Chapter 23 — Forest Keeper

The next morning, Mr. Duong called Khue directly, his urgent voice was different from his usual calmness. "The video and coordinates you sent are very valuable. My unit has contacted the provincial police, they are applying for an urgent search warrant for Kim Phat Company and the gathering site I discovered. But I need to warn you, once the warrant is issued and deployed, the subject may react recklessly for a short period of time before being arrested, because they know they are about to be exposed. You and everyone at the station need to be very careful in the next day or two."

That warning caused the entire Ngan May station to fall into a state of high alert. Loc reorganized the duty schedule, increased patrols around the station area, especially the rescue area, and advised people to limit traveling alone.

In the afternoon, the situation became more tense when Pao called, his voice was extremely panicked. "Miss Khue, they suspect me! Sin just came to my house and asked very strange questions. I'm afraid they're about to know I'm the one leaking the information. What should I do?"

"Calm down, take your wife and children to the ranger station immediately, we will protect your family," Khue said, trying to keep her voice calm even though she was also full of worry. "Don't show any signs of panic, just act normally on the road."

But less than an hour later, another panicked text message from Pao made Khue's heart cold: "They're coming to my house! Sin's car and a few more people! I've hidden in the back garden, I don't know how my wife and children are."

Khue immediately informed Loc and Nguyen. All three and several other rangers immediately set out for Na Long village, where Pao lived, even though they knew this was a risky action as they still did not know the specific situation taking place.

On the way, Khue continuously called the commune police near Na Long village, requesting urgent assistance, and also informed Mr. Duong about the new developments. When the station's convoy approached the village, they saw a chaotic scene — several people were gathering in front of Pao's house, screams were heard, and a strange pickup truck was trying to back out of the narrow road in front of the house to escape.

"Stop the car!" Loc shouted loudly, signaling the station's driver to block the road, even though he knew this was a reckless action and could be dangerous.

The strange pickup truck, seeing that the road was blocked, tried to ram straight in to open a way out, but luckily the station driver was able to steer in time to avoid a direct collision. From the car, two men jumped down, one of whom was Sin - a man with a muscular physique and a fierce face as described by Pao - tried to flee into the forest, but was rounded up by the people in the village, who had long been upset by his bullying behavior.

Khue rushed into Pao's house and found his wife and children hiding in the room, frightened but fortunately without any serious injuries. She hugged her trembling wife and reassured her while Nguyen quickly checked the health of the two children who were crying out of fear.

"Where is your husband?" Khue asked, her voice still nervous.

"He ran to the back of the garden and hid in the banana bushes," the wife replied, her voice trembling, tears rolling down her eyes.

Khue and a few other people ran to the back of the garden, calling out Pao's name, and finally found him huddled in a dense banana bush, shaking with fear but fortunately uninjured. When he saw Khue, he burst into tears like a child, the tension that had been pent up for many days was now released.

"Miss Khue, thank you, thank you for coming on time," he said, his voice choked.

"You and your family are safe," Khue reassured, helping him stand up. "From now on, everyone will return to the station to stay temporarily, ensuring safety until the incident is resolved."

While waiting for the commune police to escort Sin and his accomplices, a few people in the village, who had long silently endured the oppression of this ring but did not dare to speak up, began to come and tell Khue the stories they had witnessed - another family was also forced to borrow money and then forced to work illegally, a young man in the village was beaten for daring to protest. Each story is like a small piece of the puzzle, contributing to building a comprehensive picture of the ruthlessness and systematic level of the network that Ta Quoc Bao has built over the years on this very land.

"Miss, I hope you can help our villagers escape from them," an old man in the village said, his voice trembling but full of hope, holding Khue's hand. "We've been afraid for a long time and didn't dare say it."

Khue gently squeezed the old man's wrinkled hand, feeling a great responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders, not only a responsibility to his father, to the forest, but also to the simple people here, who have silently suffered injustice for too long. "I promise to try my best, uncle."

When the situation in Na Long village was under control, with the support of the commune police who arrived not long after to arrest Sin and his accomplices for the crime of threatening and raping property, which many people in the village simultaneously denounced after seeing the support of the authorities, Khue had time to breathe a sigh of relief.

But just as they were about to take Pao's family back to the station, Loc's phone rang, the caller's voice was so urgent that Khue could faintly hear it across the distance. Loc's face changed color when he heard the news.

"Kim Phat Company is showing signs of moving assets and dispersing goods quickly," he said, turning to Khue and Nguyen, his voice filled with urgency. "It seems Bao knew about Sin's arrest and was trying to clean up all traces before the authorities arrived. The provincial police are on their way, but need more time to fully deploy their forces."

"We can't let him get rid of all the evidence," Khue said, her voice determined, even though her body was exhausted after a long and tumultuous day. "The company headquarters is not far from here. If we get there first, we can at least stop it and buy time until the official force arrives."

"It's too dangerous, Khue," Loc objected immediately, his voice filled with worry. "I'm sure I've made a move now, I have nothing left to lose."

"But if we don't act, all the evidence and all the efforts over the past time can go up in smoke," Khue replied, her eyes determined and unwavering. "I can't let that happen, not when we're this close to the truth."

Nguyen looked at her, realized that nothing could shake her determination at this time, sighed and nodded. "Then let's go, but we must be very cautious, only observe and prevent as much as possible, absolutely do not confront directly if not necessary."

The whole group, after arranging for Pao's family to be brought safely to the station under the escort of several park rangers, immediately set out towards the headquarters of Kim Phat Company in Da Vach town, carrying a mixture of determination and fear at what was waiting for them ahead, in the hours that could determine the entire outcome of the investigation that had lasted for many months.

In the car, no one spoke much, only the roar of the engine on the winding mountain road and the heavy breathing of people trying to stay calm in a situation that none of them had ever experienced before. Khue sat in the front seat, clutching the phone tightly, constantly checking the signal to make sure she didn't miss any update calls from Mr. Duong or the provincial police.

"Are you scared?" Nguyen asked softly, sitting right behind her, his hand gently placed on her shoulder through the chair slot.

"Afraid," Khue admitted, without hesitation. "But I'm more afraid of losing evidence, letting him get away with it again, than I'm afraid of myself right now."

"I understand," Nguyen replied, gently squeezing her shoulder. "But promise me, if the situation gets out of control, you will prioritize your own safety first. Evidence can be recovered, life cannot." His voice was low, full of earnestness. "I don't want to go through the feeling of losing someone I love to this forest a second time, after everything you told me about your father."

Khue turned back to look at him and nodded, although in her heart she was not completely sure whether she could keep that promise or not if she was really faced with a life or death choice. The car continued to roll in the darkness, carrying all the people who were betting their courage on a night that could forever change the fate of the Thousand Cloud forest and all those who depend on it, from the primeval forests stretching to every small roof nestled at the foot of the mountain.