Chapter 21 — Secret Explosive Burning of Cow Dung

The tin box in Boss Ha's hand almost fell to the ground. Luc Van Da reacted the fastest. He pulled me behind him and conveniently turned off the lights on the second floor. The room fell into darkness immediately. Only the flashing red and blue lights of the police car on the street shone through the window. I lowered my voice and asked the other end of the line.

“Who are you?”

The woman did not answer immediately. She just cried. The crying was very soft, but it seemed like it had been pent up for many years.

“Duong An, don't be afraid.”

These two words came out of her mouth, making my whole body stiffen. No one has ever called me that. The Van family named me Van Duong. People close to me call me Duong Duong. But these two words Duong An, like overcoming a stolen life, passed from her mouth to my ears. Luc Van Da whispered: "Are you still there?" I nodded, pressing the phone tightly to my ear.

“Are you Lam Van Thu?”

The breathing on the other end of the line was disordered. She did not deny it. Down the stairs came the sound of very soft footsteps. One step. Another step. It was like someone deliberately walked slowly up. Boss Ha's face turned gray, he hugged the tin box and hid behind the cabinet. Luc Van Da used his left hand to pick up a broken wooden stick on the floor. His right arm is still bleeding. I looked at him and my anger flared up again, but now was not the time to scold him. On the phone, the woman urgently said: "Exit through the back window."

“The guy downstairs isn't here to rob the box.”

“He came to destroy the film.”

My heart sank. I used my mouth to ask softly: "How do you know?" She said: "Because someone called me just now."

“He said, if you want me to leave there alive, don't accept me.”

My eye sockets suddenly felt hot. Not because of how touching that statement was. But because I heard the collapse in her voice. It's not that she doesn't want to accept it. It's that she is being strangled and threatened. The footsteps on the stairs stopped outside the door. Under the door, a black shadow fell. Luc Van Da pushed me towards the window. I shook my head. The tin box is still in boss Ha's hand. If we leave now, the person downstairs just needs to light a fire and all the evidence will turn to ashes. Luc Van Da understood what I meant. He frowned and whispered two words. *Don't be disruptive.* I also responded with my mouth closed. *Dreaming.* The person outside the door suddenly slammed into the door. A bang rang out, boss Ha sat down in fear. I grabbed an old-fashioned flashlight on the cabinet and hid behind the door. Luc Van Da's eyes changed, clearly wanting to pull me back. But the door was thrown open after the second impact. A man wearing a mask rushed in. He had a lighter and a bottle of clear liquid in his hand. The strong acrid smell immediately spread. He didn't come to steal. He came to burn. Luc Van Da swung his leg and kicked. The man was kicked into the wall, but quickly swung a gasoline bottle and hit his injured arm. I rushed to press the flash button. Bright white light exploded in the darkness. The man screamed in pain, reflexively raising his hands to cover his face. Luc Van Da took the opportunity to pin him to the ground. I picked up the fallen lighter and kicked it into the corner of the wall. People downstairs heard the noise and rushed up. Firefighters and program staff worked together to control the man grandfather. Tham Kieu stood at the top of the stairs, her face pale and scary.

“Van Duong, are you okay?”

I shook my head and turned to look at boss Ha. Boss Ha hugged the tin box tightly, his voice trembling.

“The box is still there.”

At this point I realized my palms were wet with sweat. Luc Van Da let go of the man and staggered slightly when he stood up. I quickly caught him.

"Let's try harder."

He glanced at me, his voice hoarse.