From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

The dazzling light, like an oversized LED bulb, instantly engulfed Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an.

The two felt a blinding white light before their eyes, as if they were in the very core of the sun. The intense light stung their eyes, making them feel as if their eyeballs were being roasted.

"Holy crap, what the hell is this?" Yan Ruyu couldn't help but curse, a million grass mud horses galloping through her mind. This plot development was more exciting than a roller coaster.

Once their eyes adjusted to the excessive light, they found themselves in a strange space.

The surrounding area was shrouded in white mist, like a giant natural steamer, with visibility less than a meter.

A damp, chilly atmosphere filled the air, sending shivers down one's spine.

"This place looks a bit like a horror movie set?" Xu Lin'an frowned, his usual innocent demeanor completely gone, replaced by a serious expression.

He held Yan Ruyu's hand tightly, while his other hand quietly reached for the soft sword at his waist.

The two stood back to back, warily looking around like two ruffled kittens, ready to face any unknown challenges.

They could feel each other's tension, and even their breathing became cautious, for fear of disturbing the unknown creatures hidden in the mist.

In the thick fog, something seemed to be moving; a black shadow flashed by, elusive like a ghost.

"No way? This even includes a haunted house adventure?" Yan Ruyu felt a chill run down her spine. She was a staunch materialist and was most afraid of this kind of superstitious stuff.

Suddenly, a metallic scraping sound came from the thick fog, like a bunch of old robots starting up.

Immediately afterwards, countless dark figures surged in like a tide; they were a group of mechanical puppets made entirely of metal.

They were enormous, with sleek lines, their joints creaking and grinding, and they held gleaming blades in their hands, like a group of villains who had stepped out of a science fiction movie.

"Holy crap! Transformers?" Yan Ruyu exclaimed, quickly drawing her soft sword and assuming a fighting stance.

These puppets moved swiftly and in perfect unison, like a well-trained army, exuding a powerful sense of oppression with every gesture.

They brandished their sharp blades, accompanied by a biting cold wind, aiming straight for Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an's vital points.

The two were forced to react hastily, and for a moment they were in a sorry state, only able to dodge the puppets' attacks.

Swords clashed, producing a piercing metallic clang, and a strong, burnt smell filled the air.

The puppet's attack caused the surrounding space to become filled with smoke and dust, obscuring the sky and making the already blurry vision even more obscured.

"These guys are a bit troublesome!" Yan Ruyu panted heavily. She flipped her wrist, and the blade of her sword cut through the air, repelling a few of the closest puppets. But more puppets swarmed in from all directions like ants.

She and Xu Lin'an stood back to back, their eyes sharp as they vigilantly watched the movements around them. Suddenly, Xu Lin'an's expression hardened. "They..." Xu Lin'an's eyes were sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the movements of the mechanical puppets.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

“Found it!” he whispered.

It turns out that although these puppets are fierce in their attacks, they have a fatal weakness—their movement trajectories are fixed, and their attack patterns are repetitive. As long as you find the pattern, you can easily predict their next move.

Xu Lin'an quickly informed Yan Ruyu of his discovery, and the two worked together seamlessly to launch a counterattack.

"Left side, three steps, chop!" Xu Lin'an commanded in a deep voice.

Without hesitation, Yan Ruyu swung her sword, and the blade flashed, striking a puppet's joint.

With a crisp "crack," the puppet's arm fell off, sparks flew, and parts scattered all over the ground, like a disassembled Lego toy, both comical and pathetic.

"Beautiful!" Yan Ruyu exclaimed excitedly, her eyes filled with admiration.

Xu Lin'an looks harmless, but he's actually quite reliable when it matters!

With Xu Lin'an's command, the two of them moved freely among the puppets as if they had a cheat code.

Swords flashed and blades flew as the puppets fell one after another, leaving piles of metal debris like a giant junkyard.

During a lull in the fighting, Yan Ruyu noticed the beads of sweat on Xu Lin'an's forehead and tenderly took out her handkerchief to gently wipe them away.

"Are you tired?" she asked softly.

Xu Lin'an grabbed her hand and pulled her into his arms, his eyes full of tenderness.

"With you here, I don't feel tired," he said affectionately, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible doting.

The surrounding mist seemed to dissipate slightly because of their kindness, revealing glimmers of starlight, like fireflies twinkling in the night sky, dreamlike and beautiful.

"Alright, stop being so affectionate. Let's deal with this junk first." Yan Ruyu gently pushed him away, a hint of shyness on her face.

Xu Lin'an smiled, gripped his sword tightly again, and his gaze sharpened once more.

The two fought side by side, like a divine couple on the battlefield, elegant yet deadly.

"Wait..." Xu Lin'an suddenly stiffened, his gaze fixed on the front, and his hand gripping the sword tightened unconsciously.

Just when Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an thought they could catch their breath, the ground suddenly shook violently, as if an 8-magnitude earthquake had occurred.

Thick fog billowed, revealing a gigantic figure twice the height of the other puppets.

This puppet leader was practically an enlarged and thickened version of a steel hunk, with smooth muscle lines all over his body, every piece of metal gleaming with a cold, hard luster, and his joints making a teeth-grinding "crackling" sound.

Its two scarlet electronic eyes, like two burning rubies, exuded a chillingly powerful aura, much like the special effects when the final boss appears in a game.

Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with seriousness and tension.

The air seemed to freeze, making it difficult to breathe.

The relaxed atmosphere was instantly shattered by the appearance of this behemoth, replaced by a heavy, oppressive feeling that made it hard to breathe.

"It seems the real boss has arrived," Xu Lin'an said in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity, but even more so, an eager excitement.

He quickly brought up the system panel, his finger slid rapidly across the screen, and selected a special skill.

In an instant, Xu Lin'an burst forth with dazzling light, like a walking sun, dispelling some of the surrounding white mist.

The soft sword in his hand seemed to be infused with powerful energy, emitting a buzzing sound, and a faint light flowed across its blade.

With a roar, he charged towards the puppet leader like a tiger descending a mountain.

With a loud "bang!", Xu Lin'an's sword struck the puppet leader's chest, producing a piercing metallic clang.

The puppet leader's enormous body was forced back a few steps by this powerful force, and the ground beneath its feet cracked open in several places, making it seem as if it had been completely stunned.

"Well done! Xu Lin'an, you were absolutely awesome!" Yan Ruyu shouted excitedly, as if she were watching a thrilling fighting match and cheering wildly for her teammate.

However, before Yan Ruyu could be happy for long, a sudden change occurred.

The puppet leader suddenly stopped retreating, a dazzling red light flashed on its chest, and a powerful energy wave burst forth from its body.

The energy wave was like a tsunami, instantly blasting Yan Ruyu and Xu Lin'an away. The two crashed heavily to the ground, feeling as if their internal organs were being shaken to their core.

"Cough cough... What is this thing?" Yan Ruyu spat out a mouthful of blood, feeling as if she had been hit by a speeding train, her whole body felt like it was about to fall apart.

What shocked them even more was that strange runes began to appear on the puppet leader's body. These runes were an eerie dark red, like blood, dancing on its metallic body and emitting a chilling light.

The surrounding space was also illuminated by the light of the runes, and the scene that was originally filled with white mist instantly became as eerie as hell.