. Van, you stay and watch him. I'll go get that notebook."

"No, I'll go with you," Van assured, taking the raincoat. "This is my father's matter. I can't sit here and wait."

Vu looked at the determination in Van's eyes and knew he couldn't stop her. He nodded and gave Deo a brick phone that only had the calling function. "Lock the door tightly. Do not open to anyone unless I call to confirm."

The clock struck eleven o'clock at night. The rain is still falling heavily on the quiet streets of Saigon. Vu's Ford Everest once again rushed out into the night, heading towards Saigon Station. The atmosphere in the car at this time was no longer fear, but instead was the extreme tension of those who were about to touch the truth.

Saigon Station at night is quite sparse with passengers. Yellow neon lights illuminate the lobby area, where a row of automatic safe lockers are located for customers to store long-term luggage. Vu and Van walked quickly through the deserted hallway, towards the area of the cabinet with the number 400. Their footsteps echoed. clattering on the marble tile floor.

"Cabinet 404," Van mumbled, her eyes scanning the row of light gray metal cabinets. "There it is, it's in the innermost corner."

The two approached cabinet number 404. Vu brought up the key that Deo had just given him, preparing to insert it into the lock. But the moment the key touched the lock, Vu suddenly stopped. The keen sense of someone who had experienced many dangers told him something was wrong.

He bent down and looked closely at the lock. There were no scratches, but when he gently pushed the small iron door with his hand, it immediately opened to a narrow gap. The cabinet door is not locked at all!

Vu's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Van, signaling her to step back. With a decisive movement, Vu pulled open the door of cabinet number 404.

The inside of the cabinet is completely empty. There were no code notebooks, no copies of documents, no security maps. There was only a piece of neon yellow note paper loosely stuck on the wall of the cabinet, fluttering when the cold wind blew in from the station lobby.

Vu reached in and peeled off the piece of paper. On it, written in a steady, sharp and mocking handwriting:

"Lawyer Trinh Vu, you're one step late. The real game is just starting now."

Van turned pale, took a few steps back, clutching her mouth in horror. Their enemies are not only powerful and cruel, but also one step ahead of them. The rain outside seemed to be pouring down torrents of despair, drowning out the faint light of hope that had just flashed. The safe key has turned into a useless piece of scrap metal, and their legal battle has now truly become a game of life and death with no rules.