"I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted... my body almost went limp just now."
Lara sat down against a tree while rubbing her shoulders. Even with magic boosting her physical condition, mental stress couldn't be relieved so easily.
"This is the prisoner." Xia Yu kicked the bearded man at his feet. "He's really ugly; one look and you can tell he's a heinous villain."
"You're judging a book by its cover, Xia Yu. That's not right," Lara suddenly spoke up.
"Uh... why is that what you're focusing on?"
Xia Yu admitted he was being a bit judgmental, but now wasn't the time for that, was it?
Glancing at the man's battered head and the handgun in Lara's hand, Xia Yu quickly analyzed what had just happened.
Although he had secretly placed an invisible magical shield on Lara, his face still darkened after deducing the events.
"Lara, I'll go interrogate him first. You stay here and get some rest."
After greeting Lara, Xia Yu grabbed the bearded man by the pant leg and dragged him into the depths of the forest.
Watching Xia Yu walk away, Lara really wanted to ask why he didn't just interrogate him right here.
But in the end, she didn't speak. Xia Yu must have his own reasons for doing this. As his girlfriend, she just needed to support him.
Though this kind of support felt a bit strange.
Lara didn't think too much about it. Seeing Xia Yu move further away, she leaned against the tree like a child with a new toy, tirelessly feeling and guiding the magic within her body.
During the battle just now, she hadn't had the chance to properly experience this miraculous power.
Since magic can be attached to arrows, can it be attached to bullets? But regular bullets can already kill people; enchanted bullets seem kind of useless.
On the other side, Xia Yu, dragging the prisoner, entered the deep forest.
His interrogation didn't require cooperation. As long as he performed a Soul Search, all secrets would be exposed before his eyes—though he didn't think this man would know much anyway.
However, a prisoner still has value. It was the perfect time to experiment with Necromancy Spells on him; he was quite interested in those... "It really can be attached to bullets."
Lara looked at the handgun in her hand with surprise. Following the same method as the enchanted arrows, she had successfully attached magic to the bullets.
She just didn't know what the use of enchanted bullets was. Enchanted arrows could increase lethality or silence the shot. Enchanted bullets... didn't seem to need more power, as a regular bullet was enough to take a life. As for silencing them, it seemed unrealistic; unlike a bow, a gun fires using gunpowder, and the gunshot is the sound of the gunpowder's instantaneous explosion.
But it was worth a try. After all, trying would only waste one bullet.
Just as Lara was about to fire an enchanted bullet to check its power, Xia Yu returned. Seeing Xia Yu, Lara was a bit surprised.
"That fast?"
"Yeah," Xia Yu nodded. "He confessed very quickly. With almost no interrogation, he told me everything."
"Then he's already..."
"That's right. There's no need to treat an enemy like a human being, especially one named Vladimir."
"Huh? Does what he's named have anything to do with it?"
Yes, it has a lot to do with it.
Xia Yu silently replied in his heart. In the game, Vladimir was the first Solarii sub-boss Lara encountered. It was precisely because he tried to assault Lara that he became the first person Lara killed.
But he couldn't say that. Xia Yu thought for a moment and shared another piece of information.
"This guy named Vladimir was leading these islanders to hunt down the surviving crew members who drifted onto the island. They even killed the prisoners who wouldn't obey."
"So some of the surviving crew have already met their end at their hands. Guys like this deserve to die!"
Hearing this, Lara covered her mouth in disbelief, her voice trembling slightly.
"Have... have our companions already been killed by them?"
"Yes." Xia Yu walked over, sat down next to Lara, and spoke softly.
"So we must avenge our fallen companions. Not only must we kill Himiko, but we must also uproot the entire Solarii, eradicating them without leaving a single one behind."
"Solarii—that's the name of their organization. They are made up of mentally unstable lunatics. Their method of selecting members is also inhuman; one can only join the Solarii after their humanity has been ground away."
Xia Yu gently held Lara and began to recount the information he had 'obtained,' including the origin of the Solarii, Himiko's location, and so on.
Although most of it was known to him from the game, it didn't stop him from using the interrogation as an excuse to say it all.
As Xia Yu explained, Lara gradually understood the meaning of the Solarii, what they had done, and what kind of group they were.
"Phew, they really are a group of total lunatics."
After an unknown amount of time, Lara finished listening to Xia Yu's explanation and clearly understood why he said the organization had to be eradicated.
"I understand, but can just the two of us really wipe out such a massive organization?" Lara suddenly asked.
Of course we can. After all, in the game, you slaughtered the entire island and wiped out the Solarii all by yourself, Xia Yu answered in his head.
In reality, however, he just smiled slightly and said, "You still have me, don't you? Besides, you have to believe in yourself, Lara. You have the ability."
Hearing this, Lara blushed slightly. Anyone would feel shy being affirmed so seriously.
The two chatted some more. As they talked, Lara grew sleepy and eventually fell asleep leaning against Xia Yu.
Seeing that Lara was asleep, Xia Yu gently helped her lie down flat, letting her rest her head on his lap so she could sleep more comfortably.
He didn't need to sleep himself. For the current Xia Yus, sleep was no longer a necessity; it was just an enjoyment, not a requirement.
With nothing to do, he went back to the Chat Group to lurk.
The next day, at noon.
Lara woke up under the sunlight. She propped herself up and found she had been sleeping with Xia Yu's backpack as a pillow. As for Xia Yu, he was currently walking over carrying a plate.
"Awake? Come and have some breakfast."
On the plate was fresh bread, as well as apples and some roasted meat. Lara looked on in surprise; where did these things come from?
Seeming to see Lara's question, Xia Yu explained casually, "I found this food in those guys' camp. I've tasted it; it's not expired and is still edible."
Of course, the truth was that he had received it from the Chat Group. The Chat Group contained food stored by Xia Yus from different worlds, ranging from ordinary food to bizarre items.
That guy from dark souls iii even put a Crystal Lizard in a food Red Envelope, as if he thought that thing was edible!
Of course, whether it was actually edible, Xia Yu didn't know. After all, no Xia Yu had dared to try eating a Crystal Lizard yet, and the guy from dark souls iii hadn't dared to try it himself either.
"How about it? Want a taste? I've already eaten some; it's fine."
As he spoke, Xia Yu handed the plate forward. Lara didn't hesitate, immediately grabbing the bread and stuffing it into her mouth.
"Mmm... it's delicious! Dammit, those guys really knew how to enjoy themselves!"
"Alright, alright, eat slowly. No rush," Xia Yu laughed, watching Lara eat like a hamster.
Before long, Lara finished her breakfast and breathed a sigh of relief. Being able to eat normal food like this on a deserted island felt surreal.
"Xia Yu, where do we go next?" Lara asked, looking at Xia Yu beside her.
Xia Yu first looked toward the center of the island, then pointed toward a very distant canyon and spoke.
"Our goal is over there. Himiko's palace is built on the other side of the canyon. The journey might be complicated and dangerous, but to get home sooner, let's go."
"Mhm!"
Lara gave a soft hum of agreement. Although she didn't say much, she felt she was already starting to fall in love with this heart-pounding adventure.