Chapter 16 — Where Old Elephants Rest

The official lawsuit from Hoang Kim Group was accepted by the district court just one week after Tang Viet Long's call. The content of the lawsuit, according to lawyer Thai Minh Nhat's analysis, focuses on asking the court to declare the approximately five hectares of land where the main enclosure and the elephants' swimming beach are located - including the area most frequented by Sao Mai - as land without valid confirmation of ownership, based on the argument that Mr. Thach's original registration file thirty years ago had some points that did not match the current cadastral map, and also cited "the origin of historical disputes with the local community." local minorities" as a circumstance that further undermines the legitimacy of land use.

"They are trying to turn the complicated story between her family and Chu Rinh village into a simple legal tool," the Japanese lawyer explained during the meeting to prepare the objection file, "even though in fact, Mr. Thach's land registration thirty years ago completely complied with the regulations at that time. What they aimed for was not to win the case completely, but to prolong the case, causing the camp to waste time, money, and lose focus on other important things."

As expected, as soon as information about the lawsuit spread, a wave of new articles appeared on social networking sites and a few local news channels that lacked verification. This time, the campaign did not just stop at vague suspicions, but switched to direct attacks - several staged videos, interviews with people claiming to be "former employees" of the camp, denouncing poor working conditions, mutilated food for elephants, even a story about "elephants being chained overnight to save on monitoring costs" - accusations that are completely contrary to reality but are staged quite sophisticatedly, enough to sow doubts in the heart. people who have never been there.

Xuan Mai, the first person to discover these videos, ran into the office with a pale face. "Ms. Lam, they even created a fake video, some even claimed to have worked here, but I checked the list of former employees over the past five years, there is no one with that name!"

Ha Lam watched the video and felt so angry that her hands trembled. The woman in the video, with her face blurred and her voice edited, narrates details that sound real but are completely fabricated, enough to convince viewers who have no factual knowledge about the camp.

"We must object immediately," Tuan Khoi said, his voice stern. "But we have to do it strategically, not just deny it, but need specific, authentic evidence."

The counterattack plan was implemented quickly. Quynh Anh, a female environmental reporter, returned to the camp with a media lawyer, conducting a livestream, allowing viewers to ask questions freely while the camera recorded the entire scene of the camp's actual activities — no staging, no cutting. Ha Lam stood in front of the camera, her voice shaking but steady, inviting anyone who had actually worked or visited the camp to confirm.

Right during the livestream, dozens of comments from tourists who had visited the camp over the years, from international volunteers who came to provide short-term support, simultaneously refuted the baseless accusations, describing exactly what they had witnessed - the dedication and true love for each elephant. Ama Not, although not familiar with technology, was also supported by Y Khun to record a short video, affirming in M'nong mixed with Vietnamese about the new cooperative relationship between Chu Rinh village and the camp, completely denying the "fierce dispute" argument that Hoang Kim's side deliberately exaggerated.

The livestream, which lasted nearly three hours, attracted more than one hundred thousand views, creating an unprecedented wave of strong support, causing previous fake videos to gradually be overshadowed and condemned by the online community as "crudely staged and unprofessional".

But that small victory on the media front did not alleviate the pressure from the official legal front. A few days later, Ha Lam received a summons to attend the first mediation session at the district court, scheduled to take place within the next three weeks. At the same time, another rumor crept into the local media — that the Vietnamese Elephant Conservation Fund, which had funded the camp, was under pressure from several corporate partners linked to Hoang Kim, forcing the fund's leadership to reconsider all ongoing funding, including that for Chu Rinh camp.

That news, although not officially confirmed, was enough to make the atmosphere in the camp heavy. Tuan Khoi, when he heard this rumor through a former colleague, his face became unusually serious, completely different from the calm look he had always maintained over the past months.

"If the fund is really under pressure," he said, his voice low, "I'm afraid my position in supporting the camp will also be questioned. The leadership may think that I have lost the necessary objectivity in my role as an evaluator, especially when..." he hesitated, not finishing his sentence, but Ha Lam understood that he was referring to the growing relationship between the two.

"Are you worried that they will use our story to discredit your reporting?" Ha Lam asked directly, her voice a bit worried.

Tuan Khoi nodded, his eyes heavy. "This is something I never thought of when I decided to stay here with you. I don't regret my feelings, but I also don't want the camp's reputation to be affected in any way because of me."

That sentence, even though it came from legitimate concern, still caused a feeling of insecurity to creep into Ha Lam's heart, like a small cloud signaling a storm about to come between the two, right when they needed the most stability and solidarity to overcome the storm surrounding them on all sides.

That night, Ha Lam couldn't sleep, his mind reeling with a series of bad scenarios - if the fund really withdrew its funding, if Tuan Khoi was transferred to another job because of a "conflict of interest", would the camp still be able to survive the upcoming mediation session or not. She left the room and walked to the elephant field in the middle of the night, where the moonlight shined faintly through the leaves, clearly illuminating the massive silhouette of Morning Star standing quietly next to Vang.

She sat down on a familiar rock, looking at the old elephant, letting the silence of the night soothe some of the worries swirling in her heart. Not long after, she heard familiar footsteps. Tuan Khoi also walked out, probably unable to sleep because of the same worry.

"I'm sorry for what I said this afternoon," he said, sitting down next to her, his voice somewhat apologetic. "I don't mean to make you worry more. It's just that I always remind myself to stay professional, and I'm afraid that maybe my feelings will become a weakness for the other person to take advantage of, damaging the very thing I'm trying to protect."

"I understand," Ha Lam said, her voice gentle, unconsciously switching to a more intimate form of address that she had never used with him before. "But I don't want you to keep your distance from me just because you're afraid of what others will think. If the feelings between us are real, then it shouldn't be a weakness, but should be part of the strength for both of us to overcome everything, right?"

Tuan Khoi turned to look at her, the faint moonlight illuminating his face with a rare gentleness. "You're right," he replied softly. "It's just that sometimes, I'm scared of things I can't control, and our relationship, in this situation, is being turned into a potential pawn on their chessboard by others."

The two of them sat silently together for a long time, no one said anything, only the sound of Morning Star breathing steadily in the night and the sound of forest insects chirping around. Finally, Tuan Khoi took Ha Lam's hand and squeezed it gently, a simple gesture but containing a silent promise that, no matter which direction the storm came from, he would not let go of her hand so easily.

Before returning to the house, Ha Lam stood up, walked closer to Sao Mai, and placed his hand on the old elephant's trunk as an indispensable habit every night. "Just sleep well," she whispered, "Let us worry about adult matters. You just need to live healthy and happy, that's enough." Sao Mai gently shook her trunk, blowing a warm breath into her palm, like a quiet response but enough to partly ease the worries lingering in the young mahout's heart before she returned to rest, preparing her strength for the tough days ahead.