Forced To Save A Dog

Having just rescued an elderly woman's grandson, I collapsed onto the ground outside the blazing building, utterly exhausted. My girlfriend Lucy Jenner, however, clung to me and cried pitifully, "Chris, please, can you go in one more time? My baby's still inside!" I knew the "baby" she was talking about was her pet dog. "The fire's gone out of control. If I go in now, I'll die." Lucy shot me an accusing look. "How can you be so heartless? Is a dog's life not a life? I've always treated Candy like my own child. If you won't even save my helpless baby, how can I entrust my life to you?" In my previous life, these seemingly gentle words forced me to go back into the flames like a knife on my back. After that, the building collapsed. I was burned and later died. Lucy then leveraged the attention she gained from her tragic loss of a heroic boyfriend to become a famous influencer with millions of followers, raking in a fortune. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at this very moment, when she was pleading with me. Watching her tearful face, I yanked my sleeve back. "You're right, all lives are equal." I pointed at the smoke-billowing doorway. "Oh, kind mother, your baby is waiting for you. Go save her." Chapter 1 Lucy looked at the roaring flames inside the doorway and backed away in fright. "Ch... Chris... the fire's so fierce in there, how can a fragile woman like me go in? You're a firefighter, it's your job!" I let out a cold laugh, then snatched the Hermès bag she was clutching tightly. I slid open the zipper. Gold jewelry, luxury watches, and even a full set of expensive skincare products spilled all over the ground. Lastly, a scented candle rolled out. I pointed at the valuable items on the ground and addressed the reporters. "When the fire broke out, you had time to pack your jewelry, luxury watches, and skincare products, but you somehow didn't have time to grab your dog that you claim is more important than your own life? Does your maternal love only manifest when you need someone to sacrifice for you?" As soon as I said this, jeers erupted from the crowd. A few passers-by who were livestreaming on their phones zoomed their cameras in on the valuables on the ground. "I thought she genuinely cared about her dog, but it turns out she's just a materialistic, attention-seeking drama queen!" "Disgusting. She wouldn't sacrifice herself, but she wants the heroic firefighter to die for her dog." "Her affection for her dog is just for show. She took her skincare products, but not her dog." Seeing the people around us whisper and point, Lucy's face flushed red. She crouched down in a panic to pick up the gold jewelry and luxury watches. "You guys know nothing! These are my entire fortune! "Chris, how dare you rummage through my personal belongings?!" She then covered her face and fled from the reporters' cameras. But after a few steps, she turned back to glare at me. "Just you wait, Chris West. You'll regret this!" I stared after her as she ran away. I really regret being blinded by love in my previous life. A young coworker walked over and handed me a bottle of water, looking a little worried. "Chris, your girlfriend is usually so gentle. What's gotten into her today? She seemed to be sending messages on her phone when she ran off earlier. I hope she won't cause any trouble." I twisted open the cap and took a big gulp of water. "She's not my girlfriend anymore. Also, get ready for trouble." Lucy was never the type to take things lying down. In my previous life, she even profited by trampling on my corpse. In this life, there's no way she'd just let it slide. Sure enough, that very afternoon, trouble came knocking. Chapter 2 I had just returned to the station with my team. Before I even had a chance to change out of my gear, the captain called me into his office. The captain's brows were knitted into a tight knot. "Chris, look at what’s happening online!" He pushed his phone toward me. On the screen was a lengthy post by Lucy, with an incredibly provocative title. "Heartless Firefighter Refuses to Save My Baby, Causing Her to Die in a Fire!" In the post, she portrayed herself as a fragile girl desperate to save her dog, while I was an arrogant villain who refused to help. The number of comments had already surpassed ten thousand. "Wearing this uniform means serving all lives. Refusing to save a life is murder!" "Investigate this guy! How did someone with no morals get into the fire service?" "I want severe punishment! He must be fired!" The captain sighed. "Chris, I know the situation at the scene was complicated, but the public's fuming right now. The brigade wants you to be temporarily suspended for investigation. It's just to let things cool down." Before I could say anything, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the window. "Chris West! Come out!" "Murderer! Give me back my baby!" I walked to the window and looked outside. Lucy, along with her best friends and several fans livestreaming on their phones, was blocking the station's main entrance. Lucy held up a photo frame containing a black and white picture of her dog. She was sobbing hysterically, as if her own father had died. A middle-age lady who was passing by stopped, her face full of sympathy. "Oh dear, the poor girl is crying so hard. It's just a dog, right? Young man, you're a grown man. Just come out there, humble yourself, and apologize. That'll instantly make things better." Others chimed in. "Yeah, of course a girl would be upset after losing a beloved pet." "You're a firefighter, so making a little sacrifice is part of the job." The captain walked over and patted my shoulder. "Chris, did you hear that? Everyone's watching. Go out there right now and apologize sincerely. You can't let your actions damage the brigade's reputation." I looked the captain in the eye and said, "Captain, reputation isn't earned by bowing down to scoundrels." I turned around and walked out of the office, heading straight for the main entrance. When Lucy saw me come out, she started crying even harder. "Chris, you finally have the balls to come out! Look at my baby! Oh, she died so tragically!" She tried to grab my shirt, but I immediately took two steps back. "Get away from me. Don't touch me." Lucy bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. "Are you going to hit me? Why have you become so heartless?" I ignored her and pulled out a voice recorder from my pocket. I always kept the voice recorder on at fire scenes as per protocol. I held it up in the air. "Me, heartless? This voice recorder clearly captured everything you said outside the burning building. Shall I play it for your fans right now, so they can hear you say, 'Forget the dog, there's jewelry in my bag'?" Lucy looked taken aback. She clearly didn't expect me to have something like this up my sleeve. She stepped back in panic, deliberately tripping and falling to the ground as if I had scared her. "Ouch!" As she fell, the contents of her bag spilled out again. This time, it wasn't gold jewelry, but a bottle of pepper spray. The valve broke open when the spray hit the ground, and the pungent pepper spray immediately gushed out. It sprayed right onto the ankle of the middle-aged woman who told me to apologize earlier. The woman clutched her ankle and rolled on the ground screaming. "Aah! My foot! It's burning me!" The crowd instantly descended into chaos. Lucy turned to the woman with teary eyes. "I'm sorry, I dropped it because Chris scared me." The security guards approached Lucy with stern faces and grabbed her arms. "You brought dangerous contraband to storm a government facility and now you've injured someone. I've already called the local police station. We'll send this woman to the hospital. As for you, get ready to explain yourself at the police station!" As Lucy was forcibly taken away, she turned back and yelled at me. "Chris, why are you making such a big fuss?! You don't care about our relationship at all!" After watching her being taken away, I turned to the captain. "Captain, not only should I not get suspended, I also need the brigade to issue a formal investigation." I pulled out a report I had just received and handed it over. "This is the preliminary investigation report from the fire scene. The cause of fire was an old dryer, which short-circuited and caught fire. It was Lucy's negligence that started the fire and endangered the whole building!" The captain immediately said into his walkie-talkie, "Fire Investigation Department, send someone to the scene to conduct a new investigation immediately!" Chapter 3 An hour later, a fire investigation expert, a police officer, the property manager, and I gathered at the apartment floor where Lucy lived. As soon as the apartment's fire door was pushed open, a pungent smell of burnt debris mixed with cheap perfume hit us. The fire investigation expert led the way, his flashlight beam sweeping across the corridor. "What's going on here?" The expert pointed at the corridor. The floor was littered with dust bags for expensive clothes and scattered shoe boxes. The once spacious fire escape was blocked by a huge custom-made shoe cabinet, leaving only a gap narrow enough for one person to squeeze through sideways. The property manager wiped sweat from his brow. "We've warned Ms. Jenner many times, but she said she has too many shoes and they take up too much space inside her apartment, so she insisted on putting them in the corridor." The police officer's expression darkened. "Illegal use of fire escape space is a serious violation of fire safety regulations." We squeezed through the narrow passage and entered the living room, which was burnt beyond recognition. The fire investigation expert headed straight for the balcony. In a corner of the balcony, a machine, now charred black, was still plugged in. It was surrounded by cardboard boxes, synthetic blankets, and other flammable materials. "Illegal wiring, a high-power pet dryer running for a long time without being turned off, and a large amount of flammable materials piled around it." The expert took photos and made notes, his tone stern. "This is the cause of the fire. It's a typical fire caused by illegal electricity use." Just then, Lucy, accompanied by several fans livestreaming on their phones, pushed her way up the stairwell. Her hand was still wrapped in bandages from a hospital visit. Hearing the expert's words, she immediately rushed in to argue. "Nonsense! My baby gets cold after a bath, so I just wanted to keep her warm! How was I supposed to know that machine would catch fire? That's the manufacturer's fault!" She pointed accusingly at the expert, her eyes teary. "Instead of going after the unscrupulous manufacturer or punishing the firefighter who stood by and did nothing when my dog died, you're bullying a weak woman who just lost her baby!" In the livestream chat, her fans commented furiously. "Poor Lucy. What did she do wrong? She loves her dog, that's all!" "Exactly, what does the machine catching fire have to do with her?!" The property's cleaning lady was clearing the debris on the floor. Her broom accidentally nudged a charred plastic ball. It was a toy the dog used to chew on. The plastic ball rolled to Lucy's feet. Lucy suddenly let out a shriek. "Don't touch that!" She shoved the cleaning lady away. The cleaning lady lost her balance, fell to the floor, and struggled to get up. Lucy clutched the charred ball tightly and yelled at the woman. "You crushed the only thing my baby left behind! You murderer! You're all murderers!" The entire place fell silent. The police officer's expression was terrifying. He stepped forward and sternly warned, "Lucy Jenner, keep your emotions in check! You're pushing an innocent woman and obstructing an investigation. Do you want to get arrested?!" Lucy was startled by the officer's imposing presence. She shrank into a corner and burst into tears. Just then, the old man living downstairs, Hank McClung, climbed up, helped by his family. Hank's face was covered in soot, his arms were covered in scalded blisters, and his breathing was heavy and ragged. He pointed at Lucy, his finger trembling. "You venomous woman!" Hank coughed violently from anger. "Not only did you block the fire passage with your shoe cabinet, but when you ran away, you also locked the stairwell's fire door! If the firefighters hadn't smashed the door open, my family of three would have all burned to death!" Lucy's face went pale, and she immediately started wiping away tears. "Don't make false accusations, Hank. I was so terrified at the time that my hands were shaking badly. Maybe I locked the door by accident when I touched the lock." Hank's relative, unable to stay silent any longer, quietly said, "Let it go, Hank. She's just a girl, she must have been terrified when the fire started. She probably didn't do it on purpose." More of that "objective bystander" nonsense. I stepped forward and took out my phone. "Didn't do it on purpose?" I played a video, holding up my phone for everyone to see. "This is the elevator surveillance footage I just retrieved from property management." In the video, the fire alarm was blaring, and the corridor was filled with thick smoke, yet Lucy was calmly walking into an elevator. Carrying her Hermès bag full of gold jewelry, she unhurriedly reapplied lipstick in the elevator mirror. She even disdainfully brushed some dust off her skirt. Throughout the entire process, there wasn't a hint of panic on her face. "You call this 'terrified'?" I stared into her eyes. Lucy completely lost her cool. She stammered out an excuse. "I... I just wanted to save my valuables! I didn't know the fire would get that big!" As she was arguing, a charred, precarious piece of ceiling directly above her suddenly loosened. A firefighter nearby instinctively reached out to pull her away. "Watch out!" Lucy shrieked and abruptly stepped back. Her retreat knocked over a cardboard box that Hank had placed outside the door. It contained something that he had just rescued from the fire. The box hit the floor, and a crisp shattering sound came from inside. The box contained a pair of ancestral jade vases passed down in Hank's family which he had risked his life to save. Now, they were shattered. Seeing the fragments on the ground, Hank's heart sank. Blood rushed to his head and he fainted on the spot. Chapter 4 The corridor descended into chaos. The sound of an ambulance siren came from downstairs. Police officers and medical staff frantically carried the unconscious Hank down. The fire investigation expert gave his final orders before leaving. "The scene needs to be sealed off for further evidence collection. No one is allowed to enter." As soon as Lucy heard that, she threw herself onto the floor and started throwing a tantrum. "No! You can't! My baby is inside! I want to go in and be with her!" She hugged the doorframe with both hands, refusing to let go no matter how hard the two police officers pulled her. "This is police brutality! You're bullying a civilian!" While struggling, she shouted at the fans holding up their phones nearby, "Quick, film this and post it online! Let everyone see how they're driving me to my death!" That night, the public were in an uproar and voiced their strong opinions online. Lucy's team had released an edited video. The video only showed me giving her a cold look and the police forcibly dragging her away from her apartment. The title was shocking: "Cold-Blooded Firefighter Drives Weak Woman's Beloved Dog to Death, and Public Authorities Collude to Oppress Her!" The comment section was completely overrun by angry citizens. Extreme animal rights activists and misinformed netizens tore into me like mad dogs. "Chris West must die!" "Dox him! Find his parents' address!" "If the fire department doesn't give the public a proper explanation, we'll smash their main gate!" Watching the constant stream of malicious comments on my phone, my chest tightened. Memories of being cyberbullied to death in my previous life flooded my mind. That suffocating feeling of being unable to defend myself almost choked me. The department's notice came quickly. To quell public opinion, I was officially suspended. I handed over my uniform and sat on the cold bunk bed in my dorm. Lucy's fans had organized a protest at the fire station entrance, bringing flowers to "comfort" Lucy. I could see them from the window. They used megaphones to stir up trouble. "Chris West, come out!" "Get on your knees and apologize! Beg the dog for forgiveness!" I remained calm. I saved screenshots of those spreading malicious rumors about me online and recorded the fans causing trouble outside. At 10 PM, there was a knock on my door. My best friend John Jackson, who was also my former roommate, pushed the door open and walked in. He looked at me and sighed. "Chris, why are you being so stubborn?" He sat on the edge of the bed and offered me a cigarette. "The department is under immense pressure right now. The higher-ups' phones are blowing up. Just swallow your pride, go outside and apologize for your bad attitude at the time. "If the department's reputation is damaged, everyone's annual performance reviews will be ruined. "Even if you won't do it for yourself, do it for your brothers." I looked at the cigarette he offered but didn't take it. "Reputation isn't earned by apologizing to scoundrels." My voice was cold and hard. "If I apologize today, tomorrow they'll force us to pay with our lives for the deaths of cats and dogs." John grew anxious. "Why are you so stubborn?! The station is surrounded! Lucy's here too. She said, as long as you admit your mistake, she'll issue a statement forgiving you." No sooner had he spoken than a noisy flurry of footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor. The security guards at the main gate couldn't stop them. Lucy, leading a group of fans livestreaming on their phones, rushed directly to my dorm. The door was violently pushed open. Lucy was dressed in black with a white flower on her head and holding a black urn. She charged right up to me and shoved the urn in my face. "Get on your knees, Chris!" Her eyes were filled with malice. "You must apologize to my baby right now or I'll make sure you'll never be able to hold your head high for the rest of your life!" The urn almost hit my nose. Out of self-defense, I raised my hand and pushed her wrist away. Lucy stumbled backward using the momentum. CRACK! The urn she was holding fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. Grayish-white ashes scattered everywhere. Lucy fell to the floor, screaming and pointing at her scratched finger. "The firefighter hit me! Not only did he let my baby die, he wouldn't even spare my baby's ashes! Is he even human?!" The fans outside the room instantly flew into a rage, their phone cameras practically shoved into my face. All sorts of vile insults rained down on me. John stomped his feet in panic, blaming me. "Chris, why do you have to lay a hand on her?! Now, everything's ruined!" I looked at Lucy, who was rolling on the floor, and at her frenzied fans. I let out a cold chuckle. I dipped a finger into a bit of the "ashes" on the floor and brought it to my nose, sniffing it. Then, I said coldly, "Lucy, is this really your dog's ashes?"