Chapter 64 — Shrimp Street Without Name

While Mr. Tam gradually recovered, the financial investigation coordinated by the Tax Department following the previous proposal of lawyer Hoang began to bring significant results. The lieutenant announced that they had tracked down a series of bank accounts linked to satellite companies, showing the complex flow of money through many layers of intermediaries before flowing to the Singapore-registered investment fund that Mr. Vinh controlled.

“We have obtained an order to temporarily block some suspicious accounts,” he said during an update meeting with Hai Yen, Kien and lawyer Hoang. "At the same time, we also discovered a warehouse of paper records at an old warehouse on the outskirts of Ca Mau city, registered under the name of a company that has ceased operations but has still paid warehouse rental fees regularly for the past ten years."

That information caught the group's attention immediately. A warehouse that has been kept secret for a decade, even though the company that owns it has ceased operations, is certainly no coincidence — this may be where the most sensitive records are stored that those behind this network do not want to completely destroy, perhaps to use as leverage in case of need for negotiation or mutual intimidation between the parties involved.

“We're applying for an official search warrant,” the lieutenant said. “But this process can take a few days, because it needs enough solid legal basis to avoid complaints from the other side about the procedure later.”

Hai Yen felt a mixture of excitement and anxiety at this prospect. If that archive really contains ten years of transaction records for the entire network, this could be decisive evidence, enough to overthrow the entire criminal empire that they have been working so hard to expose for many months. But she also understood that such an important discovery would certainly not escape the attention of the other side, who would do anything to prevent it from falling into the hands of the investigation agency.

“We need to act quickly,” lawyer Hoang said, her voice urgent. “If they knew the archive had been discovered, they would likely seek to destroy all records before a search warrant was issued.”

“We have someone discreetly monitoring that area,” the lieutenant reassured. “If there are any signs of movement or destruction of documents, we will have grounds to apply for an emergency order immediately.”

Two days later, as feared, the surveillance team reported detecting a small truck appearing near the warehouse at midnight, showing signs of preparing to move documents. This was the urgent evidence the lieutenant needed to apply for an emergency search warrant, which was approved by the court in just a few hours.

The search took place overnight, with the participation of a reinforced task force. Hai Yen and Kien, although not allowed to be directly present at the scene, waited for news with extreme suspense at Hoang's lawyer's office, where the group gathered to monitor developments via phone.

Nearly four o'clock in the morning, the lieutenant called, his voice full of excitement even though he had been up all night. "We succeeded. The archive contains hundreds of boxes of records, including accounting books, contracts, and internal meeting minutes, spanning more than ten years of the network's operation. This is a huge treasure trove of evidence."

That news made the whole group burst into joy and relief. “Did we catch anyone?” Hai Yen asked, her voice still shaking with excitement.

“We arrested two people who were at the scene, apparently employees sent to move documents,” the lieutenant replied. “They are being questioned, which will hopefully provide more information about the chain of command up there.”

That morning, when the first sunlight had just appeared, Hai Yen stood outside lawyer Hoang's office, looking out at the deserted street of Nam Can town that was gradually waking up, feeling a strong hope unprecedented since the beginning of this journey. The newly seized archive of records may be the final piece of the puzzle, enough to bring this entire criminal network to justice completely and irrefutably.

“We did it,” she told Kien, her voice choked with emotion. “After everything we've been through, we finally have evidence that can overthrow their entire empire.”

Kien hugged her, both standing silently in the dawn light, letting joy and relief fill his soul after many months of hardship and danger had passed.

In the following days, the investigation team worked tirelessly to classify and analyze the huge volume of documents recovered from the warehouse. Hai Yen, despite not having direct access to the original files according to investigative security procedures, was still regularly updated on important findings through the lieutenant.

“We found detailed records of ‘troubleshooting’ expenses spanning over a decade,” he announced after three days of initial analysis. "Not only related to the Kenh Ba cooperative case, but also many other cases in neighboring provinces, showing that this is truly a systematic model of activity, repeated many times with the same scenario."

In particular, among the obtained records, there was a set of documents clearly stating a periodic payment to a person whose internal code matched what Hai Yen had discovered regarding her father ten years ago, confirming once again the direct connection between the old case and the entire current network.

“This is the final evidence we need to request a review of my father's entire sentence,” Hai Yen told lawyer Hoang, her voice both emotional and determined. “No longer are inferences or indirect accounts, but irrefutable, black and white evidence.”

Lawyer Hoang nodded and immediately began drafting a request to reconsider the verdict, a complicated legal process but now, with the huge amount of evidence just obtained, there is a stronger basis than ever for success.

At the same time, information about the warehouse search, although not officially announced, also began to leak out, creating a new wave of shock in public opinion. Shares of a number of companies affiliated with the Coastal Mien Hai Group on the unofficial market began to decline, a sign that investors are losing confidence in the sustainability of this entire business system.

Mr. Bao, according to what Ms. Hong heard from old acquaintances, has become almost invisible from all public activities of the company, while the representative lawyers continue to make weak denials, increasingly unconvincing given the volume of evidence. The evidence is stacked against them.

"I think," Hai Yen shared with Kien one evening, as they both looked back on the past journey, "we are getting very close to the end of this part of the story. But I also feel that this may be the time when they will resist the most fiercely, like a cornered animal."

Kien nodded, his eyes also full of caution. "We need to prepare ourselves for all possibilities. But I believe, with the amount of evidence we have, no amount of resistance from them can reverse what has been revealed."

That night, before going to sleep, Hai Yen opened her father's notebook and read the last line he wrote ten years ago again. This time, as she read, she felt a different meaning than in previous readings — no longer the pain of an unsolved mystery, but a prophecy slowly coming true, a promise that she, ten years later, is finally fully fulfilling.

“I'm almost there, Dad,” she whispered into the darkness of the room, her voice quiet but filled with determination. “There's only a short way to go.”

She closed the notebook, placed it carefully on the table, then turned off the light, preparing for a much-needed night's rest before entering what could be the most drastic phase of the entire journey, when both sides clearly understood that the final decisive moment was closer than ever, a moment that neither of them could avoid any longer, no matter how carefully they prepared. Outside the window, the late moonlight still quietly illuminates the small alley leading to Nam Can market, like a silent witness to all that has been and is happening in this small coastal land.