All Chapters of I Played Poker While My Brother Was Caught in Fire: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

My words were like a bucket of ice water, dousing the last glimmer of hope in my mother’s eyes.She stopped struggling and looked at me. Her whole body was trembling. “Zayne Luke... H-He’s your younger brother…”“I know.” I nodded and turned my gaze back to my phone.“Y-You’re not human!” My mother finally mustered all her strength to scream these words. Tears streamed down her face like beads falling from a broken string.Willa Sutton rushed over as well. She grabbed another piece of canvas cloth, soaked it in water, and wore an expression of resolute grief and indignation. “Susan, don’t beg him! He’s already gone mad! We’ll go in ourselves! Zayne, move out of the way!”She tried to push me aside so she and my mother could rush in together.I sighed, feeling a bit impatient.“How troublesome.”With a quick backhand grip, I pulled my mother behind me while simultaneously stepping sideways to block Willa’s path.They were both frail women. There was no way they could budge me

Chapter 2

The fire truck came to a smooth stop. The doors swung open, and a group of firefighters in full gear quickly jumped out. They moved with practiced ease as they began laying out the hoses and assessing the fire.Leading the team was Gavin Carter, captain of the Second Squad. He used to be my deputy.Just then, Willa shouted anxiously, “Zayne’s younger brother is trapped inside! Hurry up and save him!”“Captain Luke! What are you doing here?!” Gavin looked at me and was taken aback for a moment.Then, he asked anxiously. “Did Willa say Mors Luke is trapped inside? Where exactly is he? What’s the fire like?”I did not answer his question. Instead, I stepped forward and stood between him and the firefighters behind him who were preparing to charge in.“Everyone, stand down,” I said. My voice was not loud, but it carried a tone of unquestionable authority.Gavin froze. “Captain Luke, what… what do you mean by that? Saving lives is just as urgent as putting out the fire!”“I said, do

Chapter 3

It was as if the entire world had been muted.Everyone’s expressions froze on their faces. Their minds seemed unable to process the information they had just received.A few seconds later, a piercing scream shattered the dead silence.“Ah—!”My mother’s eyes rolled back, and she nearly fainted.“How could I have raised such a morally depraved beast like you?!“Oh, dear heavens! Open your eyes and look at this ‘good older brother’! He wants to burn his own younger brother alive with his own hands!”Her cries were filled with despair and venom. Every word cut through everyone’s hearts like a knife.Willa was stunned as well. She stared blankly at me. Her lips were trembling, and she was unable to speak for a long while.Finally, she looked at me as if I were a monster. Her eyes were bursting with endless fear and loathing.“Zayne… we’re… getting a divorce!” she shouted with all her might. “I’ll never live with a murderer with the face of a human but the heart of a beast! You di

Chapter 4

The veteran police officer in charge took the USB drive from my hand. He pondered for a moment and ordered, “Everyone at the scene is to be taken back to the police station to await investigation.”In the interrogation room, the light from the incandescent bulbs was somewhat glaring.Sitting across from me was the deputy chief of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Brigade. He was a seasoned veteran detective with the surname Wilson.“Zayne Luke, 28 years old, captain of a fire squad, with countless meritorious acts to his credit, and the youngest fire rescue expert.”Mr. Wilson flipped through my file. His brow furrowed, and his gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s. “Your record is practically flawless. Why did you do this?”I leaned back in my chair, looking as relaxed as if I were chatting in a cafe. “For the money, Mr. Wilson.“Didn’t my mom already say it? ‘As long as I save my brother, the entire family fortune will be mine.’“I thought about it. Since it’s going to be mine an

Chapter 5

The next morning, the legal team I hired had arrived.Leading the team was the industry’s top commercial lawyer, the cream of the crop. His surname was Wyatt.The appearance of Mr. Wyatt’s team sent shockwaves through the entire police station.No one could have imagined that I, the “jerk who killed his own brother,” would be able to afford such an expensive dream team of lawyers.“Mr. Wilson, we’ve already reviewed my client’s statement.”Mr. Wyatt pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. His tone was professional and calm. “Now, what we need to address is the property agreement between Mr. Zayne Luke and his mother, Mrs. Susan Tatcher.”Mr. Wilson frowned. “That’s your family’s business. However, Zayne is currently a suspect in a serious crime.”“That’s precisely why we need to handle this as quickly as possible.”Mr. Wyatt produced an audio recording—the very one from yesterday at the fire scene, in which my mother had promised, at the top of her lungs, to give me all her assets.

Chapter 6

After Mr. Wyatt left, I closed my eyes. That rainy night came to my mind.It was during one of my patrols when I rescued a dying truck driver from what appeared to be a normal traffic accident.As he lay dying, the driver clutched my hand and said in a faltering voice, “The chemical plant… Mors and Willa… someone… save… my child…”At the time, I did not understand what he meant.It was not until later, when I accidentally discovered hotel room records for my wife, Willa, and my younger brother, Mors. Along with the ledgers and lists they had hidden in a secret compartment in the study. I saw their transaction records with an overseas human trafficking ring. Only then did I finally realize that the wife I deeply loved and the younger brother I cherished were not only cheating on me together behind my back. Rather, they were demons in human form.Under the guise of charity, they kept impoverished families under their thumb while selling their children like livestock to all corne

Chapter 7

The USB drive I gave the veteran police officer contained information on more than two hundred families whose children had gone missing. It seemed like he had personally gone out to investigate and interview them.After the two of them discussed the matter, Mr. Wilson immediately applied for a top-level search warrant to conduct a thorough, door-to-door search of the chemical plant, which had been reduced to rubble.As layer after layer of soil was stripped away, the entrance to a massive, cleverly camouflaged underground structure was revealed.The entrance was forced open, and a foul stench hit them in the face. It was a mixture of blood, disinfectant, and despair.What unfolded before everyone’s eyes was a scene straight out of the underworld.It was a vast underground space, spanning several thousand square yards.Inside, it was divided into a series of cramped iron cages.The walls of the cages were covered with fingernail scratches and dried, dark red bloodstains.Tattere

Chapter 8

I remained silent for a long time. Then, I finally spoke up. My voice was calm, as if I were recounting a story that had nothing to do with me.“My beloved wife had, in fact, been having a secret affair with my younger brother for quite some time.”My very first sentence caused Mr. Wilson’s eyes to widen sharply.“They used our family’s chemical plant as a cover to carry out their unscrupulous dealings.“For a long time, I took pride in having such a happy family and a kind wife.“That was until that call—when that dying truck driver shouted those broken cries for help at me in his final moments.“I began to have my doubts. I conducted a secret investigation and eventually found the evidence in a hidden compartment in their study.“At that moment, I felt as if my world had collapsed. “My dearest wife and younger brother, the very people I trusted most, turned out to be beasts and human traffickers who shared the same bed but harbored completely different intentions.”I looked

Chapter 9

Willa was arrested while attempting to flee.Using her as a breakthrough, the police followed the trail and uprooted a massive criminal network that spanned the entire country and even extended overseas.Hundreds of suspects were apprehended, and over a thousand victims of human trafficking were rescued.This was a historic, large-scale anti-trafficking operation.As the one who sparked this storm, I, too, faced my trial.In court, my legal team presented a wealth of evidence. They proved that all my actions were necessary measures taken under extreme circumstances to expose even greater evils and protect more innocent people.Mr. Wilson also took the stand personally to testify. He elaborated in detail on the decisive role my actions played in cracking this sensational case.“If it weren’t for Zayne, who knows how many more innocent lives this underground hell would have continued to swallow?”He said from the witness stand, “His actions may have had procedural flaws, but in

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