From cannon fodder villain to beloved heroine

After leaving the castle, Yan Ruyu and the male protagonist Xu rushed back to the island, eager to get some rest.

However, the sight that came into view made them freeze in place.

The makeshift dwelling that was originally built is now a ruin, with wood scattered all over the ground, bearing clear marks of chiseling and hacking.

The messy footprints on the surrounding sand, varying in depth, seemed to silently tell the story of the fierce battle that had once taken place here.

"Damn it!" Yan Ruyu clenched her fists, burning with rage.

This is clearly sabotage by someone, and their intentions are clearly malicious!

The male protagonist looked solemn, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding environment, trying to find any clues.

"It seems we're in quite a bit of trouble this time," he said in a low voice, a hint of chill in his tone.

The sea breeze howled, rustling the leaves around them, as if a hidden enemy was watching them intently.

A tense atmosphere filled the air, sending chills down one's spine.

Suddenly, a loud, rough laugh shattered the eerie silence.

"Hey, isn't this our great hero and beauty? Why are you back looking so disheveled?"

As the sound came, a burly figure emerged from the woods; it was none other than Liu the hunter with whom they had clashed earlier.

At this moment, he wore a greedy smile, his eyes fixed on Yan Ruyu and Xu Nanzhu, as if he had seen some rare treasure.

Behind him followed a group of fierce-looking henchmen, each armed with weapons, who surrounded the two men.

"Liu the Hunter, what do you want to do?" Yan Ruyu met his gaze without fear, her tone icy.

"What are we doing here? We're here to reclaim what belongs to me, of course!" Hunter Liu grinned maliciously, his eyes greedily sweeping over the two men's bundles. "I heard you got quite a few good treasures in the castle. If you know what's good for you, hand them over obediently, or you'll suffer some physical pain!"

"Dream on!" Yan Ruyu sneered, a sharp dagger appearing in her hand without her noticing.

"You'll regret it if you don't listen to reason!" Hunter Liu's face darkened, and he waved his hand, "Get them!"

A fierce battle is about to break out.

The sea wind howled, whipping up clouds of yellow sand that blotted out the sun.

On this desolate island, a drama of struggle and escape is unfolding...

The male protagonist whispered in Yan Ruyu's ear, a sly smile curving his lips: "Yu'er, look..." He pointed to a seemingly inconspicuous place.

Yan Ruyu looked in the direction Xu Nanzhu was pointing and saw a seemingly flat sandy area that was actually covered with a thin layer of vines, with a bottomless sand pit below.

This was exactly the "hunter's trap" that Chen Yufu had mentioned casually before, and unexpectedly it came in handy today.

"Hehe, Liu the hunter, you've finally met your match!" Yan Ruyu thought to herself with secret delight, but her face remained impassive.

Xu smiled slightly, and taking advantage of Liu the hunter and the others' unpreparedness, he pushed off with his foot, and a piece of gravel accurately hit the mechanism at the edge of the trap.

With a sharp "crack," the vine snapped, and Liu the hunter and his men, caught off guard, fell into the trap, screaming like pigs being slaughtered.

"Oh my god! What kind of place is this?!"

"Help! I don't want to die!"

"Boss, pull me up here!"

Hearing the wailing and howling coming from the trap, Yan Ruyu and Xu Nanzhu exchanged a smile, feeling extremely pleased.

"That's it? You think you can steal our treasure? Don't you even know your own limitations!" Yan Ruyu proudly raised her chin, looking like a queen with an air of domineering power.

The male lead affectionately ruffled her hair, his tone gentle: "Yu'er is wonderful! However, we should still be careful."

Sunlight streamed through the clouds, illuminating the entire island, as if cheering for their victory.

A gentle breeze blows by, bringing a refreshing sea breeze that is invigorating.

"Yu'er, don't you feel..." The male protagonist suddenly paused, his gaze drifting towards the distant dense forest.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Yan Ruyu followed his gaze but didn't see anything.

"It's nothing." The male protagonist withdrew his gaze, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Let's go."

"Wait!" Yan Ruyu suddenly grabbed his sleeve. "I think I smell something strange..."

Thick smoke billowed, and flames greedily licked at the piled-up supplies, the crackling sound of burning seeming to mock the protagonists' predicament.

The dry firewood, stored food, and the hard-won fresh water were all reduced to ashes in the raging fire.

The air was filled with a burnt smell, which made people's throats itch.

Yan Ruyu looked at everything in front of her and stomped her feet in anger.

"I'm so angry! Who is this bastard? Is he playing dirty tricks?" She clenched her fists, wishing she could find the mastermind behind it all and beat him up.

The male protagonist, Xu, frowned, his gaze sharp, as he calmly surveyed his surroundings.

He didn't panic as the mysterious man had expected; instead, he revealed a meaningful smile.

"Interesting. It seems this 'friend' is more impatient than we thought."

Upon seeing this, the mysterious man hiding in the shadows frowned.

This was completely different from what he had expected!

Logically speaking, the male lead should be in a terrible predicament right now, so how can he be so calm?

"Yu'er, don't worry." The male protagonist gently patted Yan Ruyu's shoulder. "The more critical the moment, the calmer you need to be. Panic will only embolden the enemy."

Seeing Xu's calm and collected demeanor, Yan Ruyu trusted him even more. "Mm."

The two searched carefully through the ruins of the burned supplies, hoping to find some useful clues.

Suddenly, Yan Ruyu's gaze fell on a piece of cloth that had been burned black.

She carefully picked it up, brushed off the ashes, and discovered that it was actually a piece of map!

The edges of the map fragments are jagged, as if they had been torn apart.

The markings above are blurry, but some islands and shipping routes are vaguely visible.

This seems to be related to leaving the island, but it is also full of unknown dangers.

"What is this?" Yan Ruyu handed the map fragment to Xu, the male protagonist.

The male protagonist took the map fragment, carefully examined the markings on it, and frowned.

“This map… seems familiar…” He paused suddenly, his gaze drifting towards the depths of the distant forest. “Come on, let’s go take a look over there.” He grabbed Yan Ruyu’s hand and walked towards the depths of the forest, leaving behind a scene of ravaged, burning ruins.