Chapter 6 — Profile 9:17

The early morning news about the fire that burned down the shrimp farm in Di An was like a bucket of cold water slapping Bui Van Deo straight in the face. Standing in front of the TV screen in a safe apartment in District 8, the disabled man's whole body trembled like he was having an epileptic seizure. Deo hugged his aluminum crutch tightly, his bloodshot eyes glaring at the images of the fire engulfing his property worth tens of billions of dong. He screamed, cursed, then collapsed onto the carpet and sobbed. Deo understood Do Trong Thang's brutal message all too well: Running away was useless, and everything that belonged to him, from property to life, could be wiped out with just a snap of his fingers.

Vu crossed his arms and stood looking at that tragic scene, his expression cold and unwavering. Pity is a luxury that has no place in a particularly serious criminal case. Le Nhu Van stood next to him, biting her lip, her eyes filled with both anger and strange sympathy for the person who indirectly killed her father.

"Deo, please pack your personal belongings. Reporter Hoang Minh and his crew will be here within two hours to record your testimony," Vu said, his voice decisively cutting off his sobbing. "If you want to survive this storm, your testimony in front of the cameras is your only armor."

"Are... are you sure we're safe?" Deo whispered, raising his tear-stained face. "Thang is not someone who will wait for us to spread the news. He will find a way to smash everything before we can even open our mouths."

Vu turned around and walked out to the balcony, lighting a cigarette. Gray smoke curled into the chilly air of the foggy morning. "That's the reason I can't just sit here and wait. If the original acceptance report - the strongest legal evidence - is still in Thang's secret safe, he is definitely trying to destroy it right now, after realizing that the key to locker 404 fell into my hands."

Van frowned and followed. "What are you going to do? Go to his house? Thao Dien District 2 is his lair, the security system there is as strict as a fortress."

"Only when you enter the tiger's den can you catch the tiger," Vu took a deep drag of his cigarette, his eyes narrowed calculatingly. "I once helped a private detective solve a serious legal problem three years ago. In return, he gave me a detailed file on the architecture and security systems of villas for the super-rich in Thao Dien. Do Trong Thang's house is no exception. His safe is designed underground in the basement, completely soundproof."

"But how did you break in? You're a lawyer, not a super thief!" Van protested harshly, grabbing Vu's arm. "Too dangerous!"

Vu extinguished his cigarette and turned to look at Van with sharp eyes that contained an unshakable determination. "I didn't break in. I will walk in properly through the main door. As a legal representative of Le Van Sang's family, I have come to negotiate a side agreement."

Van was stunned. "Negotiation? Are you planning on selling out this case?"

"It was a diversion, Van," Vu smiled, a mysterious smile. "I will use the recording tape as a bait to buy time and force Thang to meet me directly. If he is really planning to destroy the The acceptance report, my presence, and the threat of a recording would make him hesitate. He will want to bribe me before he acts. While I distract him, I need you and Hoang Minh to do something extremely important."

Vu pulled out a USB stick from his shirt pocket containing a digital copy of the recording tape. "At ten o'clock in the morning, if I don't call you back to report safety, please tell Minh to upload this tape to the editorial server system, and broadcast Bui Van Deo's testimony live on all social networking platforms that Minh can access. At all costs, we must fan the flames of public opinion."

Thao Dien villa area is immersed in a fake peace, surrounded by rows of green trees and fences covered with solid vines. Vu's Ford Everest parked in front of the majestic iron gate of the largest villa located along the Saigon River. The security camera system immediately turned the lens towards him. Vu adjusted his vest collar, smoothed his hair, and stepped out of the car with the most calm and professional appearance.

He rang the bell. Less than thirty seconds later, two tall, black-clothed bodyguards with cold faces opened the gate and walked out.

"I'm Attorney Trinh Vu," he said, handing over a familiar laminated business card. "Legal representative for the family of late engineer Le Van Sang. I need to meet with President Do Trong Thang to discuss a... new civil compensation agreement that has arisen."

The two bodyguards exchanged looks. A guy holding a business card stepped back and pressed the radio, muttering something. A few minutes later, he returned and opened the heavy iron gate. "The president is waiting in the reading room on the ground floor. Please come in. It is forbidden to bring audio or video recording devices or mobile phones."

Vu smiled cooperatively. He took off his watch, wallet and phone and handed them to the bodyguard, then walked through the metal scanning gate. He knew very well that, confronting an old wolf like Thang, feigned transparency was the best camouflage weapon.

The inside of the villa has a suffocating splendor. The reading room is paneled with solid walnut wood, with giant bookshelves filled with encyclopedias that its owner has probably never read. Do Trong Thang is sitting in a genuine leather armchair, holding a glass of red wine. Even though he is sixty years old, Thang still exudes a strong look, sharp eyes and the charisma of someone accustomed to holding the power of life and death in his hands.

"Lawyer Trinh Vu," Thang spoke monotonously, but his deep tone immediately made the atmosphere in the room slacken. "Pham Quoc Hoang's favorite student. Defender of justice for the weak. It's an honor to welcome you here on such a beautiful morning. But I remember that the Tan Cang case file was closed ten years ago?"

"President Thang, you are a busy businessman, I will get straight to the point," Vu calmly pulled out a chair opposite and sat down, not even waiting for an invitation. "Ten years ago, the file was closed thanks to a material acceptance report signed by Le Van Sang and the testimony of Bui Van Deo. But I just discovered an interesting fact: engineer Sang has a habit of recording all meetings and threats related to construction quality."

Do Trong Thang's eyes narrowed slightly. The glass of wine in his hand slightly paused in the air for a tenth of a second. "Recording? How ridiculous. If a person dies because of his own sins, any recording is just excuses."

"The conversation took place on the night of October 11, 2016, at the project management board's office," Vu said slowly, his eyes looking straight into Thang's pupils. "In the tape, a person with a voice very similar to yours threatened the life of engineer Sang's daughter, forcing him to sign the P-250 concrete acceptance form. What do you think if that tape is published for Dinh Phat's shareholders and the press to listen to?"

The atmosphere in the reading room froze. Do Trong Thang put the wine glass on the table, slowly took out a cigar and lit it. Thick white smoke rolled up, hiding the smallest expressions on his face.

"Are you blackmailing me, lawyer Vu?" Thang smiled faintly. "Using a surreptitious, unverified recording, to threaten the President of a bank? Do you know you're playing with fire?"

"I don't blackmail. I negotiate," Vu responded, his tone as sharp as a razor blade. "The victim's family only needs a worthy compensation to start a new life, and the truth will forever be buried. I can hand over the original tape to you, in exchange, a reasonable amount of money and more importantly..." Vu leaned forward, lowering his voice. "...the original signed material acceptance report that you are hiding in the underground safe in the basement."

Do Trong Thang burst out laughing. Laughter echoed throughout the wood-paneled room, carrying the extreme arrogance of a superior person. He stood up, walked to the bookshelf, pulled out an old book and pressed hard on a button hidden underneath. A soft "click" sounded, the bookshelf slowly split in two, revealing a thick steel door leading to the basement.

"You're good, Trinh Vu," Thang clapped his hands, his eyes shining with undisguised cruelty. "You investigated my security system, you lured Deo into opening his mouth, and you even came all the way here to act out a threat. But you made a fatal mistake: You were too confident in what you held."

Thang walked closer to Vu, bent down, and blew strong cigar smoke into the young lawyer's face. "Do you think I would be afraid of a tattered recording? Do you think I would be afraid of public opinion? In this Saigon, the truth is in the hands of those who have the right to decide what news is allowed to be broadcast."

Vu kept a cold expression. "Maybe you can control the domestic media. But what if this morning, an investigative article was posted on international social networking platforms with Bui Van Deo's direct testimony? The fire in Di An last night cannot burn his memory."

Do Trong Thang smiled again, a smile that made Vu feel a strange chill creeping through every vein. "You mentioned Deo, that reminds me. Do you think hiding him in the 4th floor apartment, old apartment building in District 8, number 402 is an absolutely safe place?"

The blood vessels on both sides of Vu's temples were pounding. His breath caught in his chest. He knows! Do Trong Thang knew the exact location of his safe house.

"When you entered this house, my juniors were already there," Thang leisurely puffed on his cigar, enjoying the shock. on the lawyer's face. "And your close friend journalist Hoang Minh, I heard that he just had a serious traffic accident on the way to the meeting place. It's true that the streets of Saigon are very risky these days, right?"

Vu's heart sank to the bottom of the abyss. He misjudged Do Trong Thang's brutality and huge intelligence network. While he thought he was taking the initiative by buying time here, somewhere else, Van, Deo and Minh were facing the gun of death.

"What did you do to them?" Vu roared and stood up, but two black-clad bodyguards immediately rushed in and pinned him down on the chair.

"I haven't done anything yet. It all depends on you, Trinh Vu," Thang sat back in the armchair, taking a sip of blood-red wine. "Hand over the original tape, and tell me the location of the password to the digital copies. You have three minutes to think, before I order the cleaning of apartment number 402 in District 8. You lost this confrontation from the start."