Chapter 11 — The Secret in the Basement B2

On the screen... Two people appeared in front of my house. A person wearing a cap. A person wearing a raincoat. They were carrying an unconscious man. The person wearing the hat has his back to the camera. Can't see face clearly. When the person wearing the raincoat bent down to enter the code to open the door... The camera could only record a glimpse of his face in profile. Khuong San took a sharp breath.

"It's... driver Cao!"

The recording continues. After the two got inside... The door didn't close completely. Arrived at 3:29 am. The person wearing the hat walked out alone. In his hand he carried a black laptop bag. At that moment... The camera clearly recorded his wrist. Wearing an old bronze watch. My heart suddenly tightened. I immediately turned to look at Thieu Chan Hai. He wasn't wearing a watch. I've seen that watch before. At the company's year-end party. After getting drunk. He raised his glass in a toast. The sleeves slid down. That watch accidentally appeared. He himself once said... That is the relic my father left behind. All these years... Never left your side. Thieu Chan Hai's face... Finally changed. But... The recording hasn't ended yet. 3:31 am. In front of my house... A third person appeared again. That person did not enter the house. Just bend down... Stick a small object under the door frame. The image is not clear enough. The camera still recorded his left hand. Missing a segment. In basement B2... Everyone turned to look at the man named Luong at the same time. Because from the beginning until now... His left hand has always been hidden in his pocket. The commander's voice was low.

"Remove your hand."

The man with the surname Luong... Did not move at all. Two policemen immediately stepped up. At that moment... He suddenly turned around. Knocking away the person standing behind. Then rush straight towards the emergency stairs. Manh Ky An shouted loudly:

"Stop him!"

By reflex... I quickly moved aside to get out of the way. However... When running past me... The man named Luong suddenly stopped for a split second. He pulled out a small black object from his pocket. Swing down hard right under my feet. A pungent white smoke immediately erupted. The entire basement fell into chaos. Amidst the smoke... He leaned close to my ear. Just say the right thing.

"If you want to live... don't investigate the fire that happened three years ago."

The white smoke immediately swallowed the entire basement B2. I was so choked that I had to bend down, tears kept flowing. The only sounds around were dry coughs and rapid footsteps. Someone shouted:

"He ran away!"

Someone shouted:

"Seal the emergency stairs!"

Manh Ky An immediately pulled me close to the wall, using his jacket to cover my nose and mouth. But in my ears... The words of the man surnamed Luong continue to echo.

"If you want to live... don't investigate the fire three years ago."

Three years ago. In my head, it felt like someone had used a nail to hammer it down hard. Three years ago... The company actually had a fire. At that time, I was not yet working. Only heard others mention it accidentally during new employee training sessions. The old office building had an electrical short circuit. Midnight caught fire. Several record storage rooms were burned down. No one died. No one was held responsible. Finally... The incident was concluded as an accident. If that's true It was just an accident... So why, before running away... did the man named Luong warn me not to investigate? That's not a reminder. A threat. The smoke gradually dissipates. The man surnamed Luong has disappeared. The emergency staircase door was still ajar. There was still a layer of black powder on the door frame. Two policemen immediately chased after him. The commander's face was extremely ugly. He immediately ordered the extraction of all cameras at the building's entrances and exits. Thieu Chan Hai still stood in place. His eyes... Not at all confused. He didn't even look in the direction the Luong man had just run away from. Looking at me. That look made my whole body cold. It's like saying... Whether the Luong people escape or not... It doesn't matter anymore. The important thing is... I heard something I shouldn't have known. Manh Ky An supported me.

"What did he say to you just now?"

I raised my head to look at him.

"He mentioned the fire three years ago."

Manh Ky An's face immediately changed. He didn't ask more. Just lower your voice.

"That sentence..."

"Don't say it twice in front of everyone."

I stared at him.

"You know that fire?"

He was silent for a while.

"I've investigated before."

He looked at me.

"Because..."

"Right after that fire..."

"Shao Zhenhai's company received a very strange investment."

My heart tightened slightly.

"How much?"

"Thirty million."

Those two words just rang out... Immediately coincided with what Khuong San had just said about the project's deposit. A fire... Three years ago. A sum of thirty million... Three years later. They want to transfer exactly thirty million.