Chapter 82 — Shrimp Street Without Name

Two days after the threatening text message appeared, the security team led by the lieutenant completed arranging a tighter security ring around Ms. Sau's house, with shifts rotating around the clock, discreetly but effectively. Kien, although no longer officially participating in the investigation team due to regulations to avoid conflicts of interest, still voluntarily spends most of his free time staying close to home, a silent but steady presence that makes Hai Yen feel much more secure.

On the third morning while awaiting sentencing, when Hai Yen was sitting with her mother preparing goods for the dried shrimp stall as a way to keep daily life going despite all the stress, she noticed a strange man standing and observing the house from the other side of the alley, his appearance deliberately appearing natural but his eyes constantly wandering towards the door.

She discreetly alerted one of the nearby security guards, who immediately contacted the patrol team. Within a few minutes, two plainclothes police approached the man to check his documents. This person, after a moment of confusion, declared that he was just waiting for an acquaintance, but when asked to present that acquaintance's contact information, he could not provide a convincing answer.

“We will take this person to headquarters for clarification,” one of the two police officers informed Hai Yen via the lieutenant's phone later. "Although there is no specific evidence that he is directly related to the case, his ambiguous attitude when being examined makes us need to investigate further."

The incident, although its nature has not yet been clearly determined, makes Hai Yen more deeply aware of the seriousness of the security situation during this sensitive period. She called lawyer Hoang to inform her, and they both agreed that they needed to be more careful until the official verdict was announced and the situation calmed down.

In the afternoon, Kien stopped by, bringing with him a preliminary report he received from an old friend who still worked in the industry, although he himself no longer had direct access to the investigation files. "The man this morning," he said, his voice serious, "has a criminal record for threats and property theft, and was arrested five years ago in connection with a land dispute in the neighborhood. There is no direct evidence linking him to Dai Duong or the Coastal Corporation, but the pattern of behavior is very similar to what we have seen before."

Hai Yen nodded, feeling a familiar worry but had also become somewhat calloused after everything she had gone through throughout this journey. “I began to think,” she said, her voice thoughtful, “that perhaps we would never have a period of complete peace until everything was truly over — until the final verdict was announced, and Mr. Vinh, if successfully extradited, also faced justice.”

“Maybe so,” Kien agreed, taking her hand. "But we've come this far, Yen. We won't let anyone stop us in the final steps."

That evening, an unexpected call from Elena, an international observer, brought further remarkable news. “I just received information from my colleague who is monitoring the extradition process in... abroad," she said over the phone, her voice somewhat cautious. "Mr. Vinh's legal team has filed an urgent appeal, trying to delay the preliminary hearing on the grounds of incomplete legal procedures. The local court is considering this appeal, and it may take some time before a final decision is made.”

This news, although not completely unexpected, still made Hai Yen feel a little discouraged. She had hoped the process would go more smoothly, but reality reminded her that, for someone with resources and connections like Tran Quoc Vinh, every legal path could be prolonged and complicated by sophisticated tricks.

"Don't worry too much," Elena reassured, as if reading Hai Yen's mood through her voice. “Delaying tactics like this are common in complex extradition cases. What is important is that the evidence we have is solid, and international courts are often not easily persuaded by mere procedural arguments when faced with serious allegations such as these.”

After the call, Hai Yen sat quietly alone in the room, trying to balance hope and reality. She opened her father's notebook, re-read the words he wrote ten years ago, looking for a familiar source of strength amid these uncertain days.

Mrs. Sau, noticing her daughter looking thoughtful, entered the room and sat down next to her. “Are you worried about extradition?” she asked, her voice gentle.

“I'm just tired of having to wait,” Hai Yen admitted. “Everything seems to be close to the finish line, but there is always a new obstacle that appears.”

Mrs. Sau gently stroked her daughter's hair, a loving gesture she had often done since Hai Yen was young. “Do you remember when you were little, every time you were impatiently waiting for the shrimp to grow to harvest, did your father always say something to you?”

Hai Yen smiled slightly at the memory that suddenly appeared. “Dad said, the ups and downs of the water have its own rhythm, no one can force it faster or slower than you want. The shrimp farmer's job is to patiently take care of and trust in that natural rhythm."

“That's right,” Mrs. Sau nodded. “Justice has its own rhythm, my child. It may be slower than you want, it may be bumpier than you expect, but if you sow the right seeds and take care of them properly, the water will rise, right when it needs to rise.

Her mother's simple but philosophical words made Hai Yen feel somewhat soothed. She hugged Mrs. Sau, feeling the familiar warmth giving her the strength to continue waiting patiently, even though she didn't know exactly how much time remained before everything really came to an end.

That night, before sleeping, she texted Kien, Minh Khang and lawyer Hoang, thanking them all for always accompanying and supporting her during this difficult period. Each person responded with sincere words of encouragement, once again reminding her that, although the road ahead is uncertain, she never has to walk alone.

The next morning, the lieutenant stopped by Ms. Sau's house to announce the results of the interrogation of the strange man detained the previous day. “He claimed to have been hired by an unknown middleman to 'monitor and report on the situation' around her house, in exchange for a large sum of money,” he said, his voice medium. Serious and somewhat reserved. "He affirmed that he was not assigned the task of causing direct harm, only collecting information about the travel schedule of her and her family. But we cannot verify whether that statement is fully true or not."

Hai Yen felt a new sense of insecurity rising before this information. “So that means,” she said slowly, “that there is still someone, possibly related to Ocean or Coastal Corporation, continuing to spy on us, even as the trial nears its end?”

“That's a possibility we have to consider,” the lieutenant confirmed. "But don't be too alarmed. Being followed, while worrying, is completely different from having direct intent to cause harm. It's possible that this is just a tentative action by those trying to assess whether you and your family still hold any more evidence that has not been released, before the official verdict is issued."

That explanation, although reassuring, also clarifies something Hai Yen has long suspected: this war, although it has come a long way, is still not completely over, and those behind it still have enough resources to continue to apply pressure in many different forms, although more discreetly than before.

She spent the rest of the morning with lawyer Hoang reviewing all the documents and evidence that were still kept, making sure everything important had been officially submitted to the court and was no longer dependent on any individual copies that could be stolen or destroyed. This was a necessary, if belated, precautionary measure after realizing the terrifying level of tenacity of those still trying to protect what was left of the collapsing criminal empire.

“We did everything we could,” said lawyer Hoang, when the two completed their review. “The rest now lies in the hands of the jury, and in our own patience.”

Hai Yen nodded, feeling a new calmness creep into her heart, although her worries about security had not completely disappeared. She knows that the remaining days before the verdict is announced will continue to be challenging days, but she also believes that, with the companionship of everyone around her, she will be able to overcome it, just like she has overcome all other challenges along the way.