Chapter 11 — Reef Keeper

After the tool warehouse break-in, Khue, Nguyen and Phan Bao Duy decided they could no longer rely solely on official channels, which had proven ineffective and even showed signs of being disabled from within. They plan to organize a night monitoring session in the area near Da Bac reef and the waters adjacent to the resort, where the most unusual signs have been recorded.

"We will split into two small groups." Nguyen presented the plan in a secret meeting at Uncle Tam's house, where he could avoid the attention of curious eyes in the neighborhood. "A group of observers from Mom Vong, has a panoramic view of the sea areas east and south of the island. Another group is on duty on the boat, hidden near the reef area, ready to record if strange ships are detected operating."

"I will be on the boat with Ms. Khue." Bao Duy said, checking the camera with an infrared lens specialized for night photography that he brought with him from the mainland. "I need clear, real-time visual evidence that can be used as a solid legal basis."

"Uncle Tam and I will be at Mo Vong." Nguyen said. "From there I can observe widely, and if I need urgent assistance, I can also quickly contact other fishery monitors."

Khue felt a little nervous thinking that she wouldn't be near Nguyen during this risky night of surveillance, but she understood that this was the most reasonable plan to cover the entire area. She nodded in agreement, although she couldn't help but feel a vague uneasiness in her heart.

The first night of monitoring took place on a moonless night, the sky only sparkled with a few faint stars through the thin layer of clouds. Khue and Bao Duy rowed the small basket boat to the predetermined location, turned off all the lights, and relied only on starlight and memory of the terrain to locate. They anchored the boat behind a reef, close enough to observe the sea area adjacent to the construction project, but far enough away to avoid detection.

Time passed slowly in the darkness, only the gentle sound of waves hitting the side of the boat and the chirping of insects echoing from the island broke the silence. Khue sat still, her hands clutching the infrared binoculars, her eyes never taking her eyes off the dark sea in front of her.

Near midnight, a boat engine sounded softly in the distance, a deep sound different from the familiar sounds of fishing boats in the neighborhood. Khue and Bao Duy were immediately alert, leaning close to the side of the boat, observing through binoculars.

A medium-sized wooden ship, without any lights on, was slowly entering the area near Da Bac reef from the south, where it borders the resort. On the train, there were silhouettes of several men moving around, looking proficient and familiar with the work they were doing.

"Start turning away." Khue whispered, her voice tense.

Bao Duy quickly adjusted the camera and started recording remotely. The infrared lens helped him clearly observe movements on the ship even in almost complete darkness. Khue used his phone to quickly text Nguyen who was on duty at Mom Vong, reporting the location and description of the strange ship.

From the ship, one of the men threw something cylindrical into the sea, followed by a dull explosion that rang out underwater, forming a column of white foam rising in the middle of the dark sea. Just a few seconds later, the men on the boat dropped their nets and quickly picked up a series of shaken fish floating dead on the water's surface.

Khue felt a strong surge of anger in her chest as she witnessed the devastation taking place right before her eyes - the same type of behavior that created the jagged explosion crater she once discovered at the bottom of the reef, now continuing this very night, possibly right in the very area she and Nguyen had worked so hard to restore.

"I can turn clearly." Bao Duy whispered, his voice could not hide both excitement and indignation. "The scene of them throwing explosives down, the scene of picking up fish, everything. This is the evidence we need."

At that moment, the strange ship suddenly accelerated, heading straight towards where they were hiding. Perhaps the small light from Bao Duy's camera screen was accidentally revealed in the darkness, or someone on the ship detected a suspicious noise from the cliff.

"They discovered me!" Khue whispered in panic, her heart beating rapidly.

"Keep quiet, don't move." Bao Duy signaled, both of them crouched close to the bottom of the boat, trying to cower behind the reef.

The strange ship approached, the flashlight from the ship swept back and forth around the cliff, a cold light passed right above Khue's head, making her hold her breath, her heart seemed to stop beating in that moment. She could clearly hear voices coming from the train, a deep, husky man's voice giving orders to the others.

"Check those rocks carefully, it seems like someone is watching."

Khue and Bao Duy lay motionless, each second passing like a century. Luckily, the flashlight didn't exactly hit the spot where they were hiding, and after a few minutes of extreme tension, the strange ship seemed to decide it wasn't worth wasting any more time, turned around and accelerated away to the south, disappearing into the darkness.

It took a long time after the sound of the train engine was completely silent before Khue dared to sit up, her whole body was still shaking with fear. Bao Duy checked the video he just recorded, his face was both relieved and excited.

"We have proof, Khue." He said, his voice quiet but full of determination. "This video is clear enough to prove that explosive fishing is taking place right in this area, at night, without the intervention of any authorities."

They quickly rowed the boat back to shore, where Nguyen and Uncle Tam waited impatiently after receiving Khue's alarming text message. As soon as the boat docked, Nguyen rushed forward and grabbed Khue's shoulder, his eyes filled with worry and relief.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his voice shaking with genuine worry.

"I'm OK." Khue reassured him, even though she herself was still in shock. "But we filmed the evidence, Nguyen. The scenes of them exploding mines and picking up fish, it's all clear."

The whole group gathered around Bao Duy's camera, reviewing the video they had just recorded in the dim light of the flashlight. Although the nighttime image quality is not perfect, it is clear enough to identify a crime in progress, although the faces of those on the train are still too blurry to identify with certainty.

"I need to determine whose ship this belongs to." Nguyen said, watching the video over and over again, trying to remember the ship's identifying features — the shape of its bow, the faded paint, a large patch on the starboard side.

Uncle Tam, who has many years of experience and knows most types of boats in the area, looked closely at the video and his face gradually became serious.

"This ship..." He hesitated, as if trying to confirm what he had just realized. "I feel very familiar. That patch on the starboard side, I remember there is only one ship in this area with the same patch."

"Whose is it, uncle?" Khue asked, his voice urgent.

Uncle Tam sighed, his eyes showing a heavy look. "If I'm not mistaken, it's the ship of Mr. Sau Cong, owner of the largest fishing fleet in this area. But I don't dare to say with 100% certainty just through such a blurry video."

The name "Six Cuffs" made the atmosphere in the group slacken. This is the first time a specific name, a specific person has been mentioned in the entire series of mysteries that they have been diligently pursuing for many weeks. Khue felt a strange mixture of relief at finally having a concrete direction, and anxiety at what might lie ahead as they officially confronted a powerful figure in the region.

"What kind of person is Six Cuffs?" Nguyen asked, although he had probably heard this name a few times in the neighborhood.

"He is a veteran mariner, has a large fleet of ships, and has done the best business in the region in recent years." Uncle Tam replied, his voice cautious. "Before, he was just an ordinary fisherman like everyone else, but in the past few years, without knowing what business to do, he got rich quickly, bought several big ships, and built spacious houses. Many people in the neighborhood also wondered, but no one dared to ask directly."

This information makes Khue even more convinced that Sau Cong is the important link between destructive fishing activities and Kinh Duong Bay resort - an ordinary fisherman suddenly became unusually rich, most likely thanks to the money paid to perform dirty work that the investor did not want to get involved in himself.

That night, when returning home, Khue could not sleep for long. She lay looking up at the ceiling, her mind reeling with the image of a column of white foam rising in the middle of the dark sea, with the name Sau Cong just mentioned. A strong premonition told her that this name would appear many more times in her search for the truth, and perhaps, would also be closely related to what happened to her father twelve years ago.