Chapter 25 — Mist Peak Rescue Team

"Heaven's Gate calls the Training Team, Heaven's Gate calls the Training Team. There is a situation that requires assistance."

The walkie-talkie on the breakfast table squeaked just as Khanh Van scooped the first spoon of porridge, and she put the spoon down immediately, a reflex ingrained in her body without thinking.

"Team A listen," she replied, pressing the radio button.

"There was a solo traveler, named Xuan Loc, who reported that he had twisted his leg on the trail near marker T3 and could not continue on his own. His life was not in danger, but he needed help getting down the mountain before dark."

Khanh Van glanced at Kien, sitting opposite, and the two exchanged a brief but understanding look. This was the perfect type of situation to test the hybrid training program they had been building over the past few months.

"This is a good opportunity for new students," Kien said, standing up and pushing his chair against the table. "The risk level is low, enough for them to practice without it being too dangerous."

"Agreed. Call Khoi, Vy, and Bao Khang to prepare, we both lead the group." Khanh Van stood up and began calculating in her head - today's weather is clear, with no signs of fog, an ideal condition for a practical exercise.

Within just fifteen minutes, the crew was ready, fully equipped but much lighter than a real emergency rescue operation — this was an opportunity to teach, not just to save.

"Let's go," Khanh Van said, and the group of seven people — she, Kien, three students, with Dieu Han and Long helping to supervise — began moving up the familiar trail leading toward the spine of Cloud Dragon, under the bright sunlight of a clear autumn morning.

Along the way, Khanh Van and Kien took turns asking questions of the students, forcing them to think through each decision instead of just following their instincts or mechanically following instructions.

"Khoi, if visibility suddenly dropped sharply right now, what would you do first?" Khanh Van asked.

"Stop, check GPS position, report to Heaven's Gate, then evaluate whether to continue or seek shelter," Khoi replied without hesitation, knowledge ingrained through months of training.

"Good. Vy, what if the situation is that an injured person needs to be evacuated urgently, but the weather is deteriorating quickly?" Kien asked again, continuing the line of questioning.

Vy thought for a moment before answering, much more cautious than the hasty reflexes of the first months of training. "You will evaluate the severity of the injury compared to the risk level of the weather, and then decide — if the injury is not immediately life-threatening, you can wait for a better weather window. If it is life-threatening, you must calculate the fastest evacuation plan that accepts the risk."

"Exactly," both Khanh Van and Kien replied in unison, then looked at each other and laughed at that coincidence.

After only about forty minutes of walking, they found Xuan Loc, a middle-aged man sitting against a rock, his ankle swollen, but his spirit still alert and calm.

"Thank goodness you're here," he said, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the group appear. "I slipped while going downhill. It was so painful I couldn't walk anymore."

"We're here, don't worry." Dieu Han, now a much more experienced member than the first day, knelt down to examine the wound with the same proficiency as a professional doctor.

Khanh Van stood back, letting the students practice the procedure of immobilizing the wound and preparing a plan to bring Xuan Loc down the mountain, only intervening when necessary to correct or supplement. Kien stood next to her, both observing with the eyes of teachers proud of their students.

"They did well," Kien commented quietly.

"Very good," Khanh Van agreed, a small smile on her lips as she watched Khoi and Vy coordinate smoothly to build a makeshift crutch from tree branches and rope, allowing Xuan Loc to walk with support instead of having to carry it entirely.

The trip to take Xuan Loc down the mountain went smoothly, without any significant incidents, and by mid-afternoon, the whole group arrived safely at Heaven's Gate station. Xuan Loc was transferred to a relative waiting there, repeatedly thanking the team before leaving.

"A good day at work," Kien said, standing and watching the car carrying Xuan Loc leave the station, the afternoon sunlight began to turn slightly yellow on the station yard.

“A good day at work,” Khanh Van repeated, nodding, feeling a simple yet profound satisfaction — not because they had just saved a life in a dire situation, but because they had just proven that the most painful lessons, when passed down properly, could become a solid foundation for a new generation of rescuers, far more confident and balanced than she had been at their age.

That evening, the whole team gathered in the main room of the station to learn from the trip, a habit Khanh Van maintained after every practical training session, no matter how simple the situation.

"What do you think I did well today?" she asked, sitting among the circle of cadets and team members.

"I think our coordination is much better than the first time we practiced," Vy replied, her eyes shining with pride. "No one has to wait for orders to take each small step anymore, we know what to do ourselves."

"That's right," Khoi continued. "Besides, I feel that Mr. Kien and Ms. Van asking questions together helps us understand more deeply, not just memorizing the process."

Kien nodded and smiled at that comment. "That is exactly the goal of the new training program. We don't want them to just follow along, but to understand why they do what they do, so that when they encounter a situation they have never been taught, they still know how to reason correctly."

Bao Khang, now a much more veteran member than when he was the youngest on the team, shares more of his perspective. "I remember the day before, when a rock fell on my shoulder, I thought it was a complete failure. But looking back now, I see that it was also an important lesson, no less than the successes."

"That's right," Khanh Van agreed, looking around at the group with sincere warmth. "In this profession, we learn the most not from the times things go smoothly, but from the times we face difficulties, make mistakes, and find ways to overcome them."

The lessons learned meeting lasted another half hour, with sincere sharing from every member, before the group dispersed, each person returning to their own room to rest after a long but meaningful day.

Khanh Van stayed in the main room long after everyone had left, gathering up the meeting's notes and arranging them into a thick file that had been accumulated over months of training. She flipped through the first few pages, where she had jotted down her first notes about the hybrid training program, from its early days just a few months ago.

Dac Lam walked in, carrying two cups of hot tea, placing one cup in front of her. "I heard today went well."

"Very good," she replied, taking a sip of tea, feeling the warmth spreading. "The students are progressing much faster than I expected."

"It's not strange, having two such good teachers leading the way." Dac Lam sat down opposite her, his eyes contained an undisguised pride. "I still remember the day you first joined this station, an enthusiastic but inexperienced young girl. Now, seeing you lead an entire training program, I feel extremely proud."

Khanh Van smiled, touched by that sincere compliment. "I am where I am today thanks to your guidance over the years, Mr. Dac Lam. And thanks to all the lessons, even the most painful ones."

“That's how we grow in this profession,” he says, nodding thoughtfully. "No one can avoid pain completely, they can only learn how to turn it into something meaningful."

The two sat silently for a while, sipping tea, letting the words they said settle in the quiet atmosphere of the room, before Khanh Van stood up, packed up the files, and prepared for a new day that would come after tonight's sleep.

She walked out onto the porch before entering her private room and stood looking at the station yard for a while under the silver moonlight. The warehouse of equipment had been neatly arranged after a day of use, each coil of rope, each set of anchors in their familiar place — an order she had painstakingly built and maintained over the years, and now, looking at it under the moonlight, she felt a quiet pride in all that she had built, not only for herself, but for the entire team that was growing stronger.