[DING!]
[System Notification]
[Achievement Unlocked: Bio-Hunter]
Stats: Eliminated 50 Zombies, 20 Plague Bats, 2 Cerberus Dogs, 8 Plague Crawlers, 20 Leech Swarms.
Total Points: 100.
Zone Cleared: Training Facility Main Hall (1F).
Reward: Title "Bio-Hunter" (Passive Effect: +2% chance to encounter zombies, +1% chance to find items).
Havel leaned against the wall, wiping black slime and blood from his gas mask with a dirty rag. He let out a long, exhausted breath.
He was a mess. His armor was scratched, his vest had a new tear, and he smelled like a sewer. Clearing the first floor hadn't been easy. He had gone room to room, exterminating everything that moved.
But reading the system notification, he rolled his eyes so hard it hurt.
"Bio-Hunter? Seriously?"
"Is this CrossFire? Why not 'Ghost Hunter' or 'Ultimate Hunter'?"
"And what kind of trash buff is this? Increased zombie encounter rate by 2%? Who wants more zombies? And only a 1% boost to item drops? That's stingy. I have to kill more monsters just to find a green herb? This title is a scam."
He mentally tossed the title into the trash bin. It was worse than useless; it was a debuff disguised as a reward.
"..."
He checked his inventory.
"Ammo is getting low."
He unslung his massive backpack. It felt significantly lighter. That was bad news. He had burned through most of his shotgun shells during the purge. He was down to about twenty rounds for the M1897. The Magnum ammo was untouched, but he needed to save that for bosses.
"I got cocky," Havel muttered. "I forgot this isn't an action game. It's survival horror. No infinite ammo bandanas here."
He wasn't a hoarder by nature, but now he wished he had been more conservative.
"Wait..."
"I still have that canister of gasoline from the storage room."
A lightbulb went on.
In Resident Evil 0, Molotov Cocktails were the ultimate weapon against leech men and insects. Fire killed the parasites instantly.
"Time for some arts and crafts."
Havel scavenged around the room. He found four empty glass bottles—likely left by researchers who drank on the job. He tore strips of cloth from a curtain to use as wicks.
He carefully poured the gasoline into the bottles, stuffing the necks tight with the cloth.
"There. Four Molotovs."
It wasn't high-tech, but it worked. Simple, dangerous, and effective. As long as he didn't drop one and light himself on fire, they would be a game-changer against the bosses.
While searching for more bottles, his eye caught something shiny under a desk.
It was a small, white canister.
[Microfilm A].
"Hidden item found," Havel grinned. "Maybe that 1% luck isn't totally useless."
This was a key puzzle item. He pocketed it.
"Alright. Time to regroup."
He headed back to the library lift.
The problem remained: The lift required someone to turn the crank on the outside. Billy and Rebecca were gone.
Havel stood there, staring at the crank.
"I am not getting left behind."
He refused to become a side character who dies off-screen. He needed to be with the protagonists to ensure his survival (and keep Rebecca from dying).
He looked around the room and found a length of sturdy rope—probably used for moving books.
"Heh. MacGyver time."
He tied one end of the rope securely to the handle of the crank. He wound it around the shaft several times.
He stepped onto the lift platform, holding the other end of the rope.
"Here goes nothing."
He pulled.
CREAAAK...
The crank turned. The lift jerked upward an inch.
He pulled again. And again.
It was slow, grueling work, but the lift began to rise. He felt like a cowboy lassoing a steer, or Tarzan swinging through the jungle.
"Yee-haw," he muttered dryly.
Whatever worked. He wasn't going to let a simple puzzle stop him.
Meanwhile.The Water Drainage Area.
Billy and Rebecca were making good progress on the second floor. They had solved a few puzzles, found some files, and unlocked a door leading to a massive, damp chamber.
It looked like a reservoir or a water treatment plant.
The air was thick with humidity and the stench of stagnant water. Green algae covered the walls, and slime dripped from the ceiling.
In the center of the room was a large, empty pool with a grate at the bottom.
"It smells awful in here," Rebecca said, wrinkling her nose.
"Looks like the drainage system for the whole facility," Billy noted. "There's a key down there. See it?"
He pointed his flashlight into the pit. A glimmer of metal shone near the drain.
"I'll go get it," Rebecca volunteered. "Cover me."
She climbed down the ladder into the pit.
Little did she know, this wasn't just a drain. It was a lair.
Residing in the dark pipes below was an Old Gentleman.
A very large, very leggy gentleman with a penchant for hugging young women.
And he was hungry.