The moment the Two-Headed Serpent Monster burst from the ground, a foul wind mixed with the smell of earth and thick blood swept through the entire hall!
Its two deformed and hideous heads were held high at this moment.
Four eyes of varying sizes, flickering with a crimson, malevolent light, were locked onto the few humans in the center of the hall, who were as tiny as ants.
"Roar—!!!"
Two giant mouths filled with sharp teeth opened simultaneously, erupting in a roar that was no longer a simple sound wave but had condensed into a visible shockwave!
The massive crystal chandelier on the hall's ceiling couldn't last even a second under the impact of this terrifying sound wave, shattering completely with a "crash!" Countless sparkling crystal shards, mixed with dust and stone debris, rained down like a lethal storm.
"Scatter! Find cover!"
Leon's reaction was the fastest; almost the instant the roar sounded, he rolled on the spot and hid behind a thick, load-bearing stone pillar that hadn't yet completely collapsed.
Ada's figure, like a ghost in the night, disappeared into the shadows on one side of the hall after a few flashes. The tmp submachine gun in her hand was already raised, its muzzle pointed directly at the monster's head.
"Watch out!"
Noah gave a low shout, but instead of retreating, he advanced. With a shift in his footwork, his body shot forward like an arrow from a bow, instantly closing in on the behemoth's flank!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Crisp gunshots rang out almost simultaneously!
Leon leaned out from behind the stone pillar, the shotgun in his hand letting out a roar. Countless steel pellets, like a storm, slammed hard into the side of the humanoid head!
"Squelch!"
Sparks flew everywhere!
The monster's skin was even tougher than imagined! The steel pellets only left white dents on it, completely failing to break through its defense!
"Damn it! This guy's hide is too thick!" Leon cursed and quickly retracted behind the stone pillar.
Meanwhile, Claire's and Ada's submachine guns also spat out lethal tongues of fire. A series of 9mm bullets accurately blanketed the eyes of the serpentine head!
However, the monster just jerked its head. That hideous snake head, as if possessing the ability to foresee the future, narrowly avoided the lethal rain of bullets! All the bullets hit the scales on its neck, making a series of "clink-clank" sounds, likewise failing to cause any substantial damage.
"Roar!"
The successive provocations completely enraged the monster!
Its massive snake head suddenly turned, its fanged mouth opening wide. A stream of incredibly foul-smelling green venom sprayed out like a high-pressure water gun toward the shadows where Ada was hiding!
"Sizzle—!"
Wherever the venom passed, whether it was the hard marble floor or the ornate reliefs on the walls, it was as if high-concentration strong acid had been poured on them, emitting a tooth-aching corrosive sound and plumes of pungent white smoke!
Ada's figure had long since disappeared from her original spot. The steel cable of her hookshot gun fired with a "whoosh," anchoring firmly to the second-floor railing. Like a nimble swallow, she used the cable's momentum to swing instantly to the other end of the hall.
Just as everyone's attention was drawn by the two heads,
Noah had already approached the monster's massive body silently, like a ghost.
His eyes were fixed on the point where the two deformed bodies connected.
There, the skin color was noticeably lighter than elsewhere.
Countless thick, tumor-like veins twisted and entangled there, forming an extremely hideous yet incredibly fragile junction.
"Claire! Grenade! Blast its belly and create an opening for me!" Noah's voice came clearly through everyone's tactical headsets.
"Copy that!"
Almost without hesitation, Claire took the exaggeratedly styled quad-barrel Grenade Launcher off her back.
She took a deep breath, her azure eyes staring intently at the monster's belly.
"Leon! Ada! Suppress its heads with fire!" Noah shouted again.
"Leave it to me!" Leon roared, flashing out from behind the stone pillar again, his shotgun blasting fiercely at the massive head!
Ada didn't speak, but the tmp submachine gun in her hand spat out fire once more, constantly harassing the incredibly agile snake head with precise bursts.
"Roar—!!!"
The two heads were completely enraged, twisting wildly and launching a frenzied attack toward Leon and Ada!
Claire's eyes lit up, and she suddenly pulled the trigger!
"Whoosh—!"
A grenade trailing a faint flame traced a precise arc and slammed squarely into the monster's soft underbelly!
"Boom—!!!!!"
A deafening explosion instantly rang out!
Scorching flames and a violent shockwave erupted!
The monster's massive body was thrown backward by the immense force! The relatively soft skin of its belly was instantly blasted into a bloody mess!
"Awoo—!!!"
An agonizingly shrill roar of pain erupted from its two mouths simultaneously!
Now was the chance!
Noah stomped hard on the ground! He shot up like a cannonball!
His fists, already fitted with knuckle dusters, traced a cold arc in mid-air!
He concentrated all his strength into his right fist!
And slammed it hard against the fatal junction that had been completely exposed by the explosion!
"Squelch—!!!!!"
A dull, nauseating sound of tearing flesh suddenly rang out!
Noah's fist, encased in metal knuckle dusters, actually pierced through the monster's tough skin by brute force, sinking deep into its flesh!
Having landed the blow, he immediately jumped away.
"Now's the time! Fire!!!"
The next second,
Everyone's firepower poured unreservedly into the bloody gap that Noah had personally torn open!
Leon's broken butterfly!
Ada's tmp submachine gun!
Claire's mp5 submachine gun!
And in Noah's free left hand, that large-muzzled desert eagle!
Countless bullets, like a school of piranhas smelling blood, frantically bored into the monster's body, wantonly destroying everything inside!
"Roar... howl..."
That overbearing Two-Headed Serpent Monster let out its final cry of life, filled with resentment and despair.
Its massive body twitched violently a few times, then collapsed as if all its bones had been removed!
The two hideous heads crashed heavily onto the cold marble floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The four eyes that were once full of violence and malevolence had now completely lost all their luster, turning a dull grey.
A dead silence returned to the hall.
The air was thick with a nauseating smell of blood mixed with gunpowder.
Just then,
"Clack, clack, clack..."
A slightly messy set of footsteps came from behind the nearby ruins.
The four of them immediately aimed their weapons alertly at the direction of the sound.
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was a face still carrying some of the naivety characteristic of a youth; under a mess of brown short hair were eyes filled with complex emotions.
There was fear, there was sadness, but more than that, there was the ignited flame of revenge.
It was Steve.
He tightly gripped the two Ingram MAC-1s in his hands, his eyes fixed on the corpse of the Two-Headed Serpent Monster, his body trembling slightly from excitement.
"I... I'm going with you!" His voice had the slight raspiness characteristic of a boy's voice changing. "I want to avenge my parents! I want to kill that bastard Alfred!"
No sooner had he finished speaking,
Another figure stepped out from a nearby passage that had been smashed open by the monster.
It was a woman in a blue combat suit with a capable chestnut-colored short haircut. Though her face was stained with some dust, it couldn't hide her heroic and striking beauty.
"Jill!" Claire's face instantly broke into a look of surprise, and she hurried forward to meet her.
Seeing Claire safe and sound, Jill also breathed a sigh of relief, a heartfelt smile appearing on her face.
"That's great, you're okay."
"Let me introduce you." Claire took Jill's hand and walked to the group, her face beaming with the joy of reunion. "This is Leon, this is Ada. And this..."
She pointed at Noah, who was taking off his knuckle dusters, with a touch of pride.
"Is my boyfriend, Noah."
Noah shook off the blood on his hands, looked up at Jill, and gave what he thought was a very friendly smile.
"Hello, Miss Jill," he said. "You were almost turned into a sandwich just now."
The smile on Jill's face instantly froze.
She was stunned for a few seconds before turning her head to look at Claire with an extremely complex expression.
"...Claire, your boyfriend... sure is humorous..."
"Wow! What a beauty!"
A cry full of wonder suddenly came from the side.
Steve was staring wide-eyed at the newly arrived Jill.
He looked as if he were seeing such a heroic and valiant woman for the first time.
Jill was somewhat helpless; she gave him a polite nod and then immediately raised her wrist to operate her tactical communicator.
After a slight static sound, a familiar and steady male voice came from the communicator.
"Jill? Is that you? Please respond!"
"Chris!" Jill smiled. "It's me, I'm okay."
"Where's Claire? Did you find her? How is she?!" Chris's voice clearly became urgent.
"I'm okay too!" Claire couldn't help herself and grabbed the communicator from Jill, pressing it tightly to her ear. "Chris! I'm fine! I'm really fine!"
Hearing his sister's familiar voice, Chris on the other end clearly let out a long sigh of relief.
"That's great... that's great, Claire..." His voice carried a hint of lingering fear and relief that was hard to hide. "Where are you? I'll come find you!"
"We're in the main hall of the castle! We just took down a big guy!" Claire's voice had a hint of excitement as if seeking praise. "Let's meet in the garden outside the Mansion! The one right in front of the main entrance!"
"Okay! I just arrived at the garden in front of the Mansion; I'll wait for you here!" Chris's voice became steady and powerful again.
However,
The moment he finished speaking,
"Zzz... crackle... static..."
A piercingly strong burst of electrical interference suddenly erupted from the communicator!
Chris's voice was instantly drowned out by the noisy static!
"Chris?! Chris?! Can you hear me?!" Claire's heart jumped into her throat, and she shouted anxiously into the communicator.
But the only answer she got was a noisy dial tone... Meanwhile,
Rockfort Island, the garden in front of the Ashford Family Mansion.
Chris Redfield was looking solemnly at the communicator in his hand, which had completely lost its signal.
Just moments ago, he had clearly heard his sister's voice.
But now, the area was blanketed by an extremely powerful interference signal.
An ominous premonition instantly filled his entire body.
He suddenly looked up, his alert gaze scanning every corner of his surroundings.
A tall figure wearing a black trench coat and sunglasses had, at some point, appeared silently like a phantom in the shadows not far behind him.
The person slowly raised his hand and casually tossed a still-functioning small signal jammer onto the ground.
"Chris, long time no see."
A cold and familiar voice, as if from the depths of Hell, slowly rang out.
This voice... this voice that he wouldn't forget even if it were turned to ash!
Chris spun around, aiming his gun dead at the man emerging from the shadows.
"Wesker!!!"
Chris's teeth ground together, and every word seemed to be squeezed out from between them.
Albert Wesker.
That S.T.A.R.S. traitor, the culprit who personally pushed them into the Mansion Hell!
That bastard who faked his death under the Tyrant's claws!
"Surprised, aren't you?" A curl of mockery and disdain appeared at the corner of Wesker's mouth. "I'm also surprised that a rat like you, with life force as tenacious as a cockroach, could actually survive until now."
His figure left a faint afterimage where he stood.
The next second,
He had appeared in front of Chris as if teleporting!
Too fast!
Chris's nerves were strained to the limit! His finger suddenly pulled the trigger!
However, it was already too late.
A large hand wearing a black leather glove struck his chest with a speed that completely surpassed human limits.
Chris only felt an overwhelming force slam into his chest!
"Pfft—!"
He was hit head-on as if by a high-speed truck! A mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth as his body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into a fountain statue several meters away!
The hard stone sculpture instantly shattered into pieces!
Chris struggled to get up from the ground, but the tearing pain in his chest made even breathing incredibly difficult.
He hadn't even lasted a single move.
Wesker walked slowly, step by step, to him, looking down at this old enemy who had caused his plans to fail several times.
"Originally, I had thought about recruiting you," Wesker's voice was cold, without a trace of emotion. "After all, you are very excellent. But you have, time and again, ruined my perfect plans, Chris."
He slowly crouched down, reached out, and grabbed Chris's chin, forcing him to look up and meet the cold eyes hidden behind the sunglasses.
"I am a man who pursues perfection."
"Any guy who dares to create a flaw on my path to the throne of the new world must be eliminated."
"And you, Chris, are the most eyesore of a flaw."
"So, I will personally erase you from this world in the most cruel and painful way possible."
A morbid and crazed smile appeared on Wesker's face.
He slowly raised his right hand, his five fingers like the sharpest knives, aimed at Chris's heart.
"Farewell, Chris."
Just as that hand of death was about to pierce Chris's chest,
"Bang—!!!!"
A heavy, massive crash!
The Mansion's heavy carved wooden door was kicked open directly from the inside in the crudest manner!
Six figures appeared at the doorway.