Chapter 23 — The Journey of the Missing Bronze Drum

Dawn was full when the convoy left the industrial park. The bronze drum was carefully placed in a specialized transportation box on a private vehicle, accompanied by Diem and another museum technician to supervise the entire journey to the Vinh Sa port inspection station, where it will be officially sealed before being transferred to the Red River Antiquities Museum.

In the car, Diem did not take her eyes off the box, even though she knew it was firmly fixed, with no risk of moving or bumping on the road. It was no longer purely professional caution, but a psychological habit she needed, as if she took her eyes away for just a second, everything could slip out of her hands again.

Her phone vibrated continuously - a text message from the Director asking about the situation, a message from a communications specialist asking for information to prepare a press release, and a missed call from Mr. Khoat, he must have stayed up all night waiting for news as he said.

She briefly texted the Director first, giving a preliminary report on the results of the campaign, promising to send a fully detailed report within the same day. Just a few minutes later, he called directly, his voice full of excitement that she had rarely heard from the man who always kept a serious look at work.

“You did great, Diem,” he said. "I will report immediately to superiors. This will be a great victory for the entire heritage industry, not just your team."

"Thank you," Diem replied, although in her heart, the greatest victory lay not in the compliments her superiors were about to give her, but in something much smaller, much more personal — the feeling of finally being able to lay down some of the burden she had been carrying for twelve years.

She called back as soon as the car stopped at the chemical inspection station.

"Uncle Khoat," she said, her voice still shaking from fatigue and mixed emotions, "we found the drum. It's intact. Vu Bach Long has been arrested."

The other end of the line was silent for a long moment, long enough for Diem to clearly hear his trembling sigh, a sound that carried a twelve-year burden that had just been partially lifted.

"Thank you," he said finally, his voice choked. "Thank you for not giving up, even though I know all these years, sometimes you must have wanted to give up."

"I never really wanted to give up," Diem replied, "I just didn't know where to start, until I had a big enough reason to force me to start."

"So what now? What did he say about..." Mr. Khoat hesitated, not daring to finish his sentence.

"Not yet," Diem said. "He just said he wanted to talk, alone with me. I don't know what to mean by that."

"Be careful, Diem," Mr. Khoat said, his voice truly worried. "A person like that, even when handcuffed, can still have many ways to manipulate the other person. Don't let the joy you just found make you let your guard down."

"I'll be careful," she promised.

"One more thing," he added, his voice suddenly low. "Whatever the outcome of the interrogation, whether he confesses or not, I want you to know that, for me, tonight is enough. I have waited twelve years to see Trac's work recognized, to see the ring he tried to stop finally exposed. No matter how the rest plays out, I can close my eyes in peace."

That sentence made Diem choked up, unable to respond immediately, just silently listening to his breathing through the phone, a sound that carried both relief and sadness of someone who had waited too long for something that should have come much sooner.

"I'll call back as soon as I have more news," she said finally, her voice hoarse, then hung up when she saw Hai beckoning from afar, signaling that it was time for her to be present to complete the procedures for sealing the artifacts.

*

At noon, after completing all initial procedures at the chemical inspection station, Diem took the opportunity to stop by the safe location where Ta Bach Son was being protected, to personally inform him of the news, as well as to assess his psychological condition before entering the official testimony stage.

He sat in the small living room of the safe house, his face haggard from staying up all night worrying, but when he heard that the bronze drum had been found and that Vu Bach Long had been arrested, a relief was evident on every line of his face, although mixed with that was still a fear that had not subsided.

"That's it," he said, his voice shaking.

"It's not quite done yet," Diem said, sitting down across from him. "There's still a lot of work ahead — questioning, filing, possibly a trial, and you'll have to face your own legal responsibility for what you did in the past. But it's true that the most dangerous part, the part that directly threatens your safety, is probably over."

Ta Bach Son nodded, lowered his head, clasped his hands together on his knees. "I'm willing to take responsibility. I just hope, when everything comes to light, people will understand that I wasn't completely a bad guy from the beginning, even though I know that doesn't erase what I did."

"I will fully and honestly acknowledge your cooperation in the report," Diem said. "That will be meaningful, although it cannot completely change the legal outcome. The law needs to be fair, but fairness does not mean not distinguishing between a person who proactively and calculatedly helps and a person who gets caught up in a debt he did not choose, and then finally chooses to be on the right side when the opportunity arises."

Before leaving, Diem hesitated a bit, then asked another question she had wondered about since last night. "Do you regret calling me that night? Even though it put you in more danger?"

Ta Bach Son looked at her, a tired but genuine smile appeared on his lips, for the first time since she entered the room. "Not for a second. It was the first time in years that I actually felt like I slept well, even if it was just for a few short hours last night, because I knew I had finally done the right thing, even if it was late."

*

On the way back to headquarters, Diem received a message from Elena Marchetti, sent through a secure communication channel: "Excellent good news. I have informed Singapore customs to cancel the special surveillance order related to Meridian's auction, because the direct threat has been eliminated. But we will continue to monitor this auction house, because it is very likely that this will not be the last time they are involved in dodgy goods. Congratulations to you, and also to your deceased teacher. Mr. He would be proud."

Diem read the message, her eyes stinging, looking out the car window, where the familiar scenery of the coastal road passed by in the bright noon sunlight, completely different from the tense, dark atmosphere of last night.

She pulled out the worn leather notebook from her pocket and flipped to the last page Mr. Trac had written, where the words about the line "not disappearing, just changing the name of the goods on the papers" became the guiding thread for this entire investigation. She pulled out her pen and wrote a small line below, her own handwriting, no longer hastily slanted like the teacher's, but firm and clear:

"Line found. Artifact recovered. There's still one last question to answer."

She closed the book, leaned her head back on the chair, letting the sleepiness that had accumulated over more than twenty-four hours of sleeplessness finally be allowed to rush in for a few short minutes on the way home, before she had to regain consciousness for the most important thing left: facing Vu Bach Long in the interrogation room, where the final answer to twelve years of doubts might be revealed, or it might forever be just a half-closed door that would never be fully opened.

The car slowed down as it approached the headquarters, and through the glass window, Diem saw Hai waiting in front of the gate, holding two cups of hot coffee in his hands, his eyes following the car from afar with a quiet wait that she didn't need to ask to understand the meaning.

She got out of the car, took the cup of coffee from his hand, the warmth spread through the thin layer of paper into her cold palm because she didn't rest all night. "Ready for the next part?" she asked.

"Ready a long time ago," Hai replied, walking inside with her, towards the interrogation room where Vu Bach Long was waiting, with a vague promise to only talk to her.

The hallway leading to the interrogation room was long and silent, the fluorescent lights on the ceiling shone steadily, and Diem walked slowly, trying to breathe deeply to prepare herself for the conversation she had been waiting for, in one form or another, for twelve long years.