After a period of rest, Javier, Rebecca, and Billy regrouped and prepared to continue their exploration. No matter what kind of monsters were hidden in the facility, the three of them had to see this through to the end. This was no longer just a simple criminal case; it was a human crisis that concerned the entire population of Raccoon City and the world. They had to find enough evidence to stop the Umbrella Corporation and prevent them from using biological weapons to harm innocent civilians.
"Hey, Javier, Billy, are you guys rested up?"
"Look what I found in the church... I can't believe there was a grappling hook gun hidden here. Was it the former priest's toy?"
As Javier and Billy slowly got up, Rebecca bounced out of the church, her face beaming with excitement. In her hand, she held a strange weapon that looked like a crossbow, but the arrow at the front resembled an anchor used by ships. This weapon was the same kind of grappling hook gun often seen in movies as a thief's best friend. It fired an anchor-like arrowhead that could securely latch onto cliffs or rooftops, allowing a person to climb using the steel cable. It was a great tool for thieves who wanted to be able to come and go without a trace.
Of course, the grappling hook gun used by Ada Wong was a little ridiculous. It was the size of a handgun, could shoot a rope over 50 meters, and could effortlessly pull a person up with no manual climbing. To Javier, this was a complete violation of physics. He couldn't imagine what kind of power a small handgun could contain to steadily pull up an adult woman's body weight. Perhaps it was a legendary "nuclear-powered" grappling hook gun.
However, Javier quickly figured out the reason. Normal grappling hook guns require the user to manually climb the rope to get away, but if the graceful and mysterious Ada Wong had to do that, it would ruin her cool and charismatic persona. So, to maintain her mysterious image, they probably designed this grappling hook gun with a mysterious power source. It might be absurd, but it was undoubtedly cool, and most people wouldn't question it. Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the grappling hook gun was indeed high-tech. If that were the case, Javier would have to admit his ignorance!
"A grappling hook gun...?"
"I haven't used one of these in a long time. I only used it for special missions in the military. But what can we use it for? Climbing the roof?" Billy said with a surprised expression as he looked at the grappling hook gun in Rebecca's hand. He felt a sense of nostalgia for the device. It wasn't easy to use; it required a lot of upper body strength. Billy remembered that he almost dislocated his arms from climbing the grappling hook's rope. So, he was very familiar with it.
Rebecca was also surprised. She had initially planned to collect some unburned books from the church, as the religious ones might have some value, but she didn't find many books. Instead, she found this grappling hook gun in the study. But as Billy said, while the grappling hook gun was a rare find, it didn't seem to have much use for them. Were they really going to have to climb the roof like some kind of master thief from a movie?
Unfortunately, that was exactly what they had to do because it seemed there were no other paths out of the church.
"You might be right. It looks like we really have to climb the roof."
"This grappling hook gun was probably left here as a backup tool. I looked around and found that there's no way out behind the church. We have to climb onto the roof and jump down to the other side of the facility. That's the only way to find a new path," Javier said calmly as he dusted himself off, put his equipment back on, and pointed his thumb at the hole the giant bat had made in the church roof. There were no special secret passages in the church, so there was no new path. On the other hand, the hole in the roof was a new way out. If they could climb up there, they could bypass the church and get to the other side of the facility, and perhaps that would lead them to a new area.
"Huh?"
Rebecca's expression froze when she heard Javier. She quickly went back into the church with the grappling hook gun in her arms. She looked up at the hole in the ceiling and then at the black grappling hook gun in her hand. Her face immediately fell. The height was at least 20 meters. With her small body, it would be impossible to climb up with just her arm strength. She wasn't some expert adventurer or Tarzan; where would she get such a strong climbing ability?
Of course, the same was true for Javier. Although he was disciplined in his training, he hadn't done much pull-up training and had no real experience with climbing ropes. Thinking of this, Rebecca and Javier looked at Billy, who was standing to the side. He seemed to have a lot of experience. They figured Billy should try first.
"..."
"Fine, I'll go first. After I climb up, I'll pull you two up," Billy said with a helpless look at Rebecca and Javier. These two were a perfect team, with the same look of wanting to screw someone over. But he had no choice. He was the most experienced one here. He had to go first.
Billy didn't think that the thing he would have to use his strength for the most on this journey wouldn't be fighting zombies or solving puzzles but climbing a rope. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He took the grappling hook gun from Rebecca and checked it to make sure there were no malfunctions. Then, he squinted and aimed the gun at the church's roof. After adjusting the landing point of the hook, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger!
"Click..."
"Whoosh—!!!"
A sound of something cutting through the air was heard. Like a flying arrow, the grappling hook gun shot out with a sturdy rope at an incredible speed. The thick, solid anchor head landed firmly on the church's roof, and the two prongs of the hook wedged into a small crack. He tugged on the rope a few times and found it to be very secure.
Actually, there was a certain technique to shooting this grappling hook gun. The aim couldn't be too precise. The grappling hook's anchor head had to be a little away from the building. This wasn't like shooting a bullet. The grappling hook was meant to go over the building and get stuck in a crack, not to slam into the edge of the building. The two were fundamentally different, but luckily, Billy knew this and didn't make any mistakes!
"Hah!"
With a low grunt, Billy's arms flexed. He held the rope tightly with his hands and let the grappling hook gun drop to the ground. He crossed his legs to form an "L" shape to step on the rope. This technique allowed him to firmly step on the rope with his feet, so he wasn't relying solely on his arm strength. If he was skilled enough with this technique, climbing the rope would become very easy. This was because the power to climb came from the feet, which stepped on the rope, not from the arms, which just hung in mid-air. This was a common mistake for beginners.
Just in case, Billy also wrapped the rope around his groin once to make sure he wouldn't fall if he slipped. Of course, the downside was that it was "painful." If he wasn't careful, Billy might have to change his name to Billy 'Crotch-crusher.' This was a high-risk job; one mistake could lead to eternal regret!
Billy was well aware of this, so he climbed very carefully. He squeezed the rope with his legs, and his arms were bulging with veins, like intertwining dragons. His forehead was covered in sweat, and his neck was flushed red. He held his breath and slowly climbed up with great effort.
"Hah!"
With another low grunt, Billy climbed little by little under the admiring gaze of Javier and Rebecca. It seemed he was only a few meters away from the roof, which stunned the two rookies. Was climbing such a high rope so easy?
Actually, no. Billy was using a specific technique. Beginners or people who had never climbed a rope before would always try to pull their entire body up using only their arms. This was incredibly strenuous and they would lose their strength in no time. This was the wrong way. As mentioned before, the main climbing power for rope climbing comes from the legs, not the arms. You have to use your legs to wrap and lock the rope in a crisscross pattern. This way, you can rely on the rope's support to lift your body up instead of blindly pulling up with your arm strength. This was the stupidest way to do it!
Javier seemed to understand Billy's technique and nodded in confirmation. Soon, Billy reached the church roof. Indeed, the view from up here was wide open, and he could see the area around the facility. As Javier had said, they could go around the church to get to the other side of the facility. They hadn't chosen the wrong path. In fact, on the other side of the church roof, there was even a hanging ladder for workers to go down. This would save them the effort of climbing down the rope.
"Hey!"
"You two hurry up! This way, we can get to the other side of the facility. We chose the right path. Don't be afraid; I'll hold onto the rope for you so you won't fall," Billy said loudly to Javier and Rebecca, who were still on the ground. Javier and Rebecca looked at each other, and in the end, Javier went first.
"Okay..."
Javier grabbed the rope with his arms and mimicked Billy's technique. He crossed the rope with his feet and held it. He used a little bit of force with his arms and, as expected, he easily climbed up a few meters without much effort. This made Javier cheer in his head for successfully learning the trick. Climbing a rope wasn't as difficult as he had thought. Without relying solely on his arm strength, Javier easily climbed onto the roof.
But... Rebecca wasn't so lucky. She was completely unwilling to go up and hadn't learned Billy's technique. Her face was red from the effort, but after only a few meters, she fell back down. She was so angry that she stomped her feet on the ground. After a while, an exhausted Rebecca gave up and sat on the ground in frustration. She wasn't just being dramatic; she was genuinely afraid of climbing that rope. The S.T.A.R.S. team only trained them for daily police duties and firearm handling. She knew how to mix chemicals herself. Why would she ever have to learn how to climb a rope like Tarzan?!
With no other choice, Billy and Javier told Rebecca to wrap the rope around her body. The two men used all their strength to pull her up from the ground. They had no idea what this girl ate; she was small, but she was surprisingly heavy!
"Tap, tap, tap..."
"Tap, tap, tap..."
"Tap, tap, tap..."
After reaching the church roof, the trio didn't hesitate. Once they confirmed their route, they slowly went down the hanging ladder behind the church that was there for workers to repair the roof. As they went around a grassy garden, Rebecca found some herbs that the facility had cultivated. They were good for stopping bleeding, so she picked some for backup.
Soon, the three of them reached the other side of the facility. Whether by coincidence or design, Javier and his companions found an elevator that they could use to enter the facility directly. Next to it was an accessible backup power box. Perhaps their next stop would be the very heart of the facility's secret!