The General's Daughter: The Mission

Chapter 265: A Love Built On Deception

"WHY DOES HE FIGHT LIKE THIS?!"

"GARY, YOU SAID HE WAS JUST A PRETTY BOY!"

Within moments, the carefully orchestrated "rescue scene" turned into complete chaos.

Ares moved with frightening efficiency.

He was cold, fast and brutal.

There was no hesitation in his attacks, no wasted motion. It was as if his body instinctively knew how to dismantle opponents.

One fake thug ended up curled on the ground clutching his stomach.

Another fled while crying.

The last one limped away with a swollen eye while screaming profanities at Gary.

Scarlet stood frozen behind cover, utterly speechless.

This wasn’t a helpless prince waiting to be saved.

This was a monster.

Even Gary looked traumatized.

"...Why does he fight like an action movie protagonist?" he whispered in horror.

Before Scarlet could answer—

Voices suddenly echoed from the far end of the alley.

Real rough and dangerous voices

A group of men slowly emerged from the darkness.

Unlike the fake thugs earlier, these men radiated genuine menace.

Their arms were covered in tattoos.

Some carried chains. Others held wooden bats.

One of them cracked his neck while grinning maliciously.

Scarlet’s blood instantly turned cold.

These weren’t actors.

These were actual gangsters.

"...Gary," Scarlet whispered shakily, "...please tell me this is part of your plan."

Gary looked equally pale.

"...It’s not. Let’s call the police."

The atmosphere changed immediately.

Even Ares seemed to notice.

His eyes narrowed sharply as the men surrounded him.

"Well, well," one of them sneered. "Looks like we found him."

Another spat onto the ground.

"Boss said to teach this bastard a lesson for taking his woman."

Scarlet’s pulse slammed against her ribs, each beat louder than the chaos around her.

Something was terribly wrong.

Not a random street fight. Not drunken thugs looking for trouble.

These men were here for Ares. Someone had paid them.

But who?

The moment the words left the thug’s mouth, violence exploded across the alley.

The first attacker lunged forward with a roar.

Ares moved instantly.

His kick drove the man backward like a ragdoll, crashing hard against the wall. Before the others could react, Ares twisted sideways, ripped a wooden bat from another thug’s grip, and swung with brutal precision.

Crack!

One man folded to the ground.

Another spun through the air and slammed onto the pavement with a sickening thud.

For a brief second, Scarlet thought the fight was over.

Then her blood ran cold.

Unlike the fake thugs from before, these men didn’t hesitate. They didn’t fear him.

They got back up.

They attacked again and again.

Their eyes burned with ruthless intent as they circled Ares like starving predators.

They had already realized the truth—

They couldn’t defeat him one at a time.

So they attacked together.

Viciously and relentlessly.

Like a pack of wolves tearing down a wounded beast through sheer numbers alone.

Metal pipes whistled through the air. Fists flew from every direction. Boots scraped violently against the concrete as the alley descended into pure chaos.

Ares fought like a monster.

Every strike he threw dropped another man.

Every movement was sharp, fast, deadly.

But there were too many.

No matter how skilled he was, even Ares couldn’t keep fighting forever against an endless swarm determined to crush him.

A chain wrapped around Ares’ arm.

Another thug swung a pipe toward his head.

Ares narrowly avoided it, but a tattooed man suddenly rushed from the side and slashed a knife toward him.

Scarlet gasped.

Ares twisted away at the last second—

—but not completely.

The blade sliced across his arm.

Blood splattered onto the ground.

"Ares!" Scarlet nearly screamed.

For the first time since the fight started, Ares staggered slightly.

Scarlet’s entire body froze.

Her mind went blank. This wasn’t acting anymore.

This wasn’t some ridiculous romantic setup.

Ares was actually in danger.

And she couldn’t move.

Fear rooted her feet to the ground while her hands trembled uncontrollably.

Gary noticed immediately.

"Scarlet!" he hissed urgently. "Do something!"

But Scarlet couldn’t hear him properly over the pounding of her heartbeat.

Seeing her panic, Gary gritted his teeth and hurriedly pulled out his phone.

A second later, loud police sirens blasted through the alley speakers.

WEEEOOO—WEEEOOO—

The sound echoed louder and louder, as if patrol cars were rapidly approaching nearby streets.

The real thugs cursed.

"Shit! Cops!"

"Hurry up!"

"Finish it already!"

Then everything happened at once.

Gary grabbed Scarlet’s wrist and dragged her out of hiding.

"RUN!"

Scarlet stumbled forward in panic as they rushed toward Ares.

But before they could reach him—

A man with a long scar across his face suddenly stepped behind Ares, raising his knife high into the air.

Time seemed to slow.

Scarlet’s eyes widened in horror.

"Ares!!"

Ares turned too late.

The blade came down mercilessly—

—and suddenly, Gary shoved Scarlet forward with all his strength.

Scarlet crashed directly into Ares’ chest.

At the same instant—

Squelch!

A horrifying pain exploded across her back.

The knife tore through flesh.

Scarlet’s breath hitched violently.

Warm blood spread beneath her clothes almost instantly.

For a moment, the entire world became silent.

Ares’ arms instinctively wrapped around her before she collapsed completely against him.

And for the first time since they met—

Scarlet saw genuine panic appear in Ares’ eyes.

"Scarlet!"

Gary froze.

The world around him seemed to fall eerily silent as his trembling eyes locked onto the knife buried in Scarlet’s back.

His face drained of all color.

"N-No... I..." His lips quivered violently. "I didn’t mean—"

He staggered backward in horror, his hands shaking uncontrollably.

He only meant to shove her away.

Just a little push.

He never expected her to stumble directly into the thug’s knife.

The sight of Scarlet collapsing onto Ares shattered something inside him.

"Scarlet!"

Ares caught her before she could hit the ground completely.

For the first time since the fight began, panic flashed across his face.

Real panic.

Blood seeped rapidly through Scarlet’s uniform.

Ares immediately ripped off his jacket and pressed it hard against the stab wound, trying desperately to stop the bleeding.

"Stay with me," he said hoarsely, his voice trembling despite his efforts to stay calm. "Scarlet, look at me. Don’t close your eyes."

His hands were already stained red.

He pulled out his phone with blood-slick fingers and called for an ambulance, barking the location urgently while keeping pressure on the wound.

Around them, the remaining thugs hesitated.

The moment they realized someone had been stabbed, their earlier aggression vanished. None of them wanted a murder charge tied to the job.

One by one, they retreated into the darkness, fleeing the alley in panic until only silence remained behind.

Gary stood motionless nearby, staring blankly at the blood on the ground.

His chest tightened painfully.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Not like this.

Guilt crashed into him like a tidal wave as Scarlet’s weakened groans echoed in the alley.

Meanwhile, Ares remained beside her, desperately trying to keep her conscious while waiting for the ambulance that suddenly felt far too slow to arrive.