Chapter 16 — Fire Behind the Line

Tuesday morning, a week after meeting with Bui Xuan Thanh, Fire Brigade No. 3 received an alarm about a small fire at an electronics store in the city center — a routine incident, unrelated to the series of fires in Dong Kieu. Thien Ly boarded the vehicle with the whole squad as usual, unaware that this sortie would become one of the most dangerous moments of her career.

The fire truck was moving at high speed on the main avenue, sirens blaring to clear the way, when suddenly Captain Dinh, who was driving, felt an abnormality in the braking system.

"Brake problem!" He shouted and tried to brake many times, but the car's response was unusually slow and weak.

The multi-ton fire truck rushed forward at an unabated speed, approaching a busy intersection where the traffic light was turning red in their direction. The entire squad in the car simultaneously panicked, clinging to whatever they could while Mr. Dinh struggled with the steering wheel, trying to control the car to avoid a collision.

"Hold on tight!" He shouted loudly, swerving sharply to the side, directing the car toward a space on the side of the road instead of rushing straight into the traffic crossing the intersection.

The fire truck slid along the road, scraped against a concrete median before coming to a complete stop, roaring like a wounded animal. The whole squad was shaken hard, a few people suffered minor injuries from the impact, but fortunately no one was in danger of life. Thien Ly, sitting in the backseat, hit her head on the side of the car, felt dizzy and a small trail of blood flowed from the laceration on her forehead.

"Is everyone okay?" Mr. Dinh shouted, his voice still shaking from the shock he had just experienced.

After checking and confirming that no one was seriously injured, the whole squad got out of the car and stood looking at the fire truck with blank faces. Mr. Dinh bent down to check under the car, and what he discovered made his face pale.

"The brake fluid pipe was cut." He said, his voice shaking with both anger and horror. "Cut with a sharp object, not by natural wear and tear."

Thien Ly, although her head was still dizzy, immediately understood the meaning of this discovery. This is not a random technical problem. Someone deliberately sabotaged the fire truck, with the intention of causing a serious accident.

"We need to report immediately." She said, although her voice was still weak.

Trong Khiem was present at the scene just half an hour after receiving the news. His face turned pale when he saw Thien Ly with a wound on her forehead, although she was given first aid and reassured that it was just a light scratch.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice shaking, to the point that he forgot to maintain his usual professionalism in front of his colleagues.

"I'm fine, just a small scratch." Thien Ly reassured him, even though in her heart she could not deny the feeling of fear creeping in.

Trong Khiem and his technical team thoroughly inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the brake fluid pipeline had been cut intentionally, with a sharp object, at a location that was difficult to detect during normal inspection before launching. The cuts are made deep enough to ensure that the brakes will lose their effectiveness after a certain period of use, not immediately — a sophisticated calculation that ensures accidents happen when the vehicle is moving at high speed on the street, rather than in the station yard.

"This was an act of intentional murder." Trong Khiem said, his voice shaking with anger, an emotion he rarely showed. "Not just targeting an individual, but an entire squad."

"Who has access to this car?" Thien Ly asked, trying to think logically even though her head still hurt.

"The car was parked in the station garage, there were no surveillance cameras in that area, and in theory, anyone with access to the station could access it." Captain Dinh answered, his face heavy with worry. "But to do this without being detected, one must have a clear understanding of the sortie schedule and layout in the garage."

That sentence made everyone present silent, realizing the scary meaning behind it — the person who vandalized the car was probably someone who had legal access to the fire station, or at least had support from an insider.

That evening, after receiving a full medical examination and confirming there were no serious injuries, Thien Ly sat in Trong Khiem's office, and the two of them reviewed the scant surveillance video from the security camera near the station gate.

"There is no clear picture of who did this." Trong Khiem said, his voice full of disappointment after watching the blurry video over and over again. "The camera only records a limited angle, and anyone can avoid its view with careful research."

"So that means that person has been monitoring our station for a while, enough to know the camera's blind spot." Thien Ly said, feeling a chill run down her spine when she realized the level of sophistication of her opponent's preparations.

Trong Khiem turned to look at her, his eyes filled with undisguised concern. "Thien Ly, I think this is a clear sign that they know we're getting close to the truth. This is no longer a silent warning, but a real attempt to remove you, and possibly me, from the investigation."

"I won't stop." Thien Ly said, her voice was tough even though her body was still sore. "If I stop now, it means they won."

"I'm not asking you to stop." Trong Khiem held her hand, his voice became serious and earnest. "But I need you to promise to be more careful than ever. Check everything carefully before using it, don't go alone to isolated places, and keep me informed of all your travel plans."

Thien Ly nodded, realizing the sincerity and genuine concern in his voice. "I promise. But you have to be just as careful, Trong Khiem. If they dared to sabotage the fire truck, they could target you no less than me."

"I know." He nodded, gently squeezing her hand. "We will get through this together, and we will bring those behind it to light, no matter how hard they try to stop it."

That night, when Thien Ly returned home, her mother saw the bandage on her daughter's forehead, her face was white with fear. "What happened, Ly?"

Thien Ly recounted the incident as gently as possible, trying not to make her mother panic any more, but Mrs. Van Khanh still hugged her daughter tightly, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I'm so scared, Ly. I've already lost your three children to those cruel people. I can't lose you anymore."

“Mom, I will be careful.” Thien Ly hugged her mother, clearly feeling the fear that was covering her entire small family. "But you can't stop. If you stop now, dad's death will never be vindicated."

Ms. Van Khanh was silent for a long time, then nodded, even though her tears had not stopped falling. "I understand, honey. I just hope you're really careful, because I can't bear another loss."

That night, Thien Ly lay in bed, her head still aching from the wound, but her mind was more alert than ever. She understood that the investigation had entered a new phase, much more dangerous than what they had faced before. The hidden enemy has struck, and that can only mean one thing — they are scared of the truth about to be revealed, and that fear makes them more reckless and dangerous than ever.

The next morning, at the station, a heavy atmosphere enveloped the entire squad. Team leader Dinh convened an emergency meeting, requiring all members to thoroughly check every detail of the fire truck before each shift, not to skip any steps in the safety process, even if that delays the departure time.

"I know people are confused." He spoke, standing in front of the entire squad, his voice was deep and firm like a father reassuring his children. "But we cannot let fear shake our spirit. We are the guardians of this city, and we will not back down from anyone who would prevent justice from being served."

Ho Manh Cuong, who had been skeptical of Thien Ly's speculations in the early days, was now the first to stand up, his voice filled with determination. "I volunteered to check the car every morning before the shift, in addition to the usual procedure. If anyone tries to pull a trick again, I won't let it slip past me."

Trinh Nhat Tan, although still young and somewhat inexperienced, also spoke up, his voice trembling but steadfast. "Me too. I don't want anyone else on the team to be in danger like yesterday."

Thien Ly looked around at the faces of her teammates, feeling a warmth mixed with pride welling up in her heart. Despite facing real danger, no one in the squad showed any desire to back down or stay away from her because of the trouble her investigation could bring. On the contrary, they are more united, more determined to protect each other than ever - exactly the same spirit that her father always taught during the years he was the captain of this very platoon.