My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Warning: mild gore and...blood. Lots of blood :)

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The muscle buff guy rushed forward in a blink of an eye. His punch, bringing with it a sharp gust of wind, flew toward Jiang Jinyan\'s face. It was estimated that if the punch struck him, Jiang Jinyan would lose some teeth for sure, or even brain damage at worst.

Hardly any change could be detected from Jiang Jinyan\'s expression. He tilted his head sideways and the fist grazed past his ear. His eyes sharpened and he grabbed the man\'s wrist, yanking him forward as he jammed his knees onto the latter\'s stomach! The series of movements were completed in a very smooth and fluid manner that the man couldn\'t react in time.

The muscled man grunted in shock, his body staggered back two steps from the impact.

"Bro!" "Bro Sui!" The four men behind him clattered forward.

Jiang Jinyan cracked his neck and raised his brow in a taunting manner. Even though he wore a mask, they could clearly see the provocation and scorn in his eyes!

Hateful! They gnashed their teeth in anger.

The man with a fierce dragon tattooed on his arm up to his neck—Bro Sui—waved his hand as he rubbed his stomach. "Not bad, kiddo." He grinned and Jiang Jinyan knew that he could no longer escape. Just as he expected, the man took out a few knuckle rings and wore them on his hand. It glinted sharply against the light, the sharp edges was enough to scrape flesh and bones. "But still not enough—!"

He rushed forward again, this time faster with a vicious smile on his face.

Jiang Jinyan met him head on. The knuckle rings were akin to scythes which targeted his vital parts. He seized the man\'s momentum to reflect the attack with meager force. Taking advantage of his speed, Jiang Jinyan attacked Bro Sui\'s neck with the jagged edge of his car key at the same time when the knuckle ring brushed against the side of his waist.

A thin slit appeared on the side of Bro Sui\'s neck and slowly, a bead of blood slid down. He slowly touched it, his face darkening. 

Jiang Jinyan wasn\'t any better either. His waist stung and he was certain that there was a large bruise forming on it.

The four men didn\'t stay idle as they slowly cornered and surrounded Jiang Jinyan from all sides. In their hands were metal bats, knives and brass knuckles.

Jiang Jinyan grabbed the metal bat that struck his shoulder and yanked it back with force. The man on the other end was pulled forward and Jiang Jinyan used his elbow to knock the man\'s teeth. Subsequently, he used the metal bat to block against the brass knuckle behind his head.

Another guy seized the opening to give a blow to his right leg. The sharp clang of metal against metal reverberated through the air and the man showed a dumbfounded face when Jiang Jinyan didn\'t show any pain. Instead, he used the same leg to deliver a sharp kick to his stomach, sending him flying meters away.

The fight gradually moved deeper into the alley. Jiang Jinyan blocked Bro Sui\'s attack with his arm as he threw the metal bat right onto the head of another that snuck an attack on the other side, knocking him out in an instant. The knuckle rings smashed directly onto his arm and Jiang Jinyan was sure he heard the sound of his bones breaking. He sucked in cold breath as his whole arm turned numb from the pain.

Bro Sui laughed. "His arm is broken! Come on now!"

The subsequent blows turned twice as fierce with Bro Sui\'s command. 

Jiang Jinyan retreated step by step as he blocked the attacks from all sides until his back met with the uneven brick wall. His shirt was wet with sweat and blood and every breath he inhaled burned. It had been too long since he had a proper fight, even the regular exercise couldn\'t help much. He was slowly losing his momentum.

There\'s a long, thin wound running from his neck down to his collarbone. His chest throbbed in dull pain and he estimated that his ribs must have been fractured. Multiple bruises were seen along his arms and hands. His right leg trembled and sharp pain jolted up from the stump of his knee up to his thigh.

The man struck by the metal bat was knocked out cold, eyes rolling up with only whites showing while the other was immobilized from Jiang Jinyan\'s kick, unable to get up anymore.

So, three more were left—

Wait, three?

Jiang Jinyan repelled Bro Sui\'s attack and punched the other man afterward. There were only two around him. Where\'s the other one?!

His blood ran cold at the revelation and in the next second, his ominous premonition came true.

"Bro Sui! Come and see who\'s sneaking around here!" The missing man reappeared, his arm wringing around the struggling Shi Nian\'s neck. Shi Nian bit down on his thick arm ruthlessly but the man tightened his choke, cutting her airflow. Shi Nian gasped in pain and through her hazy vision, she saw the bloodied Jiang Jinyan, staring at the man behind her with reddened eyes filled with rage.

"Let her go!" He growled deeply.

It was as if he was injected with chicken blood all of a sudden. Jiang Jinyan proceeded to move swiftly like a provoked beast. Solely relying on his fighting instinct, he grabbed Bro Sui\'s head and pummeled the man\'s face with his knees, causing Bro Sui to cry out in pain. Bro Sui used his heavy weight to ram into Jiang Jinyan, knocking his head hard against the brick wall behind. 

Yet Jiang Jinyan hardly cared about the pain. He grabbed Bro Sui\'s fingers and snapped them off as if they were brittle twigs. Screams rang out along with the sound of bones breaking as Jiang Jinyan took over Bro Sui\'s sharp knuckle ring and used it to jab the other man whose knife almost pierced Jiang Jinyan\'s stomach right on his eyes.

"AAARRGH!" The poor man covered his eyes and stumbled backward, blood dripping between his fingers.

The tables turned in an instant. The man holding Shi Nian paled and took a few steps back. "D—Don\'t come closer!"

However, it was as if Jiang Jinyan could no longer hear him. He searched around Shi Nian\'s face, gaze trailing down and halted when he saw hideous red, purplish marks on the girl\'s neck and arms.

Something exploded in Jiang Jinyan\'s mind and before he knew it, his body had moved. Disregarding the man\'s threat and the knife in his hand, he rushed forward and grabbed the sharp tip with his bare hand.

"Jiang Jinyan!" Shi Nian screamed as thick, crimson blood dripped down his palm onto his pale wrist. Let alone Shi Nian, even the man was shocked when he found Jiang Jinyan charging forward like a bulldozer without caring for his life. 

He struggled in reflex and the knife pierced deeper. Not stopping there, he even twisted it around and the blade grinded into Jiang Jinyan\'s flesh, but the latter\'s hold remained steady as ever, confining him in place. Only the blood that poured out faster, painting the ground around their feet crimson. 

Due to Jiang Jinyan\'s reckless attack, the man\'s hold on Shi Nian loosened and she used it to free herself. Shi Nian\'s eyes reddened in fury and she kicked the man right on his balls with all of her strength. Jiang Jinyan followed with a punch right to his gut. The man doubled over and coughed out bile before tumbling down to the ground, groaning in pain.

Jiang Jinyan\'s breath was erratic and the knife\'s tip was still lodged in his palm. His whole body was covered in blood, both his own and others. The mask had been thrown off somewhere amidst the fight and Shi Nian could see his chapped and pale lips and the blood running down from his forehead.

His eyes were still red with ferocity like a wild, cornered beast. Even the veins around his arms bulged out intermittently like he was ready to continue fighting for 300 rounds more.

Shi Nian\'s hands trembled as she reached out to hold his pinky finger and slowly peeled the knife away from his clenched fist. Her pupils quivered as she saw the badly lacerated flesh. Even then, he still subconsciously wanted to clench his fists, causing his nails to pierce into the wound.

"Jiang Jinyan…Jiang Jinyan…" He chanted the man\'s name softly, again and again. Her voice trembled into a pained whisper.

Jiang Jinyan slowly regained his senses and brought himself out from the frenzied state. He blinked and turned to the girl, voice hoarse and dry. "Are you—" His words hadn\'t finished yet when his pupils suddenly dilated in shock. In an instant, he yanked Shi Nian and turned the girl over, embracing her with his back exposed to Bro Sui who was closing in with a knife.

Bro Sui\'s right hand was already useless thus he could only hold it on his left rigidly. Blood splattered his face from the broken nose and his eyes glowed red in hostility. "DIE—!"

Shi Nian\'s breath stuck on her throat. The scene in front of her eyes played out in slow motion.

Jiang Jinyan pivoted himself and directed a flying kick toward Bro Sui\'s jaw. Crack! A dull, terrifying sound was heard along with Bro Sui\'s hollers. However, his eyes glinted in determination to bring Jiang Jinyan\'s demise. In a split second before his body rebounded, he slashed the knife down.

Jiang Jinyan cried out as a large gash formed on the side of his thigh before the tip of the knife wedged itself on the clasp of his artificial leg. Along with the weight of Bro Sui\'s body, the knife continued its way down and tore Jiang Jinyan\'s artificial leg off with force, bringing with it pieces of flesh and blood.

It all happened in a split second. Shi Nian was frozen in place as her breathing ceased abruptly. Red dominated her vision, bringing with it the thick and pungent stench of blood. For a while, she knew nothing except for holding onto Jiang Jinyan\'s trembling back numbly.

She could clearly hear his muffled groan and his harsh breathing right beside her ear. His body spasmed in pain and without any warning, his weight bore down onto her. Shi Nian lost her balance and together, they toppled down to the ground.

The man\'s head was buried into her shoulder, motionless. Only the hint of his harsh breathing and occasional tremble could be detected.

"J—Jiang Jinyan…?" Shi Nian called out tremblingly. She lifted her hand from his back and found it covered in blood. His blood. Gradually, a crimson puddle formed underneath them. Terrified, she brought his head up to see his firmly shut eyes. "JIANG JINYAN!"

From the distance, faint echoes of blaring sirens and screeching tires drew close, muffling the girl\'s heartrending cries.

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A/N: Jinyan QAQ ugh, I grimaced when his artificial leg was forcefully torn off. Man, even my teeth hurts (つ﹏⊂)

I hope you can imagine the action scene because I am not very good in fighting scenes teehee.