From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

On the distant horizon, billowing smoke and dust resembled a giant, earthen-yellow dragon surging forth, carrying a suffocating sense of oppression.

The sound of horses' hooves grew closer, like a dense drumbeat striking the hearts of Yan Ruyu and the male protagonist Xu.

Gradually, they got a clear look at the newcomers—each dressed in black, with a cold and stern face and bloodthirsty glint in their eyes; they were clearly not good people.

The leader rode a tall horse, wielding a gleaming longsword, exuding a chilling aura of killing intent.

“Those who come with ill intentions will not come with good intentions.” The male protagonist narrowed his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity.

Yan Ruyu also gripped the dagger tightly in her hand, ready for battle.

With the sea at their backs, surging waves behind them, and a menacing enemy in front of them, they had nowhere to retreat.

The sea breeze howled, whipping up waves that crashed against the rocks on the shore with a deafening roar, as if playing a war song for the impending battle.

"Giddy up!" The leader's roar, like a thunderclap, shattered the brief silence.

The cavalry charged towards Yan Ruyu and Xu Nanzhu like arrows released from a bow, kicking up clouds of dust that blotted out the sky.

The male protagonist's eyes sharpened, and he dashed out like a cheetah.

The longsword in his hand danced like a dragon, its light flashing and its chilling aura palpable.

Each swing of the sword created a sharp gust of wind, forcing back the few men in black who were charging at the front.

The men in black were clearly surprised by Xu's martial arts skills, and they all showed expressions of astonishment. However, they quickly recovered and brandished their weapons, launching another attack on Xu.

The flash of swords and shadows, the shouts of killing shook the sky.

The surrounding beaches were thrown into chaos by the fierce battle, with sand and dust flying everywhere.

Yan Ruyu closely observed the battle from the side, searching for the enemy's weaknesses.

She knew that they would have a hard time defeating these well-trained men in black by force alone.

We must use strategy to win this battle.

The male protagonist fought and retreated, his eyes remaining calm throughout.

While fending off the attacks from the men in black, he observed the surrounding terrain, looking for an opportunity to break through.

Suddenly, he noticed something shimmering on the ground in the distance.

"Yu'er, look over there!" the male protagonist whispered, pointing in the distance.

Yan Ruyu followed his finger and her pupils suddenly contracted...

Yan Ruyu looked in the direction Xu Nanzhu was pointing and saw some strangely shaped metal fragments scattered on the ground in the distance, reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.

These fragments appear to be parts of some kind of mechanism, and there are quite a few of them, scattered over a wide area.

"It's the remains of some kind of large mechanism!" Yan Ruyu understood instantly. "They wanted to use the mechanism against us! Look at their positioning; they deliberately avoided those fragments, which means they also knew the danger of the mechanism."

Upon hearing this, Xu's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what Yan Ruyu meant.

While fending off the attacks from the men in black, he carefully observed their positions and discovered that their movements deliberately avoided the metal fragments.

"A good opportunity!" Xu, the male protagonist, smirked and seized the opportunity when one of the men in black attacked. He moved swiftly and circled behind him.

His longsword flashed out like lightning, striking the man in black squarely in the back.

At the same time, he flicked his toe, kicking the black-clad man's corpse towards the metal fragments.

With a loud bang, the body of the man in black crashed into metal fragments, triggering a chain reaction.

The scattered fragments seemed to be activated, shooting out one after another like a torrential rain towards the man in black.

"Ah!" "Ah!" Screams rose and fell as the men in black were hit and collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.

The once-aggressive cavalry instantly descended into chaos, scattering in all directions like headless flies.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the male protagonist swung his sword and cut down several men in black who were unable to dodge in time.

In an instant, dust flew everywhere, blood splattered, and the men in black suffered heavy casualties.

"Well done!" Yan Ruyu shouted excitedly, her eyes filled with admiration.

The male protagonist turned around and gave Yan Ruyu a bright smile.

The two smiled at each other, their eyes filled with understanding and affection.

The fierce battle came to an end, and the beach returned to calm, leaving only corpses and scattered metal fragments.

The male protagonist, Xu, suffered a minor injury during the battle, and Yan Ruyu tenderly bandaged his wound.

She gently cleaned the wound, her movements careful, as if afraid of hurting him.

The male protagonist, Xu, looked at Yan Ruyu quietly, his eyes filled with tenderness and emotion.

He reached out and gently stroked her cheek, feeling the warmth of her fingertips.

Everything around them seemed to stand still, leaving only the two of them, nestled together, feeling each other's breath and heartbeat.

"Yu'er," the male protagonist said softly, "thank you."

Yan Ruyu looked up and smiled sweetly at him, "Silly boy, why are you thanking me?"

Suddenly, Yan Ruyu's gaze fell on the corpse of a man in black in the distance. She noticed a special symbol embroidered on the man's body.

“Wait a minute,” Yan Ruyu said, pointing at the corpse. “Look…” Yan Ruyu said, pointing at the corpse. “Look at the symbol on his sleeve. Doesn’t it look like a black bat?” The male protagonist Xu walked closer and saw that he indeed found a finely embroidered black bat symbol on the cuff of the man in black.

The sign is very well hidden and can be easily missed if you don't look closely.

"I feel like I've seen this logo somewhere before..." Xu, the male protagonist, frowned, trying hard to recall.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, his expression changed drastically. "I remember now! This is the symbol of the Dark Night Pavilion! The Dark Night Pavilion is a notorious assassin organization in the martial arts world, specializing in hiring people to kill. They are ruthless and commit all sorts of evil!"

"So, these people were sent under orders?" Yan Ruyu's tone became serious. "It seems we've been drawn into a much larger conspiracy!"

The two looked at each other and saw deep worry and anger in each other's eyes.

Who exactly wants them dead?

What secrets are hidden behind this?

"Don't think too much about it now. The most important thing is to take care of the remaining enemies." Xu took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He looked around, his mind flashing back to his previous experiences surviving on the island.

"Yu'er, you keep watch for me, I'm going to set up the traps." (Male protagonist Xu)

“Okay!” Yan Ruyu nodded, gripped the dagger in her hand, and warily watched her surroundings.

With his familiarity with the terrain, Xu quickly set up a series of traps around the area.

He hid some sharp wooden stakes and stones under the sand, wove vines into a net, set up tripping ropes, and sprinkled some fine sand around the trap to cover up the traces.

A short while later, several men in black who had managed to escape returned, intending to search for their companion's body.

They proceeded cautiously, completely unaware of the approaching danger.

"Thump!" "Ah!" Several screams rang out as several men in black fell into the trap, their bodies pierced by sharp wooden stakes and stones, emitting shrill cries.

Seeing this, Yan Ruyu and the male protagonist Xu couldn't help but smile.

This counterattack greatly boosted their confidence.

After eliminating the remaining enemies, the two decided to investigate the matter further and find out who was behind it.

They followed the direction the enemy had come from, only to unexpectedly discover a mysterious castle ahead.

The castle soared into the clouds, its entire body pitch black, like a lurking beast, standing silently on the cliff face, surrounded by an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

"Where...is this place?" Yan Ruyu looked at the castle in front of her, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

Xu, the male protagonist, did not speak, but held Yan Ruyu's hand tightly. He felt that there seemed to be countless secrets and dangers hidden in this castle.

The two walked cautiously toward the castle...