Chapter 50 — Shrimp Street Without Name

Two weeks after the questioning session, Hai Yen's life has settled into a new, albeit no less stressful, rhythm: mornings are spent preparing documents to deal with the defamation lawsuit, afternoons are continuing investigation work with Kien and lawyer Hoang, evenings are spent spending time with her mother and rare moments of rest with loved ones.

The community meeting that she cherished was also successfully held at the village communal house yard, attracting more than two hundred people to attend, from former shrimp farming households of Kenh Ba cooperative to current workers of Dai Duong. Standing on the steps of the old village communal house, under the shade of an ancient banyan tree that has witnessed many generations of people here grow up, Hai Yen looked down at the sea of people listening attentively, feeling a heavy responsibility but also full of honor.

The meeting took place with many harsh questions. An older man stood up and asked bluntly: "You speak for justice, but have you thought about how many families will suffer if the company goes bankrupt?" Hai Yen answered each question calmly and patiently, reiterating her commitment to finding a fair solution that does not destroy the livelihoods of innocent people.

There were a few people, as Kien once feared, asking provocative questions, deliberately steering the conversation toward personal attacks, but the surrounding crowd, most of whom were sympathetic to Hai Yen's sincerity, automatically spoke up to refute, causing those disruptive efforts to quickly be quelled. At the end of the session, a trembling old woman stepped up, held Hai Yen's hand, tears welling in her eyes: "Thank you for daring to say the things that this whole village has hidden for the past ten years."

That moment, more than any praise or legal evidence, was engraved in Hai Yen's mind as a living testament to the true meaning of the journey she was pursuing - not just numbers or trials, but faith and hope restored in the hearts of people who had lived for too long in the darkness of silence and fear.

While everything was gradually stabilizing, a call from the lieutenant brought new news, opening a completely different chapter for the investigation. “We just received feedback from the Tax Department about tracing the cash flow of satellite companies,” he said, his voice filled with professional excitement. “There was a large, regular quarterly transfer of money, from an account related to the Coastal Mien Hai Group, to a labor brokerage company based in Ca Mau.”

“Labor brokerage company?” Hai Yen asked, an uneasy feeling rising in her heart.

“That's right,” the lieutenant confirmed. “And according to what we initially learned, this company is involved in providing crew members for fishing fleets, including the fleet where Mr. Kien's younger brother worked seven years ago.”

That news caused Hai Yen to immediately contact Kien. They both realized that the connection between her father's case, Khai's death, and the entire financial network behind the Cua Bien Project was now clearer than ever. The illegal smuggling ring at sea that Mr. Tam Lanh once revealed, seemed to have been shelved for many weeks amid countless other developments, and now suddenly suspect returns as an important link, able to connect the entire criminal network together into a complete picture.

“We need to investigate this labor brokerage company further,” Kien said, his voice both worried and determined. “If it is true that they are using fishing fleets to illegally transport people, for some purpose related to the Cua Bien Project, this would be a much more serious crime than what we have discovered so far.”

Hai Yen nodded, clearly feeling that a new chapter was opening in this arduous journey. Looking back on her journey — from a simple audit, to the discovery of systematic fraud, to the complex truth about her father, to an initial victory at the People's Council — she realizes that every time she thinks she has reached the bottom of the truth, a new layer of secrets is revealed, revealing that the true scale of what she is facing is far greater than anything she ever imagined.

“We will continue,” she said, her voice ringing with determination in the quiet evening. “No matter how long the road lies ahead, no matter how many secrets remain to be uncovered, I will not stop until this entire network is brought to light, and all of its victims, living and dead, receive the justice they deserve.”

Kien looked at her, his eyes filled with both worry and admiration. “I knew you would say that,” he said, smiling slightly even though his face was still heavy with thought. "It's just that every time we think we're near the end of the road, it just gets longer. I'm starting to wonder if there's a real end to all of this."

“Maybe there isn't a simple, clear stopping point like we expected,” Hai Yen replied, her voice thoughtful. “But I think, every piece of truth we uncover, every victim we help, every small step forward in the legal process, is part of that final destination, even if it doesn't come in a single moment but over an entire journey.”

They sat quietly together for a long time in the darkness of the evening, without needing another word, just each other's presence was enough to soothe the worries about a new path that was opening up. Looking back at the fifty days that have passed since the day Hai Yen set foot at Nam Can port's container yard, they both realize that they have come a longer way than any of them ever dared to imagine - from a small suspicion about an old farming area code, to uncovering a network of crimes stretching from the South to the Central region, involving even international investment groups.

But both also understand that this is just the midpoint of an even longer journey. The smuggling ring, the true fate of the seafarers who were taken away and disappeared without a trace, the full identities of those behind the Coastal Group, and the final results of the trials and investigations that are still ongoing - all are still ahead, waiting for them with challenges that are, perhaps, even greater and more dangerous than anything they have experienced up to now.

“No matter how far it is,” Kien said, breaking the silence, his voice as firm as an oath, “I will go with you, step by step, until you need it.” I."

Hai Yen turned to look at him. In the faint moonlight of the evening, she saw in his eyes an absolute sincerity, a commitment that could not be shaken by any danger. She nodded, without saying another word, just letting her hand find his, squeezing tightly, like a silent promise for the long journey still ahead, for all that they still didn't know they would have to face, but they would definitely overcome together.

That night, when Kien had left, Hai Yen sat alone on the porch, looking up at the starry night sky, thinking about her father, her mother, and all the people who had entered her life during the past fifty days in ways she had never expected. She opened her father's notebook, turned to the last blank page, and for the first time, she picked up a pen and wrote her own words, continuing what he left unfinished ten years ago.

“I have found part of the truth, Dad,” she wrote, her handwriting shaking slightly with emotion. “But I know, there's still a lot ahead. I will continue, not for revenge, but to finish what you failed to do — to make sure no one else has to endure what my family went through.”

She closed the notebook, hugged it to her chest for a moment, then placed it carefully in the small wooden box next to her bed, where she kept her most precious mementos. Tonight, although she clearly knew that the road ahead was still long and full of thorns, she allowed herself to fully rest and accumulate strength for the new challenges that were waiting for the second half of the journey she had chosen to embark on, since the fateful day that brought her back to the land named after her father, who had been with her whole life.