Chapter 12 — World Chess Game

His voice softened, for the first time, it was no longer cold and emotionless.

“Because our opponent… is a maniac without limits.”

"But he's not a god. As long as he's human... he will definitely leave a loophole."

He pulled out his phone and called the man accompanying him.

“A Luc, is there anything at the scene?”

A hoarse, low, heavy voice sounded on the other end of the line.

"Mr. Phong, the police blockade is very tight, I can't get in."

“But I watch from the outside.”

“Ly Thien jumped from the 32nd floor.”

"The scene is clean, there are no signs of struggle, and no signs of a second person."

“Look at it… what a perfect suicide.”

Lam Phong frowned deeper, his eyes became cold as if he had just touched an unusual point that could not be ignored.

“Didn't leave anything behind, like a suicide note… or any other clues?”

"The police found a suicide note, it was a printed copy, the content said that she lost money on investments, owed a large sum of money, couldn't pay it off, so she chose to end it herself."

A Luc paused for a moment, his voice lowered.

“But Mr. Phong… I feel something is wrong.”

“What's wrong?”

“I asked someone to extract the building's camera.”

"Ly Thien went to the rooftop alone, that's not wrong."

“But five minutes before that… there was a person wearing a cleaning outfit, pushing a cleaning cart up there.”

“His appearance… is very suspicious.”

“And at the rooftop railing, I discovered something.”

“The police may not notice, because the traces are very faint.”

“Like… being scratched with a fingernail.”

Lam Phong's eyes immediately lit up.

“Engrave what?”

“A series of numbers.”

A Luc reread each incomplete number.

“Seven… three… one… the back is unclear, covered by blood.”

Seven. Three. One. That string of numbers was like a key, gently turning in my head, opening a fragile gap between the chaos of thoughts. Was it Ly Thien's last help signal... or a clue she left behind before she died? Lam Phong hung up the phone and fell into deep contemplation. The atmosphere in the car fell into a suffocating silence. I looked out at the thick night outside the glass door, feeling like I was being tightened by an invisible net, bit by bit with no way out. The name of that net… is death. Trieu Thien Thanh acted too quickly, so fast that we were forced into a tight position without even having time to breathe. He was like a skilled chess player, step by step forcing us into a dead corner... while we still couldn't see his face clearly. That feeling makes people suffocate.

“Where are we going?”

I asked softly, breaking the heavy silence.

"Going to a place... he absolutely did not expect."

Lam Phong started the engine, the car sped into the night like a black arrow cutting through the wind. Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of an abandoned factory. The surrounding area was quiet, with only a few street lights swaying in the wind.

“Your secret base.”

He took me inside, A Luc was already waiting. The inside is completely different from the outside, the whole area has been renovated into a miniature operating center, the screen flickers, data runs continuously like a living brain.

“Mr. Phong.”

A guy wearing glasses stood up, his appearance was elegant but his eyes were extremely sharp.

“I'm Chu Ky, in charge of engineering.”

Lam Phong nodded.

“Chu Ky, look up all of Ly Thien's social relationships, cash flow, and last three months' call history.”

“At the same time… decode this series of numbers.”

He wrote on paper:

“7 – 3 – 1 – ? – ?”

Cycle Receive it and type continuously.

“This is more like a code than a random number.”

“An incomplete code.”

“If there is no solution… finding it is extremely difficult, almost like finding a needle in a haystack.”

So what is the key? Everyone was silent. Ly Thien is dead. Everything seemed broken. I'm not committed. I closed my eyes and reviewed every little detail about her. A man greedy for glory. Likes branded goods, likes to show off. Because of money... can do anything. Such a person... what would he use as a "key"? Suddenly, an image flashed in my mind. The dash cam. Ly Thien sat in the passenger seat... wearing a bracelet on her hand. The bracelet that Truong Vi recognized immediately.

“It's a bracelet!”

I opened my eyes, my voice decisive.

"Truong Vi once said it was an item she just bought, very expensive, and showed it off everywhere."

“If there is something that is both unique and meaningful to her…”

“It could very well be that bracelet.”

Lam Phong's eyes immediately changed.

“A Luc, contact Truong Vi immediately.”

“Ask clearly about the brand and product code of that bracelet!”

“Chu Ky, look up the serial number of that model immediately!”