Only then did they see that the middle-aged man had somehow appeared mysteriously behind them. An Lan and Zhang Ya's faces changed simultaneously. When there was no retreat left for the two of them, the dagger came stabbing towards them.
In that moment, Zhang Duo threw himself over without caring for his safety, using his back to block the dagger. All An Lan could hear was the sound of the dagger piercing flesh. A drop of red blood, carried by the dagger, fell onto her face. She was frozen, staring blankly at Zhang Duo, who had protected both her and Zhang Ya.
The middle-aged man, as if mad with killing intent, raised his hand to stab with the dagger again. This jolted An Lan back to reality. Seeing Zhang Duo's face drained of all color, she suddenly erupted with an unprecedented strength from within her body. She lifted her foot and fiercely kicked the man in the groin.
