Chapter 60 — Shrimp Street Without Name

After a weekend relaxing by the beach, Hai Yen returned to work with a new, more alert spirit to face the important decisions that await. She contacted the international reporter again and agreed to an interview, but on the condition that lawyer Hoang would participate in the entire process to ensure all information was presented accurately and would not affect the ongoing investigation.

The interview took place via video call, lasting nearly two hours, with the reporter named Sarah asking sharp but respectful questions, delving deeply into Hai Yen's journey, about human trafficking victims, and about the organized crime model she discovered. Hai Yen answered each question carefully, focusing on verified facts, avoiding making any speculations without specific evidence.

“Her story is very powerful,” Sarah said at the end of the interview, her voice filled with admiration. “I believe this article will attract the attention of the international community, possibly creating more pressure for the Vietnamese government and related countries to coordinate more strongly in cracking down on this human trafficking ring.”

At the same time, another important news came from the lieutenant: the investigation team identified a suspicious residential address of Nguyen Dang Hoai, at a luxury villa on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City, registered under the name of another shell company. However, when the reconnaissance team came to observe, they discovered that the house seemed to have been abandoned recently, with no signs of anyone living, as if the owner had promptly moved away before being discovered.

“He's always one step ahead of us,” the lieutenant said, his voice filled with disappointment over the phone. “But at least we have confirmed that he is a real person, not just a name on paper, and that he is actively hiding, a sign that he knows he is being sought.”

Hai Yen, although disappointed that he could not capture Nguyen Dang Hoai, still felt a new determination in his heart. Looking back at the past ten chapters since Dai Duong's project approval procedures were suspended - from the discovery of the human trafficking ring, the successful rescue of the three victims, to determining the identity of the mysterious middleman - she realizes that the criminal network she is confronting is gradually being stripped of its cover, although there are still many things that have not been completely exposed.

In the evening, the whole group gathered at Ms. Sau's house to summarize the past journey together, a habit that has gradually formed after each important stage of the investigation. Lawyer Hoang brought with him a thick file, summarizing the entire legal process: the case of illegal detention of Ms. Ut Phuong has had a preliminary trial date, Ms. Sau's testimony has been officially recorded in Mr. Bao's investigation file, and now, a new case of human trafficking is being investigated with the participation of many different authorities.

“Looking at all we have achieved,” lawyer Hoang said, her voice filled with pride, “I think few people could have imagined that a simple audit of a returned shipment could lead to the discovery of such a large-scale criminal network.”

“It's thanks to Ms. Yen's perseverance,” said Mr. Duc, who was also present at the meeting although his official role now focuses more on regular audit work. “If it were anyone else, they probably would have stopped a long time ago, when faced with such threats and pressure.”

Hai Yen smiled, touched by the compliments, but she quickly turned her attention to others. "I couldn't have done anything without everyone here. Ms. Tuyet, Ms. Ut Phuong, Mr. Son, Ms. Hong, Mr. Kien, everyone has contributed to every piece of this picture."

Kien, sitting next to her, held her hand under the table, a small but meaningful gesture in the middle of a crowded gathering. “We still have a long way to go,” he said, his voice serious but also hopeful. “Nguyen Dang Hoai is still on the run, the fourth person in the human trafficking case has not been found, and Mr. Tran Quoc Vinh, the leader of the entire network, has yet to face any direct consequences.”

“That's right,” Hai Yen replied, her voice thoughtful but determined. "But we have come a long way, from nothing, to having enough evidence in hand to make an entire system of power tremble. I believe, if we continue to persevere as we have for the past sixty days, we will get to the bottom of this entire network, no matter how long it takes."

The meeting ended late, each person returned home carrying both fatigue and hope for the days ahead. Hai Yen stood outside her mother's yard for a long time before entering the house, looking up at the starry night sky, clearly feeling that, although the road ahead was still long and full of thorns, they were getting closer every day to bringing the whole truth to light, to bringing justice to all the people who had suffered in darkness for so many years.

Before entering the house, her phone vibrated with a new email notification. That is the first article in Sarah's international reportage series, just published, with the title: "A lone woman fights against the dark empire in the waters of Vietnam". Hai Yen opened the article, skimmed through the first lines, feeling a strange feeling when seeing her own story told through the pen of a stranger, in another language, towards a completely different audience.

The article, despite its Western journalistic quality with somewhat dramatized descriptions, still maintained the accuracy of the events, and more importantly, began to attract attention from international human rights organizations. Within just a few hours of posting, Hai Yen received an email from a non-governmental organization specializing in preventing human trafficking based in Europe, expressing a desire to receive legal and technical support for the investigation.

She immediately passed this information to lawyer Hoang, who appeared cautious but could not hide his excitement. “If this organization is truly trustworthy, its support could bring valuable resources and experience, especially in tracing victims who may have been taken abroad,” she said. "I will carefully learn about their reputation before proposing official cooperation."

That night, lying in bed, Hai Yen opened Sarah's article again and read it slowly With each word, I felt a new shock when realizing that the story that started from a small coastal area of Vietnam has now gone beyond national borders, reaching the attention of the entire international community. She did not know where this would lead, but she clearly felt that the door to justice was now wider than ever, with the cooperation of not only the simple people in her homeland, but also strangers, in lands thousands of kilometers away, sharing the same belief in righteousness.

She turned off her phone, put it aside, and looked up at the ceiling in the dark. Sixty days since it all started, she has gone from a quietly hidden inspector, to a name appearing on an international reportage. That change, although not what she once wanted or sought, has now become an inseparable part of her personality, of the mission she has chosen to pursue.

She thought of her father, of the small notebook he left behind, of the last words he wrote before everything fell apart. If he could see the journey his daughter went through, see how a small suspicion about a farming zip code opened up a vast web of truth, what would he think, how would he feel?

She smiled in the darkness, a smile mixed with sadness and pride, then closed her eyes, letting sleep gradually come, bringing with it both the fatigue of the past sixty days and determination for the remaining days ahead, when the second half of the journey to find justice was still waiting for her on the unknown horizon, a horizon that she believed would eventually dawn.