Chapter 18 — Reef Keeper

Despite the threats, Khue is determined not to let the coral reef restoration project stall. With the enthusiastic help of Vu and a group of young people in the neighborhood, the coral nursery was gradually rebuilt, although at a much slower pace than the original because we had to be more careful in each step, and additional guards were assigned to rotate at night.

One evening, when Khue and Nguyen were on their way back after checking the situation of the newly rebuilt nursery, they received an urgent report from one of the watchmen — there were strange lights appearing near the Da Bac reef area, it seemed like an illegal fishing activity was going on right now.

"We have to get out there now, record the evidence before they leave." Nguyen said, his voice urgent, he immediately contacted Uncle Tam to mobilize more support forces.

"I'll go with you." Khue said immediately, without any hesitation.

"No, this time is much more dangerous than the previous times." Nguyen stopped, his eyes filled with worry. "After the recent threat, I don't want to risk your safety."

"I can't sit idly at home while you face danger alone." Khue said, her voice equally determined. "I know how to dive, know how to handle situations at sea, I will be a support, not a burden."

Finally, faced with Khue's determination, Nguyen had to give in, on the condition that she must absolutely follow all his instructions throughout the trip. They, along with Uncle Tam and two other fishermen, boarded a small but fast canoe and rushed out to sea in the night.

When approaching the Da Bac reef area, they turned off their lights, slowed down, and approached cautiously from a distance. Through infrared binoculars, Nguyen discovered a familiar ship - Sau Cong's ship, anchored, several men were preparing to drop into the sea something cylindrical, clearly explosive.

"All prepared." Nguyen signaled, his voice low but powerful. "We will approach suddenly, try to catch them red-handed and seize evidence."

Their canoe accelerated suddenly, turned the waves and rushed straight towards Sau Cong's boat, the headlights turned on brightly, shining directly at the people on the boat who were committing illegal acts. The men on the boat panicked, some jumped into the water to throw away suspected explosives, others tried to start the boat to flee.

"Fisheries control! Everyone stand still, don't start the engine!" Nguyen shouted loudly through a portable speaker, but those on the train had no intention of obeying.

Sau Cong's boat roared to start, trying to escape, but in panic, the boat operator lost control, causing the boat to wobble violently, colliding strongly with a nearby reef. A loud collision sounded, accompanied by panicked screams from those on the train.

"Someone fell into the water!" One of the two fishermen accompanying him shouted, pointing towards a figure floating among the waves.

Without thinking, Khue quickly put on his oxygen tank and prepared to dive into the water to save someone, even though it was someone on the side that was committing the illegal act. The instincts of someone who witnessed her father drowning made her unable to stand by and watch another person's life in danger in the middle of the night sea.

"Khue, let me!" Nguyen shouted, but Khue rushed into the water before he could stop her.

Nguyen quickly followed, both swimming quickly towards the figure sinking amidst the dark waves. This is one of the men on Sau Cong's boat, who was probably hit hard when the boat rocked, leaving him unconscious and unable to swim on his own.

Khue approached first, used all his strength to pull the man out of the water, trying to keep his head above the sea surface while waiting for Nguyen to come to support. The ocean waves tonight are not calm, the big waves are constantly pushing and pushing, making it extremely difficult to maintain balance.

"Hold on to me!" Nguyen shouted as he approached, holding Khue with one hand, while the other helped support the unconscious man. The three people struggled in the fast water, gradually swimming towards the waiting canoe.

Just as they neared the canoe, a large wave suddenly came, knocking Khue out of Nguyen's reach. She was swept along by the current, choking on sea water. The familiar feeling of panic from nightmares about her father's death suddenly rushed back, causing her to lose direction for a moment.

In that helpless moment, the last image her father ever experienced - darkness, fierce waves, loneliness in the vast ocean - seemed to flood her mind, causing her body to automatically stiffen in fear instead of the swimming reflex she had practiced thousands of times. Salt water poured into her nose and mouth, she struggled unconsciously, her arms and legs seemed to no longer obey the orders of reason, only one thought flashed in the middle of the panic: is this how her father passed away, alone in the dark waves without anyone knowing.

"Khue!" Nguyen's scream rang out amid the roar of the waves, full of panic and despair.

He left the unconscious man behind for the two fishermen on the canoe to handle, and rushed towards Khue who was floundering in the middle of the fierce waves. With all his strength and skillful swimming skills accumulated over many years, he approached her, wrapped his arms tightly around her from behind, keeping her head above the water.

"I have you, don't be afraid, I have you." Nguyen spoke in her ear, his voice both reassuring and containing the extreme fear he had just experienced. He used all his strength to swim upstream, bringing them both safely to the canoe.

When pulled onto the canoe, Khue coughed and choked, sea water poured out of her mouth, her whole body trembled from the cold and from the panic she had just experienced. Nguyen hugged her tightly, not caring that they were both wet and cold, just wanting to make sure that she was still safe, still breathing, still here with him.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let you follow." Nguyen spoke, his voice choked, his hands still holding Khue tightly as if afraid she would disappear if he relaxed for even a second.

"It's not your fault." Khue said, her voice was still shaking but gradually calmed down. "I'm okay, Nguyen. You saved me."

Uncle Tam quickly took a dry blanket and wrapped it around both of them, quickly checking Khue's health condition. His face was still shocked by what had just happened. "Luckily, fortunately we still made it in time. You and Mr. Nguyen were really brave, but next time remember to be more careful, you hear, the night sea is no joke."

The man they had just rescued was identified as one of the crew members working for Sau Cong. He regained consciousness after receiving first aid, although he was still stunned. Sau Cong's ship, due to a collision with a cliff, was seriously damaged and could no longer move, allowing the fisheries inspection team to seize some important exhibits left on the ship, including several detonators that had not yet been used.

On the way back to the wharf, Khue sat leaning on Nguyen's shoulder, her whole body still shaking from the cold and from what she had just experienced. He put his jacket on her shoulders, hugged her tighter, both of them said nothing, just letting that warm silence soothe the chaotic emotions they had just experienced.

"Thank you." Khue whispered, looking up at Nguyen's face in the faint moonlight. "For not leaving me behind."

"I will never let that happen." Nguyen spoke, his voice was firm, his eyes looked deep into her eyes full of sincerity. "I... I realized tonight, that if anything happened to you, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. Khue, I..."

He hesitated, as if trying to find the right words to express the emotions welling up in his heart. Khue looked at him, waiting, her heart was beating equally fast.

"I like you, Khue. More than I've ever allowed myself to admit." Nguyen finally spoke, his voice trembling but absolutely sincere. "From the first time I met her, saw the way she worked, the way she loved the sea, loved her father, I knew I was falling into something far beyond a normal colleague relationship."

Khue felt like her heart was about to burst, even though her body was still cold and shaking after the recent incident. She looked up at Nguyen, letting all her pent-up emotions freely express through her eyes.

"Me too, Nguyen." She said, her voice quiet but full of sincerity. "I also fell into this feeling without realizing it."

Under the shimmering moonlight on the sea surface that had just experienced a fierce wave, with his breath still quick because he had just escaped danger, Nguyen leaned over and gently placed a kiss on Khue's forehead, a gesture full of respect and love, like a promise for what lies ahead - even though the road still has many thorns, they will walk through it together.