Robbery!

[You have captured a plump Red-skinned Coconut Crab.]

[Red-skinned Coconut Crab: Tender and delicious flesh, edible; shell can be used for crafting.]

The system rarely used descriptive words.

Ling Chu weighed the creature in her hand—it was indeed plump, at least seven or eight catties.

Stow it away, stow it away. She had never eaten coconut crab before, and she never expected that diving into this survival game would let her achieve seafood freedom.

This type of coconut crab moved clumsily. After walking through the jungle for ten minutes, Ling Chu caught five more and stuffed them all into her ring space.

She had watched some documentaries before. Coconut crabs usually foraged at night, and their shells were mostly blue-green. But here, the coconut crabs were a cooked-looking red, proving that the creatures in this place were quite different from the world she once knew.

This island wasn't large to begin with. Ling Chu soon reached its center. Pushing through the bushes, the view opened up, revealing an expanse of barren sandy ground.

In this sandy terrain, wild ores grew one after another, their metallic sheen glinting under the sunlight.

When Ling Chu saw those ores, her breath involuntarily hitched.

So much iron ore!

Iron ore was a must-have item for upgrading rafts, the scarcest hard currency. Currently, the iron ore players obtained mostly came from treasure chests fished up at sea. She never expected that this unremarkable little island would have so much iron ore!

She had struck it rich.

She also noticed that among the piles of iron ore, a Bronze Treasure Chest stood out conspicuously. The bronze lock on it was rusted and shaky, as if beckoning passing travelers to open it.

When she saw that chest, Ling Chu's excitement gradually calmed, replaced by a hint of wariness.

Why would a treasure chest appear out of nowhere in a pile of iron ore?

...Could there be something fishy about it?

She walked toward the chest, then suddenly heard a rustling sound behind her. The noise was slightly different from the sound of a coconut crab crawling across the sand.

Ling Chu glanced sideways. Beneath a coconut tree at an angle behind her, there was a patch of shadow—one that was slightly larger than the tree's own shade. Though subtle, her sharp eyes caught it.

Sanfuye, hiding behind the coconut tree, tightened his grip on the dagger. Was this woman too cautious? He had only shifted his foot, and she noticed?

He nervously watched Ling Chu's movements. Seeing her walk toward the chest as if nothing was wrong, he let out a relieved breath.

Guess he was overthinking it. A normal person, seeing such a big treasure chest, would be too excited to pounce on it. Who would pay attention to such a trivial sound around them?

Sanfuye stared at Ling Chu, who had completely exposed her back to him, a flicker of ruthlessness and greed in his eyes.

Once she opened the chest, he could make another big score today...

Ling Chu stopped in front of the chest, stroking her chin as she examined it. "This chest sitting here... could it belong to someone? Forget it, better not touch other people's stuff."

Sanfuye, who was waiting to make his move, was dumbfounded.

In this day and age, there were people who returned lost items and left treasure chests untouched? Was this woman brain-damaged?

Unable to hold back any longer, Sanfuye leaped out from behind the tree, the cold gleam of his blade aimed straight at Ling Chu's throat.

"Hand it over!"

Ling Chu pretended to be startled, but her gaze subtly swept over the disheveled man before her. A message panel appeared in her left eye.

[Player ID: Sanfuye]

[Occupation: Pirate]

[Sin Value: 30]

[Bounty: 100 Sea Shells]

[Upgrade Captain Teach's Monocle Eyepatch to view more hidden information.]

Sanfuye...

Ling Chu remembered this ID. Wasn't he the pirate being denounced in the Public Chat Channel this morning? What a coincidence, running into him here.

"Hand over your supplies, and I might spare your life!"

Sanfuye licked his lips, chapped from the sea breeze, secretly pleased that he was about to make another fortune today. Not only had he discovered an uninhabited island, but a fat sheep had also delivered itself to his doorstep.

Ever since he robbed that first player, he realized how lucrative the pirate profession was. Others worked hard fishing supplies from the sea, but none of it was as fast as a single slash of his blade.

Sanfuye's lecherous gaze slid over Ling Chu's beautiful face. This woman was far prettier than the one he robbed last time. If she knew what was good for her and handed over her supplies obediently, he could tie her up on his boat for some entertainment.

Just as Sanfuye's lustful thoughts began to stir, the woman before him vanished like a ghost. The next second, a chill ran down his back. Ling Chu held an Iron Dagger, its blade pressed steadily against his neck.

The tables had turned in an instant.

"Hand it over!"

Ling Chu said coldly.

"You... you..."

Sanfuye's eyes widened in shock. Was this woman some kind of sorceress? How did she do it?!

Vanishing on the spot, then reappearing in another place—this was simply not something a normal human could do.

Right, she must have some kind of Special Profession and triggered a skill!

Damn it, he'd let his guard down...

"Hand over all the supplies, and I'll let you die a bit more cleanly." Ling Chu said expressionlessly.

"..."

Wasn't that his line?

This woman was even more ruthless than him—she didn't even intend to let him live!

Sanfuye gritted his teeth and tried to negotiate with her: "This time, I misjudged you. I'll admit defeat. I'll give you all the supplies—can you let me go? Only the Pirate profession can loot supplies from a player's ship. If you kill me, you won't get anything!"

He was telling the truth. The system's Novice Protection Mechanism only applied to players' ships. Right now, they were on the island, not on a ship, or else Ling Chu wouldn't have been able to touch him at all. Before landing, he'd left all the valuable supplies on the Raft to prevent any accidents. If this woman killed him now, she'd gain nothing!

Ling Chu didn't even acknowledge him. She simply and swiftly drove a knee into his back. Sanfuye hadn't expected her to act so directly, and he fell face-first onto the ground, choking on a mouthful of sand and dirt.

Sanfuye had never imagined that Ling Chu, who looked so slender, could have such strength. That knee strike nearly made him throw up.

He lay on the ground, momentarily unable to move, as Ling Chu used her dagger to cut and strip off his jacket.

Sanfuye's mind raced with uncertainty. Could it be he'd run into a female pervert?

If she'd said so earlier, he wouldn't have minded sacrificing a bit of his looks to save his life...

But things didn't go the way Sanfuye imagined at all. Ling Chu quickly tore the cloth from his clothes into strips and bound his hands and feet tightly.

She'd used the Grappling Hook Rope to tie up the Raft, so the only thing she could use as rope now was clothing. Of course, she wasn't about to cut up her own clothes—if not his, then whose?

"Crawl over there and open that Treasure Chest." Ling Chu ordered.