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Home / Rebirth Short Story / Against the Countdown / Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

All Chapters of Against the Countdown: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

I was about to rush to the scene. The instant I realized I had been reborn, I turned around and went straight back to the dorm. I shut off my encrypted communicator without hesitation.In my previous life, after Gilbert Pierce messed up, he spammed me nonstop, begging me to save him.I had just finished a special operation and hadn't slept for three days, yet I still rushed in to clean up his mess.I risked my life, enduring the burn of liquid nitrogen.Only then did I manage to save the core servers inside the building.Because of that, the military didn't send Gilbert to court-martial. He was only suspended and put under investigation.As long as he didn't screw up again, he could've returned to his original post.Yet, Gilbert couldn't handle criticism. A few sharp comments from coworkers were enough to drive him to blow himself up in an accident.In the end, Jasmine tried to prove Gilbert's abilities and got me blown to pieces.I yanked the blanket over my head and slept

Chapter 2

Gilbert was stunned by the hit. He clutched his face and stared at me in disbelief.I shook out my numb wrist, my voice icy."Are you out of your damn mind?"I raised the mission duty roster and turned the screen toward everyone. The assignments and signatures were clearly displayed."You were the primary operator last night! I had been on a special operation for 72 straight hours and was on mandatory rest. My name isn't on this schedule."The moment I finished speaking, realization rippled through the crowd. All the bottled-up anger finally found a target."That's right! Edmond just got back from the Red Scorpion op yesterday. He defused three linked bombs and could barely stay on his feet when he returned.""Exactly! Gilbert, you've always hidden behind Jasmine. Every high-risk job got pushed onto Edmond. Now you screw up this bad and still try to drag him down with you?""You screw things up and look for a human shield. You really haven't changed at all. You make me sick!"

Chapter 3

I pulled on my bomb suit and sprinted into the building.I had no blueprints, no contingency plan.However, I had memories from my last life.I bypassed the faulty wiring Gilbert had set up and ignored the deadly traps blinking red all around me.I went straight to the core server room.Liquid nitrogen was injected, and white mist filled the air. The piercing alarms cut off abruptly.The secondary detonation sequence was successfully frozen.I took off my helmet. Cold sweat mixed with the lingering fog, blurring my vision. My legs gave out, and I slumped against the wall, barely staying conscious.When I walked out of the building, cheers erupted outside, the sound of people surviving a disaster.My coworkers rushed over, hands everywhere as they held me up, voices full of gratitude and lingering fear."Edmond! You're a damn miracle!""I knew it! As long as Edmond steps in, nothing's impossible."Invitations to celebration dinners poured in one after another.I turned ever

Chapter 4

Jasmine's shout made my ears ring."Liquid nitrogen caused metal embrittlement. Why didn't you say something sooner?"I looked at her.Just a few hours ago, this woman had personally broken my right hand.Now, she was demanding to know why I hadn't predicted the accident that happened after she destroyed me.I let out a cold laugh."With precision equipment, a sudden temperature drop causing a failure is completely normal."My voice was soft, but it hit her raw nerves."Shut up!"She suddenly grabbed my intact left hand and dragged me forward like she had lost her mind."Hurry up and stabilize it. Gil's still under investigation. He can't take any more responsibility!"Gil. Again. Always Gil.She yanked me so hard that I staggered. My right arm hung uselessly at my side, every jolt sending stabbing pain through me.I gathered all my strength and violently shook her off. Then, I thrust my mangled right hand in front of her."Jasmine! My hand is broken!"Her pupils shrank

Chapter 5

I waited for death.However, the pain and fire I expected never came.Instead, there was a thunderous boom.Boom!The entire base plunged into total darkness.The ground beneath my feet shook violently. A blast wave threw me to the floor, and my ruined right hand slammed into the wall. Pain exploded behind my eyes, turning everything black for a moment.A few seconds later, the emergency lights snapped on.From the direction of the server room, thick smoke poured out.Gilbert lay stiff on the ground, his body charred black, faint arcs of electricity still dancing across him. He was unconscious.The core server, the result of decades of national effort, was now nothing more than a heap of smoking scrap metal.It had been completely destroyed.Carl's face under the emergency lights was so dark that it could kill. He stared at the wreckage, every word forced out through clenched teeth."The data, decades of national work… All gone."The air froze. It was dead silent.Everyon

Chapter 6

All the way there, Carl personally led the escort. The security convoy ran full sirens at the highest alert level.On the stretcher, he made me a promise."From today on, your safety is my personal responsibility."-Six months later…After multiple surgeries by top specialists, my right hand miraculously recovered to about 90%.I made it through.Carl personally pinned my new rank on me and fast-tracked my promotion to commander of the newly formed Saber Special Operations Unit.The authority that came with it was enormous.As for Jasmine and Gilbert, there was no news of them at all. I assumed they were already in hell, paying for their crimes.I thought everything was finally over.Until that afternoon, when a shrill alarm tore through the air."Level One alert! An explosive device has been found in downtown Liberty Square. Configuration unknown. No safe disarm procedure identified."I rushed into the command center.On the massive screen, a strangely shaped bomb was d

Chapter 7

Jasmine had completely lost her mind.She had become a lunatic who would rather destroy everything with her own hands than accept losing it.I clenched the photo so hard that my nails dug into my palm."Commander…" One of my team members glanced at my bloodless face and asked carefully, "What do we do now?"I lifted my head and looked at the red countdown ticking on the screen.About thirty minutes left.My voice was cold as ice."Evacuate all civilians within a five-mile radius. Link up the military satellites. Lock onto every surveillance feed in the city. Since she left a gift for me…"I forced a smile that looked like something from nightmares."Then I'll show her how I dismantle her 'gift' with my own hands."-I stood in front of the bomb. The bright red countdown jumped wildly on the display, counting down from 29:59.The plaza was silent.Crackle…The speaker on the bomb suddenly came alive, sharp with static. Jasmine's voice rang out, carrying a mocking laugh."

Chapter 8

The bomb's entire display went dark in an instant.Time seemed to freeze.One second. Two seconds…The countdown stopped. The numbers froze at 05:07."No!" Jasmine's voice exploded from the speaker, hysterical and shredded. "That's impossible! How dare you! How dare you do this!"The pride and calculation in her voice were completely shattered. All that remained was raw madness and an unwillingness to accept defeat.I lifted my head and looked toward the pitch-black window of the building across the plaza.I whispered loud enough for her to hear, "I never play by a madwoman's rules."Then, I pressed my communicator. My voice was cold, stripped of all warmth."General Webb. Do it."-The bullet tore through Jasmine's chest.It was over.I stayed where I was, unmoving.Not until Carl walked up beside me, took off his military coat, and draped it over my shoulders."Let's go."The ride was silent.The car stopped in front of an ordinary-looking rehabilitation facility.T

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