Chapter 19 — Fire Behind the Line

The alarm sounded at eleven o'clock at night, just two days after the anxious conversation between Thien Ly and Trong Khiem. But this time, when the address appeared on the central notice board, Thien Ly's heart seemed to stop beating for a split second.

DONG KIEU MARKET FABRIC STALL — BIG FIRE.

"That's my mother's stall!" She screamed, rushing out of the break room faster than any previous alarm, her hands shaking so much that she almost couldn't put on her protective suit.

Captain Dinh, immediately realizing the seriousness of the situation, did not say another word, just ordered the entire squad to get into the vehicle at the fastest speed possible. The fire truck rushed into the night, sirens tearing through the silence of the city, while Thien Ly sat stiffly in her chair, her heart racing, her mind reeling with thousands of the most terrible scenarios.

"Mom, it's okay, mom, it's okay." She muttered to herself, trying to suppress the panic that was rising inside her.

When the car arrived, the scene before her eyes made Thien Ly dumbfounded. The entire row of stalls at the top of the market, including her mother's fabric stall, were engulfed in fierce flames, red-orange light dyeing the night sky. Crowds gathered around the blockade area, panicked screams rang out everywhere.

"Where is mom?" Thien Ly screamed, her eyes searching frantically in the crowd.

"Ly! Ly!" Ms. Van Khanh's voice rang out from behind, and Thien Ly turned around to see her mother being helped by a neighbor, her face covered in dust and smoke but fortunately unharmed.

"Mom!" Thien Ly rushed to hug her mother, tears rolling down uncontrollably. "Mom are you okay?"

"Mom, it's okay, mom, it's okay." Mrs. Van Khanh hugged her daughter tightly, her voice still shaking with horror. "Mom was at home when I heard the neighbors call to report the fire. I ran out in time before the fire spread. But my stall... my stall..."

Thien Ly looked towards the fabric stall engulfed in fire, feeling a strong anger welling up in her heart, stronger than any emotion she had ever experienced during this investigation. This is no longer an indirect threat through a letter or an old photo. This is a direct attack, aimed directly at her family.

"Captain, I need to go in and fight the fire." She told Mr. Dinh, her voice trembling but full of determination.

"Thien Ly, you shouldn't participate in this case, this is..." Mr. Dinh hesitated, understanding the sensitive situation.

"I'm a firefighter, this is my job." She interrupted him, put on a mask, and rushed in with her teammates to control the fire that was spreading quickly to neighboring stalls.

The battle with the fire lasted nearly three hours, with the support of many fire engines from neighboring stations dispatched because of the severity of the fire. Thien Ly worked with a terrifying concentration, pouring all her pain and anger into every move and every decision while fighting the sea of fire that threatened to swallow the entire market.

The fire spread unusually quickly through the adjacent stalls, even though they mainly sold dry goods and spices, not flammable goods like fabrics. Thien Ly, although her heart was still aching because she was worried about her mother, still maintained her professional alertness to recognize that unusual sign - the same familiar catalyst sign that she had witnessed in all previous fires.

"Hose number two, focus on extinguishing the eastern area, don't let the fire spread to the dry goods row!" She shouted loudly through the radio, directing her teammates with a professional tone even though her whole body was still shaking with emotion.

Ho Manh Cuong worked side by side with her all night, without a single complaint, just quietly supporting all her requests with rare dedication. "You just focus on your expertise, let me take care of the rest, Thien Ly. I know this is your family's matter." He spoke in a brief moment as they both pulled the hose to approach the fire from a new angle.

That simple sentence deeply touched Thien Ly, although she did not have time to respond, she only nodded briefly before continuing to fight the fire. The entire squad, although everyone knew that this was the stall of their deputy leader's mother, no one let their personal emotions shake their professional spirit. On the contrary, they worked even more fiercely, as if they were fighting not only for the mission, but for the teammate standing next to them.

When the fire was finally controlled, her mother's fabric stall, along with nearly a dozen neighboring stalls, were completely burned down. Thien Ly stood among the ashes, looking at the remains of the place where her mother had been for more than twenty years, feeling an overwhelming feeling of pain and helplessness.

Trong Khiem arrived at the scene as soon as he received the news. His face turned pale when he saw Thien Ly standing there, her whole body covered in soot, her eyes red from both smoke and tears.

"Thien Ly." He ran to her and hugged her without caring who was watching. "I just heard the news. Is your mother okay?"

"My mother is safe." She replied, her voice trembling against his shoulder. "But mom's stall... everything is gone."

"I'm so sorry." Trong Khiem said, tightening his arms around her. "This is clearly not a coincidence."

"Are not." Thien Ly shook her head, her voice sharp and full of anger. "This is direct retaliation. They want to show me they can touch anyone I love, anytime they want."

When Trong Khiem later examined the scene, evidence once again showed signs of a familiar catalyst, intentionally sprayed right in the area of Ms. Van Khanh's stall before spreading to neighboring stalls — a target choice too obvious to be considered random.

"We need to get your mother and your brother to a safer place, immediately." Trong Khiem said, his voice was determined. "I will arrange with the city police to arrange temporary housing with security, until the case is resolved."

Thien Ly nodded, even though her heart was filled with an indescribable pain when she saw her mother's life completely turned upside down just because of the investigation she pursued. But at the same time, her anger also grew into a more determined determination than ever.

"They thought burning down my mother's stall would scare me and make me stop." She said, her voice cold and determined. "But they were wrong. That only made me more determined to bring them to light, no matter what the cost."

Trong Khiem looked at her, his eyes were both worried and full of admiration for the extraordinary strength of the woman standing in front of him. "I will be with you, Thien Ly. We will bring these people to justice, I promise you that."

That night, when Mrs. Van Khanh and Viet Cuong were taken to a temporary apartment with police protection, Thien Ly sat quietly next to her mother, holding her hand tightly. "I'm sorry, Mom. All of this happened because of me."

"No, child." Ms. Van Khanh shook her head, although her voice was still shaking. "This happened because cruel people caused your father's death, and now continue to harm other innocent people. You are not at fault. You are doing the right thing."

Thien Ly hugged her mother, both crying in silence, sharing their pain and strong belief in the justice they were pursuing together. Outside the window of the temporary apartment, the lights of Hoa Trach city still sparkled in the night, a reminder that no matter how thick the darkness, the light of truth will eventually find its way through.

Viet Cuong sat in the corner of the room, silent since arriving at the temporary apartment. Only now did he speak, his voice shaking more from anger than fear. "Miss Ly, when we find out who did this, I want to see him pay the price with my own eyes."

"I understand how you feel." Thien Ly looked at her younger brother, recognizing in his eyes a sudden maturity, something that could only come from witnessing a loved one being hurt. "But I need you to stay calm and don't do anything reckless. Let the law handle this."

"I know." Cuong nodded and clasped his hands tightly. "But I also want to do something, Ly. I can't just sit back and watch my family being attacked like this."

Trong Khiem, standing quietly at the door throughout the conversation, now spoke up, his voice gentle but full of encouragement. "Cuong, the best way you can help me and your family right now is to keep yourself safe, and believe in what we are doing. We are very close to bringing these people to light."

Cuong looked at him for a moment, then nodded, seeming to find some comfort in those firm words. The whole room fell silent, with only the sound of the wall clock ticking steadily, marking the heavy hours of a night that Thien Ly's entire family will never forget.