"That... that's the monster that killed Sullivan?!"
Seeing the zombie's face, Jill remembered the video and screamed, raising her pistol and frantically firing at its chest.
"Bang bang bang—!!!"
A volley of 9mm bullets hit the zombie's chest, near its heart, and blood splattered from the bullet holes. But the zombie didn't stop. Instead, the damage seemed to make it even more aggressive, and it suddenly lunged forward, charging at Jill with its arms outstretched.
It was clear Jill had forgotten the lesson from the video: zombies are incredibly hard to kill without a headshot. The shots to its chest, no matter how many, were not enough. As the zombie closed in, Barry, a look of determination on his face, raised his Colt .44 revolver. The large-caliber gun roared, and a bullet as thick as a thumb shot out, hitting the zombie in the chest.
"Squelch...!"
The sheer power of the shot tore a fist-sized hole in the zombie's chest, but it only paused for a moment before charging again. Barry's face paled. It was the first time he had seen a creature that could withstand a shot from his beloved gun.
"Bang bang—!!"
He quickly fired again. This time, the Colt's accuracy was on point. Two more bullets hit the zombie's neck and head, and the destructive force broke its neck and made its head explode like a watermelon. The zombie finally went down.
Jill's face was pale with shock. No wonder Sullivan was killed by these things; they were so tough. If Barry hadn't saved her, she would have suffered the same fate. When people face extreme fear, their minds can freeze, leaving them unable to move. Jill had just experienced this, but now that she had faced the reality of the zombies, she would likely be more prepared next time.
The zombie was incredibly resilient for a common one, having taken three .44 Magnum bullets from Barry's Colt revolver. It truly lived up to its reputation as a classic and iconic zombie in the history of Resident Evil.
"Phew... Jill, how are you feeling? Are you okay?" Barry asked, walking up to her. "I've figured out that shooting them in the body with a pistol won't kill them. You have to hit them in the head. Next time, try aiming for their heads."
"The head...?" Jill nodded slightly, some color returning to her face. "I understand!"
It made sense. The brain was the central command of any living creature. While a heart shot was lethal, it wasn't as quick as a headshot.
The Arrow and the Curse
Meanwhile, as Jill and Barry were recovering from their terrifying encounter, Javier and Rebecca, who were much more experienced, had already found a key item: a golden arrowhead. The arrow itself was made of gold, and its tip was adorned with a rare jewel that looked like jade, a valuable piece that would be worth a fortune.
But the key wasn't the value. After finding the arrowhead, they discovered a special mural on the second-floor balcony. At the end of the corridor, there was a large stone wall. Despite the cracks and vines, they could clearly see a carving of Cupid, the god of love, pulling back his bow, ready to fire his arrow. Javier and Rebecca knew this heavy stone wall could be opened, but it required a specific item. There was a clear indentation at the tip of Cupid's arrow, the perfect shape for the arrowhead they had just found.
"Looks like we found the right item," Javier said, a smirk on his face. He looked from the green arrowhead to the indentation on the wall. "There must be some secret hidden behind this stone door. And compared to the training facility, this mansion is much smaller, so searching it will be quick."
They were far ahead of the other teams. While Jill and Barry were still getting over their shock, and Chris and Wesker were still wary of each other, Javier and Rebecca were already pushing the plot forward.
"What do you think is inside?" Rebecca asked. "It won't be another prison for a bioweapon, will it? Or maybe it's the giant spider's nest? I remember those things love to live underground."
Rebecca's expression was filled with doubt as she loaded her M1897 shotgun. She remembered the horror of the training facility's dungeon, with its bloody torture instruments. She worried that this stone wall might also lead to another hidden dungeon.
In a way, she was half-right. The place was for torture, but it wasn't a dungeon; it was a prison for a creature with decades of pent-up resentment.
"I don't know," Javier replied. "But we'll find out when we open it. I'll place the item; you cover me."
He quickly jumped onto the balcony railing and climbed onto the Cupid statue. He took the jeweled tip off the golden arrowhead and placed it into the socket on the statue.
"Click—!"
A loud sound signaled the activation of a mechanism. Javier quickly jumped down. With a low rumbling sound, the stone wall began to rise, revealing a dark underground staircase. A flickering light from an oil lamp gave the area an eerie glow.
Javier and Rebecca exchanged a glance, then nodded. They descended the stairs, their backs to each other. Rebecca covered their rear with her shotgun, while Javier held his Desert Eagle and the Demon Slayer shotgun to cover the front. This formation would protect them from a surprise ambush. With the "Ma-Style Thunder Whip Gun Kata" on his side, Javier could even use a curving bullet to take out any ambushers hiding in a corner. He had discovered that the "Gun Kata" wasn't just a shooting skill; it was a physical law. The ability for bullets to curve defied physics, and by truly believing in this law, Javier could apply it to anything he threw, even a rocket! The 300 points he spent on it were well worth it.
"Thump thump thump..."
"Thump thump thump..."
With a mix of curiosity and caution, they descended into the basement. All they could hear was their own footsteps and the distant flickering of the oil lamps.
But as they went deeper, Javier and Rebecca heard a strange metallic clanging sound. It was the heavy sound of a steel chain rattling violently. Something terrifying was trapped in the basement.
"Shh..."
"Something's in there. Let's go in slowly," Javier whispered, gesturing for Rebecca to be quiet. They moved silently, cautiously entering the underground area.
"Crank... crank... crank...!!!"
"Clang clang clang—!!!"
The chain rattling grew louder.
Javier quickly scanned the room. There were no zombies, and the light on the walls came from fireplaces, not oil lamps. The clanging came from above. A thick chain was wrapped tightly around a giant steel coffin. The coffin was black with silver patterns, looking like a massive vampire sarcophagus. Something was trapped inside and was struggling violently to break free. But the coffin was too strong, and the creature couldn't escape. The constant rattling of the chain created a chilling atmosphere, and they wondered what kind of monster was so important that Umbrella would seal it in such a way. A Tyrant? No, a Tyrant was much bigger and could break free easily, and they were usually kept in glass containers.
Four stone statues stood around the room. Each had a terrifying face with a clasp, suggesting they needed masks to unlock a puzzle.
The most interesting discovery, however, was a purple book lying next to one of the statues. The cover was textured with silver patterns and a picture of a skull in shackles. It looked like a cursed book, similar to the "Good Book" and "Bad Book" from the training facility. On the back, Javier found a golden, diamond-shaped key. When he opened the book, he found this message:
"Four masks: one cannot speak of the devil, one cannot smell the devil, one sees the devil, and one cannot speak, smell, or see the devil... When the four masks are gathered, the devil shall awaken...!"