"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
"Whoosh—whoosh—!!!"
Two dark figures suddenly lunged out from the dark, dense forest. One high, one low, two Doberman Zombie Dogs once again bared their sharp fangs, fiercely biting down on Joseph's neck and arm!
"Pfft..."
The sharp fangs pierced flesh again.
This time, Joseph was truly beyond saving. With his neck pierced and more air escaping than entering, he merely struggled on the ground for a moment before falling silent. His eyes wide with shock, he stared ahead, collapsing to the ground in a state of indignant death.
"Joseph—!!!!"
At this, all the Alpha Team members panicked, quickly shouting and rapidly firing their weapons. They shot at the Doberman Zombie Dogs that had killed Joseph, but the Doberman Zombie Dogs scoffed at them. If they couldn't deal with those two bastards in the dense forest, they could certainly deal with these rookies, couldn't they?
After all, recalling this incident, a hint of lingering fear flickered in the Doberman Zombie Dogs' murky eyes. The day before, two terrifying zombie hunters had suddenly appeared in the dense forest of the Akeley Mountains. One was large and the other small. The large one was completely black, wearing a helmet, armor, and a large backpack. The old-timers in the dense forest called him the Big Black Rat.
The other was a shorty with a baby face, like a tomboy. That tomboy was the most annoying, wielding a shotgun and a large-caliber pistol, she would just beat up their pack whenever she found them, completely unafraid of wasting bullets. The moment their pack of Doberman Zombie Dogs made a sound, before they could even ambush, the tomboy's bullets would come raining down.
It didn't matter if they hit or not, she just shot wherever there was a sound.
This bizarre fighting style caused heavy losses to their pack; they were often shot dead by overwhelming bullets before they even showed themselves.
Of course,
what was most terrifying to the dogs was still the Big Black Rat. That Big Black Rat used some sort of sorcery; it was just the most ordinary pistol, shot randomly, not even knowing where the muzzle was pointing, but the bullets seemed to have eyes, chasing them wherever they hid. Even if they hid behind a tree, the bullets could curve and hit them.
It was simply… bah!
It was simply inconceivable to the dogs.
Therefore, facing the two zombie hunters in the dense forest, the Doberman Zombie Dogs could only give up and turn their attention to these rookie recruits who had just disembarked from the helicopter. If they couldn't deal with those two bastards, surely dealing with these guys would be easy!
Meanwhile, Javier and Rebecca, the parties involved, had no idea that they had been put on a wanted list by the Doberman Zombie Dog clan, becoming notorious zombie hunters—no… dog hunters! They must be extra careful!
Ahem…
The above is all exaggerated. If there are any similarities, please do not take it seriously.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!!!"
Thus, facing the Alpha Team's panicked shooting, the Doberman Zombie Dogs were completely fearless, retreating very quickly and disappearing back into the dense forest. Even if bullets hit the Doberman Zombie Dogs' bodies, it caused no significant harm.
As long as their limbs and heads weren't hit, the Doberman Zombie Dogs remained lively and capable of biting. As for their abdomens… three or four shots wouldn't matter.
Watching two or three Doberman Zombie Dogs quickly escape into the dark, dense forest, the Alpha Team members were helpless. They could only let these vicious hounds get away. After all, in the dark, dense forest, if they didn't stick together, their fate would be no different from Joseph, who lay dead on the ground.
Therefore, even if the Alpha Team members were eager for revenge, they couldn't act quickly. They could only take it one step at a time—
But…
just then,
their helicopter inexplicably started up.
"Whirr… thud-thud-thud-thud—!!!"
The propeller spun at high speed, stirring up another gust of wind in the dense forest.
The large helicopter instantly took off, its searchlight sweeping the ground and illuminating the Alpha Team members. But Brad, the pilot, showed no sign of stopping. He just frantically screamed and piloted the helicopter, rapidly fleeing the dense forest of the Akeley Mountains!
Chapter 4: The Legendary Big Black Rat
"Shit!"
"What's wrong with Brad? Why did he just fly off with the helicopter? Wasn't he supposed to stay put? Can't he even do this small thing?!"
"Now we're screwed. Without the helicopter, we're just like headless flies wandering around in these Akeley Mountains, especially since it's pitch black night. Is this how Bravo Team went missing?"
Watching Brad, the pilot, flee with their only vehicle, the helicopter, Chris and Jill and the others looked up, staring at the gradually disappearing helicopter in utter shock, their remaining words filled with curses.
There was nothing they could do.
They knew Brad was a coward,
but they didn't know he was truly that cowardly. He hadn't even started anything, and he just flew off with the helicopter. This was essentially cutting off their retreat prematurely.
The mission hadn't even begun, and Chris and Jill and the others were already contemplating retreat.
With such a useless teammate, there was no guarantee of their safety whatsoever—
However,
while that was being said,
Wesker, standing nearby, wore a sinister smile.
This was exactly what he wanted. He was using the Alpha Team to gather combat data anyway. Now that Brad, the coward, had fled with the helicopter, they had no retreat whatsoever; they had no choice but to advance.
However,
Wesker's sinister smile was hidden behind his dark sunglasses; to his other teammates, his poker face remained cold and unfeeling.
"Alright, quiet!"
"Don't panic! Are you still qualified S.T.A.R.S members? Getting startled at every little setback, what kind of behavior is that? Now… listen to my command. All team members, continue to advance."
"Now that we don't have a vehicle, instead of retreating, it's better to keep moving forward. After all, Bravo Team is still waiting for our support in the dense forest of the Akeley Mountains. We cannot just give up so easily, understood?"
At this moment, Wesker, as the S.T.A.R.S captain, directly displayed his authority, coldly reprimanding them in a low voice, calming all team members down. At the same time, he ordered all team members to continue deeper into the dense forest of the Akeley Mountains.
Upon hearing this command, Chris and Jill and the others frowned.
But they quickly showed expressions of helplessness when Bravo Team was mentioned. Indeed… they couldn't just abandon them. Their fellow comrades in Bravo Team were still waiting for their support. No matter what dangers lay within, they had to go and see.
However,
just as the Alpha Team members were about to continue their advance…
"Rustle…"
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
"Hiss… Woof—!!!"
A series of strange noises,
the sound of rotting branches being trampled in the Akeley Mountains' dense forest, followed by urgent rushing and terrifying barks, made Chris and Jill and the others' expressions change slightly. What a joke… those fierce Doberman hounds were back?
And—
it sounded like there were many more than before?
After all, the Doberman hounds that had attacked Joseph earlier were only three, feigning attacks and ambushing. But now… Chris and Jill and the others could hear the barks of these fierce Doberman hounds from all directions, which meant… at least a dozen Doberman hounds were hunting them?!
"Run!"
"Don't hesitate! We can't deal with so many hounds; it will easily lead to casualties. We must find cover!"
Seeing this, Wesker, as the captain, once again commanded in a low voice.
There was nothing he could do… This time, Wesker was truly a bit flustered. He hadn't expected there to be so many zombie dogs in the dense forest of the Akeley Mountains. Chris and Jill and the others… he needed to bring them back to the Mansion for Bio-weapon combat data. They absolutely couldn't die here.
Therefore, Wesker gave the order to retreat without the slightest hesitation, and Chris and Jill and the others, hearing this, also didn't hesitate, instantly taking off and running.
They weren't fools.
So many Doberman hounds, attacking from all directions, could easily cause casualties. They couldn't defend against them, so there was no good way to deal with it other than to flee.
Only…
Chris and Jill and the others had completely forgotten one thing:
That is—how could a two-legged animal outrun a four-legged one? Humans cannot outrun dogs, let alone a pack of Doberman Zombie Dogs strengthened by a virus!
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
"Thump, thump, thump—!!!"
"Hiss… Woof—!!!"
The barks grew closer and closer.
Several Doberman Zombie Dogs had already caught up to Chris and Jill and the others who were fleeing. They turned their heads to look back and saw the terrifying faces of the Doberman Zombie Dogs. Their skin was severely ulcerated all over, like tumors, with lumps of rotten flesh hanging from their bodies, and a section of flesh missing from their bellies.
A Fishy smell smell of blood emanated from their bodies.
Some of the Doberman Zombie Dogs' faces were even more hideous, with eyeballs missing and half their mouths rotted away, yet their fangs remained incredibly sharp, like steel knives. However, foul-smelling saliva still dripped, constantly spraying out as they ran.
These were no longer just ordinary hounds,
but monsters,
true monsters—!!!
"…"
"Damn it, they're catching up! We can't just keep running; we have to counterattack simultaneously!"
The young Chris shouted as he ran, and the other Alpha Team members, hearing this, didn't hesitate. They turned around and raised their weapons, firing wildly, bullets pouring onto the Doberman Zombie Dogs.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang—!!!"
Flashes of gunfire illuminated the dark, dense forest.
It was still 9mm pistol bullets; only Barry's pistol was a.44 Magnum. Even so, the sheer volume of fire was overwhelming. Although the accuracy wasn't perfect, many Doberman Zombie Dogs were still shot in the head and limbs, instantly losing their ability to charge.
"Howl…!"
With a mournful howl, it slammed headfirst into the ground.
But… there were many Doberman Zombie Dogs. Even after half were dealt with, five or six Doberman Zombie Dogs still caught up.
After a frantic run, within the entire Alpha Team, Jill was left at the very back of the group. As a female, her stamina and running speed were certainly not as good as the other males, especially Wesker… this captain, injected with the Progenitor Virus, had always run at the very front, minimizing the threat to his life.
After all, there's a saying:
When encountering a black bear or tiger in the wild, you don't need to be faster than the black bear or tiger; you just need to be faster than your companions. The one left behind gets eaten, and you naturally escape—!
However,
Chris, possessing a strong sense of justice, naturally wouldn't allow himself to do such a thing. Seeing the beautiful Jill about to be caught by the Doberman Zombie Dogs and thrown to the ground to be wantonly humiliated, the young Chris didn't hesitate. He decisively slowed down, falling behind Jill, preparing to use his own body.