Chapter 51 — Shrimp Street Without Name

The labor brokerage company that the lieutenant discovered through the money flow from the Coastal Sea Group is called "Hung Phat Nhan Luc", registered to operate in Ca Mau city but actually only has a small office, with almost no significant public activities other than being named on the paperwork. Kien spent many days silently monitoring this office, recording the people coming in and out, the buses carrying people coming and going in the dead of night.

“I saw groups of people, about five to seven people at a time, being brought here and then transferred out in the night, always with private cars waiting,” Kien reported to Hai Yen and lawyer Hoang in a closed meeting. "They didn't talk much, they seemed tired, some were carrying small bags as if they were preparing for a long trip."

“Did you get any clear pictures?” Attorney Hoang asked.

“Yes, but from a distance, the quality is not very good,” Kien replied, showing a few blurry photos taken with his phone. “I didn't dare come closer, afraid of being discovered.”

Hai Yen looked through the photos, trying to identify any details that might be useful. One of the photos showed a young, thin man being led into a minivan, his eyes showing fear and fatigue.

“We need to find a way to directly approach and verify whether these people participated voluntarily or were forced,” Hai Yen said. “But how do we approach them without endangering them or ourselves?”

Lawyer Hoang thought for a moment. "I think it's time to officially report this discovery to the investigation agency, asking them to intervene directly, instead of us approaching it ourselves. This is a sensitive area, possibly related to human trafficking crimes, requiring authority and protection measures that we cannot provide ourselves."

The lieutenant, after receiving the report, confirmed that he would coordinate with the unit specialized in preventing human trafficking to further investigate Hung Phat Nhan Luc company. “This is the type of case that requires a particularly cautious approach,” he explains. “If it is true that there is human trafficking activity, we need to collect enough evidence before taking action, to avoid causing alarm that causes victims to be taken elsewhere or put in danger.”

While waiting for the authorities to intervene, Hai Yen couldn't stop thinking about the scared faces in the photo Kien took. She wondered how many people had passed that way over the years, how many families were waiting for news about relatives who had mysteriously disappeared, without any explanation.

A few days later, an unexpected clue appeared. Mr. Tam Lanh, the old recording secretary that Kien and Hai Yen had met many weeks ago, proactively called, his voice filled with both excitement and worry.

"I just heard the news that there is a young boy who went to sea with the fleet at that time, and is now living rough in a workers' dormitory in Bac Lieu," he said. "I heard he escaped from a trip to the beach. Now he's scared and doesn't dare return to his hometown. He only works as an odd laborer during the day."

Hai Yen and Kien immediately set out for Bac Lieu the next day, looking for the boarding house at the address provided by Mr. Tam. A young man named Phu, in his early twenties, with a thin figure and dark skin from the sun and sea breeze, initially appeared extremely wary when he saw two strangers coming to ask questions.

"I don't know nothing,” Phu said, trying to close the door, but Kien was able to hold the door, his voice gently reassuring.

“We are not from that company,” Kien said. “We are investigating what happened to the crew on the ship, not to harm you, but to help people like you no longer have to be afraid.”

Phu hesitated for a long time, then finally opened the door and invited them into the cramped, damp room. After many reassurances, he began to tell the story, his voice trembling with fear and humiliation.

"I was introduced by an acquaintance to work on a fishing boat, the salary is much higher than a normal job at sea," Phu said. “But when I got on the train, I found out that they wouldn't let me go home, kept all my identification papers, and forced me to work hard without stopping. There was a time when the ship went very far out to sea and picked up a few other people who were not sea people. You could tell right away that they were seasick, scared, and didn't know where to go."

“Do you know who those people were and where they went after that?” Hai Yen asked, trying to keep her voice gentle so as not to make him more frightened.

"I don't know for sure, I just overheard the bosses saying they send them to work abroad, by sea, to avoid document checks," Phu replied, his voice choked. "I was so scared. One time the ship stopped near the shore to refuel, I was able to hide and run away, not daring to come back again."

Hai Yen and Kien exchanged looks, both understood that this was living proof, direct confirmation of the suspicions about the illegal human trafficking network that they had been following for many weeks. Not only is it exploiting domestic labor, this can be a ring that sends people illegally across the border abroad, hiding in the name of labor on fishing fleets.

“Are you willing to officially testify about what you just told me?” Hai Yen asked, her voice cautious.

Phu was silent for a long time, fear clearly visible on his face. “I'm afraid they'll come and hurt me,” he said, his voice shaking. “But I also don't want anyone else to suffer like me.”

“If you agree, we will ask the authorities to put you in witness protection, like we did with the others in this case,” Hai Yen said, her voice sincere. “You won't have to face this alone.”

Phu was silent for a long time, his eyes looking down at his calloused hands from months of hard labor at sea. “Can I think more?” he asked, his voice still filled with hesitation. “I need time.”

“Okay,” Hai Yen replied, not wanting to put more pressure on the young man who had already suffered too much. “We will leave our phone number, you can contact us whenever you are ready, no need to rush.”

Before leaving, Kien left some money for Phu, not to bribe his testimony, but simply as a sincere help to a person in difficulty. “Take it, consider it helping you cover the next few days,” he said, his voice warm. “There's no need to give anything in return.”

On the way back to Nam Can, both were silent for a long time, their minds still heavy with the story they had just heard. “I didn't expect things to go this far,” Hai Yen said, her voice thoughtful. “Human trafficking, illegal border crossing... this is no longer a simple business fraud.”

“This is exactly why they are willing to do everything to protect this secret,” Kien said, his voice heavy. masonry. “A case of product quality fraud can be subject to administrative penalties, but human trafficking is a crime that can cause leaders to spend many years in prison, even facing the death penalty if the circumstances are serious enough.”

Hai Yen nodded, a new worry rising in her heart. If the people behind this network are truly facing the risk of the death penalty, they will be even more reckless, willing to do anything to prevent the truth from being exposed, including violent actions that they may have been hesitant about before.

“We need to notify the lieutenant immediately,” she said, pulling out her phone. “This is no longer something that can wait.”

The lieutenant, after hearing all the developments, confirmed that he would immediately report to his superiors to request coordination with the provincial human trafficking crime investigation unit, and at the same time send someone to contact Phu in the next few days to convince him to cooperate under tight protection.

“This is a discovery that could completely change the nature of the entire case,” he said over the phone, his tone more serious than ever before. "If it is verified that there is a ring that smuggles people across the border illegally under the cover of fishing activities, this will become a particularly serious criminal case, possibly requiring the involvement of the entire central investigation agency."

That news, although it brought hope for a major legal step forward, also made Hai Yen worried about what would happen next. She understands that when the incident escalates to such a serious level, those behind it, especially high-ranking figures like Mr. Vinh whom they have never had the chance to face directly, will have even stronger motivation to find a way to suppress all clues, no matter what the cost is, even if that price is the lives of those involved.