Sweet of tears

**Are You Scared?**

"Are you going to lower a rope to pull me up or not?" Thanh Anh finally spoke into the radio, her voice calm but annoyed.

Her words snapped everyone outside back to reality.

"Are you okay?" Mo An Nien urgently asked through the radio.

"Do you wish I were dead? Hurry up!" Thanh Anh retorted.

After a while, the rescue team brought Thanh Anh up. As soon as Bac Minh Duan saw her, he rushed over and embraced her tightly.

"Bac Minh Duan, I can't breathe!" Thanh Anh shouted, but he showed no sign of letting go. She noticed he was trembling. Gently, she patted his back. "Bac Minh Duan, are you scared?"

Hearing this, Bac Minh Da gradually loosened his grip.

"Are you okay?" Bac Minh Duan asked.

She lowered her head, not saying anything.

"What do those last symbols left by the terrorist mean?" Bac Minh Canh Nghi interrupted the awkward silence.

"I know what it means. Send the bomb squad to this location," Thanh Anh said, pointing to the map in front of her.

No one said anything, following her instructions. With only three hours left, knowing the bomb's location made things easier.

"What are you waiting for?" Thanh Anh spoke from behind the terrorist, surrounded by police officers.

"How did you find me here?" The terrorist was slightly surprised but quickly regained his composure.

"You seem very confident. I acted quickly, only needing the last three seconds to defuse the bomb. And your clue was very straightforward for me," Tran Thanh Anh replied confidently.

"In your message, you wrote, 'I am the pitcher of the big game. Now, extra innings will begin. Even with a good shield, it’s useless. I always have a way to turn the tide.' The 'big game' suggests using English. A good shield means the player must perform well in ERA. 'Extra innings' in English is 'Extra Inning Game'. ERA stands for 'Earned Runs Average'. So, removing ERA from 'EXTRA' leaves 'XT'. Flipping 'XT' forms the initials of the school on the map. The clue on the LCD screen, 'EVIT', is part of the word 'Detective' reversed. In Chinese, 'detective' translates to 'Hua Qing', reversed is 'Qing Hua,'" Bac Minh Duan analyzed.

"The reason you didn't place fake bombs at the baseball field was to prevent us from checking the baseball fields at the school," Thanh Anh added.

"What’s your objective?" Nam Cung Liet demanded.

"Nothing, it’s simply my mission," the terrorist responded.

As the terrorist turned, Thanh Anh was startled, a bit frightened. His white hair, fox-like eyes, and cunning smile gave him away. He was Bai Ying, one of the top ten in the Phi Ying organization, ranked fifth with world-renowned bombing skills. Bai Ying seemed to recognize her too, mouthing words that only she could understand. She trembled, sweat dripping from her cheeks, making him laugh loudly.

"Thanh Anh, are you okay?" Bac Minh Duan asked, touching her gently when he saw her shaking. "It’s okay! I’m here," he reassured her.

Seeing this, Bai Ying took the opportunity to throw his binoculars at Thanh Anh. Bac Minh Duan reacted quickly, shielding her with his body, taking a hard hit to his head. Bai Ying used the distraction to flee, but the police pursued him.

Bac Minh Lien Thanh took Bac Minh Duan to the hospital. He had a minor head fracture, needing only three stitches to be fine.