Chapter 9 — The City Behind the Mist

Three days after the official petition was sent, Khanh Linh received a surprise call from the provincial Department of Construction, announcing that they had received the dossier and would send an independent inspection team to Van Son to verify within the next week. That news gave her great hope, but at the same time made the atmosphere in the town more tense than ever.

That same afternoon, Khanh Linh received an invitation to meet privately from Ho Xuan Truong himself, not at the official office but at a luxurious restaurant isolated on a hill overlooking the entire town. She considered carefully before deciding to accept the invitation, informing Viet Hoang of the specific location and time in case it was necessary.

When Khanh Linh arrived, Ho Xuan Truong was already sitting at a private table, overlooking the valley engulfed in afternoon mist. He stood up, politely pulled out a chair and invited her to sit, his attitude completely different from the tension in previous official meetings.

"Thank you for accepting my invitation," he said, pouring her a cup of hot tea. "I think it's time for us to have a frank conversation, without anyone else present."

"I'm listening, Mr. Truong," Khanh Linh replied, remaining calm despite her wariness.

"I know you've found out a lot about the past," he said directly, no longer beating around the bush like before. "I also know, you have in your hand the drawing that your father asked to edit before the disaster happened."

Khanh Linh was stunned by that unexpected admission, but she tried to keep her expression from showing too much emotion. "So you admit to knowing about that drawing?" she asked bluntly.

Ho Xuan Truong sighed, his eyes looking far out the window, where the mist was gradually swallowing the entire valley. “Fifteen years ago, I was young, ambitious, and made a serious mistake when I decided to cut material costs without reporting them fully,” he says, his voice suddenly strangely sincere. "But I never intended to cause anyone's death. It was an unintended accident, a consequence I could not have foreseen."

"But you let my father bear all the responsibility for your mistake," Khanh Linh said, her voice shaking with fifteen years of suppressed anger. "You let him live his last years in contempt of the whole town, then died in pain, just to protect his own reputation and career."

Ho Xuan Truong was silent for a long time, his hands clasped tightly around the cooled cup of tea. "I didn't directly swap the files," he said, his voice somewhat defensive. "That was the decision of my superior at that time, who wanted to quickly close the case to avoid affecting the reputation of the entire government apparatus. I just... did not have the courage to speak out against it."

"So who directly swapped the files?" Khanh Linh asked, her voice extremely tense at the possibility of another important link in this whole conspiracy.

"That was the Head of the Construction Management Department at that time — Mr. Dang Huu Loc," Ho Xuan Truong replied, confirming what Mr. Thinh had mentioned. "But he passed away a few years ago. I'm afraid that, with his passing, it will become extremely difficult to fully prove the chain of responsibility."

"So why are you telling me all this now?" Khanh Linh asked, doubt still evident in her voice.

Ho Xuan Truong looked straight into her eyes, his eyes full of calculation. "Because I want to propose a solution that benefits both sides," he said. "I am willing to publicly admit my mistake in cutting material costs fifteen years ago, officially apologize publicly and exonerate your father. In return, I hope you will not continue to push the case further in a criminal legal direction, and support the current renovation project to continue to be implemented on schedule, with the technical plan adjusted appropriately according to your safety recommendations."

Khanh Linh felt a surge of anger at that proposal — a blatant bargain, in exchange for partial truth by omitting actual criminal responsibility. "You're asking me to trade real justice for a public apology and favorability for your project?" she asked, her voice cold.

"I'm suggesting a practical solution, Ms. Linh," Ho Xuan Truong replied, his voice still calm even if a little more tense. "Bringing the case to court after fifteen years, when the main witness has passed away, would be extremely complicated, expensive, and there would be no guarantee that the outcome would be what you desire. Meanwhile, your father's honor could be restored immediately, publicly, without having to go through a long, painful legal process."

Khanh Linh stood up, looked straight into the eyes of the man in front of her, her voice was determined and unwavering. "I will not bargain about justice, Mr. Truong," she said. "My father deserves to be fully vindicated, based on the full truth, not a version that has been doctored to serve his interests. And the people who lost loved ones in that disaster also deserve to know the whole truth, not just a carefully selected part."

Before Khanh Linh left, Ho Xuan Truong called after him, his voice somewhat unusually urgent. "Miss Linh, I want to remind you of something," he said. "The inspection team from the Department of Construction is about to come down here, and I believe they will review the case objectively. But you need to understand, I also have certain relationships and influences. If you choose the confrontational path, I cannot guarantee that everything will go smoothly for you, or for the project you are in charge of."

That sentence, although skillfully expressed, still carries the sound of a disguised threat. Khanh Linh turned to look at him, her eyes unwavering. "I'm not afraid of your influence, Mr. Truong," she replied. "I'm just afraid of letting the truth continue to be buried for another day."

Stepping out of the restaurant, Khanh Linh immediately called Viet Hoang and recounted the entire content of the recent stressful conversation. "What do you think about his confession?" she asked, her voice still shaking with pent-up emotion.

"I think it was a calculated admission, designed to protect himself as much as possible, placing most of the responsibility on a deceased person who could not defend himself," Viet Hoang analyzed, his voice cautious. "But anyway, that was the first time he officially admitted to cutting construction materials. If we can record or have witnesses for similar admissions in the future, it will be extremely valuable evidence."

"I wish I had recorded that conversation just now," Khanh Linh said, her voice filled with regret. "But I don't want to risk being discovered, making him more wary next time."

"You did the right thing," Viet Hoang reassured her. "Your safety is more important than any evidence. We will find another way to further confirm what we know, perhaps through a deeper investigation of Mr. Dang Huu Loc and his relationship with his superiors at the time."

Leaving the restaurant that night, Khanh Linh felt both more shaken and more determined than ever. She knew that the recent meeting, although it did not bring about the agreement that Ho Xuan Truong wanted, gave her one more important piece of the puzzle - a direct admission from his own mouth about mistakes in construction, even though he tried to minimize his own responsibility. Now, she just needs to find a way to turn that unofficial admission into evidence with real legal value.

When she got back to the hotel, Khanh Linh couldn't sleep, her mind kept spinning with what she had just heard. She sat at the small desk in the room, writing down the entire conversation with Ho Xuan Truong in detail while her memory was still fresh, every sentence and every word, as a reference for the next steps. Although they do not have the same legal value as an official recording, these detailed notes can at least help her piece together the entire story more coherently and logically when presented to the upcoming inspection team.

She also called her mother to update the situation, although she tried to downplay the danger so as not to make her more worried. “Mom, I think the truth is slowly coming out,” she said, her voice both tired and hopeful. "Maybe soon, father's honor will be completely restored."

"I believe in you, Khanh Linh," Mrs. Diep replied, her voice filled with emotion. "Your father, if he were still alive, would certainly be proud of your courage."

Putting down the phone, Khanh Linh looked out the window, where the faint streetlight penetrated the thick night fog, and felt that, although the road ahead was still full of thorns, she was getting closer and closer to the final destination of this journey of seeking justice.