Chapter 18 — Forest Keeper

Wednesday night, around two o'clock in the morning, Khue was startled awake by a loud noise from behind the station - the sound of the B40 net being bent, the sound of wood cracking, and above all, Nau's panicked screams echoing in the dark night.

She jumped up from the bed, before she could put on her shoes, she rushed out of the room, her heart pounding with fear. Outside in the yard, she saw a flashlight flashing from the rescue barn, along with shadows of people moving quickly and stealthily. She shouted loudly to alert the whole station, and rushed straight towards the barn, regardless of danger.

"There's someone! In the rescue area!" she shouted, her voice cracking with panic and anger.

When she approached, she clearly saw two figures dressed in black, with hoods on their heads, trying to break the lock on the door of the large cage - where a new loris that had been rescued last week was kept, along with Brown's cage right next to which had a corner of the mesh bent. Brown was cowering in the corner of the cage, screaming loudly, trying to get away from the hands of one of the two strangers reaching in through the broken mesh.

"Stop!" Khue shouted loudly, without thinking, rushed straight forward, brandishing the self-defense stick she had always carried since the discovery of being followed.

One of the two strangers turned around and dodged her first swing, but Khue did not back down and continued to attack vigorously, trying to push him away from the Brown cage. The other one, seeing that his comrades were in trouble, let go of the lock on the loris's cage door and turned to help.

Just when the situation became dangerous, when Khue was put in a weak position against two attackers at the same time, Nguyen appeared, rushed out from the station with a wooden stick in his hand, shouting loudly to attract attention. "Let her go!"

He jumped into the fight without hesitation, repelling one of the two strangers with a strong blow to the shoulder, creating an opportunity for Khue to escape the pressured position. At the same time, fierce barking of dogs rang out from nearby houses, along with the sound of May shouting loudly from the station, carrying a flashlight and another stick rushing out to assist.

Realizing the unfavorable situation when the number of people in the station began to gather, the two strangers hastily retreated, disappearing into the darkness of the bamboo grove behind the station, leaving behind a chaotic scene - the cage was destroyed, Nau was still screaming in panic, and Khue and Nguyen were both panting, covered in sweat and dust after the short but intense fight.

"Nau, Nau," Khue rushed to the cage, opened the door with trembling hands, hugged the baby langur, who was trembling and crying uncontrollably. The baby langur clung tightly to her, both trembling in each other's arms, the afterglow of their panic still intact.

Nguyen quickly checked the condition of the loris in the cage next to it. Luckily, the lock had not been broken in time so it was still safe, even though it was cowering in a corner of the cage in panic. He then turned back to check on Nau, his hands were equally shaking as he quickly examined the baby langur for any injuries.

"It had no external injuries, just severe psychological shock," Nguyen said, his voice still breathless because he had just gone through a fight. "But watch carefully over the next few days, psychological shock in wild animals can cause serious health problems if not properly cared for."

May, after checking the safety of the entire surrounding area and confirming that the two strangers had escaped, immediately called the nearest commune police and reported the situation to Ma Van Loc. Less than fifteen minutes later, Loc was present at the scene, his face full of worry and anger.

"Is anyone seriously injured?" he asked as soon as he entered, his eyes quickly scanning the chaotic scene.

"None of us were seriously injured, just minor scratches," Khue replied, still hugging Brown tightly in her arms, her voice cold and full of determination even though her body was still shaking. "But they deliberately aimed at the rescue area, at Nau. This is no longer an empty threat, Mr. Loc."

Loc nodded, his face stiffened with anger. "I will ensure that the police investigate immediately. And from now on, I will arrange for people to be on duty at the rescue area on a rotating basis to prevent this from happening again."

While waiting for the commune police to arrive, May busily checked the entire rescue area, recording the damage - a corner of the B40 net was completely bent and needed to be replaced, the lock on the loris cage was broken, and a few medical tools kept in a nearby cabinet were knocked over in the chaos. As she did so, she muttered curses at those who had done it, her hands still shaking from a mixture of fear and anger.

"Luckily I found out in time," May said, her voice still shaking as she returned to where Khue was sitting hugging Nau. "If we were a few more minutes late, I don't know what would have happened to Nau and the loris."

Khue did not answer, just nodded, his hand still gently caressing the small back that was trembling in his arms. She looked down at the mud stains on the barn floor, trying to picture the faces of the two attackers, but the hoods hid all identifying features, leaving only a vague impression of their physiques and the trained, skilled way they moved.

When the commune police arrived, they examined the scene carefully, collecting a few remaining footprints around the area, although the dry soil made the fingerprints unclear. The young police officer in charge of recording testimonies seemed quite serious and dedicated, promising to report to superiors and coordinate the investigation, but Khue couldn't help but feel a little vaguely worried when thinking about the possibility that the information could be leaked back, like what happened in the past.

After the commune police arrived to document the scene and take preliminary testimonies from Khue, Nguyen and May, everyone had time to breathe a sigh of relief, although a tense atmosphere still pervaded the station. Khue stayed by Nau's cage for the rest of the night, not leaving for even a minute, comforting the baby langur until it gradually calmed down and fell asleep in her arms from exhaustion.

Nguyen stayed with her, sitting with his back against the barn wall, not saying much, only occasionally reaching out to gently wipe a scratch on her arm that she hadn't yet noticed in the chaos.

"Thank you, for taking action in time," Khue said softly, her voice still shaking a bit, her eyes looking down at Brown sleeping soundly in her arms.

"I heard her scream, I didn't have time to think of anything else, I just knew I had to run out right away," Nguyen replied, his voice still a little emotional. "When I saw you being forced into a weak position in front of those two people, I... I was more scared than ever in my life."

Khue looked up at him, their eyes met in the faint remaining flashlight light, filled with an intense emotion that both had suppressed for a long time. "I'm scared too, not for me, but scared if anything happens to you because of me."

"I don't regret it," Nguyen said, his voice firm, his hand gently lifting her chin. "No matter how many dangers I have to face, I will still be here, by your side."

At that moment, amidst the rubble of the destroyed barn, amidst the fear and exhaustion that had not yet dissipated, Nguyen bent down and gently placed a kiss on Khue's forehead, a simple gesture but filled with all the emotions that both of them had silently nurtured over the past weeks. Khue closed her eyes, letting herself be immersed in that rare warmth and safety. In the midst of a tumultuous night, an undeniable truth was engraved in her heart: no matter how dangerous the road ahead was, she no longer had to walk alone, and the feelings between her and Nguyen, now, had gone far beyond the boundaries of simple work companionship.

When it was almost dawn, the first light of dawn began to creep through the trees in the east, dyeing a light pink color in the still misty sky. Khue gently placed Nau back in the warm nest that had been neatly tidied up by May while she sat watchful. The baby langur was now sleeping soundly, breathing steadily again, although occasionally still startling slightly in its sleep, a small aftershock of last night's panic.

She stood up, her whole body sore from the fight and a sleepless night, looking around at the dilapidated rescue barn she had worked so hard to build over the years. A new anger, colder and fiercer than fear, rose in her heart. This is no longer just a fight for the truth about her father — this has become a fight to protect the very little beings she swore to protect, to protect the forest she swore to preserve.

"They will pay for this," she said softly, her voice unusually firm, looking towards Nguyen standing next to her, also looking at her with equal sympathy and determination.

"We'll make them pay," Nguyen replied, squeezing her hand. "Together."