I'm Lara Croft?

After Natasha left, Lara contacted Jacob over the radio. Jacob informed her to head toward the copper mines, as they would use them to traverse into the Remnant Valley. Without hesitation, Lara began making her way toward their rendezvous point.

The Remnants, she recalled, were an ethnoreligious group descended from the citizens of Kitezh. They had survived the Mongolian invasion, which had been orchestrated by Trinity, as well as the eventual fall of Kitezh. These people were Jacob's loyal followers.

Before Natasha departed, Lara had one last conversation with her. She instructed Natasha, if time allowed during her mission, to make contact with some mid-level Trinity members who were already aligned with Lara's plans. These individuals were not fanatics but were instead motivated by personal gain, such as money and benefits. They would eventually become Natasha's subordinates in Lara's future organization.

Lara had no illusions about absorbing Trinity without internal support. Together with Winston, she had devised a strategy to approach and recruit mid-level personnel within Trinity, offering them far better benefits, security, and pay than their current situation provided. 

Trinity's internal structure was fractured. While some soldiers and about half of the mid-level operatives were fanatics, many others were simply there for personal gain. Most high-ranking personnel, and all the organization's leaders—like Dominguez and the Cardinal—were deeply fanatical, dedicated to their twisted ideology.

Lara's plan was simple but bold: once the fanatical leadership was eliminated, her loyal mid-level recruits and their subordinates, armed with high-tier equipment supplied by Croft Holdings and Stark Industries, would execute a surprise attack on the remaining fanatics. The chaos and disarray following the loss of Trinity's leadership would ensure a swift victory, leaving Lara to absorb the remnants into her growing organization seamlessly.

Lara had also shared her plan to steal the Black Widow serum from the Red Room. However, Natasha dismissed the idea calling it "Тупой как пень", that means dumb as a log, and explaining the near-impossibility of such a feat. She revealed that the Red Room's HQ was a mobile fortress, constantly changing locations to avoid detection. Even Natasha, a top-tier black widow, had no idea where it currently was.

"Penetrating the Red Room isn't just hard—it's practically suicide for you right now," Natasha had said bluntly. "And even if you did manage to find it, the risks far outweigh the reward. It's not worth it."

Despite Lara's initial disappointment, Natasha offered an alternative. "If you're that determined, you don't need to infiltrate the Red Room. I can provide you with a sample of my blood. It contains traces of the serum, and you can use it for your research."

There was one condition: Natasha would also benefit from research made using her blood. Lara readily agreed. 

After some traveling, Lara arrived at the copper mill yard. She surveyed the abandoned wooden buildings, noting their rickety structure. "These things look like they'd collapse at any moment," she muttered to herself. "Let's hope I'm wrong."

Spotting a train wagon with a ladder, she climbed it and jumped onto one of the buildings in the copper mill. Carefully, she began scaling the fragile structures, moving steadily upward.

As she traversed the buildings, she encountered a lone Trinity soldier standing near the edge of a platform. Her intrusive thoughts screamed to kick him off while shouting, "This is Sparta!" but she resisted. Instead, she knocked him out silently and moved on.

After more climbing and maneuvering, Lara entered a larger wooden building at the top of the mill. Sneaking carefully, she spotted a group of Trinity soldiers talking while one of them was welding something nearby.

Her gaze shifted to the room's far corner, where she noticed an unusual haze. "Is that gas?" she wondered aloud. Before she could dwell on it, the high concentration of gas made contact with the heat from the welding torch.

"Boom!"

The explosion sent Lara flying against a wall. Luckily, she was far enough away to avoid serious injury, though the impact left her momentarily dazed. The soldiers, however, bore the brunt of the blast and were taken out instantly.

"These idiots just started a fire," Lara groaned as she surveyed the damage. The flames were spreading rapidly, consuming the wooden structure. Gritting her teeth, she got to her feet and sprinted toward the other side of the building, which was connected to the copper mill bridge—the passage to the copper mine.

As she ran, additional Trinity soldiers spotted her. They opened fire, forcing her to retaliate. Drawing her pistols, Lara fired with precision, taking down those in her path. A group of heavily armored soldiers with steel shields tried to block her escape, but she vaulted over their shields or jumped onto their heads, using their own gear against them to advance.

Finally reaching the bridge, Lara noticed that the stairs leading to it had been destroyed. Fortunately, a rope connected the platform she was on to the bridge itself. Without hesitation she zipped across.

Once on the bridge, Lara used her adamantium axe and cut the rope, severing the soldiers' access and forcing them to retreat. As the fire continued to engulf the building, the remaining Trinity operatives had no choice but to turn back and flee. 

As Lara made her way toward the copper mine entrance, a chill ran down her spine. Something felt off. Before she could react—

"Bang!"

The deafening crack of a sniper rifle echoed through the air. Lara felt a searing pain explode through her back, the bullet tearing through her flesh and exiting on the other side. The force of the impact sent her staggering forward.

"Fuck," she gasped, blood splattering from her lips as she stumbled against a rock for support. Her hands trembled as she clutched at her side, crimson soaking through her fingers.

Her mind raced, adrenaline surging, trying to pinpoint the sniper's location. The sharp crack of another shot whistled past her, grazing her arm and sending splinters of rock flying from the boulder she'd leaned on for cover.

From her position, Lara couldn't even see the sniper—he was too far away, hidden in the distance.

The sniper, perched miles away, his arm gleaming silver under the cold light, peered through the scope. "She's too far for a clean headshot," he informed robotic, adjusting his aim.