Chapter 22 — The Fateful Trial

Reason for action: *Family member information is incorrect.* The note has a small line: *"The guardian has given verbal consent."* I sneered. The laughter was so dry that even I felt strange.

"Verbally agreed? I gave birth by cesarean section on Thursday, still feverish in the hospital bed. When did I agree?"

No one answered. Because those who can really answer, now some are pretending to be sick in the emergency room, some are kneeling upstairs and refusing to say a word. The police sealed the operation log. Then ask the archivist to open the electronic backup. In the corner of the storage room there is an old computer, starting up very slowly, the screen blinking several times before coming on. The archivist entered the code, and the system immediately displayed a message: *"This record has been included in the historical household registration correction file."* I frowned: "What does included mean?" The archivist's face also changed: "Normal birth records will not be merged into the minor's correction file. Unless someone intentionally links the two children's identity records together." The police asked him to continue checking. The employee clicked on, but the website said *"Access is restricted"*. He changed to another account, still can't log in. The last message line appears: *"Administrator locked"*. Key person: *Tien Mo* (Head of Tien). The basement fell into dead silence. The police officer called on the spot and asked his colleagues to control Director Tien. But the other end of the phone quickly reported back: The person is not home. Phone turned off. The hospital duty office also said that he took leave this afternoon and did not return. My heart sank. This is not someone who is only offering temporary help. This is the most pivotal character in the entire incident. If he escaped, the original operating records on the system would most likely never be fully recovered. Ms. Ly suddenly raised her head: "He has a habit. Important documents are never left in the office. He is afraid something will happen to the computer, so he often copies them to a backup disk and hides them on the plaster ceiling of the old medicine warehouse in the boarding area." The police looked at her: "How do you know?" Ms. Ly's lips trembled: "Because I helped him store things once. He said that if anyone investigated, he could use this to bargain with Lam Mai." This sentence made my heart skip a beat. The police did not hesitate and immediately led people to the old medicine warehouse. The old medicine warehouse is located at the end of the corridor connecting the old building. The door lock was rusted and when pushed into the dust, it fell apart. Police set up chairs and took down plaster ceiling panels. The first picture, no. The second picture is also absent. At the third photo, a black iron box fell out, hitting the floor with a dull sound. Inside were several CDs, a USB, and a piece of paper filled with numbers. The storage staff took out the computer to read the USB. The screen displays a folder named *"Resettlement Demographic Backup"*. When opened, the first scanned file is the clearance compensation confirmation form. On the form, the family members include 4 people: Lam Mai, Ha Tuan, Duong Hoa, Ha An An. In the notes column, it is written: *"Minor, 16 years old, eligible for additional resettlement quota."* The second scanned copy is a piece of paper called my "Commitment of Consent". The third scan is Copy of An An's birth certificate. The fourth version, is a security camera video. In the video, I am sleeping in a hospital bed. Lam Mai bent down to open my bag. Tong Uyen stood guard at the door. Director Tien wore a white blouse, accepted the documents that Lam Mai gave him, bowed his head and took a photo. I stared at the screen, my palms cold. Turns out the evidence was always there. It's just that they all believed that I would never have the chance to step into this place.