Chapter 1
My dad was killed in the line of duty. To fulfill his last wish, I joined the police detective unit.
Michael Stone, the top captain in our unit, took me under his wing for three years and stood by my side every step of the way.
I always believed he'd be the one I'd walk through life with.
But during the search, the suspect set off a tear gas canister, sealing the basement completely.
My filter light switched from yellow to red.
I reached out to Michael for help, but he gave the last spare filter to that female officer next to him.
"She's the chief's niece. It's her first time in the field. Yet you've handled plenty of cases. Just hang in there a bit longer," Michael said.
My eyes started to burn, and my voice came out hoarse.
I protested, "The red filter light is a mandatory replacement warning. If you delay, it can cause corneal damage and burn the lungs.
"That's what Regulation 17 reads. It was you who drilled it into me yourself!"
He let out a cold laugh, and sneered, "Your dad gave his life for the mission, and you can't even tough out a bit of gas?
"As the daughter of a hero, you can't even measure up?
"Regulations? Rules are laid there, you gotta know how to adapt. Three years with me, and that's all you picked up?"
He turned around, carefully pressing down the edge of Emily Lane's mask, his voice softening.
"Don't be scared. It'll be over soon," he said.
I didn't argue with him, but lowered my head and pressed my thumb against the button on my police body cam, the one I'd never used before.
Right then, it started an emergency live upload.
By that, all the footage streamed in real time to the command center's main screen，
and the indicator light shifted to a covert rapid-blink mode.
Thick tear gas punched through the gaps in my mask, stabbing into my eyes and flooding my throat.
With every breath, a ripping agony tore through my lungs.
My vision blurred as tears and involuntary mucus poured out, coating the mask's visor and making it impossible to see.
Then, a pair of brand-new tactical boots stopped right in front of me.
It was Emily.
She was decked out in the squad's freshly issued top-tier protective suit, with the spare filter Michael had just personally snapped onto her mask.
"Sarah, don't be mad at Captain Stone," Emily said.
She crouched down, her voice a bit muffled by the gas mask, but I could still hear the smugness in it clearly.
"It's my first time dealing with this stuff. I was so scared my legs went weak, felt like I was about to die. Captain Stone just wants to take care of the rookie. You're so experienced, you'll be fine, right?" she said.
As she spoke, while pretending to help me up, her fingers slyly flicked the exhaust valve on the side of my mask.
Hiss-
Instantly, a sharp stream of acrid gas flooded in, the feelings of burning even worse than before.
I shoved her away, hacking uncontrollably and clutching my throat. I couldn't even get a single word out.
Emily fell to the floor intentionally, yelping in surprise.
Emily shouted, "What are you doing?"
Michael heard her shout, dropped his tools, and strode over with heavy steps.
He gently pulled Emily up from the floor, putting her protectively behind him. When he turned to face me, his gaze was cold, as if watching someone who was in the wrong yet unrepentant.
"Sarah Young, are you out of your mind?" Michael yelled at me.
His roar bounced off the cramped walls, making my ears throb.
"I just gave the spare filter to Emmy. Did you really have to lash out? It's one thing to be competitive in the squad, but at a time like this? Are you seriously acting like a spoiled princess right now?" he snapped.
I wanted to explain, to tell him that Emily had tampered with my exhaust valve.
But my throat felt like it was stuffed with burning charcoal, and all I could manage was a harsh, raspy gasp.
The dizziness from the lack of oxygen made my legs buckle, and I clung desperately to the damp wall behind me, barely holding myself up.
Emily hid behind Michael, clutching his sleeve, seeming like she was shaking with fear.
"Captain Stone, it's not Sarah's fault. Maybe I shouldn't have asked for the filter. But you taught me, the squad's resources should go to whoever needs them most," she said.
With just one sentence, she played the innocent card, and made me look like the selfish jerk meanwhile.
Sure enough, Michael's face relaxed a bit, but when he looked at me, there was even more contempt in his eyes.
"She's cold-blooded. And all she cares about is her own glory and sticking to the rules since she doesn't get what real partners in peril means," he said.
"Whoever needs them most? Really?" I said.
I clawed at my thigh, the sharp pain barely keeping me conscious. Through a throat that tasted of blood, I forced out a few broken words.
"Michael. If I don't change the filter, I'll go blind, I'll die." I rasped.
Michael scoffed, like he'd just heard the most ridiculous thing ever.
"Blind? Die? Seriously, Sarah, are you pretending to be weak now? You never even blinked when a suspect had a knife to your throat, but now a little tear gas and you're suddenly falling apart?" he sneered.
He looked at me like nothing would happen to me, his voice icy as ever.
"Emmy's way weaker than you physically, and she's not complaining. I swear, you're just dying to get some glory, huh?" he mocked me.
My chest felt hollow, the air slipping away bit by bit. I felt I was too weak to even argue back.
My gaze landed on an abandoned ventilation duct in the corner, the only spot where there might still be a breath of oxygen left.
I bit my tongue hard enough to draw blood, forcing myself to stay conscious. With the last bit of strength, I grabbed a fire axe nearby and staggered toward the duct, barely able to stand, desperate to smash through the rusted iron bars.
"Now what are you trying to do?" Michael roared.
With an angry shout, Michael marched over, snatched my wrist, and hurled me backward.
"Isn't this chaos enough for you? Are you trying to destroy the evidence now?" he snapped.
My back slammed hard against a sharp water pipe valve, sending a piercing pain straight through my spine.
The fire axe slipped from my hands and landed with a loud clang right next to Emily's feet.
Emily let out a scream and threw herself into Michael's arms.
"Michael!" Emily shouted.
I looked up at him, desperate and defeated.
He didn’t hesitate to yank the handcuffs off his belt and snap my wrist to the large water pipe with a loud click.
"Since you can't calm down, stay here and reflect!" he barked.