A series of explosions rocked the neighborhood, burying a pregnant woman beneath the rubble. She could die at any moment, along with her baby. As the only medic from the rescue team on site, I was about to rush forward to help when my captain abruptly held me back. “Don’t worry about her for now.” He pointed to the luxury store across the street. “It just blew open. Go check if that limited-edition watch is still there for me.” I froze on the spot. “Captain, there are two lives down there!” He just sneered, patting my dust-stained face. “Kid, can’t you tell priorities? That watch is worth ten years of your salary. Not being able to save someone is an accident, but not getting that watch would be *my* loss.” My whole body trembled, and a buzzing sound filled my ears. It was so loud, it felt surreal. “Captain, what did you say?” Captain Miller, the leader of our highly praised rescue squad, was looking at me with an unfamiliar gaze, one I’d never seen before. There was no urgency in his eyes, only endless greed. “I said, go into that store and get me that watch.” He spoke slowly, deliberately, his finger pointing at “Prestige Jewelers,” the luxury store diagonally across from us, half-collapsed. “It’s a limited-edition Patek Philippe. The explosion just opened it up; it’s the perfect opportunity.” From beneath the debris, the pregnant woman’s groans echoed again, faint but like a needle sharply piercing my heart. Her water had already broken. Blood was seeping into the gravel beneath her. She could suffocate at any moment from internal bleeding or being crushed. Those were two lives! “Captain, you’re insane! There are two lives down there! Her water broke; if we don’t save her now, it’ll be too late!” I practically screamed, my eyes filled with anger and disbelief. Captain Miller just sneered, leaning closer to me. That face, so often hailed as a superhero on TV, was now contorted into a monstrous expression I didn’t recognize. He slapped me, his touch oozing contempt. “Alex, you’re not new to this, are you? Still can’t tell priorities?” “Saving lives *is* our priority!” “Bullshit!” He glared at me fiercely. “Not being able to save them is an accident, an act of God! The brass will just give us some honorary medals and a photo op!” “But not getting that watch? That’s a real loss for Captain Miller! That watch is worth ten years of your salary, understand?” His voice was low, yet eerily calm. I stared at him. I never thought the man who once pulled three children from a burning building, oxygen tank strapped to his back, the man the internet hailed as a national hero, could say something so utterly despicable. “Captain, please, I’m begging you, let’s save her first…” I knelt on the ground, my voice trembling. “Get lost!” He shoved me away, so hard I stumbled backward, crashing into a jagged piece of rebar. A sharp pain shot through my lower back. “What are you standing around for?!” Captain Miller roared at the other team members. “Mike, Tom, you two, come with me over there! Everyone else, secure the perimeter, don’t let any civilians get close!” “Over there”, in his words, meant the direction of the luxury store. Several senior team members looked uneasy, but no one dared to speak up. “Help… help me…” The pregnant woman’s voice came from deep within the rubble, filled with despair. “My baby… save my baby…” That cry was like a sharp spike digging deep into my heart. “Screw it!” I didn’t care anymore! My eyes red, I shoved away the senior team member trying to hold me back. I grabbed the emergency kit from the ground and sprinted like a madman towards the shaky pile of rubble. “Alex! You’re gonna get yourself killed!” Captain Miller’s furious shout exploded behind me. I ignored him, my mind fixed on one thought: Save her! The structure of the rubble was incredibly unstable. I’d barely climbed two steps when a concrete slab slid down from beside me. It smashed near my foot, and flying debris cut my face. Ignoring the pain, I scrambled on all fours towards the pregnant woman. Half her body was pinned under a precast slab. Her face was ashen, and her lips had already started to turn blue. “Hold on! I’ll get you out right now!” I shouted, trying to free the rebar pinning her down. But the rebar was too heavy. I couldn’t move it by myself. Just then, a hand suddenly grabbed my collar from behind, yanking me backward. I tumbled off the rubble, hitting the ground hard, feeling my head spin. Captain Miller glared at me, his eyes bloodshot. “Are you rebelling, huh? Can’t you understand plain English?” He kicked my medical kit, sending syringes and bandages scattering across the ground. “That’s a life! No, two lives!” I braced myself on the ground, struggling to get up, but he stomped his foot on my shoulder. “I said, I’m getting that damn watch today!” His facial muscles twitched with rage. “Brock, Mark, keep an eye on him! If he moves again, tie him up right here!”
Two burly team members immediately stepped forward, grabbing my arms, one on each side. I could only watch, helpless, as Captain Miller directed the other two to carefully clear the obstacles leading to the luxury store. Meanwhile… The pregnant woman’s groans gradually faded. Minutes ticked by, and my heart sank deeper into an icy abyss. I could see the pool of blood beneath the pregnant woman slowly expanding, staining a large patch of dust. Her hand hung limply, a simple ring on her finger. About twenty minutes later, a cheer erupted from Captain Miller’s side. A team member emerged from the rubble, clutching a velvet box, and presented it to Captain Miller. “Captain, we found it! Completely unharmed!” Captain Miller snatched the box, opening it impatiently. A exquisitely crafted watch lay inside, its dial glinting blindingly in the sunlight. He greedily caressed the watch, a look of utter satisfaction on his face. “Sarah, your anniversary gift… finally in my hands…” I stared at him, my hatred so intense I wanted to tear him limb from limb. He, however, carefully tucked the watch into his jacket pocket. Then, he slowly turned his head, glancing indifferently in the direction of the pregnant woman, and asked with feigned concern: “How’s it looking over there?” “Alex, go check. See if she’s still breathing.” He gestured towards me with his chin, as if talking about a trivial matter. The two team members released me. My legs felt like jelly; I practically crawled over. As I approached the rubble, a heavy smell of blood assaulted my senses. My hand trembled as I reached for the woman’s carotid artery. The pulse had just stopped. Two lives lost. Mother and child, both gone. Tears streamed down my face, mixing with the blood and dust. Just as I was consumed by immense grief and self-reproach, a familiar phone ringtone broke the silence. It was Captain Miller’s phone. He impatiently pulled out his phone, glanced at the screen, and his face instantly twisted into that sickeningly sweet smile again. He cleared his throat, a smile plastered on his face as he answered the call. “Hey, Sarah? Don’t worry, I’ll be done here soon. You…” “Strange, why isn’t anyone talking? Hello? Sarah?” He hadn’t even finished his sentence when a voice called out from the rubble behind me. The sound was faint, but I was close enough to hear it clearly. I stiffly lowered my head, following the sound. Next to the pregnant woman’s limply hanging hand, a phone with a shattered screen was stubbornly glowing. On the screen, the caller’s name was displayed. Captain Miller. **[截断点]**
Captain Miller was still staring blankly at the phone, and I felt a chill run down my spine. On the blood-stained screen of that phone, two words were clearly displayed—’Husband.’ And the caller? It was Captain Miller himself! My brain felt like it was about to explode. I stiffly turned my head, staring intently at the man not far away who was still gloating over a watch. So, the watch he’d gone to such lengths to get, willing to sacrifice two lives in the process… He wanted to give it to the woman whose life he had just personally ended. How ironic! How utterly ridiculous! “Sarah? Talk to me! If you don’t say anything, I’m hanging up!” Captain Miller shouted impatiently, seemingly about to end the call. It was at that exact moment that I found a burst of strength from somewhere deep inside. I violently broke free from their grasp, rushed forward, and snatched the phone from the rubble. The screen was still lit, the call still connected. Trembling, I raised the phone to my ear. “Why is it so noisy over there? Where are you? I told you to wait for me at home, didn’t I?” Captain Miller’s voice came through the receiver, laced with concern. I looked up, our eyes locking. His expression instantly froze, turning to shock and then fury. “Alex! What the hell are you doing?!” He immediately rushed towards me like a madman. I didn’t dodge. Instead, I used every ounce of strength I had, screaming at him, word by agonizing word: “She’s dead.” “You killed her!” Captain Miller’s steps abruptly halted, the color draining from his face. He stared, his pupils constricted, as if he couldn’t believe his ears. “You… what did you say?” I didn’t answer him. I just turned the phone screen towards him, then pointed with my other hand at the rubble. “Aren’t you looking for your wife?” “She’s right there.” “For your damn watch, she and your child are gone!” Boom! It was as if an explosion had gone off in Captain Miller’s own head. He stumbled, then lunged frantically towards the rubble, his gaze locked on the limp hand. The wedding ring on her finger was the one he had personally placed there on their wedding anniversary last year. “No… no… this can’t be real…” He mumbled, reaching out, but then recoiling, afraid to touch the cold body. The surrounding team members were all stunned, standing rooted to the spot, speechless. “Ah—!!!” A piercing scream tore from Captain Miller’s throat. He knelt on the ground, frantically clawing at the concrete slabs pressing down on his wife, his fingernails tearing, blood dripping. “Sarah! Sarah, wake up! Look at me!” “I was wrong! I’m a bastard! I’m not human!” The cold body, no matter how much he cried, offered no response. Suddenly, Captain Miller whipped his head around, his bloodshot eyes locking onto me. They surged with endless malice and madness. “It was you!” “It’s all your fault! You killed her!” He lunged at me like a cornered beast. “If you hadn’t wasted my time arguing with me here! I would have saved her already!” “You killed my wife and child! I’m going to kill you!” He tackled me to the ground, his crimson eyes filled with murder, his hands clamping tightly around my throat. “Captain! Calm down!” “Captain Miller! You’re insane!” Several team members reacted, scrambling to pull him off me. But Captain Miller’s strength was astonishing at that moment; even all of them couldn’t budge him. Just when I thought I was going to die right there, Captain Miller was suddenly yanked off me by a powerful force. It was Brock and Mark. “Captain, calm down! Killing someone is a crime!” Brock held him in a death grip. Captain Miller was still thrashing wildly, cursing incessantly, pushing all the blame onto me. I lay on the ground, gasping for air. I looked at this man, completely consumed by madness, and felt not an ounce of sympathy. He wasn’t grieving; he just wanted to find a scapegoat for his crimes. “Hold him!” Captain Miller suddenly calmed down, his voice hoarse, but with an undeniable command. “Tie him up, and gag him!” Brock and Mark hesitated. “Captain, this…” “I said, tie him up!” Captain Miller pointed at me, his face twisted. “No one is to speak a word of what happened today!” “Just say… just say the pregnant woman was beyond saving when she was found! And Alex, distraught from the shock, lost his mind and started spouting nonsense!”
He swept his gaze over every team member present, his eyes terrifyingly cold. “Anyone who dares to breathe a word of what happened today, don’t blame me for not being merciful!” Even at a time like this, all he cared about was protecting his own reputation! Brock and Mark exchanged glances, a flicker of hesitation in their eyes, but eventually, they walked towards me. “Sorry, Alex.” They grabbed me, one on each side, and pulled out a length of rope. “Don’t you dare!” “You’re helping a criminal! You’re accomplices!” Mark turned his face away, unable to meet my eyes. “We’re just following orders.” I struggled violently, knowing that once they had me under control, I would never get another chance to speak. In the chaos, I kicked Mark in the knee. As he cried out in pain and loosened his grip, I lunged forward. I had only one thought—run! Run to the police tape outside! There were cops and reporters there! “Get him! Don’t let him get away!” Captain Miller’s roar echoed behind me. Brock and Mark immediately gave chase. I’d barely run fifty feet when Brock kicked me hard in the back of the knee, sending me sprawling to the ground. The phone, belonging to Captain Miller’s wife, flew from my grasp, sliding to rest near a broken pillar not far away. That was the evidence! Ignoring the searing pain in my leg, I struggled to crawl towards the phone. But Brock had already caught up. He stomped his foot hard on my back. “Alex, don’t blame us. Blame yourself for seeing what you shouldn’t have.” I saw him raise the crowbar high, and the shadow of death instantly enveloped me. Just as I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst, a calm, authoritative voice suddenly cut through the dust not far away. “Stop!” “What are you doing?!” Several command vehicles, marked with police and fire department logos, abruptly appeared outside the cordon. Car doors opened, and a group of people in different uniforms rushed over. Leading them was a middle-aged man with insignia on his shoulder. His gaze swept over the chaotic scene. “Stop!” “With such a major incident happening, are you rescue workers here to fight?!” Then, his gaze fell on the cowering Captain Miller. “Captain Miller! What in the world is going on here?!” Captain Miller stiffly turned his head. Seeing the newcomer, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes. And I, meeting the middle-aged man’s scrutinizing gaze, couldn’t help but crack a chilling smile. “Director, don’t blame our captain.” “After all, your family isn’t dead inside…”
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “299264”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #惊悚Thriller #重生Reborn #玄幻Fantasy
Leave a Reply