The first time Leon encountered it, he felt a surge in his stomach, a faint hint of nausea, but seeing Ada nearby, Leon shook his head and forced himself to endure it.
The further they went inside, the more unsettling it became.
Ada and Leon even saw the corpse of a female researcher whose chest had a large hole, not a penetrating wound, but as if something had burst out from inside her body.
Ada couldn't imagine what kind of thing had been parasitic inside her body.
Of course, what was even more surprising were the numerous bodies of U.S.S Squad members behind them.
Dressed in identical black combat suits, wearing gas masks, the heavily armed U.S.S Squad had actually died inside the G Virus Research Institute, and there were more than a dozen bodies, possibly a sign of complete annihilation.
Seeing this, Ada's heart relaxed a little.
If the U.S.S Squad had suffered such heavy losses, then there was still a possibility that the G Virus sample remained.
However, the legendary Grim Reaper Hunk was not among these bodies, meaning Ada couldn't imagine things to be so good and still had to prepare for the worst.
"These... are soldiers?"
Looking at the U.S.S Squad bodies on the ground, Leon looked up and asked Ada beside him, somewhat puzzled.
He couldn't imagine that this Institute couldn't even be breached by regular troops, so weren't they just looking for death by infiltrating it?
"They are soldiers, but not from the military."
"The U.S.S Squad, Umbrella Corporation's private armed forces.
Their combat effectiveness is no different from the military's special forces.
But if they've all been wiped out here, it means there's still a chance the G Virus sample remains, and we should be able to complete the mission."
Hearing Leon's question, Ada nodded and replied indifferently.
She still couldn't get Leon's point, and Leon, looking at the calm and confident Ada beside him, didn't know how to respond.
Should he praise Ada's confident charm, or should he complain about their current dangerous situation?
That was a special forces team of twenty people, all annihilated here.
Leon really couldn't understand what Ada was thinking.
Could she, an FBI federal agent, and he, a newly appointed intern police officer, really resolve this crisis-ridden Institute?
This was a bit too absurd!
Although Leon also wanted to help his goddess Ada, this was a bit too unrealistic.
But then again...
Hey, that's actually how it is.
You are the protagonist with endless potential.
Later, after a small kiss from the goddess Ada, you'll be as energized as if you've had a shot of adrenaline, bursting with endless inner strength.
No matter if it's a Tyrant or G William, you'll take them all down, one by one.
You'll directly present the G Virus sample as a diamond ring to your goddess Ada.
Perhaps Leon himself didn't expect to be so strong; maybe this is the power of "love"!
But for now, before getting that passionate kiss, Leon still felt he would be beaten to death.
"Ho ho ho..."
As expected, as soon as the words fell, a strange hissing sound slowly echoed in the Institute where Ada and Leon were.
It was familiar as always, the hiss of a zombie monster, but Ada and Leon couldn't determine where the monster was.
After all, at this moment, the Institute was extremely empty, with an unobstructed view.
Everything around them was deserted, there were no extra decorations on the walls, and the floor was glowing white.
The most cover available was just a pile of Laboratory equipment; it was very difficult for anything to hide, and only the ceiling of the Institute was relatively high...
Wait, the ceiling?
Thinking of this, Ada and Leon immediately raised their heads at the same time, fixating their gaze on the ceiling above them.
As expected... on the Laboratory ceiling, two monsters were hanging upside down like geckos.
As for their appearance... it was incomprehensible.
Their entire bodies truly resembled skinned frogs; there was no so-called skin, it had been completely peeled off.
Their heads had extremely transparent and exposed brain folds, no eyes, and their mouths were like a row of dense, sharp steel needles.
All four limbs were developed muscle tissue, their hind feet and front claws were incredibly sharp, and white outer cartilage was attached to their bodies.
These monsters were both agile and fast, the strongest assassins in the darkness!
Their strong muscles and specialized limbs allowed them to hang upside down on walls like geckos, and from time to time, they could spit out long, crimson tongues with barbs, which were not entirely decorative.
These tongues had an attack range of about 180 degrees and a length of 6 meters.
Just like chameleons, they could use their tongues for long-range attacks.
Often, before you even noticed them, your head would be blown open by their bullet-like tongues.
And this is the Licker—the latest product discovered by Umbrella Corporation.
It was not specifically researched but was a product of viral evolution and mutation, evolving from ordinary zombies infected with the T-Virus.
As for the specific conditions required for its evolution, Umbrella Corporation currently has no way of knowing, only that they all have one commonality: they consume vast amounts of energy during evolution.
It is very likely that only powerful zombies that consume large amounts of flesh and blood can mutate, because zombies with weak predatory abilities cannot meet this basic condition.
Due to their overly developed and exposed brains, Lickers often prefer human brain matter as food.
They possess both speed and strength.
Their sharp front claws can pierce through iron, and their speed is even more ghostly, making them difficult to defend against, belonging to the top-tier "Hunter."
Even Umbrella Corporation's previous best-selling product, the Hunter, could not compare to the popularity of the Licker.
However, they are not without flaws.
Like the Tyrant, their exposed, intelligent brains will lead to instant death if hit by a few shots.
At the same time, they have no sense of smell or sight; their eyes have completely degenerated, and they can only rely on their sensitive hearing to lock onto targets.
As for smell, they can only lock on by touching up close with their tongues.
But at the same time, extremely high decibel noise will also cause them to fall into paralysis and frenzy, because if their only sense, hearing, is also gone, anyone would go crazy.
Therefore... these are another batch of high-level elite monsters that are countered by flashbangs.
"That is..."
"A Licker?!"
The moment she saw the Lickers above her head, Ada instantly froze, not expecting these things to appear so quickly.
Tricell's people had infiltrated Umbrella Corporation and obtained a lot of information, and the defecting Wesker had also leaked a lot of information to Tricell, including intelligence about the Lickers.
It was first discovered as a strange phenomenon by an Umbrella Corporation record keeper, because a human infected with the T-Virus, after suddenly consuming a massive amount of material energy, began to undergo a new mutation.
All its outer skin was peeled off, it changed from standing to crawling, its entire body's muscle tissue developed, and it was covered with white cartilage.
It was very fast, and with its extendable, sharp tongue that could lick, it was named the Licker.
However, because the method of evolution and mutation of this monster could not be precisely controlled, and its intelligence was still low, it was generally considered a wild species of Tyrant.
These monsters were very troublesome.
Ada didn't expect them to appear so early, as they were usually kept in the underground hive of the Institute and were generally difficult to break through the security.
But now... it was likely due to the intense battle with the U.S.S Squad that these Lickers had an opportunity to escape.
"What...?"
"A Licker, what is that thing?"
Hearing Ada's exclamation, Leon beside her was also full of doubt.
Although he didn't understand the situation with the monster in front of him, this so-called Licker didn't seem easy to deal with.
After all, these skinned geckos were staring at the two of them with predatory eyes at this moment, their disgusting, saliva-covered tongues wildly flailing.
It was clear they were not easy to deal with; they were indeed high-level elite monsters.
However...
The next second,
"Ho ho ho—!!!"
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!!!"
With almost no warning, after locking onto Ada and Leon's positions with their hearing, the Lickers immediately launched an attack.
After emitting a hissing sound, their entire body's muscle tissue tensed, and they instantly activated their terrifying, ghostly speed.
Like a spring launching, in just the blink of an eye, a lightning-fast black shadow shot out rapidly.
"Watch out!"
"Leon, get out of the way, they're very fast, you absolutely cannot let them lock onto you, try to find cover and use sound as a decoy!"
Seeing this, Ada immediately shouted a warning to Leon beside her.
Although Ada Wong didn't particularly like Leon, the intern police officer, at the moment, she didn't want such a tool-like cannon fodder to die in vain.
At least he had to be of some use, rather than directly falling into the hands of an elite monster.
But obviously, Leon, still an intern police officer and a rookie at this moment, couldn't keep up with the Licker's speed at all.
With just one pounce, Leon fired his Garand Rifle wildly, all five or six bullets flying out.
The gunshots rang out, disturbing the Licker's hearing, but they caused no damage to it whatsoever.
Leon's proud high-scoring shooting skills from the police academy were useless at this moment.
"Ho ho ho...!"
"Whoosh... *Pfft*—!!!"
The Licker, having dodged several of Leon's shots, reacted and instantly used the Laboratory wall for a second bounce.
Its muscular limbs crawled rapidly, pouncing like a spider, and a sharp bone claw instantly struck out!
This time, Leon had no way to dodge.
"Bang—!!!"
In just one encounter, he was instantly sent flying several meters by the Licker in front of him, heavily crashing into the Laboratory wall.
With a dull thud, Leon felt his blood and qi churning, and a faintly sweet liquid seemed to cough up from his throat.
His chest was extremely uncomfortable, as if he had been hit by a motorcycle, a dull ache.
"Cough, cough..."
"Damn it, not only is it fast, but why is it so strong... cough, cough."
He coughed violently a few times, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
When Leon slowly got up and looked at his chest, he was startled, because his bulletproof vest had been torn open with a huge gash.
The metal and ceramic plates, including the fiber material inside, had all been ripped apart.
It was just a tiny bit more, and that sharp, swift claw would have touched the skin of his chest.
Leon couldn't even imagine what it would be like if his chest were cut open with a large gash.
He truly felt that these monsters were incredibly terrifying and extremely troublesome.
With such speed, bullets couldn't even hit them.
Was there really a way to kill these abnormal monsters?
The answer, of course, was yes, but Leon just hadn't thought of it yet.
After all, the Licker's most sensitive sense is hearing; it can be said that it succeeds by hearing and fails by hearing.
To hit these ghostly fast dark Hunters, one must use sound to attract them.
Thinking of this, Ada instantly thought of a solution.
"Bang bang bang—!!!"
She decisively raised her pistol, aimed at the alarm on the top corner of the Laboratory wall, and instantly pulled the trigger.
Several bullets flew out, precisely hitting the alarm.
Its red cover was shattered, causing a direct electrical short circuit and triggering the alarm system.
Instantly, the entire Laboratory began to emit a piercing alarm sound:
"Dududu...!"
"Dududu...!"
This sudden change instantly sent the two Lickers in the Laboratory into a frenzy, because the excessively high decibel noise directly stimulated their hearing, making them completely unable to lock onto targets.
The piercing alarms all around made it impossible to distinguish where the prey was, just like their vision had suddenly become blind and white!
Chapter 18: An Arrow Through the Clouds
"..."
"Using sound? Why didn't I think of that?
It looks like these two monsters are already paralyzed."
Because Ada activated the Laboratory's alarm with her pistol, various noises instantly filled the entire Laboratory space.
For a while, the Lickers couldn't lock onto targets, giving Leon a chance to slowly get up from the ground.
He quickly reloaded his Garand Rifle, immediately inserting a 7.62 sniper rifle bullet.
"Click—!"
He pulled the bolt to chamber a round, his eyes slightly narrowed, a true man's iron sight lock.
Leon took a deep breath and pulled the trigger, his movements fluid.
Immediately, the black muzzle of this World War II veteran's gun instantly burst forth with a striking flash of fire.
A high-speed bullet shot out in a graceful arc.
This time, Leon was confident... he would absolutely not miss!
"Pfft—!"
As expected, under the impact of the noise, the Licker completely failed to notice the loud gunshot.
Even if it did, it was already too late.
The bullet struck true, its powerful penetrating force instantly piercing through the Licker's fragile brain.
Its exposed brain tissue had no protective system; once hit, the Licker would have no ability to resist.
Its powerful muscle tissue gave it extreme speed and strength, including decent defense, but it had forgotten its most important brain.
Perhaps this was the flaw of its abnormal evolution!
"Splat...!"
A mixture of brain matter and blood splattered.
The Licker, hit in its fatal weakness by the bullet, was like a car that had lost its engine.
It instantly lost all its strength, collapsing limply and silently onto the ground.
It was dead... any carbon-based life form cannot survive being shot in the head, unless it has no head.
The first Licker was difficult to deal with, but seeing the difficulty of the elite monster suddenly drop, Leon tilted his head, his expression instantly becoming confident.
He immediately loaded another dry bullet into the chamber of his Garand Rifle, ready to cleanly and decisively deal with the last Licker!
However...
"..."
"Hiss hiss hiss—!!!"
Just as Leon was about to make his move, the last Licker seemed to realize the death of its companion.
It immediately let out a piercing hiss, beginning to wildly and frantically bite at the surrounding air, unable to distinguish the location of its prey, which plunged it into an incredibly frantic state, like a blind tiger.