The Helicopter Malfunction
Facing Old Captain Enrico's reprimand, Javier let it go in one ear and out the other, and even gave a contemptuous, annoying sneer, though his expression was hidden by the gas mask. Otherwise, Old Captain Enrico would probably have given Javier a punch.
"Shotgun in hand, all are equal…!"
Stretching out a finger towards the sky, Javier struck a pose he thought was cool and spoke indifferently.
No wonder the Beta Team was wiped out… A group of people only brought a few knives and small pistols. There were at least forty or fifty zombies in Akeley Mountains, and possibly over a hundred, not to mention the dense leeches and zombie beasts. Even if all their pistols were combined, and each shot killed a zombie, they wouldn't have enough bullets. It would be strange if they weren't all wiped out!
What's more…
Rebecca, the shrunken healer, was also there. Her small pudding-like chest couldn't provide much healing. Among so many grown men present, probably eighty percent went straight back to the spring because they couldn't get healing.
"Who… asked you that?"
"I'm asking what's with all this equipment on you?"
However, Old Captain Enrico, looking at Javier's smug look with the shotgun and his incomprehensible answer, couldn't help but slap Javier across the face. Unfortunately, with the gas mask on, it had no effect at all. Instead, Old Captain Enrico's own hand turned red and almost cried out in pain.
"Cough, cough…"
"Reporting, Sir, this is equipment I borrowed privately from the Raccoon City Police Department in your name. The Old Chief is a good man; not only is he kind-hearted and helpful in everyone's eyes, but he's also very quick in approving weapon and equipment requests."
Seeing his Old Captain Enrico angry, Javier immediately stopped being cheeky. He coughed and quickly answered truthfully and seriously. These words… immediately made Old Captain Enrico's face darken again. He seemed very angry, after all, Javier was the first brat to dare to mobilize equipment privately in his name. He was simply too lawless. He needed a good lesson later!
"Forget it,"
"Time is running out. I don't want to argue with you anymore. I'll punish you later. Now, all members of the Beta Team, listen up. Our mission is to take the helicopter to Akeley Mountains to investigate the true culprit behind the frequent murders and rescue the survivors of the Zodiac Train. Now… there's no time! Let's go! Go, Go, Go—!!!"
Finally, Old Captain Enrico saw Javier's unruly nature and the numbers turning on his watch. He knew time was short and there was no need to continue arguing with the troublesome Javier. He gave an order and directly commanded all members to board the helicopter to Akeley Mountains for investigation.
"Whirr…!"
The helicopter's rotor blades spun faster and faster with the throttle, the cabin floor vibrated slightly, and the entire helicopter emitted a buzzing noise and air currents.
This was Javier's first time on a helicopter, and he was a little excited. The other members around him were also very interested in Javier, the newcomer, as Javier had only recently joined S.T.A.R.S.
Previously, he had always partnered with Rebecca on patrol in Raccoon City, so opportunities to meet were rare. But this time, he caused such a big commotion right from the start, making them feel that Javier was also a humorous and interesting guy, at least very likable!
Edward and Old Captain Enrico sat in the pilot and co-pilot seats of the helicopter, while the rest of the members sat in the seats in the rear cabin. The helicopter had ample space, accommodating five people without any problem.
"Whirr…!!!"
"Thump, thump, thump, thump----!!!"
Then, seeing that everyone had boarded the helicopter, Edward didn't hesitate and slowly maneuvered the helicopter into the air. The rotor speed in their ears got faster and faster, and in the next second, the helicopter quickly flew high into the sky. A biting cold wind rushed towards them. Under the dark night, everyone could even overlook the beautiful night view of Raccoon City.
However, looking at the other side, Akeley Mountains seemed shrouded in a dark haze, without a single trace of light, presenting a deathly silence that sent shivers down one's spine. At this moment, everyone also realized that this mission seemed to be anything but simple.
Raccoon City is actually very close to Akeley Mountains, not far apart at all. It's just that due to Raccoon City's unique geographical environment, the surrounding mountainous areas are rarely visited by people. Therefore, even basic infrastructure is scarce.
Except for the railway tracks where the Zodiac Train runs, there isn't even a decent street light in the entire mountainous area. It's a very primitive mountainous region, which is why the Umbrella Corporation chose to build the Cadre Training Institute and the Mansion Annex Institute there, both valuing its concealment.
Old Captain Enrico, sitting in the co-pilot seat of the helicopter, was busy assigning tasks to the members of the Beta Team. After all, they had two things to do on this mission: first, investigate the culprit behind the frequent murders in Akeley Mountains, and second, rescue the people who died in the Zodiac Train incident. So, they definitely couldn't act together; they had to split up!
"Quiet down!"
"I'll announce the personnel assignments. Because our mission requires us to accomplish two things simultaneously, we need to divide the personnel. First, Rebecca and Javier, you two are newcomers, and Rebecca is also a medic. You two will partner up and go to the Zodiac Train crash site to search for survivors."
"If you encounter anyone alive, use the radio to contact Richard. He has communication equipment and can immediately call the Raccoon City Police Department headquarters for support."
"Your main task is to rescue survivors. Remember to be careful. There are many wild beasts active in Akeley Mountains at night. Javier! Protect Rebecca well. If I find Rebecca injured when we get back, I'll hold you accountable!"
"Additionally, the remaining members will come with me into the dense forest of Akeley Mountains to investigate the situation. Tonight, we must find the true culprit behind the frequent murders. Do you all understand?"
With a wave of his hand, Old Captain Enrico spoke seriously and earnestly from the co-pilot seat. His seasoned experience perfectly assigned the necessary members for the mission. However, his method of assignment… made Javier on the side feel somewhat like a dying wish.
You five are going deep into the dense forest of Akeley Mountains to investigate the culprit behind the frequent murders? What… Is this serious?
Also, Old Captain Enrico's words about not letting Rebecca get hurt made Javier feel like a dying father entrusting his daughter, which was truly pitiful…Pooh, truly sorrowful!
However—
Don't worry, Old Captain Enrico, this little girl Rebecca, under my care, will absolutely not suffer even the slightest harm!
After all, comparatively, their mission to the Zodiac Train to search for survivors was much simpler than going deep into the dense forest of Akeley Mountains to investigate the murder case.
"Whirr… Whirr…"
However, just at this moment, the helicopter's instrument panel suddenly made a strange noise, and red lights flashed incessantly, startling everyone who was busy listening to the task assignments. Even the pilot Edward quickly pulled up on the helicopter's joystick and began to quickly check the situation.
But—
"Click… Bang!"
"Boom—!!!"
The next second, before Edward, the helicopter pilot, could check the situation, black smoke immediately billowed from the engine cover on the rear side of the helicopter cabin. Sparks flew everywhere, followed by a violent explosion. The engine cover exploded open, and countless oil splattered. The rapidly spinning rotor, as if it had run out of air, began to slowly stop rotating and started to fall in mid-air…
"Damn it!"
"It's a helicopter engine malfunction. Are those guys at the Raccoon City Police Department who maintain vehicles eating shit? They didn't even know there was a problem with the engine. Sorry… everyone, hold on tight, we have to make an emergency landing, otherwise, we'll all die in this godforsaken place!"
Seeing the explosion in the rear cabin of the helicopter and the powerless rotor, Edward, as the pilot, immediately knew the engine had a problem. After cursing the idle vehicle mechanics at the Raccoon City Police Department, Edward quickly pulled the control stick, recovering the falling helicopter.
Although there was an engine problem, fortunately, their helicopter was not particularly high off the ground, so a perfect emergency landing could be achieved instantly, preventing them from being smashed into meat paste from a high altitude. It was very fortunate.
"It's starting…"
And on the turbulent, shaking, malfunctioning helicopter, Javier, under his gas mask, calmly muttered, "The familiar plot is coming. Life or death will depend entirely on this beginning—!"
Chapter 8: The Merchant
"Bang…"
"Boom…!!!"
A violent sound came, and the helicopter beneath them jolted and vibrated, slamming directly onto the ground of Akeley Mountains. Countless broken stones and dirt flew, and the strong impact almost threw everyone out, but fortunately, they all held firmly onto the handles. As the helicopter finally slid in the mud, forming a huge gully, the previously spinning rotors completely stopped.
The front of the helicopter was crushed and disfigured, and the front window glass shattered everywhere, looking very tragic, but in reality, no one was injured. To prevent the helicopter from exploding, Old Captain Enrico, as the leader, immediately shouted, ordering all Beta Team members to escape from the helicopter.
At this moment, all members of the Beta Team had completely entered the depths of the dense forest of Akeley Mountains. In the dark and silent night, they couldn't distinguish any direction and could only rely on the faint "nuclear energy" flashlight beam in their hands to illuminate the path ahead. All around them were insect sounds.
These were not the lively insect sounds of summer; on the contrary, they were somewhat eerie, and they could even hear the roars of some wild beasts from afar, which was truly chilling—
"Beep, beep, beep…"
"Captain, the situation is very troublesome."
"The radio communication is out of order. There's no way to contact the Raccoon City Police Department headquarters. I suspect it's because the environment in Akeley Mountains is too complex, causing the radio communication signal to be very weak. If we want to contact the Raccoon City Police Department headquarters, we need to find a high ground first!"
Everyone slowly exited the helicopter, and Richard, the blonde Caucasian communicator, quickly picked up the communication equipment behind him and started calling. Unfortunately… although the walkie-talkie could be used, it couldn't contact the Raccoon City Police Department headquarters; the signal was extremely weak.
The main reason was that the environment in Akeley Mountains was too complex, with dense jungles, making it too difficult to connect to the Raccoon City Police Department headquarters from there. However, if they used walkie-talkies to call each other, it was still barely usable.
This undoubtedly cut off their retreat for support, a standard horror game opening, presenting a situation of running out of ammunition and supplies, and being caught between a rock and a hard place. Unfortunately, Javier was already fully prepared.
"Finding a high ground…"
"That's too much trouble. Let's start the mission while searching. Don't worry about support. The S.T.A.R.S Alpha Team is investigating Akeley Mountains with us tonight, but they are short on numbers, so they are a bit slow. We'll start first and meet up with them later."
"According to the previous assignments, Javier, Rebecca, you two will go to the Zodiac Train to search for survivors. The railway tracks should be nearby. Just follow them once you find them. Be especially careful and take the walkie-talkie. If anything happens, notify Richard. Although we can't contact the Raccoon City Police Department headquarters, we can still communicate with each other!"
"The rest of you, come with me. We're going into the mountains to investigate the situation…!"
Hearing the communicator Richard's words, Old Captain Enrico shook his head. He didn't intend to find high ground to call headquarters first. Anyway, the Alpha Team would arrive soon, and they could just take their helicopter to leave together. It would be better to investigate the situation in Akeley Mountains first, and he began to give orders accordingly.
However, just as Old Captain Enrico and the others were about to leave, Javier still felt a little uneasy and called out to these cannon fodder who were going to their deaths:
"Old Captain Enrico, I have a lot of ammunition in my backpack, both shotgun shells and pistol bullets, and also grenades. Why don't you all carry some just in case?"
With a hint of kindness, Javier took off his backpack, opened the buckles, and revealed everything inside. The top layer contained some medicine and dry food, while underneath were boxes of bullets and five or six grenades hanging.
Even more absurdly… on the very side of the backpack, the sharp-eyed Old Captain Enrico discovered a large green banana, a disassembled RPG launcher. The green banana rocket was placed on one side, while the solid wood black and orange launcher was disassembled and placed on the other.
Seeing this situation, Old Captain Enrico's face darkened even further. Good heavens, Old Captain Enrico couldn't help but exclaim, "Good heavens, you've really fleeced the Raccoon City Police Department quite a bit! So many bullets and grenades are one thing, but you even have an RPG. Are you really going to Akeley Mountains to fight terrorists?"
"Enough!"
"You can play with that equipment yourself. Just don't come back and blow up a wild boar with a rocket and bring it back to the Raccoon City Police Department. It's truly disgraceful. I've seen cowards, but I've never seen anyone so timid…!"
Facing Javier's outrageous behavior, Old Captain Enrico, who had originally intended to accept the good intention, immediately refused. There was nothing he could do… Javier was acting too cowardly, which completely dishonored the image of their S.T.A.R.S. If he were to carry a large amount of heavy weaponry like this guy, he probably wouldn't even respect himself.
Not only Old Captain Enrico, but even the other Beta Team members around him had slightly embarrassed expressions. Indeed… they felt that Javier's behavior this time was a bit excessive.
And Javier himself… shook his head helplessly. Then he closed the buckles of his backpack. As someone with a fear of insufficient firepower, he knew that any danger came from his own lack of firepower. Since his good teammates weren't taking it, Javier was actually somewhat relieved; he himself felt it wasn't enough.
"Sorry…"
"Sir, Rebecca and I are going to immediately carry out the search and rescue mission. I wish you good luck. There are many wild beasts in Akeley Mountains. I hope that when you see a wild beast, you absolutely do not hold back; shoot to kill immediately!"
Finally, Javier didn't say much more. After giving a serious warning, he immediately pulled the little girl Rebecca and ran towards the other side of the dense forest in Akeley Mountains. May everyone take care of themselves; he could at most ensure his own safety.
Seeing Javier and Rebecca, the two newcomers, leave, Old Captain Enrico also shook his head helplessly. These two youngsters truly gave them a headache. Then, without hesitation, he gave an order and, pistol in hand, led the other members around him deeper into the dense forest.
…On the other side—