The 0.50-inch caliber bullet shot out, leaving a powerful air vortex in its wake. The sheer force was almost visible to the naked eye.
But in the face of this ultimate weapon, the Hunter performed a move that Javier found impossible to believe. Instead of foolishly taking the shot to its head, it instantly raised its thick, clawed arm, its muscles bulging, and placed it directly in front of its face!
This was an act of severing an arm to survive!
Just as a gecko or lizard will drop its tail to escape danger, this was not a desperate measure taken after being caught. On the contrary, dropping the tail is a transaction between the lizard and its predator.
It's a silent agreement that says, "I'll let you have my tail, and in return, you won't chase me anymore." The primary purpose of this transaction is to secure a minor, non-losing gain. This is the gecko or lizard's self-preservation method, relying on its regrown tail to trade for its life every time danger strikes.
And the Hunter in front of them seemed to have inherited this terrifying instinct. Facing the powerful M500 revolver round, its instincts immediately chose the path of least harm. It chose to sacrifice an arm to absorb the bullet's impact, thereby protecting its head, and then use its wounded body to kill its enemy!
This kind of instinct was truly unbelievable. It was still the very beginning of the T-Virus outbreak, yet the Hunter created by Umbrella already possessed such an exceptional instinctive reaction. Words could not do it justice.
"Bang!"
"Splat...!"
The moment the 0.50-inch caliber bullet hit the Hunter's thick arm, it transferred an enormous amount of kinetic energy. The Hunter's seemingly strong, scaly muscles were instantly torn in half. The Magnum round's powerful cavity effect ripped the entire arm apart like a firecracker. In the blink of an eye, the Hunter had lost an entire limb!
"Hiss..."
With its arm completely torn off, the intense pain caused the Hunter to let out a low moan. Its face, though already ugly, was now twisted in agony, showing just how powerful the attack had been. But because of this, the Hunter's life was saved.
The remaining force of the Magnum bullet, after penetrating the entire arm, changed its trajectory and grazed the side of the Hunter's face, leaving a deep red trail of blood but not killing it.
The Hunter, having survived by a hair's breadth, quickly recovered. Its yellow eyes locked onto Javier, who had just attacked it. The killing intent surged again. Without hesitation, the distance between them closed. Now only ten meters away, the one-armed Hunter ignored its bloody wound and continued to charge, swinging its remaining arm like a sharp steel blade.
Its speed was still as ghost-like as ever!
"Thud!"
"Whoosh—!!!"
Ten meters was only a few strides for the Hunter. The muscles in its legs tensed, and the next moment, it shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. A black blur flashed by, and the head-on assault from the Hunter made Javier's heart jump.
"Holy shit..."
"This beast has gotten smarter?!"
Seeing the Hunter's rapid approach, Javier was shocked. He never thought a Hunter could be so smart, far more cunning than in the games. Had he chosen the hidden highest difficulty at the start? He had never encountered a Hunter that would use its arm to block bullets and then rush to engage in close combat. It didn't happen in the games.
And as the saying goes—
Beyond seven steps, the gun is fast. Within seven steps, the gun is both accurate and fast.
American Iaijutsu, peerless in the world!
This phrase is often used to mock keyboard warriors who lack a basic understanding of firearms, as well as stubborn melee-weapon gamers who try to ignore the industrial might of the modern era. Normally, Javier, a firm believer in the phrase "caliber is justice, range is truth, and truth is found within the range of a cannon," would agree with that statement wholeheartedly. With a weapon in hand, he wouldn't be afraid.
But unfortunately, the distance was now only ten meters. The Hunter's reaction and speed were far too fast. It wasn't an ordinary creature but a B.O.W. developed by Umbrella, so it couldn't be treated with common sense.
At this moment, Javier had to admit that beyond ten steps, the gun was fast, but within ten steps, the claw was even faster!
Javier was 100% certain that if he tried to raise his M500 revolver to shoot now, the Hunter's giant claw would reach him first.
And... even if Javier managed to kill the Hunter with a point-blank shot, the remaining force from the claw wouldn't lessen. It would still tear him to shreds. Therefore, after a careful risk assessment based on his strong intuition, Javier decisively chose to forgo shooting.
Instead—
"Clang!"
With a crisp sound, Javier drew the tactical knife from his waistband, holding the cold, white blade horizontally in front of him, adopting a defensive stance.
He, Javier Lee!
Today, he intended to emulate the legendary Leon S. Kennedy, the Resident Evil demon, and perform a world-renowned knife-killing boss technique. Everyone, come and see! Learn this skill, and you can dominate in any game.
His eyes instantly became resolute, and he gripped the silver knife tightly.
In an instant, Javier's adrenaline surged. He could faintly hear Rebecca and Billy's worried shouts. Memories flashed before his eyes. It was here... the power of the protagonist's bond. The moment this feeling rose within him, Javier felt an endless surge of strength.
Could it be... that he was finally shedding his side-character role and transforming into a true protagonist?
"Hiss—!!"
A terrifying gust of wind assaulted his ears. The green, scaly claw rapidly grew in his vision.
"Bang—!!!"
"Crack... Thud—!"
With a dull thud, the silver knife he was holding shattered like fragile glass. The moment their weapons met, the Hunter's terrifying claw instantly crushed Javier's cheap knife. A tremendous force hit him, and Javier felt as if he had been struck head-on by a rampaging bull. The immense power sent him flying back several meters.
"Thud..."
Like a broken kite, he slammed hard against the wall in the corner of the training ground. With a sudden jolt, he curled up like a shrimp, remaining motionless on the ground for a long time, as if he were dead.
"..."
"Javier?!" +2
Seeing this, Rebecca and Billy were both terrified and shouted in disbelief. They couldn't imagine what state Javier was in.
But at this moment, Javier wasn't completely dead.
It was just... Javier felt an intense pain in his back, as if his entire body had been torn apart. Without the T-Virus to give him a superhuman physique, Javier had overestimated his body's strength. That single blow had nearly taken his life.
"Ugh...!"
Letting out a pained groan, Javier slowly twisted his body to relieve the muscle soreness. But when he saw the broken silver knife next to him, his spirit suffered a second blow!
"Ah—!"
"Damn it! My ancestral dragon-slaying blade! It didn't even get to make a name for itself and just died like that! This is so unlucky!"
Clutching his head and staring at the shattered silver knife, Javier couldn't help but wail in agony. Dammit... he had planned to give this cheap knife a little magic and slowly upgrade it into a supreme legendary blade to compete with Leon and Krauser's famous knives. Now, that dream was utterly extinguished because it was gone before it even began.
His agonizing wails drew everyone's attention. Rebecca and Billy were relieved that Javier was alive, while the Hunter looked at him with a confused expression. Its small head couldn't comprehend his bizarre behavior. It simply assumed its attack had caused him immense pain!
And so... it was time to finish him off.
"Hiss...!!!"
Just as the Hunter hissed and prepared to attack again, Rebecca and Billy had no intention of letting it kill Javier so easily. They both raised their weapons and began firing!
"Die, you monster!"
"Hey, monster! Over here! Your target is here!"
Rebecca and Billy shouted almost simultaneously, pulling the triggers of their 9mm handguns. Billy also furiously pumped his old-fashioned Winchester lever-action shotgun, "The Exorcist."
In an instant, a barrage of fire erupted.
Bullets rained down like a storm, hitting the Hunter's scaly body. The 9mm handgun bullets lacked the power to be fatal and only caused sparks to fly off its hard scales. But they had emptied their magazines, and the sheer number of bullets hitting it at the same time...
Even a steel plate would be torn apart if hit repeatedly in one spot, not to mention the Hunter's scaly muscles. After the shotgun blasts broke through its defenses, the 9mm rounds quickly followed, creating holes and bloody wounds on the Hunter's back. The pain overwhelmed the Hunter, forcing it to let out a cry of agony.
"Roar—!"
The Hunter let out a furious roar. Its aggression was successfully diverted.
Its yellow eyes quickly locked onto Rebecca's direction. The next moment, it ignored the hail of bullets and charged, because Rebecca was no longer hiding in the control room. She had run out and was now firing her weapon, trying to kill the ugly monster.
The Hunter's philosophy was to kill the most dangerous opponent first. Now that the biggest threat (Javier) seemed neutralized, the Hunter naturally chose to pick on the softer target. Without any hesitation, it chose to attack Rebecca.
"Rebecca!"
Billy shouted a warning. He didn't stop firing his old-fashioned lever-action shotgun. However, the shotgun's range was limited. At this distance, the scattered pellets' power was greatly reduced. What would have been a dozen pellets now only landed seven or eight, significantly weakening the attack.
The shotgun pellets did not deter the Hunter. It ignored Billy and continued charging towards Rebecca, intending to kill the annoying girl in an instant.
However, Rebecca was not filled with terror.
Instead, her eyes were fixed on the charging Hunter, a look of determination in them. As a woman, she was instinctively afraid of this ugly monster, but as a member of the S.T.A.R.S. team, she was obligated to destroy it.
In an instant, her courage overcame her fear.
"Click—!"
She pulled the metal pin.
Rebecca threw a high-explosive grenade, which looked like a green pineapple, with all her might. It flew through the air in a perfect arc and accurately hit the Hunter in the face. The Hunter had no idea what this thing was. Seeing the green grenade flying towards it, it instinctively reached out its remaining arm and caught it.
"3...2...1...0..."
The grenade, designed for an immediate explosion, reached the end of its timer the moment it landed in the Hunter's hand. A blinding white light suddenly burst across the training ground.
"Boom—!!!!"
A deafening explosion.
A scarlet mist of blood exploded in the air. Countless pieces of flesh and gore scattered across the ground, and the terrifying Hunter disappeared in an instant, as if it had never existed.
"Phew..."
"It's over."
Looking at the now-vanished Hunter, Rebecca let out a huge sigh of relief. She had found the high-explosive grenade in Javier's tactical backpack, which he had left in the control room. There were five high-explosive grenades and five flashbangs. This one grenade had successfully destroyed the Hunter, adding a glorious chapter to Rebecca's combat record.
Javier, lying on the ground, watched Rebecca neatly finish off the Hunter and shook his head helplessly. He couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up in silent praise. Perhaps this was the true way to use a protagonist's halo!
As for his own actions a moment ago...
Haha, he was just a clown!