Inside the undersea oil field base,
the decisiveness of the HAOS caught Chris and the others off guard.
They hadn't expected the beast to forcibly smash the walls of the cultivation chamber, causing a rupture in air pressure that couldn't withstand the deep-sea pressure.
This ultimately led to seawater flooding in.
If they couldn't find an exit to escape the cultivation chamber quickly,
then even if Chris and his team weren't killed by the HAOS, they would be completely submerged and drowned by the seawater.
"Move...!"
"Keep climbing up, don't stop, or the seawater behind us will catch up...!"
At the very rear, Chris urged everyone to speed up their climbing. None of them wanted to be submerged by the surging seawater and die of suffocation.
Thus, they used every ounce of strength to climb upward. Fortunately, they were already in the middle of the cultivation chamber.
It wasn't far from the top of the chamber.
After a few minutes, the group quickly reached the top of the cultivation chamber, where there was a platform.
The nutrient infusion pipes that the HAOS had previously consumed came from the equipment at the top here, where a large amount of nutrient solution and virus were constantly being pumped down.
This was how the HAOS had been bred to such a massive size. Besides the equipment platform, there were tunnels leading to other areas all around.
*Splash...*
*Gurgle...*
In contrast,
the seawater in the cultivation chamber was rising very rapidly.
Just minutes after Chris and the others climbed onto the platform, the seawater had already filled the entire chamber and was slowly pouring up toward the platform beneath their feet.
However, it seemed that because the entire cultivation chamber was nearly full,
the previously rapid rising speed had now become sluggish. This was likely because the pressure between the chambers had neutralized.
It was like trying to force an empty bucket with a small opening into water to fill it.
At first, it's hard to push down no matter how much force you use, but as the water flows in and the empty bucket fills up, the resistance naturally disappears.
"Don't let your guard down...!"
"Be careful, that monster might not be dead. Everyone stay away from the central chamber opening, don't get close, that monster might still swim up."
At that moment,
Leon, holding a sniper rifle, cautioned everyone with a wary expression. His eyes, partially obscured by his center-parted long hair, were fixed on the very center of the platform.
That area was already filled with seawater,
looking like a small lake. Bubbles were still rising from the center, which could have been caused by the seawater continuing to rise,
but could also be bubbles produced by the HAOS's breathing. Both were possible, so they absolutely could not relax.
In fact,
Leon's suspicion was correct.
Because the HAOS was originally a biochemical B.O.W. intended by Carla to pollute the ocean. Its unformed lower body and the tentacles on its back
were not only evidence of incomplete development but were actually tentacles used by the HAOS to swim rapidly in the ocean.
Much like octopus tentacles,
they could act like a ship's propeller to provide swimming speed, generating powerful propulsion with every contraction and release.
After all, according to Carla's plan,
she intended to use the HAOS to first pollute the ocean before slowly making landfall to continue large-scale infection and expansion.
In just a few short days or a week,
the world's oceans would become a cradle for the C-Virus.
This shows the terrifying infectivity of the HAOS. This rate of infection was something only T-Veronica and the ouroboros virus could compete with.
Therefore,
the large amount of seawater in the cultivation chamber not only couldn't drown the HAOS, but instead became its optimal terrain for movement.
Like a crocodile, while it can move on land,
it is ultimately slow and cumbersome, but once it enters the water, it completely enters its most proficient domain and arena.
*Gurgle...*
*Boom... Splash—!!!!!!*
As expected,
about ten seconds later, seeing that Chris, Leon, and the others weren't taking the bait, the HAOS lurking beneath the platform's seawater finally lost its patience.
It lunged its massive body directly out of the surging seawater, like a whale breaching for air,
instantly kicking up a massive spray.
Surging knee-high waves instantly slammed into the group, nearly knocking Chris, Leon, and the others to the ground.
"ROAR—!!!!!!!"
With a roar, the HAOS's pale, white skeletal head and its massive grayish-white body completely reappeared before everyone...!
Volume 9 Resident Evil 6: Chapter 78 Escape from Death
*Splash...*
*Gurgle gurgle...!!!*
Accompanied by the rising of surging bubbles, a massive dark shadow suddenly burst from the calm water surface.
The HAOS's form was directly exposed.
With its lower half submerged in water and only its upper half exposed, it remained as massive and horrific as ever.
The moment it saw Chris, Leon, and the others, its two long, fan-like hands immediately raised and slammed down violently.
"Get out of the way—!!!"
With a low shout,
Chris and Leon, the first to react, quickly dove and rolled to one side.
Due to the knee-high water, the force of the HAOS's attack was greatly reduced, making it no different from a person slapping the water surface with their palm.
Combined with the cover of the splashing water,
Chris and Leon's team successfully evaded the HAOS's attack. Even Helena and Piers, who were slower to react,
were fortunately swept into a nearby corner by the force of the waves.
They were completely submerged in the water, their figures hidden, causing the HAOS to lose its target.
*Bang bang bang bang bang bang—!!!!!*
Having evaded the strike,
Chris and Leon quickly launched a counterattack, pulling the triggers of their firearms as bullets erupted once more.
They left a dense cluster of bloody holes in the HAOS's hollow eye sockets.
Because the HAOS's skin was soft, the bullets penetrated very easily.
But unfortunately, as said before, while the power of these bullets was useful, it wasn't much; the damage was there, but it was just too small.
"ROAR—!!!!!"
Feeling its body being attacked by a few ants,
the HAOS erupted in a roar that made eardrums ache with pain and the water surface vibrate. Through soundwave attacks alone, the HAOS was very formidable.
*Splash splash splash...!!!!*
The next second,
the HAOS quickly began swinging its massive white fan-like hands, turning the water on the top platform of the cultivation chamber upside down.
A large amount of seawater surged into tumultuous waves,
forcibly creating a patch of severe maritime weather on the platform. With water splashing and waves surging, the people on the platform couldn't keep their footing.
It was as if they were inside the drum of a giant washing machine.
Because of the high-speed rotation, they were tossed around until their heads spun. Let alone finding an opportunity to attack the HAOS, even standing steady was extremely difficult.
And this was exactly the result the HAOS wanted.
Although it was just a monster, in terms of intelligence, it was not inferior to ordinary mammals on Earth, which was truly terrifying.
One must know that most B.O.W. biochemical monsters have no intelligence to speak of.
Because they are controlled by single-celled viruses, possessing only viral instincts.
That is to reproduce, sustain life by constantly eating, and then infect more people; their minds only contain these two things.
But the HAOS could think like an ordinary mammal.
This indicated its intelligence was already quite high, much like wolves or hyenas that hunt in packs to surround their prey,
or like orcas in the sea that attack prey through high-speed impacts, eventually injuring them until they are exhausted and become food.
And right now,
the HAOS's approach was exactly that.
It intended to use its massive gray fan-like palms to strike frantically,
whipping up tumultuous waves to exhaust the stamina of prey like Chris and Leon. When they were dizzy and disoriented from the churning, it would be its turn to launch a fatal blow.
However,
the HAOS also underestimated human intelligence.
Humans are the smartest of all primates.
Therefore, how could Chris, Leon, and the others not know the HAOS's intention? They immediately took corresponding counter-measures.
"Leon, throw a grenade! I'll throw a flashbang to affect it. Take the chance to attack; we can't let this beast keep churning things up like this."
Chris, being battered by the waves, hurriedly dove into the water.
He took the opportunity to grab an iron railing on the platform to steady himself, then immediately spoke to Leon, who was not far away.
When a wave strikes,
the water below is often much more stable than the waves on the surface. So Chris took the chance to dive,
evading the battering of the waves and grabbing the iron railing to steady himself, avoiding being sucked back into the "washing machine's" churning.
*Cough cough...!*
"No problem!"
At that moment,
Leon followed Chris's example, taking the chance to dive and move to the corner of the cultivation chamber to find cover where he could steady himself.
Getting a breather, Leon quickly looked up and signaled his understanding to Chris. He naturally understood Chris's plan.
That was to first use the blinding light and soundwaves of the flashbang to attack the HAOS's vision and hearing,
causing it to temporarily stop churning the waves, and then in one go, plaster its face with High-explosive grenades again!
*Click!*
Without a moment's delay,
having received a response, Chris immediately threw out the only flashbang remaining at his waist.
He had already thrown all his High-explosive grenades earlier; this was his very last flashbang.
*Bang...!*
*Buzz buzz buzz—!!!!*