The case

chap 4

The Shadow of the Circle

The case had been closed for a week, but neither Thanh nor Mai could shake the uneasy feeling that lingered. The events at the warehouse had brought an end to the immediate threat, but the shadows of "The Circle" still loomed large over their lives.

Thanh had become more withdrawn, spending long hours in his office, going over old case files, as if searching for something he couldn’t quite identify. Mai, noticing his growing distance, tried to reach out, but Thanh always assured her that he was fine, that he just needed time to process everything.

One night, as Mai was leaving the office, she found a small envelope tucked under the windshield wiper of her car. It was addressed to her, in the same meticulous handwriting they had seen in the letters sent to the victims. Her heart raced as she tore it open, revealing a single sheet of paper inside. It read:

_"The Circle never forgets. You’ve seen too much."_

Mai's hands trembled as she re-read the message. She immediately called Thanh, but his phone went straight to voicemail. Without wasting a moment, she rushed to his apartment, fearing the worst.

When she arrived, the door was ajar, and the apartment was in disarray. Papers were scattered across the floor, and a glass of water had been knocked over on the kitchen counter. Thanh was nowhere to be found. The only sign of him was a half-written note on his desk:

_"Mai, if you find this... I’m sorry. I thought I could protect you, but I was wrong. The Circle has eyes everywhere. They’ve been watching us, waiting for the right moment. I need to face them alone. Don’t try to follow me. It’s the only way to keep you safe."_

Mai felt a surge of anger and fear. She knew Thanh was trying to protect her, but she wasn’t about to let him face this threat alone. She quickly gathered her thoughts and decided to investigate further. She started with the one place she had always wanted to explore more deeply—the archives of the university where "The Circle" was born.

The next morning, Mai arrived at the university, using her credentials to gain access to the restricted section of the archives. She spent hours combing through old records, yearbooks, and anything that could shed light on "The Circle" and its members. Her persistence paid off when she stumbled upon a list of names—members of "The Circle" from Thanh’s graduating class. At the bottom of the list was the name of the mastermind they had caught, but what caught Mai's attention was a footnote mentioning an "Inner Circle," a smaller, more secretive group within the society, known only to a select few.

The realization hit Mai like a ton of bricks—there were others, powerful members who had never been exposed. Thanh’s former friend had only been a pawn, a tool used by the true leaders of "The Circle" to exact their vengeance.

Determined to find Thanh before it was too late, Mai traced the activities of the remaining Inner Circle members, uncovering a pattern in their movements. They all converged in a remote mansion on the outskirts of the city, a place that had once served as the headquarters for "The Circle" during their university days.

Mai knew it was a trap, but she had no choice. She gathered all the evidence she could and called in backup from the police force. This time, they would be prepared.

As night fell, Mai and a team of officers surrounded the mansion. The air was thick with tension as they made their way inside, cautiously navigating the dark corridors. The mansion was eerily silent, but Mai could feel the presence of others, watching, waiting.

In the grand hall, they found Thanh, restrained in a chair, surrounded by hooded figures. The leader of the group stepped forward, revealing himself as one of the most respected professors at the university—someone who had been instrumental in shaping Thanh’s early career.

“Welcome, Mai,” the professor said with a cold smile. “You’ve been quite the adversary, but you’ve made a grave mistake coming here.”

Mai’s eyes locked with Thanh’s, and she could see the guilt in his expression. But she wasn’t about to back down. “Let him go,” she demanded, her voice steady despite the fear coursing through her veins.

The professor laughed. “You still don’t understand, do you? ‘The Circle’ is more than a society; it’s a way of life, a belief in order and control. Thanh betrayed us, and for that, he must pay the price.”

Before Mai could react, the lights went out, plunging the hall into darkness. Chaos erupted as the officers moved in, but the Inner Circle members were well-prepared. Mai fought her way through the melee, determined to reach Thanh. She could hear the sounds of a struggle, the shouts of her colleagues, and the muffled cries of the cult members.

Finally, she reached Thanh, cutting through his restraints just as the professor lunged at her. In a swift move, Mai disarmed him, using his own weapon against him. The professor fell to the ground, defeated, but not before uttering one final, chilling promise: “You may have won tonight, but ‘The Circle’ will rise again.”

With the mansion secured and the remaining members of the Inner Circle arrested, Mai and Thanh finally allowed themselves to breathe. The ordeal was over, but they both knew that the battle against “The Circle” was far from finished.

As they stood outside the mansion, watching the first light of dawn break over the horizon, Thanh turned to Mai. “Thank you,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

Mai smiled faintly, but her mind was already racing ahead. “We’ve only just begun, Thanh. ‘The Circle’ may be down, but they’re not out. We’ll need to stay vigilant, ready for whatever comes next.”

And with that, they walked away from the mansion, knowing that the shadows of “The Circle” would follow them for the rest of their lives. But as long as they stood together, they were ready to face whatever darkness lay ahead.