Join the management group, I've stockpiled millions of supplies for survival at sea.

He raised the crossbow.

Yin Leyao darted behind a tree.

The crossbow bolt was embedded deep into the tree trunk, penetrating three inches into the wood.

She crouched down and heard the sound of the crossbow being cocked again.

"How many arrows did you bring?" the special forces soldier's voice came from fifteen meters away. "My crossbow comes with twelve arrows. Where's your bow? I see you have at most six in your quiver. What will you use to shoot after you've fired six arrows?"

Yin Leyao did not answer.

She was looking at the hard soil beneath her feet.

The area of ​​hard soil around the tree roots is not large, about three meters in radius, and beyond that is a swamp.

There was a thin layer of water on the surface of the swamp, and below that was dark green mud that could not be seen.

She reached out and picked up a piece of hard soil, then forcefully threw it into the swamp ten meters to her right.

A clod of earth falls onto the muddy surface, splashing up some muddy water, and then slowly sinks.

It took about five seconds to completely sink into the mud.

Five seconds.

It's too deep.

If a person steps on it, they will sink to above knee level in less than five seconds, and the more they struggle, the faster they sink.

"You're not getting out." The special forces soldier's voice drew closer.

He was leaping from one tree root to another, searching for a foothold in the swamp, gradually shrinking the encirclement.

"I just walked around, and this swamp only has the largest area of ​​hard soil where you are. The rest of the area is all mud. You've driven yourself into a dead end."

Yin Leyao peeked out.

The special forces soldier had already jumped behind a mangrove tree about eight meters away from her.

That location was right on the edge of the hard soil area.

She took a deep breath, stepped out from behind the tree, drew her bow fully, and aimed the arrow at the special forces soldier.

The special forces soldiers also held crossbows, aiming them at her.

The two men faced each other across an eight-meter-wide mud pit.

"I have more arrows than you," the special forces soldier said. "The closer you are, the more accurate your crossbow becomes. Your bow is brand new; the limbs aren't even fully formed yet. It'll deform after just three arrows."

He's right about everything.

Yin Leyao suddenly shot an arrow.

Instead of shooting at the special forces soldiers, they shot at the tree roots where the special forces soldiers were landing.

The arrow was driven into the mud, not to hit its mark, but to elicit a reaction from him.

The special forces soldier indeed stepped aside.

He landed on the outer edge of the tree roots; the surface of the soil was dry, but it trembled slightly when he stepped on it. A tremor unlike that of hard soil.

The special forces soldiers also sensed it.

He glanced down at his feet.

"You noticed," he said. "This spot is indeed a bit unstable, but it should hold out for a few minutes. How many minutes can you hold out?"

Yin Leyao shot another arrow.

This time, they aimed at his side, forcing him to take another step back to the left.

The special forces soldier stepped on the edge of the tree roots, and small cracks began to appear in the soil beneath his feet.

He didn't panic.

He aimed the crossbow at Yin Leyao and pulled the trigger.

An arrow flew towards her, and Yin Leyao dodged it to the side. The arrow grazed her clothes and embedded itself in the tree root.

She shot the third arrow.

The special forces soldiers dodged, and the crack beneath their feet widened.

"You have three arrows left," the special forces soldier said.

Yin Leyao did not shoot the fourth arrow.

She changed her position and moved two steps to the other side of the mangrove.

This position forces the special forces soldier to turn around to face her, and the turning motion requires force from his feet.

The special forces soldier followed and circled halfway around.

Stepping into the crack, the soil sank a centimeter.

His military boots were covered in mud.

He looked down at his feet.

His expression remained calm when he looked up.

"You're stalling for time," he said. "You want the place I'm standing on to collapse by itself, but I can shoot you dead before it does."

He raised his crossbow again, aiming it at Yin Leyao's head.

Yin Leyao took a step back.

This step is on the edge of hard soil; beyond that, it's all mud.

The special forces soldier thought she was going to run away, so he leaned forward to give chase.

This forward lean puts all of the body weight on the left foot, which is positioned at the widest part of the crack.

The soil cracked.

The special forces soldier's body fell downwards.

His reaction was extremely fast; in the instant of weightlessness, he threw away the crossbow and grabbed the tree roots beside him with both hands.

His lower body was already stuck in the mud, which was up to his waist.

Yin Leyao held up the bow, aiming it at his hand.

"Don't shoot my hand," the special forces soldier said, his voice finally tightening slightly. "Even if you kill me, you won't get my equipment. The axe, the crossbow, the dagger—they'll all be stuck in the mud."

"You can climb up yourself," Yin Leyao said.

The special forces soldier pulled with all his might, his arm muscles bulging. The mud made a gurgling sound, but it wouldn't loosen.

He climbed up ten centimeters, but the mud sucked him back down five centimeters.

"It's too heavy," he said, panting. "The mud is too deep."

He tried again.

This time the mud level dropped even faster, and his body sank to his chest.

The pressure of the mud made it difficult for him to breathe, and his speech became intermittent.

"Pull me up. I have a canvas."

Yin Leyao did not move.

"Twelve logs and a canvas can make a raft," the special forces soldier said quickly. "You'll need the canvas, and I'm the only one on the whole island with a complete piece. Pull me up, and I'll give it to you."

Yin Leyao still didn't move.

The mud reached his armpits.

The special forces soldier's expression finally changed; it wasn't fear, but a calm anger.

"Aren't you afraid I'll sink with the canvas on?"

"I'm afraid," Yin Leyao said, "but I'm even more afraid of you coming up."

The mud went up to his shoulders.

His knuckles were white as he gripped the tree roots, his strength waning. He looked up at Yin Leyao, his mouth agape as if to say something.

Mud got into his mouth.

His body suddenly sank down, leaving only his neck and head exposed.

He coughed, and mud splattered onto his face.

Then his eyes changed their expression.

It's not the fear of death, but the acceptance of defeat.

He looked at Yin Leyao and nodded, as if acknowledging something.

Mud covered his face.

One hand finally emerged from the mud, its five fingers spread open, as if trying to grab something.

Then come the fingertips.

Then the mud surface returned to calm, with only a few bubbles slowly rising to the surface and bursting.

There's nothing left.

Yin Leyao stood on the tree root, looking at the muddy surface.

No more bubbles appeared.

She waited for a full three minutes.

She put down the bow three minutes later.

The special forces' crossbow floated on the muddy surface, about two meters from the edge of the hard soil.

She used the tip of her bow to hook it over; the crossbow string was soaked in mud and water and could not be used for the time being.

But the crossbow was fine; it could still be used after being cleaned.

The axe didn't float to the surface; it sank down with the special forces soldier.

She sighed; it was indeed a pity about the axe.

But when the person sank, the axe sank too.

no way.

She was about to walk back when she kicked something.

Looking down, I saw a short-handled axe, its blade stuck in a crevice in the tree roots, covered in mud and water.

It wasn't the one the special forces soldier carried; that one was indeed heavy.

This is a spare; it probably fell out of my waist during the fight.

Yin Leyao picked up the axe.

It's a solid iron axe with a rubber-coated wooden core handle that feels great in the hand.

She rinsed it with muddy water and tucked it behind her waist.

She walked very carefully on her way back.

The sky was beginning to darken, and the light in the forest was changing from grayish-white to dark gray.

She walked back along the marks she had made, the axe in her hand, ready to chop at any moment.

When she got close to the mountainside, she smelled smoke.

It wasn't the smoke from burning firewood. It smelled like burnt feathers.

She started running.

Two people were standing outside the cave.

The man, wearing a military green jacket, was holding a sharpened wooden stick and poking it into the hole.

The woman stood to the side, holding Yin Leyao's dried meat and berries in her arms, with her bow hanging on her shoulder.

The screams and flapping wings of the firebirds echoed from inside the cave.

It retaliated by breathing fire inside the cave, but the cave was too small and its wings could not spread. The fire threads hit the cave wall and bounced back, burning its own feathers.

Yin Leyao rushed up from behind.

The man in the military green jacket turned around, saw Yin Leyao, and raised a wooden stick to block her way.

He reacted quickly, holding the stick horizontally, his feet apart, and stood very steadily.

Yin Leyao did not slow down.

She drew her crossbow from her waist with her left hand; the trigger was wet but ready to fire. She pointed at his face and pulled the trigger.

An arrow pierced his shoulder, and he screamed as he staggered backward.

Yin Leyao swung the axe with her right hand and smashed it horizontally onto his arm that was holding the stick.

The sound of bones breaking is crisp.

The stick fell to the ground, and he knelt down, clutching his arms, the crossbow bolt on his shoulder still trembling.

Yin Leyao stomped on his chest and kicked him over.

Then turn around.

The female player stood frozen in place, clutching the dried meat.

Her face was more swollen than yesterday, and there was a new bruise under her eye.

"Put the things down," Yin Leyao said.

The female player placed the dried meat and berries on the ground.

My legs are shaking.

The firebird rushed out of the cave, a few feathers on its wings were singed, and it looked disheveled, but it was not injured.

When it saw the female player, it opened its mouth as if to breathe fire.

Yin Leyao raised her hand to block it: "Don't spray."

The Moltres stopped its fire and screamed angrily at the female player.

Yin Leyao picked up the bow from the ground and hung it back on her shoulder, then put the dried meat and berries into the bucket.

The military green jacket groaned on the ground, clutching its severed arm as it rolled around.

Blood was gushing out of the crossbow bolt hole in his shoulder.

Yin Leyao walked up to him, untied a roll of vines from his waist, and put it into her bucket.

"Did you find these vines yourself?" she asked.

The man was in so much pain that he couldn't speak, he could only nod.

Thanks.

Yin Leyao searched the female player's arms and took everything. There was nothing else.

"You can leave now," she said.

The female player remained frozen in place.

"You're not going to kill us?" Her voice was very soft.

"There are four survivors left on the island," Yin Leyao said. "If I kill the two of you, it'll be more troublesome for me and the other one to fight. Get lost."

The female player helped the man in the military green jacket to his feet. He was unsteady on his feet, his severed arm dangling swaying at his side, and the arrow in his shoulder was still stuck in his shoulder.

The two limped down the mountain and soon disappeared into the bushes.

Yin Leyao waited until they were far away before sitting down on the ground, placing the axe on her knees, and her breathing gradually calmed down.

The flamingo lay down next to her, stretched its charred wings in front of her, and made a pitiful gurgling sound in its throat.

Yin Leyao examined the scorched feathers. Only the surface layer was burnt; the down underneath was fine.

"Serves you right, I told you to breathe fire, not to breathe fire on yourself."

The mollusk cried out and tucked its head under her arm.

Yin Leyao patted its head and looked at the twelve logs piled up next to the cave entrance.

Logs, vines, an axe. Now all that's missing is canvas.

The special forces soldier said he had a canvas, but he had already sunk into the swamp.

Whether the canvas was on him or not, I don't know.

It may be hidden somewhere on the island.

She watched the last glimmer of light disappear on the horizon, then stood up and covered the cave entrance with coconut leaves again.

The fire inside the cave was reignited.

The flamingo lay beside the fire, roasting its charred feathers and occasionally preening them with its beak.

Yin Leyao sat on the other side of the fire, wiped the mud and water off the axe, and sharpened the blade on a stone a few times.

I'll go find canvas tomorrow.