Chapter 19 - Self-Rescue Manual of a Villainess

Chapter 019: A Fight on the Road The city nights were dynamic and brimming with bustle. Non-stop streams of vehicles surged back and forth like tides, filling the air with intermittent roars. That, coupled with the incessant honking, shouting, and swearing during traffic jams, was enough to rupture eardrums. Before transversing back in time, or rather before joining the army, she and her sister used to live together in an apartment. She often had to endure her sister practicing her singing next door ― wailing all through the night, ruining her chance at a good night's sleep. But now, Nan Yin stood at the crossroads, watching the bustling traffic, and found herself surprisingly nostalgic for her sister's cacophonous singing. Regrettably, her "sister" in this world wasn't exactly making her life any easier. Shaking off her thoughts, Nan Yin realized she had been aimlessly circling around the residential district near Lorain High School. Which is to say, she had ventured out late at night again, undoubtedly for Xia Yi Yi. Xia Yi Yi's storyline began with her being a victim of violence outside of school, so lately, Nan Yin had been patrolling this area every night, hoping to thwart the impending tragedy. The residential area, or more precisely, the urban village, was a part of Tianzhou City that fell short of organized development. "Perhaps it's time to head home. It looks like there isn't much to gain today. Maybe I should go back and work on my shooting skills..." She was about to retrace her steps when suddenly, a commotion drew her attention. She became aware that she had been aimlessly strolling around on a shared bicycle and had somehow wandered into the heart of the urban village. "Resisting, are we? Looking for a beating, huh?" A snarl led Nan Yin to the source of the commotion. After hesitating for a moment, she left her cake behind, shouldered her backpack, and hid behind a thick electric pole. She carefully peeked towards where the snarl had come from, while being vigilant not to be spotted. The urban village's basic public utilities had been out of service for several years. Under the flickering streetlight, Nan Yin could barely make out about six or seven ruffians encircling a young girl. In fact, 'surrounded' might be too mild a term. It felt more like a brutal public beating. The girl was cornered against a wall, offering no resistance. However... the more Nan Yin looked, the more familiar the assaulted girl appeared... Wait! She was very familiar indeed! It was Xia Yi Yi! "You...you can't do this, I... I'll pay you back." Xia Yi Yi's voice trembled with fear. "Furthermore... furthermore... assaulting a fellow student, don’t you... don’t you fear being expelled…” Xia Yi Yi covered her head, sobbing pitifully. "Well? Expulsion? Miss, you are not implying that we are from Lorain High School, are you?" Instead of getting angry at Xia Yi Yi’s threat, the leader of the gang responded with a smirk. "Sir, I haven’t even finished high school. Do you actually believe I would risk doing such a thing if I were capable of being admitted to Lorain?" "What! You’re not…" Sharply gasping, Xia Yi Yi straightened up, "You..." From a distance, hidden behind the electric pole, Nan Yin furrowed her brows upon hearing the man’s words. She didn't quite remember the specifics of this storyline from the original text; could there be more to this? "You thought someone set you up? You flatter yourself!" The man ceased to acknowledge Xia Yi Yi. He retrieved his hand from his pocket, "Look at you, we only asked you to accompany someone for a drink or two. Why did you have to escalate things..." "Today though, I am supposed to break your hand, for starters. Plus, we thought we might as well have some fun while we are at it…" The man wore a lecherous smile, "I hope you’ll learn not to make us break your entire arm next time," The man accepted an object handed over by one of his minions. Nan Yin's pupils narrowed at the sight of it. "You guys!" "Honourable sister, We needed to use you to ensure the prosperity of your parents. Why resist it?" The man spoke casually, stretching his muscles, and brandishing a baseball bat. Two others briskly approached, one restraining Xia Yi Yi forcefully, while the other ensured her left hand was exposed. "Please...don’t... don’t do it..." Xia Yi Yi was on the verge of collapse. Weeping was all she could do. "You know, it’s not nice to bully the weak." Just as Xia Yi Yi was sinking into despair, a cool voice sounded from behind the men. "Um? Where did this meddlesome kid come from?" The man paused his act and turned around. He saw a girl wearing a Lorain High School uniform stepping out of the shadows. She was absentmindedly fiddling with something in her hand. "Oh, another pretty girl. Did you get lost, sweetie? How about I accompany you home tonight?" The man sized her up lasciviously, his gaze finally resting on her face. "I repeat, bullying the weak isn’t very friendly." Nan Yin frowned at the baseball bat in the man's hand. This wasn't how the story was supposed to go. Could her transversing back in time have led to a butterfly effect? In her memory, these men were just debt collectors hired by Xia's creditors, venting their anger through punches and kicks... But now... "Little lady, don't stick your nose where it doesn’t belong, it could get dangerous." Upon feeling Nan Yin still fretting over the matter, the man’s lascivious gaze acquired a vicious glint, and he signaled his boys. "Hey, cutie, how about we spend the night together?" Taking their leader’s hint, two of the men whistled flirtatiously and sidled up behind Nan Yin. "Spend the night? I appreciate the offer but no thank you." Nan Yin inclined her head and slowly slid her knuckle dusters onto her right hand. Then her left hand reached into her pocket to find her baton. Generally, she had never used any of these weapons before. However, today seemed to be the day. "Ouch!" Just as a man was about to lay his hand on her shoulder, Nan Yin swiftly spun around before he could react. He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his abdomen and instinctively curled up. Once part of the Chinese Defense Forces, Nan Yin’s skills had gathered dust with time. That’s why she had to proceed with caution. "Damn! Bitch, what the hell do you think you're doing!" Another man, enraged at the sight of his companion suddenly getting knocked down, threw a punch at Nan Yin, who, at that moment, had her back turned to him. "You're too slow." Nan Yin's reflexes were faster. When the man's fist hit nothing but thin air, he felt Nan Yin swiftly shift to his left. Before he had any time to react, he suffered a blow to his stomach and then his chin. He doubled over in pain, and the last thing he noticed before falling to the ground was Nan Yin wiping her knuckle dusters. "Just who are you! Are you here to save this wench?" The gang leader watched in surprise as his minions were effortlessly neutralized by Nan Yin. It was evident she knew her way around a fight! However, he failed to notice the slight trembling in her arms. “Women’s physique… is a bit hard to manage…” Nan Yin assessed her possibly injured right hand and the throbbing pain in her arms. She swiftly looked up to meet gaze with the man still holding the baseball bat. The strategy here should be to catch the leader first! The ruby-like eyes of hers seemed to ensnare the gang leader for a moment. All of a sudden, with her body lowered, she charged towards him! “You...!” All the man could do was raise his baseball bat to his chest. He had predicted Nan Yin's attack, but to his surprise, she simply collided into him! A dull pain echoed in his chest, followed by Nan Yin delivering a solid blow to his throat and three more jabs to his abdomen using the knuckle dusters. "Uh..." The man clutched his neck, pointing shakily at Nan Yin but unable to utter a word. Eventually, he trembled and fell to the ground. "Boss!" "Big Bro!" His remaining minions finally grasped the situation. They hastily dropped their weapons and carried their leader along with two of their knocked-out companions, disappearing into the shadows at the end of the road. "Heaving a sigh..." Only then did Nan Yin relax somewhat, letting the knuckle dusters slip from her hand. Traces of blood seeped from her knuckles. "Xia Yi Yi...are you alright?" Nan Yin disregarded her injury and turned to the crumpled girl, still cowering on the ground.