Salomon offered a silent, distant apology to Lara Croft.
Because of his interference, the famed adventurer could never complete a full expedition. For any normal person, being rescued from such dire straits would bring gratitude—but not for Lara. To her, it was simply another obstruction on the path of exploration. Regardless, the artifact known as the Divine Source had to be acquired. It might hold the key to completing his gene alchemy. As for Trinity, also in pursuit of the Divine Source, Salomon had decided to leave them to the Sisterhood. With high-tech feedback-powered exo-armor and heavy-caliber firearms, Trinity's mercenaries would be no match for his girls.
And if necessary, Salomon wouldn't hesitate to erase the entire cult from existence.
He was certain Father Molru knew something. After all, Trinity had participated in the Crusades—surely the Vatican kept records. Salomon hadn't forgotten how Kamar-Taj had come to possess a copy of the Necronomicon. The Red Cardinal who practiced black magic and had been slain by the Ancient One wasn't the only one of his kind. Fools who mistook ignorance for faith and lies for truth were everywhere. Especially cults like Trinity, which sought to cleanse the world of its so-called original sin—groups like them had existed throughout history.
According to intelligence reports, Trinity had already located the native settlement. Salomon suspected that Lara, after escaping captivity, would head there with the local man who'd escaped with her. As the sky carrier flew toward Siberia, Agent C-A1 was tracking her steps. Along the way, he had uncovered extensive Soviet-era intelligence on the search for the Lost City—intel that, combined with Trinity's troop movements, was already flowing into Command via the spy network, prepping the Sisterhood for an assault.
But one eye had arrived before the sky carrier: the Phoenix.
"I want to know why you fought so hard to get here," the local man said, back turned to Lara, tending to a pot of boiling herbs. They had only just escaped a Trinity gunship. Lara had passed out after falling into the river and had just regained consciousness a few minutes prior. Hidden in the flames, the Phoenix listened to their conversation without missing a word.
"For the Divine Source," Lara replied, clutching the warm bowl. She looked down, visibly dejected.
"I know what you're looking for. Anyone who comes here has only one goal. What I want to know is why."
Lara drew a deep breath and recounted her childhood—the research of her father, Richard Croft, and his mysterious death. She had found him dead in his study shortly after they had argued. The memory had scarred her for life. If not for Anna's presence afterward, Lara wasn't sure she would've recovered. For years, she believed it was suicide—until Anna's betrayal shattered the illusion. Her father's death, clearly, wasn't what it seemed. "I thought I had learned to accept it," she said, "but…"
"Something else happened?"
"Yes. I can't tell you much due to a promise I made. But I saw things I never thought possible." She smiled faintly. "Everything changed. If you've watched the news, you know humanity is no longer alone. In this world, anything is possible."
"So you believe in the Divine Source?"
"To be honest, I don't know. But if there's even a sliver of truth behind it, I have to find it." Despite her fragile appearance, Lara's voice radiated unyielding conviction. "Someone has to try to uncover the truth. After all, it could change the world, couldn't it?"
"Believe me—that wouldn't be a good thing. Do you really want the secret of immortality falling into Trinity's hands?"
"Of course not."
"Then I hope you'll continue your work—just with one small change. Join us. Help us drive out Konstantin and Trinity."
"And then?"
"Leave the valley, and you'll know you made the right choice."
"I'll fight Trinity with you—but my mission won't change."
There was iron in Lara's eyes. She needed answers—answers that could unravel all the mysteries. The man left, disappointed, but he still showed her the location of the village and a hidden route. Not only that, he pointed her toward a Soviet-era gulag built over an ancient ruin. It wasn't the fabled Lost City, but no locals ever dared enter—it was too dangerous. Still, he thought Lara might be interested.
"I hope you'll believe me," the man said before leaving. "Immortality is not a blessing, Lara. It's a curse no human mind can endure."
His village sat in a warm valley, sheltered from the wind. Thanks to geothermal heat, rare broad-leafed Siberian plants grew here. The cloaked sky carrier hovered above the terrain, observing from above. Amid the vast white snowfields and dark mountain ridges, this verdant pocket glowed like a gem embedded in the valley. Even if Agent C-A1 couldn't locate the village, a spy satellite had pinpointed it as the only place capable of sustaining long-term human habitation.
With Salomon's return, the portal reactivated, and the sky carrier no longer had to rely on brute-force travel. Agent Hand had already dispatched a special ops team to extract the poor frozen Agent C-A1—hopefully before frostbite set in.
At the command center, Salomon reviewed terrain data from the spy satellite. Before launching the mission, the carrier had deployed several recon drones to scan the surrounding geography and compile a navigable topographical projection. Initially, Salomon planned to skip directly to the Lost City, leading the Sisterhood and special forces to seize the Divine Source—a move that would've shortened the mission drastically. Everyone had agreed to the plan.
But a plume of smoke rising from the valley shattered that idea.
Before Salomon could speak, Tita issued the order: the Sisterhood was to deploy immediately. Assault transports burst over the mountains, roaring through the air as they opened fire on Trinity's heavily armed helicopters. Meanwhile, armored gynoids with steel wings leapt from the transports, drawing their weapons mid-air and firing on Trinity mercenaries already engaged in slaughtering the villagers.
No one—neither Trinity nor the villagers—could make sense of the attack. Before the mercenaries could react, Sisterhood chainswords were already chewing through bones and body armor, while explosive rounds tore men in half with ease.
Through the smoke, Lyudmila and Liliya advanced, firing precision shots with their bolt pistols at anyone who raised a weapon against them. Their mission was suppression—not protection. Even villagers who tried to fight back with bows and arrows faced immediate retaliation.
That is, until the man who had shared a cell with Lara stumbled into Liliya's line of fire, clearly disoriented by the nearby blasts. The command interface identified him as a protected asset.
Liliya forced herself to lower her weapon.
"Stop! Stop this at once! They're my people!" he shouted, recognizing her hesitation. Then he turned his eyes skyward and yelled, "I know who you are—and I know what you want!"
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