Chapter 22 — The City Behind the Mist

Two days before the storm made landfall, the sky in Van Son turned a heavy gray color, and continuous gusts of wind began to sweep across the hillsides, carrying away dust and dry leaves. Preparation for storm response was pushed to the highest level, with all project personnel and the town's militia and self-defense force mobilized to reinforce key points and relocate assets and equipment out of areas at risk of flooding.

Khanh Linh, despite being extremely busy with coordination work, still did not forget to spend time directly going to each household on the priority evacuation list, explaining in detail the process and when to move to the pre-arranged safe shelters. "You don't need to bring many belongings, just important identification documents and essential items," she advised a family living close to the edge of the slope, her voice kind but decisive. "Life safety must always come first."

While Khanh Linh was busy with civil mobilization work, Viet Hoang and his technical team were constantly on duty at the central control room, closely monitoring each indicator from the geological sensor system installed throughout the slope area. The numbers displayed on the screen, although still within the safe threshold, tend to fluctuate faster than expected when the first rains of the storm season begin to pour down strongly.

“Soil moisture is increasing faster than the original model predicted,” a young engineer on the team reported, his voice sounding somewhat worried as he watched the chart continuously update. Viet Hoang, eyes glued to the screen, nodded thoughtfully. "We need to be prepared that the reinforcement system will likely face much greater pressure than we had anticipated in the worst-case scenario."

Amid the tension surrounding the entire response work, another unexpected incident occurred, making the situation even more complicated. Mr. Kieu Xuan Thinh, who is actively supporting the work of mobilizing people to evacuate, discovered that some newly installed danger warning signs along the road leading into the slope area were intentionally dismantled and removed by someone during the night.

"This is not a random act," Mr. Thinh informed Khanh Linh as soon as he discovered the incident, his voice filled with indignation. "These signs are installed in important locations to prevent people from accidentally entering dangerous areas during storms. Removing them can cause serious consequences, even death."

Khanh Linh, after reviewing the location of the nearest security camera, discovered a faint recording showing two strange men, wearing dark clothes, removing the signs at midnight the previous night. Although she could not clearly identify her identity through the image, she could not help but suspect that it was directly related to recent threats from Ho Xuan Truong.

"He is deliberately causing trouble, creating additional dangers, right in the middle of us struggling to cope with the storm," Viet Hoang commented, his voice filled with anger as he reviewed the video. "This is no longer simply a verbal threat, but has turned to actual acts of sabotage, directly threatening the safety of people's lives."

Khanh Linh immediately reported the incident to the town police, and at the same time reinstalled all the signs that had been removed, adding additional patrol forces to guard all night at key locations. "We cannot let any act of sabotage weaken the response, especially when time is running out before the storm hits," she directed the security team, her voice uncompromising.

That evening, at the end-of-day briefing, Mr. Bui Quoc Bao, after hearing the full report on the incident, could not hide his indignation. "I will ask the provincial police agency to directly investigate and severely handle anyone whose actions obstruct natural disaster prevention work, no matter who they are or what their social status is," he declared decisively in front of the entire team.

Meanwhile, at another location in town, Ho Xuan Truong, although not directly appearing, continued to silently exert pressure through his remaining relationships. A reliable source told Khanh Linh that he contacted a number of households and persuaded them not to participate in the evacuation, citing the reason that "the response plan lacks a solid scientific basis," in order to sow more doubt and confusion in the community at the most sensitive time.

"He is deliberately destroying people's trust, right when we need consensus the most," Khanh Linh said, her voice filled with worry when she heard the news. "If people do not evacuate at the right time, the consequences can be extremely serious and unpredictable."

She decided to go directly with Viet Hoang and Mr. Thinh to meet the hesitant households, patiently explaining the entire scientific basis of the response plan, and sharing sincerely about what her family had experienced during the disaster fifteen years ago, so that they could better understand the seriousness of the current situation.

"I understand, after all that has happened, you have the right to be skeptical, even afraid," Khanh Linh told a group of people gathered at the town's cultural house, her voice sincere, not secretive. "But because my family has been a victim of lies and concealment of information, I understand more deeply how important it is to be transparent and honest with you right now. I would like to honor the honor of my father, who devoted his whole life to the safety of this land, to ensure that every decision we make is based on the strictest scientific basis."

Those sincere sharing words, along with the prestigious presence of Mr. Thinh, who has been attached to the town for decades, gradually convinced the majority of hesitant households. By the end of that day, almost all households on the priority evacuation list had agreed to move to safe shelters, leaving only a few special cases that needed more convincing.

Late that night, when the rain began to get heavier, signaling that the storm was getting closer by the hour, Khanh Linh and Viet Hoang sat together in the central control room, closely watching all developments. "We did everything we could," Viet Hoang said, his voice both tired and determined. "Now, all we can do is wait, and be ready to respond to any situation that may arise."

Khanh Linh nodded, her eyes directed out the window, where the rain was gradually thicker, covering the entire scene of Van Son town in a layer of opaque white mist full of insecurity. “Whatever happens next,” she whispered, “I believe, we are as prepared as possible, with all the honesty and responsibility we have.”

Near midnight, when most of the team had taken a nap to regain strength for the next day, a sudden call from the patrol made them both jump up from their chairs. "Miss Linh, we discovered a strange truck parked near the material warehouse area, without valid access papers," the patrolman's voice rang urgently over the phone. "We are conducting an inspection, but the driver seems to be deliberately wasting time and not cooperating."

Viet Hoang and Khanh Linh immediately drove to the scene, amidst the increasingly heavy rain. When they arrived, they saw the truck being stopped right in front of the warehouse gate, the two men on the truck appeared confused by the appearance of the patrol force. Through preliminary inspection, it was discovered that the vehicle contained a number of chemical barrels of unknown origin, without labels or valid documents proving origin.

"We were only hired to transport goods here, we don't know what's inside," one of the two men defended, his voice shaking with panic. Khanh Linh, although many doubts arose in her heart, still maintained the necessary calmness, ordered all suspicious goods to be sealed, and immediately reported to the police force to conduct an investigation to clarify the origin and true purpose of this mysterious shipment.

"Although it cannot be confirmed for certain whether it is related to Ho Xuan Truong or not," Viet Hoang said when they returned to the control room, his face still showing tension that had not yet dissipated, "but clearly, someone is trying to take advantage of the chaotic situation before the storm to commit illegal acts. We need to be even more vigilant in the remaining hours."