Chapter 22 — Reef Keeper

Through a specialized camera lens, Bao Duy, standing guard from a high point on the shore, clearly recorded the image of the men on Sau Cong's ship dropping familiar cylindrical objects into the sea - homemade explosives, tied with slow-burning wires, preparing for an explosion with a much larger scale than previous times in order to clear the channel before the inauguration of the marina.

"I see it clearly, I'm transmitting live images to the inspection team." Bao Duy spoke through the walkie-talkie, his voice shaking with excitement and tension. "They're preparing to detonate, it looks like this is much bigger than what we've recorded."

On the canoe, Nguyen was also carefully recording, at the same time observing the stormy situation, which was becoming more and more intense. The storm, though not yet officially making landfall, has already begun sending strong wind gusts and high waves in advance.

"We need to get closer to clearly record the faces of the people involved, as evidence of identification." Nguyen said, signaling the canoeist to move a little closer, although still keeping the necessary safe distance.

Khue sat close to him, holding the waterproof camera tightly in her hand, her eyes glued to the small screen displaying the recorded image. Through the splashing glass, she could clearly recognize the familiar figure of Sau Cong standing on the deck, pointing and directing his subordinates who were struggling with slow-burning ropes under the dim flashlight light. Her heart pounded, not only because of the impending danger, but also because of the strange feeling of finally witnessing, with her own eyes, the face of the man who contributed to her father's death twelve years ago.

But as soon as the canoe moved closer, a flash of lightning flashed in the dark sky, clearly illuminating the shape of the small canoe in the dark sea. On Sau Cong's ship, a man shouted and pointed at them.

"Someone! Someone's watching!"

Immediately, the tense atmosphere on the ship turned into chaos. Sau Cong, standing on the deck, his face etched with anger and panic when he realized he had been discovered. He shouted orders to his subordinates, his voice full of power but also containing the fear of someone who knew he was committing a crime.

"Go after them! Don't show my face!"

Sau Cong's large ship roared, turned, and rushed straight towards the small canoe of Khue and Nguyen's group at a terrifying speed. Amid the approaching storm, a dangerous chase begins on the rough sea.

"Hold on tight!" The canoe driver shouted loudly, increasing his speed to avoid and go around reefs that only people familiar with this water area like Mr. Suu could recognize in time in the dark.

The canoe rushed between the tall, steep waves, each time it fell to the bottom of the wave, it made the whole person on the boat wobble, and their stomachs felt like they were in knots. Sea water flooded into the cabin, drenching everyone and freezing to the bone, but no one dared to let go of what they were holding onto worry about the cold. Behind, the headlights of the Sau Cong ship were still following closely, the roar of the engine mixed with the roar of the wind creating a terrifying chaotic sound in the middle of the night.

"It's closing the gap!" One of the two fisherman brothers shouted, his voice filled with panic as he looked over his shoulder and saw the headlights getting closer every second.

Mr. Suu's small boat, leading the way, suddenly changed direction, cutting across the bow of Sau Cong's large ship in a reckless act to block the way, creating time for Khue and Nguyen's canoes to escape pursuit.

"Uncle Suu, don't!" Nguyen shouted over the radio, but it was too late.

Mr. Suu's small boat collided and grazed the side of the large ship, wobbling violently among the high waves, but luckily it did not completely capsize. That reckless action created enough time for Khue and Nguyen's canoe to circle away, escaping the direct pursuit of the Sau Cong ship.

"Uncle Suu, are you okay?" Nguyen called urgently through the walkie-talkie, his voice filled with worry.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! Just take care of our work!" Uncle Suu's voice rang out, although somewhat shaky but still steadfast and determined.

In the midst of that chaos, Khue realized that one of the cylindrical objects that Sau Cong's group had previously dropped into the sea exploded, a huge column of water and white foam shot up into the night, accompanied by a dull explosion that echoed across the sea. This was the irrefutable evidence the group needed - a mine explosion occurred right in front of the camera, was fully recorded, and transmitted live to the waiting inspection team on the mainland.

"Yes! We have proof!" Khue shouted, her voice was both excited and trembling because of the surrounding danger. In her mind, the image of the rising column of white water seemed to blend with the vague memory of the night her father disappeared, as if twelve years of waiting were finally rewarded with this very moment - vivid, irrefutable evidence, enough to overthrow a whole chain of lies that had gone on for too long.

But before the joy was complete, the storm actually hit earlier than expected. An unprecedented gust of wind swept through, accompanied by torrential rain, reducing visibility to almost zero. Waves higher than a person's head continuously hit the small canoe, making control extremely difficult.

"We have to retreat now, the weather is too dangerous!" The canoeist shouted loudly over the howling wind.

Nguyen nodded, signaling the group to prepare to turn around, but at that moment, a giant wave suddenly came from the side of the boat, causing the canoe to wobble violently. Khue, trying to hold on to the camera containing valuable evidence, lost her balance and fell out of the boat, falling straight into the dark water that was churning violently.

"Khue!!!" Nguyen's scream rang out, almost swallowed up by the roar of the storm.

The whole group was in extreme panic, trying to locate Khue amidst the darkness and the fierce waves that were constantly coming. The flashlight from the canoe swept back and forth across the water, but only saw white foam and successive black waves, with no sign of Khue.

Uncle Tam quickly contacted Uncle Suu and Bao Duy's group on the shore via radio to announce the emergency situation and request additional rescue vehicles. His voice trembled with anxiety, his hand still holding the flashlight to scan the sea surface that was roaring fiercely around the canoe. The rain whipped my face and the wind blew sideways, making every sound and every signal difficult to grasp, as if the storm itself was deliberately hiding Khue's whereabouts from those who were desperately searching for her.

A few seconds passed as heavy as hours. Then, amid a brief pause in the wind, a faint, choking cough sounded not far from the canoe, almost completely drowned out by the roar of the waves.

"There! Over there!" One of the two fisherman brothers shouted, pointing towards the direction where the noise had just come from.

The flashlight immediately pointed straight in that direction, and in the brief moment when a wave lifted her to the top, everyone on the canoe caught a glimpse of a weak arm waving amidst the white foam before disappearing again into the darkness. That was Khue, trying her best to fight against the swirling current that was pulling her away from the canoe.

Farther behind, Sau Cong's large ship, while engrossed in pursuit, was also struggling amid the towering waves, its hull continuously tilting dangerously. One of the cylindrical objects that had not yet been released into the sea suddenly exploded right on the deck due to a strong impact. A deafening explosion sounded accompanied by a flash of fire amidst the rain, causing the entire ship to wobble violently, forcing Sau Cong to shout out the order to retreat, giving up the pursuit to save the ship itself and the lives of the people on it.

"Khue! Oh Khue!" Nguyen screamed in despair, without hesitation took off his extra life jacket, preparing to dive into the sea to search, despite the extreme danger of the storm raging around.

In the midst of a stormy night, in the midst of towering waves that threatened to swallow everything, Khue's fate now became the only thing that everyone on the canoe cared about, beyond the task of collecting evidence, beyond the fear of the fury of the sea they were facing.

Uncle Tam held Nguyen's shoulders tightly for a split second, trying to tie the safety rope around his body before letting him plunge into the water, his voice shouting loudly to drown out the sound of the wind. "Be careful! I'm holding the end of the rope. If you dive down, you have to come back, do you hear me clearly?" Nguyen nodded hastily, without time to respond, then threw himself into the churning black sea, heading straight towards the arm that had just waved in the darkness.