Chapter 7 — Profile 9:17

Sitting across from Do Trong Thang in the luxurious walnut-paneled reading room, cold sweat ran down Trinh Vu's spine. The invisible muzzle of power was close to his temple. The gold-plated brass grandfather clock placed in the corner of the room ticked dryly, signaling that the three-minute countdown was about to run out. Do Trong Thang tapped his fingers wearing a jade ring on the table, the corner of his lips curled up in a smile like that of a predator looking at a small animal struggling in a trap.

"What's wrong, lawyer Vu? Have you finished thinking?" Thang asked, his voice deep, sending a thick cloud of cigar smoke into the space. "As long as you nod, I will call my juniors to withdraw from the District 8 apartment complex. Otherwise, tomorrow morning the press will have news about a gas leak exploding apartment number 402."

Vu closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath to regulate his heart rate. When he opened his eyes, the panic had completely disappeared, replaced by a cold, calm look. He slowly leaned back against the chair, smiling.

"President Thang, you are truly a person who grasps information very quickly," Vu said, his tone was so leisurely that it made the two bodyguards standing behind him frown in confusion. "You know very well that I rented apartment number 402 in District 8 as a safe house. You also know that Hoang Minh is my close friend. But there is one thing you don't know."

Thang stopped tapping his fingers, his eyes narrowed slightly. "What?"

"In the witness protection lawyer profession, the first rule to survive is never put all your eggs in one basket, and never stay in the right place where you registered," Vu leaned forward, looking straight into Do Trong Thang's eyes. "Apartment number 402 was indeed rented by me under a false name. But last night, right after bringing Deo and Van there, I immediately moved them to apartment number 403 right next door - an apartment owned by a single old woman that I secretly bought three years ago. Your juniors may be surrounding apartment 402, but if they break down the door now, the only thing they will find are empty rooms. and a camera system streaming their images back to my cloud storage server."

Do Trong Thang's pupils shrank slightly. He grabbed the phone on the table and quickly dialed a number. The other end of the line picked up immediately.

"What's the situation over there? Have you rushed in yet?" Thang roared in a deep, hoarse voice, no longer able to maintain his previous leisurely look.

There was a loud noise and a banging sound from the other end of the line, then a panicked voice echoed: "Boss... we broke the door in... There's no one here! The furniture is still intact, but there's not a single person! Damn, there's a hidden camera mounted in the corner of the ceiling!"

"You bastards! Withdraw immediately!" Thang shouted loudly, slamming the phone hard on the glass table, causing it to crack in a long line. He raised his head, his eyes filled with red streaks, glaring at Trinh Vu as if he wanted to devour the young lawyer.

Vu smiled calmly and glanced at the grandfather clock. Ten o'clock right.

"Mr. Thang, your mouse game ends here," Vu stood up and buttoned his vest. "It's exactly ten o'clock in the morning. If you turn on your phone and Scroll through any online newspaper or social media platform right now, and you will see a small gift we have for you."

Thang frowned, his fingers trembling as he turned on the news app on the phone that had just cracked the screen. Immediately, a series of push notifications poured into his device. The titles of the articles all have the same shocking content:

"THE HORROR TRUTH OF THE COLLAPSE OF THE TAN CANG BRIDGE 10 YEARS AGO: LIVING WITNESSES SPEAK UP!"

"A RECORDING OF THE GROUP PRESIDENT PLAYING THREATENING THE CHIEF ENGINEER BEFORE THE ACCIDENT HAPPENS!"

Thang's finger touched a video that was spreading at breakneck speed. On the screen, Bui Van Deo appeared with a haggard face, eyes full of fear but his voice was extremely clear. The old man recounted in clear detail the receipt of two billion dong, the removal of the scaffolding tie bolts, and the truth about the falsified material acceptance report. Immediately after Deo's testimony, a recording of the argument between Thang and engineer Sang rang out. His deep, authoritative voice threatened the life of his nineteen-year-old daughter, making anyone who heard it shiver in indignation.

"You... how dare you release this?" Thang gritted his teeth, his jaw muscles flared, blue veins clearly appeared on his temples. He raised his chin towards the two bodyguards. "Hold this bastard! Break its legs for me!"

Two black-clad bodyguards immediately rushed forward. But Vu never backed down. He held up the phone with recording mode turned on, his sharp voice echoed throughout the reading room. "President Thang, are you planning to assault a lawyer right at your home while millions of people are paying attention to you? Any accident that happens to me now will only be the strongest confirmation of your crime. Stop being a fool!"

Thang raised his hand, signaling the two bodyguards to stop. He panted, trying to suppress the volcano that was waiting to erupt in his chest. He is an old fox, and he knows Vu is right. Killing Vu at this time is equivalent to him tying a noose around his own neck in front of everyone.

"Very well, Trinh Vu. Do you think an internet video and a secretly recorded tape can defeat me?" Thang smoothed the folds of his shirt, regaining his surprising composure. "The law needs physical evidence. As long as that fake acceptance report does not appear, all of Deo's statements are just the words of a slanderer who failed to extort money."

"So let's wait and see, sir," Vu bowed sarcastically, then turned on his heel and walked out of the reading room, leaving Do Trong Thang immersed in extreme anger.

Leaving the Thao Dien villa area, Vu immediately retrieved his belongings from the security booth and drove away. Sweat drenched the back of his shirt. Although he appeared tough on the outside, he knew he had just bet his life on a risky move. Fortunately, popularity and the power of public opinion have become the strongest protective shield for him at this time.

As soon as he got in the car, Vu's phone rang continuously. It's Hoang Minh.

"Oh my god, Vu! You did it!" Minh's voice shouted loudly on the phone, over the car horns outside. "Video views have surpassed two million in just fifteen minutes! Dinh Phat Group's shares are suffering Selling off without stopping, dramatically reducing amplitude on all three exchanges! The whole editorial office is going crazy over this news!"

"How is the safety of Van and Deo?" Vu asked immediately, not bothering about the record numbers.

"I took them to a hotel affiliated with the national television station, with professional security forces guarding them 24/7. Thang can't touch them there," Minh replied firmly. "Vu, where are you? The Police Department investigating crimes related to corruption, economics, and smuggling (C03) just called my Editor-in-Chief. They want to receive the entire file of this case."

Vu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like a thousand-pound weight had been lifted from his shoulders. "Wonderful. Tell them to send someone to meet me at the office. The real legal game begins now."

That same afternoon, a team of plainclothes investigators from C03 was present at Trinh Vu's office. They received the notebook, the tape recorder, the original tape and the bank documents. The professionalism and caution of the senior investigation officers showed that the seriousness of the case went beyond a normal industrial accident. It is an interwoven web of corruption, falsified records, and assassination.

"Lawyer Vu, the evidence you provided is very valuable," said Major Tran Binh, leader of the investigation team, carefully putting the evidence into a sealed bag. "We have requested an urgent summons for President Do Trong Thang to clarify the recording and testimony of Bui Van Deo."

"Don't be too happy yet," Vu frowned slightly, poured a glass of water and gave it to the major. "Do Trong Thang has a team of excellent lawyers. He will use the excuse that the secretly recorded tape has no absolute legal value to deny his crime. The most important thing is that we must find the material acceptance report with a fake signature that Thang withdrew from the archive before setting the fire."

Major Binh nodded in agreement. "This morning, Director C03 officially signed a decision to prosecute a criminal case to reinvestigate from the beginning. An urgent search warrant for Do Trong Thang's home and workplace was also approved. We will turn the villa in Thao Dien upside down if necessary."

But the intuition of an experienced lawyer told Vu that things would not be that easy. Do Trong Thang is someone who always prepares a scapegoat for every worst situation. He was frighteningly calm when threatened by Vu, which meant he had a plan B to escape the clutches of the law. This confrontation cannot end simply with a search warrant. Do Trong Thang, like a giant octopus, is ready to cut off a few of his tentacles to preserve his life. And Vu knew, that faucet was preparing to be used as a sacrifice.