Chapter 15 — Swept into the Wave of Love

The day before the semi-finals, Ghenh Rang beach was immersed in a bustling atmosphere of preparation. The technical teams rechecked the entire loudspeaker system, the stands were decorated with colorful flags and flowers, and the number of spectators flocked in larger and larger numbers as news of the confrontation between defending champion Viet Khoi and the mysterious phenomenon Khue spread throughout the sports newspapers. No one in that joyful crowd knew that, behind the flashy shell of the tournament, a dangerous plot was being carefully planned, preparing to strike one last time before all secrets were at risk of being exposed.

Viet Khoi and Lam Khue spent the afternoon practicing separately on a deserted stretch of beach away from the main area, both wanting to stay in the best shape before tomorrow's important match. After the practice session, when the sun had turned to the west, dyeing the sky into a brilliant orange strip, they sat on the sand to rest, sharing a bottle of water, enjoying the rare moment of peace before the impending storm.

"I have a strange feeling," Lam Khue said, her voice thoughtful, her eyes looking out at the sea that was gradually turning dark purple as dusk fell. "Like, something's about to happen, but I can't quite pinpoint what it is."

"Your intuition is usually quite accurate," Viet Khoi said, unable to hide the worry in his voice. "After Lu Kebon's threat, I can't shake off this feeling of insecurity. Maybe we should be more careful in the next few days."

Before parting, Viet Khoi held Lam Khue's hand, his eyes were unusually serious. "From now until the semi-finals end, we must be twice as careful as usual. Don't go anywhere alone at night, remember to lock the door carefully, and if there is anything unusual, no matter how small, notify me immediately."

"You're worrying too much," Lam Khue smiled reassuringly, although in her heart she couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy about the vague premonitions hovering around. "But I promise to be careful."

They parted ways immediately after that, each returning to their own resort to prepare their best health for tomorrow. But that night, when Lam Khue was preparing things for the competition, a strange message suddenly appeared on her phone, sent from a phone number not saved in her contact list.

"If you want to know more about the truth about your father, come alone to the old warehouse area near the fishing wharf at ten o'clock tonight. Come alone, don't let anyone know, not even Viet Khoi. This is your only chance."

Lam Khue read the message over and over again, her heart pounding. She knew clearly that this could be a trap, but the temptation of the promise of "the truth about her father" was too great for her to ignore without verifying. She hesitated for a long time, her finger hovering over the screen to text Viet Khoi, but then hesitated, afraid that if someone was really watching, her telling others could cause this only opportunity to slip away, or worse, put Viet Khoi in danger with her.

Finally, with a reckless decision, she quickly put on her coat, hid a small flashlight and phone, then quietly left the homestay, heading towards the fishing pier according to the instructions in the text message.

The old warehouse area is hidden behind a row of moored basket boats, dark, with only the moonlight dimly shining through the gaps in the rusted corrugated iron roof. Lam Khue stepped in cautiously, the flashlight scanned the empty space, only seeing a few old nets and wooden crates piled in the corner.

"Is anyone here?" she asked, her voice softly echoing in the quiet space.

There was no reply. She took a few more steps, the feeling of insecurity rising more and more clearly, until a slight noise rang out behind her, causing her to turn back in surprise. But before she could react, a hand tightly covered her mouth, another arm wrapped around her body, pulling her backward into the deeper darkness of the warehouse.

Lam Khue struggled violently, trying to escape the tight grip, but the other person had superior strength, keeping her silent, not letting out any screams for help. In the dim moonlight shining through the door, she glimpsed a second figure standing nearby, wearing dark clothes, his face covered by a scarf, holding a rope in his hand.

Just when it seemed like all hope was lost, a loud noise rang out from the warehouse door, accompanied by hurried footsteps and a familiar voice screaming with anger. "Let her go!"

Viet Khoi. It turned out that, even though Lam Khue did not text in advance, the vague insecurity all afternoon made him unable to sit still in the room. He decided to stop by her homestay to check on the situation, and when he discovered that she had unusually left late at night, leaving her phone displaying a strange message on the lock screen, he immediately guessed the danger and rushed to find her without any delay.

The person holding Lam Khue was startled by Viet Khoi's sudden appearance, loosening his grip a little, enough for her to take advantage of that moment, using all her strength to elbow hard into the opponent's stomach, breaking free from the grip. Viet Khoi rushed forward, not hesitating to get into a fight with the man in dark clothes who was trying to block his way. The punches and dodges took place quickly and fiercely in the tight space of the warehouse.

During the chaos, the two attackers, realizing the disadvantage of being discovered, hastily fled through the back door, disappearing into the darkness before Viet Khoi could detain any of them. He turned around and saw Lam Khue standing against the wall, panting, his whole body shaking because he had just experienced a terrifying moment. He quickly ran to hug her, checking to see if she was injured anywhere.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked urgently, his voice filled with worry mixed with anger.

"I'm fine," Lam Khue replied, her voice still shaking but trying to calm down. "Just scared. Thank you, if you hadn't come in time..."

"Don't think about it anymore," he said, holding her close, feeling his heart still racing with fear imagining what might happen if he were even a few minutes later. "Why did you come here alone without telling me?"

"The message said I had to come alone, otherwise I would lose the chance to know the truth about my father," she explained, her voice filled with regret. "I know I was too reckless, but the temptation was too great for me to ignore."

Viet Khoi sighed, did not blame her further, just squeezed her hand tighter. "From now on, no matter what happens, you must promise me, never to act alone like that again. We are a team, Lam Khue, not two individuals fighting alone."

Lam Khue nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks because she had just escaped a deadly and dangerous situation and was touched by his sincere concern. "I promise. I'm sorry for making you worry."

They stood hugging each other in the middle of the dark warehouse, listening to each other's heartbeats gradually return to their normal rhythm, while outside, the sound of ocean waves echoed steadily, unaware of the dangerous encounter that had just occurred just a few steps away.

After calming down, Viet Khoi led Lam Khue to check around the warehouse, hoping to find some clues that the two attackers left behind in their haste to escape. Under the flashlight, he picked up a small piece of paper that had fallen near the back door. On it were only a few hastily written numbers. It seemed like a series of half-torn phone numbers, not enough to clearly identify the owner. He carefully put the piece of paper in his pocket, intending to ask someone he trusted to check it later.

"We need to notify the tournament security team," Lam Khue said, his voice regaining some composure even though his hands were still shaking a bit. "Even though they once doubted us, this is clear evidence that someone is truly threatening the safety of athletes."

"That's right," Viet Khoi nodded, "but we need to present it carefully, not mentioning the suspicion about Lu Khac Bon right now, because there is no direct evidence to incriminate him. If we rush, we could lose the element of surprise necessary to uncover the entire plot later."

Lam Khue agreed, and the two left the warehouse together and went straight to the tournament security office to report the incident, even though it was late. Clearly, the mastermind behind all of this was no longer patient enough to wait, and decided to act directly, threatening Lam Khue's life right before the most important semi-finals of the season.