Chapter 62 — Shrimp Street Without Name

One morning, Hai Yen received a call from a phone number with an international area code, something that surprised her because she didn't know anyone abroad except Sarah, who always contacted another fixed number. She hesitated for a moment before picking up the phone.

“Miss Do Hai Yen, right?” A man's voice rang out, standard Vietnamese but a bit too formal, like that of someone who is used to communicating more in a foreign language than his native language. “I represent a group of investors interested in smoothly resolving current problems related to the Cua Bien Project.”

Hai Yen's heart beats faster. This may be the first time she has had direct contact, even if only by phone, with someone who actually represents the person behind Mr. Vinh. “What do you want to say?” she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

“We understand, you have gone through a lot of difficulties and losses in your journey to find the truth for your family,” the man said, his voice was gentle but there was something cold hidden under the polite shell. “We are willing to offer a significant compensation, enough to ensure the future for you and your family, in exchange for you agreeing to withdraw all charges and stop cooperating with international media.”

Hai Yen felt a cold anger spread throughout her body at that blatant suggestion. “You're trying to bribe me,” she said, her voice sharp.

“I call it a win-win solution,” the man replied, unfazed by her reaction. "You should consider carefully, Ms. Yen. Not everyone gets a second chance to make the right choice."

“The only choice I will make,” Hai Yen said, her voice determined, “is to continue pursuing the truth, no matter how much you or anyone behind you is willing to pay to stop me.”

The man was silent for a long time on the other end of the line, long enough for Hai Yen to think the call had been disconnected. When he spoke again, his voice had lost its original politeness, replaced by a more naked coldness.

“I hope you understand the consequences of this decision,” he said. "We tried to resolve things in the most civilized way possible. If you refuse, don't blame us for what happens next."

The call ended abruptly, leaving Hai Yen sitting silently, her hands shaking slightly because she had just experienced an unprecedented and intense confrontation. She immediately called lawyer Hoang and the lieutenant and recounted the entire content of the call, although there was no recording because the call was too unexpected for her to prepare.

“This is an important piece of evidence, even if it's just a recount,” lawyer Hoang said, her voice serious. “Their proactive offer of bribes, accompanied by disguised threats, could be considered an act of obstruction of justice if we can verify the origin of the call.”

The lieutenant confirmed that he will immediately request the network operator to provide information about the international phone number called, although he admitted that tracing calls from abroad is often more complicated and takes more time than domestic calls.

“You did a great job keeping calm and saying no,” he said, his voice filled with encouragement. "But I have to be honest, this threat makes me worried. We need to increase protection measures for you in the near future."

In the afternoon, Hai Yen told her the whole story Kien, the two sat in silence for a long time after listening, letting the weight of that threat slowly sink into both of their minds.

“I'm not afraid for myself,” Hai Yen said finally, her voice thoughtful. "But I'm afraid for my mother, for my brother, for everyone who's been with me. If they're really willing to do anything like that threat implies, I don't know if I'm putting everyone in too much danger."

“You're not putting us in danger,” Kien replied, his voice firm, taking her hand. "They are the ones who are creating the danger, with their own criminal actions. We are just trying to bring the truth to light, and there is nothing wrong with that."

Hai Yen nodded, although in her heart she still could not completely dispel the feeling of insecurity after that threatening call, a feeling that reminded her that, as she gets closer to the truth, those behind the darkness will also become more reckless and dangerous.

That night, she decided to call her mother, not to recount the details of the threatening call, but simply to hear her voice, to reassure herself that her family was still safe. Mrs. Sau, sensitively aware that something was wrong through her daughter's voice, pressed questions until Hai Yen had to tell part of the story.

"Son," Mrs. Sau said after listening, her voice was not panicked like Hai Yen feared, but filled with an unusual calmness. "I'm old, I'm not afraid of death. I'm just afraid that you'll have to stop halfway because you're worried about me. Just do what you think is right, I'll always be behind you to support you."

Her mother's words made Hai Yen both touched and more determined. She understands that her mother's courage, although simple, is one of the greatest sources of strength that helps her continue walking on this difficult path.

The next morning, the lieutenant called back with preliminary information: the phone number calling Hai Yen was registered in a country with very strict telecommunications information security laws, making identifying the caller extremely difficult, almost impossible through normal cooperation channels.

"We'll keep trying," he said, "but I have to be honest, the likelihood of finding the exact identity of the caller is pretty low in the short term. What's more important right now is to increase protection for you and your family."

Hai Yen agreed with the proposal to strengthen security, although in her heart she could not help but feel a certain helplessness before the far-reaching ability of the network she was confronting, a network that could easily communicate from abroad, hidden behind complex layers of international telecommunications security that domestic law could hardly touch.

At noon, while she was working at lawyer Hoang's temporary office, another call came, this time from Ms. Hong's familiar number, her voice filled with panic. "Miss Yen, I just heard the news, someone saw a strange car parked near the school where my child is studying. I'm so scared, I don't know if it has anything to do with our matter."

That news sent chills down Hai Yen's spine. If those behind the threat were willing to target the children of those who helped her, the level of danger had far exceeded any limits she had previously feared.

“Sister Binh calm," Hai Yen said, even though her voice couldn't hide the trembling. "I call the school immediately, telling them to increase supervision, don't let any strangers approach you. I will immediately notify the police to send someone to check that area."

She immediately called the lieutenant, who responded quickly and immediately sent a working group to the school area to check. Half an hour later, he called back, his voice somewhat relieved but still cautious. "We haven't found any unusual signs at this time. The strange car could just belong to another parent or a passerby. But we will maintain surveillance of this area for a few more days to ensure safety."

Although the news was not as serious as initially feared, the incident still left a significant psychological aftershock for the whole group. Hai Yen convened an emergency meeting that afternoon, with the participation of all those closest to him on this journey, to review all the safety measures being applied.

“I think, after the threatening call this morning, we need to consider every unusual sign, no matter how small, as serious,” lawyer Hoang said, her voice determined. “It's better to overreact than to be subjective and cause unfortunate consequences.”

The group agreed, agreeing to increase protective measures: to check more thoroughly before traveling, to refrain from disclosing specific schedules to anyone other than those who absolutely need to know, and to maintain more frequent contact to ensure the safety of everyone in this network of people pursuing the truth together, even though the price of such caution is a life that becomes more and more stressful and tiring with each passing day.