Chapter 17 — Reef Keeper

Phan Bao Duy's article was posted on his personal page two days after the nursery vandalism, accompanied by detailed images of the scene and clues about the connection between Sau Cong and Blue Ocean Group, although he was still careful not to mention names that did not have enough authentic evidence. The article quickly attracted attention, was widely shared on environmental forums, and even a few major newspapers began to contact them to find out more information.

Public attention, although bringing hope, also causes pressure on the investigation team to increase significantly. In the days after the article was posted, the atmosphere on the island seemed much more tense. Khue noticed strange faces appearing in the neighborhood, men wearing civilian clothes but not looking like islanders, loitering near the fishing wharf area and the marine conservation station office, not talking to anyone, just quietly observing and then leaving.

"Have you noticed the strange people standing near the neighborhood drink shop?" Thao asked Khue one morning, her voice full of worry. "I've seen them for a few days now. They're not tourists, nor are they acquaintances from anyone in the neighborhood."

"I also noticed." Khue nodded, the feeling of insecurity in her heart growing bigger and bigger. "Maybe I should let Nguyen know."

Three days after the article was posted, Khue received a call from a strange phone number at midnight.

"Hello?" She answered the phone, her voice still sleepy.

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, only the sound of heavy breathing echoed, causing Khue to immediately wake up, a feeling of insecurity rising in his heart.

"Who is there?" She asked again, her voice wary.

"Miss Khue," a deep, husky male voice, deliberately inflected, said, "I advise you to stop. Your coral project, just do it, no one will stop you. But other things, the matter of you and the fisherman searching, it's best to stop here. The sea is very deep, there are many things sunk down there that not everyone can surface."

The call ended abruptly, leaving Khue sitting motionless in the dark night, her heart beating rapidly, her whole body cold with fear. The last sentence — "not everyone can stay afloat" — was a naked threat, evoking the image of her father falling into the sea and never returning.

She immediately called Nguyen, her trembling voice could not be hidden. He arrived at her house in just a few minutes, with extreme worry evident on his face.

"Can you hear the caller's voice clearly? Can you recognize anything?" Nguyen asked, after listening to Khue recount the entire content of the call.

"No, they deliberately distorted the voice." Khue shook her head, her hands were still shaking. "But they certainly know very well what we're investigating, including the fact that you and I are working together."

Nguyen clenched his fist, his face full of anger. "This is a direct threat, we need to immediately report it to the police. Even though we know that the possibility of them investigating the clues is not high, at least there must be an official record of the incident to protect her legally in the future."

The next morning, Khue and Nguyen went to report to the island commune police station. The police officer on duty noted the incident with a somewhat dismissive attitude, promising to "look into it", making both of them disappointed but not too surprised, knowing that the local government apparatus was inherently dominated by the forces they were trying to expose.

News of the threatening call quickly reached Ms. Bay Xuyen and Thao, both of whom seemed extremely worried about Khue's safety.

"You have to be more careful, Khue." Mrs. Bay Xuyen said, her voice filled with real fear. "I don't want to lose another person because of this sign."

"I know, Mrs. Bay." Khue held her hand and tried to reassure her, even though her worries were still not less. "But you can't stop. If you stop out of fear, then everything your father has sacrificed, everything we've tried all this time, will be meaningless."

Thao, even though young, showed remarkable maturity and determination in this dangerous situation. "I won't leave you, Ms. Khue. We've come here together, I'm not afraid."

Even Vu, when he heard about the threatening call, went to Khue's house to ask, his face full of indignation. "You tell me who did this, my neighbors and I will take turns keeping watch around your house at night. We can't let those bastards do whatever they want on our own beach."

The sincere concern from people who were strangers to her, even had to confront her, deeply touched Khue. She realized, through each incident, an invisible but solid protective network was gradually forming around her — not from power or money, but from the simple humanity of the fishermen on this small island.

In the afternoon, Nguyen held an emergency meeting with Uncle Tam, Bao Duy and Uncle Suu to discuss necessary security measures during this period. The atmosphere in the meeting was heavy, everyone was well aware of the seriousness of the situation.

"From now on, Ms. Khue should not move alone, especially at night or to the reef area." Nguyen proposed, his voice resolute. "We need to arrange for someone to accompany her every time she goes out, at least until the situation calms down or we have enough evidence to act decisively."

"I will also be more careful about making information public." Bao Duy said. "There will be no more posts until there is more solid evidence, to avoid causing them to panic and take even more reckless actions."

Uncle Suu, who has now officially declared to the authorities what he knows, sat silently throughout the meeting, his face full of self-blame. "All of this happened partly because I was silent for too long, allowing those people time to consolidate their power. Now I just hope I can do something to atone for my mistakes."

"You've been a great help, Mr. Suu." Khue said, her voice sincere. "Your testimony is one of the most important pieces of evidence we have. No one blames you."

After the meeting, when everyone gradually left, Nguyen stayed behind and offered to take Khue home. On the way, the two were silent for a long time, the air between them heavy with unspoken worries.

"I'm really worried about you." Nguyen finally spoke, his voice filled with undisguised sincerity. "Since the day you returned to the island, you've been through so much — discovering the heartbreaking truth about your father, and now being directly threatened. I don't want you to suffer any more pain."

"I'm scared too, Nguyen, I won't hide that from you." Khue admitted, her voice lowered. "But every time I think about giving up, I remember my father's last words — he thought of me in his last moments, trying to protect this reef for me. I can't betray that out of fear."

Nguyen stopped walking, turned to look straight into Khue's eyes, his eyes contained a strong determination. "Then I will stay by your side, from now until everything is over. I won't let you face any danger alone anymore."

That sincere promise made Khue's heart deeply shake. She looked at Nguyen, feeling more clearly than ever the feelings growing in her heart for the man standing in front of her - not only a reliable ally in the investigation, but also a solid fulcrum amid the turmoil surrounding her life.

"Thank you, Nguyen." She said, her voice quiet but full of sincerity. "With you by my side, I feel like I have a lot more courage."

They stood there for a long time under the pale moonlight, no one said anything else, just letting the silence between the two take on a deeper meaning than any words. The sea breeze blew gently, carrying the familiar salty smell, mixing with the beating hearts of both of them, like a silent promise that no matter how many dangers tomorrow brought, they would face them together.

That night, although the fear was still there, creeping into every dark corner of the house, Khue felt that she was no longer alone as before. She lay on the bed, her hand still clutching the phone in case she needed to contact her in an emergency, but in her heart, besides the insecurity, there was also a new warm feeling that was gradually growing - affection for Nguyen, who did not hesitate to stand by her side in every situation, even when facing the most dangerous threats.