Chapter 18 — Unclosed Profile

The next morning, the atmosphere at headquarters was more tense than ever as the team prepared for an important raid tonight. The task force was fully assembled and the investigation team reviewed the entire detailed battle plan one last time.

"We will divide into three attacks," the task force commander presented on the map of the abandoned factory area, "blocking all entrances and exits before conducting the official raid at ten o'clock in the evening, when monitoring shows that this is the time when the organization usually gathers the most."

“I want to participate directly in the raid,” Thao Vy said, her voice determined as the meeting ended.

Bao Nam turned to look at her, his eyes filled with worry. "You are forensics, not a combat force. Your role will be to process the scene once the area has been fully secured, not to participate directly in the raid."

"I understand," Thao Vy replied, even though she was still a little reluctant to have to stand out of the most important stage. "But I want to be close to the scene, so I can handle it promptly when necessary."

"Okay," Bao Nam agreed after a moment of consideration, "but you must stay in the command vehicle and absolutely not leave the safe position until I confirm that the area is completely under control."

The whole day passed in tense, meticulous preparation. Minh Duc continues to closely monitor every move at the factory through monitoring devices, ensuring there are no unexpected changes that could affect the plan.

“Everything is going normally,” he reported in the afternoon. "There's no sign they discovered our plan."

When night fell, the whole team moved to the area near the factory, hiding and waiting for the moment to act. Thao Vy sat in the command vehicle with several support staff, her heart pounding, watching every development through the internal communication system.

"All positions in position," the commander's voice said over the radio. "Prepare to act on signal."

At exactly ten o'clock in the evening, the attack signal was given. Through the surveillance screen, Thao Vy saw the task force quickly and organizedly enter and surround the factory from many different directions. Loud chants of "Police! No one moves!" echoed through the intercom, mixed with chaos and screaming from inside.

"There is a subject trying to escape through the back door!" a voice rang out urgently over the radio.

Thao Vy held her breath as she watched, her heart seemed to stop beating in that tense moment, worried for the safety of Bao Nam and the entire team who were directly facing the dangerous criminals inside.

"The subject has been stopped at the back door and is under control!" The voice came through the radio, bringing with it some relief. A few minutes later, the chaos inside gradually subsided, replaced by continuous reports of successfully controlling each subject.

"The first floor area has been completely controlled, eight subjects have been arrested," the commander's voice reported. "Continuing to search the second floor and rear storage area."

Thao Vy clasped her hands, praying that everything would go smoothly. Fifteen tense minutes passed before Bao Nam's voice came through the intercom, making her breathe a sigh of relief. "The entire area is under control. Ten Two subjects were arrested, many important evidences were obtained including weapons, tracking devices, and some documents related to previous missions."

"What about Hoang Anh Kiet?" Thao Vy asked right away through the walkie-talkie, her voice tense.

There was a short silence before Bao Nam replied, his voice a bit disappointed. "He was not present at the scene. Apparently, he left before the raid, possibly having received a warning from somewhere."

That news made Thao Vy feel a new sense of disappointment and worry. Even though most of the organization has been captured, the leader — the most dangerous person, the one who directly threatened her — is still out there at large.

She was allowed to enter the scene after the area was completely safe, and immediately began professional work to process the evidence collected. Looking around the old factory, now filled with flashlights and authorities, she couldn't help but feel a mixture of relief and anxiety - initial victory had been achieved, but the biggest threat had not yet been completely eliminated.

Bao Nam came to her, his face still a little tired after the stressful raid, but his eyes lit up when he saw her safe. “You did a good job keeping calm in the command vehicle,” he said, smiling slightly.

"I'm just waiting for you to come back safely," Thao Vy replied, her eyes couldn't hide her relief when she saw him unharmed. "About Dang Quoc Cuong, the person who threatened me yesterday, have you been able to arrest him?"

"Yes," Bao Nam confirmed, "he was among those arrested. With her testimony and the evidence obtained, we have enough grounds to charge him with witness intimidation, along with many other crimes related to the organization's activities."

"So there's only Hoang Anh Kiet left," Thao Vy said, her voice low. "Where will he go now?"

"We have issued a nationwide arrest warrant," Bao Nam replied, his voice determined. "With his network of relationships broken and his financial resources blocked, it will be difficult for him to escape for long. We will find him, it's just a matter of time."

Minh Duc, who was collecting data from computers confiscated at the scene, called out loudly from the corner of the room. “I found this! It seems like this is a list of all the customers who have hired this organization's services over the years — including cases that have never been solved before!"

Both Bao Nam and Thao Vy quickly came to examine this important discovery. The long list, partially encrypted but still decryptable with specialized tools, lists dozens of incidents spanning nearly a decade, from simple threats to much more serious incidents.

"This will be the key to solving many other outstanding cases," Bao Nam said, his voice both excited and heavy at the scale of the crime revealed. "But we need time to process all this data carefully, ensuring the legality of all related cases."

"Justice will not stop at our case," Thao Vy said, her voice filled with emotion as she realized the true scope of what they had just discovered. "Many other families will also have the opportunity to find the truth, just like we did."

That night, as the work of collecting evidence at the scene slowed down completed, the whole team returned to headquarters feeling both tired and relieved at the great success they had just achieved, although there was still concern about Hoang Anh Kiet who was still hiding out there.

Lieutenant Colonel Trung, when hearing the full report on the results of the raid, could not hide his satisfaction even though he was still somewhat worried. "This is a great victory," he said during a briefing overnight. "Twelve subjects were arrested, a large-scale criminal network was largely destroyed. But we must not be complacent until Hoang Anh Kiet is completely arrested."

"We will continue to aggressively search for him, Colonel," Bao Nam affirmed, his voice determined to not weaken even after a long and stressful night.

On the way home at dawn, Thao Vy sat silently in the car with Bao Nam, her mind still reeling from the hectic events of a long day. "We've come a long way," she said, her voice thoughtful. "But I still can't completely rest assured knowing he's still free."

"I understand that feeling," Bao Nam replied, glancing at her with concern. "But believe me, we won't stop until we catch him. Tonight, you should rest well to regain your strength for the next days."

Thao Vy nodded, leaned her head against the car seat, letting her tired body relax in this rare moment of peace, even though her heart still retained the necessary vigilance for the journey ahead. The dawn light begins to shine on the distant horizon, signaling a new day with new challenges waiting, but also bringing hope for a perfect ending that is not far away, an ending that both Thao Vy and Bao Nam believe, they will go together, no matter how many difficulties remain ahead, because they have learned that, as long as they stand together, no challenge is insurmountable.