Chapter 14 — The Secret in the Basement B2

The next second... A shrill siren suddenly sounded in the building. Tu... tu... tu... The entire company's rolling doors simultaneously lowered. The iron gate at the entrance to the basement also loudly closed. At that moment... The building's internal radio system rang. But... The person speaking... It's my voice.

"Urgent notice."

"The building is officially on lockdown."

"All staff are requested to stay in place and wait for instructions."

That voice... It's really my voice. From intonation. Interval. Even the last sound. All identical. But... I never said that. The crowd immediately became chaotic. Someone shouted:

"There are still people in the building!"

Someone rushed towards the door. But they were all blocked by the rolling door that just came down. The commander's face immediately darkened. He quickly ordered a check of the radio system. Khuong San turned pale.

"They used AI to impersonate their voices."

Manh Ky An looked at me.

"So..."

"It will turn into evidence that it was you who ordered the blockade of the building."

But right now... I don't have the heart to think about that anymore. The 10 o'clock transfer order... That's the most dangerous thing. It's 9:45 a.m. Unable to access the central control room. I can't get my account back either. As long as that money is transferred... Even if I'm still alive... I will be stuck forever in the trap they have set. The commander immediately asked the firefighters to break down the door. However... The building's rolling doors are connected to the fire protection system. There is also an electronic lock on the outside. A technical staff ran to report.

"Main control has been transferred to the central control room."

"From outside..."

"Can only break the compulsion."

"It'll take at least twenty minutes."

Twenty minutes. Meanwhile... We only have fifteen minutes left. Hearing that... The corners of Thieu Chan Hai's lips curled up slightly. He no longer pretends to be innocent. That smile... Filled with cruelty after calculating every possible retreat. I looked straight at him.

"You have prepared a plan to blockade the building."

Thieu Chan Hai calmly replied:

"Nguyen Nam Tu."

"Human..."

"Finally pay the price for my choice."

"Last night..."

"You shouldn't have stopped the car."

I clenched my fist.

"Why did Uncle Ma look for me?"

Thieu Chan Hai did not answer. On the contrary... Mieu Tue, who was being held beside her, suddenly burst into tears.

"Because..."

"You look a lot like her."

Thieu Chan Hai immediately turned around.

"Shut up!"

That look made Mieu Tue tremble. But she still gritted her teeth and continued.

"Uncle Ma once said..."

"Your eyes..."

"Very similar to the woman from that year."

My breath stopped.

"Which woman?"

Mieu Tue shook her head. Tears mixed with rainwater flowed down.

"I don't know the name."

"The day the fire happened..."

"She used to come to the company."

"She left with a set of documents."

"Then..."

"No one sees her anymore."

Manh Ky An's face suddenly became very strange. I immediately grabbed his arm.

"You know about this?"

He didn't answer right away. That silence... Was the answer. I stared at him.

"Meng Qi An."

Finally... He spoke softly.

"I investigated the fire that year..."

"It's because I'm also looking for that woman."

"An informant for my senior."

"After the incident fire..."

"The senior had a car accident and passed away."

"And the informant..."

"Then disappeared."

My mind exploded. It's no longer simply a corporate money transfer case. In the fire three years ago... At least one more life was buried. Not just one. At that moment... Khuong San called out.

"The countdown to ten has begun!"

She held the phone in front of my face. On the financial system interface... The status of the transfer order has changed to:

"Waiting for implementation confirmation."

Time remaining: 13 minutes. I stared at those numbers. Force yourself to stay calm.

"Central control room..."

"Is there another entrance?"

Khuong San shook his head.

"I don't know."

However... Manh Ky An suddenly raised his head. Everyone looked at him simultaneously.

"The underground tunnel of the old office building."

He said slowly.

"After the fire three years ago..."

"When rebuilding a new building..."

"They still keep a section of the backup engineering corridor intact."

"Entrance..."

"Located in the old apartment complex next to Nam Kieu market."

My heart suddenly trembled. That's where I took Uncle Ma off the bus. Nam Kieu Market. Old apartment complex. The car cannot drive in. I got off the bus there... Not to go home. To get back closer to that tunnel. I immediately said:

"Take me there."

The commander frowned.

"Too dangerous."

I pointed to the countdown timer on Khuong San's phone.

"Twelve minutes left."

"If the money is transferred..."

"All electronic evidence will point towards me."

"You can arrest me."

"But until then..."

"The person who is truly behind everything has accomplished it all."

The commander looked at me for a few seconds. Finally nodded.

"I'll send someone along."

At that moment... Thieu Chan Hai laughed coldly.

"You think..."

"Uncle Ma only left you a piece of paper?"

My steps stopped. He looked at me. His eyes were dark and cold.

"What's in that tunnel..."

"You don't know at all."

I didn't reply. Manh Ky An sat in the driver's seat. Khuong San. With two policemen. Quickly get in the car. The rain is still pouring. The water on the road is getting higher and higher. 9:50 a.m. The car rushed to Nam Kieu market. Almost all shops were closed because of heavy rain. The half-broken lamp in front of the old apartment complex's gate... Still hanging there. In the middle of the day. It looks even older. Like a blind eye. Manh Ky An led us around to the back of the apartment complex. It's a row of car roofs filled with scraps. In the deepest corner... There was an iron plate covered with rust. The two policemen lifted the iron plate together. Below... Revealing a dark staircase. Moisture and musty smell immediately arose. Khuong San quickly covered his mouth.

"This place..."

"Is it really connected to the company?"

Manh Ky An nodded slightly.

"At least..."

"The old drawing says so."

I turned on my phone's flashlight. Be the first to step down. Slippery steps. Both sides of the wall are mottled with water stains. Walk less than twenty meters... Ahead appeared an iron door. On the door hangs an old lock. A policeman took a lock picking tool. As soon as the iron door opened... A much colder wind immediately blew. In the wind... There was a faint smell of something burned. My heart beats faster and faster. 9:55 a.m. At the end of the tunnel... A red dot of light appeared. Like a device status indicator light electricity. I immediately accelerated. But as soon as I reached the corner... Suddenly stopped. Right in the middle of the ground ahead... There's a phone. The screen is still bright. A video is playing. In the video... Uncle Ma lies on a hospital bed. Wear an oxygen mask on your face. A black gloved hand slowly reached out. Slowly squeeze your IV line. The phone's speaker rang out a processed voice.

"Nguyen Nam Tu..."

"If you continue to move forward..."

"He won't make it to 10 o'clock."