V2: Chapter 52: Danger

“I! I…”

Liang Lin didn't want to choose either. One was an innocent child with a bright future and a long life ahead of her; the other was her subordinate who had followed her for a very long time, fighting on the battlefield.

How could I choose?!

Choosing either one would cause her pain; she would live with self-reproach for the rest of her life.

So, it was better not to choose. So, it was better to just charge in and kill everyone. So, it was better to just take the enemy's head.

But fantasy is beautiful, reality is harsh.

Liang Lin couldn't just charge in front of so many people and kill the enemy general. That was unrealistic. If she dared to take one step forward, the two prisoners under their control would certainly die.

So…

What should I choose?

If she had to choose, who should she choose?

Should she choose the innocent little girl with a bright future, or the subordinate who had always followed her through thick and thin?

Neither was a good choice.

How should I choose?

They were now at their wits' end; a choice had to be made.

Liang Lin's heart felt heavy as lead. She knew this choice would determine the life or death of one of them. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the turmoil within her. She recalled her initial motives: to fight to protect her country and her people. But now, she had to decide the fate of two people.

She gazed at the two prisoners of war, trying to glean more information from their eyes. The little girl trembled, her eyes filled with fear; while her subordinate had slowly awoke from his unconsciousness, head held high, fearless. Liang Lin knew this choice wasn't just about life or death, but also about dignity and courage.

Liang Lin closed her eyes, the cruelty and ruthlessness of war echoing in her mind. She knew that choosing either one to live would be cruel to the other. Her heart was filled with pain and helplessness, but she had to make a decision.

If she didn't make a decision, both of them would die, but if she did, only one would die. So, who should she choose?

But, while making the decision, she could also rush forward and try to save both of them. Now, it seemed only a desperate gamble remained.

"General Eli! Don't choose me!"

At that moment, a sudden voice rang out on the battlefield. A subordinate was shouting excitedly. Behind him, the Imperial soldier who had been holding him down slapped him hard across the face.

"Damn it, you prisoner of war, what right do you have to tell others what to do?"

The soldier gritted his teeth and shouted defiantly, "Kill me! Kill me! Kill me now!"

These shouts, however, drew a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd.

"This guy's trying to negotiate with us, hahaha~ What's he thinking, negotiating with us? Doesn't he know he's just a prisoner of war in our hands?"

The surrounding enemies burst into laughter.

“Big brother, big brother… save me, big brother…” The little girl was still crying, her sobs driving Liang Lin to distraction.

As a border guardian, she had to care for everyone; this was something her parents had instilled in her from a young age. But… faced with her former loyal subordinate, who had risked her life alongside her, could she really not choose to live?

“I choose, I choose…” Liang Lin gritted her teeth, and finally, the tip of her sword pointed at the little girl. “I choose her!”

The opposing general was stunned. He glanced at the subordinate who had fought alongside Liang Lin, then grinned and laughed loudly. He forcefully grabbed the subordinate's hair, pulling him upwards to make him stare into his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips.

“See? This is what your General Eli is like. He cares for the world, and for others, he's willing to give up your lives, hahaha! What a selfless man! Using your life to exchange for her justice!”

With that, he held his sword to the soldier's neck.

The archer nocked his arrow, aiming at the enemy general's head. Liang Lin pressed his hand down, silently shaking her head. The archer was startled, only then realizing that the enemy had also nocked their arrows, and that a group of "suicide squads" had appeared in front of their general, surrounding him and making it difficult to aim.

"Wait!"

At the last moment, Liang Lin gritted her teeth and cried out in despair, "Release my men! I... choose the child!"

The enemy general laughed again.

"Eli, Eli, do you think your choice matters on the battlefield?"

At that moment, time seemed to freeze. The cold glint of the sword flashed in the sunlight, illuminating the little girl's terrified face. The general's eyes showed no pity; he swung his sword down fiercely. Blood instantly stained the little girl's neck. She let out a piercing scream and collapsed helplessly to the ground.

Before being caught, the little girl's world was simple and beautiful. She loved chasing butterflies and listening to her grandfather tell ancient stories. Her heart was filled with curiosity about the unknown and a love for life. However, she had yet to experience the cruelty of this world.

On that seemingly peaceful afternoon, sunlight shone through the clouds onto the ancient village. However, beneath this tranquility, a storm was about to erupt. The little girl played alone at the village entrance, her innocent smile as warm and bright as the rising sun. However, she didn't know that the wheel of fate had already quietly turned, and a tragedy was about to unfold.

Thump!

The little girl's body was thrown to the ground. Her watery eyes were wide open, and blood gushed from her mouth, mouthful after mouthful.

She died with her eyes wide open, unable to rest in peace.

Liang Lin felt the little girl's corpse staring coldly at her, a cold, emotionless gaze, as if blaming her for not saving her.

But before Liang Lin could utter a word, the enemy general suddenly swung his sword, thrusting it fiercely at her subordinate.

Caught off guard, the subordinate, still grieving for the little girl's death, was pierced through the chest by the sword. A sharp pain shot through his body, and blood gushed from the wound. He struggled, kneeling on the ground, trying to retreat, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.

At that moment, despair and resentment filled the subordinate's eyes. Looking at the enemy general's triumphant face, an endless surge of anger and sorrow welled up within him. He wanted to shout, but found he could no longer utter a sound.

In the previous fierce battles, this subordinate, only twenty-four years old, had performed exceptionally well. He bravely charged into battle, repelling the enemy time and again. In his eyes…  A resolute light shone within him, as if proclaiming, "For the Empire! For the People! I fear nothing!" Yet, fate played a cruel trick on him.

His men died, falling in pools of blood, and the little girl too.

In the end, none of them survived.

Liang Lin was filled with despair. She had grown up, her eyes bulging as if they would pop out of their sockets, her hand holding the sword trembling. Almost without hesitation, she raised the sword high and shouted,

"Charge!"

Her voice cracked, and that broken "Charge!" echoed across the battlefield.

On the battlefield, soldiers in heavy armor, wielding spears, swords, and shields, fought to the death. The neighing of warhorses, the clashing of weapons, and the shouts of soldiers mingled, creating a tense and terrifying atmosphere.

As the battle unfolded, blood began to stain the battlefield crimson. Soldiers slashed and stabbed, striving to inflict fatal wounds on the enemy. The wounded groaned in agony, while the dead lay silently in pools of blood. Warhorses were also frequently wounded or killed in the battle, their falls often adding to the chaos.

The soldiers fought with all their might, hacking and stabbing, trying to find a chance to survive in the confusion. As the battle continued, the battlefield piled up with corpses, the stench of blood filling the air, suffocatingly thick.

Finally, Liang Lin captured the enemy general.

Yes, that's right, captured, taken alive.

A cruel smile curled at the corner of her lips. Mimicking the general's earlier gesture, she raised her right hand, holding up two fingers.

"You have two choices now. First, I'll cut off your arms. Second, I'll cut off your legs. Choose one."

The enemy general's eyes were no longer filled with smugness or imposing arrogance; instead, they were filled with fear and terror. However, he still gritted his teeth and said, "Kill me or let me die. Give me a quick death."

"Give you a quick death? Why are you so naive, so childish? Why do you think I'd let you go?"

Liang Lin sneered, grabbing the man's hair.

"You're so immature, begging your enemy for a quick death! I was just now, I was discussing it with you, why didn't you agree?"

"When you refused my request, when you killed my men and that child, you should have known this would be your fate."

Liang Lin used the tip of her knife to slit the man's wrist, slowly saying, "Make your choice quickly. If you don't, I'll make your death incredibly painful. I'll use my knife to cut away pieces of your flesh, bit by bit. But I'll still keep you alive, so you'll feel the pain of your flesh being sliced ​​off every single day."

Looking at the cold, emotionless Liang Lin, who seemed like a killing machine, the enemy general couldn't help but shiver.  "Make your choice quickly."

Saying this, Liang Lin actually cut a piece of flesh from the enemy's arm.

"Ahhh..."

The cut flesh burned with pain, but before he could react much, Liang Lin ripped a piece of flesh from his leg.

"I choose! I choose!"

The enemy general howled in agony. He only had the choice between having his arm or leg severed.

"My arm! I choose to have my arm severed! I choose to have my arm severed!"

If his arm was severed and he was released, he could still walk and return to his country. But if his leg was severed, he would only be able to crawl.

"Oh?"

Liang Lin mimicked his tone, revealing a cruel smile, and raised her sword high.

"Do you really think this matter is up to you? How could you be so naive? You actually made a choice? Isn't this kind of thing in my hands?"

The words had barely left her lips.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

A heart-wrenching scream echoed in Liang Lin's and her men's ears. Though it was a wolf's wail and a ghost's howl, to them it sounded incredibly pleasant.

Liang Lin had deliberately chosen a very dull knife, even rusty, and she hacked at the enemy general's limbs, making over twenty cuts before severing his arm.

At this moment, the enemy general had fainted from the pain and was no longer uttering a sound.

"Splash water on him, wake him up."

Liang Lin discarded the bloodied arm.

Splash!

The enemy general finally groggily awoke, opening his eyes again to see Liang Lin's devilish face. Liang Lin grinned at him, expressing her "friendliness."

"Now only one arm has been severed. There's still one arm and two legs~"

The enemy general was utterly desperate. He knew that if all four limbs were cut off, he would probably die from the pain before the other could even touch his neck.

"Kill me, please kill me! Give me a quick death, I beg you!" He cried bitterly, snot and tears streaming down his face.

Liang Lin smiled and shook her head.

"You're a prisoner of war now. What you do is entirely up to me. Don't have such naive ideas anymore, okay?"

With that, the dull blade struck the enemy general's thigh again and again.

This time, the thigh was severed, and the enemy general no longer breathed.

He died a agonizing death.

Even seeing him dead, Liang Lin still felt unsatisfied. She raised her sword and stabbed the corpse again, as if venting her anger.

All of this was the past Liang Lin least wanted to recall, and now it was replaying before her eyes. Liang Lin fell into deep despair. She felt her world was collapsing. She had finally managed to suppress this matter deep in her heart, never wanting to think about it again.

Why? Why was I being made to suffer so much again?

The scene changes.

Liang Lin sat alone in her dimly lit bedroom. Outside the window, the night was silent. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor. Her heartbeat pounded sharply in the silence, each beat seemingly echoing.

Why?

Wasn't I just on the battlefield? How did I end up in my bedroom?

Just then, a ghostly figure appeared before her. The little girl's face was twisted and terrifying, her eyes empty and deep, as if capable of devouring all light. Her skin was almost translucent, her long hair disheveled and cascading over her shoulders, radiating a suffocating chill.

Liang Lin stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded. Something seemed to be blocking her throat, rendering her speechless.

She wanted to ask why, she wanted to apologize to the child, but her body was bound by an invisible force, unable to move.

Until her death, the child had begged her to save her. But the last words the child heard were Liang Lin's abandonment.

How desperate must she have been?

The ghostly little girl slowly approached Liang Lin, a sinister smile playing on her lips. Her voice was low and hoarse, like a call from hell, making Liang Lin's heart tremble.

"Are you... in pain?" Liang Lin finally managed to squeeze out a few words.

The ghost seemed stunned; she hadn't expected this question.

The ghostly little girl didn't answer, but continued to approach. Her eyes were filled with resentment and anger, as if she wanted to devour Liang Lin.

A powerful fear rose from the depths of Liang Lin's heart, and her body began to tremble. She didn't understand why this little ghostly girl was here, nor what she wanted.

Was she here to claim her life? Or to take revenge on her for her grievances?

Just as Liang Lin was about to collapse, the ghostly little girl suddenly stopped. She slowly turned around and disappeared into the darkness.

Liang Lin was left alone, slumped on the ground, gasping for breath.

What on earth was going on? Why is my mind getting so muddled?

In a flash, her former comrade-in-arms and the little girl appeared before her simultaneously.

"Big brother, come play with me." The little girl clutched a tattered, ugly doll—the one she had held tightly before she died.

Liang Lin felt a pang of sorrow and couldn't help but shed tears.

"What... what do you want? I'm sorry, I'll give you anything."

Clearly, Liang Lin hadn't done anything wrong, but she felt she had. She wasn't strong enough, she wasn't capable of protecting everyone, she had to watch them die.

In the sky, a few white clouds drifted lazily, contrasting beautifully with the blue sky. Occasionally, a few birds flew by, leaving behind a string of clear songs.

The sunlight gently shone on Liang Lin, a beautiful and peaceful scene unfolding before her eyes.

“Big brother, come with us. We’re so lonely, so lonely. We miss you so much.” The little girl reached out her hand to Liang Lin, smiling sweetly. “Big brother, you couldn’t save us back then. Can you grant us this request now?”

“I want to find a playmate. Can you come play with me?”

“I.....”

Liang Lin’s pupils gradually became vacant. She murmured something unintelligible.

The little girl continued, “Do you want to know what I need?”

Liang Lin nodded silently.

“I need you to come and keep me company. I’m so lonely. We’re all so lonely. We miss you so much.”

“Come on, we’re all here.”