Chapter 1

I was reborn on the very day Liam Dunlap bragged about defusing a bomb with one hand.

The first thing I did was turn off my phone.

Then I slept straight through till morning.

When I turned it back on the next day, there were—just as expected—over a hundred missed calls.

In my previous life, after realizing the disaster he'd caused, Liam had called me frantically through the night, begging me to come clean up the mess.

At the time, I had just finished three consecutive bomb disposal operations and had been home for less than an hour. Even so, I rushed back to the scene in the pouring rain and worked through the night to defuse the bomb.

Because of that, the hostage's father—Mayor Allen Bowser—chose not to pursue legal action against Liam. Liam received only the internal disciplinary action he deserved. If he had managed to endure that period, he might still have had a chance to remain on the force.

But Liam had grown up under my girlfriend Erica Adams's protection, sheltered from hardship. When the storm of public criticism hit, he couldn't withstand it. In the end, he chose to jump to his death.

This time, when I arrived at the scene, Liam was slumped beside the command vehicle, his face pale with panic.

The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up.

"I called you dozens of times last night! Why didn't you answer? Your phone is supposed to stay on during operations—that's basic discipline! You knew there was a bomb disposal mission last night, and you're the most experienced in the whole team. And yet you chose that moment to turn off your phone? Andrew, what exactly are you playing at?!"

My hand struck his face.

I looked down at him coldly. "Liam, have you lost your mind?"

Colleagues from other units rushed over at the commotion.

I raised my voice. "The one on duty last night was you—not me!"

His face went stark white.

"When lives are at stake, does it matter who's on duty?" he shot back. "You never turn off your phone—why did you do it yesterday? Andrew, you can dislike me all you want, but don't gamble with a hostage's life just to prove a point!"

He spoke with righteous conviction.

Some of the uninformed had already begun whispering, assuming I had deliberately stayed away and dumped the mess on a rookie like him—just to watch him fail.

Before I could respond, a colleague snapped.

"Liam, shut up! Do you know Captain Craig handled three bombs in a row yesterday? He barely had time to take two bites of a compressed ration! You sit in the office all day while we take the fieldwork. How would you know how exhausted he is?

"He didn't get home until one in the morning. His phone died, and he collapsed the moment he lay down. What's wrong with that?"

Even members of Liam's own team couldn't stand it anymore.

"Enough, Liam. It really wasn't Captain Craig's shift last night. If anything, we were just unlucky."

Liam staggered back and dropped into a seat, his lips trembling.

"What are you all doing standing around here?!"

The police chief's furious shout rang out from behind us.

At his side, Erica approached quickly, her face cold.

I was about to speak. But she didn't even glance at me. She went straight to Liam, bent down, and helped him up.

"Don't be afraid," she said softly. "I'll help you. You'll be fine."

After the chief issued his orders, the crowd gradually dispersed. He pulled me aside. The composure he had been forcing instantly cracked, replaced by visible panic.

"Andrew! This may not be your responsibility, but you have to defuse that bomb! The mayor's son is the hostage! If it explodes, none of us will escape the consequences!"

I let out a quiet sigh. The reason I dared to turn off my phone was because I knew my colleagues could hold the situation for a while. Even if I came after waking up, there would still be time to defuse it. Only then would I have leverage to negotiate what came next.

I looked at the chief and said firmly, "Sir, this isn't just Liam's responsibility. Erica can't escape blame either."

He froze.

I handed him a document bearing Erica's signature.

"The one-handed bomb defusal procedure Liam used—it was personally approved by her. You're asking me to risk my life to clean up their mess. Sir, I can handle it this time, but those who should be held accountable should not be spared."

I pressed both hands against the desk.

"If Erica isn't dealt with seriously, the same thing will happen again. Next time, I'm not sure I'll be able to protect everyone."

The chief's expression darkened. Erica was his protégé, handpicked and trained by him since her days at the police academy. But this concerned the survival of the entire department. No matter how close the subordinate, he couldn't indulge her.

Besides, I was the only one who could save the mayor's son, Mike Bowser.

Seeing the chief's hesitation, I pushed harder.

"There are only ten minutes left on the bomb. If I go now, I'm risking my life to clean up their mess!"

His eyes flickered. He slammed the document onto the table.

"This is outrageous! Abusing my trust—this is completely lawless! Don't worry! I won't approve her Outstanding Officer nomination. Her promotion application is rejected as well! From now on, she'll be assigned to desk duty only. She is never to touch a core field operation again!"

I nodded and signed the document.

That single signature marked the end of Erica's brilliant rise—from Outstanding Officer to the heights she had once reached in my previous life.