My Dearest General: It Has Always Been You

Shi Nian gawked in shock. The near-death experience still shook her down to her soul. "Mr. Jia? How…How can you be here?!"

"Me?" Jia Ming'en heaved a sigh. "Just a series of coincidences."

"Who—Who the fuck are you?!" Veins bulged out of Nan Xukun's neck and his bloodshot eyes widened furiously. He struggled and swung his legs hard, yet Jia Ming'en's vice strangle choked the breath out of his lungs. "Let me go…!"

Shi Nian's attention was quickly drawn to Jiang Jinyan who struggled to stand. Staggering toward him, she gasped and tremblingly reached out to touch his cheek. "Are you okay? Is it…Is it painful?"

…Of course, it was. Not only his cheek, but also his entire body, especially his leg. The pain was so intense that Jiang Jinyan wished he could pass out then and there. However, he still mustered a thin smile to comfort the anxious girl. "I'm fine. More importantly, how's your stomach? Does it still hurt?"

Shi Nian stared at his pale, bloodied face that was clearly suppressing the pain. Biting her lips, her head slowly lulled to his shoulder, nuzzling in search of comfort. "I'm okay… Jinyan, I will definitely bring you out of here."

Jiang Jinyan couldn't help but let out a grimace that sounded like a laugh. "Isn't that supposed to be my sentence?"

The situation on two sides of the room was polar opposites. One was heartwarming and emotional while the other was filled with curses and animosity.

Hearing Nan Xukun's words, Jia Ming'en raised a brow as he scanned the man up and down. "What did you say? 'Fuck'? Did you just curse me?"

Nan Xukun glowered. "I am! So what, you fucker?!" He clenched his fist and swung it forward but Jia Ming'en had seen through him. Tilting his head to the side, Nan Xukun's fist barely managed to graze his glasses. The black framed spectacles flew off Jia Ming'en's face and landed on the ground heavily. Fortunately, it was made of plastic so no crack was formed on it. "Who the hell are you?! You're here to save the day? Another good Samaritan who comes to take Shi Nian away from me?!"

"Haha…" Jia Ming'en gave a laugh that didn't reach his eyes. The corner of his mouth twitched as he forced himself to remain cool-headed. "Where's this snotty brat pop up from? How old are you? You're younger than me, right? I can still endure it if I'm talking to someone older but who gives you the right to speak informally to me, huh?" Jia Ming'en slapped his forehead hard. "Where are your manners? Do your parents not teach you to respect elders?"

The mention of parents hit Nan Xukun right on his sore spot. Red veins spread through his sclera and he gritted his teeth, livid. He had no idea where this strange man came from but he was hella strong and tough! Nan Xukun couldn't move under his grip. Scratching and kicking didn't work either. 

Jia Ming'en's fingers pressed right on his neck where his veins were pulsing at a fast rhythm. If he just exerted a little bit of force, then he might be able to asphyxiate Nan Xukun to death. 

…Unforgivable! Why was everyone out to get him?! It's not fair at all!

Jia Ming'en slapped him once again. "Hey, where has your mind wandered to? I asked you a question." 

Nan Xukun lowered his eyes to hide the malice underneath. Without any warning, he pulled out a sharp, glinting scalpel from his back pocket and stabbed it straight on Jia Ming'en's arm!

"Ngh…! You damn brat!" Caught off guard, Jia Ming'en's hold instinctively loosened as he clutched his bleeding arm, frowning. 

Nan Xukun succeeded in freeing himself. His sight landed on two people who were immersed in their own world and unwillingness burst forth his chest once again. 

When Jiang Jinyan realized it, it was already too late. "No!"

Nan Xukun pounced forward desperately like a cheetah and wounded his arm around Shi Nian's neck from behind. She was dragged backward by the force, coughing in shock. In a few seconds, Nan Xukun had moved to the opposite side of the room. Another small knife was pointed to her neck. "Don't move, everyone." Nan Xukun said with a grin as his eyes especially fell upon the enraged Jiang Jinyan. "You don't want to see her bleed to death, do you?"

Jiang Jinyan's jaws tightened. He hollered to Jia Ming'en. "What the hell have you been doing?!"

Jia Ming'en leisurely pulled out the scalpel stuck in his arm and tore the sleeve of his shirt to wrap around it. Biting the cloth, he spun the scalpel between his fingers. "My bad, I have no idea he has more than one weapon." He lifted the knife and licked the blood on the tip of it, his eyes bitingly cold. "Do you want me to teach you how dangerous it is to leave a knife in my hand?" 

"Hah!" Nan Xukun scoffed and pressed the knife harder to Shi Nian's neck. A trail of blood trickled down the fair skin. "You still want to try?"

"Nan. Xu. Kun!" Jiang Jinyan gritted his teeth, itching to pummel him to pieces.

"What are you so scared of?" Jia Ming'en asked in a matter-of-fact tone. "We're two people and he's only one. No matter from what angle I see it, we are going to win." Then, he nodded to Shi Nian. "Just bear with the pain for a bit, Miss."

No, that's not right. The first person Jiang Jinyan had to pummel was Jia Ming'en. "What nonsense are you spurting now?! Can't you see he's holding Shi Nian at knifepoint?!"

"Don't panic, dude." Jia Ming'en took a step forward in which Nan Xukun responded by treaded back. His eye transfixed on Jia Ming'en, wary and alert. "Hey kiddo, you are a coward who can only satisfy yourself by hurting another, huh? This world isn't so easy to live in, you see. If I throw you in front of Jia Renyu, I doubt whether you can persist for ten minutes. In a sense, Si Zhening is better than you ten times—no, one hundred times." 

Cruelty and savagery reflected on Jia Ming'en face. Coupled with the bloodied scalpel in his hand, he looked more like a serial killer than Nan Xukun was. "Do you want to try to have your eyeball dug out slowly?" Even before his last word fell, he caught everyone off guard by striding forward all of a sudden. 

The unprepared Nan Xukun was startled to face someone who didn't have an ounce of fear toward him. Staggering back, he tightened his hold over Shi Nian's neck. "Don't you dare come closer or I will kill—arghh!"

Shi Nian bit down on his arm tightly, so hard that blood instantly filled her mouth.

Now! Her eyes and Jia Ming'en's met across the room.

Jia Ming'en leapt forward, the scalpel held in his hand like a reaper's scythe that was out to reap souls. He was fast, so fast that his figure turned into a blur!

"No…" Nan Xukun yanked Shi Nian's hair ferociously, eliciting a sharp gasp of pain from the girl. Her bite on his arm also loosened as a result. Nan Xukun's eyes went mad in a frenzy. "You're the one who forced me to do this!"

Chills ran down Jia Ming'en's spine and he cursed out loud. He almost made it… his hand was only less than five meters from them when Nan Xukun took out a small detonator from his pocket and pressed down on it.

In an instant…

BOOM!

The entire building shook violently and Jia Ming'en staggered, losing his balance. Jiang Jinyan fared worse, he already had difficulty standing for a long period of time and the unstable ground caused him to tumble down the ground. Blood slipped out from the corner of his mouth from accidentally biting his tongue.

Jia Ming'en lowered his stance to regain the balance. "You've gone nuts!" He hollered angrily.

Tongue of flames burst forth from the walls. Dust and small pebbles sprinkled down on them. The temperature instantly rose higher and the air was filled with smoke. It was getting harder to see more than five meters in front, much less to breathe.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Nan Xukun had dragged Shi Nian out. The latter's scream echoed through the air, filled with anger and frustration. "Nan Xukun, I won't forgive you! LET ME GO, YOU JERK!"

With thick smoke in front of him, Jia Ming'en found it difficult to move. Different from normal people, he only had one working eye. It stung so much that tears sprung up his eyes. From his blurry vision, he could only see Jiang Jinyan madly sprinting after Nan Xukun and Shi Nian, his leg limping badly.

How could he endure the pain? Jia Ming'en grimaced.

However… 

He looked at Jiang Jinyan and the coughing Si Zhening back and forth. Gritting his teeth, he made a split second decision and dashed toward Si Zhening, avoiding the falling rocks and bricks from above. "Come on! We have to get out of here!" He held the man up by arm, the chains rattling with the movement.

"Exactly what has he done to you?!" Jia Ming'en gritted his teeth angrily and smashed the scalpel on the chain clasp again and again. He panted heavily, the repulsive scent of burnt flesh wafted out from Si Zhening's wrists, churning his stomach with nausea.

Si Zhening painstakingly cracked open his eyes, his breath came out weak and rapid. "You should have gone…after them…"

"Yeah, and leave you here to rot and die?! You keep your mouth shut and protect yourself!" Blood painted his gums crimson as Jia Ming'en exerted all of his strength to tear the chains off by sheer force. By then, the area around them had almost collapsed and flames spurted from all directions. Hair-raising sizzles rose from Jia Ming'en's palms as he roared fiercely. The chains finally gave in under the brutal force and snapped into two under his hands.

All these times, Si Zhening's eyes never left his face. It was unknown what he was thinking, albeit Jia Ming'en had given up trying to guess his thoughts. Breathing heavily, he slung Si Zhening's arms around his shoulder and lifted the man up. "Let's go. We need to catch up with those brats."

Si Zhening slumped heavily against him. Closing his eyes, he slowly let out an inaudible chuckle. "...Stupid."

Side by side, they walked through the sea of flames.

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A/N: 

Mass release [2/3]