Chapter 10 — The One Who Keeps The Venom Saves People

The laminated paper map was spread out on the meeting table again, this time filled with red diagonal lines marking the road sections that were confirmed to be flooded too deeply for normal vehicles to pass. Thanh stood to one side, phone tucked between his shoulder and ear, talking to the district traffic management team to update the latest situation.

"The provincial road connecting Vinh Khe and Son Trach was flooded at three points, the section passing Da Chong bridge was the deepest, about one meter two." He said, putting down the phone after hanging up. "Ambulances often cannot pass that section, they have to go around the inter-commune road, which is nearly twenty kilometers further and is also at risk of being flooded at any time."

Du bent down to look at the map, his finger tracing the circular route just mentioned. "Twenty kilometers of detour, plus the risk of flooding, means it's not guaranteed. What about the waterway option?"

"The rescue team of Bau Nghe commune can take motorboats carrying goods to a transfer point near Son Trach, but their boats can only run on small river branches and cannot go on the main river section because the current is too strong at this time." Thanh shook his head. "I just asked Nguyen, he said that from the gathering point to the Son Trach border, we have to go through a wide river, the water is swirling fiercely, small boats do not dare to risk it."

"So is there any other option?" Khiem asked, standing next to him, his hands still stained with antiseptic alcohol from the venom extraction he had just finished.

Du was silent for a moment, eyes glued to the map, trying to visualize the entire network of roads and rivers in his mind like a problem to be solved. "If we combine the two — take the car to the flood limit on the road, then transfer to the boat for the deepest part of the flood, then get back on the car on the other side — we can shorten the distance compared to going around completely by road."

"But having to change vehicles twice, each change is time-consuming and risky." Thanh said. "Plus, the serum must be kept cold continuously. Every time you transfer it from the car to the boat and open the gel ice box, even for just a few minutes, it will affect the storage temperature."

"I use a double-walled insulated box with enough gel ice for eight hours. I don't open the lid halfway unless necessary." Du replied immediately, having considered that problem before. "Time out of the cold chain allows a maximum of six to eight hours before the serum loses significant potency. If the total travel time is less than four hours, we still have a margin of safety."

She took a red pen and drew a new route on the map - from the camp by road to the flooded border point near Da Chong bridge, transferred to Nguyen's team's boat to cross the deepest flooded section, landed on the other side where the road was still accessible, then continued by the waiting vehicle of the district hospital.

"Is there a car at the district hospital that can pick you up at the landing point?" she asked.

Thanh nodded, picked up the phone and immediately called Thu to confirm. The conversation was brief, and when he hung up, he hung up. "The letter said there is a backup ambulance there, which can be sent to the landing point within twenty minutes if given advance notice."

"So the plan is this." Du summed it up, his voice decisive as a commander assigning tasks. "Khiem and I brought the temporary serum by the camp's vehicle to the border point, transferred to Mr. Nguyen's boat, crossed the river, then boarded Son Trach's ambulance waiting on the other side. At the same time, the provincial hospital's vehicle carrying fresh frozen plasma also had to find the same route, possibly departing from another point closer to Vinh Khe."

"As for the provincial hospital vehicle's route, who takes care of coordination?" Khiem asked.

"Ms. Tram from the Pharmacy Department has announced that she will send someone to escort her, who has experience going to flooded routes before." Thanh said. "I will contact them directly to synchronize the time, avoiding the situation where both groups are stuck at the same transfer point."

Thanh's phone rang while they were discussing — Thu's number.

"Mr. Thanh, let me ask about the situation over there." Thu's voice sounded somewhat exhausted after many hours of continuous stress. "Baby Nhi just had a mild seizure ten minutes ago. We handled it well, but I'm worried it might be due to an electrolyte disorder accompanied by prolonged blood loss."

Thanh turned on the speaker so both Du and Khiem could listen. "Temporary serum and fresh plasma are on their way, expected to be available at the landing point closest to Son Trach within the next two hours."

"Two hours." Thu repeated, her voice as if she was calculating in her head whether the baby could hold out for that much time or not. "I'll do my best to keep the baby stable until then."

"I give the baby an additional infusion of balanced electrolyte solution and closely monitor calcium and potassium levels in the blood if the hospital has rapid tests." Du interjected, his professional voice clear. "Prolonged coagulopathy, sometimes followed by hypocalcemia due to excessive consumption during abnormal coagulation, may be the cause of seizures rather than direct neurological damage."

"I will do it right away." Thu said, sounding as if she had just been given another useful clue in the midst of confusion. "Thank you."

The call ended, and in the conference room, the atmosphere became a little heavier. Khiem looked at Du, then at Thanh, without saying anything, but everyone understood that the next two hours would decide many things.

Du folded the map and looked at the clock. Five-fifteen in the morning. Temporary plasma from the camp has been processed, packed into three small vials, carefully placed in an insulated container with gel ice to keep it cold, and labeled with a clear warning about the risk of allergic reactions so that the receiving medical team can know in advance.

"Can we go now?" She asked Thanh, putting on her rain suit that was still damp from the previous trip.

"Go now." Thanh nodded and gave her an insulated box with a double-layer safety lock. "I will closely monitor the situation via phone and report anything unusual immediately."

Khiem was already standing at the door, his tool bag slung across his chest. His eyes no longer had the panic of the first time he left but were more steadfast, even though his body was definitely exhausted after a sleepless night.

"Miss Du, are we going again?" He asked, trying to add some humor to ease the tension. "I thought the first flood was enough for one night."

"This time, we don't have to go into the flooded area to look for snakes, we just have to get past it to bring the serum." Du replied, slightly curling his lips and smiling, his first rare smile tonight. "But I don't dare say this time is easier. Maybe even more stressful, because this time I'm not allowed to drop what I'm holding in my hand."

Before leaving the meeting room, Thanh made another call to Nguyen to confirm the meeting place and time. "You wait for them in the same place. They will arrive in about half an hour. This time they are carrying goods, not people to catch snakes. Please be careful not to let the cooler get hit too hard."

"Don't worry." Nguyen's voice echoed from the speaker. His voice was still tired from the previous trip but did not hesitate. "My boat and I are ready any time you guys need it. Tonight, I'll be on duty until morning."

Thanh hung up the phone and turned to Du, his eyes a little guilty. "I should have let someone else go on this trip. Khiem and I just went through a difficult trip."

"No one else knows the flow of water with Mr. Nguyen better than you, and no one else understands the dosage and how to monitor the reaction of this serum better than you." Du put his personal medical equipment bag on his shoulder, inside there was an anaphylactic first aid kit in case an incident needed to be handled on the road. "Besides, I want to personally deliver it to Dr. Thu, without any intermediaries. At least that way I know for sure there are no mistakes in the handover."

Thanh nodded, did not say more, just patted her shoulder before turning to instruct Khiem on how to keep the insulated box stable while moving, avoiding too much jolting and breaking the glass jar inside.

They walked out into the camp yard, the rain had subsided a bit compared to a few hours ago, but the sky was still dark, with no sign of dawn coming. The pickup truck started, the headlights pierced the thin fog left after the heavy rain, and in the bed of the car, an insulated box containing three vials of serum was carefully placed between the two seats, tied tightly with a seat belt like a precious passenger who was not allowed any mistakes during the journey.

Du looked in the rearview mirror one last time before turning out of the farm gate, seeing Thanh's figure standing there, his hand still raised, waving lightly, until the car completely disappeared behind a thin curtain of rain. She turned back to look at the road ahead, tightened her grip on the steering wheel, and in her mind, every number—time, distance, volume, neutralization ratio—was lined up in a long line, waiting to be verified by the trip she was about to make.