Chapter 10 — Mermaid Rising Waves

While I was hiding inside Tham Lam Group, Lam Triet was not idle. Lately he's been training like crazy, swimming continuously for more than ten hours a day, his speed and endurance have both increased significantly.

“What are you practicing?”

One evening he came to me, I lay down on the reef and asked.

“Practice preparations, if the Deep Blue Group releases waste again, I have to be ready.”

“Are you still going?”

“Of course.”

His expression was very calm, "This time we absolutely won't let them catch us."

“What are your plans?”

He nodded, took out a small notebook from his waterproof bag. The notebook is filled with diagrams: a topographic map of the sea area, the fleet's expected travel route, the location of the discharge pipes, the direction of ocean currents, and a few circles marking "ambush points".

“This time we won't go near their ship.”

Lam Triet pointed to the diagram and said, "I've thought of a new way."

“What way?”

“Remote monitoring.”

“Octopus Ca can fix the camera to the rocks on the seabed, point the lens towards the drain, no need for anyone to get close, just set up the camera in advance, then activate filming remotely.”

“Remote activation?

How?”

“Phone.”

Lam Triet looked at me, "When your mother rebuilt the camera, she installed a remote control module. Through the app on the phone, you can control the switch and recording mode. The signal is transmitted through the buoy on the water, the effective range is three kilometers."

“So that means you can also control the camera on shore?”

“Yes, you are in charge of recording, we are in charge of establishing the location and recovering the device.

The entire process does not require any mermaids to come close to the fleet, avoiding the risk of being caught by the power grid.” I stared at those diagrams, a complicated emotion welling up in my heart.

“Lam Triet,” I said, “when did you become so tactical?”

He was stunned, then shyly scratched his head: "Lately I've been reading 'Sun Tzu's Art of War'."

“Do you understand?”

“Your mother bought me the internet language translation, including illustrations.”

“What else did my mom buy you?”

“Animation version of Thirty-six Plans.”

I'm speechless.

"In short," Lam Triet closed the book and looked at me seriously, "this time we won't go down the same path again, I will protect everyone well."

“Including you.”

I added. He smiled, reached out his little finger to shake my hand. The second campaign was scheduled for a dark, windy night. This weather is a good opportunity for Tham Lam Group to discharge waste, and also a good opportunity for us to take action. I sat on a folding chair on my balcony, in front of me was a laptop, the screen displaying real-time images transmitted from an underwater camera. Lam Triet, San Ho and Octopus Ca had dived two hours earlier, setting up three camera angles in the target area, each fixed to the reef, the lens pointed straight at the familiar discharge location of the Dark Blue fleet. At 1:30 a.m., the fleet appeared. Through the computer screen, I saw the silhouette of the ship's bottom passing overhead.

“The fleet has arrived at the expected coordinates.”

Lam Triet's voice rang out in the headset, low and clear.

“Understood.”

I said, “Camera is in position, awaiting orders.” Next is waiting. Wait for them to start releasing waste. Time passes minute by minute. I sat on the balcony, my butt numb, constantly looking at the clock. 2 am. 2 hours 30 minutes. 3 hours. At 3:15, discharge begins.

“The discharge has begun.”

I tried to keep my voice calm, "The camera is recording. The image is sharp."

“Continue monitoring.”

Lam Triet said. I strained my eyes to look at the screen, my fingers poised on the keyboard, preparing to announce my withdrawal at any time if something happened. 20 minutes passed. 30 minutes.

“Is that enough?”

Lam Triet asked.

“Wait a moment.”

I replied, “Film more, the more evidence the better.” 40 minutes. At that moment, my screen suddenly flickered. I was dumbfounded, leaned closer to look, it wasn't the screen that had a problem, but the image from the camera was shaking.

“There is movement under the water.”

I lowered my voice, “The camera is shaking.”

“What movement?”

Lam Triet's voice immediately tensed up. The image shook, then a face appeared in front of the camera. Not a human face, but a spherical metal block, on the surface are mounted cameras and robot arms, below is a propeller - it is an underwater diving drone (underground drone). It is scouring the seabed. It's looking for the camera!

“Lam Triet!”

My voice rose sharply, "They have a diving drone! Looking for cameras!"

“Damn it!”

Lam Triet cursed - this was the first time I saw him swear, "Octopus Ca, the camera has been exposed!"

“Mmm mmmm!”

Octopus Ca's voice came.

“Get out quickly!”

“Forget it!

Everyone retreat! Now!”

“Octopus Ca is stuck!

The drone arm grabbed his tentacle!”

“San Ho!

They set out the bait trap again!”

“Lam Triet!

Don't go there! There is a power grid——ah ah——” “All swim to the East! To the East there is a reef that can provide support!” I held my breath, my body fell limp onto the chair.

“Lam Triet?”

My voice trembled, "Lam Triet, answer me."

"Tieu Ngu, we'll be right back."

Lost contact. I sat on the balcony, my whole body shaking. At 5 am, Lam Triet and San Ho returned. San Ho's condition was a little better than last time. At the decisive moment, she disguised herself as a reef, bypassing the drone's eyes. But on her right arm there was a deep cut from the drone's propeller. After being soaked in sea water for so long, the edge of the wound turned white and looked creepy. Lam Triet was injured much more seriously than last time. The left side of his body suffered extensive electric burns, the scales fell off in large pieces, revealing charred black skin.

“I'm fine…”

He leaned against the cliff, breathing heavily, "Octopus Ca... when he was covering our retreat, he intentionally attracted the drone's attention, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to escape."

“Octopus Ca has been captured.”

San Ho stood crying next to her, pale pink pearls falling, "Cau Gai too, we lost another person?" I sat down and held Lam Triet's hand.

“Sorry.”

He whispered, “I messed up again.”

“You didn't screw it up.”

I squeezed his hand, "Where is the camera?"

“Camera number one was discovered by a drone, but Octopus Ca couldn't recover it in time.