The stealthy assassination went unnoticed. In the dim camp, only a few flashlights served as searchlights; otherwise, the surrounding patrols carried only faint torches.
After shooting a patrolman, Lara put down her bow, her breath ragged and her hands trembling. Although it was a long-range kill, taking a life still placed immense psychological pressure on her.
"Are you okay?"
Xia Yu gently patted Lara's back, easing the lingering fear of her first kill.
Though it was a bit cruel for Lara, it was better than her first forced kill in the game, where the first life she took was someone trying to assault her.
In the game, Lara had snatched a pistol and headshotted that man at close range, getting drenched in the blood spraying from his head.
Now, not only was there no blood splatter, but because it was a long-range snipe, she hadn't even seen the dead man's face.
After panting for a moment, Lara raised her head and shook it gently, the confusion in her eyes already swept away.
"I won't be afraid. This is to save people, and they were the ones who hurt us first."
"Exactly, that's the resolve you need!" Xia Yu patted Lara's shoulder encouragingly and said, "I'll go lure away the nearby patrols. Lara, you'll be responsible for killing the guards and rescuing the crew members."
"But..."
"Don't be afraid." Xia Yu suddenly interrupted Lara, staring seriously into her eyes. "Lara, you can do this. Believe in yourself!"
With that, Xia Yu's figure melted into the forest under the cover of night. Seeing that Xia Yu had really left, Lara withdrew her worried gaze and silently cheered herself on in her heart.
She could do it. She was no longer an ordinary person; she had to save her other companions from the endurance!
Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, Lara calmed her racing heart. Deep breathing helped stabilize her emotions, and her hands stopped trembling.
The islanders below were still patrolling, not only alert for sudden gunshots but also searching for survivors of the shipwreck.
Their organization had always grown by absorbing shipwreck survivors, though they didn't take just anyone. After capturing new survivors, only those who passed the trial of the Geothermal Cavern were qualified to join and become their companions.
This was a rule set by Matthias. He used this method to solidify his rule, absorbing survivors with strong physiques but weak wills.
The camp in the night was very quiet, but in the next moment, an abrupt gunshot suddenly rang out. The moment they heard it, the nearby patrolling islanders quickly crouched low and ran toward the source of the sound.
However, Lara, hiding at a high vantage point, saw everything.
"Xia Yu has started his move. I can't hold him back!"
Lara muttered to herself, then nocked another arrow. She guided the mana in her body to flow into her eyes, allowing her to see everyone below clearly.
Under her sweeping gaze, she quickly assigned targets to snipe one by one. As long as she was fast enough, she could kill all the guards before they could react.
There weren't many islanders guarding the prisoners; most were out on patrol. Only four or five islanders were wandering around the captives.
Lara silently focused on enchanting her arrows. After picking her targets, the bowstring hummed slightly, and the arrows flew!
The enchanted arrows merged into the night. In an instant, one arrow pierced the air and struck a guard's skull.
With a thud, the body hit the ground. Another guard nearby had just heard the noise and was about to turn his head to see what it was, but another arrow made him fall with a thud as well.
The bound sailors and shipwrights watched in horror as the islanders guarding them were headshotted one by one. Within moments, the entire camp fell silent.
To make the enemies' deaths less painful, Lara aimed for their heads. A painless death—efficient and considerate.
After dealing with the guards, Lara slung her bow and slid directly down the slope from the high point.
She couldn't waste a single moment. If she finished in time, she could still go help Xia Yu.
"Lara!!"
The bound sailors recognized Lara. Seeing that it was she who had saved them, they shouted her name in joy.
"I'm coming to save you right now."
Lara hurried forward to untie the sailors. The ropes binding them weren't tied in dead knots; with a bit of inspection, they could be easily undone.
But in the next moment—
"Don't move! Put your hands up and turn around."
A gruff voice called out. Hearing this, Lara's heart tightened. She had clearly killed all the guards; where did this person come from?
But she didn't dare act rashly. She silently raised her hands and turned around. What met her eyes was a bearded man in a leather jacket, holding a pistol.
The bearded man's cold gaze swept over the other islanders who had been headshotted. Realizing they had been killed by arrows, he noticed the bow on Lara's back.
"Bah, what useless trash."
After spitting on the ground, the bearded man eyed Lara and slowly approached with his pistol raised.
Looking at the bearded man's index finger on the trigger, Lara suddenly thought of something Xia Yu had jokingly told her: beyond seven paces, the gun is fast; within seven paces, the gun is both fast and accurate.
Indeed, a human at their limit could never dodge a pistol, but she didn't need to be faster than the gun; she just needed to be faster than the enemy's reaction.
Using speed that didn't belong to an ordinary person, she might be able to snatch the enemy's pistol before he could react.
Watching the enemy approach, Lara silently calculated the distance between them. Then, her legs bent slightly and she lowered her body, as if she were about to kneel and hold her head in fear.
Seeing this, the bearded man sneered and didn't stop her. In the next moment—
Lara suddenly exerted force, her figure almost pulling into an afterimage. Before the bearded man could react, she pressed Two Fingers together and jabbed hard at the funny bone on his arm.
"Argh!!"
The funny bone in the arm is connected to the nerves. The moment it took the heavy blow, the bearded man's entire arm went numb and painful. With a scream, the pistol in his hand slipped right out.
Taking this opportunity, Lara grabbed the falling pistol and pressed it against the bearded man's chin. The situation reversed instantly.
The bearded man raised his hands with a trembling arm, but Lara didn't indulge him. She swung the pistol butt and smashed it against his temple, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Leaving one enemy alive would allow them to interrogate him for information. Although she and Xia Yu had decided to eliminate Himiko, they didn't actually know where Himiko's palace was. These islanders who worshipped Himiko would surely know.
After dealing with the enemy, Lara breathed a sigh of relief. To prevent him from waking up, she hit him twice more with the pistol butt.
Only after doing all this did she walk back with somewhat weary steps to continue untying the sailors' bonds.
By now, the sailors' gaze toward Lara was one of utter awe. The little Lara, who had seemed so frail and weak in all their eyes, had actually become so fierce.
This seemed to make them look even more useless... The sailors felt a bit depressed. They were the men, they were supposed to be the ones protecting these young people, yet now they were the ones being saved. They felt they couldn't even face the captain anymore... "Lara, are you okay!"
Just as Lara finished untying everyone, the late-arriving Xia Yu finally ran back.
Lara silently glanced at Xia Yu. Finding that he wasn't injured, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief and then shook her head.
"I'm fine. I just caught a prisoner; maybe we can get some clues from him."
Xia Yu understood Lara's meaning, but the rescued sailors were completely confused. One of the more senior sailors asked in bewilderment,
"What are you talking about? Why not just kill him? Captain Roth must have already sent out a distress signal. We should head to the captain's side immediately."
They had followed Roth through many travels, so they trusted their captain implicitly.
Lara glanced at Xia Yu again. Seeing him shake his head slightly, she nodded in understanding and then spoke to explain.
"Whitman is missing, and we're looking for him. You guys head back to Roth first. Don't worry about us; we can protect ourselves."
"But..."
The sailors wanted to say more, but Lara interrupted them ruthlessly.
"Don't worry. I was the one who rescued you, after all. Didn't you see just now? I'm not afraid of them, even on my own."
Hearing this, the sailors were momentarily speechless. They really weren't in any position to argue.
After the sailors discussed in low voices for a moment, they all nodded together. The leading sailor said,
"Alright then. We'll go find Captain Roth. If you can't find that Whitman fellow, just come straight back. Don't worry about him."
"Yeah, I know."
After saying goodbye to Lara and Xia Yu, the sailors took the islanders' flashlights and walked into the forest. They could follow the smoke to find Captain Roth; it was one of the signals they had agreed upon.
Once the sailors were far away, Lara finally relaxed. She had been holding onto a surge of energy to get through all this, and now that she relaxed, that energy instantly dissipated.
The scene of Lara climbing the Radio Tower alone probably won't be written. Although that cinematic was truly beautiful and stunning, it was also truly ridiculous—making a young girl climb such a high Radio Tower where a slight slip would mean falling to her death. It's too absurd. Besides, Lara was wearing her tank top at the time, climbing up against freezing winds and blizzards. I felt cold just watching it!