Ignoring Captain Enrico's scolding, Javier simply let the words go in one ear and out the other. He even managed a smug look behind his gas mask. If the mask hadn't been there, Enrico probably would have punched him.
"With a shotgun, all are equal...!" Javier declared, pointing a finger to the sky in a cocky pose he thought looked cool.
He couldn't help but think about it. It was no wonder the Bravo Team would be completely wiped out. A bunch of people going with just a few knives and small handguns. The Arklay Mountains likely had forty to fifty zombies, maybe even a hundred, not to mention the countless leeches and infected animals. The team's collective handgun ammunition wouldn't be enough to kill them all, even if they landed a shot on every zombie. It would be a miracle if they didn't get annihilated!
What's more, they had Rebecca, a "shrunken" medic, with them. Her small chest was barely enough to "nurse" anyone, and eight out of ten of the men would probably die simply from not getting a "drink."
"Who asked you that?" Enrico asked.
"I asked you about all this equipment!"
Enrico looked at Javier, who was still acting cocky with his shotgun, and gave him a hard slap on the face. But the gas mask absorbed the blow, and Enrico's hand stung. He almost yelled in pain.
"Ahem..."
"Sir, this is gear I borrowed from the police department in your name. The old chief is a good man. Not only is he kind and helpful, but he's also very quick with equipment requisitioning," Javier said, seeing that his captain was getting angry. He stopped being a pain and answered honestly. His response made Enrico's face darken with frustration. Javier was the first person to ever use his name to get gear. He was completely out of control and would need to be disciplined later.
"Forget it," Enrico said.
"We don't have time. I'll deal with you later. Bravo Team, listen up! Our mission is to take the helicopter to the Arklay Mountains to investigate the frequent murder cases and rescue any survivors from the Ecliptic Express. Now... there's no time to waste. Let's go! Go, go, go—!!!"
In the end, Enrico saw Javier's stubborn nature and the time ticking away on his watch. He knew it was no use arguing with this troublemaker, so he gave the order, telling everyone to get on the helicopter and head to the Arklay Mountains.
"Vroom...!"
The rotor blades turned faster and faster with the thrust of the engine. The cabin floor trembled slightly, and the helicopter made a loud whirring sound and created a wave of air.
It was Javier's first time on a helicopter, and he was excited. His teammates were also very interested in him, as he had only recently joined S.T.A.R.S.
He had been partnered with Rebecca and had been patrolling Raccoon City, so they hadn't had many chances to meet. But he had already caused a stir on his first mission with the whole team, which made them see him as a humorous and endearing guy.
Edward and Captain Enrico sat in the pilot and co-pilot seats, while the rest of the team sat in the seats in the back. The helicopter was spacious enough for all five of them.
"Vroom...!!!"
"Chop, chop, chop, chop—!!!"
Once everyone was on board, Edward didn't hesitate to lift the helicopter into the air. The rotor blades spun faster and faster, and the helicopter quickly rose into the night sky. The cold wind bit at them, and they could see the beautiful night view of Raccoon City below.
But on the other side, the Arklay Mountains were shrouded in a dark haze. There was not a single speck of light. A deadly silence fell over the area, sending a chill down everyone's spines. At this moment, everyone realized that this mission would not be as simple as they had thought.
Raccoon City was actually very close to the Arklay Mountains. But due to the city's unique geographical environment, the surrounding mountains were rarely frequented. Because of this, even basic infrastructure was lacking.
Besides the train tracks, there wasn't a single decent streetlight in the entire mountain range. It was a very primitive area, which was why the Umbrella Corporation had chosen to build its executive training facility and mansion lab there—they wanted the secrecy.
Captain Enrico, who was in the co-pilot seat, was busy assigning tasks to the Bravo Team members. After all, they had two things to do on this mission: investigate the culprit behind the frequent murders in the Arklay Mountains and rescue any survivors from the Ecliptic Express. They couldn't stay together. They had to split up!
"Quiet down!" Enrico said.
"I'm going to assign the roles. Since we need to accomplish two things at once, we need to split up. First, Rebecca and Javier, you're the rookies, and Rebecca is a medic, so you two will go to the Ecliptic Express crash site to search for survivors," Enrico said.
"If you find anyone alive, use the radio to contact Richard. He has communication equipment on him and can immediately call for backup from the Raccoon City Police Department headquarters," he continued.
"Your main mission is to rescue survivors. Remember to be careful. There are a lot of beasts that come out at night in the Arklay Mountains. Javier! You protect Rebecca. If I come back and find that she's hurt, I'll hold you responsible!" Enrico warned.
"As for the rest of you, you'll come with me to the deep woods of the Arklay Mountains to investigate. Tonight, we must find the culprit behind the frequent murders. Is that understood?"
Enrico waved his hand, his expression serious as he gave orders from the co-pilot seat. His years of experience helped him perfectly assign the tasks. But the way he did it made Javier feel like he was listening to a dying wish.
They're going to the deep woods of the Arklay Mountains to investigate the murders? What... are they serious?
And Captain Enrico's words about not letting Rebecca get hurt made Javier feel like he was a father entrusting his daughter to him. It was truly sad... no, pathetic!
But, you can rest easy, Captain Enrico. As long as this little girl is with me, she won't be harmed in the slightest!
After all, searching for survivors on the Ecliptic Express was much easier than investigating the murders in the deep woods of the Arklay Mountains.
"Vroom... vroom..."
But at that moment, the helicopter's instrument panel suddenly made a strange noise. A red light flashed continuously, startling everyone who was listening to the mission briefing. Even the pilot, Edward, quickly pulled the joystick and started checking the situation.
But—
"Clack... boom!"
"Boom—!!!"
The next second, before Edward could even check the situation, the helicopter's engine cover suddenly began to emit black smoke and sparks. Then, a violent explosion was heard. The engine cover was blown off, and oil splattered everywhere. The high-speed rotor blades stopped rotating slowly, and the helicopter began to fall from the sky.
"Damn it!"
"The helicopter engine has malfunctioned! Are the police department's vehicle maintenance guys eating shit? How could they not know the engine had a problem? I'm sorry... everyone, hold on tight. We have to make an emergency landing, or we'll all die in this godforsaken place!" Edward yelled.
As the pilot, Edward instantly knew that the engine was the problem after seeing the explosion and the loss of power. He cursed the useless maintenance crew at the police department and quickly pulled the joystick to save the falling helicopter.
Although the engine was a problem, the helicopter wasn't too high off the ground, so a perfect emergency landing was possible. They wouldn't be flattened from a high altitude, which was very lucky.
"It's starting..."
Javier said calmly behind his gas mask, even as the helicopter jolted and shook. The familiar plot was about to begin. Life or death, it all depended on this moment!