KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

(Is long battle stories boring? Well, now, some lighthearted everyday things will happen...)

The waves of the Pacific Ocean, carrying a salty, damp scent, wash over the beach again and again.

The submarine was half-submerged in the shallows, with the hatch open, letting out a faint light.

After a long deep-sea voyage, they finally had a chance to catch their breath, and Yan Yue and the others finally shook off NESTS' pursuit. The submarine stopped on a deserted island in the distant region of Hawaii.

As the first rays of sunlight crossed the horizon and fell on the beach, Wuming subconsciously raised his hand to shield his eyes. The light filtering through his fingertips eased the tension that had gripped him for a month.

"Wow—" Isolde broke free from the nameless hand and ran towards the sea like a light-footed deer, her white skirt billowing in the sea breeze.

Is this the world outside Antarctica?

She crouched down, her fingertips gently touching the cool seawater. A wave rolled in, wetting her ankles, eliciting a clear laugh from her. "Nameless, look! The seawater here is so clear, you can see the little fish swimming below!"

Wuming stood still, his gaze following Isolde's figure, his usually aloof expression softening slightly.

He walked over slowly, took off his coat, and carefully draped it over her shoulders. "The sea breeze is too strong, don't catch a cold."

Isolde looked up at him and smiled, her eyes shining brighter than the sun: "I know, you're just too cautious." She took his arm and gently rested her head on his shoulder.

“We haven’t enjoyed the scenery so peacefully in a long time. Back in Antarctica, there was only ice and snow. There was no sky this blue or sand this soft.”

Not far away, Yan Yue was bending over and sorting through the supplies that had been taken out of the submarine.

Yan Yue was wearing a simple black vest, revealing her strong and well-proportioned arms, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead.

"Maxima, lend a hand!"

“They’re here…” Maxima took the supply box, carried it ashore, and called to the people behind him, “K, come and help too…”

K, hands in his pockets, leaned against a rock, a disdainful smile playing on his lips, and said arrogantly, "Tch, you expect me to do this kind of rough work? You can do it yourself."

Despite saying that, he moved over involuntarily, awkwardly picked up a bracket, and clumsily followed Yan Yue's example to assemble it.

Maxima stood aside, watching K's insincere expression, a helpless smile appearing on his mature and composed face.

Meanwhile, Yan Yue asked a probing question, "You don't have to help set up the tent, but do you know how to hunt? Do you know how to grill meat? After all, you're living in my submarine, you should at least offer some assistance, right?"

“I… damn it…” K was stumped. Although he was once NESTS’ strongest agent, he knew nothing about anything else except combat.

K's face flushed red, and he stubbornly retorted, "So what if I don't know? What's so difficult about this..."

Yan Yue smiled slightly, shrugged indifferently, and continued with his work, as if K's words had no effect on him at all.

Seeing Yan Yue's nonchalant attitude, K became even more annoyed, feeling that his words had completely hit a brick wall, but he couldn't bring himself to give up.

He angrily began to examine the support in his hand, but soon became completely baffled by its complex structure.

The tent was set up quickly.

Yan Yue patted the sand off her hands and looked at the two people playing on the beach.

He said to K, "You guys rest for a bit, I'll go check if there's any fresh water or edible wild fruit nearby..."

"Maxima, could you please monitor the surrounding area to make sure there are no traces of outsiders?"

Maxima nodded, but it was a bit of a pity that there was no internet here, so everyone couldn't receive information from the outside world.

K pursed his lips, sat down against the tent entrance, lit a small flame on his fingertip, then quickly extinguished it, and looked at the seaside scenery with boredom.

"This is incredibly boring. What's the point of staying in such a deserted place?"

He complained, but his eyes softened slightly. After all, this was the first time in months that they had escaped the pursuit and breathed such fresh, free air.

Yan Yue carried her backpack into the woods and, relying on the wilderness survival skills she had learned during her time as a mercenary in Hadiron, quickly found a clear stream.

He filled a container with fresh water and found several edible wild fruit trees nearby.

I picked a few and tasted them; they were sweet and juicy. So I carefully picked more and filled my backpack.

When they returned to the camp, Isolde was sitting on the beach, drawing in the sand with a twig.

Nameless sat beside her, watching quietly, occasionally bending down to pick up a smooth seashell and place it beside the painting as decoration. Seeing Yan Yue return, Isolde immediately stood up, smiling as she greeted her, "Lady Yan Yue, have you found something to eat?"

“Of course,” Yan Yue lifted her backpack and shook it. “We found a lot of wild fruit and clean fresh water, enough for us to eat for a few days.”

Isolde picked up a red wild fruit, took a small bite, and the sweet and sour juice burst in her mouth. Her eyes lit up: "So sweet! Is this fruit? Nameless, you should try some too."

She picked up a pearl and held it to the nameless man's lips.

K also came over, picked up a wild fruit, peeled off the skin and took a bite. His brows relaxed a little, but he still insisted, "It's barely edible, much better than the carbohydrate protein powder in the submarine."

Yan Yue smiled wryly; that statement was indeed true.

Looking back on their journey, Yan Yue had barely eaten any normal food since arriving at NESTS. Now that they were finally back in nature, they were determined to eat well, treating it as a team-building activity.

Yan Yue looked in the direction of the submarine and found that Dr. Makijima had not come out yet, so she said, "You guys should rest first. You can try to catch some fish tonight."

The submarine's hatch remained open, and Dr. Makijima was squatting in front of the control panel, intently checking the instruments.

Complex data was flashing across the screen. Hearing footsteps, she didn't look up, her voice tinged with annoyance: "How's the situation outside?"

"Everything is safe, Doctor." Yan Yue placed the wild fruit and fresh water she had brought on the table beside her.

"Staying in the submarine all the time isn't good for your health. Do you want to go out for some fresh air?"

Dr. Makijima stopped what he was doing, looked up, and noticed that the bloodshot in his eyes had lessened considerably.

She looked at the wild fruit Yan Yue offered, picked one up, and took a small bite. It eased his tense nerves a little.

"No," she shook her head, "I'll check the submarine's propulsion system again, so we can evacuate at any time in case of an emergency..."

Also, I'm out of cigarettes... Hurry up and get me some..."

Yan Yue was speechless. It seemed that Juan Dao was having a craving for cigarettes and was feeling uncomfortable.

……

As night fell, the deserted island was enveloped in tranquility. Yan Yue lit a bonfire on the beach, the flickering flames illuminating everyone's faces.

Maxima caught several plump sea fish, skewered them on branches, and grilled them over a fire. The aroma of the fish gradually filled the air, attracting K's frequent glances.

Isolde leaned on the nameless man's shoulder, watching the flickering campfire, and said softly, "I wish this peace could last forever."

Wuming gripped her hand tightly, his voice firm: "Yes..."

K snorted but didn't refute, only silently turning the grilled fish in his hand, a hint of longing in his eyes.

Maxima, recalling his past with his comrades, remarked with emotion, "A peaceful life?... That's something I really don't want..."

The campfire crackled, the waves gently lapped against the beach, and starlight dappled the sea.

Yan Yue lay on the beach, gazing at the starry sky, longing for the person she cherished most...

Xiaolong, Maizhuo, Qianhe, Weipu...

How are you all doing?

……

The deserted island was shrouded in a thin layer of mist in the early morning. The campfire on the beach had long since gone out, leaving only a pile of black ashes.

Isolde was squatting by the stream, carefully washing the wild fruit left over from yesterday, while the nameless man stood beside her to help, the two chatting and laughing.

"Hey you two, can you stop sticking together all the time?"

K leaned against the tent, arms crossed, looking at the two by the stream, his tone carrying his usual arrogant sarcasm, "So cheesy, I'd rather have some real combat training with you."

Maxima emerged from the woods, a bundle of firewood slung over his metal hand. Hearing this, he shook his head helplessly: "K, it's rare to have a peaceful day. Let them stay put. Yan Yue went hunting in the north; she should be back soon..."

No sooner had the words left her lips than a series of hurried footsteps echoed from the distant woods, accompanied by a woman's loud, boisterous shouts:

"Keep a close eye on things! That submarine is definitely nearby. We'll split the reward promised by the high-ranking officials after we find it!"

K and Maxima exchanged a glance and instantly became alert.

Nameless immediately stepped in front of Isolde, his eyes coldly fixed on the direction from which the sound came, a faint energy already gathering at his fingertips.

A group of people dressed in pirate-style clothing rushed out of the woods, led by a beautiful blonde woman with blue eyes.

Her long, golden hair was casually draped over her shoulders, outlining her delicate collarbones. Her purple high-slit dress billowed with her movements, revealing her fair and slender legs. Her high heels walked steadily on the rugged dirt road, and the magnificent silhouette of her chest made Isolde blink unconsciously.

"Hello, I'm B. Janet..."

The blonde woman stood with her hands on her hips, chin tilted back, her blue eyes sweeping over the tents and submarine on the beach before finally settling on K and his group of four. Her brow furrowed, and her heart skipped a beat.

[Damn it, these guys look absolutely menacing! Black leather jackets, red boxing gloves, metal armor, and that man with the killer gaze—they're definitely ruthless terrorists!]

Although Janet loved money, she also knew the principle of "striking first." She secretly swallowed and whispered to her subordinates behind her:

"Brothers, let's go! Take down these terrorists, and the bounty will be ours! Remember, capture them alive, and don't damage their equipment; we might be able to sell it for a good price!"

Her men exchanged glances. Although they felt that the people in front of them looked dangerous, they still charged forward with a roar, thinking of the bounty.

These pirates were mostly a hastily recruited rabble, armed with crude knives and clubs.

K chuckled and dashed out in a flash, his fingertips igniting with intense flames. His movements were so fast that only a blur remained.

"Out of control."

His voice was filled with disdain. Wherever the flames swept, the pirates' swords and clubs were instantly charred black, and they screamed and fled in terror.

A foolish pirate swung a wooden stick at K's back, but was repelled by an invisible force and crashed heavily to the ground.

K's cold gaze swept over the remaining pirates, his aura so overwhelming that no one dared to approach.

Maxima stood beside the tent and simply stretched out his arm. The metal joints made a "crackling" sound, which frightened several pirates so much that their legs went weak.

In less than three minutes, all the pirates who rushed up were beaten black and blue and lay sprawled on the beach.

"Tie yourself up." Wuming casually tossed the vines in front of the pirate, his words concise and his tone completely flat.

Although K found it troublesome, he still picked up a few sturdy vines and kicked the pirates on the ground with disdain: "Hurry up and get up, or I'll burn your hair."

The pirates were terrified and quickly helped each other to their feet. They were then tied up by K and Nameless to the rocks by the sea.

Janet watched as her men crumbled instantly, her eyes wide with anxiety and fear, but she still forced herself to shout:

"Hey! You terrorists! How dare you commit such a blatant act of violence? Aren't you afraid of getting arrested by the police? Let me tell you, I'm Janet, the captain of the Li Lin Pirates. I have powerful backers!"

K raised an eyebrow, walked up to her, and looked down at her: "You led a group of people charging up with knives and clubs, shouldn't you be the one committing the violence?"

Janet was startled by his imposing manner and took a step back, her high heel twisting slightly as she nearly fell. She steadied herself, her eyes reddening, tears welling up, but her words remained sharp:

"I...I misunderstood!"

"Who told you to look so fierce! If you were good people, why would you be hiding on this deserted island, operating such a suspicious submarine? You must have done something bad!"

She cried and shouted, tears streaming down her face, yet she stubbornly held her head high, looking extremely aggrieved.

Her long, golden hair was wet with tears and clung to her cheeks; the rise and fall of her chest was even more pronounced with emotion.

Seeing this, Isolde quickly stepped forward and pulled the nameless man away, saying somewhat displeasedly, "Don't look at that..."

The nameless person obediently turned their head.

Janet's crying and fussing left K somewhat at a loss, and he could only turn around in annoyance: "So noisy!"

Just then, the sound of Yan Yue's footsteps came from afar. He was carrying a wild boar he had hunted on his back and a giant python on his shoulder.

"I'm back, let's see what I got..."