Hearing that single piercing sonic shriek, he knew it: the giant mutated bat had arrived!
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
The terrifying sonic attack was incredibly powerful, making Javier and the others inside the church feel a sharp pain in their eardrums. They couldn't help but cover their ears tightly, their faces contorted in pain. This was the first time they had encountered such a "magic" attack, one that completely ignored all their defenses.
"Screech, screech, screech... screech, screech, screech..."
Even more unbelievable was that after the piercing sound, the dozens of surviving mutant bats outside the church suddenly became agitated, as if under the influence of some kind of berserker buff. They shrieked and screeched in response, their black wings flapping like annoying mosquitoes.
"Wait..."
"No, Rebecca, Billy! Get back into the study! That sonic wave isn't just an attack; it's probably the bats' cry for help, a way to summon their kin! Dammit... what kind of monster is coming now?"
His face changed. While marveling at the sonic wave's power, Javier instantly realized something was wrong. He quickly shouted a warning to Rebecca and Billy at the study door. Yes... a monster. A bat that could emit such a piercing sonic wave had to be a giant!
And just the sound alone could make the smaller bats so agitated. It was undoubtedly a leader-class creature. These mutant bats were all commanded by the sound of this monstrous beast. Javier didn't know how many bats lived in the Arklay Mountains, but there were at least thousands, if not tens of thousands.
Therefore... Javier couldn't even begin to imagine how terrifying and gruesome the scene would be if the monster outside could summon all the bats in the entire Arklay Mountains, a black swarm of them, to attack them. It was completely unimaginable. He was sure that even if they stayed in the church, if tens of thousands of bats all crashed into the church like a squadron of bombers, the walls would likely be completely destroyed!
That was why Javier quickly told Rebecca and Billy to hide. He could only pray that the monster outside couldn't summon all the bats in the Arklay Mountains, but only the infected ones from the facility. If that was the case, they might still have a chance to fight.
"What...?"
"Javier, you're saying that thing outside can summon more bats? What the hell... is this even the real world anymore?!"
Hearing Javier's words, Rebecca and Billy's faces changed, and they spoke in shock. What kind of joke was this? A bat that could summon minions at will? Was this Count Dracula? Was life imitating art? Or was art imitating life?
"Bang—!"
But just as Javier was about to say something else, a loud noise suddenly interrupted their thoughts, making the trio look up at the church ceiling.
"Thud—!"
An even more violent crash came. It was as if some huge creature was outside the church, slamming into the roof. Each impact was more violent than the last. With the dust beginning to fall, Javier had a bad feeling. The church roof wasn't as sturdy as he thought.
"BOOM—!"
The next second, an even more violent crash hit. This time, the church roof could no longer withstand the force. A huge hole was smashed into it, and shattered bricks rained down. Javier, who was in the middle of the church, quickly scrambled to dodge them. At that moment, the giant creature poked its head through the hole in the church roof.
"Oh, shit—!"
"What the hell is that thing?! No creature that grows by sucking blood should look like that! Quick, someone go get the son of God, Jesus! No... Van Helsing or Blade will do! Can that thing really exist in Resident Evil?"
Even though he had played Resident Evil games for a long time, the sight of a truly massive mutant bat shocked Javier. He couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
At that moment, the monster-like giant bat struggled to squeeze through the hole in the church. Its huge wings were like black curtains that blocked out the sun, flapping in the middle of the church and creating gusts of wind. Its eyes were as red as lanterns, its nose was upturned and twitching, and its ears were as big as fans. When it opened its mouth, a pair of sharp white fangs were exposed, as long and pointy as elephant tusks. If it bit you, it would be like being pierced instantly by a spear.
Javier had no doubt that this thing didn't suck blood. It ate people directly. With that mouth, it could probably devour a whole pig in three bites. What was even more unbelievable to Javier was who created this monster? Was it Marcus from the facility again? If so, then he truly deserved to die!
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
Another giant roar came. Javier felt his ears were already deaf. As the giant bat continued to shriek, the smaller bats hiding outside the church began to pour in. The number of mutant bats, which had been reduced to just twenty or thirty, was now rising again. This was exactly what Javier had suspected: this monster had the ability to command its kind!
If it continued to call out, Javier didn't even know how many mutant bats they would have to face. It was a disgusting boss that could summon minions infinitely, and this was the type of boss Javier hated the most because it wasted the most bullets.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!!"
However, the next second, the swarms of small mutant bats, under the command of the giant bat, quickly organized their attack. They lined up and flew towards Javier like falling bombers.
"F*ck—!"
Seeing this, Javier cursed. Ignoring the fire still burning at the study door, he rolled into the study and quickly told Rebecca and Billy to close the door.
Perhaps realizing the situation was dire, Rebecca and Billy quickly pushed a bookshelf against the door, using its weight to hold it shut. But even so, the vicious bats outside didn't give up. They slammed themselves against the study door with no fear of death. One after another, a series of muffled thuds echoed against the door.
This was bad news. The strength of fifty mutant bats was enormous, and with this relentless, suicidal assault, the study door wouldn't hold for long. In a few minutes, the mutant bats would likely break through. If they made a hole, the bats would swarm in, and they would all be trapped and overwhelmed in the narrow study. Javier's earlier idea of using the study as a retreat would become a stupid trap, a suicide mission!
"..."
"It's no use! If we keep hiding in here, the bats outside will eventually break down the door and rush in. We have to find a way to break out!"
Feeling the increasing force on the door, Rebecca held it with her body and spoke with a grim expression.
Javier and Billy had also thought of this, but the problem was that they didn't have a good solution.
At that moment, Javier thought of his final trump card, the weapon in his tactical backpack: the big banana. That thing was more useful than Van Helsing or Blade themselves. It was the ultimate weapon of Resident Evil, the RPG rocket launcher. Javier had brought one with him just in case, but only one. He hadn't used it yet, as it was his ace in the hole.
Javier was certain that one rocket would be enough to take down the giant mutant bat. It would probably even kill Marcus's mom if she were there. But the problem was that Javier was reluctant to use it. He didn't know if there would be an even stronger boss later, so he had to save it.
But now, the situation was critical and dangerous. This required Javier to make a choice. And it seemed this choice was coming quickly and was mandatory.
Because...
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
"Bang—!!!"
Just as Javier was still hesitating and thinking about a better way out, a loud crash suddenly came. With a "thud," the glass window on the side of the study, which had been blocked by a bookshelf, was shattered. A huge head appeared in the study. Its red eyes and head slowly broke free from the shattered bookshelf, and it stared at the three of them hiding in the study. The giant bat opened its foul-smelling mouth and roared excitedly at them, as if it was only one step away from devouring all three of them.
This action startled Javier and his companions. Who would have thought the giant mutant bat would be so bold as to charge in with its body, smashing through the study window and entering the room? Now, their only retreat was truly blocked. They were trapped and couldn't escape! If the smaller mutant bats swarmed in, they would truly be stuck in this study and die.
Seeing the situation unfold, Javier had no more time to think. As the leader of the team, he had to make the right choice!
"Quick!"
"Open the door! We can't keep hiding in here. Rebecca, Billy, I'll lead the way! We have to break out and get outside the church to have a chance at survival! Staying in here is a dead end!"
At this crucial moment, Javier made the choice he believed was the best without a moment of hesitation. Hearing Javier's words, Rebecca and Billy didn't hesitate either. They quickly pushed away the bookshelf that was blocking the door and grabbed the handle, ready to open it. This swift reaction showed that Rebecca and Billy had enough faith in Javier's decision. After all, throughout their journey, Javier had never lied to them or made a wrong decision. Therefore, his words were enough for them to trust him without question!
"Clang—!"
The bookshelf fell with a loud crash. Just as Rebecca was about to open the study door, Javier quickly took out a makeshift Molotov cocktail from his tactical backpack. He lit the cloth, threw it out the door crack, and quickly took out his Desert Eagle handgun, aiming it. With only a few inches of space to work with, he didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Javier was still very confident in his shooting talent.
"Click..."
"BOOM—!"
Another loud bang. The bullet was fired. The orange projectile flew towards the Molotov cocktail that was in mid-air. The moment he fired, Javier quickly lunged forward, grabbed Rebecca's hand, and forcefully closed the study door that was about to open.
"Clang!"
"Sizzle... rumble, rumble...!!!"
The Molotov cocktail, with its graceful parabolic arc, was thrown into the air, followed closely by a bullet. The two met, creating the same beautiful chemical reaction as before. The fiery explosion expanded like a firebomb, and the entire church was engulfed in a blazing fireball.
Javier and his companions, who had timely closed the study door, successfully avoided the blast of the fireball, escaping unharmed. But the mutant bats outside weren't so lucky. They had been frantically slamming themselves against the fragile study door but didn't expect a Molotov cocktail to fly out of the crack and get shot, causing it to explode. The moment the two objects met, a violent fire exploded, completely consuming the bats. When the scorching flames were gone, all that remained were charred corpses on the ground. In an instant, the small mutant bats that had been blocking the door were wiped out again. Their numbers, which had just gone up to fifty, were now back down to a dozen or so.
It could only be said that Javier's fire magic was truly ingenious. He knew that this wasn't the right time to break out. He had to first set the outside on fire. Otherwise, if they had rushed out and faced fifty mutant bats head-on, they would have been torn apart and overwhelmed. That was why Javier had thought of using the Molotov cocktail to perform some fire magic again. After all, it wasn't the first time he had used his Desert Eagle to shoot a Molotov cocktail to increase its explosive power.
And now, with most of the small mutant bats eliminated, it was their best time to make a break for it.
"Now's our chance..."
"Rebecca, Billy, let's get out of here!"
Kicking open the study door again, Javier rushed out first. He looked at the charred, foul-smelling corpses of the mutant bats on the ground with a look of relief. Then, he quickly urged Rebecca and Billy to follow him.