While Javier and Rebecca were busy toying with the giant snake and becoming the new generation of legendary heroes, Jill and Barry's progress in acquiring the masks was surprisingly fast. Perhaps due to good luck, the two of them didn't encounter a difficult boss like the giant snake. Instead, most of the challenges they faced were puzzles rather than a relentless fight against terrifying monsters. In contrast to Javier and Rebecca's dire situation, Jill and Barry were much luckier... this was likely the so-called "protagonist's aura."
"Click!"
"Clang—!!!"
Opening the next door, Jill and Barry continued their search for the remaining masks after acquiring the first one. After cleverly avoiding some traps, they finally found the clue to the next mask, which was in the room before them. It was a heavy bronze stone door, similar to the Knight's Gate at the Executive Training Facility. It took Jill and Barry a good amount of effort to push it open.
And inside...
They were greeted by a stunning sight of rows of knight statues. They were like chess pieces on a chessboard, wearing heavy armor that gleamed with a dark luster. The knights held different weapons, clearly representing four distinct classes: the Sword Knight, the Spear Knight, the Shield Knight, and the Axe Knight. In addition to the rows of armored knights on both sides, the front wall also had carvings of these four knight classes. Below them was a locked, red and gold jewelry box.
This appeared to be another puzzle. If they successfully solved the puzzle, the reward would be the jewelry box sealed inside by four thick pillars. As for what was inside, Jill and Barry were fairly certain it held the second cursed mask.
Looking at the patterns on the wall—the four knight classes: Sword, Spear, Shield, and Axe—and the several armored knights that suddenly slid out from the sides, the clever Jill connected the clues to a story about Western knights. It was the principle of counters between knights in medieval warfare, a concept popularized in many movies and games. However, Jill believed that the real difference in a fight between knights was the person, not the weapon. While a weapon counter could offer a significant advantage, the person wielding it was the most crucial factor. But this didn't stop her from solving the puzzle. The Axe counters the Shield, the Shield counters the Sword, and the Sword counters the Axe, a three-way cycle. The Spear was outside this cycle, countering and being weak to all of them. So, with just one look, Jill pushed the Axe Knight first, then the Shield Knight. After the Shield Knight was pushed, the Sword Knight that had been sticking out automatically returned to its original position, and the central mechanism unlocked, revealing a button.
Without a doubt, Jill's guess was correct! The design of this mechanism was similar to the chess puzzle at the Executive Training Facility. If they pushed the wrong knight, poison gas would be released. The heavy bronze door would make it impossible to escape in time, and they would be poisoned to death in seconds.
"Buzz—!!!"
After successfully solving the puzzle, Jill and Barry immediately walked forward and pressed the button. The thick pillars slowly descended, and the locked jewelry box was easily taken out. Seeing this, Barry couldn't help but admire Jill. His partner was truly excellent, and very smart! If it were him, he wouldn't have understood the concept of counters in a short time. Facing this armored knight puzzle, Barry had only two solutions: one was to push them randomly and face any trap that came, and the other was to use brute force, firing his beloved Colt .44 at the iron pillars. If that didn't work, he'd use a high-explosive grenade. If that still didn't work, he would give up. That was Barry's way.
"Let me open it and see what's inside."
With the jewelry box in hand, Jill quickly found the mechanism. With a light touch, the box opened, revealing a gray mask. It also had two red fragments on its forehead, and a piece of its mouth and nose had been deliberately removed. This must be the mask of "cannot speak of the devil and cannot smell the devil." Jill and Barry had now successfully acquired the second mask, putting them far ahead of the empty-handed Javier and Rebecca. It seemed the mansion's main players were still Jill and Chris, while Javier and Rebecca were just troublemakers who served no purpose other than to create problems!
On the other side, while Jill and Barry were wondering if Javier and Rebecca had found two cursed masks, the latter two were still running for their lives. The giant snake relentlessly pursued them. No matter where they ran or hid, they were discovered.
With its heat-sensing and tongue radar, the giant snake could find Javier and Rebecca even in the most unexpected places in the mansion. After all, the two of them hadn't showered in two days and had a very strong scent that was easy to track. The giant snake was like a bulldozer, rampaging through the entire mansion, smashing several stone pillars. It had even drilled holes in several rooms where they had tried to hide. If not for the complex structure of the mansion, the giant snake would have likely leveled the entire place.
It even gobbled up a few zombies that were blocking its way. Its digestive system was astonishing; the T-virus-enhanced stomach acid could even corrode and melt iron. The zombie bodies were child's play. But the taste of the zombie bodies wasn't very good. They reeked of rot, like eating a pile of smelly feces. So the giant snake only ate a few, then just crushed the remaining zombies that were in its way, turning them into a bloody mess on the floor. It preferred to eat living things, like the two rats that had fooled it before!
"Bang bang bang—!!!"
The sound of crashing wooden doors and pillars continued. Looking at the empty hall, the giant snake's green vertical pupils glowed with an eerie light. It flicked its red tongue, gathering information from the air, which its brain then processed. Its eyes immediately lit up, and without hesitation, it crashed into a distant room!
"Boom—!"
Without a doubt, it had found Javier and Rebecca's trail again. The two of them were quite helpless. They had hidden in nearly ten rooms, and the giant snake had smashed through the door of every single one. It was as if they had a tracker on them. They couldn't escape no matter what. As soon as they hid, the giant snake would find them. This made Javier feel like something was very wrong. This tracking radar was too effective; there was nowhere to run. And they had no way to fight back.
Their current weapons were not strong enough to kill the giant snake; they could only cause minor damage. They had no grenades, no rocket launchers, and no Molotov cocktails. Everything was so scarce. Javier regretted not being better prepared.
"Click—!!!"
In a flash of thought, the room door was smashed, creating a huge hole. The snake's head, as big as a car, squeezed in. Its searchlight-like yellow-green vertical pupils stared intently at a cabinet in the room. The information particles told it that one of the smelly rats, Javier or Rebecca, was hiding inside.
"Hiss...!"
"Spurt—swoosh—!!!"
Without hesitation, after confirming the target's location, the giant snake opened its gaping maw. Two fangs, like ivory spears, were exposed. It aimed its fangs at the cabinet and fired two streams of terrifying venom. As the most powerful infected and mutated snake, it naturally possessed the skill of spitting venom. But compared to the more than 40 snakes from before, the venom it spat was like a high-pressure water gun. It was incredibly fast and a massive amount. The greenish venom gave off a white heat, and if it hit its target, its terrifying corrosive power would instantly melt flesh!
"Bang!"
Seeing this, Javier, who was hiding in the cabinet, didn't hesitate. He kicked the cabinet door open and scrambled out. The high-pressure water gun-like venom then hit the wooden cabinet.
"Sizzle...!"
As the two came into contact, the wooden cabinet was instantly doused in the highly corrosive venom. It began to smoke violently, and then, right before their eyes, the entire cabinet was corroded and disintegrated, turning into a pile of indescribable wooden sludge.
After narrowly escaping, Javier didn't hesitate. He pulled out the Desert Eagle from his waist and fired. Eight shots in quick succession emptied the magazine in just two seconds. Eight bullets flew from different directions toward the giant snake.
"Clang clang clang—!!!"
A sound made Javier's heart sink. There was no sound of the bullets penetrating flesh. Instead, they sounded like they were hitting a steel plate, and sparks flew. Javier couldn't hide his disappointment. These were .50 caliber semi-automatic handgun bullets, and they couldn't even break through the giant snake's scales? Javier looked at his reinforced Desert Eagle, a confused and puzzled look in his eyes. He couldn't help but wonder if his "magnum god-tier weapon" was already becoming obsolete. Was he not worthy of the magnum? Or was it him who was affecting the magnum's power?
Of course, it wasn't that ridiculous. If Javier had looked closely, he would have seen that the scales had obvious bullet craters and had been penetrated. But the giant snake's muscles and scales had stopped the bullets, preventing them from going any further. This created the illusion that the .50 caliber bullets could not break through the defense.
Regardless, such a shallow wound was a minor annoyance to the giant snake and caused no significant, effective damage. The scales were truly formidable, like a layer of iron plate. It was hard to break through, and inside, there was also a high density of muscles for defense. And the giant snake's smooth, dark head was likely the hardest part, probably as hard and thick as steel. It was a defense that a handgun bullet could never penetrate.
However, this didn't mean the giant snake was unbeatable. Even the most solid armor had gaps. The snake's eyes and underbelly were its weak points. If they could seize the opportunity to accurately hit those weak points, they could cause significant damage. But it would be very difficult to kill it with a single shot.
"We have to find an opportunity..."
"Rebecca, stop hiding! Run! Bullets are useless against this beast. We have to escape and see if we can find any special weapons in the other rooms. Otherwise, it's impossible to kill this giant snake with just a handgun."
Seeing this, Javier felt helpless and could only lead Rebecca away. His handgun couldn't penetrate the snake's armor, and the shotgun's damage was insufficient from a distance. While it was powerful at close range, getting close to the giant snake would be a death wish. Its gaping maw could swallow both of them in an instant, so they couldn't get close.
Since Javier hadn't come up with a good plan, he could only try to buy time. Without hesitation, he put away his Desert Eagle and turned to run. This room was connected to another, and the adjacent door could open to the next room, where Rebecca was hiding. Javier planned to lead the giant snake on a chase throughout the mansion, searching other rooms to see if he could find some fuel or other items to make Molotov cocktails. Only then would they have a chance of defeating the giant snake!
However, Javier and Rebecca had no idea that their chaotic escape would lead the giant snake to an unexpected location. They would lead the two monster bosses to fight each other, an unimaginable turn of events...