C05
The leader momentarily choked when he came up and welcomed me at a loss. He didn’t recognize me yet. Once we were seated, his voice was filled with concern as he asked, “Miss, where is your dad?”
I reached into the pile of medals and certificates, pulling out one with my father’s name on it–a certificate declaring him a martyr. “My dad lied to me. He went to the border for a mission and never came back. I don’t have a dad anymore.”
When the officer saw the name on the certificate, his eyes instantly reddened. “You’re Jackson Young’s child?”
A young soldier beside him quickly asked, “What about your mother?”
I took out another certificate, honoring my mother as a hero for her work during the epidemic. My tears fell onto the paper like raindrops. “My mom went to this country a few years ago for a mission. The job was done, but… she died doing what she loved most.”
“And these bloodstained police uniform was my brother’s. He was a narcotics officer. When they found him, he had multiple fractures, was skinned and dismembered, buried deep in the mountains.”
“Oh God, a family of heroes,” someone murmured.
Everyone choked back tears, their gaze falling on a dull–looking medal. They looked up sharply. “What about this
medal?”
“My grandfather fought in the world war. He’s buried in a foreign land.”
Amidst their shocked expressions, I picked up a certificate of valor. “During a flash flood, a child was swept away. I jumped in and almost lost my own life saving him. This is what I got for it.”
When I finished speaking, the hardened soldiers were all in tears. “What a wonderful girl. How did you get so injured? Tell us everything. We’ll make sure justice is served.”
I recounted everything that had happened. When I was done, the men were livid, angrily slamming their fists on
the table. “Those bastards! How dare they bully the child of martyrs? Do they think we’re dead?”
“I don’t care if I have to take off this uniform–I’m going to get justice for you!” That day, the military district’s phones practically melted from all the calls, contacting every military region to identify the martyr’s family The officer solemnly promised me that I would receive a satisfactory outcome.
8:51 AM
I’ll Be Your Pride
A white–haired older man walked in with a cane while everyone in the house talked at once. He wore a traditional suit; his deeply lined eyes were brimming with tears. Everyone snapped to attention when they saw him and saluted in unison. “Commander–in–Chief!”
The commander–in–chief walked straight towards me. His stern eyes overflowed with tears when he saw the necklace around my neck. “You … you’re the granddaughter of the regiment commander.”
His fingers gently caressed the bullet casing hanging from the necklace. His eyes filled with grief as memories. came flooding back. “I personally handed this to your father. I never thought… one day, you’d bring this casing here to demand justice from us.”
Without warning, he bent his knees and knelt before me. I quickly helped him up, completely panicked. “Sir, I can’t accept this!”
