KOF: Rise of the King of Fighters

Before Yan Yue even got close, she sensed a group of pirates tied up on the beach, and Janet crying.

Yan Yue was stunned for a moment, and was about to ask a question when Janet suddenly stopped crying the moment she saw him.

Sunlight filtered through the mist, illuminating Yan Yue and outlining his figure. Sweat trickled down his angular face, and his eyes, though gentle, held a subtle sharpness.

Janet's heart pounded wildly, her eyes instantly lit up like stars, and all her previous fear and grievances vanished, leaving only a face full of infatuation.

She stared blankly at Yan Yue, her mouth slightly open, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, but she forgot to wipe them away.

Wow! So handsome! How can there be such a handsome guy in this world! He's more handsome than any noble young master I've ever seen!

K noticed Janet's reaction, rolled her eyes, and said with a tone full of disdain, "Hey, have you cried enough?"

Janet finally snapped out of her daze, trying her best to appear dignified, her voice becoming as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "Who...who are you?"

Yan Yue put down the wild boar and python on her shoulder and, after talking with Wuming, learned what had happened.

So Yan Yue walked up to Janet, trying to appear gentle: "We are travelers passing through, we've run into some trouble, and are resting on this island for the time being. What about you?"

Janet's heart pounded even faster as she looked at Yan Yue's handsome face so close to hers, and her tongue almost tied itself in knots: "I...I'm Janet, the captain of the Li Lin Pirates! I'm here...to find someone!"

She almost blurted out "find the submarine and collect the bounty," but looking into Yan Yue's eyes, she swallowed it back, thinking to herself:

[Someone this handsome can't be a terrorist! I must be mistaken!]

The pirates tied up to the side exchanged bewildered glances, each thinking the same thing:

Captain, that's not what you just said!

Yan Yue noticed her embarrassment, then glanced at the bound pirates and said with a smile, "It looks like a misunderstanding. Nameless, untie her first."

The anonymous person did as instructed.

Janet rubbed her wrists, which were red from being tied up, her eyes still fixed on Yan Yue, a shy smile on her face, completely unlike her earlier crying and fussing self.

Yan Yue explained, "I believe what you said, but your men just attacked us, so they have to stay tied up..."

“No problem…” Jenny nodded, having long forgotten about the task due to her carelessness.

……

As the fog gradually dissipated, the sun on the deserted island became scorching hot, and the sand and pebbles on the beach were so hot that you could feel a slight burning sensation when you stepped on them.

Janet stood there, straightening her slightly disheveled purple dress. Her long golden hair was being tousled by the sea breeze, but she had no time to worry about her appearance.

She watched as he dragged the wild boar and the python, which was thicker than a person, to the middle of the beach, deftly spread out a tarpaulin, completely ignoring the group of "uninvited guests" standing beside him.

Hey! You handsome... handsome guy!

We were indeed misunderstanding something. Now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, how about... how about we grab something to eat together?

The Yan Yue group seemed not to hear her words and continued to start a fire and roast meat on their own.

Sparks crackled and burst into flames. He bent down and picked up a few flat stones from the beach, building a makeshift grill around the fire with fluid and focused movements.

Janet's heart began to race again, her cheeks flushed, and she was about to speak again when her stomach rumbled loudly, sounding particularly jarring on the quiet beach.

The pirates behind her were the same, their eyes fixed on the prepared meat skewers in Yan Yue's hand, swallowing hard.

Their food supplies had long been exhausted, and if they hadn't stumbled upon this deserted island yesterday, they probably would have starved to death long ago.

"Captain, I'm hungry..." a tall, thin pirate said weakly, his stomach growling in agreement, prompting the others to nod in agreement.

Janet glared at him and scolded in a low voice, "Have some backbone! We're pirates, how can we lose our dignity for a bite to eat?"

Even so, her gaze remained fixed on the aroma of the roasted meat, her nose seemingly already catching the scent, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly, completely revealing her true thoughts.

K leaned against the tent frame, arms crossed, and sneered at Janet and her group's drooling expressions: "They were calling us terrorists just now, and now they want to freeload? They've got some nerve."

Isolde walked from the stream, carrying a handful of washed wild fruit. Seeing the pirates' disheveled state, she couldn't help but feel sorry for them. She walked to Yan Yue's side and whispered, "Lady Yan Yue, they look really hungry. Why don't you... share some with them?"

Yan Yue was skinning a wild boar with a dagger, her gaze sweeping over Janet and her pirates, a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing on her lips.

"No rush." ​​Yan Yue's voice was gentle, yet carried an undeniable certainty. "We'll talk about it after it's baked."

He cut the skinned wild boar meat into even, large pieces, skewered them, and then began to process the python.

The python's skin was thick and tough, but Yan Yue could easily peel it off with just a flick of her fingertip flame, revealing the snow-white snake flesh.

The pirates looked at the thick python, and some couldn't help but shiver, but most were made even hungrier by the sight of the plump flesh, and even their fear was thrown to the winds.

Maxima walked over to Yan Yue, picked up a skewer of wild boar meat with his metal hand, and slowly turned it over the fire: "Need any help? There's quite a bit of meat here, roasting it all together will speed things up."

"Thank you for your trouble." Yan Yue nodded and handed the skewered snake meat to Maxima.

As the meat sizzled in the flames, juices slowly seeped out, dripping into the fire and making a sizzling sound. The enticing aroma wafted across the beach, making Janet and her companions unable to resist any longer.

"Handsome! I'll pay ten times the price for your barbecue!"

Janet took two steps forward, put her hands on her hips, and tried to look wealthy and powerful, but the longing in her eyes weakened her aura considerably.

Yan Yue finally stopped what he was doing, looked up at her, his gaze calm yet seemingly able to see through people's hearts: "Money?" He chuckled lightly, "I have no interest in money."

Janet was taken aback for a moment, then realized that her best asset was the bounty, but the other party didn't seem to care, which left her somewhat at a loss.

Her eyes darted around, and then she seemed to remember something. She quickly said, "Then...then I can help you with chores! Cleaning, guarding the camp, even fighting for you! As long as there's roasted meat to eat!"

The pirates behind her chimed in, "We can help too! We can do anything!"

K rolled his eyes, his tone full of disdain: "With your fighting strength, helping to fight would only make things worse, wouldn't it?"

The pirates blushed with embarrassment but dared not refute it—the experience of being subdued by everyone in just three minutes had indeed left them feeling insecure.

Janet was a little embarrassed, but the hunger in her stomach was too strong. She gritted her teeth, walked up to Yan Yue, and looked at him pitifully: "Handsome, we've been starving all day, we'll starve to death if we don't eat soon. Please, have pity on us and share some of the barbecue with us?"

Her blue eyes were wide open, and the teardrops from her crying still clung to her eyelashes, a stark contrast to her previous arrogant and domineering captain demeanor.

Judging from her reaction just now, Yan Yue believes that although this woman is greedy and careless, she is not good at lying. Moreover, her pirate crew does not seem to be a force of NESTS, but rather a pawn that is being used temporarily.

"You can have roasted meat if you want." Yan Yue picked up a skewer of wild boar meat that was roasted to a golden brown and glistening color. The aroma of the meat was irresistible, and the fat was dripping down the branches. "But I have one condition."

Janet's eyes lit up instantly, and she nodded quickly: "What are your conditions? Tell me! As long as I can do it, I'll definitely agree!"

“Tell me the truth.” Yan Yue’s gaze sharpened as he stared intently into her eyes. “Why did you come to this deserted island? Who exactly are you looking for, this so-called ‘person’? And who is the ‘high-ranking official’ behind you?”

Janet's smile froze for a moment, her eyes flickered, and she instinctively tried to evade the question: "I...I already said, it's just a normal search for someone, nothing special..."

Yan Yue didn't speak, but simply raised the roasted meat in her hand to her nose, took a light sniff, and then slowly rotated the branch to let the flames evenly roast every inch of the meat.

The enticing aroma grew stronger, and Janet's stomach growled again. She stared at the skewer of grilled meat, her throat bobbing, her mind in turmoil.

On one side was the generous reward promised by a high-ranking official, on the other side was the delicious barbecue right in front of her, and then there was the handsome man in front of her who made her heart flutter.

"Captain, I really can't hold back anymore..." The tall, thin pirate clutched his stomach, his face pale. "How about... we just tell the truth? They don't seem like bad people anyway, and we're just helping to find someone, we haven't done anything wrong."

"That's right, Captain! The bounty is important, but life is more important!"

Another pirate chimed in, "Besides, this handsome guy looks so reliable, he might even be able to help us!"

Janet glared at them fiercely, but her defenses were beginning to crumble.

Yan Yue handed the roasted wild boar meat to her, her voice gentle yet penetrating: "I know you're not a bad person, you've just been used. That high-ranking official, is he from NESTS?"

“NESTS?” Janet paused for a moment, then shook her head. “I don’t know anything about NESTS. I only know that he is a high-ranking official in Hawaii. He said that if there are any suspicious people in the waters around here, we should report them immediately. He also said that he would give us a million dollars as a reward if we successfully reported them.”

When she said "one million US dollars," a greedy glint flashed in her eyes, which then dimmed.

"I'm from a newly formed pirate crew, and we haven't made much money yet. My brothers have suffered a lot following me, so when I saw such a high bounty, I wanted to give it a try..."

Who knew they'd treat you like suspects!

Yan Yue understood.

Nine out of ten high-ranking officials in Hawaii have been bribed by NESTS. NESTS' power is indeed terrifying; even after their submarine unexpectedly made a forced landing on this deserted island, they were still detected. It seems we can't stay here any longer.

"So, you have no idea who you're looking for, or what the submarine's details are. You're just here for the bounty?" Yan Yue pressed.

Jenny nodded, a hint of shame on her face: "Yes, that official only told us to keep an eye out for people who dress strangely or whose nationality is unknown."

We just happened to come to this island looking for something to eat, and when we saw you in combat uniforms and with a submarine, we assumed you were the people we were looking for…”