Logging into Yamatai

That evening.

Barney Ross sent Lake a message, saying that they had accepted the job, but they needed two days to prepare their supplies and work their connections on Hong Kong Island.

If they showed up without warning, the seaplane would probably barely make it into the harbor before the Flying Tigers wrapped them up like dumplings.

Lake thought it over and agreed.

Two days wasn’t very long. The more thoroughly the Suicide Squad prepared, the more free time he would have. Who knew whether bullets curving in midair counted as a superpower? An immortal body definitely did. If that Creation Spirit noticed it…

It would be a poor trade.

Soon.

The next day arrived.

Laura Crawford appeared at Victoria Harbour with a backpack and a hat on her head.

Lake called out from behind her, "Hi!"

Laura was startled and turned around.

Lake said, "There’s been a slight change to the plan. The others won’t arrive until tomorrow. I’ll take you to the hotel to settle in first."

Laura’s eyes narrowed slightly as she watched Lake warily.

What a guy.

He really is a scammer.

Scammers these days are something else. To deceive people, they even pay for plane tickets first.

Lake raised an eyebrow at Laura’s expression. He lowered his head with a chuckle, took five hundred-dollar bills out of his coat, and handed them to her. "You don’t have to stay at my hotel. You can find one yourself. Come here around noon tomorrow. We should be able to set out then."

With that.

Lake turned around, planning to spend the day sightseeing on Hong Kong Island. If he had time, he might even try some of the various little games. It was actually a pretty good way to pass the time.

After accepting the five hundred dollars, Laura saw how Lake turned away without the slightest hesitation and hurriedly called out, "Wait."

Lake stopped.

Laura ran over with her backpack and stared at Lake’s face, which, to her, looked rather handsome beneath his bald head. "Where is my father? You said that if I came, you would tell me."

After receiving the call the previous day, Laura had originally intended to consult her nominal guardian, Anna Miller, the current chief executive of the Croft Group.

But…

After seeing Anna Miller, Laura changed her mind.

When Anna Miller asked why Laura had come, Laura instead asked her curiously whether there truly had been no clues about her father after all these years.

Anna Miller shook her head and told Laura that she shouldn’t remain obsessed with the past. She needed to look ahead. After all, in a few months, Laura would inherit the Croft Group.

Laura turned around and left immediately.

Then.

At the very last second before the boarding gate closed, she boarded the flight from London to Hong Kong Island.

My father isn’t dead.

Perhaps others saw it as Laura’s wishful thinking, but Laura herself firmly believed it. Maybe it was because Richard Crawford had always been her spiritual pillar.

At the very least, until she saw Richard Crawford’s corpse with her own eyes, Laura would continue believing him no matter what others said or how they tried to persuade her. He was somewhere in a corner of the world, unable to contact the outside world for some reason, or delayed by some other matter.

That was why Laura had chosen to come despite never having met Lake.

Even if there was only the slightest hope, Laura was willing to try.

Lake frowned and looked at Laura. "I remember what I said. Richard Crawford isn’t on Hong Kong Island. It’s just that once we leave tomorrow, the journey will be shorter."

Laura hurriedly asked, "Then where is he?"

Lake chuckled. "What, are you planning to sail there alone?"

Laura didn’t speak, but her expression made her answer unmistakable. The daughter of the Croft family was not only part of the British Aristocracy—she was also capable of digging up tombs and raiding graves.

Lake shook his head. "If you want to go there and die, then go ahead. There are more than two hundred mercenaries guarding that island."

Laura frowned slightly.

Lake put both hands in his pockets and looked at Laura. "Just wait. The mercenaries I hired won’t arrive until noon tomorrow. You can look around here. Just don’t get yourself lost. See you tomorrow afternoon."

With that.

Lake truly left this time.

Laura was already twenty-one, not some little girl. It was only one day, and she had five hundred dollars on her. Finding a nearby hotel for the night and having a good meal would be more than enough.

The next day.

Lake drew open the curtains and immediately saw Laura waiting at Victoria Harbour.

The time?

What the hell?

It wasn’t even seven in the morning.

Lake frowned, took out his phone, and called Laura.

Half an hour later.

Lake stepped out of the elevator and arrived at the hotel’s buffet restaurant. He said to Laura, who was sitting directly opposite the elevator, "Forget it. I’ll buy you a meal."

After all, he was using the Croft Group’s money to handle his own affairs. Buying Laura breakfast and discussing the mercenary fee was perfectly reasonable.

The hotel’s buffet was extremely varied.

However…

Lake looked at Laura, who was sitting opposite him with a pitiful amount of food on her plate, and said, "After we set sail at noon, we might make it in time for dinner if we’re lucky. If we’re unlucky, we’ll probably only make it in time for a midnight snack. Are you sure you don’t need to eat more?"

Laura looked at the meager amount of food on her plate. "It’s enough."

She had no appetite.

Seeing this, Lake said nothing. He glanced at the time on his watch and said to Laura, "The team I hired this time is the number-one superstar team in the mercenary world—the Suicide Squad. The fee is ten million. I’ve already paid five million in advance. Once Richard Crawford is rescued, remember to reimburse me for the mercenary fee."

Laura’s eyes widened. "What?"

Lake looked at Laura. "The person we’re rescuing is Richard Crawford, not someone related to me. I just happen to have business on that island. And since someone you know is my friend, I’m helping out while I’m there. If it were only my own business, I wouldn’t need to hire mercenaries."

Laura blinked in shock. "But… ten million pounds? Where would I get that kind of money?"

Oh, God.

Laura cried out inwardly. Although she had been raised according to the standards of a noble young lady from the age of twelve, after Richard Crawford disappeared, Laura had become a model of self-reliance. Otherwise, if Lake hadn’t paid for her ticket this time, she would probably have had to pawn something to buy a ticket to Hong Kong Island.

Pounds?

Lake’s heart stirred as he looked at Laura. "It’s fine. You’re not the one paying. Once Richard Crawford is rescued, your father will pay the ten million pounds."

Come to think of it, pounds are probably worth more.

Huh?

Does that make me an intermediary profiting from the price difference?

Laura focused on a key phrase from Lake’s earlier words and frowned. "Professor Xavier, you…"

Lake corrected her. "Professor Xavier. Or you can call me Professor X."

"Professor Xavier, you just said your friend knows me, but I don’t remember…"

"Lake Edwin. Does that ring a bell?"

"…That Old Man?"

"…"

If you hadn’t been so useful in the movie and brought Himiko out of her tomb, I wouldn’t have bothered with you.

Fine.

Very well.

Lake’s expression remained emotionless, but he had already made up his mind. If he took Laura to Yamatai and Himiko failed to appear, he would sacrifice Laura to the heavens.

You called me an Old Man? I’ll chop you in half with one slash, and then you’ll be a dead woman. Let’s see which sounds better—Old Man or dead woman.

Lake thought this, but his expression remained unchanged. He nodded. "That’s right."

Laura took out her phone and looked through her call history and messages. "But he never called me."

Lake shrugged. "Perhaps it has something to do with what you call him."

Laura curled her lips. "An old bull eating young grass. I wasn’t wrong."

Perhaps it was because they both knew the same person. After all, they had been strangers before, but now they both knew the same male idol. Laura’s wariness toward Lake had eased by the tiniest bit. "Professor Xavier, is my father really on that island?"

Lake glanced at Laura. "He’s there, but I don’t know whether he’s alive or dead. Don’t worry, though. If Richard can’t pay the ten million pounds, you can pay it."

MMP.

Looks like I can’t kill her and sacrifice her immediately. If I kill her, wouldn’t I have to pay the ten million dollars myself?

Lake thought this to himself.

Laura’s small mouth formed an O.

Just then.

Lake looked toward the elevator doors as they opened and waved at Barney Ross and Christmas, who stepped out.

"Hello, Professor Xavier!"

"Hello. Sit down!"

After shaking Barney Ross’s hand, Lake invited the two of them to sit. He pointed at Laura Crawford, who had moved over to sit beside him, and introduced her to Barney Ross. "This is the heir to the Croft Group, Laura Crawford. Speaking of which, Laura Crawford is your real employer this time."

Christmas took out his phone, looked at the arrest photo of Laura Crawford on it, and nodded at Barney Ross to indicate that the information was correct.

Lake took a folding tablet out of his coat and opened it. The screen displayed the coordinates of a lonely island somewhere in the sea. He handed it to Barney Ross. "Our mission is on this island. Give me a moment to finish breakfast. You can discuss with your team when it would be best to set out."

As he spoke.

Lake carried his freshly emptied plate toward the buffet.

He had to admit.

Hong Kong-style breakfast was pretty good when eaten once in a while.