Nice Watch? Traded My Wife for It. Chapter 1

A series of explosions rocked the neighborhood, burying a pregnant woman beneath the rubble.

She could die at any moment, along with her baby.

As the only medic from the rescue team on site, I was about to rush forward to help when my captain abruptly held me back.

"Don't worry about her for now."

He pointed to the luxury store across the street.

"It just blew open. Go check if that limited-edition watch is still there for me."

I froze on the spot.

"Captain, there are two lives down there!"

He just sneered, patting my dust-stained face.

"Kid, can't you tell priorities? That watch is worth ten years of your salary. Not being able to save someone is an accident, but not getting that watch would be *my* loss."

My whole body trembled, and a buzzing sound filled my ears.

It was so loud, it felt surreal.

"Captain, what did you say?"

Captain Miller, the leader of our highly praised rescue squad, was looking at me with an unfamiliar gaze, one I'd never seen before.

There was no urgency in his eyes, only endless greed.

"I said, go into that store and get me that watch."

He spoke slowly, deliberately, his finger pointing at "Prestige Jewelers," the luxury store diagonally across from us, half-collapsed.

"It’s a limited-edition Patek Philippe. The explosion just opened it up; it's the perfect opportunity."

From beneath the debris, the pregnant woman's groans echoed again, faint but like a needle sharply piercing my heart.

Her water had already broken. Blood was seeping into the gravel beneath her.

She could suffocate at any moment from internal bleeding or being crushed.

Those were two lives!

"Captain, you're insane! There are two lives down there! Her water broke; if we don't save her now, it'll be too late!"

I practically screamed, my eyes filled with anger and disbelief.

Captain Miller just sneered, leaning closer to me.

That face, so often hailed as a superhero on TV, was now contorted into a monstrous expression I didn't recognize.

He slapped me, his touch oozing contempt.

"Alex, you're not new to this, are you? Still can't tell priorities?"

"Saving lives *is* our priority!"

"Bullshit!"

He glared at me fiercely.

"Not being able to save them is an accident, an act of God! The brass will just give us some honorary medals and a photo op!"

"But not getting that watch? That's a real loss for Captain Miller! That watch is worth ten years of your salary, understand?"

His voice was low, yet eerily calm.

I stared at him.

I never thought the man who once pulled three children from a burning building, oxygen tank strapped to his back, the man the internet hailed as a national hero, could say something so utterly despicable.

"Captain, please, I'm begging you, let's save her first..."

I knelt on the ground, my voice trembling.

"Get lost!"

He shoved me away, so hard I stumbled backward, crashing into a jagged piece of rebar.

A sharp pain shot through my lower back.

"What are you standing around for?!"

Captain Miller roared at the other team members.

"Mike, Tom, you two, come with me over there! Everyone else, secure the perimeter, don't let any civilians get close!"

"Over there", in his words, meant the direction of the luxury store.

Several senior team members looked uneasy, but no one dared to speak up.

"Help... help me..."

The pregnant woman's voice came from deep within the rubble, filled with despair.

"My baby... save my baby..."

That cry was like a sharp spike digging deep into my heart.

"Screw it!"

I didn't care anymore!

My eyes red, I shoved away the senior team member trying to hold me back.

I grabbed the emergency kit from the ground and sprinted like a madman towards the shaky pile of rubble.

"Alex! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Captain Miller's furious shout exploded behind me.

I ignored him, my mind fixed on one thought:

Save her!

The structure of the rubble was incredibly unstable.

I'd barely climbed two steps when a concrete slab slid down from beside me.

It smashed near my foot, and flying debris cut my face.

Ignoring the pain, I scrambled on all fours towards the pregnant woman.

Half her body was pinned under a precast slab. Her face was ashen, and her lips had already started to turn blue.

"Hold on! I'll get you out right now!"

I shouted, trying to free the rebar pinning her down.

But the rebar was too heavy. I couldn't move it by myself.

Just then, a hand suddenly grabbed my collar from behind, yanking me backward.

I tumbled off the rubble, hitting the ground hard, feeling my head spin.

Captain Miller glared at me, his eyes bloodshot.

"Are you rebelling, huh? Can't you understand plain English?"

He kicked my medical kit, sending syringes and bandages scattering across the ground.

"That's a life! No, two lives!"

I braced myself on the ground, struggling to get up, but he stomped his foot on my shoulder.

"I said, I'm getting that damn watch today!"

His facial muscles twitched with rage.

"Brock, Mark, keep an eye on him! If he moves again, tie him up right here!"