"Hiss...!"
To Javier's surprise, his words still managed to ignite Lisa's emotions. Though Lisa was not completely mindless, her emotions were inherently unstable. Hearing the names of her mother and father—names she hadn't spoken in decades—caused her emotional volatility to spike into a frenzy. She was like a patient in an asylum: you couldn't call her absolutely brainless, but you couldn't treat her as a normal person either, as she was liable to do the unexpected at any moment, such as violently attacking those around her.
This was exactly what Lisa did.
"Ho-ho—!!!"
With a guttural cry, the previously hunched and slow-moving Lisa suddenly darted forward. The heavy shackles did not impede her speed; she became a blur of white shadow. In just a few steps, she was instantly in front of Javier.
This sudden turn of events caused Jill and Rebecca's faces to contort in shock. They hadn't expected Lisa to turn so quickly. They raised their weapons to fire, but it was too late. Lisa was right in front of Javier, and the proximity was too close. Firing now would risk riddling Javier with shotgun pellets. Frustrated, Jill and Rebecca had no choice but to lower their weapons. They couldn't stop Lisa's assault!
"Turning on me so fast...?" Javier's face darkened. "Girl, I just mentioned your Mommy and Daddy. No need to be so dramatic. I'm here to help relieve your pain, you know." Seeing Lisa charge without a word, Javier knew his approach had been too blunt, instantly triggering her intense emotional response. Now that conflict was inevitable, he had to counter.
"Click—!"
With a crisp sound, Javier chambered a round. Though Jill and Rebecca couldn't offer fire support, Javier had more than enough time to draw and fire his own weapon.
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!!!"
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—!!!"
As Lisa closed the distance, the Nemesis-α parasite on her back attacked again. Dozens of writhing tentacles shot out, wildly lashing toward Javier's face. Javier had seen the power of these tentacles; they had instantly broken the Hunter's defense and scrambled its brains. They were comparable to a large-caliber bullet. Though Javier wore a steel helmet and high-grade body armor, a direct hit would still be catastrophic. He might avoid a penetration, but the immense kinetic force would certainly shatter his skull or ribs.
However, Lisa and everyone else had forgotten Javier's secret ace: his physically impossible shooting technique, the "Gun Kata"—a skill that defied the laws of physics! While a regular projectile cannot curve in flight—a truth established by Newtonian physics—Javier, having mastered the essence of Gun Kata, could violate this principle. He could make thrown spears curve, fired bullets curve, and even cannonballs curve.
"Bang—Bang—Bang—Bang—!!!!"
Simply drawing his Desert Eagle, Javier didn't even need to aim. With a slight flick of his wrist, he emptied the magazine, all the .50 caliber bullets instantly discharging. To everyone's utter shock, the bullets seemed to have eyes, flying directly toward the rapidly approaching tentacles. They scattered like exploding fireworks, distributed perfectly, with each bullet targeting an individual tentacle!
"Pfft...!"
"Clatter, clatter, clatter...!!!"
Though Lisa's parasite tentacles were formidable, Javier's Desert Eagle .50 caliber rounds were not to be underestimated. In the clash, the sheer power of the metal bullets was too much. The clusters of fleshy, writhing tentacles were instantly severed. The tentacles that had been mere inches from Javier's eyes instantly froze, then dropped to the ground, a puddle of dark red fluid quickly spreading.
Seizing the moment, Javier aimed a powerful kick at the frail-looking monster girl, Lisa, using the rebound force to quickly leap backward. The distance between them was instantly several meters.
Seeing this, Jill and Rebecca immediately reacted, raising their shotguns and aiming, ready to fire. With Lisa no longer dangerously close to Javier, they could now shoot. They promised themselves that if Lisa dared to advance again, they would instantly turn her into a pulverized mess, just like her father, the berserk zombie George.
"Are you calm now?" Javier asked calmly, quickly reloading his Desert Eagle. He slowly raised the black muzzle. "Miss Lisa..."
If Lisa truly could not be reasoned with, Javier was prepared to use more violent methods. While he wanted to relieve Lisa's pain, he would abandon the mission if his own safety was threatened; it was not his obligation, only an impulse of empathy. If his help was rejected, he would have no choice but to leave her.
"Ho-ho..."
Lisa didn't answer, but she continued to hiss. Thankfully, she did not attack again, just standing still, apparently deep in thought, or perhaps her damaged intellect made such a question too taxing.
Javier sighed, shaking his head. Communicating with this monster girl was proving to be a difficult task. But as a gentleman, he chose to try to serve the lady's needs. He spoke first:
"Don't be nervous. We honestly didn't know your parents' names until the letters gave us the information. The letter and photo we found in the rock room were left by your mother, Jessica. I'll return this to you." Javier held up the piece of paper and the photo.
"As for your father, George, he is dead, or rather, the monster George is dead. We found his belongings, which were also a photo and a letter, detailing things about you. Your father hoped until his dying moment that someone would save you." Javier spoke with a gentle, sincere tone. "Now... even though you've completely become a monster, your parents would probably be happy to see their child is still alive. In a parent's eyes, no matter what you become, you are always their child. That never changes."
"So... now I have a question for you. Are you willing to let us take you out of here? Leave this place. After all, that was your parents' wish."
Javier extended his hand. Though Lisa's appearance was hideously covered in human faces and deeply unsettling, pity ultimately overcame fear. Javier felt more pity than revulsion and remained patient.
Behind him, Jill and Rebecca wore expressions of disbelief. They couldn't believe Javier was having a calm conversation with this ugly monster, even after it had just tried to kill him. Barry was also visibly moved. He hadn't realized that the child of the great father George was still alive. Just as Javier said, no matter what Lisa looked like, she was still their child. Honoring his promise, Barry inwardly supported Javier's decision. If Lisa truly was capable of controlling herself, Barry wanted to help her leave. It was her parents' wish.
Lisa, the monster girl, fell into a deep silence as she listened to Javier. She lacked eyes, her vision blocked by the layers of faces, but her head was fixed on Javier. As a monster, she could sense the genuine, tender invitation in Javier's heart. For a monster girl like Lisa, who was deeply insecure and prone to fits of rage, a gentle approach was surprisingly effective. What Lisa lacked was warm care, something she had been deprived of since childhood, making her incredibly sensitive and desperate for "love."
Finally, Lisa seemed to accept Javier's group. The wildly squirming parasite tentacles retracted into her back. (While the Desert Eagle had damaged the tentacles, the wounds were minor and would quickly regenerate due to the G-Virus progenitor within her.) The retraction signified her trust.
"Ho-ho..."
Her voice was still hoarse and indistinct, but it was clear enough. "H-help... help me...!"
After asking for help, Lisa turned and walked alone toward the tunnel ahead. Jill and Rebecca narrowed their eyes, wary of a trick, and backed up, keeping their weapons ready. But Lisa ignored them, continuing forward, occasionally glancing back at Javier with her blank head, seemingly urging him to follow.
Puzzled, Javier scratched his head, then decided to trust Lisa. He picked up his gas mask, tucked it away, and quickly followed. The others followed suit. Jill and Rebecca exchanged glances and jogged to keep up, concerned for Javier's safety. Barry, the old man, stood momentarily stunned. Snapping out of it, he gave the already dead Hunter a final shot with his Colt Revolver and hurried to catch up with the team.
"Thud, thud, thud...!" "Thud, thud, thud...!!" "Thud, thud, thud...!!!"
After an indeterminate time, Lisa, who was leading the way, finally stopped. She pointed her shackled hands toward a cave opening ahead and walked in without hesitation. Javier was curious and looked inside. What greeted him was a massive hanging platform with an equally massive, heavy stone coffin resting on it, appearing to weigh several tons. Thick chains secured the platform, suspending it high above a pitch-black abyss below. The drop was terrifying; anything that fell would be utterly destroyed.
More than the frightening structure, Javier was curious about Lisa's purpose in leading him here and, more importantly, the identity of the person inside the stone coffin.