Chapter 7 — Climbing Through the Storm

At five o'clock the next morning, the sky was still dark, Thắng's team was fully present at the scene of column 42, headlights mounted on two pickup trucks illuminated a wet sandy area still covered with night dew.

"Eleven hours left," Cả Xuyên said, looking at his watch, his voice no longer had the familiar joking tone of normal days.

Thắng nodded, did not answer, just focused on checking the hardness of the concrete at the base of column 42 by gently tapping a hammer at many different points, listening to the echoing sound.

"Obtain." He concluded after a few minutes. "Connection can begin."

Before anyone touched the wire, Thắng gathered the entire team into a small circle, a ritual he never skipped no matter how rushed.

"Reconfirm the procedure before starting," he spoke, his voice serious and different from any other time. "Step one, I contacted the dispatch center to confirm that the line section from the transformer station to the segment point at column 45 has been completely cut off, with no reverse voltage from any other source," He held the walkie-talkie and called the dispatch center, his voice clearly reading each word according to the prescribed format.

"Dispatch center, this is Thắng, field team leader of column 42, please confirm the status of the power cut on the Hải Lộng - Vàm Sương line from the transformer station to the segment point of column 45."

"Confirmed, the power has been cut off from twenty-three hours yesterday, the disconnectors at both ends have been opened, and signs prohibiting energization have been posted at both operating locations." The voice of the shift leader responded, clearly and officially. "Allow the field team to proceed with their work."

"Received permission to work, time is fifteen minutes five," Thắng replied, recording the time in the work diary that he always carried in his chest pocket.

He turned to the team, continuing the instructions.

"Step two, even if there is confirmation of a power cut, we still have to check the voltage with an electrical test pole ourselves before touching any conductor. This is not a redundant step, this is a vital step, because any error in communication or operation at the beginning of the line can cause the line to still be energized despite the cut off order."

Vọng held a high-voltage test pole, carefully brought the tip of the pole to touch each phase of the wire at the connection point, the indicator light on the pole did not light up, and the warning sound did not sound.

"No voltage, confirm." He reported loudly for the whole team to hear.

"Step three, mobile grounding," Thắng continued. "Connect the grounding terminal to the pre-installed grounding stake in the ground first, then connect it to the conductor. Do this at both ends of the construction section, no more than the specified distance apart to ensure equipotentiality throughout the entire work area."

Cả Xuyên and another worker performed this operation, their hands were so proficient that they almost didn't need to look, driving the grounding rod, connecting the clamp, checking the tightness, all in less than five minutes.

"Grounding completed at both ends, tightness checked." Cả Xuyên reported.

"Step four, hang the sign," Thắng said that he personally hung the sign "No electricity - someone is working" at the nearest disconnector point, even though someone hung it at the beginning of the line from the dispatch center. This is the second layer of protection according to the principle of never believing in only one layer of safety.

"Step five, assign a safety supervisor." He looked around, then stopped at Khánh Thi. "She stands in this position, keeping constant radio contact with the people on the pole and with the dispatch center. Her task is to observe the entire scene. If she sees any unusual signs, from weather to equipment, she must report immediately, without waiting for further confirmation."

"I understand," Khánh Thi replied, standing in the designated position, holding the walkie-talkie, her eyes began scanning the scene according to what she had been taught in theory, now applying it in practice for the first time.

Thắng, Cả Xuyên and another worker began climbing up the newly erected pole 42, carrying tools to connect the wires to the ceramic beam. The work requires high precision, each end of the wire must be connected with the correct tightening force, not loose to avoid heat generation causing fire, not too tight to avoid damaging the wire core.

"Phase A connector done." Thắng reported via radio after nearly forty minutes of meticulous work at height.

"Phase B connector done," Cả Xuyên continued, his voice still steady even though sweat was soaking through the back of his shirt even though the weather was still cool.

The sun gradually rose, orange-yellow light spread across the sand, illuminating the dew drops remaining on the spare cable reels, sparkling like thousands of small glass beads. Khánh Thi stood below, her eyes never leaving the people working on high, her ears listening to each report through the radio, and for the first time she felt the true rhythm of this work, not simple tension, but an orderly concentration, where each person knew exactly their role.

In the middle of work, a gust of wind suddenly blew, strong enough to make the entire column 42 vibrate slightly, startling Khánh Thi and clutching the walkie-talkie in her hand.

"Is it unusual?" She asked immediately, remembering Thắng's advice about not waiting for further confirmation when she saw something strange.

"It's just a normal wind gust, the column is still stable," Thắng replied from above, his voice unflinching. "You did the right thing, just report it every time you have doubts, even if it later turns out there was nothing. It's better to report too much than to miss something."

That statement made Khánh Thi feel more relieved, because deep down she was still afraid that she would be considered a bother if she reported things that weren't really serious. She continued to observe, her eyes scanning every corner of the scene, from the overhead line to the ground where the spare cable reels were stowed, her ear still glued to the radio waiting for any signal.

There were long silences between reports, and in those intervals, she realized she was standing in the exact spot where just a few months ago she thought she would never have the courage to stand, not on a pole, but here, on the ground, responsible for the safety of the people hanging dozens of feet in the air above.

Nearly eight o'clock in the morning, the final phase connection was completed. Thắng and the team went down to the pole, performed the reverse process from the beginning: remove the grounding wire from the down conductor first, then remove it from the grounding pole, remove the sign, and finally call the dispatch center to report the completion of the work.

"Dispatch center, this is Thắng, reporting the completion of the connection work at column 42, the grounding has been removed, the sign has been removed, and it is requested to allow trial energization of the line from the transformer station to column 45."

There was a short silence before the shift leader's voice rang out, somewhat nervous that he couldn't hide even though he was trying to keep his voice professional.

"Receive orders, prepare to test power. Field team retreats to minimum safe distance, confirm."

"The team has retreated to a safe distance, confirmed," Thắng replied, the whole team stood more than twenty meters away from column 42, eyes following the line.

"Close the power." The shift leader's voice rang out over the intercom.

A small "click" sounded somewhere from the distant transformer station, and for a few tense seconds, no one said anything, only the sound of the gentle wind blowing across the sand. Then from the line above pole 42, a low murmur, almost inaudible if not paying attention, indicated that electricity was flowing.

"There is normal voltage at measuring point column 45." The shift leader's voice reported, this time a bit of excitement seeping through the veneer of professionalism. "The section from the transformer station to column 45 has power restored."

The whole team let out a small cheer, not loud, not overly celebrating, because they all knew this was just one part of the long remaining journey, but it was the first part, and it proved that their plan was on the right track.

"Can this section supply power to the intermediate transformer station near the hospital?" Khánh Thi asked, her voice could not hide her nervousness.

"Have," Thắng replied, his face relaxed a little for the first time since morning. "But the hospital gets electricity through a separate low-voltage station. It needs to be checked and energized further in that section to actually have electricity to the place. There is still work to be done, but this is an important first step."

He looked at his watch, then looked at the horizon where Hải Lộng Medical Center was hidden behind the trees, imagining the scene in which the ventilators were still counting their rhythms, not knowing that part of the journey to save them had just been completed.

"Ten hours left," Xúyên reminded, his voice still maintaining the necessary alertness amid the small joy he had just had. "There's no time to rest for long."

"I know," Thắng replied, already starting to pack up his equipment and prepare for the next leg. "But let everyone take a sip of water first, then continue."

Khánh Thi sat down on the side of the road, took off her helmet, and took a sip of water from a plastic bottle warmed by the sun. She looked at pillar 42 again, the brand new pillar stood straight in the middle of the messy sand, completely different from the broken image lying in half that she saw two days ago. In her mind, the number ten hours was no longer a vague pressure, but had a specific shape, measured by what she had just witnessed.