[Setting: The Soviet Installation - Approach to the Copper Mill]
The path to the Copper Mill was a perilous descent into Trinity's main operating base. The mill itself was a massive, rusted industrial fortress, strategically built over a chasm, its towering smokestacks a monument to Soviet decay and Trinity's renewed, sinister purpose. Every approach was covered by floodlights, machine gun nests, and patrolling armored vehicles.
Leo and Lara moved along the high rail lines that circled the installation. They were utilizing the darkness and the constant noise of the machinery to mask their approach.
"This is a frontal siege, Leo," Lara whispered over the comms. She was using the Tier 3 Suppressed Tactical Bow Leo had upgraded, its new scope giving her lethal precision. "We can't stealth the whole complex. We have to punch a hole through."
"Agreed. We're targeting the central office—that's where Konstantin keeps the captured locals and, more importantly, the ATLAS fragment key to Kitezh," Leo responded. His newly boosted Mind (18) was already running tactical simulations on the structure. "The mill is vulnerable from below—the main geothermal pipes run under the complex. If we can trigger a pipe burst, the steam will provide the biggest distraction possible."
Leo checked his system. The recent kills had earned him more power.
[Host Level Up! Level 17 Reached!]
[New Attribute Points Available: 3]
Leo had to prepare for the inevitable melee combat and heavy armor ahead.
[Attribute Allocation Log]
* +2 Points to Stamina. Rationale: Maximizing defense against continuous enemy fire and environmental damage within the burning mill.
* New Stamina: 17
* +1 Point to Strength. Rationale: Securing dominance in close-quarters combat against armored Tier 3 opponents.
* New Strength: 18
[Attribute Allocation Complete! New Base Stats: Strength 18, Dexterity 18, Stamina 17, Mind 18]
[Skill Points Available: 1]
He immediately allocated the final point, choosing a skill that specialized in breaching fortified positions—essential for taking the mill.
[Skill Point Allocated to HUNTER Tree!]
* Tier 3 Breacher Specialist (Explosive Arrows): (Allows the host to craft potent explosive arrows with high armor-piercing capabilities, using salvaged military components.) Rationale: Critical for destroying hardened Trinity targets and clearing clustered enemies.
Leo crafted three Explosive Arrows, quickly attaching high-grade salvaged military blasting caps to the tips of his specialized broadheads.
"Trinity has a heavy patrol of four men covering the central fuel depot, right above the geothermal pipes," Leo announced, looking through his Recon Sense. "Lara, the two furthest guards are yours. Silent takedown. I need to get into the pipe chamber without a full alert."
"On my mark," Lara confirmed, her voice steady.
They synchronized their movements. Lara fired two rapid Hunting Arrows from her Suppressed Bow. The arrows found their marks—the necks of the two outermost Trinity soldiers. The men dropped instantly, silently.
The remaining two guards were momentarily confused, looking at the distant sound of the mill machinery.
Leo sprinted across the open space, covered by the noise. He slammed a crafted Scrap-Grenade onto the grated floor above the geothermal pipe chamber. The goal wasn't to kill the guards, but to create a breach.
BOOM!
The blast ripped open the floor grating. The two surviving guards barely had time to react before the entire chamber was engulfed in screaming, superheated geothermal steam that vented from the ruptured pipe.
[Action: Environmental Diversion (Geothermal Pipe Rupture)]
Result: MASSIVE Diversion Created! Central area obscured by steam! Trinity forces temporarily blinded and disoriented!
[EXP Gained: +750!]
"Go! Go! Go!" Leo yelled. The entire mill was now in chaos, the steam vents disorienting Trinity's well-organized defense.
Lara followed Leo, using the dense steam as cover to enter the ground floor of the mill. They found themselves in a vast, dark factory floor where Trinity was refining salvaged resources. The air was thick with smoke and the metallic smell of blood.
They were immediately confronted by a squad of Trinity Heavy Troopers—four men in full armor with riot shields. A standard engagement would bleed their ammo reserves dry.
"Riot shields!" Lara yelled, taking cover behind a massive piece of rusty machinery.
"My turn," Leo replied, pulling back the string on his bow, loading an Explosive Arrow.
Leo targeted the closest Trooper's feet, where the armor was thinnest and the blast radius would be maximized against the heavy shield.
FTHWIP! KA-BOOM!
The Explosive Arrow detonated with terrifying power. It didn't pierce the shield, but the kinetic force and shrapnel ripped the shield from the Trooper's hand and sent the man staggering backward.
Lara capitalized instantly. She charged through the steam, using the chaos to flank the remaining Troopers. She used her Grapple-Axe to rip the helmet off the exposed Trooper, ending the fight with a swift, brutal strike to the head.
Leo engaged the other two Troopers. He fired a rapid sequence of Hunting Arrows at their exposed joints, forcing them to drop their shields to cover their weak points. With their defense compromised, Leo switched to the salvaged Trinity Assault Rifle, dispatching them with precise, concentrated fire.
[Trinity Heavy Troopers (4/4) Neutralized!] - +1200 EXP
[Tier 3 Explosive Arrow Mastery Achieved!]
"The central office is on the upper level. It's time to find that map, Leo," Lara said, reloading her weapons.
They ascended a spiral staircase, dodging more patrols, and finally reached the fortified office. They breached the heavy door with a quick explosion—a combined Scrap-Grenade and Explosive Arrow that blew the lock mechanism apart.
Inside, the office was a messy command center. A massive map of Kitezh was spread on the table. And there, sorting through documents, was Ana.
"I knew you were coming, Lara," Ana said, not sounding surprised, only weary. She held a thick, leather-bound journal—the very one they were looking for—the ATLAS fragment, the complete guide to Kitezh.
"Where is Konstantin?" Lara demanded, leveling her pistol, her voice trembling slightly with contained fury. The moment of betrayal had come full circle. "Why, Ana? Why are you doing this?"
"I'm doing this for your father, Lara. And for myself," Ana said, her expression cold but sad. "The Divine Source can save us all. It can stop the sickness that is killing me."
Ana suddenly raised her hand. Before anyone could react, a trio of elite Trinity guards rushed in from a hidden side door, surrounding Ana.
"Konstantin is awaiting you, Ms. Croft. But this is where you stop," Ana declared, dropping a small, high-tech smoke bomb at her feet.
The room was instantly filled with a thick, suffocating gas.
"Gas! Get down!" Leo yelled, pulling a stunned Lara down just as the Trinity guards fired a volley of stun darts.
Ana and the guards vanished into the smoke, taking the ATLAS fragment with them. When the smoke cleared, they were gone.
"She played us," Lara whispered, tears of shock and anger welling in her eyes. The depth of the betrayal was a physical blow.
Leo, ignoring his own pain, gently guided Lara to the central table, pointing at the large map of Kitezh. "She got the Atlas, but she left the map. We know the destination, Lara. The next location is the Archive—it holds the key to the final gate. We don't stop until she and Konstantin are in the ground."
Chapter End.