Javier looked at the strange setup: a pitch-black abyss below and a heavy stone coffin suspended above. The entire scene felt more like an ancient tomb raid than an incident in Resident Evil, leaving Javier to muse on the sheer variety of elements in this ordeal.
If the steel coffin sealed by chains in the mansion's basement held George Trevor, the berserk zombie father, then this heavily guarded stone coffin almost certainly contained Jessica Trevor, the mother. The similar use of chains and coffins made the conclusion inescapable. Indeed, the reason Lisa had led Javier's group here was to get them to help open this massive stone coffin.
Lisa had been drawn to this very spot on the suspended platform by the faint scent of her mother's remains. Her only problem was that she couldn't open the heavy coffin. Her residual intellect was too limited to solve the mechanism, and brute force was useless. Lisa had repeatedly attacked the coffin with her parasite tentacles and shackles, but the stone was too durable to be shattered. Her attempts were so violent that they nearly caused the entire platform to collapse.
Therefore, Lisa had abandoned the destructive approach. She had been painstakingly and carefully chipping at the stone with her heavy shackles, managing only a small pit so far. The process was agonizingly slow because she had to control her strength precisely: too much force and the platform would swing, potentially snapping the chains and plunging everything into the abyss; too little and the progress was negligible. This enforced restraint, however, had provided a strange benefit: she learned to control her strength and, slowly, her volatile emotions, which aided the recovery of her sanity.
But now, Lisa couldn't wait any longer. Since Javier's group were not from Umbrella, were not repulsed by her appearance, and were even willing to help, Lisa chose to trust them and plead for their assistance.
"Ho-ho..."
Lisa's hoarse voice came again. "Help... help me... open it...!!"
Her deformed body slowly swayed toward the stone coffin, breathing in the extremely faint, sweet yet slightly putrid scent emanating from within. Lisa's movements slowed. She likely knew her mother was dead, but it didn't matter; she just wanted to embrace her one last time. She could barely recall the warmth of her mother's embrace, and that memory, her sole remaining obsession, was fading. If it was lost, Lisa truly would go mad.
Javier turned his attention to the suspended platform and the chains. The platform was secured by four thick chains, which were linked to both the platform and the coffin. At the four corners of the platform were heavy, anchor-like stone blocks that could be pushed over. When one of these blocks was pushed down, the chain linking the coffin would be raised, lifting one corner of the coffin lid. Simultaneously, the chain supporting that corner of the platform would detach, causing the platform to drop by one corner. The key to the puzzle was balancing the weight. They had to use the blocks to open the coffin without causing the entire platform to plummet.
They were fortunate Lisa hadn't fiddled with the blocks, or she might have sent herself, the platform, and the coffin into the abyss.
"I think I see how this works..." Javier turned to his team. "Jill, Rebecca, Barry, there are four of us. I know the game. Come help, and follow my commands when pushing these anchor blocks. Don't touch them until I give the word."
Javier gave quick instructions. He kept Lisa outside the platform area for a reason: her parasite tentacles could serve as an emergency safety system in case they messed up and fell. Of course, that depended on Lisa's current level of intellect, so Javier intended to get it right on the first try.
Jill and the others, trusting Javier's tactical acumen, quickly stepped onto the platform. They were frustrated at their inability to figure out the mechanism, so they had to defer to him.
Standing at the four corner positions of the platform, Javier looked at the three prepared teammates, then decisively kicked the stone block in front of him.
"Rumble...!"
A violent tremor shook the area. The chain instantly tore through its fastening as the block plummeted. The weight and speed of the descending stone lifted the corner of the massive stone coffin lid slightly. Lisa, watching from the tunnel, let out an excited, hoarse cry, her body trembling. She was astonished at how quickly Javier's group solved what she couldn't.
Javier was nonchalant. This was a simple matter of leverage and pulleys—elementary physics.
As the stone fell, raising one corner of the coffin, the platform beneath Javier's feet immediately dipped, losing one of its supports. The entire platform was now tilted, though not severely enough to send them plunging into the deep chasm. This confirmed that the key to the puzzle was managing the imbalance.
"Alright, now Barry, Jill, come stand next to me. Rebecca, push the anchor block under your feet. Don't worry, you won't fall. The weight of the three of us here should create a temporary triangular balance." Javier squinted, noting that Rebecca was the lightest of the group. Barry, the middle-aged man, was the heaviest, having accumulated some "dad weight." Jill, despite her tall figure, had more mass in her chest and hips than the "flat-chested kid" Rebecca, making Rebecca the most suitable person to push the stone block.
Rebecca narrowed her eyes at Javier. She might not have been told directly, but she knew the implication in his voice. He's going to pay for this later! she thought.
Despite her annoyance, Rebecca was a team player. She glared at the anchor block, rubbed her hands together, and with all her strength, shoved it down!
"Rumble...!"
Another loud crash. The thick steel chain snapped. The platform, now only supported by two remaining chains, began to sway dangerously. Without the stability of the four chains, the platform was liable to flip and send them into the abyss at any moment.
But Javier's plan was sound. By strategically positioning their collective body weight, they effectively substituted their mass for the missing chain support, maintaining a precarious, shaky balance.
"Clang—!"
With the second chain gone, the heavy stone coffin was lifted on two corners, revealing the interior. What lay inside was a single, ordinary white skeleton wrapped in decayed clothing. The bones were stained black, but the frame was clearly female. The absence of desiccated flesh and the oxidized clothing indicated the remains were at least ten years old. This was a time frame beyond their capacity to trace or imagine.
"..."
"Mom... Mommy...???"
Upon seeing the skeletal remains, Lisa, who had been waiting above, finally let out a hysterical, hoarse cry. It was undoubtedly Jessica Trevor's remains. She had not become a berserk zombie like George but had passed away peacefully. For a mother, perhaps this was the most dignified way to leave, having taken her own life to prevent the T-Virus from consuming her and turning her into a monster that would eat her own child. It was a truly moving tragedy.
"Wait! Lisa, I know you're upset, but don't jump down! The platform can't handle any more weight. If you jump down, we'll all fall into the abyss. Calm down... I know you can hear and understand me," Javier urgently shouted, his expression serious. Lisa was showing signs of wanting to jump down and touch her mother's remains. "Stay where you are! We will bring your mother's remains up to you. Rebecca! You're the lightest and most mobile. Grab my tactical backpack, put Lisa's mother's remains inside, and jump back up first!"
Javier knew the two-chain platform was at a critical breaking point. One more person would destroy the balance and send everyone to their doom.
Lisa froze at Javier's loud, stern command. She seemed to have understood his words and stood still, which brought a wave of relief over Javier. She is a good girl!
Only after Lisa's emotions had stabilized did Rebecca cautiously move. She took the tactical backpack Javier tossed her, carefully approached the coffin, and gently collected the skeletal remains—skull, ribcage, arms, legs, and pelvis—into the bag. Feeling the platform begin to tremble slightly, Rebecca knew she couldn't linger. She focused, took a running step, and leaped, flopping onto the stone ledge near the tunnel entrance with a clumsy thud.
"Thump—!"
"Cough, cough! Ouch!" Rebecca coughed up a cloud of dust, groaning as the impact jarred her small frame. Though the landing was graceless, she was safely off the doomed platform.
"Next! Jill, Barry, prepare to jump simultaneously! Don't worry about me. Even if the platform flips and falls due to the weight imbalance, I can hold onto the chain. Once you're safe, you can take off your clothes, tie them into a rope, and pull me up!" Javier commanded, relieved that Rebecca was safe, but urgently pushing the remaining two to escape.