With the small mutant bats almost completely wiped out, Javier and his companions now had a much better chance of breaking out. If they hadn't dealt with the bats, they could have been bitten and infected with a virus the moment they stepped out of the study, which would have been a huge problem.
Thanks to Javier's clever use of fire magic, most of the bats were eliminated. Without hesitation, Rebecca and Billy followed Javier out, armed with their shotguns and handguns. If any small mutant bat dared to come close, they would be rewarded with a peanut. After all, bats like fruit, and a peanut-flavored snack should be just as satisfying!
"Tap, tap, tap..."
"Tap, tap, tap..."
"Tap, tap, tap..."
With the sound of hurried footsteps, the trio successfully broke out of the church study and into the main hall. As they looked at the burning church, Javier and his companions finally understood what that strange aura had been earlier. Now, the once-sacred church looked much more evil, like a demonic lair filled with mutant bats. It would have been strange if the atmosphere had not felt weird.
As for the giant mutant bat leader, it was still struggling with the study window. The window was so narrow, and the giant bat was still trying to force its head through, so it probably wouldn't be able to get out anytime soon.
But even so, this didn't mean Javier and his companions were completely safe. Until the giant bat was dead, they would never be truly safe. This huge bat could summon minions, and if it stayed alive, it could probably summon hundreds more mutant bats. Then, if those bats began a blanket search, Javier's team would have no place to hide, not even in the entire Arklay Mountains. They would all be found!
Therefore, they had to find a way to kill the giant bat. But the problem was that they didn't seem to have a good way to do so. They were already struggling to deal with the small bat minions, so how could they possibly take on the giant bat? Leading with an attack on the boss was a good strategy, but they didn't have a way to get to the "king," which was the frustrating part.
"Phew..."
"We finally escaped! Where's that giant bat?"
"Javier, we have to make another decision. We have to kill that giant bat, or we won't be able to leave here safely."
As soon as they ran out of the church, Rebecca let out a huge sigh of relief. She looked up and saw no sign of the giant bat, muttering in confusion. Billy's face was solemn. This was probably the most pathetic he had ever felt. But even so, he still had a clear grasp of the situation. Their crisis wasn't over. If they didn't kill the giant bat, they would be hunted relentlessly. Having realized this, Billy asked Javier what to do. Billy didn't want to be so dependent on Javier, but the giant bat was simply too much trouble. Even as a former Marine Corps lieutenant, he couldn't think of an effective strategy. After all, the military only taught them how to deal with human enemies, not monsters.
Javier's mind was racing as well. Killing the giant bat without using the RPG rocket launcher would be very difficult. Shotguns were useless from too far away and couldn't deal maximum damage. Not to mention the giant bat was fast and had a lot of minions. Even a Magnum couldn't kill it in one shot!
To deal with these *B.O.W.*s, they had to understand their weaknesses. Wait, a weakness!
Thinking of this, Javier's eyes lit up as if he had just remembered something. A weakness! Yes... a weakness. Even if these *B.O.W.*s were mutated, their nature hadn't fundamentally changed. They would still retain the genetic habits of their original species because tens of thousands of years of evolution wouldn't be completely undone by a mere virus. For example, the leeches still retained their weakness to light, the plague crawlers were still afraid of fire, and the Hunters would still sever their own limbs for self-preservation, just like lizards. These were all their biological instincts.
And bats! Their eyesight is actually quite poor, but their hearing is very well developed. When hunting at night, they usually emit sound waves from their throats for echolocation to lock onto targets. Their communication is also based on sound waves. Simply put, bats are practically blind at night, but they can move so nimbly because of their sonic radar. They even use these sound waves to summon others of their kind. What if—Javier thought—they used sound waves against sound waves? Wouldn't that completely solve the giant bat's ability to summon minions? If it was just the large giant bat, then Javier felt he could handle it. It would at least be a lot easier!
So now, the question was, how could they use a sound wave to interfere with a sound wave? Thinking about this, Javier's eyes unintentionally fell on the tall bell tower outside the church.
"That's it!"
"The bell tower! We almost forgot about the bell tower! It seems there's always a way out. Thank you... our great and merciful Lord. The best decision you could have made when guiding your faithful, lost sheep was to have them build a bell tower to pray with."
Javier looked at the tall, pointed bell tower outside the church. Its weathered stone bricks looked so familiar and friendly now. He had just tested the bell's power; it was so loud that it could wake up people for miles around. It was a terrifying noise, and it would definitely be enough to counter the giant bat's sonic wave. In fact, it would be more than enough!
Rebecca and Billy, hearing Javier's mumbled words about the bell tower, looked at him with confusion. They didn't understand what defeating the giant bat had to do with the bell tower. Was he planning to use the giant golden bell to smash the giant bat's head?
"It's the sound!"
"Haven't you two ever watched a nature documentary? A bat's eyesight is very poor, and it's blind at night. It uses echolocation from sound waves to map out its surroundings and hunt. Their communication with each other also relies on sound waves."
"So, what if we use sound waves to interfere with its sound waves? Wouldn't it be unable to summon the smaller mutant bats? If it's just the giant bat by itself, won't it be easy for the three of us to handle?"
Javier sighed and explained to the bewildered Rebecca and Billy. These two seemed to be even more clueless than him. They didn't even know that bats could be interfered with by sound waves!
"You mean..."
Rebecca, enlightened by Javier's words, instantly understood his meaning.
"Exactly. And there's a bell tower right here. Rebecca, you'll be in charge of swinging the bell to make a huge noise. You can even shoot the bell with your handgun if necessary."
"Billy and I will lure the giant bat and then attack it! Without the smaller bats interfering, dealing with this monster shouldn't be too difficult."
Javier quickly laid out the plan and gave instructions to Rebecca and Billy. At the same time, he took his Desert Eagle from his waist and threw it to Billy. Billy's current weapons, a shotgun and a 9mm pistol, didn't have enough power. He would need the Magnum to do any real damage!
"Me again...?"
Rebecca was very dissatisfied with her role. She was a member of the S.T.A.R.S. team, not a damsel in distress. She could help defeat the giant bat, not just watch from the side. This kind of preferential treatment made the proud Rebecca very unhappy.
But unfortunately, the giant bat didn't give Rebecca a chance to object. The next second, an even louder crash came from inside the church, interrupting their thoughts and leaving no room for argument.
"Bang—!!!"
The giant bat in the church finally broke free from the study window. It tore off the entire window frame with a forceful tug, and debris scattered all over the floor. The huge head and glowing red eyes scanned its surroundings. When it saw that Javier and his companions were gone, the giant bat was furious. It opened its mouth and prepared to roar. It was about to summon its bat minions to search for Javier and the others, as this was its usual method.
But at that moment,
"Quick!"
"Don't let it summon its kin! Rebecca! Use the bell tower to interfere with its sound! Don't let its sonic waves get out!"
Seeing this, Javier quickly turned his head and shouted a warning to Rebecca. Rebecca, who had been displeased just moments before, no longer had a mind to argue. She turned and ran into the bell tower. With her slender arms, she tightly gripped the rope and swung it with all her might, gritting her teeth!
"Clang—!"
"Clang—Clang—Clang—!!!!"
The deafening bell suddenly rang. The enormous sound echoed outside the entire church. The noise was like a sound wave attack, each ring louder than the last. It even completely drowned out the giant bat's roar. The giant bat in the church was momentarily stunned, not understanding what that thing outside was that could overpower its roar. This was ridiculous!
Although a bat's sound waves have their own frequency, and they use a unique frequency to communicate, if they are interfered with by sounds of a very high decibel, they will be unable to distinguish the communication, rendering them completely useless. This was the perfect solution. As the bell continued to ring, Javier and his companions didn't see any other small mutant bats appear. This meant that Javier's method was working. The giant bat could no longer summon its minions.
"Excellent...!"
"The plan is working, Billy. Now it's our turn."
Javier and Billy looked at each other and nodded. They grabbed their weapons and rushed into the church. Without the interference of the small mutant bats, dealing with a single giant mutant bat wouldn't be too difficult for the two of them.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
"Tap, tap, tap..."
In the blink of an eye, Javier and Billy entered the church. The giant mutant bat saw the two of them appear, and a ferocious glint appeared in its red eyes. It was already looking for them and couldn't believe they had come to it on their own.
So, the giant bat lifted its head and opened its huge mouth, preparing to roar and emit a sound wave to summon its other bat minions.
Unfortunately,
"Click!"
"Boom—Boom—!!!"
Without hesitation, Javier raised his Winchester 1887 lever-action shotgun and fired directly into the giant mutant bat's mouth. Although the distance was far, it didn't affect the shotgun's spread pellets from interrupting the giant mutant bat's spell cast!
A yellow flame spat out, and countless metal pellets flew out, hitting the giant bat's face and making it scream in pain. Its foul-smelling mouth was covered in blood. The pain made the giant bat roar again.
"Roar, roar, roar—!!!"
As before, the giant bat intended to summon minions to help it. With the cover of the small mutant bats, it could use its full power. But unfortunately, the roar had just barely come out when it was immediately drowned out by the enormous bell ringing from the bell tower, thanks to Rebecca.
This action enraged the giant bat. It glared at the bothersome bell tower with its red eyes, then furiously flapped its wings, creating a huge gust of wind. Without a doubt, the giant bat was going to fly outside and destroy the bell tower first!
"Damn it!"
"It's going to attack the bell tower and Rebecca! Billy! We can't let it go! Attack its wings! Don't let it fly!"
Javier instantly understood what the giant bat was trying to do. This giant bat was different from other B.O.W.s. It was much more intelligent. When it realized the bell tower was interfering with its ability to summon help, it immediately decided to destroy the bell tower. Its intelligence was remarkably high. But Javier and Billy wouldn't let it succeed so easily. They aimed their weapons at the giant bat's wings and pulled the triggers!