Chapter 023 The Very Beginning

Boom!

Accompanied by a sharp hurricane, the sea churned up wave after wave, crashing against a steamship. The ship, named the Endurance, swayed like a small sailboat amidst the towering waves, in constant danger of capsizing.

Wang Bo hovered in the air, as solid as an unyielding rock, letting the howling hurricane batter against him without budging an inch, not even his hairstyle disturbed.

On this pitch-black night, dark clouds blotted out the sky, and torrential rain poured down.

The waves rose higher and higher, surging forward again and again, as if determined not to stop until the Endurance was destroyed.

Wang Bo's X-ray vision pierced through the ship's deck, and he saw the panicked passengers inside the cabin.

Naturally, Wang Bo also saw his old friend.

Lara Croft.

But at this moment, Lara had not yet traveled through time and did not know Wang Bo. She was merely a big girl eager for adventure and archaeology, wanting to prove herself.

She was still a far cry from transforming into a qualified magical girl warrior.

Wang Bo did not interfere with the ship, nor did he attempt to save the people on board.

Because he knew very well that if he intervened, it might affect Lara's time travel, and everything could change.

So Wang Bo could only watch as Lara staggered forward inside the swaying Endurance.

Creak...

With a terrifying tearing sound, after wave after wave of assault and hurricane after hurricane of impact, the Endurance finally broke apart in the middle.

The deck and the cabin were torn apart.

Under such a natural disaster, not even wood, not even steel, could withstand the force; everything shattered under the power.

Inside the ship's cabin, Lara, who was staggering forward, was flung off, crashing against the cabin wall with a thud.

Fortunately, she managed to protect her head in time. Apart from some bruises and a bit of pain, she was in no danger.

Soon, Lara stood up and realized the ship was sinking.

The howling hurricane blew in through the broken part of the ship, and Lara's black hair danced wildly in the wind.

She quickened her pace and arrived at the break. On the other side, an elderly but spirited man was looking at Lara, extending a helping hand.

"Jump, Lara, jump over!!"

The old man was named Roth, Conrad Roth. He was not only the captain of the Endurance expedition ship but also a close friend of Lara's father, Richard, willing to die for him.

He and another old man named Grim had traveled far and wide with Lara's father, completing many expeditions together. This time, Lara was essentially filling in for her father, with their help.

In the original storyline, both old men sacrificed their lives to protect Lara.

It was a tribute to Lara's late father with their lives—truly brothers bound by life and death.

And Lara trusted them without question.

Hearing Roth's voice, Lara stepped back, found a spot, and began to sprint. She ran at full speed to the break and leaped.

At that moment, if Wang Bo had made the slightest move, Lara could have successfully grabbed Roth's hand.

Everything would have changed.

But from start to finish, Wang Bo did nothing.

Lara jumped across the gap but missed Roth's outstretched hand. Amid Roth's roar, the inexperienced Lara fell from the sky and plunged into the sea with a splash.

Roth instinctively wanted to jump in to save Lara, but was grabbed and dragged away by those around him.

Lara sank to the bottom of the sea, gradually losing consciousness.

Wang Bo's gaze pierced through the water, fixed on Lara. A few seconds later, Lara suddenly and inexplicably vanished from his sight. After scanning several times and confirming that Lara was no longer in that sea area, he breathed a sigh of relief.

This was Wang Bo's first time witnessing a time travel phenomenon, and it was truly baffling.

This sudden disappearance was far too eerie.

After Lara vanished, Wang Bo shifted his attention to the others, observing the rest of the crew on the Endurance to ensure they would be safe.

Then, Wang Bo brought the future Lara out of his Time Villa.

"Did I travel through time?" Lara asked as soon as she came out. As a sorceress, the raging hurricane and waves posed no danger to her.

She completely ignored the howling wind and towering waves.

Wang Bo nodded. "You know, I almost couldn't help but intervene just now."

"That won't do," Lara said with a smile. "If I hadn't traveled through time, everything would have changed, and we wouldn't have met."

"That's true."

If Wang Bo had saved Lara just now, Lara wouldn't have traveled through time, wouldn't have entered the Mummy world, and wouldn't have met Wang Bo.

Wang Bo might not even have gone to the Mummy world.

Thus, Wang Bo's experiences would have been completely altered.

Therefore, it was highly likely that Wang Bo wouldn't have been here at all. So when the two discussed it, they made it clear: they must not change Lara's time travel.

Otherwise, both of their experiences would be changed.

So Wang Bo ultimately did nothing, witnessed Lara's time travel with his own eyes, and only then brought the future Lara out of the Time Villa. The reason he waited until now to bring Lara out was that he truly didn't know what would happen if two Laras appeared in the same space, especially from the same world.

So everything had to be handled with caution.

As for the previous time he let Lara meet him, that wasn't actually Lara but Himiko wearing Lara's skin.

"Time to get to work," Lara said. After confirming that her past self had traveled through time, she breathed a sigh of relief and released powerful energy to begin interfering with the storm.

To save her companions, she naturally had to stop the storm first.

As a sorceress, Lara's power was beyond imagination; even in the Aladdin world, she would be a top-tier sorceress.

In terms of strength, though not as strong as the living Himiko, she was probably not inferior to the half-dead Himiko.

So under Lara's interference, she and Himiko began to vie for control of the weather.

The half-dead Himiko was clearly no match for Lara.

The storm gradually subsided.

At the same time, faint, unwilling roars seemed to echo in the air. Others might not think much of it, but Wang Bo and Lara knew it was Himiko's cry.

These roars were filled with intense resentment and unwillingness, enough to make one's scalp tingle.

But Wang Bo and Lara paid no attention.

Especially Lara, who focused on controlling the weather. Soon, the storm stopped, and the waves gradually calmed.

This allowed Lara's companions to breathe a sigh of relief and catch their breath.