Chapter 1

After getting laid off, I returned home to my hometown in defeat.

Suddenly, I heard a strange voice in my mind.

"Poor human. He was the first to rush into the fire and saved so many people, but he died the most horrible death. It's been seven years now, and his body is still buried under this pile of rubble."

I looked up in shock to see an old crow perched on the ruins next to a building, shaking its little head back and forth.

"That's right, that's right!" A calico cat was pawing through the rubble looking for mice.

"Because they never found his body, people thought he got scared and ran away from the fire. They've been cursing him as a coward, even throwing feces at his family's house. Good people really don't get good endings."

My whole body froze. I quickly dialed 91"Hello, police? I need to bring a hero home!"

1.

The officer responded quickly: "Are you reporting a missing elderly person?"

"No, not a missing person—a firefighting hero!" I said urgently. "Seven years ago, during the South District explosion and fire, a firefighter died while rescuing people, but his remains are still buried under the rubble right now."

The officer's tone became serious: "You discovered his remains?"

"No, but I have eyewitnesses. The crow and the cat are animals that frequent the ruins, and they say the hero is still trapped underneath."

After a moment of silence, I could almost imagine his expression. "Ma'am, how long has it been since you were released from the psychiatric hospital?"

"You have to believe me, I'm not sick!"

I frantically explained with both hands and feet.

"I'm a survivor of the South District fire. After surviving, I gained the ability to understand what animals are thinking. It's just that my house burned down and I've been away at school all these years. I only came home today."

"The crow and the cat told me that the hero who died has been cursed all along, and people even threw feces at his family's house. I strongly suspect he might be Captain Lee, the 'deserter' who shocked the whole nation back then."

"It's highly possible that he didn't flee in cowardice but actually died on the front lines, which is why he was misunderstood. Please send someone to investigate, clear the hero's name, and bring him home."

The officer probably thought I was mentally unstable and hung up directly.

I didn't know if he would take me seriously.

The fire that year was very serious, with 231 casualties, including 36 firefighters. Most of the deaths were supposedly caused by Captain Lee fleeing in cowardice.

The whole country knew that Captain Lee was the only firefighter who became a deserter. Everyone despised and hated him, considering him a disgrace!

I used to think the same way.

After all, the bodies of all the firefighters who died were found—only his body was never recovered. He must have run away.

But now, I clenched my fists, grabbed my grandfather's hoe, and returned to the ruins.

In the moonlight, the old crow watched me: "Is this human going to dig through the ruins? What does she want to do?"

"I want to bring the hero home," I raised the hoe and began digging. "Help me!"

Surprisingly, it actually understood my intention.

It called its friends, and soon a group of small animals gathered.

The calico cat used its paws to move broken bricks aside.

"The human wants to help the poor human go home! Everyone come help!"

A stray dog dug with its front legs: "Woof woof! For the hero! Dig dig dig!"

Several sparrows carried away small stones: "Be gentle! Don't wake the hero from his sleep~"

Even the usually aloof crow joined in, using its beak to peck at loose rubble.

At three in the morning, the shovel clanged against something hard.

I knelt down, shining my flashlight into the shallow pit—inside was a charred leg bone.

"We found it!" The crow flapped its wings.

"It's the hero's bones!"

I immediately called the police again.

Soon, the ruins were completely sealed off with police tape.

When the complete charred skeleton was carefully extracted, everyone was shocked—

The adult skeleton was curled up, and tightly protected in its embrace was the skeleton of an infant.

"An adult male, and the little girl in his arms—both died of asphyxiation." A cold female voice suddenly spoke, filled with regret and admiration.

"The deceased must have tried to use his own body to protect the child, hoping to give her a chance to survive. He just didn't expect... the child might have died even before him."

A female forensic examiner in a white coat was crouching by the pit taking notes, her eyes frighteningly calm.

Just then, I heard the voice of the calico cat at my feet.

"Oh, how pitiful. Her own husband is right in front of her, but this human can't even recognize him."

My heart skipped a beat, and I blurted out.

"This adult man is your husband!"