Exchange of Fire

Directly beneath the sacrificial chamber.

"Ah--~!"

"Bang-! Bang-!"

Screams and gunfire echoed faintly.

"Dong!"

The heavy stone door of the passage leading back to the sacrificial chamber slammed shut, cutting off the retreat for Chris and the others.

Before the group could even catch their breath, the pyramid's mechanisms activated once more. A secret door leading downward slowly opened, revealing a dark, tunnel-like staircase before their eyes.

"What is going on?! What happened to the people up there!"

"Redfield! We want an explanation!"

The sudden turn of events left the D-Class personnel, who were originally security, restless and agitated. One D-Class Security guard even lunged forward, attempting to grab Chris by the collar to demand answers.

But Chris, bolstered by his Mechanical Exoskeleton, did not let the man have his way. With a light push from his left hand, he sent the D-Class Security guard stumbling, nearly causing him to lose his balance and fall.

Immediately afterward.

Chris, also wearing a troubled expression, shouted, "You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? I'm just following orders! We're all in the same boat now! If you want to survive, the only way is to cooperate!"

"Hah!" Seeing Chris say this, the D-Class Security guard who had nearly been pushed over sneered, "It seems Captain Redfield is just another piece of expendable company property."

"Enough. If you want to get out, keep moving."

Chris ignored the provocation, picked up the large backpack containing the three shoulder cannons, slung it over his shoulders, and walked straight into the tunnel leading into the depths of the pyramid.

Watching Chris disappear from view, the remaining twelve D-Class personnel exchanged glances, ultimately choosing to follow along.

To be honest, even Chris, walking at the front, was feeling puzzled.

Why was Sui Bian so convinced that he could complete the mission?

Fortunately, after several months of getting to know him, Chris believed that Sui Bian wouldn't intentionally harm him... probably.

He shook his head, casting the distracting thoughts aside, and began to consider how to complete the task Sui Bian had entrusted to him.

Shortly after everyone had entered the tunnel, three young Predators, having deactivated their optical camouflage, stared blankly at the empty weapon rack.

The shoulder cannons had actually been taken by humans?!

Their first hunt had been ruined by humans!

"Roar!!" At the thought of this, Captain Celtic let out another angry roar, gesturing with his hands for his two teammates to hunt the humans down.

Chopper and Scar nodded in unison, then both activated their optical camouflage and vanished into the room.

"Dong!" Celtic, still frustrated, punched the wall before activating his own camouflage to chase after his teammates.

Next.

Relying on the convenience of having the pyramid's map, the three young Predators overtook Chris and his group, lying in ambush above a narrow hall.

The sides of the hall were lined with giant Predator statues—the very spot where the protagonists had engaged the Predators in the movie.

Thanks to Sui Bian's warning, Chris felt that something was off about this hall and immediately heightened his vigilance, scanning his surroundings.

"Shhh--!" Suddenly, the sound of a spear piercing the air while in stealth mode shattered the atmosphere.

"Ah...! Ah!" A D-Class Security guard was pinned directly to the ground by a spear, howling in agonizing pain.

Seeing this, Chris and all the D-Class Security guards immediately raised their weapons to scan the area, while the D-Class researchers scrambled to help the man pinned to the floor.

"Enemies! Three o'clock! On top of the statue!"

"There's one behind us too! Behind... Pfft! Urgh..."

"Fire! Open fire!"

"Bang bang bang! Bang bang!"

The scene descended into chaos; shouts, gunfire, and the sound of human flesh being pierced by sharp objects intertwined within the hall.

The young Predators held the tactical advantage, and with the invisibility provided by their optical camouflage, the human side suffered heavy losses.

Especially the D-Class personnel near Chris.

Just as only five humans remained, the pyramid's mechanisms shifted once more, causing stone walls, bricks, and statues to move.

The young Predators' line of sight was obstructed and their movement restricted, which allowed the remaining humans to escape a catastrophe. Chris and the other four squeezed into a small chamber at the end of the hall.

Anxious and restless, they had no choice but to wait patiently. About ten minutes later, the mechanisms began to operate again.

A secret door opened in the chamber, and the five of them passed through it and traversed a tunnel, finally arriving at an area that, while filled with stone pillars and statues, was relatively spacious.

However, before anyone could explore, a D-Class Security guard walking in front of Chris was suddenly ensnared by a large hunting net.

The sheer force of the net dragged the guard away, pinning him—man and net alike—against the stone wall.

"Dong! Dong!"

Simultaneously, the invisible Celtic launched an assault on the group, and its target was none other than Chris.

!!

The moment Chris saw a humanoid silhouette charging toward him, he dodged to the left, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Ah!" The D-Class researcher hiding behind Chris was not so lucky; Celtic kicked him away with brute force.

The D-Class researcher slammed hard into a stone pillar, the sickening "crack" of his spine snapping ringing out sharply.

He wouldn't survive.

As for the D-Class Security officer pinned to the stone wall by the hunting net, he had already been sliced into ribbons by the mesh.

Chunks of his body fell from his thermal suit, and blood sprayed everywhere like a burst pipe.

This hunting net was one of the Yautja's weapons, crafted from an unknown metal; back when the human protagonist tried to cut the net with a dagger to save the black mercenary, the dagger had been sliced in two by the net instead.

In just a few seconds, the human side had lost two more men.

Having just escaped death, Chris felt a chill run down his spine. Without time to think, he spun around, raised his MA5B, and pulled the trigger toward the seemingly empty space in front of him.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The distinct roar of the MA5B filled the air.

"Clang! Pfft!" The 7.62x51mm AP-FMJ rounds pinged off armor plating.

"Pfft!" A spray of fluorescent green blood splattered out.

Finally, the human side had managed to inflict damage on the Yautja trio.

"Roar!" Struck in the left abdomen by the bullets, Chopper let out a furious roar, then dodged Chris's follow-up fire with even greater agility, simultaneously extending the single-blade wrist blade on his left arm.

The moment he closed the distance to Chris, Chopper swung his wrist blade with all his might.

!!!

Relying on the faint outline, Chris dodged the slash by instinct once again, but he failed to evade Chopper's side kick.

"Pong!" With a dull thud, Chopper's leg slammed into the Mechanical Exoskeleton on Chris's left thigh.

The sheer force caused the Mechanical Exoskeleton to visibly bend and deform, sending Chris flying from the impact.

He also slammed his back into a stone pillar.

The difference was that Chris had the protection of the Mechanical Exoskeleton, so he sustained no fatal injuries.

"Cough! Cough, cough..." Chopper's combo had left Chris breathless and weak, though fortunately, his left leg was only throbbing with pain rather than broken.

Chris needed a moment to recover.

But before he could catch his breath, Chopper, having voluntarily deactivated his cloaking device, was already standing right in front of him.

Given that Chris had managed to wound him, Chopper prepared to extract Chris's spine and skull as a trophy to show his respect.

However...

A "dark shadow" lurking above the stone pillar interrupted Chopper's attempt to claim his prize.