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!"

Each accusation hit Gilbert like a stone. The color drained from his face until it was as pale as paper. He finally collapsed to the ground, eyes hollow and unfocused.

Right then, a military SUV screeched to a stop at the edge of the perimeter.

The door flew open. Carl Webb and Jasmine stepped out briskly, both of their faces dark with fury.

I looked at Jasmine. We used to be the most celebrated couple in the unit, the perfect match in everyone's eyes.

But now, her gaze passed right over me without the slightest pause and went straight to Gilbert, crumpled on the ground.

She took off her jacket and carefully wrapped it around him, pulling him tightly into her arms.

"Gil, it's okay. I'm here."

Her voice was so gentle, I almost didn't recognize it.

"I won't let anything happen to you."

In that instant, my heart went cold.

In my last life, she had protected him the same way, telling me, "Gil was just nervous. He's talented. You need to encourage him more."

Now, in front of everyone, she put her favoritism on full display without a hint of restraint.

The coworkers watching grew even more disgusted and furious.

Carl's gaze sliced back and forth between the two of us before he barked my name and ordered me into the command vehicle.

The moment the door shut, the mountain-like calm around him collapsed.

For the first time, the battle-hardened Carl showed real panic.

"Edmond, I don't give a damn about the rules." He slammed his fist onto the map table, rattling the equipment. "You have to save that server. If it goes down, this whole department, starting with me, is dead."

I met his bloodshot eyes and spoke evenly, "I can try."

My voice was quiet, but the vehicle went completely silent.

"But I have conditions."

I pulled a document from my pocket and handed it to him.

It was the approval form Jasmine had personally signed, overriding all objections. The title read, "Approval for Field Deployment of Experimental Defusal Techniques (Operator: Gilbert Pierce)."

The entire document looked painfully ironic now.

"She approved the risk. I'm not cleaning up this mess by myself. I want her to pay the price for this so-called innovation."

Carl's eyes hardened as he snatched the document.

After reading it, he slammed it onto the table with a deafening bang.

"Outrageous!"

His roar nearly shook the room.

"Don't worry. Her expert appointment application is dead. Every one of her promotion tracks is frozen as of today."

I curled my lips into a thin, icy smile.

I picked up the pen and signed my name on the military waiver, accepting full liability and responsibility.

In this lifetime, I would be the one cutting off Jasmine's path to the top.

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 every single one down. I just wanted to go home.

The moment I pulled open my car door, a sharp pain struck the back of my neck. A hand clamped over my mouth and yanked me backward.

My struggle was crushed instantly as I was dragged into a dark storage room.

Bang!

The door slammed shut and locked.

I was tied to an ice-cold chair, completely unable to move. Above me, an old light bulb flickered weakly.

In the shifting shadows, a familiar outline slowly came into focus.

Jasmine. My wife.

She crouched in front of me, her fingers gently brushing through my hair. Her voice was softer than I had ever heard.

"Don't move. The rope will cut into you."

That voice slithered over my skin like a snake's tongue, making my stomach churn.

She stared at me, something unhinged burning in her eyes.

"You ruined Gil. Do you know that?"

Her voice was light, but it slammed into my chest like a hammer.

"In the report, he's listed as the primary offender. Ed, his life is over."

I looked at her, a chill creeping into my bones. "He brought it on himself."

She shook her head and sighed, as if I was being unreasonable.

"No. I can save him."

She stood and picked up a steel pipe from the corner, thick as my arm.

"As long as you can't disarm bombs anymore, they'll have no choice but to reinstate Gil. Help him. One last time. Don't worry. Once it's done, Gil and I will take good care of you."

My blood froze. Cold shot from my feet straight up to my scalp.

I watched in horror as she stepped closer, my eyes fixed on the pipe in her hands.

"Jasmine, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you doing? My hands are for defusing bombs, not for clearing the path for your precious trainee's future!"

A flicker of hesitation crossed her eyes, but the way she raised the pipe never wavered.

"I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

Those were the last words I heard.

The pipe came down with a violent rush of air.

Crack!

I heard the sound of my right wrist shattering.

Pain swallowed me whole in an instant. Darkness crowded my vision, and I nearly blacked out.

Jasmine tossed the pipe aside and crouched down. With a towel she found somewhere, she carefully wrapped my crushed hand. Her movements were gentle, as if she were handling a priceless artifact.

She leaned close to my ear, warm breath brushing my neck as she whispered, "You'll have to stay here for one night. Once the investigation's over, I'll take you away. I can't let Gil's reputation be stained. Not even a bit."

After that, she stood up and walked out without looking back.

Click!

The light went out.

The room sank into complete darkness and silence.

-

Violent shaking jolted me awake.

The pain in my wrist flared as it was tugged, and I let out a muffled groan. Cold sweat soaked my back instantly.

It was Jasmine!

She grabbed my shoulders, her eyes split wide and bloodshot, like a rabid animal.

"Edmond! The server's core cooling system is down!"

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 sharply. My ruined hand was like silent evidence, accusing her of everything she had done.

After a few seconds, the guilt in her eyes vanished, replaced by even more frantic muttering.

"It's fine… It's fine. You can do it with one hand. You're that good, right?"

She looked up at me with an almost pleading gaze.

"For Gil, just try. Just this once!"

Bang!

The command room door was kicked open.

Carl rushed in with the guards. The first thing he saw was my raised right hand, bloody and unrecognizable.

The fury on his face was enough to set the whole room on fire.

"Take her down!"

The guards surged forward and slammed the still-raving Jasmine to the floor.

I finally let out a breath and slumped backward, only to be caught in time by steady hands.

I thought it was over.

But Jasmine, pinned to the ground, suddenly jerked her head up and pointed at me with everything she had, screaming hysterically, "It was him! He was jealous of Gil's talent, so he sabotaged the server on purpose! He even broke his own right hand to frame me!"

I stared at her in disbelief.

She was the wife I had loved for ten years, the woman I had shared a bed with. How could she be this shameless?

My mind went completely blank. I didn't even have the strength to argue back.

At that moment, Gilbert was brought in.

He was sobbing uncontrollably. When he saw Jasmine being restrained, his crying grew even louder.

Jasmine clung to Carl like he was her last lifeline and screamed at him.

"General Webb! Gil can sense energy flow. He can fix it. Let him try! He's the only one who can save this server!"

Gilbert's sobbing stopped.

He looked at Jasmine, then at me, and finally at Carl.

To save Jasmine, he nodded heavily before everyone, tears still in his eyes.

In that instant, it felt as if all my strength had been ripped away.

I couldn't let this happen.

I forced out a hoarse shout with everything I had left.

"Don't! The core is already overloaded. Direct contact will trigger a chain explosion! Everyone will die!"

Yet, no one listened to me.

In their eyes, I was just a man driven mad by jealousy.

Two staff members grabbed Gilbert and pushed him toward the core server, which was already emitting a low, ominous hum.

I watched helplessly as he trembled and slowly reached out his hand.

Time froze in that moment.

I stared at his fingertips, just about to touch the machine.

It was over. This was how it would end.

I closed my eyes and waited for the explosion and fire that would swallow us all.