Chapter 21 — The City Behind the Mist

Three days before the storm was expected to make landfall, Ho Xuan Truong suddenly appeared at a meeting of the Town People's Council, where he, as a major shareholder of Van Son Land, asked to speak about "hidden risks" in the storm and flood response plan that Khanh Linh and the project management board were implementing.

"I'm concerned that putting all our resources into a reinforcement plan by a young architect, lacking real experience in real emergency situations, could leave us unable to react in time if the worst situation occurs," he told the council, his tone filled with sincere concern. "I recommend that there should be an independent backup plan, implemented by an external consulting unit with more experience, to ensure absolute safety for the people."

Khanh Linh, present at the meeting, could not hide her indignation at the audacity of that suggestion. “Ladies and gentlemen,” she stood, her voice calm but heavy. "The person standing before you, calling for caution about construction safety, is the same person who directly ordered the swapping of technical records, leading to the deaths of seventeen people fifteen years ago. I think, you should ask yourself, what is the real motive behind this proposal."

The atmosphere in the hall became extremely tense. Ho Xuan Truong, although slightly confused, still tried to maintain composure. "I understand, Miss Linh has personal prejudices against me, that's completely understandable," he replied, his voice filled with fake patience. "But I hope you look at the issue objectively, for the safety of all people, instead of letting personal emotions dominate important decisions."

Mr. Bui Quoc Bao, chairing the meeting, finally spoke up to negotiate. "The current response plan has been developed by a team of fully qualified experts, independently verified by competent authorities," he stated emphatically. "We have complete confidence in this plan, and there will not be any changes at this sensitive time, just a few days before the storm hits."

Although he failed in that public effort, Ho Xuan Truong did not appear discouraged. That evening, Khanh Linh received news from a close source in the provincial government that he had contacted a number of higher-ranking officials directly, urging them to intervene, requesting a temporary postponement of her technical decision-making authority, on the grounds that "it is necessary to ensure objectivity during the sensitive period before the natural disaster."

"He is trying to use political influence to reverse the situation, right in the last days," Viet Hoang commented upon hearing the news, his voice filled with worry. "If he is successful, we could lose direct control of the response, right when it matters most."

Khanh Linh, even though her heart was uneasy, still maintained the necessary alertness. “We need to move faster than him,” she said, her voice determined. "I will contact directly with the Provincial Department of Construction, present all technical documents, inspection results, and the history of the case being investigated, so that they have a full basis to reject all baseless requests for intervention from Ho Xuan Truong."

She spent the entire night with Viet Hoang drafting a complete and detailed dossier, including all geological survey results, independent inspection reports, and a summary of the ongoing criminal case related to Xuan Truong Lake, sent directly to the leaders of the Provincial Construction Department the next morning.

The response came faster than she expected. Just one day later, the Provincial Department of Construction officially issued a document confirming that the current response plan chaired by chief architect Bach Khanh Linh fully met the necessary technical standards, and at the same time rejected all requests to intervene and change the personnel in charge at this sensitive time.

"We won another match," Viet Hoang said when receiving the official document, his voice filled with relief. But as soon as he finished speaking, Khanh Linh's phone rang again, it was a call from Ho Xuan Truong, the phone number she had saved from previous threats.

She hesitated for a moment, then decided to pick up the phone and put it on speaker mode so Viet Hoang could listen. "Miss Linh," Ho Xuan Truong's voice rang out, no longer the fake calmness like before, but full of obvious bitterness. "You think, you've already won? You've only seen the tip of the iceberg. My family has built power in this land for generations. You think, a few inspection papers can defeat that?"

"You can continue to threaten, continue to lobby as much as you want," Khanh Linh replied, her voice not shaking at all. "But the truth is out, and I will never let you bury it again, no matter what the cost."

The other end of the line was silent for a long time, before Ho Xuan Truong let out one last sentence, his voice cold and chilling. "You will regret not stopping while you still can, Ms. Linh." Then the call suddenly ended, leaving a heavy silence covering the room.

Viet Hoang, his face became serious after listening to the entire conversation. "That's no longer an empty threat," he said, his voice wary. "We need to increase security around the construction site, and around you, starting tonight."

He immediately called the town police, reported the entire content of the threatening call, and suggested arranging additional patrols around the construction site and where Khanh Linh resided in the remaining days before the storm hit. A working group was sent that night, recorded testimony and sealed the call recording as evidence, and promised to have people closely monitor Ho Xuan Truong's every move in the near future.

"Are you okay?" Viet Hoang asked, when the working group had left, only two people remained in the small room bathed in soft yellow light. He sat down next to her, his hand gently placed on her shoulder as if to give her some stability.

"I'm fine," Khanh Linh replied, although her voice still contained a slight tremor that was hard to hide. "It's just, I didn't expect him to be so obvious. Perhaps, that's also a sign that he's really feeling cornered, with no other cards to play."

She called her mother immediately afterward, trying to keep her voice calm so as not to make Mrs. Diep more worried. "Don't worry, Mom, Mr. Hoang and I have reported to the police, everything is under strict control," she reassured, even though she still felt uneasy from the threatening call just now. Mrs. Diep, although trying to appear reassuring, still did not forget to tell her daughter to be extra careful in the coming days.

That night, Viet Hoang insisted on staying and guarding the door of the inn where Khanh Linh was staying, even though she repeatedly advised him to go home and rest to maintain his strength for the stressful working days ahead. "I won't feel secure if I leave you alone right now," he said, determined not to change his mind. "We've come this far together, I won't let anything happen to you, especially on the threshold of final victory."

Khanh Linh brought out two thin blankets, one for him to sit on the rattan chair next to the window, then sat down next to him for a while, both of them quietly looking out at the quiet street, where the streetlights reflected the puddles of rain that were gradually spreading on the road. "Thank you," she said softly, "for always being here, no matter how hard things got."

"No need to thank me," he replied, smiling slightly even though his eyes never left the road ahead. "This is what I want to do, not because of responsibility or promise, but because my heart tells me to do it." She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment, enjoying the rare moment of peace amidst the stormy days, before returning inside to rest to prepare her strength for the challenges that surely lay ahead, challenges that they both knew would be much harsher than anything they had ever experienced together.

Outside, the wind began to blow stronger, bringing with it the first light drops of rain, signaling that the storm was getting closer every hour, as a reminder that the confrontation between them and Ho Xuan Truong, as well as between the entire Van Son town and the approaching natural disaster, were entering the most fierce phase.