Chapter 10 — Unclosed Profile

The next morning, the group gathered to plan the next step - officially confronting and arresting Ms. Cao Thi Yen based on Pham Anh Tuan's full testimony and all collected evidence. Lieutenant Colonel Trung chaired the meeting, his face serious at the scope of the case.

"This is a case that will attract a lot of attention from the public and the media," he said, his voice cautious. "We need to ensure that all arrest and prosecution procedures strictly comply with the law, without revealing any loopholes that could be exploited by the defendant's lawyers."

"We have prepared all the documents, Colonel," Bao Nam reported, his voice confident. "Pham Anh Tuan's testimony, evidence collected at the warehouse, forensic examination results, and documents on land compensation differences - all have been firmly consolidated, enough grounds for arrest and official prosecution."

"Okay, I approve," Lieutenant Colonel Trung said. "Proceed this morning."

The official convoy arrived at Yen Phat Group's headquarters in the middle of the morning, when business activities were still going on normally. The appearance of the police force caused a stir in the building, with employees gathering and chatting, not understanding what was going on.

Ms. Cao Thi Yen was in an important meeting when she was informed of the presence of the police delegation. She walked out of the meeting room, her face tried to remain calm, but her eyes revealed unconcealed anxiety when she saw Bao Nam and Thao Vy standing and waiting with official arrest warrants in hand.

"Ms. Cao Thi Yen," Bao Nam said, his voice serious, clearly reading the content of the arrest warrant in accordance with the law, "she was arrested on charges of masterminding murders related to the Song Xanh project, along with falsifying land compensation documents causing serious damage."

Ms. Yen stood still for a moment, her whole body trembling slightly in front of the staff who were witnessing, and in front of the cameras of a few reporters who had promptly arrived. But then, she took a deep breath, regained some of her original calm, and raised her head high to accept her fate.

“I will cooperate,” she said, her voice small but still retaining the last bit of authority. "But I want to say, I never intended for things to go this far. Everything started with just one small wrong decision, then just sucked me into a spiral with no way out."

Thao Vy stood watching the woman who indirectly caused her father's death being escorted to the car, feeling a complexity that was difficult to name in her heart - not pure joy of victory, but a mixture of relief and sadness at the collapse of a person who once had everything, but lost herself just because of a wrong decision that she did not dare to face and correct in time.

"We did it," Bao Nam said, standing next to her, his voice both relieved and solemn as he watched the escort car leave.

"There's still a long way to go — the trial, the official verdict," Thao Vy said, even though inside she felt a huge burden had just been lifted. "But at least the hardest part is done."

"You have done the impossible," Bao Nam said, turning to look at her with eyes full of sincere admiration. "Twelve years of perseverance, finally found justice for father you."

Thao Vy smiled, for the first time in many days, a truly relieved, complete smile. "We did it," she corrected him, holding Bao Nam's hand tightly. "I cannot do this alone. Thank you, for everything."

In the afternoon, at the first official testimony after being arrested, Ms. Yen, in the presence of her personal lawyer, began to cooperate in testifying but with a cautious and clearly calculated attitude. "I admit that I ordered the concealment of the compensation difference," she said, her voice regaining some composure, "but I want to clarify, the final approval decision for the entire project dossier is not mine alone. There was a senior official in charge of local planning at that time who also received a 'thank you' payment for turning a blind eye to this disparity."

Bao Nam and Thao Vy exchanged wary looks. "Can you tell me that person's name?" Bao Nam asked, his voice remained calm even though a new worry had arisen in his heart.

Mrs. Yen was silent for a moment, her eyes clearly showing hesitation. "I... I need to consider more before providing more information," she said, then turned to have a small consultation with her lawyer.

Leaving the testimony room, Bao Nam turned to Thao Vy, his voice deep and thoughtful. "It seems, this case is more complicated than we thought. If there is indeed another high-ranking official involved, that person may still be in office, have the power to obstruct the trial process, and even endanger our witnesses."

"Mr. Hai and Mr. Tuan," Thao Vy said, her voice tense. "We need to increase protection for both immediately."

"I will arrange it right away," Bao Nam replied, pulling out his phone to immediately call the witness protection team. Although initial victory has been achieved, both are clearly aware that the journey to find complete justice still has a long way to go, and there may be hidden dangers that they have not yet fully anticipated.

Minh Duc, upon hearing the latest news, immediately began reviewing the entire list of cadastral and planning officials who had approved the Song Xanh project documents twelve years ago. "There are quite a few names on this list," he said, his tone rarely serious, "but I will prioritize reviewing those who are still holding important positions in the government apparatus, because those are the people who have enough power to continue to pressure and hinder the case."

"This requires extreme caution," Bao Nam reminded, his voice stern. "If that person is really still in office, we need to collect enough evidence before making any public moves, to avoid the situation where they act first to protect themselves."

In the evening, when Thao Vy returned home, she felt a new tension creeping into the joy of victory she had just achieved in the morning. She told her mother about the new development, not hiding her worry.

"Do you think there's still danger ahead?" Mrs. Hoa asked, her voice lowered with worry.

"I'm not sure, mom," Thao Vy admitted, "but I think we need to be more careful in the future, until the whole truth, including those still hidden behind, is fully brought to light."

Mrs. Hoa held her daughter's hand tightly, her eyes filled with a mixture of pride and worry never ending. "No matter what, I believe you will overcome it, Thao Vy. You have come this far, I believe, you will complete this journey."

That night, before going to sleep, Thao Vy opened her personal work notebook and wrote down a summary of the day's important developments: "Mrs. Cao Thi Yen has been officially arrested. Pham Anh Tuan has fully declared and confirmed that she directly caused her father's death. But Mrs. Yen revealed that there was another high-ranking official involved, who may still be in office. It is necessary to investigate carefully, protect witnesses, and guard against new dangers that may arise before the trial officially takes place. out."

Closing the notebook, she looked out the window where the late moonlight gently illuminated the small street. Even though a large part of the burden had been lifted after today, she understood, the journey to seek full justice for her father still continued, and she, along with her trusted comrades, would not stop until every last hidden corner of the truth was fully exposed in the light of justice.

The next morning, news of Ms. Cao Thi Yen's arrest spread widely in the media, causing shock in the real estate business world and the public. Many journalists tried to contact the investigation team for interviews, but according to regulations, all official statements must go through the media department of the police agency.

At headquarters, the working atmosphere still maintains urgency, no one on the team allows themselves to be subjective about this initial victory. "We need to continue to be cautious," Bao Nam reminded the group during the morning briefing. "The case is not truly closed until all those involved, including the mysterious officer that Ms. Yen just revealed, are brought to justice."

The whole group nodded in agreement, immediately starting their new job with undiminished determination, even though they had gone through a long and arduous road to get to this point.