Chapter 5 - The Chemist’s Confession
The abandoned chemical plant loomed against the gray morning sky like the rotting skeleton of a massive steel beast.
Inspector Vance kicked open the rusted chain-link fence, signaling for his heavily armed tactical team to spread out and secure the perimeter.
If Nguyen’s shell company was laundering hit money through this facility, there was a high probability they were manufacturing something far more sinister.
They stormed the main laboratory, blinding the few remaining workers with the harsh beams of their tactical assault lights.
In the center of the room, surrounded by complex glassware and bubbling vats of toxic chemicals, stood Dr. Aris, a disgraced former university professor.
Vance slammed the terrified chemist against a metal table, knocking over a tray of empty vials that shattered onto the concrete floor.
"Tell me about the poison that killed Tuong Lai Nghia on that mountain, and tell me right now," Vance roared, pressing his forearm into the man's throat.
Dr. Aris gasped for air, his eyes rolling wildly as he realized his lucrative, hidden criminal sanctuary had finally been compromised.
"I made it! I synthesized the compound specifically for Mr. Nguyen!" the chemist cried out, desperately pleading for his life.
He explained that Nguyen had demanded an undetectable, fast-acting neurotoxin that would mimic the symptoms of a massive, sudden cardiac arrest.
The chemist had spent weeks perfecting the deadly liquid, ensuring it would remain completely tasteless when mixed with a sugary soft drink.
"Nguyen picked it up personally the night before the murder, he told me he had a rat problem that needed permanent extermination," Aris confessed.
Vance instructed his officers to secure the entire laboratory, knowing that the residual chemical evidence would be impossible for Nguyen's lawyers to dispute.
He had the motive hidden in Nghia’s diary, he had the money trail in Shenzhen, and now he had the exact murder weapon.
The net was rapidly closing around Kim Van Nguyen, weaving a trap of ironclad evidence that all his immense wealth could never break.
Vance stepped out into the pouring rain, pulling out his encrypted phone to call the district attorney.
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"Get an arrest warrant signed immediately," Vance ordered, a grim smile finally touching the corners of his mouth.
"We are taking down the king today."
