Chapter 14 — Sassy Boy: Heir to the Underground Family

Vuong Khanh Linh has a habit of staying late at school every Wednesday to join the art club, then walking home through a familiar route along the small canal near the residential area. This is a habit she has maintained for nearly a year now, nothing to worry about in a city where she always feels safe.

But that Wednesday afternoon, when Khanh Linh had just turned onto the road along the canal, a black van suddenly stopped right next to her. Before she could react, two men quickly got down, one covered her mouth while the other controlled her arms and legs, pulling her into the car in just a few short seconds.

The van sped away, leaving the street deserted as if nothing had ever happened. Only Khanh Linh's backpack fell on the sidewalk, the only item that proved she had been there.

Dieu Linh received a call from Khanh Linh's mother at around eight o'clock in the evening. Her voice was so panicked that she could barely speak clearly. "Dieu Linh, do you know where Khanh Linh is? She hasn't come home yet, and I can't reach her on the phone."

A feeling of insecurity immediately invaded Dieu Linh. Khanh Linh is not the type of person to break promises or go anywhere without warning, especially to her mother. She quickly called Vinh Bach, with a trembling voice, recounting the entire situation.

Less than twenty minutes later, Vinh Bach was at Dieu Linh's house, looking unusually tense. "I had someone check the security cameras along the route Khanh Linh usually takes," he said as soon as he entered. "There was a suspicious van that showed up right around the time he got out of school."

"You think... you think someone kidnapped Khanh Linh?" Dieu Linh asked, her voice shaking with fear.

Vinh Bach was silent for a moment, his face heavy. "I'm afraid so. And I think, this is not a random kidnapping."

At that moment, Vinh Bach's phone vibrated, a text message came from an unknown number, with a photo attached. He opened it and his face immediately turned pale. That is the image of Khanh Linh with her hands tied, sitting in a dark room, her eyes red with fear.

Attached to the photo was a brief message: "If you want her to be safe, come alone to warehouse number 7, East industrial park, in the next twenty-four hours. Don't call the police, don't bring anyone."

"It's Co Bach Nghi," Vinh Bach said, his voice shaking with anger and fear. "He kidnapped Khanh Linh to threaten me."

"Why Khanh Linh?" Dieu Linh asked, tears began to fall. "He has nothing to do with this!"

"It's because he's not involved, doesn't have any protection, that he becomes an easy target to put pressure on me," Vinh Bach explained, his voice heavy with guilt. "This is my fault. If I hadn't revealed my identity, if I had been more careful, this wouldn't have happened."

"Now is not the time to blame yourself," Dieu Linh said, trying to stay calm even though she was also panicking inside. "We need to save Khanh Linh. What are you going to do?"

"I can't go there alone without a plan," Vinh Bach replied, his eyes becoming sharp and calculating. "This is clearly a trap. If I come alone as requested, there is a high possibility that both Khanh Linh and I will be in danger."

Vinh Bach immediately called Lam Chinh Dao and reported the entire situation. Less than half an hour later, the two were at the Duong family's villa, where Lam Chinh Dao and several trusted members of the organization had gathered to discuss the plan.

"Warehouse No. 7 is under the control of the Black Gold Society," Lam Chinh Dao announced, pointing to the map of the industrial park projected on the large screen. "According to the intelligence we have, this area has at least fifteen people guarding it, along with a dense security camera system."

"We can't attack directly without endangering Khanh Linh," Vinh Bach said, his eyes still glued to the map. "A more sophisticated plan is needed."

This is when Dieu Linh, although initially just sitting quietly observing, suddenly spoke up. "I can help."

All eyes in the room turned to her, somewhat surprised by this initiative.

"Khanh Linh has a habit of carrying a small GPS bracelet, a gift I gave him last year after he got lost on a school field trip," Dieu Linh explained, her voice gradually becoming more confident. "That bracelet connects to an app on my phone. If he's still wearing it, we can pinpoint where he's being held inside the warehouse, instead of just relying on general information."

Vinh Bach looked at her with eyes full of surprise and admiration. "Can you access that app now?"

Dieu Linh nodded, took out her phone, and opened the location app. After a few seconds of loading data, a small red dot appeared on the map, located in the northwest corner of warehouse No. 7 — information that matched an area that Lam Chinh Dao's intelligence team had never identified before.

"This is extremely important information," Lam Chinh Dao said, his eyes lighting up. "With this precise location, we can plan to infiltrate from the least guarded direction, instead of having to scan the entire large area."

"Thank you, Dieu Linh," Vinh Bach said, holding her hand, his eyes filled with gratitude. "This could be the key to helping us save Khanh Linh safely."

Throughout that night, the group worked together to build a detailed plan, combining Dieu Linh's positioning information with the knowledge of the terrain and guard forces that Thanh Phong Hoi's intelligence team had collected. Dieu Linh, although unfamiliar with this dangerous underworld, still insisted on participating in the rescue plan, refusing Vinh Bach's suggestion that she should stay home and wait for news.

"Khanh Linh is my best friend," she said, her voice determined. "I can't sit still while he's in danger because of me."

Vinh Bach looked at her for a long time and finally nodded in agreement, although he was still worried about her safety. "Okay. But you have to do exactly as I instruct, don't take risks alone."

Dieu Linh nodded firmly, her eyes determined and unwavering, even though this was the first time she was about to step into a world full of dangers that she had never imagined she would have to face.

That night, when all the final details of the plan were completed, Vinh Bach stood looking out the conference room window, the city lights sparkling in the distance. He knew, tomorrow would be one of the most important days of his life — not only because Khanh Linh's life was at stake, but also because this would be the first time Dieu Linh fully witnessed the underworld that he had tried to protect her from for so long.

Inside warehouse No. 7, Khanh Linh sat huddled in the corner of the dark room, her hands and feet still tied tightly, tears drying on her panicked face. A man on guard occasionally stepped in to check, but no one answered any of her questions about why she was arrested.

"Please... please let me go home," she begged as the watchman entered again, her voice hoarse from crying so much. "I don't know anything, I'm just a normal student."

The man did not respond, just quietly placed a bottle of water next to her and left, locking the door from the outside. Khanh Linh looked at his back, fear and despair rising in her heart. She didn't understand why she became the target of a kidnapping. She was completely unaware that her close relationship with Dieu Linh had caused her to accidentally get caught up in an underground power battle that she never knew existed.

In his office, Co Bach Nghi received a report that the message had been sent successfully. "What was Duong Vinh Bach's reaction?" he asked Trinh Anh Kiet.

"According to our sources, he gathered forces at the family villa that night," Trinh Anh Kiet reported. "It seems he was preparing a rescue plan, not intending to comply with the request to come alone."

"Just as I predicted," Co Bach Nghi smiled slightly, not at all surprised by this reaction. “A young master would never venture there alone without preparation. But that doesn't matter — no matter how many people he brings, warehouse number 7 is still our territory. Reinforce the guard, and make sure that whatever his plans are, we have control of the situation.”

"Yes, sir," Trinh Anh Kiet replied, bowed his head, and left to carry out the order, unaware that the small loophole in the exact detention location would soon become a fatal weakness in their entire plan.